This book was messy, but somehow still hooked me enough to keep going in the series?
Akria as the protagonist acted like an actual child for the entireThis book was messy, but somehow still hooked me enough to keep going in the series?
Akria as the protagonist acted like an actual child for the entire first book, despite him being in his, I assume, mid 20s. He is essentially a dick for no reason with no character development throughout the first books. The way he talks is also a bit much (do british people actually use the word ‘bruv’ THAT much??) and it annoyed me to the point where it was difficult to focus on the plot sometimes.
When they say slow burn, they mean SLOW. There’s essentially no romance in the first book, mostly just back and forth if Akria being a dick and Gabriel, the love interest, trying to set boundaries and then giving up. I assume future books will have more of the relationship arc, but be aware that this first book is essentially just an urban fantasy book.
Lastly, as i mentioned in the first sentence of my review, this book is messy. The murders were brought up only occasionally for very brief plot points and then forgotten until 3/4 of the way through the story. The author was trying to give us a lot of information and the plot got lost in that.
Despite all of these things, I’m still moving on to the second one to see what happens. ...more
This book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that good either.
Surprisingly, as someone who loves romance books, the worst part of this was the romance. I wouThis book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that good either.
Surprisingly, as someone who loves romance books, the worst part of this was the romance. I would have much preferred just the mystery/family aspect of this as opposed to the author trying to squeeze a romance for the main female lead in there. I didn’t believe in their chemistry at all, which for a book that requires this much suspension of disbelief to even read the book is…impressive.
Not for me, and won’t be continuing the series. I will still be trying some of her other books though!...more
I’m aware this is an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t enjoy this book a whole lot. Part of that is because I don’t read much non fiction, but even takiI’m aware this is an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t enjoy this book a whole lot. Part of that is because I don’t read much non fiction, but even taking that into account I wasn’t a huge fan.
Part of my problem is that I work in clinical genetics, and while Rae-Venter does a good job of explaining the science in layman’s terms, her almost cavalier handling of privacy concerns for genetic data in the first half of the book made it hard to keep reading. Yes, solving violent crimes and child abductions is incredibly important, but saying that the main reason IGG won’t get abused by the wrong people is because it’s hard? That is incredibly dismissive of the legitimate concerns many people have regarding genetic privacy. Ancestry data is different than clinical health data; however, there are a lot of similarities. I also have a lot of concerns around informed consent in relation to genetic testing (either ancestry or clinical testing), and again her depiction of this process seemed to relegate the consent process to a non-issue that they just worked around (I.e the detective had gotten good at convincing people to do the testing). Granted there are major differences between ancestry testing and clinical testing, but I think there’s enough overlap that many of the same concerns apply to both spheres of interest.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the authors writing style; it meandered in a way I wasn’t expecting based on the blurb describing the book.
Also, not a problem, but be aware, the golden state killer is not actually the main focus of this book. The author skips around between different cases and ends up spending more time on other cases.
Overall not the book for me, but I know I am in the minority....more
I really really wanted to like this book, the premise was like a queer, magical murder mystery. Which is the vibe I got for the first 40% of the book,I really really wanted to like this book, the premise was like a queer, magical murder mystery. Which is the vibe I got for the first 40% of the book, up until Kane started to figure out what was going on. Then it became less murder mystery and more confused chosen one saving the world.
The Reveries themselves were an interesting idea, but I felt like more world building needed to happen for me to immerse myself in. I had questions that keep popping up. Why do they happen? What if there is no one that stays lucid? Does the story just play out or do people die? I had questions about the basics of the concept that were left unanswered.
I enjoyed La Sala’s writing style, but felt like a first person POV could have added a lot more depth to all the characters, but especially Kane.
Overall I certainly didn’t dislike this book, it just wasn’t what I was expecting and with the vibe changing partway through it wasn’t what I wanted out of the book. Loved the queer rep though!...more
Overall I was underwhelmed by this book. The cover and the description had me super excited to read (an adult retelling of the nutcracker with a beautOverall I was underwhelmed by this book. The cover and the description had me super excited to read (an adult retelling of the nutcracker with a beautiful cover?? Yes please), but by the time I finished the book I simply…didnt care? about any of the characters.
Things I liked: - portrayal of female friendships and found families - most of the budding romance (except the end part of that, see below)
Things I didn’t like: - Marietta read as a YA heroine instead of an adult heroine, as in she was immature and didn’t really seem to grow as a person throughout the book. Yes, she became more brave after being in everwood and was then willing to defy her father for her dreams, but she didn’t see much growth in terms of accepting responsibility for her actions and her responses to situations. - While the romance overall felt reasonable in that it was slower paced and within the provided bounds of their situation, the “goodbye” sex scene felt out of place. To me it was almost like the author was throwing that scene in there to make it an adult book instead of a YA book. - there were several plot holes and inconsistencies through the novel that made it difficult to really sink into the story at time.
It wasn’t a bad book, by any means, it just wasn’t particularly good to me either. I would recommend for specific challenges (I.e. read a nutcracker retelling, or a book with ballet), but otherwise I don’t think I would recommend it (although if people want to read it I certainly wouldn’t recommend against it either!)....more
This book was not what I expected. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really enjoy reading it either. It felt long and drawn out, and it was a trial to fiThis book was not what I expected. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really enjoy reading it either. It felt long and drawn out, and it was a trial to finish it. Final thoughts:
1. This is a multiple POV story, which is not made clear until you’re a good chunk of the way into the story. It made it difficult to follow with any particular character because if the way it jumped from storyline to storyline and from character to character.
2. I could’ve done with an overall shorter story. It felt like it just never ended. I think I read somewhere that is is part 1 of a duology? Honestly I feel like I’ve already read a whole duology, so I won’t be reading the second part.
3. I appreciate that the author either had or obtained a boatload of knowledge to give the correct historical contexts for a lot of this, and I respect that level of dedication.
4. I didn’t get emotionally invested into any of the characters, and the romances seemed rather forced. Some of that was due to the number of POVs, but some of it was just one dimensional characters that lacked growth and depth.
Again, did I hate this book? No. Did I enjoy this book? Also no....more
Like many people I loved RWRB but wasn’t a huge fan of One Last Stop. So where did IKSW fall on the spectrum?
Overall, I really only kept reading so ILike many people I loved RWRB but wasn’t a huge fan of One Last Stop. So where did IKSW fall on the spectrum?
Overall, I really only kept reading so I could follow the side characters (aka Smith and Rory). I didn’t like Shara or Chloe as characters, and I had a hard time believing in the romantic chemistry. It was difficult to root for them as a couple when I not only disliked them as individuals but we were told the whole book over and over again that it was all machinations by Shara. And then Chloe takes one look at her at the end and decides, nope she’s hot so all is forgiven? Not believable to me.
The side characters and background cast kept this book afloat imo. The mystery was annoying and felt very juvenile (which in hindsight makes sense as the classification is YA and not NA).
Not my favorite book by this author, but I’m still interested in reading her future works....more
**spoiler alert** Things I loved: the cover, the character art, the take no shit attitude and competence of the main female character (and lots of the**spoiler alert** Things I loved: the cover, the character art, the take no shit attitude and competence of the main female character (and lots of the female characters in general). I loved that so many positions of power were held by women and it was a natural progression.
Things I didn’t love: the plot twist in the middle and the entire second half of the book. I didn’t mind the twist itself; it took me some time to adjust and come to terms with her being a god, but I was able to do it. What I really didn’t like was when she had to posses another body to come back to the human realm. To me, it didn’t fit the rest of the story.
Additionally, the romance fell flat for me. It wasn’t developed in a way that made sense to me or made me root for them as a couple....more
There were parts of this I loved, primarily a take no shit heroine who knew what she wanted and went for it. However, outside of that I was not impresThere were parts of this I loved, primarily a take no shit heroine who knew what she wanted and went for it. However, outside of that I was not impressed. The storyline felt jumbled together without a cohesive point, and some of the elements thrown in, for example the ending, made me question the point of the whole book. I finished it, but I’m glad I read it in the Libby app and didn’t end up buying it....more
The only reason I didn’t DNF this one is because I had bought the physical book and I don’t DNF books I’ve bought. The main problem for me was the insThe only reason I didn’t DNF this one is because I had bought the physical book and I don’t DNF books I’ve bought. The main problem for me was the instalove that had no real basis or chemistry, and since I didn’t buy into the romance I was mostly bored. I did respect the realistic anxiety representation, and the writing style was still good, while I am still open to reading future books by the author, this one was not for me....more
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