Fiction hurts. This is a book that would have, in the past, earned rave reviews from me, along with a 4 star rating. I felt like I have been teleporteFiction hurts. This is a book that would have, in the past, earned rave reviews from me, along with a 4 star rating. I felt like I have been teleported from the frying pan into the fire. Up to No Gouda has a cat loving author feed mice to a snake, and feed cheese to a dog, who was thence named after that cheese; Havarti. Talk about mixed messages. The mystery is kind of clever because it lets you solve itself. I have seen a few of the details of the book in other and better ones. All of the imperfections in this cozy make Jack a very dull boy.
The book simply was almost always lacking when it came to actually reading it. Those readers who are also of a mature age and who are fans of the author will undoubtedly tell a different story. There are all the ingredients, those familiar ones, the same tired old ones, that will be a type of Bat signal to the regulars of the genre. The clever part of the book is making two different storylines run into a single book. Christie used to do several of them in one go, Kate Collins has done it, another favourite in Livia J. Washburn has done it. Heck, even Linda Reilly has done it many times before. However good the idea though, it loses impact gradually depending on how servilely it has been used. And how often too. Remember those knock knock jokes? Some of them are very good and the best ones are the latest ones. The writer here has not written something that has impact.
The groaningly sordid romance element was so lame. I think Reilly left the romance bits (and they are bits) to be written last of all. It seemed such a chore to read and this aspect was the laziest in the book. What was increasingly worrying is that how two tropes of the romance genre seemed to have become a hybrid in this tale. First the MC was very much an introvert. Secondly, there was a love interest that seemed decently friendly, with nary a message aimed at the MC. Ari, the guy in question, seemed to fancy the MC and he does nothing of note. He was too old to be playing both the jock and the shy guy. Not only that, but Carly obviously fancies the hunk. It is also insta love. She flushes whenever she interacts with Ari. So they both like each other and they know that. Why aren't they being bedfellows?
There is more. Carly so far does not have guilt from losing the love of her life, Daniel. The latter was a guy who makes it a mystery of its own as to how special this union was. From what Carly was feeling, you have the impression that this is a match of soulmates. But nope, there is no hint, and neither a case of show nor tell in the flashbacks. The character Becca, who is another stock character, is barely in this book. Also was this not part of the premise of The Inn at Holiday Bay series?
This book was always going to be full of clichés. All it requires to engage the type of reader that is no longer a fan of the genre is, to seem human and not like the output of an automat. We know why books like this exist. They exist because many - not all - readers have tried and failed to read Dickens, Watts, Camus, and have felt their comfort zone settle in drivel like this and other 'guilty' pleasures. If cozies are not bringing home the bacon then there are other alternatives without breaking open the spine of the In The Search of Lost Time series. I wanted to write more but I'd rather read more, not of the same. Stay away from the ironically named Up to No Gouda....more
This review cannot help but be brief. I gave this book, The Blood of Crows, 2 stars. The book made a mistake by hyping up the plot's later revelationsThis review cannot help but be brief. I gave this book, The Blood of Crows, 2 stars. The book made a mistake by hyping up the plot's later revelations. When the moment came to deliver, this reader was let down big time. The book was slightly boring, and slightly exciting. That is what allowed me to continue reading to the end.
Another mistake that Caro Ramsay made was to have a total lack of red herrings. Everything that had a role had something hidden about it. So though you never know what is happening, you know something illegal is afoot. Take any example in the book, whether it is Anderson's case, or Costello's assignment, everything clicked, though they made little sense in the big picture.
This book dulled my senses. I felt frustration while reading it. I don't recommend it. The 2nd book in the series is the best so far. And I can say that with experience, Singing to the Dead, is probably better than all other books in the series.
This book's lack of suspense doesn't mean it cannot be enjoyed. Simply put though, it is a book that can find fans only among those young and those gullible. The latter being people who have not read groundbreaking thrillers in their lives. The book lured me with the promise of thrills. At first I was rewarded by the dramatic close shave with the dead regarding Anderson. It was skillfully written. The lack of consistent quality was a mystery. Or rather I could discern that the author had run out of ideas. The good stock of printable and solid ideas had to be rationed.
This also meant that the author's sense of humour too had to be rationed. In fact most of the jokes were barely chuckle worthy. If this author can make a bibliography out of half baked ideas, then there is hope yet for people like me, who want to be an author, even if in name only. The author's downfall is that she does not have a supply of plots. She cannot generate good ideas for 10 or 15 books. Unlike Agatha Christie, Caro Ramsay does not have that longevity.
My big finding from this book is that all of the authors who are churning books to the rate of 1 per year are running the same level of storytelling as Ramsay. That is why I no longer consider myself a fan of thrillers. The bestselling thrillers are on par with The Blood of Crows. Dugoni, Leigh, Swanson, Ware, you name it, they are all on par with Ramsay's most lackadaisical form. By the way, the Viking way of killing in the book is not grounded in reality. There have been rumours of such means of torture, but it has not been confirmed by scholars or archeologists....more
This book was frustrating to read, but not to get into. It was a book that started off with a mystery begging to be solved. The hero of this series isThis book was frustrating to read, but not to get into. It was a book that started off with a mystery begging to be solved. The hero of this series is Inspector Chen Cao. He has to liaise with foreign US Marshals official Catherine, who also doubles as a feigned romantic interest. If it acts like a duck, quacks like a duck, but lays a chicken egg, then it is not a duck. This book is not romance related. Though, by the way, it does not pass the Bechdel test.
A river is in constant flux. People who want to impress the economic progress of China, compare Shanghai from 1990 to the skyscrapers and huge mills of 2018-20, at a time when the reputation of China's prosperity had become common knowledge. But from the perspective of someone living in Shanghai in 1990, their 'current' timeline was as if the money, industries, co-operations, and infrastructure had been boosted and implemented and built almost overnight. So in the 90s, Chen Cao, the fictitious hero of the novel, is in a privileged place.
I liked most of the novel. By that I mean 75%. The book is overlong. Yet it is only 351 pages. But it has been written in a so hectic and lumbering way that the gears grind to a stand still and the pacing is way off. For the first time in ages, I decided to stop reading the book at night, and to give my moods and biological clock a reset. But all of this was to no avail. Parts of this book were like a rotten egg.
A neat balance between mystification and convolutedness had, it seemed to me, never been attempted in this book. It is easier to think of such a surprising plot and enact it with suspense than to think of a difficult plot (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) and write it in an easy manner. I took to the simple and fragile beauty of Chinese poetry translated in English with reason and no rhyme, in book 1 of the series. But here there was too much poetry. If I wanted to read about T.S. Eliot I would have cracked open the spine of my Daiches book of history of poems. Joking, Daiches deals in British poetry only.
Catherine Rohn, one of the main characters in the book, is insultingly two dimensional. She has no character to her form. She is pretty, is not fluent in Chinese, apparently has average reflexes, has no great memory, and is as green behind the ears as they come. And she does not learn anything newish from her stay in China. Admittedly, she stays in China for only a few days, but her helplessness is so frustrating because it stands out during the entire time she says something. At least she and Cao did not share a one night stand. But I gloomily predict that that will happen more often than not in this series. Having a love interest without consummation, I mean.
Many might consider this book an upgrade over the previous one. I do not think so personally. The first book had less twists but had better rounded characters. I miss Peiqin, the model wife of Yu, who is himself Chen's assistant. Peiqin was fun to be with. As were the meals to which the various people were treated to in that far away time, in book 1! How I miss their behaviour. In this book the meals are always between two people. And there is not a childlike wonder at the Chinese gastronomy, because the romantic tension between Chen and Rohn overcast both the culinary adventures and the solvable mystery.
I had to flip to the later chapters, so I cannot give this book a high score in good faith. The author could have sensed that his book was being fattened. He might have sensed so, and had theoretically done nothing about it. This book would be perfect at 285 pages. It would have been a thought process that comes to those who are both prolific and expert at their craft. Most of Agatha Christie's books are under 350 pages... with more than 50% of them under 300 even. Many of the songs of the Beatles are under 3 minutes.
The nature of the investigation dictated that there was not a list of suspects to be drawn. That is understandable. However I hope that there is a remote Ming dynasty mansion waiting for Chen and Yu to knock at its massive doors at one point in one of the subsequent books. Wishful thinking aside though, I hope there is enough wisdom in Qui, the author, to cut his indulgences short in this series. Basing your mystery book on gourmet food needs more bookish elements to feel replete. What's the point in curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea, if you are struggling to keep up with what tea the people in the book are drinking and do not know what the hell they taste like?...more
The book's vitality lies in it being a big jumble and a big Capernaum. It is full of life. Unbridled, savage, and wondrous urgency. I have not much flThe book's vitality lies in it being a big jumble and a big Capernaum. It is full of life. Unbridled, savage, and wondrous urgency. I have not much flattering to say about Howl book 1, but what little I said, I meant every word. The book seems like its 330 pages were linked together by the words in a complex and fragile waltz.
Yet I give only 2 stars (see my rating system) to this book because of what it is, and because of what I am. I am a reader who does not take notes and who plows on most of the time. Maps from Fantasy books are wasted on me. Lists of characters in their relevant books, I skip like Lyme disease. Various editions of books mean little to me, because I avoid the prefaces, forewords, forewords to the 30th anniversary edition, and Acknowledgments without afterthought.
The book gave me a lot to unpack, about half of which you will read and the rest will be forgotten before I am done reviewing, so sorry about that. Howl's Moving Castle is the 8th book that I have read in which a major character has jet black hair, and bright green eyes. This possession of said colour is common enough in the West, except in fiction. Thing is, among all of these 8 books, this one has appeared in print earliest. So something must have influenced someone. I'll say no more about that.
I have had the blessed luck of being a fan of the anime version, and I realised that the book would be different. The curse to be divined was the major hook by which I was pulled through the narrative. I wanted to know if the eldest of the Hatter sisters (a trio of young women, more or less magical, maybe it rings a bell) was to guess correctly at Howl's affliction. Sadly, she - Sophie is her name, doesn't. And that far-reaching writing permeated my lack of enjoyment of this wonderful book.
The plot maybe was plot proof, but the plot was rendered alive due to the stupidity of Sophie. She facilitates small explosions of tragic deaths everywhere she goes, until she accidentally solves the adventurous puzzle of who will win of the two, the self absorbed yet vulnerable hero, or the very bad witch. Sophie is given lots of clues but does not show trepidation when Time, fatherly and yet almost as old as her, comes a knocking. Due to this mechanism, the book drags instead of canters.
It is challenging to portray fights in the magical realm, none more when they grace a middle grade book. Jones superbly avoids this challenge by stopping us from seeing both of the fights between Howl and the Witch. In the second fight, there is a cartoonish cloud that hides the epic battle. It all was very hush hush. What was the author thinking? Was she paying an homage to Looney Tunes?
The magical system is fraught with missing pieces. We do not know how this magic works. There is no Latin gibberish, and there are no wands. So the magic is mysterious, which would have made sense and would have prettied the proceedings. One is born a witch. We do not know that Sophie, the MC, is one, because she is the eldest and therefore according to the beliefs on this Land, boring. There is no fate, only magic and those interesting enough to possess it.
The fire demon side of the book was problematic but saying more would be revealing. All things considered I would recommend this book as a palate cleanser if you had an overdose of Lugosi type vampires and heroes endowed with a magic sword. I have respect for the author, because her voice is unique. But I also feel that the book does not help itself with its lame glissandos and anti climaxes....more
I have no regrets reading this book and trying to fit it into a reading challenge half way in the year. It was a nice try by Quartey to be a successfuI have no regrets reading this book and trying to fit it into a reading challenge half way in the year. It was a nice try by Quartey to be a successful author. And the author did succeed. He is smart, and measured, and also learns fast. Too bad he did not think outside of the box.
See, this type of thriller lets itself go after a certain amount of exciting events happen at breakneck speed. The error is to allow one to write fluff to flesh out the book in a way that would please most booklovers. It is my misfortune that my mind does not work in a way that is seduced by filler fare.
The book's first 30 chapters are outstanding. I have always had a thing for writers that show their hand. And when Quartey showed us stuff that makes us wonder why it was put there, we come dangerously close to solving the case of The Missing American.
The book's many characters choke the life out of this thriller. A slow and boring car chase is just maybe two vehicles driving along the road. This story showcased a speedster... chasing an ice cream van. Very hard to buy.
There are instances in works of art by Western artists, whether books or series or movies, where the jubilant, competitive, but upbeat upbringing of the artists betray their humanism. The African authors like Quartey too have that proclivity. Only that den of vipers that is Japan regularly shows its sting in art. The Missing American is slightly merciful to its characters. And that is how potentially great art becomes run-of-the-mill art.
I still would trade all the in between books of all my favourite book series in exchange to be introduced to and keep the memories of this book. It is something that the herd is not grazing. It is the outskirts, the outliers. I liked this book. 2 stars is an okay rating in my personal rating system. But this book stayed 5 star for most of the first part.
I was pleasantly surprised by the interracial sex in the book. I have a love/hate relationship with this particular strain of lovemaking. A conflicting one. The book was not too graphic, but I still cannot know what made the scenes unemotional or cold. This was a freakish display of writing. It was there and it did not pass unnoticed by me.
The threads were not all tied together but there was a decent effort in making the story whole. It is really a pity that such good ideas met with staleness, fatigue, and confusion during the middle part of the book. Anyway, 2 stars invariably means that I am not picking up this book again, good as it was for my reading dietary needs. This review's job is to jog my memory. It is terrifying how diverse Africa is. Ghana seems like another planet. Respectfully signed, a Mauritian....more
**spoiler alert** My lukewarm fears were realised after reading the final word in the book, The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. I knew, from the part betw**spoiler alert** My lukewarm fears were realised after reading the final word in the book, The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. I knew, from the part between the first and second Acts - the story takes place over 3 days - that the author had a terrible hand, and was bluffing. The thing with writing is that you cannot fool everyone all the time after the manuscript has been printed.
There features a pregnant woman in the book. She is pregnant and is assigned to an unsolved murder case. In the epilogue, she is written with her twins - one year olds - and her husband. There is something to be said about kids that are toddlers. It is very difficult to write adventures about them. Shows that succeed in doing so, do a terribly hard thing. Witness the Rugrats success. To a lesser extent, The Simpsons. So, it is very difficult to write scripts about very young adults. But what is the easiest part of the trade is that it is absolutely easy to make toddlers endearing. Unless the reader is a sociopath. And this easy bit of 101 writing was apparently beyond the skills of the author.
This treatment is meted out to every single character in the book. The book is the definition of superficiality and shallowness. Ella, one of the victims, survivor, and main characters has a lifestyle that looks like she is in her mid 20s. If she were in her early 30s, her promiscuous but unobtrusive lifestyle would look like that of a loser. This the author glosses over spectacularly. Most good guys are cute or hot. I compiled a list of suspects from the story based only on the appearance and description of the characters. It was easy to include the culprit's name in that list. I did not solve this rocambole of a case. I did not care enough to rub two neurons about it.
Alex Finlay wrote his/her book like an inchoate script. Nothing wrong with that. Except that the book was very boring to read. A little characterisation would go a long way. In movie scripts, dialogue is the key, followed by action, and then references. This, apparently, Finlay ignored or was unaware of. The only reason I wasn't bored by the book completely, was because of the death of SIX people. That what it took to prevent me from deliberating what to do with the book, whether to delete it, or ask for a refund.
This is definitely the worst book that features names of characters as chapters. Alternate POVs or what have you. There was nothing to engage the mind in. There wasn't even moments that could have played for shock value. For a serial killing thriller, this book is considerably tame, mindful of language, and lacking in twists. The lack of respect for locations and the rules of the law made the reading greyer than it would have been if the author had stuck to reality. In relying on his/her/their writing prowess to carry the book's bulk without having talent took some guts. Unfortunately, this resulted in what to me was a mediocre effort.
The buildups were disjointed and lead to dead ends. Being someone who has read many mysteries in his bookish life, I was never going to be impressed by this book. I don't know if Ella, Chris or Atticus Singh survived, and I don't care. Atticus reveals part of the problem with this book. He carries insufficient reason for caring for him. He has doe eyes, a thin tie, an ailing mother to care for, and he talks about To Kill a Mockingbird for a while. He is a nobody. Just like everyone else .Every single person in this book was like a cut scene from a videogame.
The twists in the book, whatever there were, tallied with the conclusion of the the latter. But the attempts to misdirect were baleful. Several pages of the story were about nothing that mattered. Do these people even sleep at night? One of them being a mother to be? It seemed like the killing joke of the serial killer, repeated twice, in the interval of 15 years was as inconsequential as a lullaby. I take that back. It would be super creepy if that quote had psychological roots and a material impact.
Till now, I do not have a thorough knowledge of why I like some books but dislike others. I guess I find boring books depressive. And it was so in this case too. It just didn't do anything remotely interesting. The only worse piece of suspense that I read was 'Why Didn't they Ask Evans?', by Agatha Christie. Finlay didn't make it easy for me to expect anything good from his career. And I must enunciate this... I won't be reading anything by this writer soon, unless it wins the Goodreads Choice Award or something. That was sarcasm by the way. Do you know where you can find worse sense of sarcastic humour? In this book. Do you know what book might win the GCA soon? Hmm?
The author must learn to infuse life and urgency and a sense of purpose in his characters. I'm beginning to understand how certain books are chosen to give them publicity. The editors seem to be the natural readers of this type of thriller, which is topsy-turvy and loony. But that is the sad reality. The type of readers who will find this book great are people who read a lot and are too tired from their day to research what is good and what is not. This affirmation and gestation of a revelation will serve me well in my search for the next great book. So unless you have real reasons for wanting a book, movie, song, or painting, do not fork out your hard earned money to scammers like these impostors....more
If I was stingy with my ratings in the past, now I seem frivolous. For this 4th tome of the Famous Five series has no redeeming factors. It is very trIf I was stingy with my ratings in the past, now I seem frivolous. For this 4th tome of the Famous Five series has no redeeming factors. It is very trite. For an adventure that is aimed towards preteens and teens, but part of a series that sometimes charms even adults, this book belies the goodwill of the author, Enid Blyton.
I think only the accumulation of new words in French prevented me from giving the book one star. For a middle grade book, the vocab is different from its original. Transferring from English -pound - to French - franc - the book seemed to have gained in currency. The language employed is more than the dry utilitarianism of the original.
This is the 4th book in the series. The first 3 are much better. I rate them thus :- 2nd, 1st, 3rd. Then we have this one, which is a marked departure from the usualness of the series. The adventure fails on all fronts.
The joyousness of the children? Gone. The cheerfulness of the tone. Vamoosed. The carefreeness of the plot. Ditto. The villain was someone that illustrated the problems of the book perfectly. He has no time to shine. He is a pantomime villain, but someone who is without right or reason. He poses as a master criminal with fleets of smuggling boats at his beck and call, yet wets his digits in the crime he masterminds.
The cheap and unsurprising ploy to conjure up mystery falls flat on its factualless face. This book has no sword to fall on it, but it manages to impale itself on the sharp demands of reason that ought to underpin any venture in writing.
Maybe Enid Blyton or one of her countless ghostwriters thought to borrow somewhat from gothic tales. Maybe she wanted to imitate Poe among all people. We will never know. Good. The less we know about the intricacies of this book the better. Which is why you see me not rehashing any part of the stories. I'm merely here to warn off would be readers to either avoid this book, or to lower their expectations to ankle level.
Both children and adults have no arc in this book. There is just a clumsy collage of scenes that look pathetic to the eye. The smugglers, the hosts, the victims of kidnapping, all of them seem to lug no pulse in them, and no brain activity whatsoever. Given that there seems to be two of the brightest minds in science under that sinister and lugubrious roof, God help us what lesser mortals act like in that murky and brownish grey universe.
To cap it all - get it? Capital? - the setting and the actors and the prose and the narration and the plot are all grey. The best Famous Five books have the exciting locale of a Western. This book looks like a The Hangover 2 in terms of cinematics. Maybe I'm the only person alive to compare Kirrin - or here Kernach - island to Vegas, but anyone who lives on an island or reads about them can understand my point. Islands are solitary as Sherlock Holmes, all over the place like a Diva gone old, exciting like a heist movie, and fresh like the newly fallen rain.
But here the solitariness of the book is dull as grain. I have no idea why I am writing so much about a book that I disdain, but sometimes muses have minds of their own. Do not read this book without preparing for it. Do not expect all Famous Five books to be created equal, for some are moreso than others. This book ought not to have seen the light of the day.
The worst thing that Enid Blyton has done to her bestselling Famous Five Series is to have all books be stand alone. There are no consequences. There are no hurts to nurture, no knowledge to wise up the mind, 4 minds that are budding and learning at every step. In more capable hands this book series ought to appear fairy tales like. But fairy tales, even Christian ones, are pagan in nature. The straight up middle class and outdated ethos of the Famous Five clash horribly with the spirt of folk tales. Anyway I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Try Five on Finniston Farm rather. But this book is best left forgotten....more
It is always the most action filled movies which are the worst. I rarely read a book that is action packed, but then came across this book. Its beginnIt is always the most action filled movies which are the worst. I rarely read a book that is action packed, but then came across this book. Its beginning reminded me of the start of Infinity War, the Marvel movie.
Le Chinois qui verdissait was released at a time when spooky tales were very popular in all ways and shapes. I immediately thought that there ought to be a good explanation for the appearance of the ghost. There ought to be a satisfactory subterfuge concerning the special effects of the apparition. Sadly the explanation was very underwhelming.
The ending was as disappointing as the beginning and the middle. The culprits were not caught. This could have been epic and real life like. Instead it came off as if the author had run out of ideas. This is the shortest book I have read so far this year, but I regret wasting my time on it.
The earthquake was one trick too many. The book became expert in frustrating my reading experience and I cannot help but give an otherwise capable book 1 star. My scientific mind refused to believe in the magic properties of the pearls but the characters kept skirting this issue. Too bad. There was a good story within this book. It just was lost and became very dated as a result....more
The Saving Grace of this book is that it is amateurly made. There is no whiff of professionalism in it. I have never really broken out the thesaurus bThe Saving Grace of this book is that it is amateurly made. There is no whiff of professionalism in it. I have never really broken out the thesaurus by way of giving such kind of book its due. So this review will be shorter than what I usually write.
There were 3 typos that did not escape my mind. Once a glaring but innocuous s instead of a. Secondly, peak instead of pique, thirdly, purest instead of purist. I will add that the book is readable and I did read it easily, with few winged bugs in the ointment.
Nancy Coco ought to have got data of her Don Juan romeo village Bruce Wayne from comics. Having been s reader of them for a while, I know that comics, particularly those from the late 60s, are as quotable as a Charlie Chaplin movie, or a Tarantino one.
When I knew that Coco, surely a pen name, would write a killer Ken Doll as her MC's love interest, it did peak my interest. I waited for the entertainment to begin, and it did not disappoint.
Trent Jessop was a kind of bizarro Zorro, which would peak the interest of even the most strict purest. His lines, rotten and reheated, were hilariously devoid of personality. I would go on and quote the book, but life is short and while I thank Coco for giving me some cheer, and while I will read more of the series, I won't twist the knife counter-clockwise....more
Cozy mysteries are my weakness. It is not healthy of me to attach my emotions to a genre that has brought nothing but disappointments recently (these Cozy mysteries are my weakness. It is not healthy of me to attach my emotions to a genre that has brought nothing but disappointments recently (these past 3 years). I am slowly rehabilitating and marshalling, though. The tries of giving the genre a chance are keeping on becoming fewer and far between.
As well as not being fun to read, cozies are a terrible subject for a review. One cannot get creative as there is no room to. The choice of the victim is usually better than the choice of the culprit. The saving grace of this cozy is that it takes a joke and turns it into a plot twist.
Please do not read this book even if you borrowed them. Albeit, you might like this book. Many have. And they rate it highly enough. Maybe they had a gun pointed to their head. I don't know.
This book is not a guilty pleasure for me. It is a cruel punishment. I have heard that the author wants to write contemporary mysteries a la Evanovich. I sincerely wish her better luck with that venture as she has already done everything possible for cozies and has hit her ceiling.
To recap, this book for me was not enjoyable. It feels like I'm cutting myself from flavorful food and wasting my time over frothy and airy junk food. Ever since I marginalised cozies I have been doing well. But it is proving difficult to turf them out forever.
The thing is, bad cozies ruin my day - you get the picture. There is a nice Fantasy book waiting on my Kindle to be read. There are promising and new books that are likelier to be enjoyed by moi. I know I need to read and erase these books, eroding them word by word, from my e-reader. Right? Right....more
I saw one of my Goodreads friends give this 2 stars. I felt then, that I could live with disagreeing with her. A few days later and here we are and onI saw one of my Goodreads friends give this 2 stars. I felt then, that I could live with disagreeing with her. A few days later and here we are and one star it is. I didn't read the book completely. This book made me question my renewed interest in science fiction.
If you type 'media death cult' on YouTube, you'll get to the channel which recommended this book to sci fi beginner readers. I don't think science fiction is cut from the same cloth as the erstwhile cozies that I used to consume in humongous amounts. Neither is it cut from the same stuff as the 2000s thrillers that appealed to me.
Red Rising lacks awareness and context. The idea was okay to begin with, but the author didn't take it to unhallowed places. The science in the book was a head clash away from the raison d'être of the dystopian society on Mars. I went into this book with no preconceptions and I came away from it without slaking of any kind.
Lastly, Red Rising has the same flaw as hard sci fi. As opposed to the latter it is a moronic sort of take, but it contains the same lack of need for situating the human condition. This book would be better off as a swashbuckling book, or a YA Fantasy. But the treatment it was given did not help it in any way, shape, or form....more
Let my tagged bookshelf speak for itself. This book was a letdown. I have, yet again, given a highly ranked book a negative rating. The author did herLet my tagged bookshelf speak for itself. This book was a letdown. I have, yet again, given a highly ranked book a negative rating. The author did herself no favours by trying to do everything and not borrowing from better books in the genre.
I am going to avoid this author's books from now on. Book 3 was very good. But now I cannot side myself along with the fans. To add insult to the injury of reading this book - a quick read - I felt so numb that I did not even try to solve the mystery. It was there for the taking.
The worse thing you can do in a murder mystery is to appoint a character as witness to the crime and let that character alive and well and under the noses of the investigators all this time. Also I usually embrace dialogues of everyone in the book having the same tone and syntax. After all, I grew up as a cozy mystery reader foremost. But here I thought the book was far from being sharp and realistic.
There were better things here, though. The problem with that is the good things are all in the same one chapter. The carnival, Kayla being cute and carefree, her little scare (trying not to give spoilers here), the flirting between sidelined and minor characters, everything good here was in one chapter.
I wonder how many fans of the series felt the scales falling from their eyes. They must number in significant digits. I would have continued with this series if I had more time and if there were competent lending e-book libraries where I live. But now I conclude with the wry feeling that this cute setting is not worth reading purely for engaging in it. I have not had enough, but I am doing the sensible thing....more
Vespertine is a new series, from a new-to-me author. There has been a huge stream of authors who are women and are young, hip, and smart. I think thatVespertine is a new series, from a new-to-me author. There has been a huge stream of authors who are women and are young, hip, and smart. I think that this model will not be sustainable as few people read books, compared to moviegoers, or sports fans.
This writer has alas not been that inspired in her writing here. She struggles to do the basic stuff. This means e.g. tracking the passing of time. It may also mean - it does also mean - the changing of setting of the story. The concept is stellar, but the delivery leaves to be desired.
Margaret Rogerson is an intelligent author. She will learn from her shortcomings. I forgot the true name of the main character, but it is she who gets to be the Vespertine, a fifth order relic holder. This means she is a saint, and people pray to her. Despite all this the writing is as wooden as The Tree of Life.
Two stars is a bad rating, there is no getting past it. One of the annoying things about the book is that the author felt the need to include a love interest. Add that to the mix, and an enemies to friends to lovers (eventually) trope and the die is cast. Reading this book was a discovery, so I don't regret doing so. But it was not enjoyable....more
How cute. A Krusty wanting to write a bestseller, faddish, and sensational book about vampires. Well, his hard work has paid off, as the book is critiHow cute. A Krusty wanting to write a bestseller, faddish, and sensational book about vampires. Well, his hard work has paid off, as the book is critically and commercially a success. This will cause a lot of budding or even experienced readers to get conned by Krusty.
We are like newborn turtles trying to reach the sea from our hatching underground nest. Most of us don't reach that sea of understanding and critical thinking that makes the mind fertile with discerning thoughts.
The shock value in this book is laughable. Take the instance of the deaths. They may be gory, but they are not pathos ridden, unless you take each book at face value and ditch your experience during reading.
The ending does not salvage a bad piece of work. I hope the teens who got hoodwinked by this book will learn to give proper due to real classics. I know that I'm speaking out of turn, knowing that every book is subjectively consumed. But the alternative to riding the objective train is to berate Krusty till I die, and I think I already have had 800 pages worth of the guy to last my lifetime.
There's no way this book gets more staying power than even the Anne Rice books. The need to reinvent a religion (hailed by some readers as world building) shows the cowardice of Krustovski. He is like a cook who started with the intention to make a cronut (yum!) and instead ended with pretzels....more
Hamartia, thy name is Coincidence. One of the reviews I glanced at said that Maisie Dobbs was an amalgam of Mother Theresa, Mata Hari, and Supergirl. Hamartia, thy name is Coincidence. One of the reviews I glanced at said that Maisie Dobbs was an amalgam of Mother Theresa, Mata Hari, and Supergirl. I wish. Calling someone Mother Theresa is like laughing at Gandhi being in hell in that South Park movie. If Maisie was like Mother Theresa, she would make for a fascinating and kaleidoscopic character.
Jacqueline Winspear sinned enough times for me not to lose count but still it's many. Like I hinted at, there are astounding coincidences in this book. Also, there was a gun in the book. I understand that it was not of the Chekhov brand, since it hasn't been used, which is the coolest thing the author has done with her book.
I wanted to give up and move on to the next book. What prevented me from doing so was the curiosity regarding how the authoress wrote a book that was a commercial success, has excellent critical response, and has been professionally written. The latter was a dealmaker for me. Ever since I wanted to write books, I've been trying to guess what I could get away with, creatively speaking. I think I have part of the answer at least.
Going back to the book, I think I frowned on the reconstruction of the Nazi salute and Hitler, nebulously depicted as he was in this book. Hitler has stopped getting breaks ever since he offed Rommel, but still, it's tricky to depict him both in reel life and in print. The most successful depiction of the Fuhrer was done admirably by Herman Wouk in The Winds of War. In this book, which I picked up only because of its WW2 plot, Hitler seems having more blood ties with Harry Potter's Dementors than a being of flesh and blood.
In conclusion I must admit not getting the following Winspear has among her faithful. About 6 or 7 years ago, I tried to read the first book in this series, simply titled, Maisie Dobbs. I did not last long then , unlike now. But regardless, the lack in quality in both books is a mystery that has roots in the question, what is the making of a successful author? The first book was forgotten until I knew the existence of Journey to Munich. Journey to Munich is poor fare. It's inferior literature, and it's professional but somehow lazy writing. It's not atrocious though. It's simply a missed opportunity....more
Harmless but sleight of the hand manipulation story about nothing in particular. It looked like the authors compressed a sparse plot into a purposefulHarmless but sleight of the hand manipulation story about nothing in particular. It looked like the authors compressed a sparse plot into a purposefully sparser page count to tout it as substantive.
The Maharani's Pearls aren't lost so that Bess Crawford can look for them. But to know what their role is, is up to you if you still want to fork wonga for this short story.
I'm a guy of Indian ancestry, though I live in Mauritius. I think the mutiny of 1857 is seen by Indians as noble and by the British as nightmarish. This discrepancy in ideas has never been addressed. Not that I expected this humble book to do so. Just throwing it out there for some musing. Bye for now....more
Once more Beaton blunders by making her villain not horrible enough. But obviously many fans of the series are satisfied with the writing.
I would haveOnce more Beaton blunders by making her villain not horrible enough. But obviously many fans of the series are satisfied with the writing.
I would have been happy with less padding of the story. There were entire Chapters dedicated to so called investigation.
I'm beginning to think that Hamish spoils the mechanism of any of his stories. He should appear sparingly. But notice how better the book gets when he is not the first person narrator....more
Ugh! Quite a macabre short story. I don't know what really to think of the last words in the book. There is no optimism, not much buildup, and [image]
Ugh! Quite a macabre short story. I don't know what really to think of the last words in the book. There is no optimism, not much buildup, and little suspense to cloth the skeleton of the story.
I read this story because of an interview on YouTube of King himself. He outlined the tale and I knew it would end on a cliffhanger. Ha!
I think this short appeared in a compilation called Skeleton Crew, a book by Stephen King, of course. He is not the author that I need, or I ever needed. There are many more talented writers than him.
King has undergone a habit of dillydallying. He just is in love with his own words. I'm glad I just dabbled in his world, instead of shelling out for more bloated books of his. Here we part ways....more
**spoiler alert** This book is responsible for me to lose interest in the rest of the 4 Mistborn books. It was the beginning of Sanderson's dwindling **spoiler alert** This book is responsible for me to lose interest in the rest of the 4 Mistborn books. It was the beginning of Sanderson's dwindling goodwill in my eye.
I have read this book a couple of years ago. I still remember the disappointments of the story. Elend gaining superpowers did it for me.
I respect the fans' opinion, but I knew from reading this 2nd installment that the nadir of Sanderson, the Stormlight series would not jibe with me.
Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again....more
It is a given fact that omnibuses that get completed are usually awarded a high score, usually by the hardcore. It's not my pleasure to buck this trenIt is a given fact that omnibuses that get completed are usually awarded a high score, usually by the hardcore. It's not my pleasure to buck this trend.
Kellerman lost my faith in him massively in this collection. He is not a thriller writer of the traditional ilk. He is a keen observer and a great describer. He is at his best when he reveals the details of people and their habitats.
But the things he is good at are bad for the thriller genre. This bulky collection could have been a wonderful showcase of his talents and in a way they are. But Kellerman cannot make his victims count.
He can show violence brilliantly, but cannot reveal the tragedy behind the violence. Whenever he succeeds at this though, it is at the expense of interest, suspense, pacing, and development....more
Luffy (Oda's Version)
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