Trey

Did not love this book. Very slow. But interesting premise and a touching resolution.

Interesting and full of cocktail-party-friendly tidbits. But generally tedious. It's the same joke over and over. Witty, yes. Pedantic, absolutely. Dots well-connected? No. It's etymology without the ology. Not systemic. Simply a barrage of facts confused by word play. Read only with care.

The first book in this series is really great and well captures the wonder, potential, and thrill of technology. Unfortunately, I don't think that sense of awe is well-maintained beyond the first book. This was OK. Good for the beach, I guess, but not on my list faves.

One minor quibble: I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator uses a TON of highly irregular pronunciations throughout.

LOVED this book! It's a great, chronological history of the science of genetics.

Very short, political intrigue book. I thought it was fine, but nothing extraordinary. Take it to the beach or the pool.

Actually pretty boring for a true crime book about a child who murders his mother in Victorian England. But I did think the conclusion was somewhat interesting if a little schmaltzy for my tastes.

I love the initial concept, but by the end of the story the execution is muddled. I enjoyed it, but was disappointed by the conclusion.

Not as good as the second book in the series, which was not as good as the first. I think it's a fine resolution to the tale, but I am still annoyed by the fact that Brown had a character say, “Bye, Felicia!” in the middle of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Yes, it's very obviously Sanderson's first book, though. Parts of it are trite and pat. He signals a few things too frequently and others too lightly, which makes some of the pacing feel a little jerky.

But overall, it's so youthful, fun, and bright. I love the way he conceives of his worlds and this book is no exception.

Self-indulgent

What a lot of blathering on! I get it: the author is so smart and so thoughtful and so insightful and so sensitive. Good for you.

It's Shakespeare! I probably should have read the other plays leading up to this one, though...

Different

Not my usual fare. A sort of Asian magical realism. I enjoyed the poetic descriptions, but it was often a bit too vague floor me to find real pleasure in it.

Great YA fantasy fiction. Lots of fun and color. I enjoyed it a lot!

A strong second book, but fails to capture the same magic as the first. The characters are strong but the plotting and language need to be tightened up.