Katie
THE LAST BOOK I NEEDED TO READ IN ORDER TO COMPLETE MY ABC CHALLENGE
I actually really enjoyed this collection. I will be honest and say that I didn't realize it was a collection of works vs. something cohesive that he wrote brand new (more like King's On Writing). That disjointedness removed a star. The other star that I removed is because while I liked his poetry, ending the collection with that seemed like going out with a whimper after some of the strengths of the other works.
This isn't quite what I expected for a King book. There is a bit of mystery but otherwise it's mostly about a young adult growing up while working at a carnival. There are a lot of interesting glimpses into carnival life, some romance, some mystery, but it could've used more of....any of those things. This was sort of the epitome of “meh” as far as the genre goes. I will say - I absolutely do not buy the solution to the mystery. Not because it was far-fetched, but because there simply wasn't enough shown to us to support that conclusion and what was shown was thrust at us very suddenly.
3.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this. It was engaging enough that I steamrolled through it, but I'm not sure I enjoyed the writing style. It was very direct with not a lot of details or decoration. The tension was okay for the most part but was lacking compared to some of my favorite works. It was kind of low-stakes, high reward?
I'm not very interested in continuing the series, because I just feel meh. Which is strange, since I read it so quickly. I think it felt easy to finish quickly because the language was so simple, it didn't feel like a slog to pick up, and it's not entirely boring so there is some enjoyment there.
1.5 stars. Knew I should've given up on it by the 40% mark but since I was listening to it, I figured it wouldn't hurt top keep chugging along until the end. It got so much worse that I was listening at a fast pace just to get ahead and finish sooner. I'm not saying it couldn't have been good, but WOW do not listen to this book if you're going to read it.
3.5 stars. interesting idea but kind of “minority report”-lite. that's what kept crossing my mind. near the end, i realized i didnt really know where it was going, and the ending itself (the last 40 pages or so) was bizarre but not in a fun way. it just seemed to obviously ham-fisted shove the main idea down your throat just in case you missed it from the entire rest of the book. the B plot with einsley was a nice break considering what we got, but that was hardly anything other than maybe 30 pages? what was really the point?
Okay this didn't really become Rosemary's Baby at all. The constant pregnancy/birth references were red herrings I guess. But anyway I think I would've preferred that even more than how the book actually turned out. It wasn't really that much of a ghost story in the end, and the motivation was fairly weak.
A solid 4 stars. I enjoyed the different timelines and seeing how the different women were similar (and faced some depressingly similar circumstances). I could've used a lot more magic but that could definitely be personal taste. I think if you're into more of a “subtle magic” type of person then you'll enjoy the amount here.
There were some terrible events in each timeline, some of which got me kind of heated on behalf of the characters. I do think Altha's portion was weakest, and Violet's was the strongest. The end wrapped up fairly neatly with a good amount of justice.
2.75 stars
I really enjoyed the first 75% of the book. I wasn't exactly sure what it was leading up to, which I think made me worry it wasn't going to end with the right pacing. I felt like I should've had more of a clue as to how everything was connected at that point. I was right to worry.
The climax seemed to rush towards me dramatically, and the contents of it didn't feel very earned. Some hints about that character were given, sure, but nothing that made their actions seem like a natural extension of what I knew. Honestly I thought it was going to be a red herring and there was some other surprise, but nope. The last 5% seemed a little weird too. Things were wrapped up unrealistically neatly. Trying to avoid spoilers, but I had no idea Serena was even interested in doing that type of thing. I didn't feel like that was ever suggested about her. Don't even get me started on the convenience of the person she is hanging out with at the end...good thing they stuck around I guess.
3 stars
This was interesting enough that I picked it back up after abandoning it a week prior. It isn't the most novel concept but it had decently good writing UNTIL a certain point. The last 20% is rapid fire insta-love and overly convoluted machinations that are exceedingly transparent in desperately trying to get the characters to a specific point for the sequel.
3.5 stars, definitely interested in reading the next one
This does seem to be a bit unnecessarily long. It was ~486 pages in my copy and I think it could've benefitted from losing 50 pages or so.
I'm not super happy with the climax. I didn't feel a large enough push from the antagonist to warrant the confrontation in the climax, and it felt resolved too quickly. Additionally, it seems like things ended extremely abruptly...maybe could've just been a really good cliffhanger that actually got me lol.
A solid 3 stars. I wasn't really expecting a lot, but there were significant portions that I enjoyed. Even some of the more cliche aspects found in this genre seemed a little less cliche. I'm not sure I'm very interested in the sequel, despite there being some build up to it. The story didn't end here by any means, but I also don't really...care? I'm kind of okay with pretending it ended on a bad note lol.
