I know I said I wasn't going to read this one -- but I was doing a challenge in March and was convinced to do a buddy read of this for more team point I know I said I wasn't going to read this one -- but I was doing a challenge in March and was convinced to do a buddy read of this for more team points. And I had regrets. This one feels even less inspired and more of a mess than the first one. Most of the fantasy world building seems to a have disappeared and things just happened. The timeline is all over the place and there's no real character growth happening. The Villain and Evie are interesting characters but not enough to sustain this. At least my team got the points for the buddy read though. ...more
I got a copy of this during a sale just because I thought the description sounded interesting. I finally got around to reading it -- but I didn't end I got a copy of this during a sale just because I thought the description sounded interesting. I finally got around to reading it -- but I didn't end up liking it as much as I hoped. I know this is the first in a series, so there has to be some character work and set-up happening, but these seems largely all setup with a slow story and a less than engaging mystery. The (very) slow burn romance was more interesting than the mystery, which you know, wasn't a good sign. Or at least didn't match what I had signed up for....more
“I know of no good fortune that I haven’t had to chase. The bad fortunes are going to show up whenever they want, whether you invite them or not.�
I li“I know of no good fortune that I haven’t had to chase. The bad fortunes are going to show up whenever they want, whether you invite them or not.�
I liked this mediation of basketball, life, love, and the idea of home. Listened to most of this on audiobook, read by the author, which I would recommend. ...more
I will confess I did not know much about this -- I just saw it around and it was popular, and also it looked like a fun romantasy. Unfortunately, I thI will confess I did not know much about this -- I just saw it around and it was popular, and also it looked like a fun romantasy. Unfortunately, I thought this dragged (a lot in the middle) and a fun premise was sort of lost in a mess of world building -- in which very little about the world was established (how the magic system worked, the way the kingdom was laid out?). As I have mentioned before in my reviews, my main reading doorway is plot, and this was short on plot. I liked the romance but I needed more of it and a more defined goal. I feel like the plot really kicked up in the last 25 pages, just in time for the cliffhanger. I won't be reading the next two but I might skim the wikipedia. ...more
I saw this as part of a library display and thought it looked fun. But I'm going to be honest, part of my problem with cozy mysteries is that occasion I saw this as part of a library display and thought it looked fun. But I'm going to be honest, part of my problem with cozy mysteries is that occasionally everything is moving so slowly and off the page, that I completely miss what's happening. There are 4 main characters here with similar backstories and I was struggling to get to know and tell them apart and then there's a cast of characters in town that seem to come and go quite quickly. I shouldn't have quite so much trouble following the plot of a cozy mystery, and yet here I am. Maybe that's because I was distracted while listening to the audiobook, but seeing the other reviews I think it was just a lot of exposition and mystery happening all together, maybe? It was alright, but I don't know that I'm compelled to read the next one. ...more
I have had a copy of this book from NetGalley for an embarrassingly long time. I originally requested it while I was working on my dissertation, and a I have had a copy of this book from NetGalley for an embarrassingly long time. I originally requested it while I was working on my dissertation, and also working on some side projects about the way the midwest is represented in a lot of television and pop culture. I thought this book was going to be about that, and it wasn't. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think part of the reason it sat on the shelf and my now lackluster review is simply an expectation issue.
I was expecting more a more studied sociological approach to the issue, rather than a person journalistic one. This read a little more like a Bill Bryson book than a sociological one. There are a lot of individual stories told here, and a lot of people met -- but the stories in summary sound very similar the outgoing folks who have mostly lucked into good tourism/community outreach based jobs in these small towns like the towns in which they live/work/know everyone. They know it might be hard or isolating for some, but they wish more young people would find the gumption to move back. Occasionally the author also talk to a few young people who have moved back, and while they miss having a movie theater/public library/museums/department stores/specialized medical care/reliable internet, they do miss the chance to find housing or a paying job to fund that housing.
She tries to bring in some discussion of diversity, but that is difficult given the ethnic makeup of the area she's exploring. But she also doesn't talk to anyone who is cleaning beds at the local motel, or needs to drive more than 45 to find medical care, or talk to anyone who who is not straight. One of the few single people she talks to in the book from rural Kansas is has found more success meeting someone through work colleagues in China than he has meeting anyone locally. It's just a very rosy picture of life in these extremely small towns in which everyone seems to be talking off the same talking points of what living in a small town is like. All the places and stories just seem to blend together.
Thanks to University Of Iowa Press and NetGalley for providing me a free advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for this honest review....more
I read this for a Book Club, and I thought it was a cute, gay, college romance. I liked the way the romance developed -- although for a dual POV I cou I read this for a Book Club, and I thought it was a cute, gay, college romance. I liked the way the romance developed -- although for a dual POV I could have done with slightly more pining!...more
This is sort of like Homeward Bound combined with a light mystery, and I thought there was going to be more mystery? It was fine and the resolution at This is sort of like Homeward Bound combined with a light mystery, and I thought there was going to be more mystery? It was fine and the resolution at the end dragged a little, but I thought it was a relatively cozy morality play. Pony's voice and POV was probably the best part of this. ...more
Historical fiction isn't always my jam, and I found the first part of this very slow. I did like it more by the time they got on the ship and then ontHistorical fiction isn't always my jam, and I found the first part of this very slow. I did like it more by the time they got on the ship and then onto the island. I think I'm in a minority here though, and that most people who like historical fiction loved this one so YMMV....more
Read with an informal book group and I'm glad it pushed me to finally read this one. Read with an informal book group and I'm glad it pushed me to finally read this one. ...more
It looks like reviews have been mixed on this, but I loved it.
March 2025 re-read: This may be the fastest I've ever re-read something, but I was doinIt looks like reviews have been mixed on this, but I loved it.
March 2025 re-read: This may be the fastest I've ever re-read something, but I was doing a March reading challenge and I joined a buddy read for this to get more points. Plus, I needed another dose of Klaus, book boyfriend in my life. ...more
Look -- am I overly emotionally invested in the fates of a group of soldiers/students and their dragons? Yes. Did I put off reading the last 100 or soLook -- am I overly emotionally invested in the fates of a group of soldiers/students and their dragons? Yes. Did I put off reading the last 100 or so pages of this because I felt so emotionally fragile that I could not handle bad things happening to these fictional characters? Also yes. Look the beginning of 2025 as been a doozy, and deep diving back into this world was a thing that offered distraction and comfort. I think it's hard to review and even read a series that is in progress, especially when it comes to the middle books, because we can't fully know what's being set up and what's not. If you need me I'll just be over here eagerly awaiting the next book....more
I sort of fell solidly in the middle on this -- I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. The hardest part for me was the way the audiobook narrator soun I sort of fell solidly in the middle on this -- I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. The hardest part for me was the way the audiobook narrator sounded like she was talking through a head cold the whole time (just me?). I also found a lot of to be too twee for me, and also just eye rolling at other parts. I think you are either on Olivia Dade's/Athena's wavelength or you are not. This was alright, but certainly not my favorite. ...more
I didn't realize this was pitched as a satire, which now makes sense because it's as morally subtle as a mac truck. I actually agree with everything i I didn't realize this was pitched as a satire, which now makes sense because it's as morally subtle as a mac truck. I actually agree with everything in this book -- books are good and life changing! Libraries are awesome! They should not be banned! Fear mongering around people's relationships should stop. And yet, the villains in this book do everything but twirl their mustaches and tie the open minded blonde cheerleader to the railroad tracks. Everyone we are rooting for is completely open and fair minded. It felt like a fairytale, complete with the over the top ending. The audiobook was a quick read though and YMMV. I could see it being a good book club book. ...more
Read for a book group challenge (challenge item: Read a Classic). I've had a copy of this in my Audible account for a while because I heard it was one Read for a book group challenge (challenge item: Read a Classic). I've had a copy of this in my Audible account for a while because I heard it was one of those fun and readable classics and also an early detective novel. Now, I needed to realize that even though elements of the detective story that would become very popular are present here, it's still very much a Victorian novel. Still, there were chunks of this I found fun and chunks of it that I wondered if I was following along (I was, it's just that there wasn't much happening) and was getting bored. Still, I'm glad the challenge pushed me to finally read this and get it off my unread shelf....more
I read this as part of an online book club, and if they hadn't chosen it I probably would not have continued reading it after I realized it takes plac I read this as part of an online book club, and if they hadn't chosen it I probably would not have continued reading it after I realized it takes place in 2024/2025 and the plot centers around a family living in California inside an enclave as they try to keep safe from the outside world beset with drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages where also there are no jobs and everything costs a lot of money. Also there was also so much religion talk here that I was not expecting and didn't love. So yeah...this was a lot and at a less than ideal time (but I can't not complete a challenge book). Can't say that I would recommend it unless you like your fiction reading to be way less escapist than I am craving at the moment....more
After unexpectedly discovering this series at the beginning of last year, I was excited to see that a second book was coming out soonish. I'll admit I After unexpectedly discovering this series at the beginning of last year, I was excited to see that a second book was coming out soonish. I'll admit I had trouble getting into this one at first, I'm not sure if it was just remembering the elements of the world-building or the stuff with the dragons and Adriana's character (maybe it was just my attention to the audiobook). I finally got into and over the hump and then I got totally immersed in the last half of the book and enjoyed that way more than the first half. I thought though that the mystery in this one wasn't as well developed as the first one (where I really enjoyed the plot alongside the romance) but overall still enjoyed it and would happily read another book about the Princes of Sin....more
This is one I was really anticipating because it's in my wheelhouse, but it just didn't work for me. Some of it may have been the flat audiobook narra This is one I was really anticipating because it's in my wheelhouse, but it just didn't work for me. Some of it may have been the flat audiobook narrator, but also some of it was Lennon being a truly annoying character who made a lot of really annoying decisions. ...more
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