altlovesbooks
DNF @ 10% - Just isn't holding my attention like I thought it would. Maybe I'm just not in the right mindset right now? Maybe it's because I'm listening to the audiobook? I'll put it down for now and maybe pick it up again in the future.
DNF @ 10% - Just isn't holding my attention like I thought it would. Maybe I'm just not in the right mindset right now? Maybe it's because I'm listening to the audiobook? I'll put it down for now and maybe pick it up again in the future.
Added to listAudiobooks Readwith 129 books.
Added to listSciencewith 11 books.
Added to list2024 Favoriteswith 7 books.
"The dose makes the poison."
As I write this, my husband is giving me the side eye after listening to me go on about how awesome this book about poisons and the people who used them was. I can't imagine why, because we both know I lack the attention span required to cook up a poison or two.
But in all seriousness, this was a fantastic book about several different natural and synthetic compounds that were used to commit crimes. Each chapter features a different poison, centers around a major case (and sometimes a minor one as well) where the poison featured prominently, and discusses medically what happens when the poison is administered and other neat (read: morbid) facts about efficacy, cures, and how the poison was made or discovered. My favorite chapter was the chapter on ricin, if only for the morbidly amusing story about an elderly woman in Vermont who cooked up poisons in her assisted living kitchen. The chapter on polonium was also fascinating.
It's not a very long book and the poisons discussed were all ones I had at least heard of, if not knew the details about. It's not a comprehensive book about all poisons ever, but what it does talk about is well fleshed out and entertaining to read about. Just a great, interesting read all around.
Maybe pick your audience carefully before discussing this book, though.
"The dose makes the poison."
As I write this, my husband is giving me the side eye after listening to me go on about how awesome this book about poisons and the people who used them was. I can't imagine why, because we both know I lack the attention span required to cook up a poison or two.
But in all seriousness, this was a fantastic book about several different natural and synthetic compounds that were used to commit crimes. Each chapter features a different poison, centers around a major case (and sometimes a minor one as well) where the poison featured prominently, and discusses medically what happens when the poison is administered and other neat (read: morbid) facts about efficacy, cures, and how the poison was made or discovered. My favorite chapter was the chapter on ricin, if only for the morbidly amusing story about an elderly woman in Vermont who cooked up poisons in her assisted living kitchen. The chapter on polonium was also fascinating.
It's not a very long book and the poisons discussed were all ones I had at least heard of, if not knew the details about. It's not a comprehensive book about all poisons ever, but what it does talk about is well fleshed out and entertaining to read about. Just a great, interesting read all around.
Maybe pick your audience carefully before discussing this book, though.
Added to listSci Fiwith 51 books.
"We are those who resist."
I'm still really enjoying this series, but I felt like things dragged near the middle of this book a bit. My attention wandered in a few chapters, and one of the points of view I really liked from the first book seemed utterly different in this one.
Book two picks up where book one left off, with the waystations starting to pop off with mysterious signals, and each of the main players from the first book off on their own little adventures. We follow these different characters on their stories, with Kojan trying to come to terms with his impending death-by-implant-malfunction, Rivus butting heads with Tarvan over whether they should secure a friendship with the enemy-of-my-mysterious-enemy and create a united front, Niole trying to figure out if she's Idran-Var or a legionnaire, and Ridley waxing hot and cold over Halressan (mostly hot) and supposedly doing stuff plot-related, but not a lot actually happens with her.
If you couldn't tell from that, Ridley's POV was my least favorite in this book. (character/plot spoilers here) She's nowhere near the scrappy human-dumped-into-an-alien-underworld she was in the first book. Now she's attached at the hip to Halressan, who spends most of this book ignoring her. I also don't really know what she contributed to the overall plot beyond jetting out to some remote corner of the galaxy and waking up an old siolean goddess-but-not-really. In the first book she moved a lot of plot, had a lot of spunk, and was pretty badass. Now she's kinda moony and can't seem to decide what she wants to do for herself anymore. I don't know, not my thing. But beyond that, the rest of the book was pretty great. Without having to take time to do as much worldbuilding and story setup, this book was very much wall-to-wall action. Lots of flashy things happen to keep you interested, and I particularly liked Rivus's POV in this one. The angst he feels over his best friend is fantastic.
Just an overall really interesting, fun sci-fi book. Absolutely picking up book 3.
"We are those who resist."
I'm still really enjoying this series, but I felt like things dragged near the middle of this book a bit. My attention wandered in a few chapters, and one of the points of view I really liked from the first book seemed utterly different in this one.
Book two picks up where book one left off, with the waystations starting to pop off with mysterious signals, and each of the main players from the first book off on their own little adventures. We follow these different characters on their stories, with Kojan trying to come to terms with his impending death-by-implant-malfunction, Rivus butting heads with Tarvan over whether they should secure a friendship with the enemy-of-my-mysterious-enemy and create a united front, Niole trying to figure out if she's Idran-Var or a legionnaire, and Ridley waxing hot and cold over Halressan (mostly hot) and supposedly doing stuff plot-related, but not a lot actually happens with her.
If you couldn't tell from that, Ridley's POV was my least favorite in this book. (character/plot spoilers here) She's nowhere near the scrappy human-dumped-into-an-alien-underworld she was in the first book. Now she's attached at the hip to Halressan, who spends most of this book ignoring her. I also don't really know what she contributed to the overall plot beyond jetting out to some remote corner of the galaxy and waking up an old siolean goddess-but-not-really. In the first book she moved a lot of plot, had a lot of spunk, and was pretty badass. Now she's kinda moony and can't seem to decide what she wants to do for herself anymore. I don't know, not my thing. But beyond that, the rest of the book was pretty great. Without having to take time to do as much worldbuilding and story setup, this book was very much wall-to-wall action. Lots of flashy things happen to keep you interested, and I particularly liked Rivus's POV in this one. The angst he feels over his best friend is fantastic.
Just an overall really interesting, fun sci-fi book. Absolutely picking up book 3.
Added to listManga And Comicswith 81 books.
Cute, but ultimately forgettable. Kind of a tale about how a small lie can quickly balloon into something unmanageable, but I don't think the execution was all that great. A lot of common sense reactions from the humans in the story (shock, horror, fear) were absent in favor of the underlying message of acceptance and making the lie right in the end.
The artwork was also kind of weirdly unsettling to me. Like a comic strip, but even more basic? I don't know, I just didn't connect much with the art or the layout.
Fine for a cute story, not much else.
Cute, but ultimately forgettable. Kind of a tale about how a small lie can quickly balloon into something unmanageable, but I don't think the execution was all that great. A lot of common sense reactions from the humans in the story (shock, horror, fear) were absent in favor of the underlying message of acceptance and making the lie right in the end.
The artwork was also kind of weirdly unsettling to me. Like a comic strip, but even more basic? I don't know, I just didn't connect much with the art or the layout.
Fine for a cute story, not much else.
Added to listMemoir Biographywith 44 books.
Added to listBooks About Bookswith 11 books.
