Sadly one of the few novels of King that didn't blow me away. It wasn't bad but the "wow" factor that King brings just wasn't thereSadly one of the few novels of King that didn't blow me away. It wasn't bad but the "wow" factor that King brings just wasn't there...more
"Reality is thin ice, but most people skate on it their whole lives and never fall through until the very end."
I haven't written a proper book revie "Reality is thin ice, but most people skate on it their whole lives and never fall through until the very end."
I haven't written a proper book review since March 2017, so bear with me as I try to give an unbiased review of this novel. Unbiased considering Stephen King is my favorite author.
The Outsider is presented as a horror novel but for the most part it reads like King's older but much more recent Bill Hodges trilogy. I really enjoyed that trilogy for the crime part, but the supernatural aspect of that trilogy really threw me off. The same thing happened with this novel, I really liked the mystery in the first part of the novel but once the supernatural aspect of the novel set in, I lost interest or found it out of place. I know the premise screams horror and supernatural, but I didn't like the pacing that much. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the supernatural stuff that King writes, I even like the one he did here, but I guess maybe he introduced the supernatural element way too late for me to be fully invested in it. Would've been way better if he introduced the supernatural element in depth at least halfway through the novel.
Character-driven + amazing plot is usually King's formula for a perfect novel but in this case the former was a bit lacking. It's one of those rare times wherein I found the characters unlikeable or unrelatable. I lost interest around the middle of the novel because I didn't really care for the characters who were given the spotlight then. Ralph took a while for me to like, and considering he's in 90% of the novel, it was hard at first. Jake on the other hand was more interesting for me because of his situation but I ended up liking Ralph more in the end. None of the characters though were remarkable and I really don't think anyone would stick with me for a long time unlike his other novels wherein I still remember some of the characters I really liked. The turning point would be when (view spoiler)[ Holly from the Bill Hodges trilogy showed up. That completely caught me off guard and I read through the novel quickly when it happened. I didn't even like her that much in the trilogy but I really liked how King added an old character and made her even better in this novel. (hide spoiler)].
The plot isn't all that bad to be honest. It could just be personal preference why I found the paranormal aspect a bit out of place. I guess for me there was an unhealthy amount of introduction in the beginning and I was expecting the action and suspense to start earlier than it did. It's typical how King really punches you in the gut with the suspense and climax of the novel at the last 1/4 of the novel. This is not the first time he's done this and more often than not it actually adds a star to my rating of the novel. Problem with that technique is that most people tend to lose interest early on because it's a bit dragging at times. Happened to me before with his other novels, and that's why I have a bunch of DNF King novels. For this one though, albeit being a bit dragging, the mystery really kept me pushing till the end. I wanted answers and King delivered. The plot as a whole didn't really disappoint. I wouldn't be giving this novel a 4 star (really 3.5) if I didn't enjoy the plot. Problem with huge expectations from your favorite author is that you tend to be more critical on how you really enjoyed the reading experience. Plot and characters are both the bread and butter of an amazing novel, but other factors like pacing, amount of fillers, and organization really plays a bigger role once you've established a certain level of expectation.
I am still recommending this novel to people not just because King is my favorite author, but because I enjoyed it nonetheless. It took me roughly 20 days to finish this novel but it's mainly because I was out everyday with friends and too tired to read when I get home. Every opportunity to read this though I grasped so it's a really good novel. I know my friends here rated this lower (some way lower) than me but it's a matter of personal preference and I haven't really read all of their reviews. 3.5/5 stars. King could've done better and I'm hoping his next novel would be way better than this....more
This reminds me of my favorite manga/anime, Blue Exorcist. I like how the main character is a stubborn kid fuelled by revenge. The plot seems promisinThis reminds me of my favorite manga/anime, Blue Exorcist. I like how the main character is a stubborn kid fuelled by revenge. The plot seems promising and the set of characters are interesting. I can't wait for him to get his weapon. I used to read a lot of angel/demon related books, so I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy this series.
3/5 stars. The plot and characters are still very undeveloped, but hopefully as the series goes on both aspects would improve. ...more
I promised myself that I would try to finish a series or a trilogy this 2016, and I'm glad that I did it. I normally just read the first book of a serI promised myself that I would try to finish a series or a trilogy this 2016, and I'm glad that I did it. I normally just read the first book of a series and leave it hanging for next time. It also normally ends up being left hanging forever in most cases. I'm going to try to change that bad habit from now on.
This third and last book is amazing. Shusterman managed to wrap things up nicely. None of that cliche stuff with this trilogy. The characters are fully developed and all the plot holes got answered nicely. I liked how the ending happened. It wasn't forced or formulaic in any way, for me.
Most of my friends rated this 5 stars, but sadly it's a 4.5 for me, rounded down. While the ending was good and original, it wasn't mind blowing. I almost gave this 5 stars because of what happens in the middle. The whole thing felt like a rollercoaster ride, but unfortunately the end of the ride winded down. I'm glad though for the outcome of most of the characters, but it wasn't enough for me to garner it a 5-star rating.
4.5/5 stars. One of the best YA trilogies out there. You need to read Shusterman, and I don't care how old you are. I'm 20 years old and I still managed to enjoy this trilogy a lot....more
Not all books suffer the dreaded second book curse. Most of the time, especially in YA series/trilogies, the second book will always be the most dreadNot all books suffer the dreaded second book curse. Most of the time, especially in YA series/trilogies, the second book will always be the most dreaded one. Shusterman managed to create a terrific novel. A great successor to Everlost.
The novel continues with three different voices. We have Mary, Allie, and Nick. Naturally we tend to have favorites when it comes to novels with different voices, and I also have my own in this novel. I liked Allie's adventure more because I'm really interested with her ability to skinjack. It's great that the author expounds on her ability in this novel, and I learned a lot more about it.
The author didn't disappoint with the plot and character development. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that this novel is 100+ pages longer, and there are some dull moments here and there. Forgivable flaws, but the next novel is 200+ pages longer than the first. Hopefully it's a substantial 200+ pages.
4.5/5 stars. I gave this the same rating as the first novel, but honestly I liked this one a lot better. It's still not worthy of a 5-star rating, but it's getting there. Hopefully the last novel in the trilogy would be just as good as this, if not better....more
I got an arc from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Most of my friends here know that I diYou can also find my reviews here: Killerscorpion
I got an arc from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Most of my friends here know that I dislike reading most YA books. I find most of them shallow and repetitive, but the premise of This Savage Song made me want to give the genre another chance. I'm glad that I did, because this is one of the best YA books out there. I stopped reading the genre a long time ago, so if this novel strikes you as repetitive and predictable, then it's the difference of situations for us.
This Savage Song revolves around the lives of August Flynn and Kate Harker. The former a monster, and the latter the daughter of a very influential and horrendous man named Callum Harker.
The author introduced an interesting world. I enjoyed reading about several types of monsters and how they affect the world the author created. Even the gift of August is very interesting. Really complies with the title of the novel.
The plot is a mixture of paranormal and thriller rolled up into one novel. It's interesting to read about how August fights his own demons, and the demons around him. Even better reading about Kate's thirst for her father's respect, and the respect of those people around her. The two characters strengthens the novel by a long shot. Aside from a terrific plot, Schwab managed to create several likeable and relatable characters.
This novel has a bunch of plot twists, so don't expect your ending to be bleak. Also, it's not one of those typical end the first book so that there will definitely be a second book gimmick most authors do. Most of them turn out annoying and forced, but Schwab managed to write a great ending, or should I say, a great cliffhanger. The last page of the novel made me want to read the next novel right away.
It was months ago that I read a novel that made me stay up till 4:30 in the morning just to finish it. I can't believe that this novel made me do that, but it felt really refreshing to truly get out of the reading slump. This novel gave hope to the YA genre.
This is my very first read ever of Victoria Schwab and I'm planning to read her other series very soon. Such an amazing author.
5/5 stars. Highly recommended for anyone who reads. Such a compelling read written by one of the highly acclaimed authors of the Fantasy-YA genre. ...more
I first heard about iZombie when I watched the pilot episode of the tv series about a year ago. The show wasn't mind blowing, but I enjoyed watching iI first heard about iZombie when I watched the pilot episode of the tv series about a year ago. The show wasn't mind blowing, but I enjoyed watching it. I'm actually still watching the show now that it's on its second season. How does this compare to the show? This graphic novel series is way better, in many aspects.
The show focuses on Gwen and how eating brains affects her. It's not boring, but it lacks the sense of complexity that the graphic novel has. I liked that the author managed to combine supernatural elements in a good way. Most series that try to combine everything end up messing the whole thing. iZombie is an exception, at least for now.
The whole brain eating and having visions remind me a bit of another graphic novel series, Chew. I like the idea of it in general, and the author didn't mess things up. The character development aspect was a bit incompetent. Hopefully they further develop in the next volumes, because most of them seem really interesting. Even the vampires seem interesting here, and I only like a few vampire stories. The author should work on the "werewolf" though, because that was slightly unlikable.
I didn't enjoy the artwork, unfortunately. It looks a bit cheap, and a lot dull than it should be. I know the series revolves around zombies, but that doesn't mean the artwork should look dull. Aside from the dull colors, I also didn't like the sketches. They were too cartoonish but made to look real. For me it was all over the place.
4/5 stars. Despite the unsatisfactory artwork, the plot is truly redeeming. Highly recommended to zombie fans who wants a bit of a different take on the genre. ...more
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