Aaron

Tried six times to get into it and it never did it for me. A bit too much random rambling and not enough trying to hook me as a reader in the opening. Was time to move on.

Could not get into the story and I think the concept of this universe has been stretched thin. I loved the first and second installments. Even the third was good. At this point, I feel the fun just isn't there.

Flat and one dimensional characters. The protagonist is clueless and thinks he's witty, which he isn't. The female is nothing more than her looks and overt sex, without any actual qualities to her besides her looks. 

Of course by page 87 she “likes” him and things start getting physical. Because this book sucks. Officially a DNF for me.

Slow at first but gains steam in the second half. I didn’t like the MC Lo and felt her to just be a not nice person. Her attitude about how she treats people just never changes even when her circumstances do. The plot was enough to keep me wanting to know more and that’s what got me through. A fast, summer read that was overall not too bad.

An interesting plot but a slow read. Has enough hooks to keep going but was tough to come back to it every few days. Also hard to keep track of so many characters. 

A few good scenes mixed with a plot that is unsatisfying and filled with intentionally-withheld information time and time again. It's a trick that gets old real quick. 

The book could be almost 100 pages shorter but continues into unnecessary territory to tell more of a story than is needed, as if it had to be drawn out to pass some checkpoint. 

A heartfelt final chapter ends in the most unsatisfying way. 

This was a fun read and really drew me in. Intentional or not, I loved the obvious nods to the 90's TV show Sliders. One of the best books I've read this year.

Awful book. Three lines were funny out of the whole thing. The rest was a slog, impossible to read enjoyably when text of emojis are constantly-mid sentence, and just awful. The fact that someone in the publishing world thought this thing was worthy of their time is a blight on society. If you read this book, that is 2-hours of your life you will never get back. Ever.

While I enjoyed the characters, I felt a lot of the plot points and the big reveal were not so great. I'm actually surprised I made it to the end on this one.

Quite a clever book that I called from the start as to what the ‘door' was. It kept me locked in most of the way but near the end it got a little goofy, hence the three stars. Overall, a solid book with good writing and pretty good characters.

Terrible book. Four chapters in and nothing happens. Gave up.

Slow, drawn out, and overall it's boring. Aside from a few good scenes, this book has no business existing. I've never been so happier to have finished a book just so I can be done with it.

This was a solid follow-up to Off To Be The Wizard. A fun semi-mystery read with most of the fun of the first book. I look forward to more installments from this clever universe.

This was a fun puzzle mystery but set in a modern age that was quite fun. I enjoyed Clay's voice as he narrated and the subtle tech jokes and slights that geeky people would get. It almost started to lose me in the second half but the pace kept me interested. Ultimately this was a fun read and quite enjoyable.

I enjoyed the overall plot and story of Fluency though I felt this was challenge after challenge hitting the main character without anything tying them together. It picked up by the end though which left it open for a sequel and pulled this book back into the 3-star range. Overall: a good, quick read.

Took a little bit for the story to get moving but it was a fun read overall.

Disappointed in this story. Yes it's a Doctor Who book, but it didn't care about any of the characters and the story was a bit drab.

Enthralling from the opening scene all the way to the end. One of my top reads of 2014.

I'd complain how slow this book was and how nothing happens the entire time, but GRRM may kill me.

Had such high hopes for this and Gaiman really disappointed. Never clicked for me. The longer it went on, the less interested I became.

I rarely give out five stars, but Stephen King has outdone everything I've read this year. 11/22/63 is a fantastic time travel novel that brings an entirely new dimension to the genre. It's an everyman tale where there's no scientists or impossible technology. Just a simple man trying to make a difference. I do think the end dragged on just a little, but 11/22/63 ended in a great place not to lower its rating. Overall, a fantastic book and one I may revisit in the future.

I felt this book was up and down. It had some real strong parts to it with a few of the short stories, but then others were boring. I also was not a fan of the open-ended way this book ended. Perhaps there's resolution in the other books in this series, but I felt Dan Simmons didn't give us the payoff he built up.

In the end, I would've given Hyperion 4-stars, but a few lows take one away. Overall this was a good book and I may read book two in the future.

I felt this book was up and down. It had some real strong parts to it with a few of the short stories, but then others were boring. I also was not a fan of the open-ended way this book ended. Perhaps there's resolution in the other books in this series, but I felt Dan Simmons didn't give us the payoff he built up.

In the end, I would've given Hyperion 4-stars, but a few lows take one away. Overall this was a good book and I may read book two in the future.

Unfunny, boring, and just downright weird. If Warren Ellis was looking for a comedy angle with oddball humor, he greatly missed the mark. I only finished it because it was only 5-hours on audio.

The Clockwork Giant is an interesting tale of a steam punk Victorian city consumed by engineering, divided classes, and a girl trying to navigate it all. Petra is an interesting character with a mysterious background that draws you in pretty quick. Brooke Johnson's visuals and world building are fantastic and I could easily picture the city as a real place.

While I found the plot a little thin for a novel-length work, I do keep in mind that this book is aimed at younger readers and that's where it's ideal audience can be found. Each character felt real and they were interesting enough to care about. I would've liked to see more of the mysterious guild or an exploration of the engineers, but this is a love story more than a technical story.

The Clockwork Giant may not be for everyone, but it's an original idea with good characters and a lot of promise. I can see younger readers loving this, while it's entertaining enough for adults.