Not exactly foaming at the mouth with this one, but hey, it wasn’t horrible. Full of tropes and cliches but nothing that made me want to throw it acroNot exactly foaming at the mouth with this one, but hey, it wasn’t horrible. Full of tropes and cliches but nothing that made me want to throw it across the room or not finish. A little disappointed in the pacing, especially the middle, but I didn’t feel like it was a waste of time to read. As for returning to the rest of the series… maybe if it’s a real rainy day. ...more
I didn't see the ads for this so I can't attest to being disappointed in that realm, but I will say despite a cool mc and idea, the plot, love interesI didn't see the ads for this so I can't attest to being disappointed in that realm, but I will say despite a cool mc and idea, the plot, love interests, and happenings fell flat. The side characters didn't really have much to them and didnt develop over the course of a novel. I may give the second one a go when it comes out, but not sure. ...more
Hmph. Well, I'm just not sure here. In some ways, this was fun. Your average fae romantasy novel with courts, political intrigue, and romance. I'm allHmph. Well, I'm just not sure here. In some ways, this was fun. Your average fae romantasy novel with courts, political intrigue, and romance. I'm all about those books, even if some of them feel cookie cutter. The problem is when those books are marketed to be NA, or even in the upper range of YA, but read more like they should be written for young teens. And I mean young teens, which makes it doubly weird because there's spice. Or, worse, at points, it felt like a teen had written it. The mc verges on being way too powerful to be believable, and at no point was I worried about harm coming her way because she always conveniently seemed to get out of it. Which, hey, I guess that's a thing in most stories (unless you want to kill off your mc), but the reasoning still needs to be at least somewhat believable. Also, I didn't buy the insta-love romance or the magic system, partly because there was no deep magic system (there was magic, but not much of a robust system) and the love happened within a few chapters which didn't feel natural. At the same time, I kept reading until the end and actually didn't mind the ride. I liked Remy as a whole, even if I thought her characterization was a little underwhelming, and the side characters weren't half bad either.
So this is where things get tricky. I almost decided rating it 3 stars, because in my book, that means I had an on average good time but I didn't like it enough to rave about it, or I wouldn't read it again. That's all true here. But the problems with scant characterization/plot reasoning and some of the underdeveloped portions, like world building and the romance, gave me too many structural problems, which made it hard to rate 3 stars. If I could be super particular, I'd give it a 2.4. Not bad, but closer to a 2 than a 3. And even though I'll admit I had a good time, I was expecting a little more from a fantasy series touted to involve covens and political intrigue, so there's a level of disappointment I can't ignore. That doesn't make the book unreadable. Just level your expectations....more
*Somewhat*? unpopular opinion - this one wasn't for me. I may have gone in with too high of expectations after Mexican Gothic, but this story just fel*Somewhat*? unpopular opinion - this one wasn't for me. I may have gone in with too high of expectations after Mexican Gothic, but this story just felt flat, slow, and boring. Dnf ~halfway through. Will I try again one day? Maaaaybe. But right now, this one wasn't for me. ...more
am I in a reading slump? I don't know. I just could not connect with these characters for the life of me, dnf ab. 40% through.am I in a reading slump? I don't know. I just could not connect with these characters for the life of me, dnf ab. 40% through....more
Beautiful cover and interesting plot, but as hard as i tried, I could NOT finish it. way too slow moving, felt like nothing was happening, and the ploBeautiful cover and interesting plot, but as hard as i tried, I could NOT finish it. way too slow moving, felt like nothing was happening, and the plot was weird, but not weird enough to keep me interested. Just not for me. I wont categorize this as "why was this published" because while I do think there are readers out there who may enjoy this one, it's my personal taste and lack of investment in the book that had me not feeling it at all. ...more
dnf - May just be me, but this feels like a mesh of a bunch of popular fiction and fantasy books with not so great execution. Couldn't get through itdnf - May just be me, but this feels like a mesh of a bunch of popular fiction and fantasy books with not so great execution. Couldn't get through it...more
This is one of those books that looks really good and has a good idea, but the cheesiness and predictability when it comes down to it makes it not staThis is one of those books that looks really good and has a good idea, but the cheesiness and predictability when it comes down to it makes it not stand out. With mystery and thriller, there's a slough of books with great ideas but poor execution, and for me this book falls under that category. Solid potential, less than solid execution....more
Cute cover, but dnf. The main characters/love interests were just not compatible and so toxic that I couldn't root for them. Look, I'm for toxic charaCute cover, but dnf. The main characters/love interests were just not compatible and so toxic that I couldn't root for them. Look, I'm for toxic characters making toxic choices and suffering in their toxicity...if the characters have some redeeming qualities. But the choices these characters made were just irredeemable at some point. Just couldn't find myself liking the characters, and since characters are h-u-g-e for me in books, i dnf ~a little more than halfway through. ...more
I loathe harping on the same thing countless others have, but men. Men… when will you stop writing offensively poor female protagonists? Setting asideI loathe harping on the same thing countless others have, but men. Men… when will you stop writing offensively poor female protagonists? Setting aside the whole stockholm-ish-shit, I know of literally zero women, myself included, who wouldn’t at least feel a smidge nervous getting into the car with a stranger (and not just a stranger. A stranger who is a man). That’s the least of what Charlie did that is painfully stupid. Unless Charlie has been living under a rock her entire life, her choices make no sense: not just when it comes to social conditioning as a woman (yes, we are *all* told from the time we’re kids that men are potential predators, that it doesn’t matter what you look like or who you like, you can be a target), but with the news in the story going around about a serial killer on the loose who…wait for it…targets women. Ya’ll, when I say this is the most braindead writing, I mean it. And hey, maybe it’s no fault of Sager’s (insert sarcasm here). He hasn’t grown up as a woman. He hasn’t lived in a world where almost 100 percent of us (if not actually 100 percent of us) fear for our lives at some point.
Now, one could argue, and understandably so, shouldn’t Charlie - regardless of her gender - have common sense? That would be quite the keen argument. Unfortunately, no, Charlie was written with zero common sense. Man or woman, she would’ve been just as stupid. I could continue to rant and rave about how dumb she is, about how no woman alive would willingly go back to a potential killer and already proven psycho because she’s a badass and she’s gonna gets hers, and about how, God be good, the last half of the book makes no logical, real world sense… if the first half ever did. Instead, I want to touch on something I think is about more than stupid plots, or badly written characters.
I’ve grappled with the arguments about how authors should not write (point of view) characters who don’t share their background. I’ve come to the conclusion that while it shouldn’t be a strict “no”, the “yes” comes… with a lot of hesitance. Some of the biggest culprits I’ve seen so far - though I’ve seen a lot - come from men writing women. Or, men writing women’s issues/stories/and so on without even an iota of effort to understand women’s experiences.
I know this is a thriller, but it’s a thriller about a woman being kidnapped by a man when there’s a killer stalking women out. And Charlie acts like she’s from Mars, or, more accurately - like she’s a man in a woman’s body. Blissfully naive, totally eager to be a “femme fatale.” Shudder It’s times like these where writing separate from the author’s POV was just the wrong move. Because if this book didn’t offend me with how dumb it was, thriller or not, it certainly did with how poorly the woman main character was written. Good grief!...more
Minus the weird parts (please do not put an image of a mother's breasts into my head), this book was just...one-dimensional. Flat. The characters had Minus the weird parts (please do not put an image of a mother's breasts into my head), this book was just...one-dimensional. Flat. The characters had very little nuance, there was a lot of corny stuff, and the sex scene felt really, really out of place for the earlier tone of the novel. I hate to say it since this is rare, but I DNF at like 65%. I just couldn't. The whole time I just felt like this:
I will preface this by saying it's a very cool idea, and I love the inclusion of podcasts in the crime/mystery here. What I didn't like as much, sadlyI will preface this by saying it's a very cool idea, and I love the inclusion of podcasts in the crime/mystery here. What I didn't like as much, sadly, was Elle and her attitude in general. Flawed and unlikable characters can work, but Elle grated on me which made it a little hard to get behind her and her story. But mostly what bugged me was the ending. It felt...not as exciting(?) as the first part...a bit rushed, like it was time to wrap up the story with a little less care than there was at the beginning. Again, cool idea, cool parts, but overall just not one I'll remember. ...more
While I loved the queer romance and the sci-fi idea, the content of the book fell short; info-dumps, abrupt starting-and-stopping of scenes, and thingWhile I loved the queer romance and the sci-fi idea, the content of the book fell short; info-dumps, abrupt starting-and-stopping of scenes, and things feeling like they could've slown down a bit at times yet sped up at others left the book harder to get through than I would've hoped. It's always a shame, because most often when I read novels I struggle to get through, the idea is really, really cool, but it's the writing, editing, and/or pacing that keeps the book from reaching a 4 or 5 star potential (or even 3 star potential). For this book, that was what I noticed. Better pacing and more time to get to know the characters before abrupt battle-like scenes, as well as less info-dumping (sometimes it's needed, I get it, but too much is TOO MUCH) could've made a painfully average novel more enticing and stellar....more
I am not a harsh rater...at least, I don't like to think of myself as so, because I can find good in most every book. And perhaps, here and there, theI am not a harsh rater...at least, I don't like to think of myself as so, because I can find good in most every book. And perhaps, here and there, there were snippets of good in this one. Yet, the entire story felt bland...re-used, like something I'd watched before as a teen and swooned over, only to later realize how flat the characters were, how predictable the plot was, and how boring the story was. Maybe it was the beautiful cover that drew me in, or the fact that there's queer rep, or because the book looks and sounds like so many others I'd enjoyed. Some reviews made me hesitant, but hey, I've loved books not many others have loved, and vice versa. And yet, sadly, I am with the masses on this one. It wasn't so terribly bad that I DNF it...but it was boring enough to leave a rather empty, stagnant taste in my mouth. And I am not sure which is worse.
2 stars for the beautiful cover, the sailor-moon aesthetic, and the queer inclusion...buuuuut the writing and development remained FLAT for me. All th2 stars for the beautiful cover, the sailor-moon aesthetic, and the queer inclusion...buuuuut the writing and development remained FLAT for me. All the descriptions were just ever so plain and cliche, which translated into the whole style of writing which simply wasnt for me. Perhaps its a me thing, maybe not...bummed because DAMN is that cover beautiful, like the kind of coloring book cover I'd love as a kid, yet the content of the book just didn't do it for me. MAYBE I would understand publishing it if more editing, re-writing, and development went into it (and maybe dont use the same class of descriptors for skin tones all the time!?) because hey, the idea is cool, but the writing was sub par. Eggh sorry.....more
*Disclaimer, have not read this twice, that's a site glitch. Might read this again out of curiosity, but at the moment, I'm lukewarm.* Ah, a good old *Disclaimer, have not read this twice, that's a site glitch. Might read this again out of curiosity, but at the moment, I'm lukewarm.* Ah, a good old plagiarism thriller. It started out strong, but the rest... well, it left a lot to be desired. I think Bell had a good idea in mind but the execution was repetitive, yet somehow, I couldn't tell you a thing that happened because I was reading lines over and over again and not caring one bit. I still give it 2 stars though because the beginning was sweet and I'm curious to see if I like this more sometime in the future. Not sure I will, but a girl can try, eh?...more
I will start by saying this book has potential - a lot of it. It mixes genres and has a cool plot. That said, I just didn't love it. I've read a few bI will start by saying this book has potential - a lot of it. It mixes genres and has a cool plot. That said, I just didn't love it. I've read a few books recently that have mixed genres, but while this one did the same thing, it fell short in its execution. The characters, as wonderful as they were, only scratched the surface of what could be some really awesome characters if they'd been delved deeper into. So - yes- there is potential, and by god that cover is gorgeous, but it feels like it could've used a few more drafts that went deeper into everything and tided up the genre-mixing to feel successful. ...more
Creepy teeth-related stories always draw me in because I am one for the macabre, but this one just did not do it sadly. Maybe it was the writing styleCreepy teeth-related stories always draw me in because I am one for the macabre, but this one just did not do it sadly. Maybe it was the writing style or maybe it was the characters that I just really couldn't get behind. I can see people liking this one - it's weird, yeah, but who doesn't like an odd book from time to time? For me, what really lacked was likable characters and a writing style that flowed. Sadly, this one just did not have that.
Ya know...if the character relationships were fleshed out a bit more, I would've rated this a solid 3 or 4 stars (damn good ratings in my opinion). SaYa know...if the character relationships were fleshed out a bit more, I would've rated this a solid 3 or 4 stars (damn good ratings in my opinion). Sadly, I just really couldn't connect with the characters on an individual basis AND a friendship basis, which made the plot fall short for me. I'm huge into believable and developed characters, so when a book is lacking in that department, I struggle with it. Too bad, because the plot, overall, was pretty neat. ...more