UGH. There were definitely good things about this book, and the end was pretty satisfying (if over too quickly, considering how much build up there waUGH. There were definitely good things about this book, and the end was pretty satisfying (if over too quickly, considering how much build up there was), but for 90% of this book, I was bored.out.of.my.mind. I kept listening past the point when I would normally have given up because so many people had given this such rave reviews, and then I was too far in to want to quit (I was gonna include this in my 2020 stats if it killed me!)...more
This took me a really long time to read, partly because of encroaching library due dates on other books and partly because the first 2/3 of the book iThis took me a really long time to read, partly because of encroaching library due dates on other books and partly because the first 2/3 of the book is a little slow. Lots of political machinations and ~*FEELINGS*~ but not a lot actually happening. Once the main characters made out, and Denna told Mare about her magic, then things picked up, and it was easy reading.
(view spoiler)[I definitely called the bad guy, but I did not expect Denna to fake her death and run away with Mare. Points for originality there. (hide spoiler)]...more
MEEEEEHHHHH. I did not love the art, first of all, which reminded me, in a bad way, of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1. I can appreciateMEEEEEHHHHH. I did not love the art, first of all, which reminded me, in a bad way, of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1. I can appreciate the work that went into it, because it was VERY detailed, and I liked the general sepia tone feeling of the colors, but all the overwrought wrinkles and boils and zits and gnarliness of the adult characters was just...too much. Plus it was just a little gorey for my tastes; I can deal with some gore, but there was a lot of just ridiculous violence.
Also, I was pretty bored. The story is very old-timey political, which it not my thing, and I really cannot imagine any teens wanting to read this (I can't imagine who would actually want to read this?). All the characters are pretty terrible and nothing good happens to any of them, and I felt the end was very abrupt, and honestly, if I weren't reading this to review it, I would not have finished it. ...more
I do not know why this one took so long for me to get through. This would normally be right up my alley: Greek gods? Yep. Greek gods brouEh, 2.5 stars
I do not know why this one took so long for me to get through. This would normally be right up my alley: Greek gods? Yep. Greek gods brought into modern times? Sure. Throw in Odysseus and Hector? ALL THE YES. But for some reason, all of those elements that I normally LOVE added up to something that was fairly lackluster. I mean, it was FINE. I think this would probably be great for those older teens looking for something after finishing all of Rick Riordan, but I'm not thrilled to try any of her other books.
Also, I probably should have just given up on this, but I find that I still struggle with that. ...more
Ultimately, I liked this book, but it took awhile for me to get invested in any of the characters or what was happening to them. I thought the dragon Ultimately, I liked this book, but it took awhile for me to get invested in any of the characters or what was happening to them. I thought the dragon culture was really well done, but I am just not enough of a fan of Jane Austen to want to read a fantasy retelling of her.
Maybe it was the abridgment or the narrator, but I did not find this nearly as amazing or compelling as everyone else seemed to, and I have no desire Maybe it was the abridgment or the narrator, but I did not find this nearly as amazing or compelling as everyone else seemed to, and I have no desire to find out. Even the serial killer plot was kind of a snoozefest, and I thought all the history about the Chicago World's Fair and the murders did not gel very well. They were two very different stories that were only related in the most tangential way, and I had been expecting "Murder on the Midway!" kind of stuff, not "no one knew there were lots of murders going on in Chicago at the same time as the World's Fair". This didn't do it for me....more
I liked this book. I thought the story was well written and exciting and original. And yet ... it just didn't quite do something for me... I struggledI liked this book. I thought the story was well written and exciting and original. And yet ... it just didn't quite do something for me... I struggled to finish it, and I found myself unable to read it for long stretches of time. Maybe I just didn't connect with the characters? I don't know...I wouldn't NOT recommend it, and I think it could be very popular among teens, especially those looking for a Hunger Games/Divergent vibe. ...more
This book suffers from the fact that all the characters are the same character, and he's a douche. This book suffers from the fact that all the characters are the same character, and he's a douche. ...more
EH. The main character, Claire, has PTSD after being attacked and nearly beaten to death in the beginning of the book. Though she isn't diagnosed untiEH. The main character, Claire, has PTSD after being attacked and nearly beaten to death in the beginning of the book. Though she isn't diagnosed until the end of the book, it's totally obvious what's going on, which makes it pretty obvious (to me) that all the supernatural stuff (view spoiler)[is just a product of her disorder and not really happening. Though mostly I knew that because all the supernatural/ghost stuff was ridiculous, over the top and completely unbelievable and because Claire was acting like such a crazy person the whole time. (hide spoiler)] While it's nice to see a portrayal of something so important, I'm not sure that this one is successful. And I don't know if it's me being a heartless bitch or the writing, but Claire comes off as whiny and annoying more than sympathetic the entire book.
ETA: Also, I don't know what the deal with the cats was. It was weird instead of being scary, which is what I think the author was going for, though I will admit the scene where all the cats were in her room and one was eating a rat on her bed was indeed horrifying. So well done, there. ...more
EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH. I think I'm the wrong audience for this. Also, I kept wondering if this is one of the first things Vaughan did because it's missing EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH. I think I'm the wrong audience for this. Also, I kept wondering if this is one of the first things Vaughan did because it's missing that quintessential Brian K. Vaughan-ness that I love so much. This book about plant vengeance is surprisingly humorless, and the eco-terrorisom kind of stuff just doesn't do it for me. ...more
Oh, god, this book is so bad. Just. So bad. If the jacket flap had told me that there were also Angels in opposition to the Vampires (always capitalizOh, god, this book is so bad. Just. So bad. If the jacket flap had told me that there were also Angels in opposition to the Vampires (always capitalized), I would never EVER have picked it up. If I weren't reviewing this for a professional publication, I would have stopped reading after chapter one. As it is, I very seriously considered quitting it anyways and just writing the review based on the prologue & first chapter. As it turns out, finishing the book does not change my review substantially.
The dialogue is awkward and unrealistic, and all the characters are SUPREMELY annoying, except the Irish Vampire. Unfortunately, he insists on calling the heroine "love" and "sweetness" the entire damn book, which is pretty annoying. And the heroine? UGH. Literally, EVERY SINGLE DECISION she makes is in relation to one of the dudes, all of whom are super disrespectful and sexist. She's either being treated like a damsel in distress (despite being more powerful than all of the other characters) or given no agency to make her own decisions or as if she means "try harder" when she says no. And the dudes all get away with this because they're super hot. Just ugh. SO MUCH UGH.
I can totally picture the teenage girl who would LOVE this book (think Twilight fan, looking for a little more danger), but I certainly will never recommend it to anyone. ...more
This is a trilogy? Really? Nope. This was a big EH. I LOVE the cover, and the idea is interesting, but I just did not give a crap about anything happeThis is a trilogy? Really? Nope. This was a big EH. I LOVE the cover, and the idea is interesting, but I just did not give a crap about anything happening in the book and CERTAINLY not enough to read two more of them. I can see how it would appeal to teens, but it just didn't do anything for me....more
Okay, so, I probably would have liked this a lot more if I had read it instead of listened to it. The narratoIT'S FINALLY OOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEERR!!!!!!
Okay, so, I probably would have liked this a lot more if I had read it instead of listened to it. The narrator was super irritating, occasionally her Scottish accent started to veer more towards Swedish and she kind of reminded me of my MIL.
There are a lot of plot points I hated in this book: everything about Jamie's secret child and wife, and I was super not surprised Geillis Duncan showed up again (especially not after Laoghaire's reintroduction), though her death at Claire's hand was a little anticlimactic. Like "I lost myself in a red rage and hurled the ax into her head and now she's dead"? Really? After ALLLLL of that build up, THAT'S all it took?? Galbaldon is generally a pretty decent writer, and she certainly takes Claire and Jamie on lots of adventures all over the world. I could probably be talked into read the next book in the series but basically only if I didn't have anything else to read....more
I'm gonna call this a 1.5 stars because I didn't like it but I wasn't as mad at it as a 1 star rating implies. It was just kind of boring and dumb andI'm gonna call this a 1.5 stars because I didn't like it but I wasn't as mad at it as a 1 star rating implies. It was just kind of boring and dumb and the main character was very irritating and the narrator sounded distractingly like Princess Jasmine, but only when Princess Jasmine is being whiny and annoying. And talk about an inexplicable romance. So very much eye rolling all around, and I probably wouldn't have finished it if it had been longer than 6 hours. I wanted to like this so much because the premise is great! But nope. ...more
Look, this book annoyed the shit out of me, and I could have done with 95% less TWU WUV waffling. I am so so so glad she (view spoiler)[gave Aspen a lLook, this book annoyed the shit out of me, and I could have done with 95% less TWU WUV waffling. I am so so so glad she (view spoiler)[gave Aspen a love triangle smack down (hide spoiler)]. Am I reading the third book? SIGH. I suppose so....more
Though I myself did not particularly enjoy this book, I am sure that there are many members of the intended audience who would. And honestly, the onlyThough I myself did not particularly enjoy this book, I am sure that there are many members of the intended audience who would. And honestly, the only reason I finished it is so that I could recommend/discuss it in the future with teenagers who might be interested in it.
This book was written by a 17 year old girl, and it reads like it. The narration is a little pretentious, the dialogue a little stilted, and the word choice a little repetitive. The anti-hero, Kit, was a little tedious by the end of the whole thing, and I'm glad that the book ended (view spoiler)[with her arrest. (hide spoiler)] However, I am not sure I would have noticed any of that if I were a 15-17 year old reader.
As an adult, I read this and I can see it's flaws, but, I think, if I were a teenager, the appeal of a teenaged author combined with the grisly subject matter would be enough to help overlook most of the flaws. And it's not even THAT flawed! It's a little immature for my tastes, but the bare bones of the story are intriguing, and I would be interested to see what this author does in the coming years as she, and her writing, matures. ...more
EEHHHH. It was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, but I just did not enjoy it that much. (view spoiler)[And you know, I knew that thEEHHHH. It was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, but I just did not enjoy it that much. (view spoiler)[And you know, I knew that the moms had switched universes practically as soon as we realized there were two Josies. (hide spoiler)]
I super recommend McNeil's Ten, but I would give this one a miss. ...more
Eh. The first half was fairly interesting, but only because I was curious about the mysterious deaths teen years previously. The main character was juEh. The first half was fairly interesting, but only because I was curious about the mysterious deaths teen years previously. The main character was just kind of boring and annoyingly perfect. Once the journal entries from the past were over, I pretty much lost interest....more
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