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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Reject ( Academy of Misfits book 2) in Books
Dec 16, 2021
209 of 250
Kindle
Reject (Academy of Misfits book 2)
By Bea Paige
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
What's the saying: keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
Guess I'm about to find out just how difficult that really is. I might have my best friend back but his safety and that of my chosen family depends on me doing something I vowed never to do.
Join Camden's crew.
Thing is, you don't turn down the leader of Hackney's Hackers and then get a second chance without forfeiting something in return. The relationships I was just starting to build, is that too high of a price?
Sonny with his joking nature and dimples.
Ford with his mysterious dominance and protective instinct.
Eastern with his unyielding loyalty and feeling of home.
This term at Oceanside Academy, my sanity will be pushed to the limit as I walk the fine line between friend and foe. All I know is this better be worth it because I'm about to learn something important about myself. I was happy being a delinquent, but a reject... ? Not so much.
Loved it!! Better than the first one and I enjoyed that! The story is developing and becoming more thrilling although I had the cliffhanger pegged from the start. I’d have tho by now that some of the characters would start grating on me but they aren’t the one you want to see dealt with is Monk that dude has it coming! Really good reverse harem too as it’s built nicely to this point. Definitely recommend.
Kindle
Reject (Academy of Misfits book 2)
By Bea Paige
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
What's the saying: keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
Guess I'm about to find out just how difficult that really is. I might have my best friend back but his safety and that of my chosen family depends on me doing something I vowed never to do.
Join Camden's crew.
Thing is, you don't turn down the leader of Hackney's Hackers and then get a second chance without forfeiting something in return. The relationships I was just starting to build, is that too high of a price?
Sonny with his joking nature and dimples.
Ford with his mysterious dominance and protective instinct.
Eastern with his unyielding loyalty and feeling of home.
This term at Oceanside Academy, my sanity will be pushed to the limit as I walk the fine line between friend and foe. All I know is this better be worth it because I'm about to learn something important about myself. I was happy being a delinquent, but a reject... ? Not so much.
Loved it!! Better than the first one and I enjoyed that! The story is developing and becoming more thrilling although I had the cliffhanger pegged from the start. I’d have tho by now that some of the characters would start grating on me but they aren’t the one you want to see dealt with is Monk that dude has it coming! Really good reverse harem too as it’s built nicely to this point. Definitely recommend.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) in Movies
Dec 16, 2021
Let me start of by saying Spider-Man: No Way Home is a true cinematic experience. In terms of the MCU, it's a fully fledged event movie, but it's one that had the screen I was in, cheering and clapping. I haven't seen that in a long long time.
I'll keep this fairly short as to not dive into spoiler territory. NWH manages to serve as many things. It's a fantastic third entry into Jon Watts Spider-Man trilogy. It's a story that really puts Peter Parker through the mill. The last two have been very fun adventures. This one feels like it has consequences, and has much heavier plot beats than before.
It's also a unabashed love letter to the past Spider-Man film franchises, with familiar villains pouring in from all corners. The respect this film shows to the narratives and characters of the past films is air tight, whilst poking fun at sillier elements, and even a few memes that have surfaced over the years.
It's also an extremely important chapter in the wider MCU narrative, dealing with the multiverse, and essentially setting up Doctor Strange 2. Needless to say, it feels that Phase 4 is truly in full swing.
It's brimming with wonderful character moments (I definitely nearly cried), thrilling set pieces, and it's pacing sees it's hefty runtime fly by.
No Way Home is nothing short of excellent. An exciting new step for the MCU, a veritable treat for fans of the older films, and is a triumph in every sense of the word. One of those movies that I wish I could experience for the first time again.
I'll keep this fairly short as to not dive into spoiler territory. NWH manages to serve as many things. It's a fantastic third entry into Jon Watts Spider-Man trilogy. It's a story that really puts Peter Parker through the mill. The last two have been very fun adventures. This one feels like it has consequences, and has much heavier plot beats than before.
It's also a unabashed love letter to the past Spider-Man film franchises, with familiar villains pouring in from all corners. The respect this film shows to the narratives and characters of the past films is air tight, whilst poking fun at sillier elements, and even a few memes that have surfaced over the years.
It's also an extremely important chapter in the wider MCU narrative, dealing with the multiverse, and essentially setting up Doctor Strange 2. Needless to say, it feels that Phase 4 is truly in full swing.
It's brimming with wonderful character moments (I definitely nearly cried), thrilling set pieces, and it's pacing sees it's hefty runtime fly by.
No Way Home is nothing short of excellent. An exciting new step for the MCU, a veritable treat for fans of the older films, and is a triumph in every sense of the word. One of those movies that I wish I could experience for the first time again.
Fingers Crossed: How music saved me from success
10.0
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Book
Formed in 1988, Lush were part of the London gig scene during one of the most vibrant and creative...
Trigger warning: self harm/ suicide
The Bone Code
Book
THE NEW SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN THE TEMPERANCE BRENNAN SERIES 'I await the next Kathy Reichs'...
Accidental Bonds (Elemental Bonds, #1)
10.0
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It was meant to be temporary. Fate had other ideas. Victor Mills would do anything to protect his...
MM Paranormal Romance Shifters Magic
Merissa (11935 KP) rated Rogue (Relentless #3) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
This book starts with just a small gap from the ending of the last one. Sara has 'escaped' from her home, leaving Nikolas, Tristan, and her shadows behind. Of course, she's not allowed to escape by herself, Jordan has blackmailed Sara into letting her come along. I don't think that Jordan was expecting the escape to take the route it did, although it gave me plenty of laughs to start off this rollercoaster of a book.
Sara is determined to stand on her own, to prove that she isn't helpless or hopeless! With Jordan, Peter, and Roland's help, she has physical support. With the friendship of David and Kelvan, she has IT on her side too. She proves that she kicks ass whilst also showing her caring and empathetic side.
Sara's character grows with leaps and bounds in this book, as she harnesses both her Fae and her Mori sides. I will just add here that although I love Nikolas, I was ready to whomp him upside the head when he kept saying it was too dangerous for Sara and not listening to her. I couldn't wait for her to pull the rug out from under his feet! Of course, I still love his character, but still!
Packed full of emotion and action, this is a thrilling climax to the trilogy. What a journey this group of characters have taken me on. This is most definitely a 5-star series - there is not a book that lets it down. Absolutely loved it and highly recommended!
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 7, 2016
Sara is determined to stand on her own, to prove that she isn't helpless or hopeless! With Jordan, Peter, and Roland's help, she has physical support. With the friendship of David and Kelvan, she has IT on her side too. She proves that she kicks ass whilst also showing her caring and empathetic side.
Sara's character grows with leaps and bounds in this book, as she harnesses both her Fae and her Mori sides. I will just add here that although I love Nikolas, I was ready to whomp him upside the head when he kept saying it was too dangerous for Sara and not listening to her. I couldn't wait for her to pull the rug out from under his feet! Of course, I still love his character, but still!
Packed full of emotion and action, this is a thrilling climax to the trilogy. What a journey this group of characters have taken me on. This is most definitely a 5-star series - there is not a book that lets it down. Absolutely loved it and highly recommended!
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 7, 2016
The Committee Will Kill You Now
Book
The gripping new book from the author of The Algorithm Will See You Now. Based on the true-life...
Medical Thriller
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
The MCU will never be the same again
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Avengers: Endgame is the best movie of the MCU, because frankly; it isn’t. It’s not even in my top three. However, as a culmination of everything Marvel has been working up to since 2008, it has to be applauded.
From a technical standpoint, Endgame is like nothing else we’ve ever seen come to the big screen, with a cast that pushes the film to breaking point, characters we remember from movies past and some we had perhaps forgotten about hit the screen in epic fashion. But how good is the finished product?
Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply starts to dwindle. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers – Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner – must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos – the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who have by this point, helmed four MCU movies including the brilliant Captain America: Civil War are a safe pair of hands for this incredible feat of film-making, even if the movie feels overstuffed from time to time.
The film starts off exceptionally, with beautiful cinematography lending itself to some intriguing character development. Let’s not forget that we’ve been growing with some of these characters for 10 years and yet Endgame still manages to surprise and delight with new facets of their personalities.
This is helped of course by the tightly written script, but is mainly down to the actors who portray these icons of cinema. Robert Downey Jr is the best he’s been since the solo Iron Man movies and both Chris Evans and Hemsworth are immensely likeable as Captain America and Thor respectively. Unfortunately, Thor’s character arc here is a little disappointing as the Russo’s turn him into the butt of too many jokes – he is the god of thunder after all.
Where the film does suffer is with some of the newer characters. Brie Larson’s irritating Carol Danvers gets far too much screen time for someone so new to the franchise, and this sometimes feels at the expense of better, more established fan favourites. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her Captain Marvel, but she’s wooden and remains unlikeable, as she did in her solo outing earlier this year.
One individual that does standout however is Karen Gillan’s, Nebula. Always a secondary character up to this point, it’s fantastic to see her blossom and fully embody the personality of the troubled cyborg. In fact, she’s probably the best character across the entire running time.
Moments that should have more poignancy don’t get the respect they deserve
Josh Brolin’s Thanos is as intimidating as ever, though perhaps not as much as he was in last year’s Infinity War. And while the script-writing and humour are as spot on as you can imagine for a movie baring the MCU badge of honour, the Russo brothers are forced to re-write some of the franchise’s own rules – for plot reasons of course.
For fans of the entire universe, this proves unnerving but as with any series that’s lasted this long, some artistic license needs to be taken to keep it feeling fresh.
One thing that can’t be criticised however is the pacing. For a film a little over three hours long, Endgame never feels dull. Sure, there are moments that could have been trimmed down, but from thrilling set piece to thrilling set piece, the film steamrolls itself into a final hour that will have your jaw hitting the floor numerous times.
From a special effects standpoint, Endgame deserves praise. It would be easy to criticise the film for overflowing with CGI rather than the practical effects that the Star Wars and Jurassic franchises rely on, but this would be doing a disservice to the wonderful work the effects teams have done on this film. At no point are you under the illusion that this is all real, but it’s the best the MCU has been, especially towards the finale.
Nevertheless, the sheer scope of the film proves to be its undoing at times. Moments that should have more poignancy don’t get the respect they deserve and the number of characters vying for screen time naturally means some sacrifices needed to be made here and there.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a fitting tribute to the 21 films that came before it and acts as a cathartic exercise, putting to rest over a decade of thrilling, emotional and exciting movies. It’s action packed to the point of being exhausting and is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a technical marvel, but it just doesn’t quite hit the same heights as Infinity War and dare I say it, Thor: Ragnarok. As I stated at the beginning of this review, it would be easy for me to say Endgame is the best film in the franchise, but that would be doing a disservice to you the readers and the incredible films that truly deserve that title.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/04/27/avengers-endgame-review-the-mcu-will-never-be-the-same-again/
From a technical standpoint, Endgame is like nothing else we’ve ever seen come to the big screen, with a cast that pushes the film to breaking point, characters we remember from movies past and some we had perhaps forgotten about hit the screen in epic fashion. But how good is the finished product?
Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply starts to dwindle. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers – Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner – must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos – the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who have by this point, helmed four MCU movies including the brilliant Captain America: Civil War are a safe pair of hands for this incredible feat of film-making, even if the movie feels overstuffed from time to time.
The film starts off exceptionally, with beautiful cinematography lending itself to some intriguing character development. Let’s not forget that we’ve been growing with some of these characters for 10 years and yet Endgame still manages to surprise and delight with new facets of their personalities.
This is helped of course by the tightly written script, but is mainly down to the actors who portray these icons of cinema. Robert Downey Jr is the best he’s been since the solo Iron Man movies and both Chris Evans and Hemsworth are immensely likeable as Captain America and Thor respectively. Unfortunately, Thor’s character arc here is a little disappointing as the Russo’s turn him into the butt of too many jokes – he is the god of thunder after all.
Where the film does suffer is with some of the newer characters. Brie Larson’s irritating Carol Danvers gets far too much screen time for someone so new to the franchise, and this sometimes feels at the expense of better, more established fan favourites. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her Captain Marvel, but she’s wooden and remains unlikeable, as she did in her solo outing earlier this year.
One individual that does standout however is Karen Gillan’s, Nebula. Always a secondary character up to this point, it’s fantastic to see her blossom and fully embody the personality of the troubled cyborg. In fact, she’s probably the best character across the entire running time.
Moments that should have more poignancy don’t get the respect they deserve
Josh Brolin’s Thanos is as intimidating as ever, though perhaps not as much as he was in last year’s Infinity War. And while the script-writing and humour are as spot on as you can imagine for a movie baring the MCU badge of honour, the Russo brothers are forced to re-write some of the franchise’s own rules – for plot reasons of course.
For fans of the entire universe, this proves unnerving but as with any series that’s lasted this long, some artistic license needs to be taken to keep it feeling fresh.
One thing that can’t be criticised however is the pacing. For a film a little over three hours long, Endgame never feels dull. Sure, there are moments that could have been trimmed down, but from thrilling set piece to thrilling set piece, the film steamrolls itself into a final hour that will have your jaw hitting the floor numerous times.
From a special effects standpoint, Endgame deserves praise. It would be easy to criticise the film for overflowing with CGI rather than the practical effects that the Star Wars and Jurassic franchises rely on, but this would be doing a disservice to the wonderful work the effects teams have done on this film. At no point are you under the illusion that this is all real, but it’s the best the MCU has been, especially towards the finale.
Nevertheless, the sheer scope of the film proves to be its undoing at times. Moments that should have more poignancy don’t get the respect they deserve and the number of characters vying for screen time naturally means some sacrifices needed to be made here and there.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a fitting tribute to the 21 films that came before it and acts as a cathartic exercise, putting to rest over a decade of thrilling, emotional and exciting movies. It’s action packed to the point of being exhausting and is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a technical marvel, but it just doesn’t quite hit the same heights as Infinity War and dare I say it, Thor: Ragnarok. As I stated at the beginning of this review, it would be easy for me to say Endgame is the best film in the franchise, but that would be doing a disservice to you the readers and the incredible films that truly deserve that title.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/04/27/avengers-endgame-review-the-mcu-will-never-be-the-same-again/
Merissa (11935 KP) rated Twell and the Army of Powers (Como Chronicles #1) in Books
Jun 21, 2017
Twell and the Army of Powers (Como Chronicles #1) by Kate O'Leary
Twell and the Army of Powers is the first book in the Como Chronicles. It gives us an in-depth view into the lives of those who live there, how their lives are regulated, what is forbidden, and what isn't. Twell is the main character, and the story is told from her perspective, and yet is still rounded out enough that you don't feel like you are missing out on anything.
Twell is a bit of a brat at the start of the book, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Her character grows in ways unforeseen, by her own actions and by the 'gentle' advice from her friends. All of the characters have grit though, whether you like them or not. There is not a weak character amongst them, and they all grow and change throughout the book.
There is so much I want to say about this book, but won't in case of spoilers. Things happened that I never saw coming; my heart was broken on more than one occasion; it jumped into my mouth as I desperately held onto hope (even knowing that the author wouldn't make it so easy). The story is concise and gripping, thrilling and action-packed, ending on a cliffhanger that had me shouting out "NO!" even though I had already suspected the outcome!
This is a fantastic Young Adult Dystopian story with a dash of romance, that is guaranteed to enthral the reader. 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 my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Twell is a bit of a brat at the start of the book, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Her character grows in ways unforeseen, by her own actions and by the 'gentle' advice from her friends. All of the characters have grit though, whether you like them or not. There is not a weak character amongst them, and they all grow and change throughout the book.
There is so much I want to say about this book, but won't in case of spoilers. Things happened that I never saw coming; my heart was broken on more than one occasion; it jumped into my mouth as I desperately held onto hope (even knowing that the author wouldn't make it so easy). The story is concise and gripping, thrilling and action-packed, ending on a cliffhanger that had me shouting out "NO!" even though I had already suspected the outcome!
This is a fantastic Young Adult Dystopian story with a dash of romance, that is guaranteed to enthral the reader. 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 my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Prophet in Books
Apr 27, 2018
It's been a long time since I've been so excited about a book. The Prophet was thrilling in every sense of the word, and combined everything good about a novel: excitement, tension, good writing, complex plot, and twists. I'm not going to tell you a lot about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away: I didn't know a lot going in, and I'm glad, because I may not have picked it up. In fact I almost stopped listening after the first chapter because it felt a little distant… but I'm so glad now that I stuck with it. By the third track I was hooked, and it was all I could think about for days! This is an audiobook I will definitely recommend to people, and absolutely re-listen to.
I loved the ending. I loved the tension. I loved how it all transpired. Even though the ending wasn't perfect, it was right, and it made me do a little happy dance at the end. On top of that, the reader was great. Listening to The Prophet was an all around excellent experience.
Here's the one thing I think might deter people from really getting into The Prophet: There's a lot of football talk. I am not a football fan. Not at all. I don't care for it, I don't understand it, it doesn't matter to me. Suffice to say by the end of the book, not only did I understand a little more (though not all) of what was being said about the games, but I was excited by it. It wasn't written so you had NO clue what was going on, just not a HUGE clue what was going on.
Rating: 5
Content/Recommendation: Some language, violence, graphic imagery. Sexual reference but no erotic scenes. Ages 18+
I loved the ending. I loved the tension. I loved how it all transpired. Even though the ending wasn't perfect, it was right, and it made me do a little happy dance at the end. On top of that, the reader was great. Listening to The Prophet was an all around excellent experience.
Here's the one thing I think might deter people from really getting into The Prophet: There's a lot of football talk. I am not a football fan. Not at all. I don't care for it, I don't understand it, it doesn't matter to me. Suffice to say by the end of the book, not only did I understand a little more (though not all) of what was being said about the games, but I was excited by it. It wasn't written so you had NO clue what was going on, just not a HUGE clue what was going on.
Rating: 5
Content/Recommendation: Some language, violence, graphic imagery. Sexual reference but no erotic scenes. Ages 18+