Melindam’s Comments (group member since May 02, 2017)

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

DQs Day 5

17. what did you think of the quest into Faerie?
It was OK in a same old, same old style.

18. Orga seems like a fun addition to the characters, but do you have a favourite of the various Fae we've met?
Poe, most definitely. I really liked him.

19. Did you enjoy the ending? And the book generally? Any thoughts on character development during this book?
I gave it 3 stars (more like 2,5, really), because it was not in any way bad, but very repetitive and a bit boring.

20. There's a book 3! Will you be reading about their retaking of Wendell's kingdom?
NO. :) I find I cannot care about either Emily or Wendell and don't feel curious enough to bother.

DQs Day 4

13.) Well, they found de Gray and the answer to the weird damage to the front door of their cottage. And she's now anticlimactically out of Faerie and time. Did that meeting go as you expected at the outset of the book?
Compared to how the long the whole build-up was, its suddenness and seeming ease was quite anticlimactic.

14.) She said yes! Surprised? Do you think it'll be that simple to be engaged and marry a prince of the Fae? Or become queen of a Realm?
No & No. I also have my doubts about their happily ever after, as for me their attraction/feelings (?) are unconvincing. Also the world-building is just so hazy I have trouble picturing their lives in Faerie.

15.) It is just me or has Emily learned next to nothing? Why does she still seem to always think doing it her way and alone is best? *bangs forehead on book*
Not just you. At the beginning I thought there were some changes in Emily, but was proven wrong. It was very much same old, same old the whole way through the book.

16.) Do you think Emily's trip into Faerie will be successful in retrieving the cat? Will we finally meet the stepmother? And do you think she and her niece will make it out of the Realm in one piece?
I've already finished, but I had had no doubts about the success of the mission.

Murderbot 4 comes in handy for the page count. 😉

😅

Did my own headbanging, Judith. 😁

Also for all her supposed intelligence and hypotesising, it took her an awful lot of time (view spoiler)[to connect that bloody faun foot and the night raids. It was a really frustrating because-of-plot move. (hide spoiler)]

Will answer the rest of the Qs tomorrow.

American Tabloid by James Ellroy

We are behind, and below, the scenes of JFK's presidential election, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination—in the underworld that connects Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, D.C....

Where the CIA, the Mob, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, Jimmy Hoffa, Cuban political exiles, and various loose cannons conspire in a covert anarchy...

Where the right drugs, the right amount of cash, the right murder, buys a moment of a man's loyalty...

Where three renegade law-enforcement officers—a former L.A. cop and two FBI agents—are shaping events with the virulence of their greed and hatred, riding full-blast shotgun into history....

James Ellroy's trademark nothing-spared rendering of reality, blistering language, and relentless narrative pace are here in electrifying abundance, put to work in a novel as shocking and daring as anything he's written: a secret history that zeroes in on a time still shrouded in secrets and blows it wide open.

Chosen by Time magazine as one of the ten best books of the year.

#23

2,5 stars rounded up to 3

It was ok, but I was not impressed with the rinse-and-repeat kind of story. Not adding book 3 to my TBR.

BTW, I don't remember Emily being so conveniently clumsy in Book 1. Impractical and non-athletic, yes, but not tripping over her own feet all the time.

DQ's Day 3


9. Shadow (a grimm) is getting older it seems and although he has been back in fairy for brief moments. Do you think if he goes back to Wendell's fairy that he will regain his vitality?
I like him, so I'm hoping that Emily won't lose him either to old age or to a mishap. On the other hand, the author is very hazy on these magical creatures, so I'm not sure how or why is Shadow aging? I suspect it's being in the land of mortals...

10. There seems to be so many fairy doors here and different folk in this area of the continent that it seems weird there has not been more research in this area. Do you think it's because of the missing scholars (DeGray and Eichorn)? What did you think about when Wendell moved them through the landscape several times running from the huntsman?
Once again, world-building and the magic of any kind of faes is hazy at best, so I'm not sure what to expect from Wendell as far as super powers go of how his magic is being affected by the poison. Or why he has trouble finding an entrance to his own lands.

11. What did you think about when Wendell moved them through the landscape several times running from the huntsman? And creating a castle?
Same as above.

12. Emily seems to be leading the pact with Wendell sick and Rose seeming to cautious. Do you think Emily will find the correct Fairie or end up finding a land they have never studied?
She's bound to find the right one, though I guess it will come at a price.

DQs - Day 2

5. We have the identity of the ribboned visitor. Did you guess this? What do you think of another anti-social scholar character, but gender switched?
I have not guessed it.. I thought he may be connected to Wendell's Kingdom somehow.
I'm getting a bit bored with the cliche.


6. Would you use the ribbon system if you were in this area, or do you have a modification?
I kind of lost the thread already after the up and down a bit and the adding the of the directions. I thought it was overcomplicated, but maybe it's just me.

7. Do you like Rose more after his talk with Emily. Do you think he was being honest or manipulative?
He comes off as honest, but .... I have my suspicions that maybe that friend of his does not exist and it all happened to him??

8. Fox fae appear to be vicious. Do you have any thoughts on what Wendell meant when healing Rose? How do you think this will affect Emily and her view on fae?
Emily seems rather unfazed by the fae in general, so I don' think it will make much of a difference on her views.
I on the other hand have serious doubts whether she would be happy in a faerie land, especially in one that Wendell is from.

I also needed the images to cheer us up, as Sammy's news made me sad. (But yes, totally understandable. )

I simply cannot NOT post these images. They are just begging to be shared here:




And I ssoooo much wish I could switch places with that lucky b*tch (with any of them, really). 🫠🤭

🥰🤩🥳

I won't be quitting GR till there is the chance to connect with you all here. 🥰

Also, it's not 100% sure, but we may be travelling to London in June the w/e with Whit Sunday.

For the time being, I have downloaded the kobo app on my tablet, that will tie me over nicely until hubby finds me a bargain new device.

Also, I will still be using my kindle as I've got loads of unread books and kindle books I intend to reread.

The other reason I'm keeping my account is b/c of audible. I'm not sure kobo has credit-option and generally the audiobooks are in the same price range.

I have been considering for a while, not to fully quit amazon, but trying to cut back on buying kindle books and switch to some other ebook provider.

And I checked kobo ebook prices for my wishlist and found that 90% of those books are much cheaper there. So I registered and just went on an Easter spree.

I have never much liked the band or this particular song, but it's something quite a lot of Hungarians could refer to, although I have my doubts about the younger generations. 😊

Sharing this Scalzi link here as it was such a curious coincidence that he used the HU translation as an example. 😊

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/02/0...

DQs - Day 1

1) Emily is back! What are your first impressions of her this time around? Can you see any changes in her compared to Book1?
She may be trying to pretend to herself that she hasn't changed, but I think she knows this is not true. She seems to be slightly more social and may be engaging more with her colleagues and students.

2) Apparently Emily is still stalling on giving an answer to Wendell's marriage proposal. Do you think she'll say yes at the end of the book or will this stay unresolved?
I haven't been aware until now that there is a book 3, but it's highly likely that at least she will decide to marry Wendell by the end of the book.

3) We meet some other characters of the Faculty in Cambridge. What do you think of Farris Rose getting in the picture and establishing himself as part of the field research team? Do you think he'll be an asset or a hindrance?
It can go either way, but I'm hoping he'll prove to be useful and supportive, even if he's not going to be especially nice about it.

4) And finally: Ariadne, Emily's niece joins the team as student. Do you think Wendell was honest with Emily about why he didn't want Ariadne to join them? Was it as simple as what he said or may there be an ulterior motive?
There could be an ulterior motive behind it. I was wondering -though it may turn out to be me and my imagination only- that her name and the fact that they are looking for a portal/nexus may mean that she will have a part to play (?)

Bonus Q: If you had to survive in Emily’s world, what role would you play? Scholar? Adventurer? Faerie trickster?
I'd be staying on campus, preferably being a librarian and chief tea-maker and biscuit provider.

Bonus Bonus Q: Give yourself a whimsical job title, like “Moss Mapping Cartographer, Third Class or Senior Fae Liaison”
I could be Assistant Book Whisperer and Chief Tea Strategist.

DQs - Day 1

1) Emily is back! What are your first impressions of her this time around? Can you see any changes in her compared to Book1?

2) Apparently Emily is still stalling on giving an answer to Wendell's marriage proposal. Do you think she'll say yes at the end of the book or will this stay unresolved?

3) We meet some other characters of the Faculty in Cambridge. What do you think of Farris Rose getting in the picture and establishing himself as part of the field research team? Do you think he'll be an asset or a hindrance?

4) And finally: Ariadne, Emily's niece joins the team as student. Do you think Wendell was honest with Emily about why he didn't want Ariadne to join them? Was it as simple as what he said or may there be an ulterior motive?

Bonus Q: If you had to survive in Emily’s world, what role would you play? Scholar? Adventurer? Faerie trickster?
Bonus Bonus Q: Give yourself a whimsical job title, like “Moss Mapping Cartographer, Third Class or Senior Fae Liaison” ... 🤭