Tabitha Tomala
My actual rating? 0 stars. This book was absolutely pathetic. Between Hamilton squashing in as much backstory garbage as she could into the dislogue and the utter lack of plot, I'm left to wonder what the hell I just read. Not to mention she kills off a main character about 5 pages after granting them a new ability. What the hell is the point? I'm so disgusted with Hamilton as an author. What happened to her intense characters? Oh and now the fae can suddenly lie too! Hamilton broke the rules of her own world! This book was nothing but crap.
Stephen King is hit or miss for me. Unfortunately this one falls into the later. While I enjoyed this book at first, after a while it just grew so repetitive. Go to the shop, buy something then owe a favor.....one hundred pages later go to the shop, buy something then owe a favor....one hundred pages later.....you get the drift. A serious round of editing could have chopped out unecesary bits and brought the action much quicker. I think the whole bit with the church groups could have been left out entirely. And I must confess by the 400s I was skipping forward to Alan's parts or Patricia's. I didnt really care about any other character and there were certainly enough to read about. I also couldn't comprehend the events towards the end. How did certain characters suddenly attain power? And what was the point of introducing poison? It did not add to the story line. Bottom line is, this book felt like it was full of filler and not enough decent story.
This was a highly original book. The concept of hearing people's thoughts all day...I dont know how the characters didnt go completly mad, well not all of them at least. I enjoyed watching Todd's evolution and the author's ability to show us what he was feeling without coming right out and labeling emotions. I also liked seeing the slow formation of friendship and the realization that not everything was as it seemed to Todd. That being said, I did have a few issues. My biggest would be the main antagonist's ability to live through circumstances that by all rights should have killed them. I understand this is a work of fiction and truth can be stretched, but it still has to be somewhat in the realm of possibility. My second issue was the language. Yes I understand that there is a new culture, and different ways to say or spell words, but don't actually change the written word, it disrupts the flow for the reader. I struggled with the creative spelling and written out accents for the first half of the book. I will move on and read the next book, the ending certainly leaves on a cliffhanger and I want to know what comes next.
I would like to rate this in actuality zero stars. At first I thought this book could be ok. I read it for school so I tend to hold them back a ten foot pole because I simply detest school reading, but really this showed promise until the last two chapters. As I read about the island Tamina was whisked away to I was thoroughly disgusted with the behavior and sexual innuendos and out right perversity that occurred. I seriously have to wonder how deranged our society is to make this a bestseller. Absolutely repulsive and I will never read this author again even if it is required school reading.
This one is a book best savored. If you are looking for a quick read then do not read this book. However, if you have time to sink into Anne Rice's beautifully crafted world, then by all means take a chair. The story of Louis is wrought with heartbreak and joy. It is a little heady, and there were a few sections I had to read over, but I enjoyed this book because of the culture building within it. Claudia was a major part of my enjoyment as well, witnessing her evolution as her mind grew but her body did not. Without her this book would have pales on comparison. And then we have Louis, the conflicted vampire who holds onto his humanity. To watch his evolution, and the turmoil he endured throughout his undead life, it gives a new light to the world of vampires. Now a days we see the “good” side to vampirism, seemingly ignoring the actual suffering that must take place, things that are barely hinted at. We need more writers like Anne Rice , who brings a depth of realism to her creatures.
This was a slow one to start and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get into it. Then Tris's character began her path of development and I was hooked. At first it seemed childish and wrong, reading about a defenseless girl being beat on to strengthen herself, but then her personality began to shift and she became an entirely different person. Someone strong, brave and willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. I favor quality character development over plot any day and I was impressed with Tris. The concept of separate factions was interesting, but I think the book took too long to really explain why being divergent was frowned on, this is one of the reasons I labeled it a 4 instead of 5 stars. Another reason was the slow progression in plot until I hit around page 150. I do like my character development, but the plot can't be entirely stagnant. Once Tris entered the Dauntless compound it picked up the pace. The ending conflict was, I think, overly traumatic and could have been handled in a more tactful way, but I am willing to move on to the next book because I really do want to know what happens next.
The concept of this book was interesting, however the presentation was lacking. We have a portal opening and a Jack the Ripper on the loose, and Elena immediately thinks, it's Jack the Ripper! Wouldn't it take a bit longer to figure this out? My other main concern with this book, is given how pregnant Elena is, how in the world is she so mobile? Ok granted she's a werewolf, but she's super pregnant! She's not getting sick nor showing any signs of pregnancy that should be hampering her aside from a big stomach! There should be more conflict arising from her condition to add a real depth to the story. She's supposedly so exhausted at one point that her body is forcing her to sleep, yet suddenly after a small nap she's ok and back to kick ass...um how? Also, I'm getting a little tired of the cloak and dagger display with Jamie. She's beginning to emerge as a regular character, but we never know what exactly she does to use her necromancy. It's all hush hush I'm too embarrassed to let you see me handle bones and body parts! This series had a big appeal to me years ago, but not so much now.
Were I able to give this book ten stars I would!
I appreciated Lawrence's overview in the beginning of this book. I have never known an author to give a summary of the previous novels to ensure their readers were starting off on the right foot. Now let's talk about Jorg. To see the progress he has made since Prince of Thorns is amazing. He continues to take impossible odds and turn them in his favor in some of the most unpredictable ways. He is smart, brutally honest and fierce when protecting his family. With the amount of crap he went through in his life, I am amazed he turned out to be a man I admired. Yes he was cruel, he broke the rules, but he did what needed to be done no hesitation and i grew to admire him. Lawrence is an extremely talented author to have created such a complex, intriguing character. Now as for the cruelty part...I can always depend on Lawrence to add a healthy dose of disturbing images in his novels. Sometimes I just want dark and gritty which the broken empire never fails to deliver. This one actually turned my stomach a few times. I do have to say though, at some points I couldn't help but laugh with Jorg's witty comebacks as he caused mayhem. I am sad to see Jorg's story arc come to an end. He is a character I will never forget.
When I first read this book years ago I rated this a 5 out of 5. This time around I feel like it's only a 3 star. I loved Eve's personality and learning more about her. When the other characters mention her in future stories at least I will know who exactly they are talking about. Something I don't understand though is how the head of the Cabals are all turning out to be decent caring men who make bad choices. Cabals are like the mob, and I feel like the CEOs should be more arrogant and sketchy than they are turning out to be. As for the plot, it skipped around...a lot. Some parts were slow and there seemed to be extra fluff that could have been cut out, then there were parts like the last fifty page that kept me on the edge of my seat. I applaud Armstrong for trying to cover a difficult realm in her world, but there were some inconsistencies that confused me. Some examples would be how magic worked in different areas of the ghost world vs the real world, not to mention Eve's jaunt in one of the hell dimensions which apparently made her out to be bionic woman.
Having finished this book I'm left wondering what the hell did I just read? This book was awful! The characters were flat and there were inconsistencies in the plot line. I still don't understand why the damn maze was created or who made it and that's the only reason I pushed through and finished this book. I kept hoping the book would get better, but it never does! How is this a best seller? The writing style was beyond simplistic and the dialogue just sucked. Ok it was interesting to hear some new slang, I give the author points for that bit of creativity, but really....how did this get published?
This book was much slower paced than the previous. It went into a bit more detail about the dysfunction between the Cabals and some of the politics that surround them. I'm not one for politics, even if they are in the fantasy genre. I was happy to learn a little more about Cassandra and the type of vampires Armstrong has created. I would like to know more about Cassandra though; she seems to have quite the past that has only been hinted at so far.
I found the portrayal of the afterlife and the fates interesting, and Armstrong added another bunch of supernaturals to the mix. I will be waiting to see if she expands on these new races, though I do have to say that Jamie Vegas annoyed the hell out of me. I hope she does not get her own book, not sure if I could make it through that one. We also get to see the werewolves make an appearance, no doubt to entice readers who have not read the previous novels and while their time was short it was entertaining.
I know the next book centers on Eve and it will be an interesting read considering the bit of personality we were shown in this book.
Despite the fact that I have read this before and knew what was coming, I couldn't put this book down! The witches are by far my favorite of the Otherworlders to read about.
What captivated me in this book was not only the personalities of Paige and Savannah, but the depth of imagination Armstrong used to define witches and sorcerers. It was an entirely new approach that connected with the modern day world.
Paige has a very noble cause when it comes to the Coven and I would like to see if her dreams actually become a reality. I wouldn't mind seeing the old geezers of the coven get the karma that's coming their way either.
And If I'm not mistaken, Savannah gets her own book. I stopped reading Armstrong, waiting for more books to be published, before I reached hers. I feel like plowing through the series for her book alone because she is my absolute favorite character in this series. Between her history and the glimpse of personality we see in Dime Store Magic, I want to see who she becomes. But Paige and the rest I'm sure will entertain me on the journey. :)
This book was much better than the previous, but it still lacked an in depth plot. I thought the connections made with Guerrand's dream were weak at best and his sister just annoyed the hell out of me. She was weak, desperate and an awful person towards the end. I wish she had died in book two. Bram intrigues me. I wish I knew more about his time away, it seems such an important part of his character yet it's glossed over. I want to know how he developed his abilities! What training did he have to do? The end of the book was dragged out and it should have just ended fifty pages before it actually did. This trilogy was not a great addition to Dragonlance.
A much faster paced novel than the first. As a reader we have a good sense of who Elena and the pack are so there is no need for major character development. Not only does she bring an increasing amount of tension with each page turn, but she gives us a despicable villain as well and a twist towards the end of the book that I never saw coming the first time I read this. She's also incorporated other races of supernatural beings and spruced up the ones that are better known. She's made them original to her world instead of using the premade fabrications other authors use. This is the book that reminds me why Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. I'm highly looking forward to delving into the rest of the series once more.
After enjoying the first in this trilogy I was sad when the story skipped around and didn't really make sense. The entire plague itself I felt was far fetched. I think a much better conflict could have been chosen, or at least a different disease. Without placing any spoilers it is difficult to say how the plot line became disjointed, but suffice to say that I didn't really understand the entire last section of the book. The Gods of magic confused me with their way of dealing with the situation presented to them, and I still have no clue why fairies were brought into this. Is there really a point to knowing about the Tuatha? I admit I was interested at first but then they just seemed like filler. I was happy to see a variety of creatures from the magical realms that normally do not get recognition and it's nice to pick through the spells and see ones from the D&D world. Guerrand is still an interesting character to read about, though I missed the commentary from Zag, it just wasn't included much this time. I do hope the next book makes up for this one and can somehow tie together the confusing bits.
Kelley Armstrong pulls off first person point of view with skill, but the dialogue could use some work. There are quite a few long winded speeches in the beginning that do not feel very natural. We did have a look into Elena's thoughts, but thankfully the book was not dominated by this. I've found a few authors who become stuck in their characters head's with first person. The relationship between Elena and Clay is a bit confusing. Elena is so determined to stay with Philip, yet her actions are not inline with her thoughts. I feel like the first half of the book is filled with supposed morals Elena has that she ends up breaking half way through. This being the case, why were they mentioned at all? I remember the first time I read this book I highly enjoyed it. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, but I was a bit more skeptical this time around. Don't get me wrong, the book is a fun read, just not as fun as I remembered
If you are any type of fantasy, sci fi or video game fan this book is a must read! While I'm a 90s child not an 80s there were still some great memories that popped up. My parents and brother made sure I had my fair share of 80s influence. Coleco and Atari were my first video game systems and my mother loved Godzilla. We owned just about every VHS. The depth of imagination it took to piece together all these classics is amazing and I hope to see either a sequel, or another novel set in the OASIS. I did leave this novel with one question; why does Wade hate looking in the mirror? I wondered if it was due to his addiction to the OASIS. I enjoyed how this novel had a background story about game addiction. It is very easy to be lost in games, but ultimately Wade finds that the real world offers things even the virtual cannot. While this did not dominate the story, it was sprinkled in among the pages. And while it would have been a pain for Parzival and the rest, I wish Voltron had made an appearance :) Although Mechagodzilla was a nice touch.
I expected so much more out of this book. The plot was predictable and the characters were just bad. I have never before met an assassin who has an obsession for....clothes shopping? Seriously? And how does she have an issue with being a murderer when she's an ASSASSIN. Does she not kill people? I'm confused. Maybe I am just too used to assassins who are bad-ass and well...kill people and prefer knives and swords over pretty pink clothes. Magic was trickled into this story with too little back story. We were introduced to the fae, I think, and were told of Calaena having some sort of power, but we never see or hear of it again. I thought this book would predominately focus on her training and tests, but instead these more interesting parts were glossed over for a weak love triangle that made me want to gag, cliche after cliche. Not a series I will continue.
Ok, so there were too many new characters introduced in this one. You should not try to cram an entire new cast into the final book of a series. I feel like the book was literally split in half between two different groups, each compromised of five different characters. I understand Clare wants to introduce the Blackthorns because of her next series, but don't take half the book away from the core group (Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabel, Alec). The Blackthorn's story did add to the plot with its example of devastation wrought by the Endarkened, but that is where it should have ended. I did not connect with, or care for the Blackthorns apart from their introduction because I just didn't have enough to go on. I felt like the characters were thrown at me and it was assumed I would like them. However, I do have to say the ending the Blackthorns received in this story was absolutely cruel and I wanted to throw my book at a wall. To have weakly written characters to begin with who then are so violently treated by their own people is appalling. Maybe that was the reaction Clare was looking for, but I detest authors who do this without a clear reason behind it. This book could have used a final edit before its publication. Between the grammatical errors I found and Jace being out of character part of the time, this book felt rushed. But then again Clare's writing style improved dramatically with Alec and Magnus. I gave this book four stars because the characters still have a hold on me and the final portion of this book kept me on the edge and nearly broke my heart. The epilogue is what saved this book in my opinion.
This was one of those rare books where the sequel is better than the original. Don't get me wrong I loved the first book, Eon, it had such a diverse world of characters and a refreshing originality, but Eona took it to the next level. After reading a highly predictable (yet still fun) first book, I was happy to see Eona pull a few over on me. The storyline was quicker to develop as well and made me want to speed read to find out what happened next. I feared that love would dominate the second book when Goodman hinted at a love triangle, but it blissfully stayed in the background. I do wish I knew what happened to a few characters we are reunited with in the last quarter of the book, but I understand they weren't vital to this story. I also wish there could have been more storyline with her mother, or else leave her out of it entirely. She seemed to be an edit away from being taken out of the writing with how little time she was mentioned. All together I enjoyed the read and wish I could read more from Goodman along the same genre as Eon and Eona.
This book is definitely now a favorite of mine. There are so many ways in which Stephen King describes writing that fit my own views. He is straight, to the point, and doesn't waste countless pages drilling grammar and punctuation into your head like some writers do when describing the process. I recommend this book to any starting writer out there. It took me a long time to finish this book, but that was simply because I would read it a little at a time, giving my brain time to have the thoughts and ideas sink in. And you know what? After finishing this book my writing is flying, and nearly everyday more and more is being put to paper/word documents. A must read!
Too simplistic of a writing style for me and the characters were poorly developed. The introduction to the kingdom alone made me cringe. Everyone was too perfectly happy. Don't write that things were perfect, put some challenges in there outside of a cranky neighboring nation, it's been done way too many times. And seriously, a sword in a stone? Cliché. I gave this two stars because the writer does have some talent, and I think with some work this novel could have turned out a lot better.
This book brought a fresh outlook on the zombie apocalypse scene. I can appreciate the new zombies, despite their odd and highly impossible creation, but I felt that it was still lacking. Melanie's point of view was fascinating and I wish majority of the book was written from her perspective. I did not see a point to Gallagher's character, if anything he seemed like filler, though admittedly without him we would not have seen the intelligence of the hungry kids from a first hand perspective, but this may have been incorporated into a different character witnessing it. I also found the fungus interesting, but it was a bit too scientific for me, my brain couldn't really pick apart the language when Caldwell's point of view came around. I suppose this could have been the entire reason for the diction, to hone in on her being a scientist, in fact the last scientist alive. Overall I was on the fence about liking this book, thus the three stars.
I loved the concept and characters in this book. The story was easier to follow and for such a large book it was a quick read, but that could be due to the fact that I couldn't put it down! :) I do however think that the world building could have been a bit more in depth. The plot could have been a little bit more complex, some parts I guessed ahead of the character certain events. These are the reasons this book received a four star. It has a lot of potential and I am eager to read the next.