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Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
Lauren DeStefano | 2018 | Dystopia, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has an interesting concept: In a future world, something has gone wrong genetics wise and people die young. Girls at 20 and boys at 25, unless you're born a first generation in which you case you live like us now. I was intrigued as to where the storyline was going to go.

And it didn't really go anywhere in truth.

They're trying to find a cure and in the process men marry several girls at a time to reproduce so that they may find a cure eventually and live full length lives.

I'll admit that Linden made me a little sick at one point in the book, in my opinion Cecily was way too young, but later on we learn that he's rather innocent in regards to the outside world.

As for the wives. Well, Cecily did my head in to start with. She was so young but trying to be so mature and it didn't work for me but by the end she'd grown on me a fair bit. Jenna... *sighs* she was pretty cool and I really liked her, from beginning to end. And then Rhine. She knew the game she had to play to survive and she did what was necessary.

I'm not too sure at the minute whether I'm bothered enough to carry on with the series.
  
Oxygen (2021)
Oxygen (2021)
2021 | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
9
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
There are few films that focus on a single character trapped by outside circumstances, not of their making. The few I can think of are all good in their own right, but I'm not sure they were as captivating as Oxygen, I hope this film is forever added to the top of those lists discussing such films.

I figured out a couple of things early on (that's just the way my brain works unfortunately 🤷🏼‍♀️) but it in no way lessened my enjoyment of the film. I was genuinely intrigued as to how the whole thing would play out, and there were some big surprises still.

Mélanie Laurent is fantastic, some of the scenes could have been really overplayed and dramatic, but I think she was perfect; to carry a whole film being the only actor on screen is nothing short of phenomenonal, her performance had me gripped to the final shots.

The film almost runs in real time, so if you are looking for something fast paced with lots of action or drama, then maybe move along, but if you are looking for something with the feel of a thriller that has its twists and turns, where you figure things out equally as the character does then this is more for you.

Would highly recommend as a must watch whatever you are into!
  
Colorado Wild (Colorado Heart, #1)
Colorado Wild (Colorado Heart, #1)
Sara York | 2013 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The start of this book confused me as it didn't seem to be about the men mentioned in the synopsis but as you carry on reading, it all becomes clear. This book doesn't just focus on the main characters mentioned but on the group as a whole, as you learn about who they are and what they do. There was a change in names as well from Bill to Billy. Not much difference, admittedly, but it still jolted for a moment as it was right at the beginning when you are just getting to know the characters and didn't know if these were two different ones, or one and the same!

The storyline is a good one and shows promise. The characters could do with a bit more development and the points of view need to be slowed down some. Sometimes I wasn't sure which one was speaking, or to whom. With a bit of proofreading and editing, I think this book could shine. As it is, I enjoyed the story and look forward to learning more about the Wild Bluff boys.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 13, 2015
  
40x40

Sam (74 KP) rated More Than This in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
More Than This
More Than This
Patrick Ness | 2014 | Children
8
8.9 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
However, I never managed to get into it. I didn’t realise it would be quite as sci-fi as it seemed to begin with and struggled to relate to the protagonist.

I thought this was going to stay as a DNF forever, as I had a tendency to never try to pick a book up again after I have DNF’d it. However, just before I was going on holiday I saw a review for it over on another blog and decided that I should try it again. My tastes have changed a lot in a few years, so I was hoping I would find it easier to read this time around.

And I was right! I wasn’t hooked right at the beginning so it took some commitment to carry on reading. But now I really enjoyed the concept of aliens used in this and all of the mystery.

I actually got hooked on this! It’s almost like reading an episode of Black Mirror, which is another thing I’m addicted to.

Fair enough, I wasn’t completely sure I liked the characters, but you don’t have to love the characters in order to enjoy a novel.

I have an obsession with urban explorers going into abandoned places, and I love their videos. More Than This is set in a completely abandoned world, and I found Ness’s description of how nature took over a familiar place was really fascinating. This made me really like his writing and now I’m considering reading more of his books!
  
White Water (Ryder Bay #5)
White Water (Ryder Bay #5)
Jordan Ford | 2019 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
White Water (Ryder Bay #5) by Jordan Ford
White Water is the epilogue finale novella in the Ryder Bay series, and my word, do we go out with a bang!

In this book, you catch up with all the main couples from the previous books. It is Spring Break, and things aren't going according to plan. Life is changing for our young couples, and they are left feeling very uncertain about what their future holds. Some have to decide about college, some have more personal decisions to make. Whichever, it makes for a gripping book.

Don't just enjoy what is written in the main part of the book though. Once you reach the end, carry on reading, and you will find further snippets, just to give you that final fulfilment, on how Ms Ford sees their futures going. It was perfect. I loved all of them, plus hearing about the plans for the new series.

If I had one 'bad' thing to say (and it's not really bad, just my personal opinion), I would have loved to have known if Hayes and Jace continued their friendship as they matured. In fact, I'd just love more of Hayes, please!

If you've read the main four books in this series, then why deny yourself the cherry on the icing on the cake, which is this epilogue novella? Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3)
A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3)
Karin Slaughter | 2003 | Fiction & Poetry
7
5.5 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
From the back of the book: Sara Linton, Oh examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides a little in the way of clues - And the college authorities are keen to avoid a scandal - but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don’t add up.
Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself , let alone saving the next victim…

This was my first time reading a Karin Slaughter novel. I didn’t realise until halfway through that this was the third in a series, however I was able to pick up some of the previous relationships and how it all linked together. I quite enjoyed reading this book although found it slow to start, but after about 100 pages in found myself unable to put the book down.

As an avid reader of crime and thriller novels I have to admit that even I did not pick up on who was guilty of committing the crimes. Slaughter’s writing Is very graphic and descriptive, including some very realistic forensic details would definitely like to carry on reading this series. Most enjoyable!