Allison Ann’s Comments (group member since Oct 19, 2014)

Allison Ann’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQ Day 4 Chapters 14-19

16. I felt so bad for Reese to be able to see her father again and so different. Mr. Harker changed in ways none of the girls have. Why do you think the Tox is more aggressive with men? Is it just hormones or something else? Was Reese’s reaction to Hetty killing her father a normal reaction? Do you think Reese has lost hope now?

I'm assuming the Tox reacts more to testosterone, but I am really not invested enough to think about it too much. I am impressed by Hetty being strong enough to kill Mr. Harker though and then get Reese out of there. Reese's response was normal, you always hope you can save the people you love. I think she'll take some time to recover, but eventually accept that Hetty did what had to be done. Will she forgive her though?

17. Byatt’s section was pretty intense. This is the first time that we see the Tox attacking someone and how horrific it is. By the end she seems pretty resigned and ready to die when Paretta tells her that they are evacuating and there will be no more help for Roxton. Do you think Byatt understood that she was condemned everyone to death by breaking quarantine?

Hetty and Reese broke quarantine, so I don't really know how to answer this question, but I do think Byatt was resigned to death.

18. Welch and the Headmistress are really upset about quarantine being broken. Do you believe they know who did it? What do you think about Welch telling the truth to the Boat Shift girls on the dock before she kills herself? Do they believe her or are just to overwhelm to really process everything?

I was really surprised by Welch's suicide. I thought she'd continue to care for the girls until they were all dead first. It seemed she gave up so fast that she must have more information that she didn't share. Though I think what she did say was true.

19. Hetty was right when she said Welch held everything and everyone together (paraphrasing). The first night she is gone things start to fall apart. Hetty not locking the gate when they got back. Gun Shift girls falling asleep on duty. Both reasons caused Lindsey to die. Do you think Hetty will step up to lead to the girls to make sure things do not dissolve any further into chaos or let her guilt of not locking the gate overwhelm her?

Hetty doesn't strike me as a leader, I think she cares about Byatt to the exclusion of everyone else, including Reese.

Jessi wrote: "Thanks Allison for the page count! I didn’t ever see which page count to use for wilder girls like I did for Gideon the Ninth!"

I think they've put a page count on every BOM, just happened to notice this one.

I don't read many ebooks, but I have a free Kindle one going that is super purple. Do I use the given Kindle page count? It is a few higher than the default edition, but not much.

Alysa wrote: "@Allison, can you please shelve Angel Among Us? :D"

Done

I was reading through some Wilder Girls questions when I noticed a mod post at the beginning that stated we were all to use 368 pages for our books. So while I was changing mine, I also changed Jessi and Joanne on the planning sheets. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, because I know someone lost points last week because of this.

Day 3 DQs - Hetty (Ch 9) - 13

11. After all the tension in the beginning between Hetty and Reese, and now that they only have each other without Byatt as the middleman, they admit their true feelings toward one another. I felt like we didn't get much of a buildup to it so did you feel the chemistry between them? Did you think this turn in their relationship was believable? Forced? Necessary, or something to give the reader hope?

Typical YA, they have to shoehorn a romance into everything, even this. I believe Reese has had her feelings for a long time and I believe that any feelings Hetty might have had previously were co-opted by Byatt. With Byatt gone, the truth comes out.

12. I didn't stop to consider how everyone's symptoms were so varied until Byatt started listing them for Teddy. Why do you think it reacted so differently with everyone it infected?

Don't know and it's one of my top questions, hope we get to find out more about the Tox.

13. We learned a lot more about Byatt which made me rethink the previous interactions she had with her friends. Did Hetty and Reese really know the real Byatt? And is Byatt reliable as a narrator knowing that she's a compulsive liar?

Byatt is a manipulator. I think Reese knew this and Hetty was clueless. I assume narrators are reliable, even if they are liars, the narration is internal so I expect them to be true.

14. Byatt manipulated poor Teddy into removing his mask and kissing him. Why do you think she did this? To infect him, just because she could, or because she really believed it only affected girls (though come on, Mr. Harker!)?

I think she did it because she could. It strikes me that Byatt might have had some serious "acting out" problems before she came to Raxter.

15. When Mona told Byatt that "They'll ruin it," who do you think she was referring to and what do you think she meant by it? Mona then asks if Byatt would keep the disfigurements caused by the Tox even if there was a cure. What did you make of this? Why do you think they would want to keep them?

Byatt was definitely lying when she said she wouldn't keep her changes. Does it make them special? Does it affect how they feel? Is it the isolation, the break from the real world? I think those are the girls they are experimenting on, the ones who welcome the Tox, the ones who were somehow "wrong" before.

Day 2 - chapters 4 - 8

5. The Boat Shift segment was intense! The description of the changes to the island were very evocative (and reminiscent of Annihilation, as Frankie mentioned). Are you going to be able to walk in the woods the same again? How effective are you finding the fungal horrors?

I live in the woods, I can't imagine being frightened by anything in my woods. That is probably the most horrifying thing in this book so far, that the woods are wrong.

6. Welch. First, during the Boat Shift segment; Did you believe/agree with Welch at the first reading? And by the end of this section, looking back, do you still agree? Would you have done what Hetty did, and complied with the rule of silence? Then we discover Welch is communicating with someone (with a familiar voice....) about receipt, replacement and returns. By the end of this section we can guess at "receipt", but who / what is being returned?? Were you surprised by the reveal of Welch being in on "it"?

I'm not surprised about Welch being in on it, I never thought they were completely abandoned. Someone is outside controlling the "experiment". I would have gone along like Hetty, but I'd definitely be keeping my eyes (well eye anyway) and ears open now.

7. Hetty has a big revelation about Reese "I've spent my every day since I met her telling myself the wrong thing. Telling myself over and over that she was cold, when maybe she was burning the whole time" I actually judged Hetty a lot at this point, for being so blinkered and oblivious, but I did like the adjustment she made during the conversation. How do you feel about Hetty, Reese and Byatt? Are they becoming more credible characters yet?

I don't like any of them to be honest. Not yet anyway.

8. We have a switch in POV to Byatt. What do you think of this choice by the author?

Not a fan, but I can understand it for this book.

9. The Byatt segment shows medical stuff happening. What do you make of that? Are they curing or creating?

They are experimenting and I'm assuming they are trying to weaponize the Tox as opposed to curing it.

10. "Just before a flare-up, there's a moment. Hard to describe, hard to pin down, but for me it almost makes it worth it. The pain and the loss, all of it a fair price for this. This strength, this power, this eagerness to bare my teeth>" What do you think this quote means? Does it hint at reasons for the Tox? At future developments in the story line?

Like I said, weaponize.

wren wrote: "Does anyone know if anyone else on another team has read this year? It's YA and the cover looks pretty green to me and it would be nice if it's a s..."

No one on my friend's list, sorry wren.

People are idiots. Unfortunate but often true.

I've called dibs on 3 tricky animals for next week, but I can switch out if anyone finds them elsewhere. :)

Cat wrote: "colour check:

brown??"

Just randomly wandering through threads - one of my favourite books and definitely brown. :) Hope you enjoy.

Alysa wrote: "Also, @Allison
OMG, the cover of the next book you just added.
Too bad it’s not red or it’d be a Sin Bingo for sure, with that level of grab-ass!"

No kidding eh? I wandered the aisles of my library, looking for big fat books that weren't historical or fantasy. That is what I found. Actually, I think I read it when it was first published, but since that was 1985, I don't really remember. Oh the Jackie Collins era. :)

Thanks Alysa. I was already done Sarum: The Novel of England but I bet I can find a woolly mammoth in another Rutherfurd novel for next week. I will definitely check. I have found a capybara in another book, but I don't see it on our spreadsheet. I may have been hallucinating when I checked the list.

Added 3 books to the spreadsheet. I put down for a brown cover, because I'm sure I saw it approved somewhere. If that's my sick brain thinking though, it will also work for a hateful character. only works for Sin Specification, but is lots of points. And is a Sin Bingo.

I'm still chipping away at the BOM (not loving it to be honest) and I should have another 900 pager done tomorrow. Then I might read a few shorter mysteries. Most of my longer books seem to be historical fiction and high fantasy - need some fluff to break it up. :)

DQ’s Day One: Chapters 1-3

1. It’s interesting to see the dynamic between the main girls (Hetty, Byatt, Reese). They can fist fight over food one minute, but still be best friends the next. Reminds me of my sister & I. LOL. Have you ever had this kind of relationship with someone?

Definitely a sibling relationship. My sister and brothers and I are in our forties now, so the physical fights are relegated to whipping things at each others' heads, but if I'm ever driven to murder, it will probably be a blood relation.

2. Byatt sneaks out of the room when she thinks Hetty is sleeping, then crawls up in Reese’s bunk when she returns. Where do you think she snuck off to? & what did she mean when she said to Reese, ”If you know something...”? Reese shuts down & kicks her out of her bunk. Wonder what their secret is?

No clue yet.

3. Hetty says, “And I’ve wanted boys, and I’ve wanted girls, but I’ve never wanted anyone enough to miss them, enough to pluck them from the slideshow of my old life and bring them here.”
People have different ways of handling emotional stuff like this. Some people (like Hetty) believe thinking or talking about your loved ones or past life would only make the situation harder to deal with emotionally. Put yourself in this situation. How do you think you’d cope with missing your old life/family? Would you be like Hetty & shut down emotionally to prevent more pain? Or would you be like the other girls, laughing & sharing stories of your old life?

Shut down and silent would probably be my style.

4. Personally, I’m really enjoying the book already! I love the writing style, the world building, & the characters. I know we’re only a few chapters in, but how are you liking it so far? What aspect of the book do you like best at this point (writing, world building, characters, etc.)?

It's YA but it doesn't feel terribly YA to me, so that's great.

Hey team. Managed to come down with pneumonia. Lots of reading, just not lots of energy for being on the computer. Sorry for the lack of participation this week. I'll post my books well before deadline though. I have some good page points happening. :D

Alysa wrote: "Kerri wrote: "I can get the YA one fairly easily and will read it, but haven't signed up for DQs because I'm not sure whether I want to, there is still *plenty* of time, and also Allison volunteered already ;D"

Please sign up if you want to. I generally hate writing DQs, but will always try for the points. :D

Found a copy, I'm in. Team Ira, but there are enough volunteers for DQs already.

Joanne wrote: "Allison Ann wrote: "Happy Week 2 Team Ira! We did a fantastic job on Week 1. I am currently reading an awesome 900 page book that I can not wait to go home and finish. Thank goodness my busy season..."

Hey Joanne. I'm your neighbour over in NW Ontario, where we got about 8 mm of snow which immediately melted. Glad you've still got power. Be careful out there, not sure why all the idiots have to go out driving when it snows.

Also I'm afraid your book looks gray to me.

Happy Week 2 Team Ira! We did a fantastic job on Week 1. I am currently reading an awesome 900 page book that I can not wait to go home and finish. Thank goodness my busy season is almost over (one more day). Hope you are all having a good weekend and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians.

I didn't like the beginning of the book and then it got better as I continued but then it all fell apart at the end. It was choppy and confusing and a bit ridiculous. I can't even imagine trying to understand the audio. I also got a YA vibe from the writing - there were enough teenagers in the cast of characters that it was noticeable. I probably won't read the next book(s). Oh well, always fun to read outside my comfort zone.