Shannon’s Comments (group member since May 21, 2018)

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

Shannon DQ Tracking:
Day 1: Link
Day 2: Link
Day 3: Link
Day 4: Link
Day 5: Link

DQ Set 5: Chapter 63 - end

21. Simone was not safe in the shed! Shocker! There was a flurry of blood and gore here. Generally, did you like the pacing of the book? Was it effective in building and holding tension for you?

I really enjoyed the pace of the book. I don't read that many fast paced books. I feel like the majority are medium paced, but I thought this book kept me interested in it. I didn't want to put the book down.

22. What did you think of the Denny twist?

I was incredibly confused by this because I thought Denny was a good guy (which he obviously was, but that was revealed later). I was reading it thinking to myself, how did I guess this wrong?

23. We finally arrive at the luxury lodge! What thoughts did you have about the lodge and events there? And the final reveal?

I thought it was odd that the lodge was open. But I understand why now. I thought that it was actually really smart of Kiernan to swap the place he was staying at in such a quick time period. I thought he was staying in some sort of teepee or something lol. I did expect that it was Kiernan as they never found his head. I thought that was a little fishy, but I liked the reveal.

24. Overall, what are your thoughts on the book? Would you recommend it? Would you read others by Coates?

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the pace was great as it kept me interested and I didn't want to stop reading. I would definitely recommend it. And I am interested in reading other books by Coates now that I am familiar with her books.

Dead of Winter

Day 4 DQ’s
Chapter 47-62

16. What did you make of Alexis’ code? Did you think she ever meant for Christa to read it? Do you think you would’ve been able to decipher it?

17. What job would you have taken with the generator scene and why?

18. The big reveal on how everyone on the trip was connected to August 8th. What about the people who were killed already (or unconscious)? How do you think they were connected? (Brian, Grayson, Kiernan, and Alexis)?

19. Were you surprised when Simone was revealed as the butcher?

20. Why do you think Simone allowed herself to be framed as the butcher when it’s revealed by Christa that she isn’t the butcher? She completely gave up fighting and went along with everything. Do you think she could be connected or just feeling guilty?

DQ's Day 3 Chapter 30 - 46

11. What did you think of the men (Steve and Denny) getting drunk. Easy prey or just transferring responsibility to others

I think they are pushing their responsibility to others which I don't like. Now that they are drunk and incompetent of helping, others have to do their part as well. But I do understand that they are both grieving, but maybe do it a more responsible way when you are being hunted.

12. Would you have brought the axe back to the cabin or have left it in the Shed? What do you make of Simone taking all the weapons from everyone? Would you have a weapon on you, if you were there? If so what kind?

I would have brought it back to the shed. That way you could keep an eye on it (although that obviously didn't work very well). I thought it was suspicious of Simone to demand everyone's weapons and not add any herself. I feel like a soldier would always have a weapon on them? If I was in this situation, I would probably have a small weapon like Alexis' knife or pepper spray.

13. Were getting background stories of others and in Chapter 35 it told a story where Christa was driving, and she refused to let a driver go around her and this resulted in his death. Do you think this has importance to the current situation?

I think like someone said earlier, that everyone at the trip has been involved with the death of another and that's why the are being targeted. Christa with the crash; Alexis with her sister's investigation; Denny with fixing his wife's brakes maybe?

14. They have to work together to find a way to get lights. Christa is going through all her emotions and paranoia. Did she make you feel like something was going to happen during this time?

Yes. But I don't blame her for being paranoid. I wouldn't want to be alone with two drunk guys either, let alone one of them being the potential murderer!

15. Do you feel like the killer is the same person setting and sabotaging everything such as the cabin owners dead and the tree in the middle of the road or cutting the power?

Yes. I think this was all really well planned and I lowkey think it was Kiernan. Especially because I'm pretty sure they didn't find his head? He could've killed someone and swapped the clothes making it look like him.

DQs Day 2
Ch 15 to 29

6.) After the teeth on the window sill and Christa's thoughts on there only being 31, were you still surprised when the found Kiernan's body?

I was. I thought it was a coverup for Kiernan and he was the killer.

7.) Would you of been in the group that tried walking to find help or the group that stayed in the cabin?

I feel like I would've tried to find help. I don't like the idea of being in an area with a killer and think there's more useful solutions than just staying put.

8.) What do you make of Alexis's story about Grayson and Denny?

I feel like Alexis is a little suspicious. Of course parents and children are going to fight, but I don't think that's a motive. Also there would be no motive to killing everyone on the ski trip

9.) Well it looks like Brian, Kiernan, Miri, and Grayson are out of the running to be the killer. Any guesses out of whose left?

I still think Kiernan somehow. But also, I think maybe Christa is an unreliable character and I also have some thoughts toward Alexis being the killer.

10.) Why do you think this group is being targeted? Random bad luck? Planned?

I think someone planned it.

DQs Day 1
Chapter 1 - 14

1. If you travel, where’s the coldest place you’ve ever visited?

I haven't gone anywhere very cold, but I am from Pennsylvania so we do get snow. The coldest experience I've had semi related to this was we had a trip to a camp in 6th grade where we were taught a bunch of survival and team building skills. We got the snowy part of the week, whereas the first half of the alphabet got the rainy part. One of the activities was orienteering with a compass and it was snowying and after Hurricane Sandy. There were a lot of trees down and we had to climb over them through a river as well to "find" out checkpoint. Long story short, after getting through the trees and river, I realized I no longer had our compass, so we were lost. Got found about an hour and a half later by our teachers thankfully.

2. Do you like skiing?

I've never been skiing.

3. Do you think it was odd that the ski resort was open during a time it would normally be closed?

I missed the part that said the ski resort was normally closed at that time of the year. But yes, that would be odd.

4. Do you think Christa and Kiernan will be reunited by the story’s end?

I have a slight theory that Kiernan might be the killer and he deliberately brought her to that ledge so she fell... but I also have a lot of theories as it's early on in the book. But if that case is true, yes I think they'll temporarily be reunited before Kiernan admits his part.

5. Do you think Kiernan survived the storm in the beginning of the story?

I'm not sure. Lowkey yes, he was born and raised in the mountains and should have survival skills. I also think his positive attitude would help him keep going forward and survive.

DQs Day 3

9.) Emily seems to have a bad habit of wandering off by herself to deal with faerie problems. I'm all for independence and what not, but sometimes help is very much warranted. She got a bit lucky her first trip into faerie worked out, do you think she'll be as lucky in getting away from the King?

I think Bambleby is going to need to save her from the king. He doesn't seem welcoming of all the no's she has given him. And yes, I find her independence annoying at times.

10.) I chuckled a bit when I realized that Wendell wrote in her journal. Did you enjoy this snippet from his POV?

I loved this bit! I thought it was really really funny!

11.) Wendell bemoaned a bit the lack of sword fighting in the mortal world. Thoughts on being able to settle work problems with a sword fight in the parking lot (or whatever is appropriate for your workplace)?

I would love this. Even just having the ability to throw like a snowball at someone who has annoyed you!

12.) The changeling problem has been solved (at least it appears so). Was this a satisfactory conclusion for you?

I thought it was pretty anti-climatic, but it solved the problem. I think that was the end of the changeling problem as I can't see a way for it to pop up again.

DQs - Day 2

5. I spy with my little eye: Faeries. 🧚‍♀️
Faeries, faes are very popular creatures in Fantasy. Do you like books featuring them or try to avoid them? How do you feel the author manages them here? Is it similar to other books of the genre or different?

I like books with faeries in them. I liked fantasy in general. I think this book is similar to others.

6. In this part we have further confirmation that Emily's assumption about Bambleby's origins are correct. But it seems like her dog Shadow may also not be what he seems to be. Any ideas? 🐕

I've read this series backwards because I got the second book off of netgalley without knowing it was a series. So I know the answer, but will keep it to myself bc spoilers.

7. I have to say that I found the story of the couple who are left with the changeling really tragic. Apart from some weak and unsatisfactory attempts on Emily's and Bambleby's side, they seem to be left to their fate by the villagers to sink or swim. What do you think will happen to them?

I am hoping for a happy ending, but I'm not sure that will happen. I hope that Emily is able to help them though.

8. As I was reading along, the thought struck me why I didn't like Bambleby. To me it seems that despite being socially awkward and inept, Emily is a caring person, while Bambleby very much displays the suavity and heartlessness of his kind. What do you think?

I fully agree with this. I don't like how uncaring, lazy, and rude he is. I like Emily a lot more bc yes, she is socially inept, but at least she has a heart and will go out of her way to try to make people happy.

Bonus: a little quiz about what kind of fairy are you? 😁

Moon Fairy
You are quiet and introspective, and you don't mind being on your own. You are a mediator and appreciate the little things in life.

I'll do DQs

DQs Day 1

1. Emily finds herself in a very cold, snowy location, and worries about surviving the cold.
What do you think of the setting?
have you ever found yourself in similar surroundings, and how did you cope, or how do you believe you will cope if you haven't?
Also splitting logs... Would you manage like a boss, or risk loss of limbs?

I went to college at Penn State and that sometimes got rather cold/we got a lot of snow. I actually enjoy the cold and when it snows. I think it looks so beautiful especially at night under the street lamps. I think I would be fine in this setting. I also think I would be find with cutting logs.

2. How do you feel about footnotes? *

I'm fine with them (I find them to be funny at times), although I have been struggling to find the asterisk a few times.

3. In a world where the existence of faeries is an established fact, would you consider dryadology as a profession?

Yes. If there is an established fact that faeries exist, I would assume there would be a group of people that would want to study them and I think this would force a profession into existence (at least in my opinion, if there's a group of people that study a topic, it can be a profession)

4. What do you think of Emily so far? And Bambleby?

I think Emily lacks all social skills and Bambleby is INCREDibly obnoxious with how much he sleeps and expects everything to be done for him. But I think they make a great pair put together. Emily is all business and Bambleby is the talker. They need each other in a sense.

2 Ruby Coins from:
Murder Your Employee (Jan 2025)
Link

DQ Set 4: Chapters 43-End

15. We’ve come to the actual murders! What did you think of each executed plan? Were the success levels what you expected?

Honestly, yes. I expected Doria's to be some elaborate very thought out plan. Not so much her dressing like a guy and being believable, but I found that part to be humorous. Cliff's plan went exactly as I thought and I thought Gemma was going to fail. The only confusion I had with it was I thought she was planning on doing it at her workplace, but when I was reading it seemed more like she did it outside of a restaurant? Maybe I just misread this part.

16. Doria’s chapter starts with the enquiry, “Have you given your target every last chance to redeem themselves?” Did you believe she did?

I think she gave him every opportunity to redeem himself especially by portraying a woman on the side of the road to prove she could play that role. His response was quite funny tho, I will admit.

I don't, however, believe there was enough of a reason to kill him. She could've used the blackmailing thing she did against Finny. Her agent was not working in her best interest and was blackmailing her, so I think this would've been a better solution than murder.

17. Cliff’s Chapter starts with the enquiry, “Is this murder necessary” Do you think it was?

Yes, I definitely think Cliff's murder was necessary. Cliff's boss was power hungry and he took short cuts, fired great employees, and put innocent people's lives at risk just to gain more power.

18. Gemma’s chapter starts with the enquiry, “What Innocent person might suffer by your actions?” This ends up being vital to her plan. Did the result change your opinions of Gemma? Reinforce how you already felt about her?

No, I always thought Gemma was a good person. This just increased my view of her.

19. How’d you feel about Cliff’s benefactor? To me, it seems like in another life Jacek Horvath could have been a McMasters student. What did you think of these reveals

I thought it was cool that Jacek's wife was his benefactor. I found it weird when he confessed he killed his boss to her though. I'm pretty sure that goes against the school's policies, but thankfully she was his sponsor.

I do think Jacek, in a different world, could've been a McMasters student. He has the logical approach to things and can clearly think things through to set up a scenario.

20. What did you think of where the author chose to have each of the three end up? Do you think they’ll be appearing in sequels?

I liked that Gemma and Cliff ended up at the school. My take on the postscript was that Doria killed Dean Harbinger. I think this could lead to a sequel for sure with Doria trying to get revenge on the school

DQ Set 3: Chapter 22 - 42

11. We've left the campus! But first, a couple of points: there's an area of debate around the Dean v Assistant Dean approaches (wide v narrow curricula, focus on quality v focus on quantity). What side do you come down on? Did you expect Jud's outcome?

I think being able to improvise is important because while you can try to make sure everything goes the way you think it will, people have free will and often, things won't go your way. For that reason, I like Harrow's methodology better than the assistant dean's.

I also did expect Jud's outcome. The faculty never liked him and they noted, they made a mistake in accepting him. This means he was already on thin ice. After attempting to break a rule (something about killing innocent people) it was obvious he was going to be expelled and killed.

12. Cliff has put into practice an extremely complex plan. What do you think of the plan?

I'm still struggling to figure out how he's going to kill him?? Was that even mentioned? I get that he's exposed the faulty W-10 plans and has angered Fiedler's wallet and ego, but I'm not sure where this plan is going?

13. Doria's plan isn't as complex, but her target - whilst obnoxious - seems less worthy of deletion, being very much male abusing his power. Do you have thoughts on Doria's strand?

I'm not sure I agree with Doria's reasoning for deletion. The guy sounds like a child by stating she can only sleep with him or whatever. Get over yourself buddy. But she can also just switch agents, right? I get there may be a contract, but if she got a lawyer, I'm sure they can prove her agent is no longer working in her best interest.

14. Gemma is having to free-style, given Adele is not handily falling into line with the plan. Do you think Gemma will be successful in her attempt to kill Adele?

I am worried about Gemma, although the faculty warned her about this and I have no clue why she didn't listen. I'm not sure how she's going to kill Adele in her office without leaving any evidence or having anyone see. I'm a little nervous, although at school, she did seem pretty competent.

DQs Day 2
Chp 11 – 21
6. This book is about how to murder your employer and a school of helping those perfect it. Would you watch a series or movie if made on the storyline? Why/why not?

I think I would watch it once on Netflix. It's an interesting storyline, but I couldn't see myself paying money to see it at the theaters.

7. The ethics of the book could be questioned but have you learned anything new that all media in the world has to offer?

Honestly, I'm surprised they can keep a school like this secret! I understand there's the whole 'no one knows the location,' but wouldn't people be concerned if their friends/family disappear from the earth to pop up a year or so later? I am also not sure how all the student's put up with always being a possible target at the school.

8. What was your favorite scene in these chapters?

The hunting game was my favorite scene. It was the most involved and exciting, although I also liked learning about Gemma and Dulcie's past stories.

9. We are getting a mix of media from storyline, rulebook, reports, and pictures. Are you reading this physically, electronic, or audio?

I am reading the physical book.

10. What do you think of each of their Hunting game? Did you think their names were mixed up?

Lol, honestly I thought Jud or Simeon might've gotten a hold of their names and switched them in hopes they would be desperate to pass and kill themselves (said outloud that's awful, but I don't doubt Jud would've stooped that low especially after that last chapter)

286 pages
702 pages

Current Total: 41,984

DQs Day 1
Forward to Ch 10

1.) The book certainly begins in a unique way. Was the textbook like way it began effective to catch your interest in the story?

It was certainly unique. I liked how it began. It definitely got my attention.

2.) Wow, what an intro to the school. I admire Cliff's roll with it attitude. How do you think you would of reacted in a similar situation?

Cliff's attitude was interesting but I guess he knew he couldn't escape right away. I think I would've been fighting them a lot more.

3.) That was quite the escape attempt. Cliff is definitely a quick thinker, but maybe a bit too quick. Should he had waited a bit before trying to pull a runner?

I think he should've waited a few days. Got to know his surroundings, but I understand that he was afraid. By waiting a few days though, he probably would've realized that those gates weren't the real gates to the school or found out the routine of people to escape easier. Still, escaping seems very unlikely at this school.

4.) We certainly have and interesting cast of characters. The background on Gemma and Doria was helpful. Any favorites so far?

I have not found any favorites so far that jump out at me.

5.) The discussion around "I could never murder anyone. Except maybe . . ." was an interesting one. What are your thoughts on this statement and how true do you think it is?

I think people may think this, but actually going ahead with it is another whole topic obviously, so I don't think this is true.

Shannon's Participation Post:
Day 1: Link
Day 2: Link
Day 3: Link
Day 4: Link

400 pages
112 pages
337 pages

Current Total: 1,975,196

2 Ruby Coins from:
The Afterlife of Holly Chase BOTM
Link

Day 4: Chapter 23 - end

All the reveals!

13. First up: what did you think of the Ethan & Holly relationship?

Sometimes I thought they were cute. Other times, down right cringey. I thought Holly helped Ethan to be better while they were together though.

14. Project Scrooge running a long-con on Holly! How did you like this twist? Do you think Holly will stick the landing of her changed viewpoint?

I really enjoyed it although I did guess it before it was revealed with the manila folder on Boz's desk and Stephanie having it. I think Holly with stick to her new view on the world and Christmas

15. What about the happy ending that doesn't rely on a relationship?

I actually liked this better. I mean, Ethan did still help her to change, but that wasn't the sole reason, and I liked this.

16. Enjoy the book? Do you have a favourite character or thought arising from the book?

My favorite character is still Stephanie. She has such a positive outlook on life!