Megan
I listened to the audiobook and found the pacing to be really good at 1.5x speed. I saw a lot of criticism that this book was boring, so perhaps the format I chose to consume it helped it be more engaging to me. I liked that the paranormal element was introduced early on, and I felt compelled to keep listening because I cared about the characters. I appreciated that everything wasn't saved as a reveal at the end too. Figuring out the connections and who people were didn't hinder my enjoyment either, since the story wasn't relying on the shock of those reveals. I really appreciated that.
I would have liked a little more explanation of the paranormal stuff and feel like it was missing a lot. It felt very surface level and like something more was waiting to be revealed that ultimately never was. I also don't love writing that says super obvious stuff like it's profound, like “Parents love their children and will do anything for them.” Yeah, we know. The end was pretty cheesy too.
All in all, I think this was a really good book with just a couple things that didn't work fully for me. I'll definitely check out more by C.J. Tudor.
I read the first few books in this series years ago but never finished it, so I'm rereading the first few volumes to finally finish the series. I watched the HBO show too, but I know it's very different from the books.
In this volume, the dialogue is really cheesy, and the pacing is super off. It had two completely separate plots, one shoved in the middle of the other, that didn't have anything to do with each other. The beginning and the end are about a murder and mythological creature, but the middle is about a trip to Dallas and a missing vampire. It's like pausing in the middle of one novella, reading a different novella, then returning to the first. I don't think I like any of the characters yet, except maybe Eric and Pam (though who knows if that's just cause I liked their characters the most on the show), and I find the way certain things are addressed to be problematic at best. Bill is so boring, and Sookie is fairly obnoxiously written.
But it's a fast and easy read. I remember liking one of the later books a lot more than this, so hopefully I get to that book soon.
This book made me feel quite a few things, but mostly I was just grossed out and exhausted. I can see why a lot of people love it, but it wasn't for me. I didn't need graphic descriptions of things everyone already knows are wrong to feel bad for a character. I felt bad for him already. I liked the writing style but felt it could've been trimmed down by 100-200 pages.
The Polar Bear Explorer's Club was incredibly fun and cute while offering just enough of a thrill to keep you on your toes. I think it suffered very slightly from a lack of focus on what exists in the world, but at the same time that seemed very intentional. Basically anything could exist anywhere, which made absolutely no sense, but it was great fun. I really loved the lessons, friendships, and positive adult role models.
Unfortunately I really wasn't a fan of Fledgling. The plot meandered around and never quite found its footing. I couldn't have been less interested in the final direction Butler took the story. I also wasn't really able to get past the ick factor, so it set my entire reading experience on the wrong foot and clouded everything else. I thought it was a unique take on vampires, but that's where the strengths end for me.
I had such a fun time with this one. You know those movies that you'd never consider a favorite, but you've seen a bunch of times cause you land on them while flipping channels because nothing else is on? That's what this feels like it would be. It wasn't groundbreaking or unpredictable or full of shocking moments, but I didn't get the sense it was trying to be any of those things. I think the end was meant to pack a little more punch than it did, but it was what you'd expect if you've seen a movie or read a book like this before. It definitely follows a specific type of structure that's easily identifiable, and once you figure it out you can fill in the blanks.
I bet the authors had a fun time writing the timeline and mixing up the perspectives and time jumps to reveal details in a specific order. I think they did a good job with it and kept it interesting the whole time, even though it's a basic plot. I enjoyed actually liking a main character for once too - I'm getting so bored with unlikable main characters. Her obsession with stats was just the right kind of foreshadowing for me. I wasn't even annoyed at figuring things out early on. Instead, it was fun to find out if I was right at interpreting the hint or how the stat would come into play later. Overall, it was a good time.
Cute, if a bit far-fetched and totally outdated. I honestly think kids today wouldn't understand what's so weird about Stargirl, and this makes the book lose a lot of its original punch. The tone was more fitting for middle grade, so I kept having to remind myself the characters were in high school instead of middle school. Stargirl is absolutely the OG manic pixie dream girl, but whether that's a bad thing will be a personal preference.
Contains spoilers
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant did one thing really well: it was entertaining. There's action right from the start, and it basically never stops. I liked the use of appropriate terminology for local plants and such too.
One of the first problems I noticed was that the time period wasn't clear. Some people I spoke to thought it was contemporary, whereas I assumed it was historical because of the name the characters used for Sri Lanka. If it's set long ago, these kids talked way too much like today's kids. That kind of thing pulled me out of the books I read when I was 10, and it pulls me out of the story now.
I found everything to be too easy and quick. Instead of an extended fire scene with over-the-top villagers turning on children, there should have been more time given to the conflict with the King. As it stands now, it was so simple it was just silly. Chaya didn't learn anything despite almost getting herself and her friends killed.
The plot and story needed more depth and time you'd want from a middle grade book, but the writing and development felt aimed at young elementary schoolers. It resulted in a book that was unsure who its audience is supposed to be. If Farook pulled the plot and story back a bit, this would be an excellent children's book. If she gave herself another 100 pages to dive deeper into the development of the conflict and character arcs, I think it would be an excellent middle grade book.
I originally rated this 3 stars when I created my Goodreads account. I had finished Mockingjay many years before that, so I rated the whole series the same. I knew I liked the final book less than the others, but oh boy did I forget how much less. I know I almost DNF'd it the first time around, and I almost DNF'd the audiobook this time. I almost never DNF audiobooks, and usually it's only because the narrator is annoying me.
I can't really put my finger on precisely why, but this book irritates me. It was such a lackluster end to a pretty good series. I felt for Katniss during the first two books, but I got really sick of the self-imposed martyrdom in this one. The fade-to-black should not be used for the conclusion of an entire series worth of physical and emotional conflict.
No Stone Unturned is an absolutely fantastic book. It was basically everything I wanted it to be, and I know I'll read it again. The overview of the history of forensic science was thorough and presented well. It was definitely a crash course in the essentials and sets everything up really well. The author did a great job of showing how NecroSearch International became what it is today. Every specific case was fascinating and illustrated a different side of NecroSearch International. If you like hearing about the detective side of true crime or if you like true crime documentaries, you have to pick this book up.
It's possible I connected with the stories a bit more than others will, considering where the majority of the crimes take place and my chosen career path.
There was a little bit of repetition that I think is meant to reinforce certain ideas, but it really wasn't needed and seemed cheesy. The ending didn't feel rushed, but it did seem like it just sort of ended. It didn't necessarily need more, but a longer conclusion might have been nice, if not completely necessary for comprehension.
Hell's Princess was well-researched and intriguing, but I got really sick of the author fat shaming, using the term “mannish” and other disparaging words for women, and what seriously felt like an unnecessary and gratuitous use of the n-word and negative racial stereotypes every other page. I don't think I vibed with the writing voice in general. I think another reviewer said it best when they pointed out that the amount of detailed research was great, but the book would have been much better if written by someone else. Interesting case though, I honestly had never heard of it. I wish there had been a clean resolution, but that's obviously not the fault of the author.
I'm sad to say that this was lacking the magic that Beartown had, but I really can't put my finger on a major reason why. I think it showed a realistic view of the continued aftermath of the events in Beartown, and I appreciated the new characters. Sure, I would have liked a deeper dive into a couple of them, but they felt very realistic and were interesting overall. For some reason, I just didn't feel for them most of the time. That's not to say I didn't cry, cause boy did I! Despite feeling a lack of emotional connection most of the time, Backman still managed to suck me in occasionally and broke me. But then there were times when certain relationships didn't make any sense to me. We were told about a powerful love that honestly wasn't shown on the page, so I wasn't able to connect with it at all nor feel the heartbreak that came with it. Most of the stuff I wanted to see happened off the page, was glossed over, or was told about after the fact.
Perhaps, for me, this book suffered slightly from feeling too much like one of those late 90s, early 2000s small town sports movies. Beartown was not about hockey, but Us Against You felt very hockey-centric. As always with Backman's books, the characters and events felt very true to life. I liked following some of my favorites from Beartown regardless of the story. I found Benji's story to be incredibly well done and feel so many things for that boy.
What I wasn't a fan of was the repeated bait-and-switch. It was like those cheap reality tv shows that leave off on a cliffhanger, where it seems like something big is about to go down, but when you return it's literally nothing. It's just smart editing that engages the viewer by promising a big scene then doesn't deliver. Us Against You didn't feel cheap, but I stopped believing that certain things were actually happening. And rightfully so. If Backman had followed through on any of these moments, I think it could have changed a lot of my current overall feelings.
The story felt a little bit less focused than what I expected from Backman. There wasn't necessarily a central plot that you could easily pick out. I'd say that's similar to Backman's other books, but there was even less of a theme tying everything together. I'd call it truly slice-of-life, since real life doesn't follow your standard plot structure.
I honestly can't decide if I'm disappointed enough to rate this 3 stars or if I still liked the writing and characters enough to warrant 4 stars. I'm going to have to think about it for a bit. I liked it more than the other books I've read so far this year but had such high hopes that weren't met at all.
Stephen King wanted us to hate both these characters, right? Well I did, which is totally fine, but I also felt guilty about it because Annie is obviously seriously mentally ill. I'm not sure I'd even consider her competent to stand trial for her crimes. She's delusional and needs help.
I was annoyed by the comparison of CPR to rape. A few men have tried to explain to me what King meant by the comparison... I know what he meant. I don't need anyone to explain it to me. The comparison was inappropriate.
I didn't find Misery to be frightening in the least. It was just slightly gory and a sad depiction of unmanaged serious mental illness. I had to make myself pick the book up so I could finish it because it was almost boring at times. I did not care in the slightest about the book the main character was writing. The inclusion of so much text of the fictional story within the fictional story was mind-numbing.
King should not use the n-word in his books, ever. It was completely unnecessary and, again, inappropriate. Annie didn't need to say the n-word for the reader to know she's racist, unlikable, untrustworthy, and deranged. Trust me, we already knew.
Finally, I found King's writing to be really repetitive. He'd find a phrase or word he liked and beat it to death for a chapter or two, sometimes bringing it back for a cameo or two later on.
This was my first time reading a Stephen King book as an adult. As a high schooler, I wasn't a fan of Four Past Midnight and didn't get the intense love for The Long Walk among dystopian fans. Based on this recent read, I still don't get the collective obsession readers around the world have for his books. I still plan to read The Stand (my dad's all time favorite book) and The Green Mile since they're on my shelves, so I'm hoping they'll change my mind a little bit.
Contains spoilers
I went into Ember and the Ice Dragons with so much excitement, maybe too much, and instantly connected with Ember. She's totally my kind of girl, and I absolutely loved her. Feeling uncomfortable around people, always feeling the need to be truthful even when it would be helpful to lie (especially for little things), being frustrated by yourself... Heather Fawcett conveyed these emotions so perfectly. Ember is that typical “let me save everyone from me, even if it makes me miserable” person, which I can relate to. She was strong-willed, smart, and ultimately open to more than she realized.
I found all the characters to be distinct and interesting which is very important to me for a good reading experience. The developing friendships between Ember, Nisha, and Moss felt realistic and critical to the plot. They all mattered to each other and played important roles. I loved the complexity of Gideon's character and felt both kinship and hatred for him at times. I particularly loved that Fawcett didn't try to make us think all the bad guys were good at first. That's almost always super transparent, and the reveal of a seemingly helpful/nice companion being a villain is usually anticlimactic. Instead, we knew who the villains were and the mystery was whether they could be redeemed or what their motives or plans were. Such a breath of fresh air! Overall, it was a great read, and I hope to read more about these characters in the future.
There's so much to learn about the world! A world both like and unlike ours in a Victorian-esque age was right up my alley, and I think it was well executed. Unfortunately, I think I overhyped the book by thinking it was going to be my favorite middle grade book since Harry Potter. It's definitely my favorite world after the wizarding world, and I WANT MORE. However, there were a few places where I think the execution could be improved. I don't necessarily believe it will hinder the reading experience for the target audience though. The inclusion of two deus ex machina moments was also a bit disappointing. Thank goodness for the accidentally enmagicked penguins and lone dragons who show up at precisely the right time.
Firstly, there were times when I felt like a phrase or sentence of exposition was missing. I had to go back and read to see if I missed something. For example, Ember chokes on her tea at one point, then later she dries her sleeve. I wouldn't assume someone who choked on what they were drinking also spilled it all over themselves, and it would've been more clear with an extra phrase (like “Ember choked, spraying tea all down her front.”). Not a huge deal, and I'd rather this than over explaining every detail, but it was common enough for me to feel like it wasn't my fault.
Next, there were contradictory descriptions of fire dragons that I think slipped by during editing. At the start of one chapter, they are described as “subsisting entirely on vegetation”, but in another chapter the available food options for them on tropical islands includes small prey animals. Not a huge deal, but it is confusing when creating a clear description of the fire dragons for the reader. Do they eat animals, or are they herbivores? I think it's possible there is a distinction that a subspecies could be omnivorous, but that goes back to missing information that should have been included for clarity. Perhaps you could make an argument that the fictional source that the excerpts came from is poorly researched/edited itself, but that didn't seem to be the case.
The dragon language is very interesting and something I was so excited to delve into. I love the idea of the dragons using old English language, and it set up some funny moments with Nisha (love her) and strongly yet subtly hinted at things to come for Moss. That subtlety was so good. I'm not sure how the language is innate though (similar to Parseltongue) with Ember being able to speak and understand immediately. The background info presents it as a learned language from coexisting with humans. But if that's true, then Ember shouldn't be able to instantly speak and understand it. She should be more like Nisha.
The characters definitely aren't believable 12-year-olds. They seem more like 17 or 18 in pretty much every character trait and piece of dialogue. I think 12-year-olds won't care when they read this though and will love the idea of the big adventure the kids go on. The believability issues extended beyond that too, but not excessively so. For example, Ember was described as feeling more exhausted than she'd ever felt before after battling the grimlings, but after a fairly short conversation with Aquamarine was ready to fly for hours. Again, not really a big deal, but it didn't make a lot of sense if you looked closely. Then there was the riddle requirement for seeing the king. I loved the idea, but I couldn't understand why one of the kids wouldn't be allowed through, at the very least. One riddle per person... If they only answered 2 wouldn't Ember and one of the others be able to meet with the king while the other waited outside? Maybe they require the whole group to go through or none at all? It didn't make a ton of sense.
The final issue I had was with the portal. I wanted so much more back story and info on that, but that's not really necessary for middle grade. I hope we get another book so we can learn more about it! I didn't understand how the portal opened up directly into the room with the dragons during the conflict on the ship. Maybe I missed something, but I thought the portal opened into the hallway that leads to the dragon room, not the dragon room itself. Also, how were the dragons not chained up anymore? This probably bugged me the most out of everything.
I think it could have been very interesting to see Ember lead her pursuers through the portal and lure them into the dragon room on the other ship. She would have been able to use her newfound control of her fire powers, confidence, and maybe even knowledge of dragon language to get the captive dragons to finally recognize her as one of them and to help her. Then she could lock her pursuers in the dragon room, run back through the portal, and unscrew Montgomery which would trap them on the other side of the world even if they survive their encounter with the dragons.
I highly recommend this story for middle grade readers. I think adults will find some of the things I mentioned a bit frustrating, but if you can see past those you'll be met with an extraordinary cast of complex characters, fantastic friendships, and intelligent dragons. I loved the whole world. I cannot wait to see if we'll get to learn more about why dragons don't like magic and where Moss comes from, in addition to everything else I mentioned. I was definitely quite critical because of how highly anticipated this book was for me, but I don't want that to dissuade anyone from picking up this book. Go read it. It's really good, and I think if there's another book that it will be even better.
Honestly, this was much darker than I expected. It wasn't bad by any means either. Ultimately, it was too repetitive for me, and Anna was overly clueless and self-involved at times. She somehow makes every little tragedy about her. The major conflict is wrapped up in a super anti-climactic way in one sentence.
That being said, I don't want to judge it too harshly. It's a book that bridges the gap between two Disney movies, so it met my overall expectations for kid lit. I had fun reading it too. If the amount of Anna's inner conflict that was written had been cut in half, she wouldn't have been as frustrating, so I think it's mostly an editing thing. I really loved all the new characters too.
Talk about a completely clueless MC, one of my least favorite tropes. She's soooo naive and afraid of everything which irritates me to no end. The side characters are the most interesting, and overall I like the friendship group.
I'm not sure I agree with the people who say this is about putting the responsibility of someone's life on other people. I think it speaks more to survivor's guilt: reliving every moment when you think you could have said or done something differently and wishing you could go back.
