3.5, but I'm rounding up to 4 because I did enjoy the heck out of it
First off, the author warns us from the start that this book is very little plot, 3.5, but I'm rounding up to 4 because I did enjoy the heck out of it
First off, the author warns us from the start that this book is very little plot, woven together to get to the smut. Like, she says that out front, so I knew what I was getting into.
That said, for a book that's, like, 70% smut and 30% plot, I did actually really enjoy this twisted version of Wonderland, and I love the demon version of Cheshire Cat, and the wild Mad Hatter, even if (view spoiler)[neither anal nor public sex are my thing irl (hide spoiler)].
I kept expecting Callister to (view spoiler)[show up and be useful at some point, but he never does, and after starting the next book he's very much on my shitlist. (hide spoiler)]
My only complaints, aside from the possibly obvious, is that a) Alice is kind of useless, b) the dialogue and smut descriptions are cringy at times - and I don't mean, like, uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone, which it is, but I just mean badly written cringy and c) that riddle (which ties into A).
So - Alice is told that Wonderland has to be saved by an Alice, because tradition. (Like, they literally say it's just a tradition, no better reason.)
Anyway - fate of the world up to Alice, except Alice is:
a) warned about the punk, fluffy bunnies and immediately ignores that warning because they're cute b) is dumb as a bag of bricks c) her defining trait is being horny
Literally, this girl thinks of almost nothing except sex. All the time.
Ok, ok - I get that it's a smut book, but damn, girl... take a minute to think about your life being in peril maybe?
And that riddle.
The riddle is even more obvious than the controversial ACOTAR riddle. Like, I'm not good at riddles, even, but it was super obvious. I read the riddle to my husband, without context, and he was like "That's not even a riddle, that's a description. It's obviously a ____"
And not only could Alice not get this super easy, obvious riddle without being given a "hint", but then Hatter talks about how impressed he is that she figured out his super, duper, hard riddle.
Ok, ok... smut. Turn brain off, enjoy smut... but come on!
And, again, it's like, "Alice, you need to save us", but then they come to a chess board (which starts off being red/black pieces and ends up being white/black pieces, because consistency is also an issue), but Alice doesn't know how to play chess and it's like, "Ok, well, just do the moves we tell you to do".
So why, exactly, does it need to be an Alice that saves Wonderland again?
***
So, yeah...
This is definitely a turn-your-brain off and enjoy the smut kinda popcorn book, and, for that, it was a fun and fucked up version of Wonderland which, gods help me, I did enjoy. And that cliffhanger ending sent me right into the next book in the series.
But if you can't turn your brain off you'll probably hate it. A lot....more
I'm using this entry for both parts 1 & 2 of the Graphic Audio, because I'm not counting it as two separate books.
Anyway - I do love really love the GI'm using this entry for both parts 1 & 2 of the Graphic Audio, because I'm not counting it as two separate books.
Anyway - I do love really love the Graphic Audios. I feel like it glosses over some of the more annoying writing quirks of these books, and the voice acting is, overall, done really well. I still find the narration for Violet to be stilted in places, especially longer blocks of exposition, but, luckily, a lot of the exposition heavy sequences are either over, or covered by other means.
The most annoying thing about the first half of the book is the hot/cold relationship between Xaden and Violet. Violet's complete and utter unwillingness to understand why Xaden kept some things from her, even though she still can't fully keep her mental shields up and block people out, which is what got them effed in the first book. Also, while she's having to keep secrets from her own friends - you'd think she'd be a little more willing to understand.
But, nope...
But, of course, she still can't keep her hands off of him, because hotness trumps all things, apparently.
But, thankfully, while those parts were annoying they a) didn't take up the whole book and b) there were a lot of other things happening in the plot that helped move the story along, even while all that angsty drama was happening.
My other complaint is that Varrish is just, like, cartoonishly evil? I mean, it made for a satisfying moment when (view spoiler)[Violet (with help) finally killed his ass (hide spoiler)], but it was so OTT that there was less tension and more suspense and more just wondering (view spoiler)[when this asshat was finally going to die. (hide spoiler)]
But for all the flaws in the first half of the Graphic Audio, the second half, especially the last quarter of the book, was pretty intense and almost non-stop. The battles were intense - even if I did find it a little unrealistic that (view spoiler)[all this stuff could be happening while in the middle of a battle, but, hey, I guess it's like Sam and Frodo at Mount Doom while Aragorn is distracting Sauron. (hide spoiler)]
Yarros does still have the problem of introducing characters just to (view spoiler)[kill them off, lessening the emotional impact because the inner crew seems "safe" - though I was worried about Sawyer there for a moment - and if you're going to introduce someone for five seconds before you kill them off, we never get invested in them. (hide spoiler)]
But, damn, that ending.
I kind of hate cliffhanger endings, and apparently Onyx Storm ends in a big one, too... but I am definitely keen to continue the series, once OS comes out in Graphic Audio format....more
So, overall I thought this was a cute book, and I was rooting for the couple by the end of the book.
But it started off rough, what with the "miscom2.5
So, overall I thought this was a cute book, and I was rooting for the couple by the end of the book.
But it started off rough, what with the "miscommunication trope" coming in writ large.
Also, as a D&D player, it's definitely more fun to play D&D than to read about other people playing D&D, but at least the game sessions added to the overall plot, and weren't just there for the sake of it. I do find it questionable for the DM to bring someone in for the sole purpose of (view spoiler)[getting revenge on and trying to kill the character of another friend/player. (hide spoiler)]
But the execution could've been a bit cleaner. For one, the narration was a bit too similar for the two characters. There were time where, if the chapters didn't say whose perspective it was from, I wouldn't have known based on the wording. At all.
The whole character of Parker was dumb and unnecessary. Like, it was fine for him to exist as an ex-boyfriend and existential dread, but he didn't need to join the D&D group, and he would've been kicked out after that first disastrous performance.
People talked in ways that sounded like therapy sessions more than discussions. And this is from someone whose actually had conversations like this, but is realizing how weird it would be to be an outsider on those conversations.
I was glad that secrets finally came out by the end, and everyone was on the same page going forward. Like I said, I was rooting for them, and I'm glad we got in a good place by the end....more
It only took 2 1/2 weeks, and I have conquered The Stand! (It probably wouldn't have taken so long, except I had a show going on for most of the 2 1/2
It only took 2 1/2 weeks, and I have conquered The Stand! (It probably wouldn't have taken so long, except I had a show going on for most of the time.)
Anyway - I'm not really sure what to say. I liked it. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. Let's see.
It opened up really well. It was pulse-pounding and frustrating and sad and things started out, and I was swept away with it. In the beginning it held a lot of promise.
But as things settled down and "the event" happened, things slowed down as we spent time with the main characters, setting up each of their various back-stories and personalities. I enjoyed some of it, some of it not so much. I couldn't help but feel like Roland with his timeless gesture of rolling his fingers to indicate "move it along".
In fairness, since this is the first time I've read it, and since I read the uncut version, I don't know how much of this was added to the original story.
Anyway, some of the things I didn't like I did have to admit were realistic - including the sort of devolution of the role of women into chattel, at least for some people.
As more and more of the story progressed I found myself in a strange middle state. I expected... something different. More horror, I suppose. Flagg was not quite what I expected, and the forces of the White in the book were a bit tiresome at times, we'll say. (I'm being as vague as possible to avoid spoilers.)
Anyway - I liked some of the themes in the story, including the notion of how evil sort of falls apart and defeats itself, in part, at least, since most of the people in Las Vegas were weak and scared more than evil, but I was also hoping for more of a battle, of sorts, between good and evil, as it were.
There are some moments in the book which are great. Moments which annoyed and frustrated the shit out of me, but which I have to acknowledge are probably realistic - human nature being what it is and, in many ways, this book is one long commentary on humanity and society, and I do appreciate a lot of what was being said.
But there were also those long stretches where I wish things would pick up, followed by times where I felt some important or interesting things were skipped or glossed over.
It was a decent read, and I'm glad I read it, and I might even reread it again some day in the distant future, but it's not something I'd reread on a regular basis.
***
Favorite and or most prosaic quotes from the book. (I'm going to mark them as spoilers, though I don't think most of them really are.)
(view spoiler)["No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just... come out the other side. Or you don't." ~ pg. 435
"Women's lib, Frannie had decided (thinking that if she was going to be bald, she might as well go totally bald), was nothing more nor less than an outgrowth of the technological society. Women were at the mercy of their bodies. They were smaller. They tended to be weaker. A man couldn't get with child, but a woman could - every four-year-old knows it. And a pregnant woman is a vulnerable human being. Civilization had provided an umbrella of sanity that both sexes could stand beneath. Liberation - that one word said it all. Before civilization, with its careful and merciful system of protections, women had been slaves. Let us not gild the lily; slaves was what we were, Fran thought. Then the evil days ended. ... Now all that had changed, in a matter of weeks it had changed - how much only time would tell. ... A stinking macho idea, but she was afraid this was going to be a stinking macho world again, at least for awhile." ~ pg. 515-516
"And when there are enough outsiders together in one place, a mystic osmosis takes place and you're inside. Inside where it's warm. Just a little thing, being inside where it's warm, but really such a big thing. About the most important thing in the world." ~ pg. 816
"... one of her college profs had been fond of saying that the thought process can never be complete without articulation... " ~ pg. 859
"That was the whole world world, after all, nothing but thoughts and plots." ~ pg. 958
"Are you afraid?" Glen asked him. He looked at all eight of them. "Are you so afraid of him you don't dare speak his name? Very well, I'll say it for you. His name is Randall Flagg, also known as the dark man, also known as the tall man, also known as the Walking Dude. Don't some of you call him that?" His voice has clibmed to the high, clear octaves of fury. Some of the men looked uneasily at each other and Burlson fell back a step. "Call him Beelzebub, because that's his name, too. Call him Nyarlahotep and Ahaz and Astaroth. Call him R'yelah and Seti and Anubis. His name is legion and he's an apostate of hell and you men kiss his ass." His voice dropped to a conversational pitch again; he smiled disarmingly. "Just thought we ought to have that out front." ~ pgs. 1049-1050
"Life was such a wheel that no man could stand upon it for long. And it always, at the end, came round to the same place again." ~ pg. 1141
When I picked this up, I didn't realize it was by the same author as A Dead and Stormy Night, which I guess I should've guessed based on the "Never2.5
When I picked this up, I didn't realize it was by the same author as A Dead and Stormy Night, which I guess I should've guessed based on the "Nevermore Club" thing... but if I'd known, I might not have picked up this book.
I will say, though, that I think I did enjoy this story slightly more than the other - which I also gave 2-stars - but it has some of the same sloppiness as that story, too.
The biggest issue - well, there are a few - but the one I'll start with is that there really isn't much "murder and book" club. Like, yes, they exist in the story, but there's only a few scenes with the book club, and there were so many women in the club, and not enough time spent on them, so they never really became fleshed out characters and kind of seemed to be there just to help Winnie get her thoughts out - which is redundant since we get first person chapters from her perspective - and also to tie this book in with the other series. Maybe if I'd read more of the first series I'd be more familiar with the characters, and they would feel more real or relatable.
So, going along with not much time spent on the murder and book club, there's also the fact that not much time is spent on discovering the murderer. Like, it's mentioned once or twice in "group texts" from the book club, a suspect here, a suspicion there, but the way the case is finally "solved" is to put the (view spoiler)[humans in a group of vampires and try to lure them out... (hide spoiler)]
Much more of the book is spent on the relationship between Winnie and Alaric which I did like... at the start. Even with their weird introduction - not sure I can get on board with being ok with (view spoiler)[Alaric kissing Winnie out of the blue like that, to play her fake boyfriend... would've been better if he just scared Danny off with, like, intimidation or something (hide spoiler)]... but, after that, the story of an organizer and borderline hoarder vampire is cute in places.
Alaric and Reginald really saved this book, tbh.
But Winnie's weird. For one, I'm not entirely sure how someone with such a strong PTSD reaction to clutter can be successful in her job. It was interesting to get into her backstory... but, like, her over-reaction to the mess is weird for someone who's job it is to literally go into messy situations.
I hated her whole reaction to the (view spoiler)[stuff in the priest hole, and the way she just gave up on everything. But, then, she's also giving up the Winnie WINS system because her bitchface partner stole it, so I guess that's what she does... (I honestly expected Alaric to use his money and resources, at some point, to sue her business partner and get her system back.) (hide spoiler)]
Also, this story is just too long, and so much is spent on the romance and Winnie's freaking out about everything. And then the dramatic mother and "arranged" marriage trope... repetitive descriptions... endless monologuing...
A lot of that I could get past except I kind of felt like Alaric deserved better, by the end... But, still.
I was curious enough that I might go back and give the other series a second chance. Maybe. Some day.
***
Oh, side note. You have a character called Quoth who is a raven-shifter from Poe's poem... and yet you continually spell it as Allen instead of Allan.
Edgar Allan Poe. Allan is a SURNAME, the family name of his foster family. Do, like, a 5 fucking second google search if you're going to reference better authors!...more
Billed as a Queer "Knives Out", but it lacks the humor, wit, or cleverness of Knives Out. (Also, Benoit is gay, so "Knives Out" is already queer? ThouBilled as a Queer "Knives Out", but it lacks the humor, wit, or cleverness of Knives Out. (Also, Benoit is gay, so "Knives Out" is already queer? Though I guess this is more queer, since most of the suspects are also gay.)
The setting was interesting, but the book didn't seem like it could decide if it wanted to be a hard-biting noir or a cozy mystery, and ended up kind of failing at both. The mystery wasn't that interesting, the characters not that great. The social commentary was good, but a bit anvilicious, and aside from the homophobia, there didn't seem to be any real point or exploration of the time period.
Maybe I'm just bitter, 'cause I thought this would be a fun whodunit, but it was mostly just boring.
Won't be continuing the series, despite the setup for it....more
Cute rom-com, but I didn't like it as much as Hex and Hexability. Part of it was I didn't love the character as much as I did in that book, but I thinCute rom-com, but I didn't like it as much as Hex and Hexability. Part of it was I didn't love the character as much as I did in that book, but I think I also just prefer period romances. Like, I can excuse some of the romance tropes when it's a period piece that I have a harder time with in a modern tale.
Anyway - there was more plot in this one, too, but it was almost too much. Like, the romance didn't really work in places. Too much of the "misunderstanding blown out of proportion" trope (which, in fairness, was my biggest issue in the other book, too), and I didn't really feel the chemistry that much between Josh and Essie.
But the plot also kind of tried to do too much, and then it built up the "evil" as this world-destroying thing, but then it seemed kind of anticlimactically easy to defeat?
But, I mean, it was cute and I did like it. If I wasn't comparing it to the other story of hers that I'd read, then maybe I would've rated this one higher? Though I doubt it, tbh. ...more
I picked up this book because I was looking for an MG dystopian book, and this came up in goodreads list, and the cover dr2.5, rounded up to 3 for now
I picked up this book because I was looking for an MG dystopian book, and this came up in goodreads list, and the cover drew my attention, and then the blurb made it sound like something I could get into.
It was a bit overly slow going, and the end finale was just kind of...
Ok, let me back up.
The characters were ok, but needed a bit more development. The secondary characters, even Sima, never really felt fully fleshed out - they were just there for Octavia's journey and personal growth. (Also, there was some definite (view spoiler)[queer-baiting in the relationship between Octavia and Sima, and, like, if you're gonna go for it, then go for it. (hide spoiler)])
The plot itself was pretty predictable. I don't know, maybe it's because I'd recently read (view spoiler)[Fourth Wing (hide spoiler)], but I immediately knew that the sister (view spoiler)[wasn't going to be dead, and would be found outside of the Vittoria. (hide spoiler)]
I also got heavy The Village vibes from the start, and easily guessed that (view spoiler)[the Ferox were being used to keep the people inside the walls, and since the one council lady was a "former" sorcerer and literally killed people to keep the secret, it was obvious that it was her doing it. (hide spoiler)]
And, lastly, I wasn't exactly shocked that the (view spoiler)[big bad from the backstory wouldn't be dead (hide spoiler)]
I mean, it might be fine for the target age group of the book - they won't be as familiar with all the other stories that this cribbed from, I guess - but, for myself, there were no twists or surprises.
And this, alone, wouldn't be enough to condemn the book, except it kinda took a long, drawn out time to get there, too. Like, a lot of stories are predictable but still written well enough to be exciting, or to get me invested in the characters, and this just didn't quite hit that mark, either.
So, it wasn't terrible. I am glad that I listened to it instead of read it - I think the narrator was good enough to breathe a little more life into it. ...more
I was heading towards giving this book a 3-stars, but then the detective and Mika were both kind of dumb, so I bumped it down to 2.5. I can't get i2.5
I was heading towards giving this book a 3-stars, but then the detective and Mika were both kind of dumb, so I bumped it down to 2.5. I can't get into the specifics without going into spoilers, which I'll do a bit later.
Overall, this was a quick read, but I never felt fully engaged in the period or the mystery. I never felt any real tension about the killer being on the loose, and even the plight of the orphans in the winter felt distant, because it wasn't never really explored.
Lots of telling over showing.
I tried to get over the weirdness of Mika only being 12. I can buy into the idea that she's hyper-observant as a trauma response - but then she also seems a lot less traumatized than some of the other orphans, being relatively well treated and never being "fostered out" for labor like some of the others?
I think the whole thing would've worked better as an YA book. Age Mika up a little bit, and develop the world and the characters more.
The mystery aspect, too, seemed a little too convenient. Answers kind of fell into Mika's lap, especially the convenience of her being friends with (view spoiler)[a son or brother - it wasn't clear or I missed it - of the killer who was sent to the orphanage to be "safe". Also, why would the killer think the orphanage was safe when his sister, who he's avenging, was fostered out of said orphanage? (hide spoiler)]
The detective almost seemed superfluous at times - a convenient way to get access to places - though I did like that they became sort of friendly by the end, and him helping her out at her workplace, and giving her food. I'd like to see more development there, though, and he trusted her an awfully lot with barely knowing her.
Anyway - as to the ending and the spoilers.
The ending felt a bit rushed an anti-climactic. I understand the moralizing, especially for the targe audience - I mean, you can't have as a moral lesson that (view spoiler)[revenge killing (hide spoiler)] is good - but I couldn't necessarily see how it was all that bad, all things considered. I mean, it was a brutal world, and it's not like anyone else would've gotten them justice.
Ok, so... the spoiler:
The Night Raven is portrayed as a serial killer, with no connection found between his victims. But then we discover that (view spoiler)[the first victim was actually his sister, and the subsequent victims were previous "foster parents" of hers, who used her for hard labor.
And I immediately jumped to the logical conclusion that the men who were killed were killed in revenge for the sister... but our genius detective was like, "So he killed his own sister. That just proves what we already knew - he's a monster."
No, that just proves that your dumb.
Like, ok, we didn't know that she'd died in the factory yet and that her death was covered up. (And they never actually explain why her death was even attributed to "the Night Raven", because that made no sense since the MOs were so different. I assume more sloppy police work. They just wanted to close a case about an unidentified body and laid it at the feet of someone who killed other people... ?
But, yeah, once we found at the the first victim was the guy's sister, and the other victims were people who had abused his sister? (hide spoiler)] I mean, it was bleeding fucking obvious. Except not to the cop. Or to our clever Mika.
And, yeah, yeah, I get that it's an MG book, but that doesn't excuse stupid characters. Not ones that are supposed to be observant or intelligent.
So that's why I had to bump it down.
I am willing to give the next book in the series a chance, especially since I'm trying to knock out a bunch of MG books for March....more
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I'm a fan of Bridgerton and Regency Romantasy in general, so this is the first book in the series I went for 4.5
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I'm a fan of Bridgerton and Regency Romantasy in general, so this is the first book in the series I went for - because a friend mentioned it, and because it was the one I was likely to like the most.
Despite it being primarily a romance, I do wish that they'd spent a little bit more time on the magical water monster storyline, and that they used that to develop Tiffany and Santiago's relationship a little deeper.
My only real complaint, aside from that, I suppose, is the overuse of the "miscommunication" trope. So many of the issues that arose in the relationship was because one of them would say something that the other construed a certain way, got all huffy about it, and instead of ever communicating, things would go on being strained until, literally, (view spoiler)[one or the other was in mortal danger.
Like - y'all need to learn to communicate before one of you is about the die, ok? (hide spoiler)]
I know it's a common trope, but, literally, in this story there are at least three or four go arounds of the same plot and by the last one I was kind of over it. So that's a big reason why I couldn't rate this 5-stars.
Also, I didn't love the one thing about the ending. (view spoiler)[Tiffany spends the whole book not wanting to be relegated to a life defined by men. A daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother. She wants to travel and explore the world. But, then, seemingly not very long after her and Santiago are married, we find out she's pregnant already. They talk a bit about maybe travelling to Egypt - but I would've liked Tiffany to spend more time actually living life before settling into motherhood. I mean, Santiago even points out that they're young and don't need to start having kids right away. And, as witches, she has the means to not have kids... so, like... why? (hide spoiler)]
That said, I did bump it from solid 4 to 4.5 because the audiobook was just delightful. The narrator was wondering in bringing the story and characters to life, and I desperately want to spend more time with Tiffany and the witches. I wish we would get a continuation to this story....more
WARNING: THIS ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER. It is a "duology" which is actually 1 story split into two parts, and does not have a satisfying conclusion. EspeWARNING: THIS ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER. It is a "duology" which is actually 1 story split into two parts, and does not have a satisfying conclusion. Especially important if, like me, by the end you're just wanting it to be done, and then you find it's not done, it's just fucking starting.
So...
I'm sort of bouncing between a 1 and a 2 stars for this, so, for now, at least, I'm going to go 1.5, rounded up to 2 - because I've been rating easy this year. Well, easier.
Part of it is, yes, the cliffhanger ending, because fuck you.
Part of it is, as I said, by the end I was just wanting it to be over.
So...
I picked up this book for a book club. I often ignore the book club books, but this one looked like it could be fun. I mean, I play D&D. And a story where the "chosen one" decides to become the villain instead? Sounds good. Portal fantasy, time-loops, rooting for the villains? Ok, cool.
From the very outset, though, things weren't looking great. I mean, aside from the fact that we have our protag being tortured the death, and her thoughts go to what it would be like to be gone down on my a snake-wilder... the snark was just too much.
And this is from someone who is rather snarky and sarcastic in her own life, mind. It just felt like it was trying way too hard to be edgy and funny, and it was missing the mark.
But things sort of settled a little once the story got going. Not that the snark stopped. Far from it. This entire book is an endless parade of 1) sexualizing characters, b) attempts at snarky humor, c) far too many cliffnotes which try to also be funny, and just end up being annoying (especially in digital format), d) woman MC written as male-gaze, e) pop-culture references from someone who doesn't remember her life on Earth, but remembers about a billion pop-culture references that no one else gets, f) battles.
Even the battles are kind of boring.
But the time we got to the Convocation, I just wanted to finish it off. (I'm sure Davi would make some comment here.)
And then when it ended in a cliffhanger, I wanted to throw it through a window.
So...
The completionist in me says - it's just one more book. Just finish it, so you can get closure on the story.
But the nicer part of me says that I don't know that you should make yourself suffer through another 500 pages of this tedium.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book.
The first one had a certain charm to it, which was largely based on the characters and their inte2.5
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book.
The first one had a certain charm to it, which was largely based on the characters and their interactions. But a lot of that interaction was missing from this book, because Mor decided he needed to tackle his enemy on his own, so spent most of the book pushing his brothers away and being all dark and broody.
I also didn't entirely buy into the romance of this one. It's kind of meant to be one of those Lizzy/Darcy romances, where they start off disliking each other and being snipey and whatnot at each other, but there really wasn't enough development for it to feel realistic or earned in the end. (Especially the whole (view spoiler)[oops, I accidentally mated with you, and I secretly knew you from your past thing. (hide spoiler)]).
The interactions and dialogue between, like, all the characters were awkward and clunky - and that's not even talking about all the "faeborn" stuff, which I commented drove me nuts in the first book, and was just as annoying in this book, but at least it didn't feel like it was on every page. Though it was still way too often. (Yes, yes, we know they're fae.)
I did like getting the backstory on Mor, though, and learning a bit more about him in his time with the Shadow Army, and also how he first became friends with Cress. And I thought the villain's story was interesting. The actual story of Mor and Luc were, by far, the most interesting parts of this book....more
Arizona and crew go on a trip which is meant to be a relaxing vacation at a dinosaur dig - because clearly there would be no problems there - but chaoArizona and crew go on a trip which is meant to be a relaxing vacation at a dinosaur dig - because clearly there would be no problems there - but chaos ensues when items start going missing, and someone chases Arizona through the dark!
I liked the addition of the brontosaurus - whose name currently escapes me - to the crew. His calm presence added a nice balance to the rest of the chaotic crew. And it's doubly nice to finally have someone who can help Arizona actually learn how to use and control her magic.
It was also nice that Arizona finally came clean about Albert.
My biggest gripe right now, though, is that the dinos constantly tell Ari that she's safe, but she's constantly getting kidnapped, and the magical mind connection stops working at the most convenient times for the plot, and it's like, guys - and Suli - y'all kind of suck at keeping Ari safe.
I mean, the first time you could maybe blame her for going to the bathroom in the dark by herself, but the second time y'all literally just left her alone for hours...
Anyway -
This is a fun, silly series, and I am looking forward to the next book in March, and more sexy, dino (and pig and human) hijinks. ...more
There was a little bit more of an attempt of a plot with this one.
Arizona has the dinos masquerading as really advanced eleMore dino sex* and hijnks!
There was a little bit more of an attempt of a plot with this one.
Arizona has the dinos masquerading as really advanced electronics - which is a totally unbelievable premise, but we're dealing with dino-shifters and magic here, so I'll allow it - but, oh no, someone wants to steal the technology!
Also, I 'like' how even Arizona's magic is mostly used as a premise to have more sex. LOL It's also very inconsistent. Like, using the magic only increases the magic instead of dispelling it? Getting emotional increases the magic, but having sex helps dispel it? Meh. This is definitely a "turn off your brain" series...
I just wish Arizona would spend more time trying to actually understand her magic.
I'm not sure how I feel about Suli. While it's nice to have another woman in the mix, I found her kind of annoying and judgy. Doubly annoying since triceratops are my favorite.
Some shenanigans happen with Albert, though I can't say it came as a surprise.
![Iron Flame (Part 2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] (The Empyrean, #2)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1706334649l/206033178._SX50_.jpg)
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