Lexi’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2016)

Lexi’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

We can spin for a new task or word whenever we finish one, there is no set time frame.

Second Murderbot, anything by T Kingfisher. Penric series also good audios.

I thought Pachinko took place in Korea under the rule of the Japanese empire but I haven’t read it so I may be wrong.

If you are going to start with book 1, I would hold off as we can only respin once every task is finished. However I’m sure once you read it that it’ll be usable.

Oh yes. The ending is great. There is a a brilliant twist at the start of the third book.

Glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoy the series but found the second one slow but well worth it to get to the third one.

Volunteering for D8.

I finished a monster if someone wants to spin a new monster

Welcome, Robin

Thank you, Logan. My internet is pretty inconsistent as I have to walk to the office compound to use it and power has to be on.

Logan has agreed to write DQs for D8

I finished my eighth so good to go there

I’ve started an 8th in series of that helps at all

Stacie, your book is currently not being used in the mini so no rush if you finish it in Round 3. We will still get points for it.

Melanie, how are you doing with your mini challenge books? Do you need help?

Kim and Vikki, how are you doing on yours?

DQs Day 5

16.) Were there any surprises about the supporting characters? Did they get the endings you expected? That the characters deserved?
I liked that Theodora lived and was actually an adult but unsure how well she’ll do without her brother since she looks like a child. It was sad about the aunt and it’s why I think the book moved from religion to romance. If the religious aspect was forefront they would have made it to Greece. I also don’t really think adding a FF relationship to the dislikable character added much.

17.) Did the ultimate point and outcome of the tournament leave you satisfied? Or did the whole thing seem like a bizarre waste of everyone's time, money, and life (literally in some cases)?
Seemed to kind of fall apart in plot as the author wanted to aim for the ending and get there faster. It would have been better without the cartoonish antagonist added. It was a waste but that was also kind of the point but could have been written better.

18.) Luiza and Santangel's ending. Was it what you were hoping for? Satisfying? Remind you of how a different series ended the storyline for lead MCs (view spoiler). Would the ending of worked if the magical system had been more defined? I still don't have a handle on the parameters of Luiza's magic. Maybe there isn't any?
To be honest it annoyed me. There is very little consistency in the magic world building. So she can teleport once because of the magic stone but resurrect daily from turning to ash without any help. Ash is a chemical change and more than just fixing glass or fabric. Also why did the luck break if the ash part of the curse did not. That makes no sense.

19.) What did you end up rating the book? Would you recommend it to others?
This is one of those book which I went back and forth between two and three stars. I ended up with two because it would have been three for the lackluster romance without that ending.

Day 3 DQ's Chapter 24 - 33

9. We keep hearing how people smell. Luzia of orange blossoms, Perez of plums and amber. Why do you think the author keeps mentioning this? Do the smells mean more than just an odor?
I think some is for economic situations as Amber costs money but I think it’s also supposed to be sensuel since S keeps commenting on it. I kept finding it repetitive.

10. We are over halfway through the book. What has been your favorite part/scene/person/line so far?
I agree with others that nothing has stood out for me and the plot is expected so far. Also the romance element feels forced and utterly unnecessary as it takes over the second half of the story.

11. Valentina and Marius seem to be rekindling their marriage, finding love where there wasn't before. Why do you think the author is adding that part of the story when she could have left it out?
I have finished the book and it’s odd that she started to go down this route and then abandoned it. The ending annoyed me on multiple levels. I think to be more sympathetic but I wasn’t buying it.

11. Now we are over halfway and know more of Luzia, the competition and this world. Why do you think the publisher and possibly the author chose this cover over any other possibilities? If you could remake the cover, what would you want it to look like?
The cover probably didn’t want to be too religious to keep market appeal and the religious aspect is muted in the second half so not surprising that the romance got the cover. People in reviews seem to like it so it did its job. Someone commented on hell. First she refers to herself as having two religions. She is Jewish but only has bits and pieces due to secrecy and persecution. Her mother knew more it seems. Also some Jewish texts have a purgatory like place. There have been many beliefs over time and Zoroastrian influence. Zoroastrians are very interesting and influential on Christian thought as well. Go look them up. Either way she’s been attending mass her entire life, one would expect some version of hell to have slipped in.

DQ’s Day 1
1- Although Valentia feels shame in her actions to confront Luzia and her magic she still threatens her to use it at her dinner party. What were your thoughts and do you feel bad for Valentia and her desperation?
I've finished the book at this point and I never felt much if any sympathy for her. She’s is much better economically and is anemometer so is just abusing a position of power to better herself socially.

2-Valentia did not want Luzia to leave the house and gave her extra chores. Why do you think Valentia did not want Luzia to leave the house?
She’s showing she has control and to keep her from running away.

3-How did using music and song to make Luzia magic work make you feel or think of.
It is a rather traditional way of doing magic in these books. So far it is small magics and not that original.

4- Don Victor(De Paredes) shows up at Casa Ordobos to make sure Luzia has a room with and even hints at having her join him if not. Why do you think having Luzia in her own room benefits either of them?
For luzia it is a step upon comfort and privacy. It gives a place for her lessons and shows the household he has control.

I’ll add an extra token as well for D8

Sorry for formatting issues, I nominate
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Tagged epistolary 32 times

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.