Joe Kessler > Recent Status Updates

SIR FLUFFINGTON! Oh wow, I am really loving this book.

How is this book not done yet?

You don't want to sacrifice the girl you've been crushing on for two weeks to your weird death cult murder god, so you chuck him her sister instead? This POV is not sympathetic at all.

Oh, so one of our protagonists is a straight-up murderer. Well, it helps distinguish their perspectives, at least.

I didn't really get the point of this book so far, but I think I'm there now.

This narrative is only now feeling like it might somehow connect in some fashion. It's a very disjointed book.

Sigh. I'm losing any hope of this protagonist / author realizing that slavery is a bad thing, actually.

This is not a very satisfying twist.

I can already tell this is going to be a tough book to discuss without spoilers, but I'm not happy about this latest development.

That twist was obvious from page one, but at least we're there now.

No reaction to the news that the tribute selection was rigged? That seems like it should be a pretty big deal.

Wait, why is there so much book still left?

This is the most contrived nonsense to get Snow into the arena.

This love story (between a Hunger Games tribute and her Capitol handler, the future President Snow) is only interesting if it turns out she's playing him. Otherwise, it's just gross.

And we're introducing time travel now when the book is almost done, because why not I guess.

Human girl is now telling alien boy the story from the Star Wars book Lost Stars. Now, look -- I love that novel! But just like the Narnia thing, this is such a bizarre detail to include. He literally doesn't know what Star Wars is. Maybe start him with the plot of the movies before going to an obscure spinoff?

This book started out feeling like a two-star read for me, but I think at this point it's a one.

Having a character point out that instalove is a cheesy trope doesn't make her instalove any less of a cheesy trope.

Y'all should have had this conversation many many chapters ago. Argh, I hate miscommunication drama.

The alien who doesn't know our culture asks for a story, and the human describes The Light Between Worlds rather than Narnia? What a bizarre writing choice.

So much telling and not showing here.

Pretty sure I've solved this one, but I'm still enjoying seeing it all play out.

None of these characters have any particular motivation for their actions. It's bizarre.

How are we, like.... only now getting a plot

Another three minutes and now she's being felt up. Sigh.

Ten minutes into the audiobook and the heroine has already been threatened with rape again.

Really hating this smug 'let me flirt by negging you' love interest.

This is already my favorite book I've read all year.

This has been SO GOOD from page one and there's barely even any vampires in it yet. I have to go to bed now, though.

This was true of the first book too, but there's a weird anti-vax subtext to all this.

This book takes too long to get really good, but it's finally arrived.