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colleen the convivial curmudgeon's Reviews > Ship of Magic
Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)
by
by
12/21/10
I'm about 75% through with this book, and I'm finding it frustrating.
As others have said, it's very much a character-based book, and I can dig character-based books if I like the characters, but I'm having a hard time really latching onto anyone that I don't want to smack upside the head.
Actually, no, I do like some characters (Brashen and Paragon, for instance) - but the ones I do like we don't seem to spend enough time with, while we spend far too much time with the likes of Kyle and Malta.
And I have a love-hate relationship with the shifting perspectives. When I'm slogging through a particularlty annoying or slow perspective, I'm grateful for its end, but there are other times when things are finally get interesting, only for the action to then cut-away from what's going on, and I have to wait 150 more pages to get back to what I was interested in. (And then, when we do get back to it, often time has passed, and so we're not taken back to the moment that had captured me anyway.)
So far, I've been reading this book for 9 days. That's a long time for me to take on one book. Part of the problem is that I'm just not really motivated to pick it up. I'm not attached enough to the characters to long for the time when I can pick the book back up, and, sometimes, I even find myself putting it off during my daily allotted reading time.
But I don't hate it. Thus far, I would probably rate it 2 stars. And I guess that's what's so frustrating, because I think I could like it more, like it could almost be a book I loved, but it's just not. *shrugs*
***
12/22/10
So I finally finished. I was promised some actual character development by the end, and it did happen, of a sort. Also, some stuff came together and there was actually some action. Yay! I wish that the events hadn't been quite so predictable, but at least the last 100 pages or so moved at a better pace.
I know do feel the need to continue, when, before, it was more of a "I suppose I must", but a lot of this is because nothing gets resolved in this book. It's definitely not a stand alone.
Anyway, even though I feel slightly more favorable to the book than I did above, I still feel like it could've been chopped down, a lot of the character set-up was repetitious and tedious, and I can easily see how some scenes could've been combined.
I'm still not sure I like any of the more major players, though.
1.5
I'm about 75% through with this book, and I'm finding it frustrating.
As others have said, it's very much a character-based book, and I can dig character-based books if I like the characters, but I'm having a hard time really latching onto anyone that I don't want to smack upside the head.
Actually, no, I do like some characters (Brashen and Paragon, for instance) - but the ones I do like we don't seem to spend enough time with, while we spend far too much time with the likes of Kyle and Malta.
And I have a love-hate relationship with the shifting perspectives. When I'm slogging through a particularlty annoying or slow perspective, I'm grateful for its end, but there are other times when things are finally get interesting, only for the action to then cut-away from what's going on, and I have to wait 150 more pages to get back to what I was interested in. (And then, when we do get back to it, often time has passed, and so we're not taken back to the moment that had captured me anyway.)
So far, I've been reading this book for 9 days. That's a long time for me to take on one book. Part of the problem is that I'm just not really motivated to pick it up. I'm not attached enough to the characters to long for the time when I can pick the book back up, and, sometimes, I even find myself putting it off during my daily allotted reading time.
But I don't hate it. Thus far, I would probably rate it 2 stars. And I guess that's what's so frustrating, because I think I could like it more, like it could almost be a book I loved, but it's just not. *shrugs*
***
12/22/10
So I finally finished. I was promised some actual character development by the end, and it did happen, of a sort. Also, some stuff came together and there was actually some action. Yay! I wish that the events hadn't been quite so predictable, but at least the last 100 pages or so moved at a better pace.
I know do feel the need to continue, when, before, it was more of a "I suppose I must", but a lot of this is because nothing gets resolved in this book. It's definitely not a stand alone.
Anyway, even though I feel slightly more favorable to the book than I did above, I still feel like it could've been chopped down, a lot of the character set-up was repetitious and tedious, and I can easily see how some scenes could've been combined.
I'm still not sure I like any of the more major players, though.
1.5
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Reading Progress
December 13, 2010
–
Started Reading
December 13, 2010
– Shelved
December 17, 2010
–
24.01%
"It's not a bad book. A bit slow to start, but things are sort of rolling along. It's not quite compelling, can't put down reading, or anything, but I'd give it 3.5 so far.
Still, wish I could get through more than 30 pgs at a time..."
page
169
Still, wish I could get through more than 30 pgs at a time..."
December 18, 2010
–
48.58%
"Whenever I start thinking things are picking up and I'm enjoying it, there are these long stretches where everyone is stupid and annoying, and I find myself wishing a plot would actually come along and save the characters from themselves."
page
342
December 18, 2010
–
68.75%
"Just when things are getting interesting, the perspective changes."
page
484
December 20, 2010
–
71.02%
"Less than 200 pages to go. Yay!
p.s. I wanna slap Malta upside her head. Just saying..."
page
500
p.s. I wanna slap Malta upside her head. Just saying..."
December 22, 2010
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-14 of 14 (14 new)
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message 1:
by
Kristin
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Oct 01, 2012 07:43PM
Reading your review was like you were reading my mind! I was told this book was amazing. I hated almost all characters except Paragon, Brash and the wood carving lady.
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message 2:
by
colleen the convivial curmudgeon
(last edited Oct 01, 2012 10:43PM)
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Nice to meet someone else not in awe of this book. ;)And, ya know, despite my saying I felt the need to continue with it... I never did go back to the series and, at this point, I doubt I ever will.
LOL glad I am not alone. I AM enjoying the book, but so far most of the characters are just horrible selfish people. Starting book 2 right now, lets hope they get a little more real.
I hope it gets better for your sake. :>
colleen the contrarian ± (... never stop fighting) ± wrote: "I hope it gets better for your sake. :>"Just finished book two and it does indeed get much, much better. I don't feel like killing any of the characters now!
I'm a little less than halfway through the book and seriously considering sticking it in the DNF pile. Why are the characters all so f-ing annoying? AHH!!!!
Honestly, I'd just dump it.
😂🤣thanks for the laugh! It's a nice change from being pissed off and annoyed by a bunch of fake people 😂🤣
I feel the same about many of the characters. The only reason I forced myself to finish it, after three tires, is because of how much the story is featured in the author's other series.
Characters are horrible selfish people? Hmmm sounds spot on. Those qualities are alive and well so why wouldn't characters in a book series have them as well?
Yes Colleen. I adored the Fitz and the Fool series. This one felt more forced.
