I'm not the right audience for this. I've picked it up 3 times and listened to about 35 minutes of it altogether. But she keeps whining aDNF 3%
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I'm not the right audience for this. I've picked it up 3 times and listened to about 35 minutes of it altogether. But she keeps whining about how she can't trust Xaden because he didn't share rebel secrets with her, and she can't trust her brother because he faked his death and she had to mourn him for years. Seriously? If what they're saying is true, millions of lives are on the line if this rebellion fails. But no. Nobody trusted a kid and you had to be sad for a few years. Oh god. The horror! The pity!
When she got all snippy at the leaders of the rebellion for thinking they could "decide her fate" while she was "in the room" - in other words, decide if they should send her back into the school and trust that she wouldn't rat them out to her mother (the general!) - I decided I couldn't do another 27 and a half hours of this.
3.5 stars This is the best Mercy book I've read in a while!
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So excited to see some of that old magic back. I liked that all the sex scenes in thi3.5 stars This is the best Mercy book I've read in a while!
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So excited to see some of that old magic back. I liked that all the sex scenes in this basically faded to black, too. One, because I'm getting to the point that I've read so many sex scenes over the years that I'm just tired of them taking up page time. And two, because I don't think sex scenes are Briggs' forte to start with. Last time around, I was really starting to get an ick over Mercy and Adam's cringe relationship, but now they're back to just being a good, solid urban fantasy couple.
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The skinny gist of the story is that Mercy's brother, Gary, shows up at their house completely incoherent and unable to understand exactly who everyone is without a bit of help. It's up to Mercy and Adam to backtrack through the past few months of his life and figure out who or what cursed him.
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Their search leads them to a lodge in Montana during the middle of a supernatural snowstorm that has them completely cut off from the rest of the world, and a cast of characters that includes the fey, an elemental, a spider, a few goblins, and a vampire and her ghostly husband. All they have to do is find out which one of them stole a frost giant's magical harp. Oh, and if they don't figure it out soon, they might just be responsible for Ragnarok. I love it when Mercy's dad stirs the pot.
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I do wish Briggs wouldn't leave so many plot threads and characters dangling. Like, it's fine for one or two things to be mysterious to give us something to look forward to, but it seems like she starts something interesting in one book, forgets about it in the next, mentions it again for a second in another book, and then kind of forgets again. And she does this with multiple characters/plot threads. What's up with Tad and Zee? What the hell with Sherwood? Where's Stefan and all the vampires from the first few books?! Gabriel is getting married to some girl he just met?! And on and on and on. Just don't mention it at all if you don't plan on giving us a resolution or explanation in the next book. Please. But this was still a far more coherent and fun story than I've been used to from this title in the past few years, so we're going to call this one a win.
Agatha doesn't do divorce cases. Or so she says right up till she realizes that her business is going to go under unless she gets off of her moral highAgatha doesn't do divorce cases. Or so she says right up till she realizes that her business is going to go under unless she gets off of her moral high horse.
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But around the same time she takes on a disgusting new client who wants her to spy on his wife, a teenage girl goes missing. So she and her new photographer head out to see if they can find something the police overlooked. Turns out they did miss something. Her body. Naturally, Aggie takes on the case pro bono to get some free press - and because she's secretly not so heartless that she can just trip over a dead teen and then walk away.
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Meanwhile, that divorce case starts to get weird. But one can't possibly have anything to do with the other. Right?
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This was one of the better murder mystery plots Beaton (or whomever) wrote for Agatha and Co., but if I never hear the phrase capacious handbag again it will be too soon. Enough already. She's got a big purse. We get it already! Oh, and two new (and hopefully permanent) characters show up in this one. An elderly photographer and a seemingly surly young man who both end up being quite useful detectives to the agency. Also, prepare yourself for a jump scare at the end, folks. (view spoiler)[Why is James Lacey back and how is she not over this turd yet? (hide spoiler)]
Agatha has a new neighbor. And this time it isn't a handsome gentleman, it's a 67 year old woman who wants to work for Agatha's new detective agency. OhAgatha has a new neighbor. And this time it isn't a handsome gentleman, it's a 67 year old woman who wants to work for Agatha's new detective agency. Oh, did I forget to tell you she's finally opened her own agency? Well, she has. And high time, too. Thanks to "the Paris incident", in which she was treated shabbily (or so she thought) by the Gendarmerie after her purse was riffled while she was on public transit, Agatha has decided to go legit.
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This story had depth! I mean, in as much as an Agatha Raisin story can have depth. But I was pleasantly surprised at some of the ways the characters (one in particular) developed and changed throughout the story. Would love to elaborate but that would be a spoiler.
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The gist is that Agatha is trying to juggle a new business, jealousies, friendships, and her own feelings of inadequacy. Now that I think about it, the only new thing here is the business. And yet, I love her. Go figure. Recommended for fans....more
Something is wrong with Murderbot. And by something, I mean more than the usual pletEeeeeeeeeverybody cries Eeeeeeeverybody hurts Sooooooometimes.
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Something is wrong with Murderbot. And by something, I mean more than the usual plethora of things that always seem to be wrong with them. This isn't just your average social anxiety and awkward exchanges that have our favorite SecUnit's thoughts spiraling. Could it be their organic parts are causing problems?
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Whatever the issue, they need to fix it fast because having our entire system shut down in the middle of an emergency is just ONE more anxiety that they don't need. Because those soft, squishy, stupid humans will certainly get themselves killed if left to their own devices.
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My favorite thing about System Collapse is that ART and Murderbot are reunited. And ART is so much more self-aware that they just fill in all the emotional gaps in Murderbot. Which is what a good friendship does. Friendship! <--how cute is that?
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I see a lot of people saying that they find these books dull. Or the plot just isn't going anywhere. Or they just don't get what the big deal is. Or they liked the first few and then the rest seem like wash, rinse, repeat - boring! And I don't think they're wrong necessarily. Because an opinion can't be wrong. If you don't like tuna, it doesn't mean that tuna is disgusting. It means that you don't personally like the taste. Avoid seafood restaurants. Or maybe order the lobster? I said all that to say this: if you didn't enjoy the first book, or you haven't enjoyed the last few books, just let it go.
Recommended.<--unless, you know, you hated the other ones...more
But the only things that haunted this book were continuity errors. What the hell was up with Charles having childreI love a haunted house story.
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But the only things that haunted this book were continuity errors. What the hell was up with Charles having children with his ex-wife? In the last book, it was plain that his then-wife had tricked him into thinking she was pregnant with twins when she wasn't pregnant with anything but bloat, and then ran off and got an annulment once she found out what a cheap bastard he was. Where was Beaton's editor?!
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I think we're also starting to see Agatha run through one-and-done men instead of trying to beat the old relationships to death. Which is fine with me. Except it's almost as inconceivable that James' old house keeps getting sold to one hot middle-aged man after another, as is it that Agatha seems to stumble on every single dead body in the entirety of England.
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Oh well. Wish fulfillment isn't something I'm docking points for with these books. And on the plus side, the mystery was a bit more interesting this time around.
Yes. I do intend to keep reading these. Recommended for Raisinets only....more
When the hot new curate is found dead, Mrs. Bloxby's husband is the #1 suspect. Ever the good friend, Agatha decides to clear the vicar's name. <--evenWhen the hot new curate is found dead, Mrs. Bloxby's husband is the #1 suspect. Ever the good friend, Agatha decides to clear the vicar's name. <--even though he pretty much can't stand her Still. This is for her bestie, Bloxby.
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Unfortunately, Agatha is still missing James. And Charles. Hell, she misses Roy enough to ask him down for a visit. It's frustrating to see her still spinning her wheels looking to men as her main source of comfort. But I'm guessing that's also part of the reason I love her. She's a hot mess of nowhere near the right amount of self-esteem. And then I remember that I'm still checking my weight every day as though that were some kind of sign of mental health and body acceptance. Ugh. Rock on, Aggie. We've all got problems.
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I did enjoy the mystery this time around. Especially as the body count started piling up. And I loved that the police chief (or whatever they're called across the pond) suggested she might want to go ahead and get her private detective's license.
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Also, is the mystery writer John Armitage really out of Agatha's life? I guess I'll find out soon enough. Recommended for Raisinets....more
At the end of the last book,(view spoiler)[ Miller pops up and starts talking to Holden. (hide spoiler)] And nowMore protomolecule shenanigans.
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At the end of the last book,(view spoiler)[ Miller pops up and starts talking to Holden. (hide spoiler)] And now we're going to find out why. Ish. And how. Ish. And what even does that mean?! <--to be honest, that's a question for the universe.
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I loved the new characters. Especially Tilly. Snarky Tilly with a cigarette dangling between the fingers of one hand and a glass of booze grasped in the other. She has her own version of a conscience underneath the gobs of money and privilege that balance out her unlikely friendship with the soft-hearted Pastor Anna. Now, Anna is the real main character but I can never relate to pacifists. She was a great character, though, and I thought she was incredibly well-written.
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It's taken up till book 3 and quite a large page count to finally get not only a bit of backstory on the protomolecule but also a confrontation...of sorts. I don't want to spoil anything, so the less said, the better.
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All you really need to know is that Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are once again at the center of the storm. And what a shitstorm it is.
This was just an awesome dramatized adaptation of the first Murderbot book.
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I'm listening to them willy-nilly as they come in from library holdsThis was just an awesome dramatized adaptation of the first Murderbot book.
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I'm listening to them willy-nilly as they come in from library holds (see postscript before you freak out), and have actually listened to the graphic audio version of Network Effect, which is the adaptation of the full-length Murderbot novel. For whatever reason, and I'm sure a lot of people will say that it's because these work better as short stories, I preferred this to that one.
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If you're a fan, these are so much fun. Unnecessary, but fun. Recommended.
PS - I'm listening to the audiobooks in the correct order for those of you whose OCD can't take the idea of just grabbing random books in a series!...more
Oh, Agatha. I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel, though?
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The shock of those first few pages! (view spoileOh, Agatha. I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel, though?
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The shock of those first few pages! (view spoiler)[The book opens abruptly with the announcement that Charles Fraith ran off and got married to some French beauty half his age. WHAT?!
And Agatha is still pining over James Lacey. <--that's fair. as he did leave her to join a monastery in France at the end of the last book. So, of course, Agatha takes a trip to parts unknown in order to not have to deal with living across from his cottage.
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While abroad, she makes friends with a family on holiday AND sees a couple on their honeymoon that strikes her as...odd. She later learns (from the woman she made friends with) that the man killed his young bride for money. Back at home, she sees another couple that reminds her of the ill-fated couple from her trip. So when the bride-to-be is found floating in the river in her wedding dress after a major flood, Agatha takes up the case.
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She also meets her new handsome neighbor, who happens to be a famous mystery writer. Ooooh. Ok, Aggie. Cool, cool, cool. But (and here's the part where I have mixed feelings) she starts fantasizing again about this man as something that he hasn't shown himself to be yet, AND dreaming of their relationship being the thing that makes James regret leaving her. She also completely disregards all the good advice from her friend, Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife. And perhaps that's what I have such a hard time with?
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Because of course she's going to secretly pine for James, and of course she's going to fantasize about her hot new neighbor, and of course she wants James to rue the day he left her. We all do that sort of thing, right? It's more that she angrily dismisses Mrs. Bloxby as someone who couldn't possibly understand, and then proceeds to plunge headlong into one embarrassing encounter after another.
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There's a really good chance that I keep reading these to see if Agatha ever decides to grow up. But for whatever reason, I am going to keep reading them. Recommended for Raisinets. <--we are calling ourselves this now, btw...more
This time around we're in Dr. Mensah's head as she grapples with PTSD.
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For reference, this takes place after Exit Strategy and is what leads upThis time around we're in Dr. Mensah's head as she grapples with PTSD.
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For reference, this takes place after Exit Strategy and is what leads up to our Secbot on a ship guarding her daughter in Network Effect.
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Very short, but very sweet. It was nice to get a peek at Mensah's feelings towards everything - including Murderbot. You can certainly skip this one, but I think any fan of the series would really enjoy it. Recommended....more
I was sort of surprised to find out that this one takes place beforeNetwork Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5), making this a prequel of sorts. And while it was a oh! that's different! in a good way sort of surprise, I was a tad let down that I wasn't getting an ART and Murderbot adventure.
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Alright, so this one shows what happened right after MB decided to hang around on Preservation Station after the end Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4). It should be a peaceful kind of life for them from here on out, but humans are going to human, so naturally, one of the damn things turns up dead. And not from natural causes.
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So this is the story of Murderbot solving a murder. And of course, he's got to win the trust of the human security officers who don't trust our SecUnit not to start rampaging all over the place.
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As far as the mystery goes, there were enough clues sprinkled in to let me guess whodunnit, but the why remained a mystery for me till the big reveal at the end.
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Overall, another fun installment. Recommended!...more
This one might be my favorite yet, as the culmination of the will-they-won't-they relationship between Agatha & JGood riddance to James Lacey.
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This one might be my favorite yet, as the culmination of the will-they-won't-they relationship between Agatha & James finally gets resolved. If you've been reading along so far, you know that he unromantically proposed marriage to her in the last book and she said yes. Well, be careful what you wish for, Agatha. Because marriage to a cold fish isn't all it's cracked up to be for a woman who has been used to her independence. Especially when your spouse decides that you need to change everything about yourself. Clothes too tarty, makeup too heavy, heels too high, smoking too disgusting, and god forbid she wants to take a job!
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Not for nothing, but this one takes some WEIRD turns. <--even for an Agatha Raisin book! Very early in the story, James(view spoiler)[ gets diagnosed with a brain tumor, doesn't tell Agatha, and then (hide spoiler)]proceeds to cheat on her with the new chick in town. After being confronted by Agatha and lying about it, the reader sees him stumble around injured and then leave the country on a friend's yacht. Meanwhile, Agatha and Charles are left to discover the body of his ex-lover.
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Agatha refuses to consider that James might have done it, and she and Charles set out to clear both Agatha and James' names in the murder. It's a wild story that ends with the two of them in a monastery in France. That's all I'll say about that.
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As someone who has been frustrated by the storyline for quite some time now, this is the book I had been waiting for. Recommended for Raisinets....more
I have to say that I thought the author was trying to put James forward as some kind of romantic hero Ok, Beaton. I see what you're doing now.
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I have to say that I thought the author was trying to put James forward as some kind of romantic hero this entire time, and it was kind of pissing me off. But. At the end of this, I get what she's trying to say. He's an asshole. He's narcissistic, cold, and only wants Agatha because she's so full of life that she makes his life more interesting. There's no effort made to woo her, wow her, or make her feel special. He's that guy who shows up on your doorstep at 9 pm because he's got nothing better to do on a Tuesday night. And all of her friends can see it. Which is what makes the ending of this book tolerable.
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As for the mystery? Well, this time around Agatha has taken a vacation to the town of Fryfam, maybe finds fairies in her backyard, runs across a few dead bodies, and solves the case with the help of Charles Fraith. Speaking of... I'm really starting to enjoy Charles! I wasn't sure how I felt about him at first because he's your classic wastrel. But he's at least an honest booty call who genuinely likes Agatha and doesn't want to change her into something she's not.
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I'm pretty excited for the next book, to be honest. I think it's going to be a complete trainwreck and I can't wait to see how everything resolves itself! Recommended for fans....more
I've already reviewed the actual audiobook, so this is just a review for the dramatization. I listened to this directly after, and have to say it does I've already reviewed the actual audiobook, so this is just a review for the dramatization. I listened to this directly after, and have to say it does a good job of capturing the book. As always, I think these should be used as companion pieces for fans, not as replacements for the books, because they are edited versions.
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Sci-fi is one of the genres that really lends itself to these graphic novelizations. Beep-beep, boop-boop! Pew, pew! <--etc. I mean, while it is cool to hear tea cups clinking and doors shutting in period pieces, walking through a field of grass and having a firefight with laser guns is like comparing apples and chicken wings.
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Graphic Audio's tagline is A Movie in Your Mind and I think that's a fair assessment. If you like to listen to books in your spare time, these are well worth your while. Recommended...more
DNF 13% I might come back to this but I doubt it. I wanted something that gave me facts- or as close to facts as we have at the moment. You know, what aDNF 13% I might come back to this but I doubt it. I wanted something that gave me facts- or as close to facts as we have at the moment. You know, what archeologists have found over the years and when, and what do we know about Akhenaten and Nefertiti's reign? What's the best guess about this famous ancient couple? How do other Egyptologists think it all went down and how does that differ (if at all) from what you think?
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But the authors seem to be trying their hands at giving the reader a bit of historical fiction and have inserted storyline "scenes". The one that stuck out to me was the queen getting pregnant by her god-husband. What? You obviously know that nothing that happened in said scene is based in reality and it's just a way to engage the reader and put them in ancient Egypt, but I find this kind of thing annoying. I just want to learn something and you're dragging it out with some sort of might-have-been fairytale. Blech....more
Did you know James & Deborah Howe didn't write Bunnicula? Sure, their names are on the title, but the manuscript was actually dropped off at their doorDid you know James & Deborah Howe didn't write Bunnicula? Sure, their names are on the title, but the manuscript was actually dropped off at their door by the story's narrator, Harold the dog.<--it was a lot easier to get away with this back in 1979
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In his own words, Harold describes what happened to the Monroe house after a fluffy baby bunny appeared in their home. The tale mainly revolves around his long-time feline friend, Chester, who endeavors to prove that Bunnicula is a vampire while being thwarted by fate at every turn. Chester spirals. As cats do when they don't get their way.
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Alright. The skinny gist is that Chester is SURE this baby bunny is a vampire. <--and to be fair, he probably is! But if his greatest crime is sucking the juice out of veggies, the cat probably needs to calm the fuck down. Now, I don't know how many of you have cat overlords at home, but I'm speaking from experience when I say that telling them they need to straighten up and stop acting crazy just isn't an option. And Harold knows this. So how is he going to save his human family, save Chester's sanity, and maybe even save a tiny vampire bunny?
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I won't spoil the ending for you, but it's cute.
Ok, this was adorable and stands the test of time. As in, you can read it to your kids and not have to scrape your tongue afterward to get that horrible children's book taste out of your mouth. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.
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Highly Recommended.
PS - I listened to the audiobook version with Victor Garber as the narrator, and it was fantastic....more
Excellent second book in The Expanse series. James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good. And along with them,Excellent second book in The Expanse series. James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good. And along with them, some new faces step into the spotlight.
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Bobbie Draper is a marine from Mars who is the only survivor of what looks to be more of the freaky alien thingamabob from the first book. Because of this, she ends up as a pawn by her superiors, thrown into shark-infested political waters without knowing how to swim, and has to learn a whole new skill set. She needs to figure out how to not only survive but how to make a difference.
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Chrisjen Avasarala is a big muckety-muck politician from Earth. I loved her. She's ruthlessly cunning and willing to underhand things to get shit done. But if you scrape the layer of ice off the top, she has a soft & gooey center. She's my favorite character by far and I want to be her when I grow up.
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And these aren't the only new additions. There is also Prax Meng, botanist on Ganymede, whose young immunocompromised daughter has been taken off-world by the very doctor he trusted to keep her alive. The planet he calls home is collapsing because the alien protomolecule is spreading, but he refuses to give up, determined to search the universe to find her. All he needs to do is find a crew willing to risk everything for one little girl.
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There's no point in trying to explain the plot because this is one of those books that is dense with realistically flawed characters, intense political machinations, high-stakes action, and a cameo at the end that will knock your socks off.
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