Movie Review: Project Hail Mary (2026)

Title: Project Hail Mary

Length: 2h 36m

Released: 2026

Genre: SciFi, Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Drive-In Theater

SUMMARY:

A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing Earth's sun, and realizes that an unexpected friendship may be the key.

Trailer

REVIEW:

Whoopsies. Meant to post this last week....eee!

Anyways...

Soooo I wasn't even excited to watch this. I'm so picky with my SciFi, and I feel like so many are just carbon copies of each other. However, the group wanted to stay and watch it, so I stayed too. ANNNND I was pleasantly surprised. 

Okay - so the story takes place in the future-ish. A science teacher wakes up alone on a ship and can't remember where or why he is there. He keeps getting flashbacks of his time on Earth. As he starts piecing together what happened, he realizes... it is up to him to save Earth. He is literally the last chance to figure out how to stop this mysterious substance from killing their Sun. This substance is killing all the stars, but one, and that is where he is headed. Along the way, he will team up with someone...something...unexpected. 

Okay. Okay. I take it back. I thought this was going to be boring and just a carbon copy. This was fresh and fun. Yes, Earth is in peril, but the movie still had some humor. It felt like real life in a weird way. Yes, dark and gloomy and scary, BUT there are good moments.

I LOVED Rocky. Best character of the year. I would burn the Earth for him. 

The cast was lovely. Our main was great...as usual. Awkward and adorable. Adorkable, some might say. 

The science-y parts were not too science-y, and I appreciated that. I hate when SciFi gets too lost in the details. Sure, I'm sure some science lovers wanted more "details". But meh. They balanced it well. Science stuff and then stuff for non-science people. Everyone can enjoy this. 

Some scenes could've been snipped and trimmed a little bit. Some dragged on a bit too long.

The ending was lovely, and I would've liked to see more. 

All-in-all, I was pleasantly surprised by this film! I went in a negative Nancy and came out wanting to watch this movie again. WHA? Yes! I'll watch it again. It was fun. Some scenes needed a bit of snipping to help the story along, but I liked it overall. 4 stars from me. 

Audiobook Review: Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: Disturbing the Dead

Series: A Rip Through Time #3

Genre: Mystery, SciFi, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Published: May 7, 2024
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

Review:

Yayyy book 3!

We are back at it with Mallory and crew. Mallory has been in this body and this time period for a while now, and she is finally finding her footing. She is loving being the assistant to Dr. Gray and is friends with him and the others. The Victorians have a fascination with death, so Mallory isn't surprised when they are all invited to a mummy unwrapping at Sir Alastair's house. However, things go awry when the host is missing, and something isn't right with the mummy. Mallory and crew are asked to step in. 

You for sure need to have read the last two books for this one. You can skip the shorts, but there are some references and things you will need to understand. 

Ooooooh Mallory. I love her so. I love the whole crew. I'm even warming up to Gray's other sister and Mrs Wallace.

I'll admit something. I was enjoying myself, but it was feeling....stale at first. I wasn't necessarily bored, but it felt like the other two. The mysteries didn't shock me. It's kind of hard to explain. BUT that all changed after a BIG moment. A nice TWIST. I will not say but that was a nice reminder that there is a fantasy/SciFi element to the story. Eeee. I can't wait for the next book. 

The narrator did a lovely job. Great accents. Great voices for everyone. 

What more?

THIS SERIES IS SO GOOD!!! Read it or do the audio like me. 100% recommend. 

4 stars from me. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #13

- Library Love #9

Book Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Title: Dragonfly in Amber

Series: Outlander #2

Genre: Historical Romance, SciFi, Fantasy

Format: paperback

Pages: 947

Published: July 1, 1992

Where I got It: My shelf (Used book store that I am blanking on the name of)

Summary: 

From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland...

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

Review:

I read book 1 ages ago, and I meant to go back, but just never did. I've been watching the show and loving it, so it was the push I needed to continue the series. 

We continue watching young Claire fight to try and stop the war, and "modern" Claire goes back to where it all began with her daughter in tow. 

I know this book was written in the 90s, and there is a show about it, but I don't want to spoil anything! 

The duo timeline was fun. We are mainly in the "flashback" following young Jamie and young Claire fleeing to France. There is still hope to change the future, but it seems like fate has other plans for them time and time again.

I enjoyed it. It was long and sometimes long-winded. But I gobbled up each page. There were some stretches of time I had to take a break. It is emotional, especially because you know what is coming. An impending doom for sure. Yes. I teared up a time or two with this one. 

The author does such a great job bringing the worlds and the characters to life! You just want all your beloved characters to live happily ever after. 

Can I say something...controversial? As much as I liked this book and the other one.........I think the show is better. There are some little changes they did that just worked better. Some character development that I really liked. Not saying this is bad, but the show is just a smidge better. I still want to read book 3 one day, though!

Honestly, I think I might do the audio of it. I want to try it!

But yes, this was good, but it is a heavy read. Length and emotions. You need to read book 1 first for sure or have at least watched season 1 of the show. 

All-in-all, it was lovely coming back to Claire and Jamie. It felt like old friends. I do so love them both. 

4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

-  Reading Romance Challenge #4 (series I meant to go back to)

Book Review: Cocktails and Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Title: Cocktails & Chloroform

Series: A Rip Through Time #2.5

Genre: Historical Fiction, SciFi, Mystery, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 138

Published: December 1, 2023

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

For modern-day detective Mallory Atkinson, being trapped in the body of a Victorian housemaid means overcoming endless obstacles. Her current challenge is winning over the suspicious young parlormaid, Alice. Mallory’s plan starts with teaching the girl to make Molotov cocktails, which is a perfectly valid science experiment and not at all a desperate ploy to gain Alice’s attention. Before the lesson can begin, though, Alice receives a letter that has her slipping off in the night. Concerned for her safety—and naturally curious—Mallory follows.

Mallory finds Alice at what seems like a simple dance hall, watching young men and women flirting and whirling in pretty dresses and dapper suit-coats. But nothing here is what is seems, and what starts as a simple surveillance exercise turns into a full-scale spy mission with Mallory’s boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, at her side. Before the evening is done, those Molotov cocktails are probably going to come in handy.

Review:

This series is really growing on me. I'm loving it. 

Here, we follow Mallory on another adventure and mystery. Being transported into this body of someone who wasn't the kindest, she has a lot of making up to do. She wants to win over Alice. Concerned over her safety, Mallory follows Alice to what seems like a simple dance hall. However, nothing there is as it seems. This will turn into a full-scale spy mission that may or may not involve Molotov cocktails. 

This was a fun side adventure for Mallory. It was nice learning more about Alice and seeing them team up. Even though this is just a side novella, I think you should read it, as it seems it will help the plot and character developments in the next book. 

Honestly, this could've been a full-length. I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue and loved seeing Alice join in on the adventure and mystery. Maybe she'll have a bigger role in the next books! One can hope!

I ended up doing the ebook version, which worked well still, but I did miss our narrator's voice. She does such a good job. BUT it is nice that this still worked really well as an ebook. If I can't get my hands on the audio version, it won't stop me from reading the next one. 

All-in-all, I was very entertained with this little novella. Honestly, this should've been a full-length. I would love to see more of the mystery and more of Alice being a sidekick. I can't wait to get my hands on book 3! I 100% recommend this series. 4 stars.