Reading through everyone's reviews, this book is either made or broken by rather or not you like the author. I had never read Knaak before this novel....moreReading through everyone's reviews, this book is either made or broken by rather or not you like the author. I had never read Knaak before this novel. I liked the novel despite a few things. One, the word huberis appears too often for my taste. Two, his listing habits annoy the hell out of me. I understand he wanted to list the various weapons the classes use and listing the cities and clans, but it was really irritating to read over and over again. The other minor issue was with the characters behaving over the top and the story reading like a Dungeon Master's notes. Instead of showing, he was often telling and times when he could have told, the character whose head he was in would gloss over the subject.
It is worth the read. The story itself is entertaining as long as you can get past the annoyances of his style.(less)
This book has an interesting concept and was a long read. It could have used a better editor, however. There were discrepancies in the timeline, issue...moreThis book has an interesting concept and was a long read. It could have used a better editor, however. There were discrepancies in the timeline, issues with name changes, some issues with incorrect usages and spellings that a spellcheck wouldn't have caught, but a good beta reader might have. Editing would have helped and I wouldn't have been pulled as quickly out of the story. I think that was really what bothered me most.
The concept of the shapes and colours forming spells was interesting. It was fairly complex. The list of names, including aliases, occasionally became something I had to sit and think about. Although a lot of the details were needed, the book seemed bulky. Chime's character switched a lot between seeming like herself and seeming like Iris. I really believe their roles in the book were switched at one point. Della, the mage who trains mages, seems incompetent with all her guffawing about the mage powers being impossible. She is consistently wrong, and yet these people listen to her. The story falls into the trope that true love conquers all and while this is typical, it made me roll my eyes, especially where the character of Jarid and his faults were concerned. Chime's family grew apples, but their names were Bell, Drummer and Chime. At least her father's name was Appleton. The book is definitely worth a read, but I think too much happened. It could have easily been two or three books instead of one. Having Iris as the main character would have been boring, but Chime's insistence that she wasn't good enough got boring in its own right. The descriptions of all of the rooms shapes was slightly annoying as well.
All in all, I would recommend this book as a nice casual read for someone who enjoys a lot of action and mental bookwork. (less)
I really was not a fan of this book. The beginning hooked me in and made me want to read the book. A woman wakes in the middle of carnage and has no i...moreI really was not a fan of this book. The beginning hooked me in and made me want to read the book. A woman wakes in the middle of carnage and has no idea who she is, where she came from or even how to speak the language. Great hook! I want to know who she is and where she came from, too. So we follow the journey of the woman who becomes known as Tess to discover her identity. She is joined on this journey by three mysterious men, the tavern keeper's daughter and the son of the gatekeeper as they journey to find those who slaughtered the caravan.
Through the course of the book, characters speak of stories Tess has no knowledge of and they inform her so we, the readers, can learn of the stories without listening in on someone's thoughts or falling back on too many dream sequences. She and her companions wind up targets of the big bad whoop de whoop and a big battle happens at the end. The ending needs to go behind a spoiler for anyone who wants to read this later.
(view spoiler)[At the end, Archer and his two friends battled a raging horde of hive-mind villagers controlled by the big bad. They slayed every single mind controlled villager and soldier. Once Sara and Tess killed the big bad, they came down into the courtyard and, with a drop of blood, revived all the dead. All of them. An entire village came back from the dead. Then they all joined hands and vowed to continue fighting evil. (hide spoiler)]
The book is a quick read and keeps chumming you along to the ending, but when you get to the end, you kinda wonder where the plot went or if it was even there to begin with. It seemed to me that the author knew these characters so intimately that we were not introduced to them as thoroughly as we should have been. There were some errors the editor should have caught that stuck out to me. The story just seemed a little flat.(less)
LOVED this book. I really enjoy Wren's character and I like the dynamic between Wren and Sergei, even if their ending seemed a little forced and awkwa...moreLOVED this book. I really enjoy Wren's character and I like the dynamic between Wren and Sergei, even if their ending seemed a little forced and awkward. The storyline kept me questioning and I would like to see what other adventures they get themselves into. The writing style was easy to read and sucked me in. I didn't want to put it down. (less)
I really enjoyed this book. It was sent to me in a book club and I cancelled my membership. This is a book in the middle of a series and the ending fe...moreI really enjoyed this book. It was sent to me in a book club and I cancelled my membership. This is a book in the middle of a series and the ending felt just a little forced, but it was an enjoyable read for me. Elphame didn't fall to the typical "woman" trope of so many books. She had uncertainty and moments of weakness, but she was a strong woman who did what was right. The only thing that really bothered me was the literal Hand of God, so to speak, that is through the book. Epona has a literal hand in everything and crafts their world. As a silver lining to this, however, it is a well done Dues ex Machina. I can't wait to see what happens to Cu in the next book! (less)
I was not impressed. For all the talk this particular book has gotten in my circles, it really wasn't very interesting a read. The description was int...moreI was not impressed. For all the talk this particular book has gotten in my circles, it really wasn't very interesting a read. The description was interesting but I didn't find the book as anything monumental save for it being one of the first of its kind. The book was a quick read and allowed a glimpse into the world Lovecraft was trying to build, but taken on its own, it left me curious why it was so impressive to most of the genre. Perhaps taken with the other studies in the mythos I would be more impressed. As a stand alone, however, I wouldn't recommend it.(less)
For being a classic, I found myself unimpressed. I can't quite put my finger on what about the story was offputting, but the story seemed lacking some...moreFor being a classic, I found myself unimpressed. I can't quite put my finger on what about the story was offputting, but the story seemed lacking somehow. Wells' view the future was interesting and as a godfather of the genre, he was a visionary. Much like Lovecraft, however, I don't find him an exceptional writer.
The book on its own merit is an interesting look into the far future and something so creative it seems almost implausible. It is very easy to sympathize with the people hearing this wild story to believe or disbelieve what they are being told. At the end of the book I was left hoping that he did go back in time to save Weena from her fate.
All in all, it was well worth the read and would recommend it.(less)
I have been reading this book since May 18th and I have only been able to force myself through page 60. The short three to five word simple sentences ...moreI have been reading this book since May 18th and I have only been able to force myself through page 60. The short three to five word simple sentences annoy the hell out of me. Her comparison of a well muscled man looking like Moby Dick pulled me right the hell out of a story and I really couldn't give a shit less about Anita. I only kept reading at the point I was going to return it to the library because Anita MIGHT HAVE DIED. I care more about what happens to Jean-Claude than what happens to Anita and I took great pleasure at Nikolaos kicking the shit out of her. I have to force myself to finish reading this crap. I've read dime store romance novels that are better than this tripe.
When I started this book, I was deeply reminded of some of the games I used to play with childhood friends, a game played with the son of family frien...moreWhen I started this book, I was deeply reminded of some of the games I used to play with childhood friends, a game played with the son of family friends and games I still wish, in a way, I could play. The book seemed to progress from the mind of the child to the adolescent to the young adult and the language flowed along with it, which was both comforting and unsettling at the same time. There were times I was pulled from the book when the timeline and chronology seemed off (which, with research, in fact, were not) and at times the story seemed centered in modern times instead of the 70s and 80s when the book was set.
All in all I found Isabel to be a rather vapid character with no real direction or aim in her life. Her goals to be an actress seemed superficial at best and a pipeline dream. She was plain and simple and pretty easy to understand and, in the end, sympathetic. How many of us have gone through most of our lives with no ideas, no plans, only a vague idea of what would be nice? I know most of my life was filled that way, flitting around from one thing to another until I finally landed somewhere that seemed right. Is it still? Will it be permanently? Who knows?
In the end, the book left me with a feeling of sadness without closure. It seemed like I picked up on Isabel's sense of wanting and it has carried through with me. It has, however, given me the urge to write my own book with the lines that have been haunting me since I first started reading.
I would definitely recommend the book. It's a quick read and the plot is just enough to keep you following along to the end. The writer does a great job of letting us into Isabel's headspace and the subtle cultural references keep things in perspective.
Also, if anyone reads or has read, I would be interested in discussing the book with you. I still feel, even though I've read it, that I'm missing something important.(less)
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