These books are just so fun! I really liked getting to learn some of Marcille and Falin's backstory in this one, and the reveal of the frog suits had These books are just so fun! I really liked getting to learn some of Marcille and Falin's backstory in this one, and the reveal of the frog suits had me absolutely cackling....more
This is exactly what I expected it to be. Lots of sex, thin on plot. I am docking this a star for featuring the most insufferable, unlikeable version This is exactly what I expected it to be. Lots of sex, thin on plot. I am docking this a star for featuring the most insufferable, unlikeable version of Achilles in a book where you're supposed to actually like him and not have mixed feelings about him. ...more
Parts of this were thought-provoking, parts of it were a bit cringe, parts were repetitive. Best used in small doses so you can marinate on a chapter Parts of this were thought-provoking, parts of it were a bit cringe, parts were repetitive. Best used in small doses so you can marinate on a chapter and the questions it asks you, rather than reading a whole bunch in one go. (I had to check this out of the library three separate times to finish it.) The authors have no issue in laying themselves bare for the book, showing that even therapists have to work hard at building a sustainable relationship. That ends up veering towards TMI territory, but that's the character/brand these two play for the public, so it is what it is, I guess. ...more
This was fine, if highly predictable. The bad guy is obvious. The twist isn't anything shocking. The writing isn't anything special. The cast of charaThis was fine, if highly predictable. The bad guy is obvious. The twist isn't anything shocking. The writing isn't anything special. The cast of characters is so large that it creates lots of opportunities for spin-off books but makes it difficult to keep track of who's who and for anyone outside of our primary leads to really distinguish themselves. I think teenaged me would have liked this more than 41-year old me. It was a quick read (I finished most of it in a day) and once the plot stops spinning its wheels things do move fairly swiftly. ...more
If you too have a relative who won't talk about what he did in Vietnam, you can read this book and get the same experience.
I think this would have beIf you too have a relative who won't talk about what he did in Vietnam, you can read this book and get the same experience.
I think this would have been a four star read for me had it not dragged as much towards the end and veered into stuff that Pedersen wasn't present for or had no decision making power in, but wanted to talk about anyway. (See for example: the entire chapter on the Yom Kippur War, which the US was involved in but Pedersen himself did not fly in.)
I enjoyed the memoir aspects of this that talked about what it was like to serve in the Navy during this time of American history, and about Pedersen's role in creating the Topgun program. I don't think Pedersen and I would have much common ground in terms of our political/societal beliefs, but he's clearly full of tons of good stories, even if it's pretty clear he's whitewashed or minimized a lot of stuff.
An easy read even if you're not an aviator, and full of interesting characters, but probably could have used a stronger hand in the editing process....more
On the one hand, Heat (the movie) is an action/crime classic for a reason, with its audacious capers, realistic fight scenes, an2.5 stars rounded up.
On the one hand, Heat (the movie) is an action/crime classic for a reason, with its audacious capers, realistic fight scenes, and all-star cast. On the other, it's a universe wherein women only exist to prop up the men in the cast, to sleep with them or make their lives difficult or to suffer for them.
Heat 2 is exactly the same - the world gets much fuller in this prequel/sequel (yes, it accomplishes both, and yes, it probably should have been two books instead) as you see what shaped each of the characters we met in the movie, but what shapes them is often women dying, being assaulted, being traumatized.
When Michael Mann inevitably figures out how to make this into a movie, the action sequences are going to be out of this world but the rest -- sigh. ...more
This book is completely unhinged (affectionate) and while it does many things that I don't like (possessive MMC, some sexual dynamics that don't appeaThis book is completely unhinged (affectionate) and while it does many things that I don't like (possessive MMC, some sexual dynamics that don't appear to have ever been discussed but which happen to work out perfectly anyway, predictable bad guy, massive miscommunication/not actually talking about their feelings), I enjoyed it for its completely unhinged nature. When it comes to independently published explicit romance, this was miles better/more readable than what I usually come across, and I'm looking forward to picking up the other installments in the series when they come out. ...more
It took me a while to get going in this one, probably partially because it'd been so long since I read the first book (almost a year ago) and I had toIt took me a while to get going in this one, probably partially because it'd been so long since I read the first book (almost a year ago) and I had to remember where things left off. I like the slow growth of Koffi and Ekon throughout the book, you never forget that they're teenagers and they react to things the way teenagers do, but they're also learning and growing as people, too. The expansion of the universe, including learning more about daraja magic, was neat, and the backstory chapters with Binti really helped to flesh out some backstory here, too. As usual, things end on a cliffhanger and with a big info reveal that makes me ready to pick up the next book in the series. ...more
Come for the death worms, stay for the illustrations of all of the shocked and terrified other desert animals.
This was very cute and funny, with, of Come for the death worms, stay for the illustrations of all of the shocked and terrified other desert animals.
This was very cute and funny, with, of course a great message of acceptance and finding your place in your community. The illustrations of the worms are just wild enough to probably get some EWWWs from little kids, which can be a great teachable moment about not judging others by their looks or something. (What do I know, I have cats, not human children.) Also probably a great tool for teaching about geography and land types, as the worms live in the Mongolian desert.
I can see why this book is pretty divisive, but it was ultimately an engaging read for me. I assume I would feel differently if I had more than a basiI can see why this book is pretty divisive, but it was ultimately an engaging read for me. I assume I would feel differently if I had more than a basic knowledge of mythology, but I don't and therefore don't care about anything that was changed to suit the purposes of this book, and honestly, like, what is even the point of mythology if it doesn't get twisted and altered as the years go on?
Everyone's the main character in their own story, right, and instead of hearing directly from Hercules, we get the stories of the people around him. This was obviously a much different view of Hercules than we are used to from media, and he's so much more of an unreliable narrator here, and very difficult to like. It's interesting, the choice to make your main character somewhat of a villain.
The modern language can get a bit cheesy at times, although I didn't completely hate it. It made things far more readable than if the book had tried to stick to a more traditional style. ...more
The plot here is flimsy beyond belief, the worldbuilding continues to be ????, it's absolutely an instalove situation, the main Actual problem is thatThe plot here is flimsy beyond belief, the worldbuilding continues to be ????, it's absolutely an instalove situation, the main Actual problem is that they're both like "he/she could NEVER love me, I must keep my feelings to myself and not speak of them, this whole relationship is built on LIES anyway" which gets old when it happens a million times, and yet ... I still ended up devouring this book. So many things I shouldn't like, so easily readable and enjoyable anyway. I don't know, man, no one's reading these for the plot. ...more
Four stars for: - The incredibly cute Slow Burn Right Up Until It Isn't for Maggie and Aiden to get together - The way that they both clearly care aboutFour stars for: - The incredibly cute Slow Burn Right Up Until It Isn't for Maggie and Aiden to get together - The way that they both clearly care about each other, even as friends, and how they match so perfectly, and how they model what grown-up friendship can look like - The positive depiction of bisexuality, asexuality, demisexuality, all things that don't always get a ton of positive/mainstream rep - Maggie being (mostly) unapologetically herself - I loved having a main character who wants to be comfortable, who has her own hobbies and interests, who isn't dressing up to fit someone's expectation of her - Older adult rep, particularly older adults who still have nerdy hobbies and don't live just for their jobs/family/etc. No you do not suddenly get banned from having interests the day you turn 30 or whatever
Two stars for: - The absolutely infuriating supporting cast. I did not like a single other character in this except for maybe Kit, who is a college student and therefore gets some grace from me for making dumb decisions, no, seriously, I hated pretty much EVERYONE in this book and while the whole confrontation at the wedding is a bit over the top, I was rooting for someone to FINALLY stand up to some of these garbage people - The overall vibe that this was a very good second draft of a book that needed one more pass through before publishing to tighten things up - This is the most PEDANTIC nitpick but the book takes place some time after September 2020 (the movie Tenet is referenced) but there are several jokes about Aiden needing to find a date on Craigslist, but the Craigslist personals section shut down in 2018 (I'm SORRY every so often I just have to be the Well Actually guy) - The overall vibe of Maggie and Aiden and really everyone else as reading much younger than their actual age. Usually I find this problem with young authors trying to write "up", but Yardley is the same age as her protagonists. I know a lot of 45-50+ year old nerds so very squarely in the target audience of these characters, and I can't think of any of them who consistently talk the way that the Gen X characters do in this book. You could have given me an excerpt of some dialogue and told me that they were in their late 20s and I would have believed it. It just didn't ring true to me.
Everyone in this book needed therapy. That's it, that's the book. ...more
It took until about 40% of the book for the plot to really come together and the pace to pick up. The beginning dragged as you bounce between Esther aIt took until about 40% of the book for the plot to really come together and the pace to pick up. The beginning dragged as you bounce between Esther and Joanna (and much later, Nicholas) to get their backstories before all of the plot lines finally intersect. The back half of the book moves much more quickly. I didn't love the author's writing style, which leaned fairly heavily on exposition/narration at times rather than letting things play out. The magical system was fascinating though and there were some great twists (some more broadly telegraphed than others). Overall this was fine, but somewhat underdeveloped, particularly in terms of characterization beyond just broad strokes. I think it would make an excellent miniseries/single-season TV show, as it would cut out a lot of my problems with the show-vs.-tell aspect of the writing, and would move the plot along more quickly. ...more
The target audience for this is People Who Really Like Polar Exploration, so if you're outside of the target audience, you may find yourself bored. I The target audience for this is People Who Really Like Polar Exploration, so if you're outside of the target audience, you may find yourself bored. I enjoyed this a lot, although it took me quite some time to read. Mensun Bound, following in the path of explorers throughout the centuries, presents his journals from the two expeditions he helped lead in order to find the wreckage of the Endurance. It is a day-by-day account of each expedition, complete with the minutiae that make up any trip like this -- lots of waiting, lots of thinking, brief surges of action. I liked how he wove his story in with what the men on Shackleton's crew were experiencing at roughly the same time, a hundred-some years apart. I knew some but not a lot about the original Endurance, so I enjoyed getting to see the parallels between the trips. The writing can be somewhat dry at times, but the format of short chapters/journal entries makes it easy to read a bit at a time without feeling like you're stopping in the middle of something. ...more
A memoir that is nearly completely impossible to fact check, but which peels away the glamor that media like Sons of Anarchy gives to the world of outA memoir that is nearly completely impossible to fact check, but which peels away the glamor that media like Sons of Anarchy gives to the world of outlaw motorcycle clubs and displays instead the seedy characters, desperation, and fear that are rife in that world. I'm always somewhat skeptical of memoirs that retell things in great detail, down to the dialogue that happened years or decades earlier. I can hardly remember what I did last week so I always have to suspend some disbelief at people telling richly detailed stories like this.
I didn't love the writing style, though whether that's due to Menginie's choice in narration or cowriter Kerrie Droban's stylistic choices, who knows. The voice just didn't always seem to match what we know of Menginie. I also wish things were a bit more chronological and/or with less diversions--we'll be in the middle of action and then get flashbacks to something that happened years prior. The book is very good at sucking you into the action, though, even as you shake your head in disbelief at what you're reading.
Published in 2011, this is one I'd love to see an updated edition of, to know how Menginie fares today. (A quick Google does turn up his LinkedIn, at least.) He clearly goes through a lot of stuff and has a lot of troubled people in his life. I'd love to know how a mid-40-something Anthony Menginie has been processing all of this trauma that he experienced....more
This was fine. Like lots of other reviewers here, the witch trials period in history is one of my Special Interest History Topics and I appreciated hoThis was fine. Like lots of other reviewers here, the witch trials period in history is one of my Special Interest History Topics and I appreciated how authentic this felt, it was clearly very well researched, which is something I appreciate. Overall though I thought the story dragged a bit, despite taking place largely over just a brief period of time. Martha was tough to pin down as a character, in terms of her motivations - her thoughts/desires seemed scattered as did her willingness to accept/believe in the witches and her own role in all of that. I also didn't love the ambiguity of the ending. (view spoiler)[Did Martha and Jennet actually get saved from being hung? If so, the fact that that was just handwaved away was frustrating to me - I would have been interested to see how exactly that came about. Otherwise the ending is just one big hallucination/fantasy life in your dying moments/etc., which is one of my least favorite plot twists. (hide spoiler)]...more
This was fine, although shows the inherent limitations in the graphic novel as a format, as I think this would have been much better served by a longeThis was fine, although shows the inherent limitations in the graphic novel as a format, as I think this would have been much better served by a longer adaptation. We know Sam and Philip love each other because we are told they love each other, but there is so little development of their relationship and they often don't even seem to like each other, to the point where it's hard to see why they'd each be risking their own safety/lives for the other. The art is fine, and I liked the time period of just pre- and post-WWII, time periods that I don't feel like get as much attention in media as the actual wartime period. I just wanted more story/development than I got. ...more
why does someone drive a Lexus in this book? when there is no other indication that this takes place in "our" world? why??
i keep comparing this to neowhy does someone drive a Lexus in this book? when there is no other indication that this takes place in "our" world? why??
i keep comparing this to neon gods, also a hades/persephone story. i like this one's worldbuilding better and i like this one's general writing style better, but it also has hugely annoying problems. i didn't like it LESS than neon gods, though, so i guess they get the same rating.
persephone was absolutely the most frustrating, sometimes too-stupid-to-live character. so many of her problems could have been solved by actually just talking about them? raising a concern? the whole issue she ends up having at her internship, like... you are an intern!! you don't have to handle this yourself!! she creates her own messes because stuff happens to her where she's out of her depth, she doesn't talk to anyone about it, and then things get predictably worse. she doesn't talk to hades about her concerns, she doesn't talk to him about her feelings, she doesn't talk to him when she's upset, she just assumes the worst at every corner.... girl come on!
i liked the assembled cast of characters in this one, i liked the conflict between persephone and her mother and the whole aspect of her being a secret/hidden goddess, and wish that plot had a better resolution. i wish we'd gotten to spend more time with the souls of the underworld. i suspect these things happen in future books. ...more
I didn't like this one quite as much as I liked Scythe, but there was still plenty to enjoy here. I felt like this could have been a tighter story; itI didn't like this one quite as much as I liked Scythe, but there was still plenty to enjoy here. I felt like this could have been a tighter story; it meandered a bit and while I'm usually indifferent to third-person omniscient narrators, for some reason it just sort of frustrated me here. I feel like there were scenes where it would have been better to stay in Citra or Rowan's heads and instead we're suddenly getting the POV of another scythe. (I know there's a companion book at the conclusion of the series that looks at things from all sorts of other POVs which I suspect is kind of what Shusterman wanted to do all along.) I suppose it echoes the omniscient Thunderhead concept but it bounced around too much for my taste. I did like the inclusion of the Thunderhead as a character, but felt like introducing every chapter with a Thunderhead commentary got old after a little bit, especially because many of those sections just kept saying the same thing. Overall, though, there are a lot of really great, creepy twists and turns in this one and I'm really curious to see how everything gets resolved.
Also, I would like someone to go through here and delete like 75% of the exclamation points that Shusterman used. ...more
the sex scenes get like 3.5 stars, the rest of the book gets two stars.
I didn't pick this up because I thought it would be good, I picked it up becauthe sex scenes get like 3.5 stars, the rest of the book gets two stars.
I didn't pick this up because I thought it would be good, I picked it up because the blurb says it's "unspeakably hot" or whatever, and this book followed through on that very well, but the worldbuilding and kind of aimless plot leave something to be desired.
this is a book about Olympus in that the characters are all named after the gods and share some traits with them, but other than that it basically feels like any mafia/crime world fic just with greek-ish names pasted onto the characters. there's sort of magic but it's also set in like contemporary America? the gods control everything but also do they really? or do they just control olympus? what does everyone DO? there is no backstory and no actual explanation of the world and that's okay if i'm just reading several hundred pages of fucking but you also made me read a plot and so i think it's not too much to ask for the rest of the book to actually make sense
I liked Hades though, despite his Big Broody Overprotective Man thing he has going on.
I HATE the whole stupid "big man must pick up little dainty lady and carry her places and be overprotective" trope. i know it's not just this book, it's basically any m/f book, regardless of if it has kink or D/s elements or what. but my whole entire kingdom for a D/s story where that isn't part of the dynamic, please
overall i didn't love this but i also read most of it in a day and couldn't quite put it down so i didn't hate it either. i don't know that i care enough to read the rest of the series when i have so many other books i want to read but we'll see! ...more
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