Lori

This book took me awhile to get through since I had a few books on the go, but it was worth it. The story moves slowly and there are lot of interruptions so some people that want a straight point may not like the book.

The narrator was a great part of the book and really had a defined personality that added a spark in slower sections of the book. I found the narrator’s discussion interludes provocative and thought provoking although it was sometimes hard to tell when the narration switched form the main story to a story from the narrator.

There are so many topics tackled in this book and each one was given proper justice. This is easily what I liked best about the book. Topics are often brought up though out the book as either a discussion or a story. Both types are well-conceived with the story side showing rather than telling you, its ideas. I can’t stress enough how well done this is. There are certainly times where the author really lays down their points on you but thankfully it never feels heavy handed. Instead, we are treated to an almost lively discussion where you are free to make your own opinions.

The only things that stop me from rating this book higher is how slow it can be at times. As much as I like the narrative interludes, they could be a hard stop in the main story lasting pages that didn’t always feel worth the time.

For an older story this was strong and very creeping. Quickly you are drawn into the characters perspective and the author does well at building a slow creeping fear into the story. It’s not a shocking story but it’s one that makes you think and lingers near afterwards.

The only thing stopping me from rating this higher is that I wish you got more time within the time frame selected. There are skips in time that are a loss to the story. What I mean is that the time frame the author selected was good, but we need more time with the character to truly feel the mental fatigue and paranoia that she feels.

This was worth the read.

The best part of this book for me was the main character setting up a coffee cart. I enjoyed reading about building the business and getting to know the other business owners. Sadly, I enjoyed this more than the mystery part of the book.

This book wasn’t much of a whodunit, as it felt like you were not provided enough details to guess for yourself. I did like the side characters, like the business partner and the main character's family. They had good personalities and individual skills, and they added to the fullness of the story.

I liked the business part of the book, but I could have been happy with a cozy story about that part alone. I will give the next book a try.

This book was a bit of a disappointment for me after how good Tender is the Flesh was.

I liked the idea of the book but found the narrative hard to get into. It felt like the author wanted to write this in a way that would intentionally confuse readers and make this book into a psychological bender. Instead, the narrative is jolting and not enough information on what, where, and with who is provided. It took me far into the book before I realized one character was a cat.

I liked the wording throughout the book as it was expressive and the right amount of flowery. It was enjoyable to read. I just wish the plot felt the same way. The plot was messy and spent too much time in the beginning slowly explaining the setting. When the story starts to move forward the focus is on the relationship and changes between the two women. The very end is when the convent and religion is somewhat explained in an unsatisfying way. It’s a quick blip then the book is over.

The book was not what I was expecting and did not deliver much.

I liked the first book so I thought I would give this one a try.  

This book solidifies the series as a leading part of Japanese healing fiction books that are popular right now. The stories are not a repeat of the last book and the main characters are a great part of the book. The book is well written and you don’t feel the drag of translation. This book could be read as a standalone although its worth it to read the first book.   

The stories are beautifully crafted and it’s impressive the connection to each of the characters in the short stories that the author builds. There are no weak stories in this collection. The book is well thought out and you never feel cheated when it is explained how each item is recreated.  

 I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the next book to be translated. 

This is another King book that's too long.

I liked the older age of the main character along with the setting of Derry, Main. There are also good references to the Dark Tower universe. So many times, I wanted the book to end but there are some great parts in this book. This book gets weird, and it can work at times, but I can see people who are not into the DT universe struggling with this book.

Even now I am struggling to remember what happened in the book as it was so long and a bit confusing. If you cut 60% of this book it would be great.

This book was a little hard to get into at the beginning as it felt like you are stepping into the middle of a series. There is no book before this one, so we are left with a lot of history that is only explained in small bits though out the book. The story is not what I was expecting. There is not really a demon hunting society or even many demons in this book. Instead, the story is all over the place and was hard to follow along.

There were so many ideas thrown in that I stopped caring. Page after page you struggle to follow the main character to solve the murder of her boyfriend then there is also the mystery of why this is continuously happening. The main character barely manages to keep on task for either mystery. At the end of the book all the characters are gathered, and the mysteries are unveiled. This does not play out well and felt cheap.

The book does seem to set up a second book and it honestly sounds better thin this book. There are parts of this book I liked, and the overall idea was good, but the execution wasn’t the best.

This was another great book in the series. 

Again, the world-building is very well done, and Lady Whistledown has become a favourite character. The romance is another slow-burn type and the enemy to lovers is very well done. Every scene with the male lead being called out by the female lead was a volley of great dialogue.  

I was worried about the romance with the sister as part of the story, but the bond of sisterhood is endearing in this book. I am happy the sister isn’t hurt in the making of this romance. The Bridgerton family is also fun to read, and the mother is marriage-minded and understanding of all her children.  

This book was better than the first book and worth the read. You don’t have to read the first book, but it does have some history from the first book.

This book was such an inferior instalment in this series. We lose so much of the wit and chemistry of the other books.  

The female lead is different from when she was in the other books in the series. I expected a stronger more female-empowered romance. What we got was a childish and bossy female lead and a terrible father male lead who just wants someone else to deal with his children. Both characters get better as the book goes on but not by enough.  

It’s hard to get past how terrible the male lead is. His complete neglect of the children is not endearing and throughout the book, he only seems to want a wife to handle them. Don’t bother with this book. 

This was good but not as good as the first two books.

There are parts the I liked but the male leads attraction borders on harassment. The female lead is interesting, but their romance is weak. The is not much of a lead up to the relationship instead there is instant attraction and lust though out the book.

I found the side characters where what made the book more enjoyable. The Bridgerton matriarch stands out in this book, and she was great in every interaction. Sadly, the main couple was boring to follow. Besides lust they don’t have much going for them.

This was a fun adventurous book, and I did not like it.  

The overall action is fun, and the book never takes itself too seriously. My issue is the writing. I am not the best with grammar, but this author did not even run a basic spellcheck or edit. This felt like someone’s first book on Wattpad. The story felt rushed. We go from one situation to the next and there isn’t much rest periods. This stops the books from being a cozy fantasy.  

The main character’s point of view was difficult to read as it went on for too long at times. The dialogue was another part of the book that was terrible. Conversations were all over the place and a little cringy at times. The author uses a lot of modern slang that takes you out of the fantasy setting.  

The idea was good but with such bad writing, I could not get into this book. This says a lot when I am an avid Wattpad reader. This could be better with editing. 

I kept receiving recommendations for this book and I am happy I finally tried it.  

 The book quickly sets up a witty dialog and interesting characters. The Lady Whistledown gossip clippings is such a great addition to the book. The clippings are funny and offer insightful witticisms about many characters. The large number of characters in this book can be a lot but the author does well at creating separate personalities and setting up a larger world beyond the Bridgertons.  

The romance in the book was a slow friendship to romance that felt natural. The two main characters were interesting and had a good amount of chemistry. The only thing that stops this book from being great is a scene where the female lead takes advantage of the drunk male lead. This was a big subtractor to the book and it is not taken as seriously as it should as the book only views it as a breach of trust. The male lead also withholds information on reproduction from the female lead. They do work through these issues, but I wish they were not included at all.  

I did like the book overall and the ending was good. It stands out among the other historical romance I have read. 

I didn’t care for this book as much as the first two.

The female lead was great; it was just the male lead that I didn’t care for. I really didn’t like that the male lead takes so long to see the female lead for who she is and accept her. He was also funnier in the other books, but he loses his personality in this book. The chemistry is not there. I kind of wish that she would have found someone else as she did deserve better.

The writing and other characters are still well done but the romance isn’t there. The female lead is the best part of the book and others may like to read this book just for her. I can get why the male lead is jealous of her.

This book brought back the spark from the first book in the series (Howl’s Moving Castle). It was so fun, and magical to read. Everything I needed after the last book I read.

If you haven’t read the first book it would be harder to envision the setting in this book. There are parts of the setting described in detail but most of the main location (the house) is not given enough of a description. Which is sad as the house was really interesting.

The characters are for the most part fun to go along with. It was so great to see Sophie and Howl again as well. The main character though was a little too spoiled. She does grow though out the book, but the development is slow and it’s a little hard to like her at first.

This was fairly good and an enjoyable way to end the series.

Overall, the writing isn’t bad, but the book itself is a confusing mess. It seemed to have a lot of mood shifts with multiple plots all shoved into one idea. There are parts of this book I liked but they are almost better as separate stories. The is another book by King (11/22/63) that has a slightly similar idea of preventing a disaster but was done much better.

This book cold really be cut down to more then half of its size. The beginning is interesting but at the same time it’s too drawn out. Then you have to suffer though the middle of the book that doesn’t add enough conflict of the main charters burden or duty to see these things to make it interesting. The end of the book is good and has a quick pace.

If it were shorter this could have been a better book.

This was not a bad book but felt like one of many magical self-healing books.

It was an interesting idea, and the writing was well done but the book fell flat for me. Not bad but not anything new. There are some good parts like the food eating contest but each section for retrieving a new orb felt like a repetitive task. Slowly the orb acquisitions start to slightly blend together. As soon as you find out what orb will be looked at next you know it will not be the one for her.

There are many non-subtle hints that there is something more going on and that our main character will become the center of it all. Part way though this book I couldn’t help but think this could have made a great horror story. When the big reveal happens, there are no surprises and of course all the items she has acquired comes in handy.

Its not bad and there is good writing within this story, but it wasn’t as good as some of the similar books I have read lately.

This seems to be the year of not that great King books and this one is not worth the effort.

As always, the idea is there but the execution of this book is terrible. The beginning and the end are both good its just the 80% left of the book that’s hard to sit though.

Throughout the book we get the stories of the residents in the town but most of the stories felt like filler we didn’t need. A lot of time is spent or random rants, thoughts of sex, and menial tasks. I feel like I didn’t get the chance to like any of the characters. There wasn’t enough time before the changes in the residents started.

Sadly, there is not much I liked about this book. It was not worth the effort to read it.

This was a book club pick, and it was ok in the end.

What stops this book from being good is that the characters make such stupid decisions to the point of making every situation worse. It could have been a better book as the reimagining of so many characters is well done. I also liked that it was placed in a more modern setting.

This was supposed to be a dark romance but its really about people with daddy issues getting together with some BDSM type (but not really) thing going on. Its much softer than I thought it was going to be with the description of how dark and tormented the main male lead is.

It was nice to see a female villain, but it was like the author couldn’t decide to go all bad or have some good. This wishy-washiness was what held the story back for me. If she’s truly bad then let her be bad, if she’s not then the author either shouldn’t had gone so hard on the terrible acts though out the book or created a better redemption arc. Since neither is chosen, we are left with a mess of character developments.

I will say the smut part of the book was better then the last few along with a better written chemistry between the leads. There is more to like in this book, but the gun scene just reminded me of a similar scene in The Stand. Although with completely different vibes.

It does seem like the author has gotten a bit better with each book. We’ll see.

This one was darker then the last in the series and a bit better. Again, the reimagining of the characters is well done and this time its in a fantasy setting.

There was more to like in this book but again you had characters making the most stupid decisions. The male lead in this one was at least better at following though with some of his darker personality but not by much. The female lead was supposed to be some bad ass who will take down the crown, but what we got instead was a weak girl who couldn’t keep up. Verry disappointing.

There as some good moments in this book that made me like it a little better then the last but not by much.

I have always liked the movie so I thought the book would be as good or better then the film, as with most books, but this was the exception.

The story and themes in both the book and film are fairly close. What the film does better is that it doesn’t over preach. This felt like a book that you would have to read in high school but when a teacher asks you what the book was really about its hard to say. Most of the book’s writing didn’t seem to go any where. We got these over done sentences that sounded very descriptive, but it had no substance. Then on the points the book was trying to make it over did showing the issues. We didn’t need so much time with some characters or scenes to understand the author’s point.

When I think about the overall plot, the book is good, but I can’t think of one section I really enjoyed reading. Most of my experience was waiting and hoping the story would get moving. I would watch the film again but not read this book again.

This may be my favorite of the series, but I sadly must report that it contains the least amount of smut in the series.

The writing in this one seemed to be better the last few books. The plot made sense, the characters were better written, and I didn’t mind the relationship. What didn’t work for me was the romance went from incredibly slow burn to it’s happened. Then wasn’t much of a connection between enemies to lovers. As well this author doesn’t seem to write strong female characters very well. They all feel so passive. Which in this case is a crime as the female lead was reimagined from a character that had a much stronger will.

This was more enjoyable to read then the others possibly because of its simplicity. Some of the other stories had crazy and often stupid actions that made it hard to get into. On the other hand, this story is pretty vanilla for a dark romance.

I found this to be a better book then the last as now it was easier to keep track of all the characters. The book keeps the split timeline though the aunt’s old journals. This time focused on another prophesied fate.

Again, we are led on a wild chase following the main character though her thought process in this newest installment. This one was better than the last but not by much. I think i just don’t like the way the main character points the finger at everyone, and they all confess some piece of information.

The book is a decent cozy mystery, and I liked the parts from the aunt’s point of view. I just find the book slightly lacking on the mystery part of the book. Yes, we get drama, but gossip is not the same thing as investigating.

I had heard good things about this book and decided to pick it up and it was not exactly what I thought it would be.

Much of the book was funnier than I was expecting. The small-town drama was fun to hear about, especially in the interviews. The was a good amount of wit and snark to keep me entertained. On the other hand, the main character could at times be too snarky that she became annoying.

The book for me was mostly positive as it was an interesting and enjoyable read but the mystery was not that great. The amnesia plot point was not done well enough in this story and was quite the drag at the end of the book. It pulled you out of the intrigue when the main character doesn’t try anything to get her memories back but then they just come back so conveniently. As well something I didn’t like and that truly felt out of place was the romance in the book. This wasn’t needed and was annoying to read.

I wasn’t happy with the end. Conveniently regaining her memories, everyone trying to cover things up to help but making it worse, and that everyone believed a person with an obviously washy story over their own daughter/spouse.

This was an enjoyable read but not a good mystery. I would be interested to see what else the author has written.

I have always heard great things of Christie’s books and I somehow managed to get though life with out hearing the spoiler for this one. I can now see why people love these books so much. The characters felt real, and the details given in the book are very descriptive but not overly done. It was the perfect mix to be able get right into the story.

Now for the mystery part of the book. I truly had a piece of paper beside me while reading trying to figure out what happened. I managed to get it down to two people before sadly a co-worker gave it away. I am still angry about this. But I think even when you know who it did it’s still hard to figure out the how of it all.

It is well worth the time to read this and if a get some time I will have to try out her other books.