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

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

Still, very behind and feedback ratio dropped in Oct.

October Netgalley Challenge

Beginning of month
Books on shelf: 39
Feedback ratio: 73%

Past Publication:
2018-2019:

2020:

Jan - Aug 2021:

September - October 2021:

Nov 2021:

2022:

Sophie, I am sorry you broke your hand and hope it feels better soon.

It is great that you found a book that you like that is also a longer book.

Sally, do not worry, it is most important that everyone has fun. Read what you enjoy.

Happy Round 2 Reading

Great job reading on Round 1. We are in 4th and only 1 point behind 3rd and ~180 behind first so doable if we want to try for first.

We maxed out our books for the round so in order to score more points, we would need to read longer books. Otherwise, happy reading. I am reading some zombie books for Halloween and rereading Illuminae, a favorite of mine for Wheel ("I" and good page numbers). The audio is great.

We are checked in for this round. Please don't finish a book for the next 45 minutes.

I'll will post an update on where we are in the rankings once all teams check in.

Sally, please add both. Those are very good page numbers and Sophie may not finish hers.

I just checked the formula on the SS and apparently we have room for 4 books if anyone is already reading one or I will see about reading a small one tomorrow afternoon (EST)

Right now, we have room for 3 more books.
1. Sandy (you can finish)
2. Sophie - already said may or may not finish
3. Maddy

If anyone has a book that they have already finished, please add to sheet, and I will move things around. Otherwise, if you are not one of the three above, please try not to finish any book before Round 2.

Countdown Here: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Wonderful. Thank you

We only have three book spaces left, if Sophie and Lisa finish theirs in time.

Maddy, that would work great

Update for End of Round 1

We have 24 hours to go. We have room for 8 more books.
Of those, Sandy has two of them currently reading, and one each for Sophie and Lisa.

This means there is room for FOUR more books. Please post if you have books not on the SS or have ones you will finish by tomorrow, so I can keep track of letters. Otherwise, I don't think we need too many tiny books if people want to start next week books.

Sandy, can you add your two added books to you Wheel shelf.

Jenn wrote: "Hello! I finished my book and got it on my shelf. I started my next book too and I noticed a page discrepancy. Goodreads has Mystic Pieces at 209 pages for the kindle edition, but m..."

Got the page numbers updated and fixed it on the SS so we got points for all 236 pages.

We have our Round 2 word for those who like to plan reading or just like knowing what's next:

Our word is: GRIM REAPER

The bonus this round is different, we'll need 10 books tagged (shelved) at least 10 times as Urban Fantasy. I think we should be able to do that without too much trouble.

I'll get Round 2 added to our tracking sometime today.

Countdown to end of round and start of next round: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...

Sana wrote: "I have ."

That would work if you think you have time before Saturday.

DAY 4 - CHAPTERS 15-19

13. Getting closer to the end now where all will be revealed. Does the character of Agnes Young and hearing the story of Tyler's near drowning shed any more light on the sister's story?
No, the whole thing was just starting to annoy me at this point. Coming back from the dead on why immune is not that interesting. Honestly, I wish Tyler got to be more of a person and more rounded but really no one really made me care too much what happened.

14. I enjoyed reading the research Iris did into the masked man. Who do you think he is and what is his agenda regarding the three sisters?
I already finished, but I did not guess it, though I wish it was something else.

15. "Outside Edinburgh was steeped in predawn darkness. We headed toward Saint Giles' Cathedral...We walked, shivering through the Old Town's warren of narrow lanes.."
" The ruins of the chapel sat on a squat hill overlooking a small loch in Holyrood Park... The ruins were two stories tall; only the corner of the chapel remained now the walls tendered in rough stone in some century long passed. "
How does the setting in Edinburgh's Old Town contribute to the spookiness of the tale? Would the story work equally as well in a more modern city or urbanised area?
Edinburgh is often used as haunted so not really that original. I did not mind the description but felt the author used scenery in place of character development.

16. Finally Iris and Tyler make a break through entering the strange place through the doorway.
"The Halfway.
It's putrid. It's a slowly rotting canker somewhere between the realms of life and death."
Your first impressions of this place? Is the story following the path you expected and how does the language contribute to your feelings of The Halfway and what happens there?

This was a major fail for me. It should have been the peak for horror elements with dead bodies everywhere, but I could have cared less. I just did not connect with the description. Somehow this was less creepy than Hollow Place’s willows.

Day 3: Chapters 11-15

9.Let’s talk about Cate. What could Grey have possibly said to her to make a mother hate her child? (If she is her child.) What do you think of Cate and Iris’ relationship?

I have finished the book since the library wanted my copy back but I had guessed part of it.

10. What do you think causes the sisters to have the power of suggestion, or the power of the kiss, or whatever you call it?
I think this is playing on the fae theme.

11. How do you feel about Grey's actions in the hospital and during the escape?
It wasn’t the best written scene to me. It seemed rushed and did not build up much suspense. I cannot help comparing this to Kingfisher’s Hollow Places, as this one is really lacking to me on the horror front.

12. The girl says “It is in me…In her…In you.” What is in them? And, may I say, yuck. This story seems very myth-laden. Has anyone recognized the myth yet, or do you think this is an original one? Are you enjoying the story so far? (Is anyone else having a flashback to the creepy video in season one of True Detective, or is it just me?)
It plays with fae in general and I kept hoping for more originality or specifics. Everything looks beautiful but is hollow or rotten within is very common.

And, just out of curiosity, has anyone done a Google search on the flowers yet?

Not yet, but familiar with the family

Day 2: Chapters 6-10

5. Grey leaves her sisters a note that reveals the creepy guy is really a very bad person...that she's in peril. She provides a key and sends them to a super creepy apartment...'The missing sister, the dead body, the burned apartment, the gunshot wound, the armful of stolen artifacts. Even harder: the man in the skull, the flowers growing rampant in all the soft parts of a corpse.' What is your conclusion so far?

I think Grey has always wanted to go back and not sure why now from skull dude. Debating between being changelings or just changed by the experience.

6. Vivi and Iris find a diary from their father...his notes supporting the Vogue article with all kinds of rumors about the girls. What do you think about their father? Was he crazy? Are his girls dead?

See above on unsure but I think he was on to something being not right, and no one believing him must have been really hard.

7. What is with the flowers and vegetation found in the girls and around the girls? This organic, smelly stuff keeps showing up? What do you think is behind it?

Still voting on fae and certain flowers are linked to doorways and/or death.

8. Tyler shows up at the end of this section of our reading. There's an article referenced with mention of a disappearance. Someone else came back. What do you think is next? What will Tyler's role be...hero, bad guy, or is his appearance a cameo/distraction?

I think Tyler could be great addition, less naive and hopefully does not introduce any love triangles. I will take back anything I said if there is lots of moping about him being hot. Otherwise, I think he is a good person and innocent of Grey’s disappearance because that would leave this as a normal book and not paranormal.

Day 1 - prologue - Chapter 5

1. What sort of stuff do you like in your horror books? Do you like the slow pacing here?
I like creepy, abnormal ones and get disappointed a lot by reveals at the end. I like ones that keep a letter of mystery. So far, this one is good with the set-up of characters and unknown creepiness. I will see how it goes.

2. What do you think of the sister's and their relationship with each other?
The younger two seem to do ok with each other. I think their relationship with the older may not be entirely healthy.

3. We are getting hints about the strangeness around the Hollow girls, and at what happened to them. What are your suspicions? Would you be like Cate with her daughters, and not push at the memories overtly or dig actively?
This start with the standard no one can remember past childhood event. Here it seems to be fae. I think Cate fits a spot for the plot but does not entirely seem like a real person so far.

4. The descriptions (of Grey's clothing in particular!) is very atmospheric. Are you enjoying the descriptive language used?
I am, but I could see it get a bit much depending on how much it goes on.