Rosh ~catching up slowly~’s Comments (group member since Aug 23, 2021)

Rosh ~catching up slowly~’s comments from the NetGalley Addicts Support Group group.

"Hotel Magnifique" by Emily J. Taylor.

A decent debut YA Fantasy but could have been a lot better. The fantasy part is outstanding. The writing, amateurish. 3.5 stars.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Yes, both audiobooks and ebooks disappear from the app unless you've downloaded them. The first thing I do for my audiobooks is download them to my phone and the first thing I do for ebooks is send them to my Kindle. Streaming doesn't keep them, only downloading does. They should be visible in your "My Books" section once properly downloaded.

Oh sorry. I assumed you meant audio when you said Three hours left. I don't read ebooks on the Netgalley Shelf app as it strains my eyes.
If it's already archived, I can't think of anything other than emailing Netgalley support. They usually respond promptly, though I'm not sure how much they'll be able to help out for an archived book. You can try your luck and see... I hope you get the rectified version. It's a bummer to lose a book so close to the end.

Tried downloading the file and then playing it instead of streaming it?
If you were listening to a downloaded version, try deleting and downloading once again (as long as the book isn't archived yet. Archived books can't be downloaded.)

1. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

A heartwarming though somewhat predictable book. Definitely recommend the audio version. 4 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. The Secret Wild by Alex Evelyn

An excellent children's novel full of adventure and mystery. 4.5 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

3. Tin Man by Justin Madson

An interesting graphic novel, combining elemets from The Wizard of Oz and The Iron Giant. 4.25 stars. I got this from Edelweiss but it is on NetGalley too.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I did have one ARC recently (The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell) where all the "fl"s and "fr"s were missing. It was tough to read at first and affected both the pace and the flow. Luckily, I soon figured out the pattern and just went ahead fitting in the fr/fl as required. The plot was good enough so I managed to complete it. I send a note on this to the publisher while submitting my review through Netgalley.

If it is a major problem and I simply can't read the galley, I send an email to support@netgalley.com. I always get a response from them when I mention any file-related issues. You could try doing the same. Just mention the book's name. If all the ARCs where you found this issue were by the same publisher, maybe you could make a mention of that too.

My review of The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham. Loved the historical details. The writing style, not so much.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed 3 very different kinds of ARCs. Each was good in its own way.

1. "Voting Day" by Clare O'Dea

A literary fiction novella showing a glimpse of the day Swiss men went to vote on whether women should get the right of suffrage. A thought-provoking indie work. 4.25 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. "Across the Desert" by Dusti Bowling

A middle-grade adventure with a 12 year old girl fighting personal and natural issues to save an online friend. Kids will love it; parents might be worried of its approach. 3.75 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

3. "Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo"

A manga version of the Alexandre Dumas classic. It does complete justice to the original. 4.25 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed "The Family Holiday" by Shalini Boland. Mixed feelings, slightly more tilted towards the negative side.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed "Lenny" by Laura McVeigh.
This one broke my heart with its beauty and depth. Simply amazing. 4.75 stars for the audiobook.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed "Peach Blossom Spring" by Melissa Fu. Didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected. 2.5 stars. 😕
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Loved "The Cartographers" by Peng Shepherd despite certain shortcomings in the plotline. It was a very imaginative plot and provided ample surprises along the way. 4.25 stars from me.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

They are legit. I've reviewed about 50 titles for them. But you wont find big publishers there. Mostly indie works. I have discovered some really good indie writers through their site.

What I like most about them is the analysis they provide of your reading and reviewing stats using your Goodreads account (as Heather pointed out) and the details they provide wrt the books. Their customer care is also very receptive to ideas. (They are also supposed to be more pocket-friendly than NetGalley for authors.) Books don't get archived by publishing date but when the reader spots are filled up. This stat is shown on the book info page so it's very helpful to plan if you want to request the book immediately or bookmark it for later.

What I don't like about the site is that you can't search books by author or book title, only by genre.

I am still more active on NetGalley but I try to read at least a couple of BookSirens titles every month to support indie authors.

Completed "The Nurse" by Claire Allan.

Don't go by the bland cover and title. It is a very dark and disturbing read, though it could have worked even better with tighter editing.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

YA readers, here's an unusual YA retelling for you.
One for All by Lillie Lainoff

A gender-bent retelling of "the Three Musketeers".
Has its flaws but still worth a read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola.

Great on historical research and plot, but a bit slow.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Had two three-star reads in a row, but the second one is definitely better than the first.

1. Two Doors Away by Elle Spellman
Looks like a romcom because of its cover but isnt.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
A cute story but too dragged.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Freedom Dues by Indra Zuno - a debut historical fiction work set in the 1730s. The author has done fabulous research but wish she had balanced the issues a bit. This was almost like misery porn. Mentally draining.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Disappeared by Laura Jarratt - a well-written drama with some great emotions.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Two back-to-back average historical fiction reads. :/

1. The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell - Begins so well, but goes steadily downwards.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham - Gets the historical timeline well, but the contemporary timeline is boring.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...