Gemma
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
I picked up this book because I fancied a captivating read that I could get through quickly. I've been hovering around 50% of the way through It by Stephen King for 2 months now and I wanted a success story to motivate me.
Stranger in the House was a captivating, quick read. I was gratified by how quickly the percentage increased on my kindle, and motivated to keep reading. I found the story to be somewhat predictable but an enjoyable read.
Particularly where I felt this book fell short was the length and the lack of development. The writing style felt a lot more “show” rather than tell, and did not build up a emotional response to flat characters I felt were doing some bizzare actions to further the plot.
I do not fault the plot for being predictable for a predictable plot can still be a great book if written in an intelligent and exciting way. More that the book was lacklustre in a few ways.
I picked up this book because I fancied a captivating read that I could get through quickly. I've been hovering around 50% of the way through It by Stephen King for 2 months now and I wanted a success story to motivate me.
Stranger in the House was a captivating, quick read. I was gratified by how quickly the percentage increased on my kindle, and motivated to keep reading. I found the story to be somewhat predictable but an enjoyable read.
Particularly where I felt this book fell short was the length and the lack of development. The writing style felt a lot more “show” rather than tell, and did not build up a emotional response to flat characters I felt were doing some bizzare actions to further the plot.
I do not fault the plot for being predictable for a predictable plot can still be a great book if written in an intelligent and exciting way. More that the book was lacklustre in a few ways.
I picked this up to give me a sense of achievement while reading It. I was particularly looking forward to the movie which is coming soon, so I thought this short novel would be a good choice. This is the first Agatha Christie I've ever read, and I found it enjoyable.
Firstly, I do not often read crime novels. Its just not something I reach for often. I enjoyed reading this book, particularly for how fast I was getting through it. It felt like a quick, intriguing read that kept me going. I enjoyed all the characters, and thought the interactions between this large cast was well written. In addition, I thought the book was a good length for the period of time that it considered.
One note, I felt the descriptions of the reasons behind the deductions were a bit overwhelming and unclear, but I think the movie will clear things up for me.
I picked this up to give me a sense of achievement while reading It. I was particularly looking forward to the movie which is coming soon, so I thought this short novel would be a good choice. This is the first Agatha Christie I've ever read, and I found it enjoyable.
Firstly, I do not often read crime novels. Its just not something I reach for often. I enjoyed reading this book, particularly for how fast I was getting through it. It felt like a quick, intriguing read that kept me going. I enjoyed all the characters, and thought the interactions between this large cast was well written. In addition, I thought the book was a good length for the period of time that it considered.
One note, I felt the descriptions of the reasons behind the deductions were a bit overwhelming and unclear, but I think the movie will clear things up for me.
I am so disappointed with this book. On October 1st, I was on my way out the door to work and forgot to pick a book to bring with me. My boyfriend brought me this book and I thought it would be a quick, entertaining read that would make me think.
Boy, it did make me think. I thought a lot about the climate of tensions between Japan and Germany through the USA, I thought a lot about how the people in the book regarded others in different social classes. But mostly I thought about how interesting this book could have been. The premise of the book is exactly up my street and I was so excited about it. I found the writing style difficult and boring to parse, the characters had the potential to be really intriguing but never seemed to do anything particularly interesting.
This really should be a 3* read because I respect what the book was trying to do, but I had such high hopes I dropped it a star of pure disappointment.
I am so disappointed with this book. On October 1st, I was on my way out the door to work and forgot to pick a book to bring with me. My boyfriend brought me this book and I thought it would be a quick, entertaining read that would make me think.
Boy, it did make me think. I thought a lot about the climate of tensions between Japan and Germany through the USA, I thought a lot about how the people in the book regarded others in different social classes. But mostly I thought about how interesting this book could have been. The premise of the book is exactly up my street and I was so excited about it. I found the writing style difficult and boring to parse, the characters had the potential to be really intriguing but never seemed to do anything particularly interesting.
This really should be a 3* read because I respect what the book was trying to do, but I had such high hopes I dropped it a star of pure disappointment.
This is a complicated review to write. I cannot, in any possible way - no matter how small, say that this is a bad book. It is written so well that at parts I had to stop and think about it. The characters feel real, fleshed out and like defined people.
It's really the type of book I'd expect from Jonathan Dee, whose list of achievements feels too long to list. I devoured this book in multiple, massive sessions. The prologue for me was boring and felt like a struggle to get through. I couldn't reconcile the nameless narrator with the descriptions of the two men on the blurb, and I certainly did not like him. While that last point turned out to be a recurring theme throughout the book, the prologue is a brief low point that with hindsight was a good opening chapter.
This is not a book about the growth of one person, or the journey people go on. It's a deep look at the ways different people can be selfish for all of the different reasons they can be selfish. In certain cases, a seemingly selfless act has selfish consequences. I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would and I think it was down to the outstanding portrayal of the characters. They had flaws that felt human and understandable - I even felt like I recognised characters from my own life in the novel.
I strongly recommend this book if it interests you. Even if its out of your usual reading selections (it was very far out of my usual choices).
This is a complicated review to write. I cannot, in any possible way - no matter how small, say that this is a bad book. It is written so well that at parts I had to stop and think about it. The characters feel real, fleshed out and like defined people.
It's really the type of book I'd expect from Jonathan Dee, whose list of achievements feels too long to list. I devoured this book in multiple, massive sessions. The prologue for me was boring and felt like a struggle to get through. I couldn't reconcile the nameless narrator with the descriptions of the two men on the blurb, and I certainly did not like him. While that last point turned out to be a recurring theme throughout the book, the prologue is a brief low point that with hindsight was a good opening chapter.
This is not a book about the growth of one person, or the journey people go on. It's a deep look at the ways different people can be selfish for all of the different reasons they can be selfish. In certain cases, a seemingly selfless act has selfish consequences. I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would and I think it was down to the outstanding portrayal of the characters. They had flaws that felt human and understandable - I even felt like I recognised characters from my own life in the novel.
I strongly recommend this book if it interests you. Even if its out of your usual reading selections (it was very far out of my usual choices).
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
I found this book quite a mix of good and bad. When I reach around 2/3 of the way through any book I start thinking about how I'm going to rate it. In the case of Foundryside, I found it much harder than other books to determine how I would rate it.
The plot concerns Sancia and her unique ability to hear scrivings. Scrivings are the language that is engraved onto objects which can alter reality and change how these objects work. Sancia uses this skill to steal objects because she is desperate to change her life. It is definitely changed when she steals a talking key called Clef and discovers the job she was doing is so much more than it seemed.
I found the plot fairly fast paced and for the majority of the book it was really easy to read. I got fatigued with the plot in a way I've never experienced before and would end up skim reading every 40 pages or so. The world was fleshed out, but I found the set up quite info-dumpy. While this initially didn't bother me it did become repetitive throughout the book. I lowered the rating a star also in part due to fact that the book read partially like a young adult novel and partially adult.
My biggest issue concerns the rules of the city the story takes in. The city has four merchant houses with large compounds and the poor slum areas fill the gaps between the compounds. Early on in the book, Sancia mentions that there are no rules that govern the city and the individual merchant houses enforce their own rules within their compounds. It is mentioned at least twice later on, however, that certain things are illegal or prohibited in the city. I found this contradiction distracting, so I lowered the rating a star partially for this reason. It could have been my fault for misinterpreting or misreading the initial comment in the book, but I can't check now as my library comment has been returned now.
I would recommend Foundryside to readers of YA fantasy or any readers of fantasy in general. It was a quick, fun read and the characters were enjoyable. A few twists towards the end kept me engaged and interested and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the sequel.
