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Archive: Past Series Reads
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2017 Series Read: Jennifer Estep's "Elemental Assassin"
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Sasha
(last edited Jan 19, 2017 02:55AM)
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Jan 19, 2017 02:44AM
This is a re-read for me which is no hardship since it's one of my favorite series! Looking forward to some kick ass action and the hilarious antics of Gin and Finn. Am I the only one who sees Gin as Olivia Wilde? I saw a pic of Olivia Wilde in all black with black stiletto boots and automatically thought Gin Blanco. (I'm evidently not technologically savvy enough to post a pic to this thread so you'll just have to use your imagination lol)
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Is this the one, Sasha? I'm getting the Spider out of this...
I ❤ Olivia Wilde
Netanella wrote: "Is this the one, Sasha? I'm getting the Spider out of this..."
YES!!! That is what Gin looks like for me!
Ok...I'm now reading Spider's Revenge and I'm remembering the one thing that bugs the crud out of me. So much repetition! I love this series and I absolutely adore the characters. Jennifer Estep has a real talent for making her characters not only interesting but believable and relatable. With that being said why is there a need to repeat so much information (almost word for word) in every single book? I get that some authors want readers to understand the series even if they start the series on book 4 or 8 or wherever else. What i don't understand is why you would start a series in the middle and expect to know what the heck is going on. I'm skipping whole pages now because I'm tired of reading the same paragraphs over and over. Sorry to rant but I forgot how much that got under my skin. Even though this is one of my pet peeves the Elemental Assassin series is still one of my favorites
Sasha, I feel the exact same way! I'm on heart of venom. First read, but I've never read books as fast as I am reading this series because I find myself skimming through all the repititions!! It gets ridiculous. But I'm really digging the series, and Olivia Wilde is definitely my Gin
The repetition decreases at some point after Spider's Revenge. I got used to it as a quirk of the series and miss it a smidge.
It is an amazing series even with all the skimming you do to avoid all the repetitive information. It just makes me wonder how much more amazing the books could have been if they only moved forward instead of "catching the readers up" so much.
Just beginning #2 Web of Lies and I'm starting to realise what everyone is saying about the repetitiveness . The one that is beginning to grate for me is the Silverstone knives, she doesn't have to say it every time she picks up a knife.
Loriidae wrote: "Just beginning #2 Web of Lies and I'm starting to realise what everyone is saying about the repetitiveness . The one that is beginning to grate for me is the Silverstone knives, she ..."You mean her whole spiel about her "regular five point arsenal "? You are going to read those same sentences about 50 times throughout the series lol
Sasha wrote: "Loriidae wrote: "Just beginning #2 Web of Lies and I'm starting to realise what everyone is saying about the repetitiveness . The one that is beginning to grate for me is the Silvers..."Thanks for the warning =^..^=
I'm there, as well. I just started "Web of Lies" last night and thought I could handle any needless repetition. Apparently it's a little too 'in-your-face' to ignore, and I've taken to skimming those sections as well, where Estep is just repeating needlessly what happened before. But there are some awesome elements she can repeat. Every time our morally ambiguous Gin references the cops as "the po-po," I can't help but grin.
And I'm waiting on a bitch-slap to the sanctimonious Donovan Caine. Will it happen? I'm starting not to like his judgmental attitude....
I'm in - doing a read of the first book now. The way that the whole cop / assassin checking each other out at the opera house thing was written was a little forced and obvious. Otherwise I'm enjoying it though.Not sure how many books I'm in for I normally give a new series 3 books before I give up on it so 3 with an option of more.
Netanella wrote: "And I'm waiting on a bitch-slap to the sanctimonious Donovan Caine. Will it happen? I'm starting not to like his judgmental attitude...."I got sick of that during the first book!
Oy! These are some of the things that are keeping me from rushing to reread book one and on.
Finished. The ending threw me, I wasn't expecting that. I really enjoyed the plot and the world I particularly loved the way she knelt on the driveway to test for intruders to her house. I thought that was very clever. I flew through the book but I ended up giving it 3 stars because I couldn't justify the four that I would normally give due to the repetitive writing Style.
Just finished 3 - Venom this morning. Awesome ending - loved the fireworks at the end!I took Hannah's suggestion and I'm just skimming the sections where Estep plagiarizes herself with needless repetition. I'm enjoying the read much better now. Gin Blanco and Company are going down smooth as, well, as gin. ~happy grin!~
I've always enjoyed Gin, and I don't notice the repetition, cause I've always skimmed it. Right from the beginning, I'd skim the repeats.I'm always amazed when people complain about it - just skim it!! LOL
Netanella wrote: "Just finished 3 - Venom this morning. Awesome ending - loved the fireworks at the end!I took Hannah's suggestion and I'm just skimming the sections where Estep plagiarizes herself with needless r..."
I think Venom may be my favorite book of the whole series! I loved learning about Sophia and Jo-Jo and I thought Gin was particularly bad ass in that book.
I need to start book 2. I honestly don't remember how many I read originally. I need to post a review for each book so that I can reference them in the future. Pretty much the reason why I started writing reviews.
Moondance wrote: "I need to start book 2. I honestly don't remember how many I read originally. I need to post a review for each book so that I can reference them in the future. Pretty much the reason why I started ..."And using Goodreads, too, many many years ago. Now I can go back and remember if I actually read the book!
Finished Venom today. I like the books and to me the repetition isn't any more or worse than other running series. I don't notice it really - even after hearing that it bothers many of you, and I read this one watching for it - still didn't bother me. LOL I've always been different!!
Angie ☯ wrote: "Finished Venom today. I like the books and to me the repetition isn't any more or worse than other running series. I don't notice it really - even after hearing that it bothers many of you, and I r..."It doesn't bother me either, Angie. I notice it but it doesn't bother me.
Sandra wrote: "I've always enjoyed Gin, and I don't notice the repetition, cause I've always skimmed it. Right from the beginning, I'd skim the repeats.I'm always amazed when people complain about it - just skim it."
Gonna skim my way through >;D It's what I had to with Mythos Academy.
I agree about skimming but unfortunately the repetition within each book itself as opposed to repeating what has happened in a previous book means that it will be hard to rate a book as a 5 star read.
Something that happens between Web of Lies and Heart of Venom has been bugging the crap out of me since I first read this series and I would like to ask y'alls opinion but i have no idea how to mark a spoiler. Can someone please help me understand how to do that?
If you look at the (some html is ok) link above the comment box it is there, and you can copy/paste.Basically it is < spoiler> and at the end < /spoiler> I've added a space at the beginning after < just so you can see it.
Ok. I'm not sure if this will work since i've never used a spoiler so be warned! If you haven't read through Heart of Venom then please don't read! This contains a spoiler! So I just finished reading Web of Lies and it really bothered me how Owen was behaving. (view spoiler)
Just finished Web of Lies. It was good but too much repetition.
I tried slowing down the reading pace, but found that this series is becoming like caffeinated crack. I started No. 5 "Spider's Revenge" this morning. So, to cut back on the caffeine, I went out to my local Death Star, also known as Super WalMart, and purchased some chicory coffee. Chicory has no caffeine, unless it's blended with real coffee beans. I think I got the blend, because I wasn't as wired as I normally am.
Sasha wrote: "Ok...I'm now reading Spider's Revenge and I'm remembering the one thing that bugs the crud out of me. So much repetition! I love this series and I absolutely adore the characters. Jennifer Estep ha..."I think the problem comes from trying to make each one into a "standalone". *(If there is such a word ...) If you just bought a copy an B&N or Walmart, and didn't have access to the previous 11 books or online shorts, You'd maybe feel a little confused...I know I often get upset paying full price for verbiage that I skip, but it is a problem I run into with any series I read ... and that's a lot ... I am a binge reader too ...
Art (Posting elsewhere as Whistler Reads) wrote: "Sasha wrote: "Ok...I'm now reading Spider's Revenge and I'm remembering the one thing that bugs the crud out of me. So much repetition! I love this series and I absolutely adore the characters. Jen..."I'm a binge reader too! I've discovered that i'm an incredibly impatient person. I would rather wait and read a series that's finished so that i can read straight through rather than have to wait months and months to find out what happens next. I'm the same way with TV series lol (it drives my husband crazy )
Netanella wrote: "I tried slowing down the reading pace, but found that this series is becoming like caffeinated crack. I started No. 5 "Spider's Revenge" this morning. So, to cut back on the caffeine, I went out ..."
What's the coffee like???? I had never heard of chicory coffee before these books.
We bought some while in New Orleans. I'm not a coffee drinker but my hubby said it "just okay. Had a kinda off taste about it." :p It's a BIG deal in NOLA.
I REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO READ THE BOOOKS IN THIS SERIES.STARTING TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLETE IT WITHIN 2 MONTHS
Sasha wrote: "Art (Posting elsewhere as Whistler Reads) wrote: "Sasha wrote: "Ok...I'm now reading Spider's Revenge and I'm remembering the one thing that bugs the crud out of me. So much repetition! I love this..."The problem is, some series never end ...
I started reading Spider's Bite back in January and I've only gotten through to Chapter 7 (view spoiler). I'm having a hard time getting in to the story. I really enjoyed the little Prequel stories but it's not keeping my attention. Is there any romance in this series besides the casual hook-up? I need a good romance to keep me interested. I loved Kate Daniels, Night Huntress, Guild Hunter, etc. Is this series anything like that?
Lady Elaine of the Elder Fey wrote: "What's the coffee like???? I had never heard of chicory coffee before these books...."The coffee's good - I like it. It's cheaper than regular coffee, and the blend with coffee beans is still caffeinated, but not as much. I drink almost a pot a day, so I'm not twitching by the afternoon.
Plus, there's the coolness factor. All I need now is Finn's extra special banker's job and a fancy suit to go along with it. LOL.
Art (Posting elsewhere as Whistler Reads) wrote: "The problem is, some series never end ..."Agreed! A great finale is so much better than a slow, lingering "death by boredom" of a series. I would put Lora Leigh's Breeds in that last category, where the author wrote it to death.
Are there any lists of great PNR/UF series that have ended?
Hi Netanella, we've got several threads on series that have or will end and one finale challenge. They're kinda old, but anyone/everyone is welcome to revive them :) Here are the links:- THE END CHALLENGE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- THE END: Past, Present & Future : https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- All Good Things Must Come to an End ... but why?! : https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- BEST & WORST SERIES ENDINGS: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Kim wrote: "I started reading Spider's Bite back in January and I've only gotten through to Chapter 7 [spoilers removed]. I'm having a hard time getting in to the story. I really enjoyed the little Prequel sto..."I am only up to book 3 and while there is a small romance in it, it hasn't progressed yet. I think it will later in the series, but I'm not far enough to know for sure.
Steph wrote: "Hi Netanella, we've got several threads on series that have or will end and one finale challenge. They're kinda old, but anyone/everyone is welcome to revive them :) Here are the links:- THE END C..."
Nice! Thank you - it's going to take me a while to go through these threads!
You're welcome :)
I'm trying to pace myself by reading one a month or so. The repetition doesn't bother me I can just skim past it. I guess it's so that new to the series readers can just pick up any old book and dive in instead of having to start at the beginning. I liked Web of Lies even more than Spider's Bite. Gin is pretty cool as a main character but I really love Sophia. I think she needs her own series - the books would be short and pithy without a lot of needless dialogue. :P
ahhh I am way ahead I have already finished bk 5 so I will slow down and read some other series for next month
Kim wrote: "Is there any romance in this series besides the casual hook-up?"I've read up to book #7 and yes, there is a romance and it is worth hanging in there for. Not going to say who the hero is so as not to spoil things.
Lauren wrote: "Kim wrote: "Is there any romance in this series besides the casual hook-up?"I've read up to book #7 and yes, there is a romance and it is worth hanging in there for. Not going to say who the hero..."
Thanks, Lauren. I'll give it another try.
Trying to catch up to the challenge I read the 1st book and really enjoyed it. The 2nd book has not been as good Donovan Caine is not worthy of Gin I hope she finds someone nicer in the rest of the series. Stop throwing yourself at him Gin. I will have it finished before the end of the month. Ready to start book 3 :)
You can catch up, Gillian! I've been trying to slow down on this series because I really, really want to binge on them like a good week of Netflixing "Dexter". I'm up to #6 - Thread of Death, so I need to pace myself to 2 a month so that this stays as annual read instead of a monthly one. You are right - Donovan Caine is not worthy of Gin. Things will get better in the romance department for Gin.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Spider's Trap (other topics)Heart of Venom (other topics)
Deadly Sting (other topics)
By a Thread (other topics)
The Spider (other topics)
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