Lori

This book seems to compound all of the issues from the other books and adds the most hated family member Ronnie. This guy is treated like shit and the whole family wonders why he never came back until now. They don’t even attempt to hide their distain of him and instead are hostile to him at every turn. What part of this is cozy?

I like this book better, but its sill has many of the same problems as the first. Problems like bad sleuthing, repeated conversations, and copious amounts of food descriptions. It does try to work on some of these issues but not as much as to improve its rating from the last book. The side characters from the last book do take a bit of a step back in this one which is sad as I did like the family.

Again, the main character doesn’t so much as solve the crime but runs headfirst into the killer. Still the over all feel of the book isn’t bad and is a light book to listen to. At least the love triangle is done!

I read this book as a recommendation for a good cozy mystery series and while this book is a bit of a mess, I was promised that the book get better as the series goes along. This first book has all the classic tropes of any cozy mystery series such as bad sleuthing, love triangle, demanding personal information from strangers, etc. Since this series is food based there is huge amounts of food descriptions some of which were apricated, while others like coffee orders, not so much.

The investigating was pretty poor and not helpful. It consisted of showing up a people’s places of business and delving into their personal lives most unwilling by the suspects. I did like that the main character got called out on this though. But her worst investigative problem is running headfirst into danger despite people telling her to be careful. Being the first in the series it sets up a lot of side stories and issues that will be dealt with in the next books. It’s not a bad thing to have these side plots but its not so great when they start all at once. The conversations and food descriptions are another issue in the way that the main character goes around town asking the same questions and repeating conversations. While the food descripts are a little too plentiful.

Despite all this, I did like the family dynamic throughout the book. It was probably the most realistic part of the story and felt comforting even if the main character felt overrun by her family. Also, big props to the author for adding a section at the beginning of the book to explain some of the cultural language pronunciations and meanings. Incredibly helpful! As well the narrator did an excellent job and made this book an easy listen.

I found the book to be ok at best. The story is based off a promising idea but does not have great execution. I loved the shelter and the idea of magically enhancing the cats to get them adopted. This whole part of the story was well done and interesting. The rest of the book meanwhile was not as good.

Thins like the romance was not really good and detracted more then it added while the magic could be confusing and yet overexplained. Say these random words for this but have a full description of this other world that the main character never visits and is not fully apart of the story. This other world takes something from the magicians that go there but its not explained why they have to gather magic from there and why they loose apart of themselves in the process. It felt like a massive plot point that goes nowhere.

Give me more cat shelter! Any point where they were directly dealing with, the cat shelter is what I like about this book. Although I think a small part of me would have liked the book better if the narrator didn’t put on a French accent for the male lead. It was a little distracting.

The author starts by saying she was asked repeatedly to write another book, and she did so just for the fun of it. Sadly, you can really feel this. The book doesn’t have a complete narrative but jumps around and expects you to know details about the authors life previous to reading this book. The best way to describe this is that the biography lack substance. This could have been done as an interview as its short timespan and more casual storytelling would have worked better in that format.

One specific thing I didn’t like in the book was her descriptions of her weightless methods of weighting herself daily and withholding food until she lost any amount over her preferred weight.

This was a pick to complete a reading challenge so it could be that I am not as invested as other readers might be. If you do want to read this book, I would recommend listening to the book as it’s short and well done in her own voice.

From what I heard about this book I though it would be a more sapphic view of a female vampire, but the book slowly disappoints. The sapphic portions of the book are barely there and hardly count towards the overture of the story.

There is some good in this story in the way the author first writes about Camilla and how Laura displays more common sense then the men of the story. It was a nice switch to see the men portrayed as the weaker sex while Laura is shown to be smart and brave in the face of unknown horror. At this time Carmilla shows cunning, power, and great command of presence.

Sadly, once Carmilla is found out the descriptions of her change to mark her as a manipulative woman and nothing more. All of her presence built from the first half of the book is wiped clean as the author removes descriptions of the sensuality of her power. The author brings up acquaintances of this character as reference to how bad she is but one of the references was a person of colour who is deemed bad only by the colour of their skin.

I have tread another of the author’s books earlier this year called Rouge and didn’t find it to my taste. Now I am in the same boat again. The same issues of having a person make so many stupid mistakes then having said person fall immediately for a cult where they know something is not right tagged along by writing meant to show the character in a confused state that only serves annoys the reader is all repeated in this book. The worst part for me is the bunny’s name. I listened to this book and having the narrator continuously repeat this name meant figuring out who was talking a nightmare.

The main interest of what the bunnies were doing was the only thing keeping me going in the book and its barely brushed upon. We get a few moments that shine with this darker plot but it’s merely a flicker. I thought this book was to be a dark and almost satirical horror story. Instead, there was half assed sarcasm to wit of a teen just learning to talk back. Near the end of the book, you can tell the author tried to ramp up the tension but with situations and dialog meant to confuse the reader you don’t get to feel it. Instead, the ending felt like the story just fizzled out with no work to resolve any issues that were presented throughout the book.

Such a cute book filled with cheese puns. The story was great and each of the characters stood out on their own. Even with the cheesy jokes the story handles ides of privilege, sexism, and love with great care and thought.

The artwork perfectly captures the story and enhances each scene. The artist is able to show emotion and tell parts of the story through the imagery. The fashion designs are truly gorgeous and despite how beautiful the artwork is the artist is still able to pull off some of the goofier moments of the story.

I liked the book overall and the writing was easy to follow but despite the authors stating that they will work mainly with facts they used a lot of examples to make their points. Still, I like some of the ideas they discussed, and the book really made me thing about a few issues in new ways. While I don’t agree with everything in the book this is the best you can ask for in books like these.

Now, I get that the book has American in the title but since I am not an American some of the examples, they gave were a little hard to check against my own understanding. I ended up looking up a few of the examples, so I had a better understanding of them and in some cases, they weren’t fitting examples to use for the points they were trying to make. I felt like they didn’t match what they were going for. Another thing about the book does that doesn’t work for me as a non-American is that the book brings up American politicks quite a bit. This is a subject that I don’t know a lot about, and the authors assume that you have some knowledge of their political system. This really takes away from the main points of the book as it can turn a discussion into a political debate.

There are some sections of the book like the free play section for kids that had a high focus on fact and interpretation that was enjoyable to read. I only wish more of the book was focused on this way.

This book heavily relies on miscommunication. I don’t mind some miscommunication if it makes sense but the reasoning in this book was incredibly weak. These are supposed to be two intelligent people at the top of their field, but they act like awkward teens that refuse to express their feelings in an adult fashion.

The map to romance lacks actual romance. The book starts with both characters having not talked to each other in about eight years but are still some how in love with each other. Moments that built tension are ruined as neither of them attempt to bridge the gap of communication. The original miscommunication is only cleared within the last few pages of the book.

I did like this book more then the last as it is not as over the top whimsical shoved into every sentence but the lack of tension and the miserable excuses for miscommunication soured the romance. Why I bothered reading this one after I didn’t care for the last book was because I enjoyed some of the writing and with a few changes, I would have liked the book. I feel the same way about this one.

After having read the Grimms Complete Fairy Tales last year I found this books references both funny and well placed. There was a lot the I like in the book but the main characters beyond reasonable reaction to nonsense magic really got me.

Why the book isn’t higher rated it that is doesn’t deal with the sexist issues it brings up. The king is weak willed and only changes the sexist rules of the kingdom when the woman he loves is dying and demands it. The books description also makes it seem like the main character is in a love triangle with one of the huntsmen and the sister of the king. This is not close to what happens as the sister of the king develops a crush on the main character but only has a few lines with them. Its barely there until its needed for the plot at the end. A bi romance sounded so great but was not delivered. The overall theme of sexism is not properly handled and could have used more work.

Still, I liked the book and could recommend it to others as a funny light read.

The floor we have been waiting for! This was another floor with lots of set up and hype and the author does an admiral job getting it done. There is lots of pay off, from outside the dungeon machinations to inside the dungeon with the anarchist’s cookbook. So many little stories played out along with things we have been waiting books for. I am trying not to give things away but there are so many things I want to talk to someone about. This book is filled with moment where I want to tourn to someone and discus what just happened (in a good way).

Why this isn’t higher rated is that there are large chunks of the book where we have Carl report to us about what’s happening every where. I get that it’s a large-scale battel, but we don’t need a full play by play. The author even has other characters tell Carl not to micromanage their parts. There is also one scene that is retold a few times with more and more information on it each time. It was such a waste of space as it could have been filled with any number of more interesting things that happen.

I don’t have much to say here as this was good retelling of the classic tale. King keeps it short with a nod to his dark tower series that had me almost jumping. He doesn’t go over the top but remains true to the original tale while still being able to tell that he had his hand in it.

Ps. Try out the audiobook version as King does a great job at narrating.

Although the book is filled with action this story felt slowed down. The main focus is on the people remaining in the dungeon and their trauma from before the dungeon and the trauma caused by the dungeon. It was good and, in some ways, necessary but really slowed down the pace. The whole floor set up a new fighting mechanic that takes a lot of time away from the characters. This was another floor that seemed like it was just here to set up the next book.

The book was really Carl focused as we got to learn more about Carl’s childhood and the issue of the river in his mind came up more. While his childhood added to his character the river took away from the story. It was a constant distraction and was not delt with but temporarily masked. Because of this it made me question why we had a book dedicated to looking at dealing with so many of the characters mental health but not resolving any of them. There is so much set up but no pay of in tis book.

There are good parts still in this book, but why I rated it so low compared to others was that I didn’t like that the author set up what felt like an impossible to win situation and then used broken game tactics to solve it. Especially after how the seventh floor was dealt with, it was a little cheap.

Back into the good stuff this floor was a blast to get through. With such a build up this this floor does not disappoint with huge character developments for side characters and even NPCs. The tables finally turn on the aliens that play sports of the people in the dungeons. Ahh! This was such a satisfying book. All the best things from other books are in this one and finally we start to see payoff from open storylines and hints previously dropped.

So much happens to and between Carl and Donut. We get some good closure for their history as their character continues to develop. Side characters start to shine in this story for the people that they are and there is even some building of odd characters that have stuck around.

One thing that I hope isn’t repeated too often is how the author dealt with the seventh floor. It was a good way to move onto the eight floors, and the author at least gives us a thought-out way to do this. But still, I hope he doesn’t do this for too many floors.

This was a hard book to rate as I felt like the author made the dungeon too large compared to Carl’s need to oversee everything. The size of the dungeon puzzle was large with four separate areas (water, tunnels, desert, air) that are interconnected. Solving issues on one part can mess up areas of other parts. While I loved this idea for most of the book it is assumed that Carl and Donut will have to manage most of the problems. It really did seem like too large of a dungeon to be managed in one book.

The set up was a great way to refocus on a smaller cast of characters while introducing a few new ones. Namely the sex doll head known by Samantha. Interesting but weird as heck. Eventually the other people stuck in their bubble start to work together, but when the last book had this already set up working together it felt like a of waste of time. I would have rather preferred if the time were spent on the characters or solving the puzzle as a whole. This was one book that seem to be more set up for more plotlines for down the road. Still, I did love when everything came together at the end and the book.

This book was a slaughter fest with a front row seat, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Again, the author makes the lore more expansive while he develops the characters into a tighter cast that can hold up on their own. You really care for these characters and even the NPC characters in a way that very little books can do. The NPCs are slowly becoming more to the story and contrast the general violence of the dungeon.

My only negative to this book was how much information on the train lines and on fighting there was in this book. I felt like I needed to write things down in some spots just so I can remember it all. Battles also became a series of tactical information that takes away from the scenes.

I was so invested in this book I managed to read almost all of it in a 9-hour car ride. I genuinely liked this book as much as the first. The author does a great job of transitioning readers from the last book to this one with little reminders that don’t take up too much space at the beginning of the book. The entirety of this book takes place on the third floor unlike the last book that got through two floors. It’s understandable though as this floor really did deserve its own book since so much happens.

The last book was more surface level on character development, but this book starts to see the main themes of this series develop. Princess Donut really starts to become more than a pet and is being forced into adult issues while being new to a human sense of self. Even the side characters are developing and establishing themselves in the story.

The author also expands the world building both inside and outside the dungeon. We learn more about the different alien races, governments, and cultures. The book is already setting up other levels of the dungeon that sound like they are going to be big parts of future books. I honestly could not wait for the next book that I started immediately after I finished this one.

This was an ok read. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t a standout book. I picked this up as it sounded like a cyber punk heist which I was in the right mood to get into. Sadly, the author doesn’t describe the setting very well or really at all. So, atmosphere out of the way the crew and heist were left to carry the book, but they didn’t get far.

We get the classic layout the crew they need then go and convince them to do this one last heist. They aren’t bad characters as I didn’t dislike any of them, but I found myself more interested in the main character’s family then them. The family really added to the story and put that pressure on the reasoning of the heist and of what is doing the right thing really means. One character that was hard to place was Angel as she betrayed the main character but is presented as a love interest. Too much time in the book is spent villainizing her for the switch up at the end of the book to work.

Love the title but disappointed on the book. This book defied a lot of my expectations and in some not-so-great ways. Crude would be a good word to describe most of the book. When becoming the dark lord, one would expect a lot of killing and the author does not hold back, but this killing… Its incredibly graphic and brutal. One would also expect some swearing, but when it feels like there is cussing every few sentences it becomes annoying. You wouldn’t expect that there would be tones of pop culture references thrown in that don’t fit the story and take up time. Or how the main character sexualizes everyone they meet and is beyond sex obsessed.

This should have been a fun read, but the author takes all of these things to an uncomfortable level. A lot of the setting is rendered useless since constant spewing of pop culture references takes way from the fantasy. Very little is mentioned about the kingdom except to describe it as generic medievalish. There are characters and scenes that I liked, as well the story has potential, but this needs a lot of work.

One last thing is since I listened to part of the book the footnotes were a little odd as they were done in a different tone from the rest of the narration and there is a lot of footnotes. Even in a physical format the foot notes become a distraction when some of them probably could have been incorporated into the story naturally.

The author sets up an intriguing mystery that really makes you want to hunker down and get to the bottom of it but the way the story plays out left me frustrated. Not even a quarter into the book the main character despite knowing that the beauty treatment organization was what lead to her mother’s descent goes to them and willing puts herself in danger. Even after the first session she notices that she has forgotten parts of time and is acting off. Despite these clear warning signs, she falls headfirst into whatever is going on losing herself concerningly fast.

I thought that the book would be about beauty standards and the topic is brought up throughout the book but it’s not a critique as it should be. The book felt shallow in this regard and leaned into beauty insecurities while making no effort to discuss this issue. The main character is also biracial and is lightly touched upon but why bring that into play if its not going to be brought up as a larger part of issues with beauty standards.

The rest of the book delves deep into reader confusion like why this character is doing such stupid things, how does she not realize what’s happening, why is the name Tom Cruise brought up so many damn times. Even the ending is unsatisfying. After being sucked into this cult and being pretty much absorbed until there was almost nothing left mentally the main character somehow gets out. By this point I would have preferred if she had died

This book is more psychological dealing with postpartum and racism then a straight horror. It reminds me of The Yellow Wallpaper story which I do prefer over this book. The wallpaper story is more concise and because of that it packs more of a punch. I knew that this book would feature some dark subjects, but this story is more intense and heavier than I was expecting. The author does not hold back on descriptions of the characters struggles It’s not a bad thing, but it certainly changes the way I feel while listening to the book at work.

The story switches between the main characters declining mental health and the retelling of a creation story. I don’t always find that set ups like this work together but in this case the creation story complements the main story. It was a smart way to incorporate the characters culture and make comments that tie into the overall themes of the book.

It’s the last half of the book is where the author loses me. I do like this book, but it is quite long and despite that length the author doesn’t use it to show a slow decent of the characters mental health. The first half of the book is almost entirely told through the main characters thoughts. Its good, but slow. In the second half is where the phycological horror elements come in front and center, from there the story quickly escalates. This isn’t so much a descent but a drop down the rabbit hole. A talking cockroach named Pete who is actually pretty helpful to some weird family spiritual travel and guidance that is somewhat helpful but incredibly confusing to the readers is what the story spirals into.

As much as I liked this book it could have used some editing to make the story easier to follow and shoring up the main themes.

I was looking forward to this book as a grumpy/sunshine pair is always sweet, but this book was the worst in the series. The characters are molded into tropes but have no personality. He’s grumpy and there’s not much more to it. She’s sunshine and is sickly sweet and naive. The instant lust where not long after meeting her the male lead suddenly starts to think she’s the most important person to her with no slow build or even a solid foundation. Even side characters aren’t memorable. They only deserve a mention to note how lacking they are.

Most historical romance novels take liberties with rules, clothing, wording, etc. This author takes this a step further where one minute a rule exists and is talked about then the next there is no issue when that rule is broken. The other books in this series don’t follow normal historical romance rules as strictly as other authors have written, and I am buying no means an expert on this time period, so this wasn’t too big of an issue. In this latest book it feels like the author barely tries to make this a historical romance.

The photos along with the behind the scenes look in the authors conversational tone make this an interesting book, but it can wear off. Because I am who I am I didn’t look at reviews of this book before reading, a mistake completely in my control and repeated often. My issue is that conversational tone while charming becomes tedious a quarter of the way in. I looked up the book after I read it because the narration is all over the place. Apparently, parts of the book are taken from interviews she’s had over the years, and the rest is done as a stream of consciousness account. The is no cohesion to the overall narrative so stories are loosely in order. She starts a story then adds in extraneous details to the point of rambling.

What the author chooses to talk about in this novel is also a little underwhelming. When talking about places she stayed, I was hoping to hear about the country not the actual hotels. In a place with so much scenery she talks little of the views. When she talks about the film its more of, we shot on this day and these people were here. Nothing of the character she played and very little on the director or castmates. Just surface level things such as bathing habits or what time she gets up at. When she talks about the director it almost gives me whiplash. One moment it’s like she can’t stand him the next it makes you think they were lovers. For me, the worst part of the book is that she sometimes can talk down about people that its seems like she feels is beneath her and, in some cases, it starts to feel racist.