Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress

[Narilka]

Ch 15 (view spoiler)[I'm not really sure how I feel about the plot on this one. I was more expecting a series of capers or heists and that's not what this has been. The last book wasn't exactly either though at least it started with a planned theft.

Anyway, Nico has the info she was looking for to overcome the seed if she can master her own soul. We'll see how the rest of this plays out with Sted/Josef. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I finished last night. I think I agree with you both. (view spoiler)[That was not the story I was expecting. It got much more serious. I did like learning more about the world, demons and Nico. Eli really hasn't been much of a theif lately. His name should change to best escape artist around!

I found the first half of the book too easy to set aside in favor of other things. I think its partly from my expectations around a fun heist or caper and that's just not this series. Still enjoyable in the end. 3.5 stars. (hide spoiler)]

Are you both planning to continue?

[Tammie]

Are you all still reading this series? I would like to join you for book 4.

[Narilka]

I'm planning to. I'm curious enough to see how it all ties together. I'll be starting book 4 tomorrow.

[Bill]

I read book 4 on Thursday. Waiting for everyone else to start to discuss. Just overall thought with no specific spoilers (view spoiler)[It notched up the intensity another level which I previously said about book 3 isn’t really what I’m looking for from these books. Not that it was bad but I really wish she had stuck to the more lighthearted caper stories. (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Ok great! I'll be starting tonight. It's been a few years since I read the first three books so hopefully I haven't forgotten too much.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Bill wrote: "I read book 4 on Thursday. Waiting for everyone else to start to discuss. Just overall thought with no specific spoilers [spoilers removed]"

Having read the blurbs and some info on the books, I know that's basically how this series goes, at this point... still sucks, to a certain extent...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tammie wrote: "Are you all still reading this series? I would like to join you for book 4."

No plans to abandon, even if the series is darker than we initially expected, I don't think...

[Narilka]

Started last night as planned. (view spoiler)[Excited d to get Josef’s background! The immortal empress is something else. I guess that’s who Eli will have to stop. I’m very curious what will be learned in shaper mountain and how that will tie back to everything. It seems that the author has created a more complicated story in this book. (hide spoiler)]

Edit to mention that was spoilers through Ch 4.

[Tammie]

I'm 130 pages in. I enjoyed the prologue a lot. (view spoiler)[ It was good to read about Josef and how he got the sword. (hide spoiler)] After that it took me a few chapters to get into it, but I'm enjoying it now

[Tammie]

Up to chapter 14 (view spoiler)[ The whole part with Miranda saying she wouldn't participate in the war because she wouldn't force her spirits to fight, but only use them for self-defense. It seems to me like that is self-defense. Also, maybe I'm not remembering something from earlier books, but why can't they ask the spirits if they will help? Why would they have to be forced to help in the war? (hide spoiler)]

Also, I agree, I wish this series had stayed more of a light heist-type series.

[Narilka]

Between work overload and that this story is more serious than I was hoping for, I've not made much progress this week. Probably end up reading the bulk over the weekend.

Ch 6 (view spoiler)[I see what Aaron is trying to do with a more complicated story. I just don't care much for the non-Eli story lines at the moment. Let's see how he gets everyone in the castle :D (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

I finished this morning. I liked it but not as much as the 3 previous books. (view spoiler)[ I really hated the way this ended. What a downer. I was expecting the battle to go differently. Also, I always liked Miranda in the previous books, but she got on my nerves a few times here. I was hoping that eventually she and Eli would team up with a love/hate type relationship between them and then there would be some sort of a spark there. I don't see that happening at this point, but if the series had stayed a light-hearted caper-type series that would have worked well. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Beginning of Ch 8 (view spoiler)[Benehime is a piece of work. That was extra skeevy. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

At the risk of beating a dead horse, this book isn't bad, it's just not quite the series I signed up for at the start...

In a way, it's like the Harry Potter series, where it starts off light and fluffy, and gets progressively darker with each book... there's also the fact that the further I get into this series, the more similarities I see to the Heartstrikers series, but Heartstrikers generally managed to squeeze in a bit more fun...

There are just so many characters here that I want to see get their comeuppance... hopefully that happens in the finale, because I doubt it will happen in this book, much...

I'm around 75%... should be done soon...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tammie wrote: "I finished this morning. I liked it but not as much as the 3 previous books. [spoilers removed]"

That would have been nice, and was closer to the series I was hoping for as well... I'm not too anti-Miranda in this book, but she does feel a bit like an Exposition Device here, rather than a secondary storyline...

[Ahdam]

I’m way back in this book I’m gonna try and read more today and see where I get since I do want to finish this omnibus

[Narilka]

Finished it. (view spoiler)[Given the books title and where the last one ended, I was expecting something like this. Aaron writes great magical battles.

I do not like Benehime at all. I’ll figure how to put it in words when I write up my review.

I agree with Tammie about Miranda. I can’t stand her preachiness.

I think it’s funny how some reviews still call this a light hearted series. It stopped being that a book ago. Part of me wishes this series had stayed just that, though I don’t mind the story we got. I hope the last book addresses the demons trying to break through the world or whatever they are. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Finished it...."

Yea... it's not just the first book that fooled us... and I knew what to expect at this point, I'm just having trouble accepting the adjustment for some reason...

And I definitely agree that the book/series has a lot to wrap up in just one final book...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Started the 5th book a little early... as much as I complain, the ending to book 4 was such a cliffhanger that I wanted to see what happened...

I really liked the prologue, harkened back to the lighter fare of Spirit Thief for a bit... but it didn't take long for the book to take a dark turn... and this book is pretty long, so I assume there's a lot of darkness to trek through...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Finished the last book... quite the rollercoaster... this was probably my favorite book of books 2-5... I can see what some of the more negative reviews were saying (view spoiler)[about it feeling like a series of anime battles... but other than my thoughts on Josef's abilities after being tired after the fight with the Lord of Storms around 50%, I was fine with it all... (hide spoiler)]

The ending was such that it's sad there were no followup books... unlike Heartstrikers/DFZ... (view spoiler)[between all spirits being awakened and humans being able to see them and be pestered by them, lol (hide spoiler)]

It was almost infuriating (view spoiler)[that the book ended right where I would have liked book 2 to start, with Eli and company going off to do some heisting... (hide spoiler)]

Solid 4-4.5 stars from me...

[Ahdam]

I’m a bit behind but I’ve finished reading book 2 and will read the third book next week or so

It was a lot better than the first book which I found a bit disappointing

[Bill]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Finished the last book... quite the rollercoaster... this was probably my favorite book of books 2-5... I can see what some of the more negative reviews were saying [spoilers removed]

The ending w..."

I read it the other day. I thought it was the best book in the series after 1 too. (view spoiler)[I would have liked a bit more of a follow up on how the world changed. I’m glad that Eli just continued with his ways and didn’t end up with Miranda which is what I expected to happen. (hide spoiler)]

Overall it’s not the series I was expecting after book 1 but it was still pretty good.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Bill wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Finished the last book... quite the rollercoaster... this was probably my favorite book of books 2-5... I can see what some of the more negative reviews were saying [spoilers ..."

Yea... I/we were pretty hard on the books... they weren't bad, but I think it's telling that the last book is the longest, but it didn't feel like it was, it just flew by because I wanted to be reading it more... part of that is because so many characters were held on to throughout the series instead of being taken care of... Sparrow/Sarah/Benehime/etc/etc/etc...

[Narilka]

I still need to download book 5. Will do that tomorrow. I'll probably pause my current non-fiction read and so I can start #5 on time.

[Narilka]

Started last night. Finished the prologue and chapter 1. (view spoiler)[I was wondering who’s history we’d get in this book because everyone has had a turn. While it is Eli’s I think it’s more about Benehime. She is such a creep! I’m definitely curious how Eli will escape and do something about her in the process. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Through Ch 10. I'm enjoying this immensely. (view spoiler)[I have no idea how they're going to deal with the Shepherdess. It seems shes removing her stars to.... save them in another sphere? Hard to tell. It does seem like she's pulling them out of this current world to put in another.

Eli's family reunion was pretty funny! (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

I finally started this one.

[Narilka]

Ch 17 (view spoiler)[So much has happened! I'm proud of Eli for standing up to Benehime. I called it on her setting up a private world of all her favorites. So I guess it will be up to our unlikely band of heroes to save the rest of the world. Wonder if the Creator will finally come back.

And Miranda finally isn't annoying. I liked her solution to calm the spirits. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I finished. That was enjoyable. 4 stars.

Timelord Iain wrote: "Finished the last book... quite the rollercoaster... this was probably my favorite book of books 2-5... I can see what some of the more negative reviews were saying [spoilers removed]

The ending w..."

Yeah (view spoiler)[I can see what you mean about the fights. Everyone's always a bad ass, even after they've been cut in half and have one arm missing ;) It was over the top ridiculous, though made for fun reading. (hide spoiler)]

Perhaps she'll come back to this world and write more some day to show us just how much everything has changed. (view spoiler)[In theory it would make Eli's job as a thief much harder when the object he's stealing can just shout for help. I'd also love to see if the Creator ever does return and if they can push the demons back properly. (hide spoiler)]

Like Bill said above, not the series I was expecting based on the first book but still enjoyable.

[Tammie]

I've been super busy trying to get my house ready to be put on the market, but I did finally finish the 5th book! Overall I enjoyed this series. I think it ended well.

(view spoiler)[ I do agree that there were too many times where people survived life threatening injuries. I thought for sure that a couple of them would die. In that regard, things did get wrapped up maybe a little too neatly.

Miranda wasn't annoying in this one, which was great. I also liked that Eli went on with his life the same as before.

I'm not sure how I would feel about living in a world where the doorknob complains every time I turn it. That would be weird, but also kind of a fun concept. (hide spoiler)]