Movie Review: Oppenheimer (2023)

Title: Oppenheimer

Length: 3 hrs

Released: 2023

Genre:  Biography, Drama, History
Rating: R
Where I Got It: Peacock

SUMMARY:

The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Trailer

REVIEW:

Been meaning to watch this and I really am bummed I didn't watch this in theaters. This would've been visually wonderful on the big screen. But 3 hours in a theater and not pausing? Oof. So maybe it's good I watched it at home with Hubby. 

Here we watch the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer who was the father of the atomic bomb. We not only see his journey and his team's journey to taking a theory and making it a thing, but we also see the aftermath to his career. 

Dang this had one heck of a cast. They spent ALL the money on this. Loads and loads of big names and they all did amazing. They played off each other well. Sometimes with so many big names it can feel like a battle on the screen. 

What a controversial man even in his own time. He was interesting and I knew so little about him. I knew the basics....he led the Manhattan Project....that's all. It was interesting not only learning about him, but the majority of his whole team. I feel like the movie did a good job really getting to the heart of the people...especially Oppenheimer. He was complex. His emotions with what happened with his product was beautiful to watch. You could tell he had mixed feelings, but that last scene with Albert....broke my heart in a way. They don't victimize him or excuse what they all did, BUT it does make you look at the people themselves. It makes you question yourself too.....what would you have done in those desperate and scary times? 

Honestly....this could've been two movies. There was so much more they could've really dived into. 

The jumping around time could've used a more distinct indicator or something when switching around. You def have to pay attention. There was a time or two when I was momentarily confused, but I would catch my bearings and be okay. This is a film you HAVE to pay attention to. Lots of subtle things. 

But yes. This is a film that everyone should watch. It does give us a look at humanity. Not just of the past....but of today. It makes you think. It makes you feel. It makes you question everything. I can see why this got the hype it did. It was really good. I do want to re-watch someday. I'll give this 4 stars. The time hopping could have been done slightly better. They did good, but I feel like there could've been a better indicator. 

I'm starting something new in March for reviews....one word summaries...because I love trying new things with my reviews. 

One Word Summary: INTENSE

Book Review: Mr.Murder by Dean Koontz

Author: Dean Koontz

Title: Mr Murder

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, SciFi

Format: ebook

Pages: 493

Published: January 1, 1993

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Martin Stillwater has a vivid imagination. It charms his loving wife, delights his two little daughters, and gives him all the inspiration he needs to write his highly successful mystery novels. But maybe Martin's imagination is a bit too vivid...

One rainy afternoon, a terrifying incident makes him question his grip on reality. A stranger breaks into his house, accusing Martin of stealing his wife, his children - and his life. Claiming to be the real Martin Stillwater, the intruder threatens to take what is rightfully his. The police think he's a figment of Martin's imagination. But Martin and his family have no choice but to believe the stranger's threat. And run for their lives.

But wherever they go - wherever they hide - he finds them...

Review:

Book for book club! I've read one by this author in the past....so I was curious to check out more so yayy for that. 

Here we follow the Stillwater family. Marty is a famous author. He has a great family. What more could a fella ask for? At one point a terrifying incident makes Marty question his grip on reality. A stranger who looks scarily like Marty breaks into his house and accuses Marty of stealing his family and his life. The police are of no help so Marty and his family run for their lives. However, this stranger keeps finding them.

This was creepy....super creepy. I questioned what was going on at every corner. Even when I thought I knew what was happening something else would happen and I would question everything all over again. I had zero idea how everything was going to be resolved. I still question things now. So yessss a nice thriller and mystery. 

I really enjoyed this but there was one part that made me really sad and I had to stop reading for a couple of days. Ugh. [TW and spoiler ]The bad guy killed all their pets and the author did go into details about. I wish he would've just said, "And the animals were murdered too."....leave it like that. Poor things. [End of spoiler]

All-in-all, this was intense to the 9th degree. I had no idea how everything was going to be resolved. The author is good for sure. One scene that was a bit much for me, but besides that I really liked it. Can't wait to discuss it at book club. I feel like there is a lot of stuff to talk about, but this review is hard because I don't to want to spoil a single thing. 4 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):

- Cloak and Dagger - #7

- Library Love #6

Audiobook Review: The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

Author: Tessa Dare

Narrator: Mary Jane Wells

Title: The Governess Game

Series: Girl Meets Duke #2

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 28, 2018

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess.

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart... without risking her own.

The infamous rake.

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling... and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

Review:

I needed some Dare in my life!!

Chase has become the heir to a Dukedom after many tragedies. Along with that....two young girls become his wards and they need a governess. He wants no attachments so he needs to get them trained up and sent to a school as soon as possible. Enter in Alex. She accepts the role after her livelihood literally slips through her fingers. She is tasked with the near impossible to transform two unruly girls and ignore her feelings for Chase. 

Why is Dare so dang good? There is romance and some darkness, but there is comedy too. She did such a great job with balancing everything. 

I also love that you don't HAVE to read in order. However, I do recommend book 1 first because the couple does show up here and it makes it more special knowing the past. But again...it would do fine as a standalone. 

Alex, Chase, and the girls have their sad pasts but they need each other. I loved this.

The girls were great. 

Alex was great. 

Chase was great even though I was SO mad at him at one part. GRR! Alex should've made him sweat some more.

Always a blast. I can't wait to read book 3. 

OOO. The narrator was fantastic. Perfect voices for everyone. 

All-in-all, this was a joy. I needed a nice HR. 5 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #11

- Romance Reading Challenge #7 (borrowed from library) 

- Library Love #6

Blodeuedd Reviews: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

By: Intisar Khanani

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Series: Sunbolt Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins

Release date: 01-30-24

Publisher: Tantor Audio

YA Fantasy / to review

Hitomi is a thief. She is nice, and does her best to survive. She is also a part of a organization trying to help since the island is going to hell. They got one of those evil mages, you know how it is. Drama, wickedness, revolution is coming...or not.

We do not get that much of the world. Hitomis worldview is narrow, the city, best places to hide from soldiers, best places to hide from anyone. I would like to learn more though, cos there are other lands, the whole mage thing and so on. Oh and a map, I love those. But this was an audiobook after all.

In the story some people needs protection . Things go badly. And a twist too that I did not expect.

And then even more things happen and Hitomi does not have it easy at all.

BUT, it does not end with a cliffie, the ending is one of those all good for now, but soon you are in trouble again. One of those look the sky is blue, we are happy, but oh oh, you missed those dark clouds at the horizon......I look forward to getting more from this story.

Good narration, but then I always enjoy her narrations. She has a great voice, and she is wonderful when it comes to fantasy. She really gets the characters and the overall feel of the story.

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi's, and much worse fates than execution. Betrayed and captured along with her charges, it will take everything Hitomi can summon to save them—and herself.

Audiobook Review: The Girl Who Lied by Shannon Hollinger

Author: Shannon Hollinger

Narrator: Amelia Sciandra

Title: The Girl Who Lied

Series: Chief Maggie Riley #1

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 2, 2023

Where I got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

Rain hammers the earth and a vicious wind rattles the trees. Then lightning strikes, the flash illuminating a young girl staggering out of the woods, her brown eyes wide with fright, a silent scream on her lips…

There’s a storm approaching the tiny Maine town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley comes across the body of a man, blood seeping from stab wounds into the damp forest floor. As she desperately struggles to secure the evidence before the rain hits, Heather , a local teenage girl, emerges from the woods, shivering and unable to talk.

Maggie, once a high flying big-city detective, lost everything when her four-year-old brother went missing five years ago. Heart-broken, she’s never stopped searching for but now she is plunged back into the world she left behind.

The victim, Maggie discovers, knew secrets about everyone in isolated Coyote Cove. It seems there are more local suspects in this case than people she can rule out. And with Heather still traumatised, Maggie struggles to unravel her strange appearance at the crime scene. Until, following a faint, bloody trail deep into the forest, she’s horrified to unearth what the terrified girl’s been hiding…

But when Heather is kidnapped, the battle to identify the killer becomes a race to save an innocent girl’s life. And with the whole town terrified, Maggie is shocked to uncover that this twisted killer is much closer to home than she’d ever imagined. Battling her own demons and memories of her missing brother, how far will Maggie have to go to save Heather? Or will another innocent young life be lost forever...?

Review:

Didn't realize I was selected to read this book in Netgalley. Strange...normally I get an email but I missed the boat so I wasn't able to download it. Since I was still strongly interested in this, I used my audible free credit to download it there. 

Here we follow Maggie who is the Chief of police in this small town. She wanted and needed to get away from her old life so this was the perfect town to slip away to. She has secrets and wants to keep them buried. Turns out she isn't the only one in this small town who has secrets. When Maggie discovers a dead body on the side of the road, she soon finds out there are more local suspects in this case than people she can completely rule out. And when Heather stumbles out of the woods during the discovery of the body and is traumatized, things get even more complex. 

This had a lot of twists and turns and a lot of players on the board. 

We have multiple POVs here. We follow Maggie for the majority of the time, but we also get to see Heather's, Murphy's, and Steve's POV. Lots of characters running amuck, but the author did a good job keeping it clean and easy to follow along. 

Dang...so many secrets. So many lies. I feel like this town would not be a fun and cute small town to live in. Everyone seems.......off. Creepy in some ways. Some are endearing like the lady that owns the motel but from what we have seen so far.....I don't trust any of them including our two big mains: Maggie and Steve. Don't get me wrong I do like those two, but they have a lot of secrets and have been lying to everyone....including each other. 

The ending wasn't shocking for me because that character was SUPER sus the whole time. I had my doubts of course, but yeah.............that was the only way that made any logical sense for me. Nice though with the red herrings and all the seeds of doubt. Nice try author ;) 

Sometimes the inner monologues seemed to drag on and on. 

I also thought some of the drama with Murphy was a little........much. 

The narrator was pleasant enough. Nice variations of voices. Her voice for Heather was a hair grating for me and she made her sound too young. Everyone else worked. 

All-in-all, I did like this in the end. Some nice twists and a creepy, small town with loads of secrets hidden everywhere. Pretty good narration. Some OTT parts, but overall an interesting ride with an intense ending. I'll stamp this with 3 stars. I would be interested in book 2!

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #10

- Cloak and Dagger - #5

TMST: Candy????

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

2/20/24: What is your favorite type of candy?

CANDY!! I had no choice but to do this post. I haven't done a TMST since *looks it up* September. EEEEE! *hides in shame*

But yessss! I love candy, but mainly chocolate candies. Chocolate is king of the universe. Chocolate is the only way.

I love KitKats, Snickers, Reese's, Milky Way....just to name a few. 

If I can't have a chocolate candy, I do like Skittles. 

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Format: 192 pages, Paperback

This version.Published: January 1, 1993 by Wordsworth Editions

Historical fiction / own

I am a horrible evil classics reviewer. But it was just so boring. I was sadly not in the mood for fun animals beings friends and all of that.

Also my mind went dark. Too early for that considering when it was written but I imagined a atombom wiping out most of the world, and animals got as big as humans and lived their lives apart. But still around. ...no?

Far from fading with time, Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of fantasy has attracted a growing audience in each generation. Rat, Mole, Badger, and the preposterous Mr. Toad (with his 'Poop-poop-poop' road hogging new motor-car), have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and at the imposing residence of Toad Hall.

Grahame's book was later dramatised by A.A. Milne, and became a perennial Christmas favourite, as Toad of Toad Hall. It continues to enchant and, above all perhaps, inspire great affection.

February Reading Challenge Check-In

 

I plan on sharing an update every couple of months because....why not? Might help me stay on track and stay accountable!

Here is what I have read between Jan 1st - Feb 16th.

Reading Challenges

Goodreads - I'm on track! 18 out of 143  130

Romance Reading Challenge - No bingos yet! But got a few done. :) 

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge- 4 out of 16 done!

LIBRARY LOVE CHALLENGE - 5 out of 24 borrowed and finished. 

AUDIOBOOK CHALLENGE - 9 out of 50 done. 

DNF Second Chance -  Ooooh going to make a note of this here to help me remember.....I still need to read the DNF ya'lls voted for me to re-read. I'll try and do that at the end of Feb or March.

Book Review: Incognito by Micah Swanson Harris

Author: Micah Swanson Harris

Title: Incognito

Series: Agents of the Rune Stone Ring #4

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Steampunk, Novella, Short Story

Format: Paperback

Pages: 114

Published: November 21, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest opinion)

Amazon

Summary: 

A steampunk adventure of a kidnapped queen, an obsessed pirate king, and the ice-traveling battle brig that he has sailed over a multiverse-spanning glacier to claim her!

Now, Bulan, the dreaded "Hawk of the Ice," is headed with Queen Freyja for his alternative timeline with the royal navy and the vigilante Wurger Mendicant in hot pursuit.

What Bulan doesn't know is that the captive queen is also the Mendicant's partner in crime, the Winter Witch.

They thought their past was behind them. Now, they are forced once more to go...

Incognito!

Review:

This is a continuation of the series. I have loved the series and of course, I said yes to giving this a go even though it is steampunk-esque. I'm not crazy in love with that genre, but there are always exceptions. There have been books and games that I ended up loving because I took a chance. *fingers crossed*

Here we follow our epic duo. Queen Freyja is kidnapped by the Hawk of the Ice and he is heading towards his alternative timeline with the royal navy and the vigilante Wurger Mendicant in pursuit. Little does the Hawk of the Ice know...this captive queen is no damsel. She is the Mendicant's partner and lover....the Winter Witch. 

Now, you can read this as a standalone, but I do encourage reading the others. I feel like it would flesh out these characters a bit more and make you appreciate everything they've gone through. BUT again, this would do perfectly fine as a standalone. The author gives you enough info to enjoy but doesn't info-dump. 

This was a super, duper slow start for me. It took me some to warm up to this story. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Freyja and her man, but it was slow-moving for me. Once things really started getting going for me (maybe about page 50) I flew by and didn't want to stop reading. Not sure why it took me a little bit to become invested, but once I was.... I was hooked. 

I love pirates and sea battles. So much fun. Scary but I have always been a sucker for pirates and the sea. With a sprinkle of steampunk, it just added another interesting layer. I'm so glad the steampunk element wasn't overbearing but it did add an extra flair.

There were a lot of twists and turns here which kept it interesting. I had no idea what was going to happen or how anything was going to be resolved. 

The ending was intense but good!

Overall, I did end up liking this even with my hesitations. The steampunk elements were NOT overbearing and it worked well. The beginning was a little slow for me, but at a certain point, I couldn't stop reading. You can read this alone well enough, but I strongly suggest the other books of the series. This wasn't my favorite of the series, but I still had a lot of fun with it. In the end, I'll stamp this with 3 stars. I can't wait for more!!! *cheers* 

Book Review: Winter's Captive by Robin D Mahle & Elle Madison

Author: Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Title: Winter's Captive

Series: The Lochlann Treaty #1

Genre: Fantasy Romance, YA, Paranormal

Format: ebook

Pages: 264

Published: August 1, 2021

Where I Got It: Amazon Freebie

Summary: 

They thought she was a puppet they could manipulate. But this princess is no damsel in distress.

Or at least she doesn’t want to be...

The black X of the Aramach marked the spot where Princess Charlotte’s life was destroyed. Her fiance has been kidnapped by rebel insurgents, and war threatens to crumble her kingdom if he’s not safely returned. Somewhere in the midst of her inner circle, traitors are plotting to prevent their two kingdoms from uniting. Deciding it’s time to take matters into her own hands, Charlie storms from the castle on a mission to save her betrothed.

But the obstacles are many, and her skills are few.

Due to her sheltered existence, she’s knows nothing of her own kingdom or how to survive in it. But time is running out. The drums of war have sounded. Fighting against rebels and assassins; Charlie must find a strength within herself she never knew existed.

But will it be enough to bring her prince home and save the kingdom?

Review:

Grabbed this a freebie on Amazon. It sounded good and I adore that cover. 

Princess Charlotte's life was destroyed when her fiancé was taken by rebel insurgents. War threatens to crumble her kingdom if they can't find him. There is a traitor in her inner circle and they are plotting to prevent these kingdoms from uniting through marriage. No one has answers, so Charlotte takes matters into her own hands and goes on a mission to save her fiancé. 

I struggled throughout this whole story. It started off well enough and then I would struggle. Something would happen and it would suck me back in.....and then I would struggle again. It for sure a roller coaster for me. 

Charlotte was fine enough, but she had no real skills and I'm surprised she survived (no spoiler it's a YA) after a few pages. 

To be fair...I would've given up but I wanted to see what happened and this is part of a reading challenge and I wanted the credit hahaha. 

All-in-all, this was a roller coaster for me. Some parts were interesting and dare I say...fun? Other parts...meh. 2 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):

- Romance Reading Challenge - #6 (Fantasy/SciFi)

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie

Murder in the Mews

A Hercule Poirot Short Story

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Nigel Hawthorne

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Release date: 11-11-21

From storytel.fi/Historical fiction crime

It was short. I had 2 hours left of my Book site subscription and short ones are hard to find so I went with Agatha Christie.

I do seem to prefer the Miss Marple shorts than Poirot. She is clever in another way.

Not much to say, it was a short one. A woman took her own life or did she? And if not then who did?

Good narration

Inspector Japp summons Poirot to a London house where Guy Fawkes Night fireworks appear to have drowned out the noise of a young widow shooting herself through her left temple. But the pistol is in her right hand, and the police are convinced that this must be a case of murder....

Movie Review: A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Title: A Haunting in Venice

Length: 1h 48m

Released: 2023

Genre:  Crime, Drama, Horror
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Hulu 

SUMMARY:

In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Trailer

REVIEW:

Oooo! Another Poirot!! I hope they keep making more. 

It is post-WWII. Poirot is now retired and hiding in Venice. He is forced, to help a friend, by attending a séance to try and debunk this Medium. When one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to uncover the killer. 

Gotta love Poirot! He is a gem. An arrogant gem, but he has really earned to not be humble. However, this case will be one of his toughest. Is the haunting real? Who did the murders? There is a lot on his plate and he is not doing okay. 

What a freakin' amazing cast. This series has done an amazing job of getting some pretty good folks to join. 

Ooo this was spooky and intense. I loved it!!!! Even if there isn't a ghost, that house is creepy AF. *shutters*

The big reveal was good. I had zero idea. I thought I did and I was partially right but the big reveal...damn. You got me there. 

I think what I love about these movies is that you can truly watch them in any order. Sure it is better to watch in order, but you can totally get away with watching them out of order. I do suggest maybe watching #2 before this one, but it's fine. It works!

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this. This would've been amazing to see on the big screen. Damn. 5 stars. Intense, spooky, and fun.  

Re-Read of Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Author: Anne Bishop

Narrator: Alexandra Harris

Title: Written in Red

Series: The Others #1

Genre: Paranormal, UF, Fantasy, & Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published: March 1st 2013

Where I got It: Borrowed from library 

Summary: 

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. 

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow

Review:

Hehehehehe read this again BUT I have a good excuse....I picked this for book club! It was time for us all to pick a re-read we want the others to pick and I had a hankering for this bad boi. 

3rd time bebe! I literally listened to this on my ride to the office (ugh I hate when I have to go in) and all day and then on my ride home. Flew through this that is for sure. 

We are at the beginning with Meg, Simon and the crew. I love the Others. I love some humans. Most humans SUCK!! BOOO! Be smarter. 

The narrator is amazing. 100000% recommend doing the narration of this series. Reading it is okay, but the narrator really spices it up. 

This is a series you need to check out. 

4 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #9

Joint Review: System Collapse by Martha Wells

Hello all! We will be discussing "System Collapse" by Martha Wells. Blodeuedd is in red and Carole is in blue.

Author: Martha Wells

Narrator: Kevin R. Free

Title: System Collapse

Series: The Murderbot Diaries #7

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy
Published: November 13, 2023

Pages: 245

Summary:

Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.

Discussion:

I am here and ready to [redacted]. ;)

Let´s get started. Murderbot time.

Yayy! I’m glad we decided to give Murderbot another chance. I know there were a couple of meh ones. 

For me they were so hard to get, so I seemed to have given up. But I did audio now and caught up with book 6 so we could get to 7. And I do like Murderbot. Though to be honest I preferred the 6 novella over this one.

LOL I thought I had read 6 but certainly didn’t. I went back and had to re-read that too. Honestly….I feel the novellas are better. 6 was so much better. Don’t get me wrong…I did enjoy 7, but not as much as the last one. 

Yes, i feel that Murderbot works better in smaller versions. Because there we get more Murderbot. But in the longer ones there are more people and I am meh about the rest of the gang

Yeaah. I’m actually starting to like the human part of the gangs a lil bit BUT I do love seeing just Murderbot and ART. 

I do care more about the non-humans. The rest are good, but they are just there.

I do fear they will betray Murderbot eventually or ART….because they are JUST bots. And I’m sure they may feel justified because it will save a fellow human. I am worried. Hopefully, I’m wrong and they do care about Murderbot and ART………..

Nooo, do not say that. That would be so sad :/

I hope I’m wrong but I have a bad feeling. LOL. I just want Murderbot and ART to be happy and be useful forever. 

They def need to be happy. I could be fine with Murderbot solving crimes, oh like a TV show, lol. Murderbot does love shows. And around people who are not all judgey. Stupid humans. But then again who would not be afraid.

That would be cute!! Which I just love the fact he loves our entertainment. He’s so adorable. 

But the book itself then? I liked it, but I had a hard time focus for some reason this time.

It did take a long time and a lot of build up. The first half I struggled but things got better around the halfway mark. I loved the scene with Murderbot and the humans working together on that….project? Yes, we’ll say the project to avoid spoilers. It was a unique scene and way to handle things. 

I think that for me it would have been better to read this one, the novella worked well in audio, but this one, even if not long. My mind drifted somewhat. Sci.fi is hard in audio. Lots of tech talk.

TBH I might start reading more instead of audio. Don’t get me wrong…the narrator is great….but I think SciFi is easier to read. 

Sci fi can be hard to read, but in audio it is worse. Yeah def reading next time. The voice of the narrator was so weird to hear too. Like not at all how I pictured Murderbot . 

I’ve done some of the story with the narrator and he’s good, but not the Murderbot I hear in my head. 

Sorry, but not my Murderbot. Funny how that works.

Agreed. So I’ve done some in ebook and some in audio…I think going forward I may stick to the ebook. 

There are sure to be more, so I will stick to that too.

There better be more!!!!!!! The way everything was left….there are so many questions I have. 

Maybe a novella, and then a book again?

That seems to be the formula. I hope for a novella. 

Same :) 

But yes. I did enjoy this. The beginning was rough to get into, but I am excited for more. 

I liked it, but I liked the novella more. And I look forward to more

Agreed! Love you Murderbot and ART!!!!

The end?

Yesss ma’am!

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging for a long while now. For the last few years the epic duo has been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.