I've never read any Christie, but I've watched several of the movie adaptations and now I've listened to this one.
I enjoyed the Audio Drama style of iI've never read any Christie, but I've watched several of the movie adaptations and now I've listened to this one.
I enjoyed the Audio Drama style of it, though I do wonder what got cut, since the audio drama is a good deal shorter than an unabridged version of the audio. The acting was good, though, and helped to differentiate some of the characters, who I feel like might've gotten more confusing in the text.
I did enjoy Peter Dinklage as Poirot, and liked seeing a lot of the elements that are so famous to the character. The mystery itself was ok, but I never felt fully invested in the whodunit portion. It was more a study of interest to see how it was solved than any real care about the characters.
The one character which annoyed me, though, was Hastings. He's supposed to be a friend of Poirot's, and I know he's a regular in future books, but here I just found him kind of whiny. Every time he didn't get his way with Poirot he got angry and petulant. I understand that the case was personal to him, but I felt that Poirot was too generous in saying how much Hastings helped with the case - since every clue and help Hastings gave was almost accidental.
Lastly, I'm not the biggest fan of stories where the audience can't really piece together the clues because certain clues are hidden from us...
But, overall, a decent radio drama that was well done....more
I almost didn't continue to series after the first book, but it was at my library so I decided to grab it.
Like the first, it's a quick read and a deceI almost didn't continue to series after the first book, but it was at my library so I decided to grab it.
Like the first, it's a quick read and a decent enough mystery. This one felt a little more personal to Mika, but I felt like Valdemar was kind of superfluous for most of the book. I know it's the "Moonwind Mysteries", but I like them working as a duo.
Also, this one didn't seem to have the same basis on Mika's observational and deductive skills that the first one was sort of predicated on. Like, everything's kind of more spelled out in this one. Mika doesn't make one judgement/conclusion, but most everything else just kind of falls in her lap. There's really not even that much in the way of investigation?
But it was entertaining enough for the few hours it took me to get through it, and I did like how they handled the ending....more
"I didn't think that I would ever come across a dumber sorting system than Divergent, but here we are..."
(There is some cursing in this review. If 1.5
"I didn't think that I would ever come across a dumber sorting system than Divergent, but here we are..."
(There is some cursing in this review. If you don't like cursing, stop reading now. You've been warned. Go clutch your pearls elsewhere.)
Kids in Ember, at the ripe old age of 12, are assigned their jobs for the rest of their lives.
Is it a test? A judgement of their capacity and abilities based on their few years of school?
Nope.
It's a random lottery. They essentially pick it out of a hat - except they're just sitting on a desk.
And the logic sort of just goes down from there, tbh.
***
People have been in Ember for roughly 250 years. In the beginning, there were stores and stores of equipment - food and clothes and lightbulbs, etc. But after 250 years, they're running out of supplies, the generator is breaking, and things are generally falling apart.
Because apparently no one in those 250 years ever had enough intelligence or wit or curiosity or creativity to invent something new. Or learn how the generators actually work (they just maintain them). Or reverse engineer a lightbulb. Or learn how to recycle things.
Or create a fucking torch.
That's right! They're trapped in Ember because anywhere outside of Ember is pitch black, and they have never once, in 250(ish) years, successfully created a movable light source. They created a rudimentary torch, but just by wrapping cloth on a stick. Never encountered the idea of putting pitch on the cloth. Or wax. Or something.
Never invented candles.
They live in pitch black for half their lives, and never created a light source that wasn't plugged in.
For the love of gods...
You find out, towards the end, that (view spoiler)[the people who were put into Ember to populate were specifically told not to teach their children about the world outside. They're told it's so that the people who live in Ember are never sad for what they're missing. They're raised on propaganda that there is no place by Ember.
Except they were never meant to be there permanently. There was an exit plan. Literally. (It got lost at some point, because obviously you only want to have one copy of the plan, and entrusted to one group of people (the mayors)).
They were always meant to leave - so why would you not want them to have the skills they would need to survive this new world?
Why would you not even want them to KNOW what anything WAS?
They have a greenhouse where they grow vegetables to eat, but apparently don't have any trees (so no fruit except canned?), and the original "Builders" never thought to have, like, bamboo or something so they could eventually make paper?
They only ever have what was stocked for them, and never invent anything new. Ever. In 250 years.
They are literally dumber than cavemen.
***
Ok, so back to them being in pitch black for half their lives.
At the end, Lina and Doon (view spoiler)[escape Ember but then find it by finding a hole in the ground (they're aboveground at this point), and the see Ember far below. Except if Ember is at the bottom of a cave or some sort that has a hole in it large enough that the kids would find it and see down into it and see the whole city... then there must have been times where the light from the sun or moon would shine down into it?!) (hide spoiler)]
***
Ok, so, I could go on...
But, like, crappy worldbuilding and/or stupid logic aside, was it at least a good story?
I mean, not really?
Lina and Doon both kind of have one defining trait. (Maybe they ARE in Divergent. LOL. Anyway... )
The secondary characters are their just to serve the plot, and have no real lives or personalities.
The narration was annoying at times. Doon literally sounded like he was stuffed up the whole time.
Lina's grandmother (view spoiler)[dies - the woman who essentially raised her and did raise her littler sister - and she's said for, like 5 pages and then moves on. (hide spoiler)]
The kids discover things going on and never once tell a parental figure - who are actually present and not, like, missing of negligent like most MG stories. (Though I mean the neighbor lady here, not the (view spoiler)[dementia ridden grandmother, though I'm not sure how all the adults around Lina thought it was totally ok for a 12 year old to essentially be caring for her sister and grandmother, while they knew the condition the grandmother was in). (hide spoiler)]
I guess I didn't hate it, which is why I'm rounding up to 2 stars, and I have read that the second book gets better, and maybe explains some things? So I guess I'll give the second book a listen, but I'm not gonna hold my breath for any kind of massive improvement....more
I would've given this one 4-stars, for the book and the series overall, because I gotta admit, I flew through this thing. Despite - or maybe because -I would've given this one 4-stars, for the book and the series overall, because I gotta admit, I flew through this thing. Despite - or maybe because - of how deranged the whole thing is, I really got into this story and the characters, for whatever existed as a plot. (Honestly, if you cut out all the random smut scenes - which were fun, but I'm just saying - if you cut those and just had the plot it would probably be on 300-400 page book.)
And for pure twisted entertainment value, I might have rated it higher - except for the two gratuitous gang rape scenes. I fucking hate the trope of throwing in rape for "tension", but then not actually dealing with any of the trauma or fall-out. Like, literally, both times this happened - once in this book, and once in book two, the immediate response was for Alice to "cleanse" herself by having sex with one of the boys.
And that was it. It was literally just an excuse for another sex scene, and for the boys to come in and rescue Alice... except of course they can't rescue her before the fucking assault.
And then, on top of that, for some reason Alice couldn't (view spoiler)[bring herself to kill the Queen. I mean, I did kind of like the whole sub-plot of Alice sort of befriending the Jaberwocky, and it being the one who took its revenge to kill the Queen, but, really, it made no sense, at that point, that Alice couldn't just kill her. Not only was this the woman who destroyed Wonderland, and tried to kill Alice multiple times, but she's the one who ordered the gang rape, while she watched! (hide spoiler)] But, again, this is just another example of how these plot-points are thrown in for, what? Shock value? Kink? But not actually dealt with in any real way, and they don't belong in this book. There's no value to them being here - no real plot progression. No half-assed character development. Nothing.
Aside from those issues - I overall actually really enjoyed the deranged nonsense of this story.
I just wish there was more Chess in the last books. Like, him and Hatter are the main MMCs in the first book, but then as new characters are added, they kind of get side-lined accept for some moments here and there.
Also, I really wanted one final orgy. LOL
I mean, we never got a scene with (view spoiler)[all of the guys together. I was really hoping, after the battle and Alice because the new queen, that there would be one final celebration which would lead into a scene with Alice and all the guys together. After all the other scenes and everything we went through to get here, I really wanted that scene to finish it off. No pun intended. (hide spoiler)]...more
I had a few issues with the prior one, and this was definitely an improvement in the smut field. But I've always enjoyed a good vampire story - even iI had a few issues with the prior one, and this was definitely an improvement in the smut field. But I've always enjoyed a good vampire story - even if I still want a little bit more about the story of how Jack became a vampire and how he got to Wonderland, etc.
Best thing about this book is there's more actual plot! Woo!
Not that I'm not enjoying the smut, 'cause I mainly am, despite feeling a little bit like Alice with the whole "this is so depraved, but I'm kinda into it" thing.
My biggest complaint about this book is Alice, though. Like, she starts training with Jack and it's almost like she didn't have any training in the prior book? And while I did complain a little bit about the "training" in the prior book being more "being thrown into a gladiator style combat", there was at least mention of her doing laps, and lifting weights, and, like, doing things...
But now, in this book, it's like all of that disappeared?
But that's actually a recurring issue with these books. All of Alice's character growth in one book is almost erased in the next book. I kind of hate that as a plot device - which is something you sometimes see in sequels, and I guess these are sequels, but because of the way the books are so one-after-the-other, they feel like one story instead of four.
Ok, but, anyway - despite that, I did like this one better than the previous, but still not as much as the first. I think it's 'cause Chess is still my favorite, and I need more Chess in my life.
I do like where the story itself is going, and the way that the White Queen has a dark side and secrets to her, too.
I didn't love the ending with (view spoiler)[Alice just up and walking out after whatsherface's secrets come to light, and her wondering if her "wicked boys" would care for her at all if she didn't have to save Wonderland. Like, I get not giving Queenie a chance, but she didn't give the guys a chance, and that kinda sucked. (hide spoiler)]...more
I'm giving this one a 2.5, but currently rounding down. I might change my mind in the future, but I didn't enjoy this one as much because of a few thiI'm giving this one a 2.5, but currently rounding down. I might change my mind in the future, but I didn't enjoy this one as much because of a few things that are triggery and/or not my kink.
I'm not into the dom thing, at least not the way this is presented. I really didn't like it at the start, when it was all kinds of non-consenual. Like, Alice didn't willingly enter into a sub role - she was kidnapped by a "friend" and was held captive. This is not sexy.
I also really don't get the whole "I need to break her spirit" b.s. Like, how is breaking her spirit going to help her get the confidence she needs in order to defeat the Jaberwocky and Red Queen? I mean, there's reference to the "break her down so I can build her back up", but where's the building up? I mean, she gets thrown into a couple of gladiator-type combats with the other "bunnies" in the sex club, and trains a little in the meantime - doing laps and lifting weights - but, like, that's it?
Of course, Alice being Alice in this book, it turns out she enjoys being the sub and the kinky sex, because that's what this book is... and I would've been ok with it, even if it's not my kink, if she'd entered into it willingly.
And then we have to throw in the sexual assault. I mean, (view spoiler)[more overt than the rest, actual rape because the other "bunnies" are jealous of her, and, of course, that gets glossed over after Ransom charges in and rescues her - rescues her from a position he put her in - and she's so hot for him after he saves her that they immediately have sex, even though she's just been assaulted and raped.
Don't fucking use rape as a plot-device, and then just gloss over it. Just don't. (hide spoiler)]
***
All that said, I still didn't hate it, even though I had a lot of issues with it. I actually kind of came to like Ransom and even Callister, despite the totally fucked up beginning of this book, and the actual plot parts of the book and their attempts to take down the Red Queen were actually still good and interesting, even if the bit where Alice was (view spoiler)[meant to chop off her head and barely ended up grazing her despite her being right there was super frustrating. (hide spoiler)]...more
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
Confession - I've never watched Gilmore Girls. But I did enjoy the heck out of Charmed. And I'm down for a witch rom-com type thing. I mean, I've readConfession - I've never watched Gilmore Girls. But I did enjoy the heck out of Charmed. And I'm down for a witch rom-com type thing. I mean, I've read enough Hallmark type rom-com books that I thought this would be enjoyable.
And, like, it was ok, I guess... but that's about it.
The biggest thing is, the characters don't feel fleshed out and the romance did not work. Like, at all. There's no build-up in the relationship between Scarlet and Nate. It's all based on a relationship they had has teenagers, and them still being in love with each other these 10 years later of not seeing or talking to each other, but we don't really see them growing together. They're still in love - and that's it.
And the Scarlet does a lot of waffling because she wants to be with Nate, but she doesn't plan on staying in Oak Haven, and wants to go back to San Francisco when the magical crisis is over, so it's all, "let's kiss, except let's not, except let's kiss, except let's not", on and on ad infinitum.
And I could maybe let that go if there was more focus on Scarlet with her family - except that's also shitty and lacking in depth.
So, Scarlet ran away from town 10 years ago because she blames herself for the death of her father. Except she doesn't tell anyone that's why she left, so they think she just flaked on them and gave up magic for no reason. So they just fester in their separate corners for 10 years.
But then magic is going wrong in town, so Delilah calls Scarlet and is like, you need to come back right now to help.
Except why?
Scarlet hasn't done magic in 10 years and, even then, apparently she wasn't very good at it? But she has to come back to help save it?
And you're thinking - this is where the Charmed stuff comes in, right? The three sisters have to take care of things because they're like the Charmed ones? Except, no? Because literally every woman in this town is a witch, but for some reason Scarlet has to come back to help.
And no one knows what's wrong. They don't even investigate to find out what's wrong and maybe try to figure out how to fix it before they rope Scarlet in.
And then they (view spoiler)[force Scarlet to try some magic that she's not ready for, and she says it's a bad idea, but Delilah is like, no, it's easy, let's just do it - (so easy but only they can do it?) - but then, of course, it goes wrong and Delilah gets all mad at Scarlet, and Scarlet is all "everything's my fault! everything I do is wrong!", but, like, bitch, you didn't even want to do it? So eff Delilah for blaming you?
And, points for Nate, he's literally the only one who's like, no, it's not your fault... it's kind of Delilah's fault, because everyone else in the town blames Scarlet because, as "mama" says, Scarlet was always reckless. (hide spoiler)]
And why did you force this woman to come back to this town, exactly?
There's a third sister, whose name I forget, but she's basically just there for exposition... But at least she's nice.
But I couldn't decide if I got more mad at Scarlet's sister and mother for always being down on her and blaming her for everything, or more annoyed with Scarlet for being the same way. Like, I get why Scarlet has a guilt complex with her family being the way they are, but, also, it's tiring to keep listening to her go on about how everything's her fault all the time.
(Side note, it's weird to refer to Scarlet's mother as "mama" all the time, when it's written in third person.)
And then there's the bad guys. Why were the bad guys the bad guys? Like, the whole reason was they wanted to destroy the magic that made people forget about the town because they were a) jealous/mad at the witches for daring to have this one little town to themselves and b) they wanted to monetarily exploit the town? Like, that's it?
Except it seems like there might be more, because there's reference to these mysterious "bosses", and you get the impression that the magicians are kind of just patsies, but I guess that will be explored in future books, which I will not be reading.
But it's not like in other books where only these witches are allowed to do magic or anything. The magicians can go off and be magiciany in literally any other town, but they have to have this one... for reasons...
Lastly, the magic itself. They reference that there are different types of magic in different parts of the world, but, in this town, magic is done only by women, and only through the power of magical oak trees. It's an innate power - but how are they born with it? Proximity to the trees? Why is it only women? Men can do magic elsewhere, but not here. Why? Never explained.
The way you do magic here is basically concentrate really hard on a thing and manifest it. I'd be terrible at this type of magic. Like Scarlet, my short attention span would get in the way. LOL
But of course Scarlet ends up saving the day - even though that ending was truly dumb. Not the (view spoiler)[part with the birds, but the part where one bird randomly gets captured and stuck in a cage for a year. That whole thing was dumb. Like, maybe for a few days, and then the bird gets found and the magicians somehow punished? Like, something else. Anything else.
At one point they talk about doing a location spell or finding spell - but no one in an entire year ever tries to do a spell to locate the missing fucking bird? (hide spoiler)]
Anyway - I should probably rate this 1-stars, but I'm gonna stay generous and keep it at 2. If I read it it might be lower, but I tend to be more generous of audio books for some reason, unless the narrator is terrible. *shrug*...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.
colleen the convivial curmudgeon
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