Quantum Curators (#2) and the Enemy Within[July 12, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Quantum Curators and the Enemy Within] by Eva St. John starting on July 12, 2023.


Happy Reading

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I coulda sworn I requested for July 12th...

Otherwise, thanks...

[Ann-Marie]

I'm finishing The Hanged Man and the free stuff tomorrow so will likely hop in here the 13th. Here's hoping the tense issue got resolved lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Started this this morning/afternoon... about 40% done already...

Lots of intrigue/nefarious hinting going on...

I'm unclear how Julius (view spoiler)[gets to be a worldhopper tho... I thought Betas couldn't hop, and were stuck on Alpha World... that's why they're "angels"... or is that just that generally they can't be letting Betas reveal the existence of the Alpha world?... or is Julius different because he spliced with Nieth?... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

All finished... I kinda loved this...

I don't pay attention to tenses, so I can't say if that proved better or not, but I felt like the story flowed better with everyone mostly on the same page and working as a team...

(view spoiler)[alot of details are still murky about things like Kleo & the 3rd faction, but I liked Julius's deductions regarding a truer multiverse and corruption on Alpha World...

And I wasn't surprised to learn the librarian was involved... I could see plenty of ways to reinterpret that scene with the Director/Chancellor, than the one Julius took when he asked her about him (the M-named character with the tail)...

I'm still confused about how Julius can travel, considering how much of the plot revolves around the limitations in the Alpha system versus the secret 3rd/4th faction system... (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to book 3, and hope 4-5 see audio sooner than later...

[Nirkatze]

Just started--and I'm already about 1/3 in. I'm also enjoying this one more than the first... though as I just commented in the Hanged Man thread, I think I have a hard time with the first of a new book series with a new narrator, and do better on #2.

But I am enjoying seeing (view spoiler)[Julius & Nieth being on the same storyline, and Julius' storyline combines a bit of magical school trope with fish-out-of-water tropes, and I like both of those. Not really quite sure where the bigger picture is going yet, or how they're going to figure out the bad guys, but happy to sit back for the ride. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

I started the audio this morning and could not get into it so I swapped to the ebook this afternoon and it is much better.

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Started this this morning/afternoon... about 40% done already...

Lots of intrigue/nefarious hinting going on...

I'm unclear how Julius [spoilers removed]"

Hmmm... I totally missed that assumption... (view spoiler)[and now I'm curious too... how is Julius different from the Angels?

And I swear, in the audio "Beta" sounds like "Beater". (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Just about halfway done, I have switched back to audio, not sure what was up with the first few chapters this morning!

Regarding alpha/beta worlds (view spoiler)[I think it is simply prejudice. They allow the angels through who will die soon and not contaminate their gene pool.

I will be disappointed if Hu is a baddie. The trip to Blitz England was very cool, liked that a lot. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! I definitely enjoyed this more than the first. More streamlined story, narrators getting more in-synch on voices, and a deeper dive into the worldbuilding. (view spoiler)[I really like the idea of a world with the alternate history where the Egyptian civilization became the leading cultural influence.

I also enjoyed the insane level of naivete the alphas have, and seeing it turn in to... dimensionism? toward Julius as a Beta... and how conversely (of course, makes for good plot) it's his instincts that turn failure into success on several occasions.

I'm still really curious about Kleo--I'm glad she's alive--and how/why this whole thing is working? I mean, she saved them, but then they took out part of the organization she was working for... what's the endgame?

Arthur showing up at the end was pretty funny. Opens some interesting doors for the next one...

The "interludes" were the main part I had trouble focusing on this time... I pretty much ignored them and was like "get back to our people!" so I missed tail-girl being one of the potential bad guys... or the "third faction"? at the end there I was almost suspecting the pharoah. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Finished and I also enjoyed it more than the first. This was a quick read/listen although when it got to the last 20% or so I took a break and then came back to finish reading rather than listening. I am much more engaged now after book 2 so I am looking forward to book 3.

(view spoiler)[Was it Minju at the end? I feel like if it was really her then she would have been identified by name. Also is Clio bad or not? Lots of questions for the next book for sure. I have the audio for that one but again I think I will likely switch between the two versions. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

re: ending--(view spoiler)[I think it had to be Minju... isn't she the only one so far identified as "that girl with the tail"? And for some reason J'd keep getting weird looks when he said that... though it's a good point, it could be a red herring and be some other tailed person.

I also want to know about Kleo... or is it spelled Clio? (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

@Nirkatze

(view spoiler)[It's Clio :) And that's why I think that it may not be Minju, it's too obvious. Like if it is her then I think that the author is being lazy lol (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Thanks for the spelling check! Audio can make for very interesting and creative spellings...

Is this the author's first series? I would believe laziness...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I think this is the authors ONLY series, so far...