Sarah
Read this for my work book club.
The character development was seriously lacking with the physical descriptions of the main character, Lotte, mainly described as fat and freckled and very little else. The family were also only very lightly sketched.
This could be due to the first person POV. However this perspective struggles because although the majority of the story is described by 12-13 year old Lottie, it is also from the perspective of a mid 20's (I'm guessing as I don't think it is actually stated) adult Lottie. There was no new opinions given due to hindsight of age.
For this reason, the child Lottie's story reads like young adult fiction with the drama of high school to focus instead of the heavier themes of child abuse and the ever present “Art Monster”
In a heavy handed way, I believe that the author was trying to get across that people value art and hence artists higher than that of an abused and sick child.
This would have been more poignant if the story around it wasn't written in such a childish manner.
I found this novel to be very clunky and pedestrian. The elements of the era were not solid with modern refences that come across as jarring against the back drop of 1930's Australia.
The literary clues seem ham fisted (especially the lamb scene) that came across as graphic just for shock value and not how a farmer would actually conduct themselves.
I realise that it was all from the perspective of the 13 yr old the disconnect between his revelations and his age were too much for me to have a suspension of disbelief.
Overall if you want this feel read To Kill a Mockingbird and if you want a good Australian small town story read Sun on the Stubble and give this one a miss.
This was where I felt the need to say goodby to Araminta and the Spook house as this book was the last one that I owned and I didn't have anywhere near as much fun reading this one as I have the last four.
The story of Araminta and co being baby sat by the resident ghosts of Spook house with two invading poltergeists who just want to stay and cause a ruckus just didn't work for me.
2/5 Stars.
This book started really strongly and I was enjoying it up to about 60% of the way through. At this point I felt that the book needed some heavy editing.
I also found that although I like the story lines of the 3 main characters, I found the transition between the very seperate stories jarring and clunky. It felt like there were 2 books shoe horned into 1 and did not allow me to fully settle into the action or truly feel for the characters.
For that reason I will not be continuing with the series.
This was a solid dystopian sci-fi that reminded me a lot of Isaac Asimov's Caves of Steel.
Set in the lat 21st century in an isolated (by choice and governmental procedure) city of Kennedy, the local law enforcement are stymied by two new criminals; a thief who is targeting data pools and an assassin targeting council member in favour of reassimilation with the ReUnited States of America (RUSA).
The city is falling apart because they have got to the point were they have recycled everything they can and without an injection of new resources they are starting to go backwards.
Can our hero, Phillip Roads, find the crooks before the RUSA military rolls into town and takes over...
Disclaimer I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book.
This is the opening book in a large epic fantasy story with dragons which really should be completely my wheelhouse but I found the experience jarring and tedious at the same time.
My main issue that I just could not get past was the author trying to world build with a ridiculous amount of exposition shoe horned into the plot. I understand that Norfield has this entire world stuck in his head and feels the need to get every aspect of what he can see, and has constructed, onto the page but as a lover of epic fantasy I found this amateurish and off putting. Which was unfortunate because there were 2 really interesting events happening at the start of this book that normally I would have been enthralled by but for the constant interruptions to explain back story of characters, lay out of country side and political musterings between waring factions. All of these elements can be left till later when the reader has a) remembered the names of the characters and b) invested emotionally in those characters.
My secondary issue was the lengthy/wordy descriptions for EVERYTHING. We get a blow by blow list of the scratches everyone got in a battle with the enemy... big injuries and deaths only and that can be done in the action sequence please.
I really think if this had just got into the action/ main plot and left the world building to happen organically I think this would be a great book as the elements are all there but buried in to many words for words sake and exposition I would have really enjoyed it but unfortunately it was and I could not bring myself to keep going.
This is a great start to an intriguing story. I hope the rest of the series will hold up to this opener.
I especially liked the lore building that Black has weaved through the plot. I am not familiar with all the traditional lore of the fae but it felt like she drew on it rather than creating a new tradition that made this new tale feel like it was set in a familiar and loved world. Really enjoyed this and will be recommending it to others.
I listened to the audiobook version and it absolutely cracked me up.
Even having not read the first book in the duology didn't reduce my enjoyment of this book. I found all the characters to be well rounded if cooky and a little damaged.
The soul collectors have not been replaced and people's soul vessels are not being collected. But they are being stolen. The supernatural world is out of balance and something has got to give.
A great adult read with all the mythology of a Percy Jackson novel and wang jokes of a frat house movie.