Emily

I found it rather heavy handed with the message, though I think that's more because I am older than the target audience than because it's actually an issue. The weird romance was totally out of place and rather counter to the rest of the message that was being so heavily beaten over our heads, so that was an odd choice. I can only conclude that someone in the publishing house said that all books aimed at teen girls have to have romance in them. On the plus side, it was very hard to put down.

Not as funny as the main strip, and really doesn't add that much to the characters' backgrounds. I'm glad to have it for completeness sake, but if you're looking for a prequel to the main strip, Start of Darkness will definitely give you more insight into the background of the comic than On the Origin of PCs.

Stayed up way too late because I couldn't put it down.

Not over-the-top ridiculous and kept me guessing until the end. Holahan walked the fine line of making characters understandable and sometimes likeable, while giving everyone valid motives for murder. I'll definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

I was a little concerned at first since the first chapter was very basic for my knowledge level, however once it got into the creatures, I learned a lot. I particularly liked the emphasis on tracing how the folklore changed over time. I would have liked to see more creatures included, but that's a minor complaint.

Equal parts hilarious and infuriating. 5 stars.

I'm torn on how to rate this one. 95% of it is 5 stars, fantastic, then the ending just...ended. All neatly tied up, one simple action and everything is solved, no more danger. It's really thrown off my whole experience with the book.

Still very much worth reading for Grant's take on the ecology of mermaids!

DNF a few chapters in. I'm sad about this one - the premise is cool and I really want to know more about the magic, but I'm having the hardest time with the writing. Somehow the sentences never seem to go where I'm expecting and I have to stop and reread multiple times within a single paragraph to actually understand what the author is describing. I'm sure it's a great book for the right reader, but I am definitely not that reader.

One of my all time favorites.

A decent enough mystery/thriller. I would have liked it if we'd been able to spend more time on the mystery of who is telling the truth and what is going on with the other guests. Personally I felt it was a bit over the top once the titular mystery was revealed. That being said, I did enjoy it.

A little bit ridiculous, highly entertaining, and quite funny. I love Mrs Polifax's attitude and resourcefulness - this is a spy novel I can get behind!

I was a little bit hesitant to read this book since I tend to prefer the writing in newer books, but despite it's age it was easy and quick to read. Some elements are dated, of course, but nothing too bad.

This has been my favorite fantasy world since I first read it, and it stands up to rereads. 4.5 stars only because the latter two in the series are better.

I would have liked to see some more concrete examples of what a series of missions might look like. That being said, I can understand the decision to avoid adding anything that someone might attempt to copy blindly rather than tailoring for the dog in front of them.

Overall, I feel much more prepared for separation anxiety cases!

Note: this book is definitely aimed at dog behavior professionals, not the general public.