quitting at page like 700 because i will not fall into the sunk-cost fallacy trap! i will not! and actually because i’m just done reading about adulterquitting at page like 700 because i will not fall into the sunk-cost fallacy trap! i will not! and actually because i’m just done reading about adultery. i’m just so incredibly done.
the episode with byron trapped in poland, especially warsaw, during the nazi invasion is fantastic historical writing, though....more
DNF (for now, at least). I know what the writing style's doing, and I don't even dislike it, but it's just not doing it for me right now.DNF (for now, at least). I know what the writing style's doing, and I don't even dislike it, but it's just not doing it for me right now....more
stopped reading when i realized i did not, in fact, have to finish it. i already know the story of the trojan war, and also, i don't like it.stopped reading when i realized i did not, in fact, have to finish it. i already know the story of the trojan war, and also, i don't like it....more
DNF (roughly halfway through) because all I wanted was a brother relationship for once where the brother wasn’t dead or secretly a jerk or hiding thinDNF (roughly halfway through) because all I wanted was a brother relationship for once where the brother wasn’t dead or secretly a jerk or hiding things or secretly falling apart or...I just wanted two relatively happy, healthy brothers being brothers!!! Books about brothers who lie and stuff but you love them anyway are valid, but they are not what I want. Not what I thought I was getting, in fact.
Anyway. I do appreciate a YA fantasy(?) with decent prose, a male MC!!! (a gruff, traumatized male MC, even better), and an interesting and likable love interest. I assume she’s the love interest anyhow. Also love that she’s a historian, and how Cas is always like, “How the heck do you know that? Why the heck do you know that?” I get asked that a lot, okay, when I display my enthusiasm for little-known historical stories. Lena is rELaTaBLe. And also a fun character. I ’preciate it.
The things I dislike are relatively minor, though I don’t want to leave the city. And y’all I just wanted happy bros in a story, is that so much to ask for????
Since the library has this, I’ll very likely pick it up again sometime, but right now not what I want....more
I started out really enjoying this, especially the “this is a transcript of audio recordings” format, but then it just got...progressively less and leI started out really enjoying this, especially the “this is a transcript of audio recordings” format, but then it just got...progressively less and less enjoyable to the point that I gave up. :(...more
Hide your eyes, children, for here there be CONTENT.
Besides that, Agnieszka (is that how you spell her name? I don’t know and don’t care) is just kindHide your eyes, children, for here there be CONTENT.
Besides that, Agnieszka (is that how you spell her name? I don’t know and don’t care) is just kind of boring to me. And the Dragon. Oh boy. Agnieszka is as vivid and developed a character as Rodion Raskolnikov compared to him.
The Dragon’s whole personality is that he has no patience and gets mad at Agnieszka all the time. No, really. He has no personality beyond that. It’s weird. Needless to say, watching he and Agnieszka interact (which is mostly what happens in the book) is really boring. Really, really boring.
I’d honestly have a hard time believing this and the character-driven brilliance that is Spinning Silver were written by the same person, if not for the Wood. The Wood was the reason I stuck with this book as long as I did: it was so rich, so real, so inhumanly magical, so potently malevolent, so genuinely spine-chillingly creepy. I want a book with the Wood in it! So much! I don’t even care if it’s a good book. If it has the Wood and some halfway interesting characters, I’m IN....more
Look, sometimes I’m in the mood for YA fantasy that has a spunky female MC (and her too-pure-for-this-world best friend) and kinda cool worldbuilding Look, sometimes I’m in the mood for YA fantasy that has a spunky female MC (and her too-pure-for-this-world best friend) and kinda cool worldbuilding and princes and brooding assassins and plenty of banter. Something with high stakes but still lightweight.
And.
I’m almost ALWAYS disappointed. Like I just want the banter to be FUN - not cringe. And the okay writing style to not devolve into full-blown purple melodrama the moment anything dramatic happens. And the scenes that are supposed to progress character relationships to feel so...thin. Like, you can make me grin ear to ear with a conversation, make me want to reread it over and over...or you can have two snappy lines and stretch a whole scene out of them and...it’s just LAME. And I wanted it to be FUN. I don’t care if it’s shallow as long as it’s shallow fun.
Maybe it isn’t the book’s fault but I’m disappointed. I thought it had potential! And maybe it does, but if I’m already sick and tired of the ridiculous characters by a quarter of the way in...well. I’d better quit while I’m ahead.
But just. Does any one have recs for shallow, fun YA fantasy with decent prose and plenty of banter? Pleeease??? ...more
I don’t like all the rapid perspective-switching, and I really don’t like how the mathematician went through this whole introduction to chaos theory jI don’t like all the rapid perspective-switching, and I really don’t like how the mathematician went through this whole introduction to chaos theory just to say, basically, that it’s an undertaking with a lot of variables therefore you simply can’t keep it in check (I’m no expert on chaos theory, but how is a complex, uncontainable system like the weather AT ALL the same as an isolated island where even if all hell breaks loose on the island if you’ve engineered the parameters such that they’re definitely strong enough to just keep everything contained, it’s still not going to affect the outside world? It doesn’t seem comparable to me when the issue being discussed is merely whether or not the island can be breached, not whether it will function properly within).
Also, it’s not the same as cloning humans of course but MAN cloning animals is awful, really.
Anyway. I know I’m just now getting to the good part. They’ve all arrived on the island for the weekend, stuff is gonna go wrong, etc, but I have to take it back to the library now and I don’t care. So maybe one of these days I’ll find out if the kids have a good weekend vacation at Jurassic Park. Or maybe not....more
Okay, I'm giving up on this one for now. I might come back, 'cause a) it comes highly recommended, and b) there are certain things about the setting aOkay, I'm giving up on this one for now. I might come back, 'cause a) it comes highly recommended, and b) there are certain things about the setting and where the plot is maybe heading that I like.
But.
The pacing (s.l.o.w.) and writing style are both driving me CRAZY, and I'm not in love enough with either Zafira or Nasir to ignore it. maybe if Altair was the main character...but alas, he is not....more
ok but when I said I wanted monstrous siren mermaids who drown sailors and are DANGEROUS and DEADLY, I didn’t mean I wanted to read FROM THE POV OF ONok but when I said I wanted monstrous siren mermaids who drown sailors and are DANGEROUS and DEADLY, I didn’t mean I wanted to read FROM THE POV OF ONE.
(to be fair, that is not the book’s fault. just not what I want. and I may one day pick this back up again and just skip Miss Monster’s chapters, because I quite liked the prince and his crew.)...more