I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Dan has a 9 to 5 office job that he hates, and seems to tolerate n...moreI was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Dan has a 9 to 5 office job that he hates, and seems to tolerate nights in the pub with his friends. Every night, pretty much. He's a borderline alcoholic, becoming drunk even when it would serve him much better not to. His ex-girlfriend stumbles into the story, and he sets out on the road to avenge her, though she doesn't seem to really want him to. The place he is lead to is darker than the place he already was, and he finds himself in no end of trouble and it strains every area of his life.
This totally isn't the kind of book that I'd normally go for: I'm all for a bit of darkness in a book, but the blurb struck me as quite seriously dark, but then this didn't really follow through into the book itself. Yeah, there are things going on that most people would rather not think about even though they happen every day all over the world. Drugs, homelessness, sexual assault. Not happy topics, but all tackled in this book, and done well. But it wasn't constant or over-the-top, and a fair portion of it read like just, life.
Indeed, it was generally well written and an easy read. The overall tones was dark, but the nastier bits never lasted too long, which I appreciated. Although, you can tell it's been self-published: there are a few sections that could have been cleaned up a little. When characters are introduced - even minor ones, occasionally - we get quite detailed descriptions of how they look, what they're doing, and sometimes a little potted history of their lives. This is fine when it's one character, but by the time you've got round seven you've kinda lost the train of the story a little. On top of this, there were times when the timeline was a little muddled - some (what I think was) back and forth, but this wasn't made at all clear. These aside, it was well paced and there was always something going on, and I got through the pages without really noticing - always a good sign in my books.
One very good thing is that the central characters do seem like real people (although Dan was the only one with significant or consistent page time). They react to things in ways people would, getting angry with a smattering of swear words rather than effing and blinding left, right and centre as you come across in some media. They have conversations and interactions you can imagine mates sitting in a pub actually having, which isn't something you come across all too often in my experience. Though maybe I'm just not reading the right sort of books. The banter, joking and gentle mockery you find between friends. It is in these times that most of the amusing bits of the book come from. I found myself laughing a little fairly frequently to start with - Dan has exactly my type of humour, very dry - but this soon tapered off as there was less and less for him to mock or joke about. I liked first-half-of-the-book-Dan, not so much second-half-of-the-book-Dan.
Why? Because second-half-Dan didn't make a whole lot of sense. He'd do things, but it wouldn't be explained why. The things he did often didn't even make sense. He did them against his better judgement, but there was no clue given as to what exactly was pushing him to act in that way. Of course he was drunk/hungover most of the time by this point which may have something to do with it. He and Emily had dated in university; it didn't seem to be that serious and must have finished a few years ago, yet he goes off on this epic quest to track down the man who has wronged her. And largely carries it out drunk. You know, the perfect state for trying to infiltrate the gritty underworld of Edinburgh. Which he actually appears to achieve quite easily.
Homelessness was quite a significant factor in this story, not something I've come across in a fiction book before. The different ways they act and the ways other people react to them were particularly well done, both the good and the bad in both respects.
The ending... The ending was interesting, but a little confusing. The mysterious man in the camel coat had been woven through the story in dribs and drabs, giving hints about him but nothing anywhere near approaching concrete. This was a nice touch, adding mystery to the story. The ending answers all the questions you have, though I've got to admit it opened a few more for me as well. Namely 'why?' Things are explained, you understand what's been going on, but not really why they've been going on, or how they've been achieved.
A good book, though probably not for everyone. And definitely not for younger readers!
When the zombie apocalypse hits, it isn't in a way anybody expected. The world is infected by a parasite (though there is no mention in the book where...moreWhen the zombie apocalypse hits, it isn't in a way anybody expected. The world is infected by a parasite (though there is no mention in the book where it came from) which turns teenagers into Beasts: giant monsters of incredible strength and savagery with deadly spines growing on them. Their one goal is to bite adults, creating Bitten who then go on to spread the virus by infecting more teenagers.
25 years later or so, we join Sam Crafty as he starts at his new school. Quarantine Dekalb #4. They lock all the teenagers who've reached puberty up in school together to try and contain the problem, making them less likely to start another Outbreak. Because even though the worst is over, a teenager can still spontaneously turn. And quite often seem to in this story. There are armoured doors into each classroom, tight restrictions on movement, and flame-throwers on the stairwells.
Sam goes in determined to cause trouble, though I don't really know why. He seems to think that it will win him respect with his classmates, but none of them seem at all bothered and he doesn't seem to learn this. Most of his pranks seem to backfire and he just ends up getting himself into deeper and deeper trouble, yet he keeps pushing, keeps thinking that the next one will work as long as he makes it bigger and better.
It was interesting seeing the methods thought up to try and contain the teenagers. Cages, bars, doors and guns seemed to be the main ones, and while I kept thinking that there must have been a better way to educate youngsters that would put other people in less harm I couldn't come up with much. Except that they'd probably not have teachers actually in the classroom. They'd be doing it over some kind of link. Who cares if the kids are listening or not? Just teach them more stuff when they're out of the danger zone and can actually be around other people again!
Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. There was a little too much description for my liking; every time a new student was talked about, a little story about something that had already occurred between them and Sam was included. And there were lots of flashbacks, sometimes switching between the past and the present several times in the same chapter. I think this could have been cleaned up and been slightly less jarring if the longer flashbacks hadn't been separated down into parts.
This book, though, is an interesting idea: it's like zombies, but mega. And there is some mystery, because teenagers are 'going Beast' more often, changing more quickly and into deadlier versions, and the end almost made me want to know what was going to happen in the next book.
Almost.
Because in all honesty I never really connected with any of the characters, and the central four - Sam and this three room-mates, Remi, Ben and Dave - were a little bit flat; indeed, Remi seemed the most rounded character, probably because he was the only one you really got to know. It was quite interesting reading about his life outside of the Quarantined zones, and he actually had a passion for something, grounding him in a way the others weren't.
An ok book, but not a series I'll be carrying on.(less)
I've not read many of the original Holmes stories, but Horowitz seems to have done a good job with the style, and the story itself was well thought ou...moreI've not read many of the original Holmes stories, but Horowitz seems to have done a good job with the style, and the story itself was well thought out. I'm not sure he portrayed Watson properly in his narration though, and there were a couple of moments when Holmes did things a little un-Holmes-ish-ly. Still, overall an enjoyable read.(less)
This is a well written book, and I found it quite easy to get into. The descriptions are good - if a little repetitive at times when it comes to descr...moreThis is a well written book, and I found it quite easy to get into. The descriptions are good - if a little repetitive at times when it comes to describing people: we are constantly being reminded about the defining characteristic of some characters - and the story is intriguing. There is plenty of action, with the fight scenes not being skimped on but explored quite thoroughly, evoking more of the senses than just saying what the characters can see.
But From Man to Man was written purely from Draven's point-of-view, and I enjoyed his voice, his little humorous thoughts that he kept to himself, the things he left unsaid in general. We don't get any of Draven's POV in this book and I missed that a little. I hope he comes back later in the series.
We are introduced into the world well, not left confused by a lack of information but not having it all thrown at us at once with info dumps. There are a number of clans resident in Wroge, as well as the occupying Arneut people, who all seem quite ignorant about each other (the children at least), giving the perfect excuse for explanatory sections here and there about the war, or the world, or the politics or whatever. But these aren't cumbersome, giving us just what we need to know without being excessive and going into too much detail.
I liked the whole 'clan' thing, and that each has its own rites and areas of general expertise. Thought has obviously gone into it all and I'm looking forward to finding out more. One problem I had with the created societies was their oath - "Fraid and Govannon's bloodied blades". It just seems like a bit of a mouthful, and I sure wouldn't be able to be bothered to say this all the time, and I think even something like this would have been shortened down somewhat. Except maybe for things you really need to swear about.
There were a couple of other little things that didn't quite make sense, some that didn't quite sit right with me, but overall I very much enjoyed this book. There is a definite ending, but it is open enough to give you some clues as to what will be coming in the next instalment and keep you interested.
The beginning of this book was a little bit amazing. I made the mistake of starting to read it on the train, and I'm sure the first two chapters would...moreThe beginning of this book was a little bit amazing. I made the mistake of starting to read it on the train, and I'm sure the first two chapters would have had me in tears if I'd been reading it at home. The first third is fast moving and intriguing, but it slows a little after this.
This is a world where psychokinesis (PK) was discovered to exist around the turn of the millennium. But there is a horrible twist, for those who develop this ability also develop incredibly violent tendencies and go mad, usually within a couple of years of the onset. We're told of some of the early incidences and research in mega info-dumps. Like, pages and pages long. It's disguised as extracts from a text book one of the characters is reading, but not very well. And it's not that exciting, and between this and the slowing of the story itself the middle section of the story struggles.
The end of this book was very good, and there was a nice, though slightly sad, ending sequence and an intriguing epilogue. I'll probably keep an eye out for the next in the series, for although I'm not all that attached to the any of the characters I'm kinda interested to see where the story goes.
There are so many things that annoy me about this book. So I'm not going to go into it too much, otherwise it'll just turn into a rant.
It has all the cliches of a paranormal romance, and all the characters are quite flat. The lead - Amber - is supposed to be all strong-willed and adjusts to the idea of vampires/demons etc. very quickly, yet gets talked into stealing some jewels in about 30 seconds flat. She can't make up her mind about Aiden (gorgeous vampire cliche - check!) and seems to go from absolutely-hating-him-and-she's-going-to-leave-and-she-never-wants-to-see-him-again-and-she-just-wants-to-have-her-old-life-back to letting him kiss her and melting into it (kissing cliche - check!), also in about 30 seconds flat. And this happens about 12 times. Then she has periodic weird moments when she's all like SASS! which don't really fit with the way she acts the rest of the time.
Then the editing wasn't great; Amber's brother's name is Dallas; the author, character and book are all British yet American words for stuff (diapers, college instead of university, parking lot) kept appearing; Amber's parents are all like "yeah 17-year-old daughter, totally go live in Scotland for two months. We're not even going to make sure you get there ok or anything!".
There are a couple of saving graces in this book, in that some of the secondary characters are quite interesting (namely Cass, and I think Blake has the potential to be an interesting character) and there are a couple of funny moments.
I got this book because it had been recommended to me loads, and was free. I don't really understand all the rave reviews, and wish it hadn't been free so I wouldn't have got it.(less)
I didn't mean to read this book, really. I mean, I didn't even know it existed until it appeared at the back of my copy of Bitter Frost, the main seri...moreI didn't mean to read this book, really. I mean, I didn't even know it existed until it appeared at the back of my copy of Bitter Frost, the main series this is stemming off. And I really wish I hadn't carried on reading. I wish I'd just stopped.
Because this book makes no sense. Whatsoever.
It takes place in the couple of days prior to Breena's 16th birthday, whilst BF begins on the day itself. But this short story (it only seems to be about 20 pages long) has very clearly been written very much after the fact. There is no link between the two. There are things that apparently happen the day before BF that would have been referenced. Like 'oh, I saw my best friend naked and then he tried to kiss me.' But no. There's no weirdness, no mention of it at all. If you're going to write a prequel, at least make it believably tied-in with the original. And in BF Breena tries to claim she had no idea how Logan felt for her?
Obviously she's suffering from retrograde amnesia.
I'm not going to go into how awful this story is any more than this or it'll just turn into a big rant. Just, don't bother reading it. It's really not worth the time.(less)
This book was a little weird. You're kind of thrown into the middle of a situation without any preamble or explanation and kind of have to try and fit...moreThis book was a little weird. You're kind of thrown into the middle of a situation without any preamble or explanation and kind of have to try and fit together what the heck is going on based on the few clues littered about this short story. It is all explained more at the end but by then it doesn't really matter.
It is quite gory at times, and more gruesome things are alluded to if not directly stated. 'The Little Girl' has to defend herself against her and her sister's teddy bears which have come alive since the magic has come back into the world, making everything alive and very, very hungry.
An interesting concept and good idea for a short story, but not really for my tastes I don't think.(less)
4.5*. I really enjoyed that book and really want to give it 5* but something's stopping me, though I can't figure out what. Interesting characters wit...more4.5*. I really enjoyed that book and really want to give it 5* but something's stopping me, though I can't figure out what. Interesting characters with clear (and sensible) motivations, with some wonderful twists to the storyline. I really like Penryn - especially her sense of humour - and think her mother's character is a wonderful addition to the storyline. The writing is beautiful at times, the first few paragraphs especially, and through this you really get a feel for the characters. There are a couple of instances where for me it felt like too much irrelevant background information was being given (about the forests and all the companies based in Silicon Valley for instance) but a very well written and exciting story that was all to easy to read. I wish it had been longer whilst being glad it wasn't padded out for the sake of it. I can't wait to read the second in this series.
I think the world Wright has created is an interesting one, with a great deal of potential. There are nice introductions to the various species and fa...moreI think the world Wright has created is an interesting one, with a great deal of potential. There are nice introductions to the various species and factions working in the world without being overwhelming, and I want to know more about the history of the characters and the world, and want to know what the outcome is going to be of their imprisonment. As you can imagine, they aren't particularly happy with it.
Lanore is a nice enough character. She is principled, caring and strong, but the life she has led has made her aware of her limits. For the most part she is sensible and doesn't just rush headlong into things. She has reasons and motivations which make sense. Unfortunately, she is the only character we really get to know. The other two male leads form the inevitable love triangle: MeShack and Zulu. They both have their histories which come to play a little in this book, but I feel they will both be developed on a lot more in the future. As it stands at the moment, they namely seem to be there to form the requisite love triangle and be pretty. But Lenora isn't distracted by them (too much) which is nice.
The story trips along nicely, and there weren't really any sections which dragged. Some of the murder scenes were a little graphic, but nothing horrendous. One even had glitter which was a first for me! The climax on the other hand happened almost without me noticing. It was over in a matter of pages and I didn't ever really feel there was that much tension or anything. There was a lot more that could have been done with it. The end of the story itself was well done, in that there was a definite ending to the events of this book, but enough in the series arc to keep me interested (but for me not very excited, which would have been better) in what's coming next. I will be reading the next one, but I won't be jumping on it as soon as it's released.
A nice prequel to the Night Angel trilogy, this fills in some of the many, many blanks about Durzo Blint and we get to see a little bit of how he came...moreA nice prequel to the Night Angel trilogy, this fills in some of the many, many blanks about Durzo Blint and we get to see a little bit of how he came to be the somewhat broken man we all know and love. There are some cool scenes with the ka'kari, though not up to the same standard as the main series because it is just in general less epic. An interesting story and a nice quick read.(less)
Didn't enjoy this one as much as I was expecting to. Interesting world and intrigued to find out more, but not sure if I'm invested enough in the char...moreDidn't enjoy this one as much as I was expecting to. Interesting world and intrigued to find out more, but not sure if I'm invested enough in the characters to carry on with it.(less)
I read the first few chapters of this book free online. It's a really easy read that's amusing in places and an interesting twist on witchcraft, bring...moreI read the first few chapters of this book free online. It's a really easy read that's amusing in places and an interesting twist on witchcraft, bringing it into the modern day nicely. It had me...not completely hooked but definitely interested when the free sample ended. I really want to know what happens next so I will definitely be getting my hands on a copy at some point.
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I've now finished this book, and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice easy read with likeable characters and not too-taxing a story line. There was no probable death and destruction, just people living. The family dynamic in place was wonderful, and the magic scenes were interesting, putting a nice twist on magic. The next book follows slightly different characters, so I'm not sure if I'll be reading it or not - I've gotten rather attached to Lauren, Nat, Jamie and Aervyn and I tend not to like books which don't follow the same characters from the first. Aervyn in particular is adorable, if sometimes seeming a little mature and well-developed for his age. Overall, a well-written and nice story which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.(less)
In some ways this is my favourite Brandon Sanderson book to date, and somewhat ironically since I wasn't as excited about reading it as I was about hi...moreIn some ways this is my favourite Brandon Sanderson book to date, and somewhat ironically since I wasn't as excited about reading it as I was about his other books. It doesn't have the cool world building of The Way of Kings, and the magic system (BioChroma) is inventive and interesting but not as cool as Allomancy from Mistborn: The Final Empire. But two things stand out for me in this book that make it awesome.
First: Sanderson is funny! I frequently found myself laughing out loud at this book, not something I was expecting based on the other books of his I've read at all. One of the characters in particular - Lightsong - had me giggling a lot of the time, in part I think because we have a very similar sense of humour.
This brings me to the second point: I love most of the central characters. With all of his other books, I either haven't really come to care about the characters, or I only cared about them due to the sheer volume of time I've invested in reading about them. Not this time. Within pages of being introduced to them I really liked them. It could be that this is because the story is lighter than his other ones: without the same epic proportions there's something more light-hearted about them. Lightsong (as I've already mentioned) is hilarious, Siri is incredibly endearing, and I love watching the lovely Vivenna growing into herself. (Spoiler for The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks: (view spoiler)[Nightblood reminds me a lot of the black ka'kari, and they are both 'characters' I love. Both funny and offering something of an alternative view to the circumstances the hero finds himself in, and this is probably the first time a sword has made me laugh! (hide spoiler)])
The story itself has twists and turns all over the spot. I kept thinking I'd worked out what was going on when something would come along and blow my theory out of the water. If a bit slow to start off, the story soon picks up pace and keeps you reading. And in true Sanderson fashion the ending is really cool and definitely up-put-down-able.(less)
An interesting idea with some really cool maths moments ('cos I'm a bit geeky like that) but the characters didn't really pop for me. I had really tro...moreAn interesting idea with some really cool maths moments ('cos I'm a bit geeky like that) but the characters didn't really pop for me. I had really trouble differentiating between two of the female supports - Dess and Melissa - and even leading lady, Jessica, didn't feel particularly engaging as a person. She's just a normal girl, which is quite nice, but she isn't fleshed out any. She's just, there. I might give the series a chance and read the second, but I'm undecided as of yet.(less)
This book confused me. In so many ways. For the first, like, third I had no idea what was going on. You're thrown into this world without any explanat...moreThis book confused me. In so many ways. For the first, like, third I had no idea what was going on. You're thrown into this world without any explanations for anything, and this annoyed the hell out of me. I think Chancellor was trying to put you in the middle of the action and be all mysterious, but I just ended up confused.
But then you kinda eventually get to the point where you understand more, and it found its pace and got good. Actually, it got really good for a while in the middle. The end wasn't quite up to the same standard, and I think it finished in quite a weird place, but it was much more readable than the first part of the story.
And the story is quite good. It's an interesting idea (I think...I'm still a little confused in all honesty), but the writing itself annoyed me at times. I can't quite put my finger on why, but it did. It was just...little inconsistencies in the text and jumps in the narrative made it a bit difficult for me to read at times. Like, when someone was sitting at a table and a guy knelt down in front of her, but then two seconds later was leaning on the wall behind her.
I liked all the characters. Ariana was strong-willed and I quite liked her sense of humour, although I wasn't such a fan of the relationship between her and her brother, Michael. He in himself was fine, but they fall into the brother/sister relationship awfully easily considering that he's like 30 and she's 21 or something and they didn't know the other existed until a few days/weeks previously. I liked Garren's journey, and think the torment of confliction he was going through was well written. And I so think some secret's going to come out about Koen...I'm just not entirely sure what.
So now I'm confused as to whether I want to carry on reading the rest of the series.
Was enjoying this book, but I really loved the ending. She writes the emotions so well and deals with a difficult topically well and realistically. Gr...moreWas enjoying this book, but I really loved the ending. She writes the emotions so well and deals with a difficult topically well and realistically. Great book.(less)
I quite enjoyed this; it wasn't a particularly difficult read, though not as creepy as I was expecting based on the blurb, and the descriptions of the...moreI quite enjoyed this; it wasn't a particularly difficult read, though not as creepy as I was expecting based on the blurb, and the descriptions of the emotions of the main character - Alex - were very well done. Other descriptions weren't so good, unfortunately, and they often felt caricature-ish. Over-exaggerated architecture and characters were unbelievable, with the Judge who sentences Alex and the description of the outside of the prison particularly standing out in my mind in this respect.
I'm quite intrigued as to what has happened for the world depicted here to end up the way it has. We're told that after a riot by teenagers where hundreds of people were killed they introduced a zero-tolerance policy on young offenders, but this seems very extreme for the circumstance and I get the feeling that something more is going on. In general the story goes nicely with good pacing, though a few plot holes. He also has a tendency to forewarn when something is coming rather than it just happening. Like, "It was the worst thing I'd ever seen, up until four days later at least." Then just carries on the with the story. These little asides seemed a little pointless to me, and means you know Alex survives because he's obviously narrating from the future so there's less tension.
The escape plan which Alex comes up with is quite ingenious, though I have to question it's feasibly quite heavily. (view spoiler)[ I've never tried knotting rubber gloves, but I can't imagine it's easy, or air-tight. And of course the other kids knew you were up to something - you think they didn't notice you 'sneaking' around all the time?! (hide spoiler)]
I'll probably keep an eye out for the next book being on sale or something. It ended on a cliffhanger so I'm intrigued to see what happens next but not overly or anything.
Oh, and a minor point which bothers me a bit: the main character is called Alex. As is the author. I don't know why this feels slightly wrong to me.(less)
An interesting concept poorly written basically sums up my opinion of this book. The blurb intrigued me but the story and the writing let it down for...moreAn interesting concept poorly written basically sums up my opinion of this book. The blurb intrigued me but the story and the writing let it down for me.
Five strangers are live-action role-playing when they are yanked from Earth to an alternate dimension to help fight a hoard of demons. In the process they are transformed into the characters they were pretending to be, both physically and in terms of ability.
There was no 'argh, we've been transported to another dimension!', 'argh, it's completely changed the way we look!', 'argh, we suddenly have all these abilities we were only pretending to have!', 'argh, what the hell is going on!' freaking out at all. They all very calmly accepted what was going on. As I mentioned, they were changed physically to represent their characters, some growing or shrinking by several inches, if not feet. First issue: they would not physically be able to make their bodies work in these conditions. Their brain is used to working with certain expectations of their bodies and they would all be falling over all over the spot if this had actually happened and would have trouble walking never mind being able to practice fighting within a matter of hours.
That they've all suddenly acquired various magic/fighting skills is far too convenient. There is no learning curve (necessary to the story as there isn't enough time to have them learn but poorly explained away) and they're all instantly ridiculously proficient and have full control of their abilities. Archmage Reba - the POV character - is the most powerful mage ever apparently, and there is no problem she can't fix instantly and with apparently very little effort. There is no getting to grips with her abilities, no mistakes, and only one instance of her trying something that doesn't work straight off. Seriously?!
I think it was this that bothered me the most. She can create anything from anything with a few rhymes. At first there is at least the limitation of it bringing on migraines but then boom, perpetual healing spell cast and there's no problem. Public speaking a problem? Another spell - she's the best orator in the world! She's forgetting stuff? Perfect memory! She's fighting? Super strength! Walking just too darned slow? Flying! Oh, and while she's at it why not give herself better boobs and eternal youth! I get this was Hardy trying to make it so we can identify with her ("Yeah, she's super-powerful but she still worries about normal stuff!") but it just felt ridiculous.
And because of there being no problem she can't solve, the story just felt superfluous. Why spend all this time preparing for a big battle when she could just wander off and blast them? For me it never really felt like anyone was in any real danger so there was no tension. It basically felt like there were a series of problems thrown up simply for Reba to solve.
A spell (shockingly!) means they instantly understand the language, and apparently know the names of things that have no equivalent in English, though only sporadically. Name of the castle? Fine. Name of the stone the castle's built of? Nope, got to ask what that is. Names of the demons (which no one had seen a day earlier, yet all of which now have names which everyone knows) - fine.
Reba is given a maid. But she's more than just a maid! She's basically also a prostitute for Reba's pleasure. Why on earth they'd assume she was a lesbian/bi is never explained, and it certainly doesn't seem to be the norm. Then the maid gets all offended when Reba turns her down! I didn't see the point of this at all.
Then there's the writing itself. Weird metaphors ("she shook off the unwanted feeling like a coyote shaking off morning dew" - what the...?) and weird turns of phrase (people don't move things - they manipulate them; a simple response is said 'by rote'; 'so-and-so meet so-and-so' is the formal introduction performed by the king) both made this very difficult for me to read. I'd keep stopping to wonder at her weird choice of words. It feels at times like she's used a thesaurus and randomly picked a word without checking that it actually works. (Bringing to mind the episode of Friends where Joey 'Baby Kangaroo' Tribbiani does the same thing.) And in several lists commas were replaced with semi-colons which was mildly annoying more than anything else.
And there was a picture of a horse at the end of every chapter. I have no idea why. Horses were barely mentioned. This also confused me quite a lot.
Definitely not a series I'll be continuing with. Or a book I'll ever read again. Or a book I'll be recommending to anyone. Ever.(less)
Interesting concept, even if the politics and science and morals is a bit iffy. I have issues believe that any parent would be willing to have their c...moreInteresting concept, even if the politics and science and morals is a bit iffy. I have issues believe that any parent would be willing to have their child unwound - cut into pieces which are used in transplant surgeries, 99.44% of them to be exact - regardless of how troublesome they were. Particularly not for the some of the reasons we see here. One boy talks of how his parents got divorced and couldn't decide who got custody, that each of them would actually see him unwound than in the care of the other. This was the one that really hit home for me. I can't believe any degree of malice between parents could drive them to that.
The story itself was alright, the very beginning and the very end being my favourite parts. It was nice seeing the changes wrought in Connor and Lev in particular, and I really liked Connor. Other characters were just kind of...there. Even Risa who was one of the main POVs I didn't feel much connection to.
Not entirely sure if I'll be reading the next in the series. I'm intrigued as to what happens next, but not sure if I care about the world and the characters.(less)
2.5* for this book, because while the idea was interesting there were plot holes and inconsistencies throughout. In major ways and minor - the sun had...more2.5* for this book, because while the idea was interesting there were plot holes and inconsistencies throughout. In major ways and minor - the sun had just come up yet Isabel is seconds later bathed in moonlight. Characters would make decisions and react to things in ways that didn't really make sense. There were some nice twists to the story itself, and the idea of a shape-shifter being bound to protect the royal family is quite cool, but the fact that the shifting goes past shape was annoying. She 'shifts' away emotions, tears, pain. This didn't make sense to me, though it was quite nice seeing how intrinsic it was to the character, how much a part of her it was. Still, it was annoying.
For me, this book could have been so much better than it was. All the time I was reading it, I just got the feeling that it wasn't done being edited.(less)
I don't think anyone is exactly the way they seem, the way they let people see them. We all - to varying degrees - put a front on for the people aroun...moreI don't think anyone is exactly the way they seem, the way they let people see them. We all - to varying degrees - put a front on for the people around us. This book is a wonderful story looking at two people who do this probably more than most.
Brittany Ellis is rich, beautiful and white. Alejandro Fuentes is poor, Mexican and in a gang. They each have their own persona to live up to and secrets that they are hiding behind the front they put on. Thrown together in chemistry class, what starts out as antagonism and prejudice slowly becomes more as they get to know each other.
I really like the gang side of things, something which I haven't really come across in books before (at least not to this extent) and thought it was interesting. The smattering of Mexican/Spanish in the speech of the Mexican characters was a touch I really liked, though not knowing any Spanish myself I sometimes didn't have a clue what was being said.
It used to be that I hated alternating POVs in books, but I'm slowly becoming used to it thanks to authors who do it well - such as in this case. The story flows really well in the alternating view points. Of course, there are always scenes that you wish you could see from the other person's perspective but that's pretty much the norm for this format.
The story was a little predictable in that you always know where it's going to end up, but there are some nice...not quite twists and turns, but the path to the end wasn't always exactly what I was expecting. A light, easy read this is a lovely story of love, friendship and loyalty.(less)
This book started out a bit slow, but picked up pace towards the middle and kept it well through to the end. And once it did get going, I found it har...moreThis book started out a bit slow, but picked up pace towards the middle and kept it well through to the end. And once it did get going, I found it hard to put down! There are a couple of really great twists in there which I did not see coming at all, one making it somewhat similar to a couple of other recent books which I won't divulge so as not to ruin the surprise.
I like all the characters, but it is only like. I never really connected to Trella in particular and I can't really say why, though I really like Cogon, Riley and Logan. My favourite character was, however, Sheepy. I love him. I would almost recommend this book on strength of his appearances alone, though this is likely to be largely due to personal preference. Still.
I liked how Trella grew through the course of the story - she matures so much, and comes to understand people so much better which was nice to see. Riley was all lovely and gooey and I hope their relationship continues to develop because he is very good for her and is the catalyst to a lot of her changes. Logan was just kinda awesome. He get's so excited about his tech he's like a little kid, and it provided a lighter touch to what is an otherwise somewhat...dark? heavy? book (neither of them are quite the right word, but almost so they'll have to do).
(view spoiler)[I was disappointed with the way Cog's death was dealt with. Though he didn't receive much page-time, I liked him and he'd sacrificed a lot to help Trella and everyone else. The shock of finding out they're in space, Trella's closely following unconsciousness and the fact that you don't really see him die - only know that he does - kind of negated any emotion I would have felt. This is further backed up by the fact that Trella doesn't really seem to react to it either. He's been her best friend forever and yes there's a lot going on, but she hardly seems to grieve for him at all. This could have been done a lot better and was possibly the most disappointing thing for me in this book. (hide spoiler)]
I loved Snyder's first book, Poison Study, but none of the other have really lived up to that. This book is the closest she's come - generally good characters and a nice pace once it gets going - and for that reason I'm very happy. I'm tentatively looking forward to the next book and hoping it continues in the same line.(less)
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