A fairly fantastic second novel that does away with the occasionally awkward tone of the first book in the series. I liked this one.
Having said that, A fairly fantastic second novel that does away with the occasionally awkward tone of the first book in the series. I liked this one.
Having said that, I'm going through a stage where my brain is a bit too flighty for audiobooks, so this is a review that is most fairly left for a second read-through.
I will say that the stakes keep building, and the ensemble cast is really gelling. A few years have passed since the events of the first book, and that added character age seems to have taken this out of the New Adult zone. Also, it allowed Bennett to deal with the romance in a really respectable way.
I know a few things weren't awesome, but I'm not positive that they can't be attributed to my own distraction. I am definitely invested, so hopefully I'll track these down in a physical format, and rewrite this review someday with my better brain in attendance....more
I tend to listen to audiobooks as I fall asleep at night. It gives me something to focus on when the rest of my world goes quiet. My brain doesn't likI tend to listen to audiobooks as I fall asleep at night. It gives me something to focus on when the rest of my world goes quiet. My brain doesn't like it, when the rest of the world goes quiet, and tries to fill the silence with way too much internal noise. The results are usually some combination of delayed sleep, restless sleep, or intensely dreamy sleep; ultimately, poor sleep. Having something external to actively focus on seems to keep my nutty bean from caroming about all over the place, and mornings become a much happier time.
The downside, of course, is that my fall-asleep choices tend to get a little less engagement from me. As such, I often choose a title that I've already listened to or, as is the case with The Grand Hotel, something that seems interesting but perhaps not terribly exciting.
The premise of The Grand Hotel is intriguing: people wander into an old interesting hotel that seems unused or derelict and find a man sitting at the front desk. He is mysteriously engaging, and soon offers a tour of the old building, which, he assures his tourists, is indeed still functional and in fact peopled with guests.
The initial feeling is of muted unease and curiosity, and pulled me in enough that I found I was very careful each night to go back to my last remembered time-stamp. It essentially presents like an anthology – as visitors are touring the hotel and learning bits of its history, they encounter guests. Each guest has a story to tell, and the reader (listener) becomes very puzzled as to how these odd tales are all going to connect together in the larger story of the hotel.
Not horror, The Grand Hotel is still really atmospheric and defies most preconceived expectations in a really clever way. Its strength is the disjointed strangeness of the stories seamed together by the hint of a grander plan.
I admit I had a few frustrations with some perceived inconsistencies in presentation, and some disappointing narrative choices, but given how I listened it does not seem fair to point them out.
I found The Grand Hotel engaging and clever enough that it will eventually get an awake listen, or at the very least a second run-through at some future bedtime. That's actually some pretty decent praise. ...more
This was a fun diversion. It certainly warmed the nerdy portions of my heart.
For anyone even remotely a fan of sci-fi, it is fairly easy (from the titThis was a fun diversion. It certainly warmed the nerdy portions of my heart.
For anyone even remotely a fan of sci-fi, it is fairly easy (from the title alone) to guess the subject matter of Redshirts. Scalzi turns a humorous spotlight onto the genre's 'sacrificial lambs' and ponders what they'd do if they figured out their purpose in our stories.
Avoiding (though sometimes narrowly) straight up lampoonery, these characters actually get a decent story line for once, and it is a great voyage to tag along on. Highly recommended for anyone whose fandom is strong enough to withstand some outright mockery.
While I had bunches of fun, I wasn't blown away or anything. I quite enjoy meta, and Redshirts took its meta to the second level; third, if you listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Wil Wheaton. It's a short story stretched into long-novella format. I actually appreciated the three codas at the end and the change of tone that came with them. Still, there was nothing ground-shaking here. (Ok, technically there was a bit of ground-shaking by poorly written worms, but conceptually...not so much.) A couple of stylistic choices were beyond annoying – for example, although Scalzi writes some snappy dialogue he doesn't make a ton of effort to diversify his designators. And because all of his characters can be (too similarly) quippy and short, that means an insane amount of “said” can get packed into a single exchange. It may be that this stood out more in the audio version, but it was just TOO. MUCH.
Grumps aside, I got not one thing more that I expected from Redshirts, which was a good time....more
Though this didn't particularly impress me in the long run, I found Within the Woods to be an ok diversion.
If I had to draw a comparison, I suppose I Though this didn't particularly impress me in the long run, I found Within the Woods to be an ok diversion.
If I had to draw a comparison, I suppose I would call this Stephen King Lite. It's a coming of age horror story about a group of boy underdogs, with all the requisite add-ins: bullies, body-horror, obstructive or obtuse adults, adolescent fixations, tense atmosphere and buckets and buckets of body fluids.
I prefer these pulpy adventure/heroic type coming-of-age tales to the dramatic grief-filled “leaving childhood behind for the sorrows of adulthood' offerings on the literary side. Within the Woods is a fun but not challenging summer spent with five friends who begin to notice strange happenings in their hometown. (view spoiler)[Aliens. It's aliens (hide spoiler)], but no one else seems to really notice or believe them, so while also dealing with the standard summertime woes of a group of outcasts, our lads must figure out exactly what's going on and how to stop it.
Even as a book club read, this was hard to break down into too much substance. A cool friendship dynamic, but not all of the boys felt distinct to me. Theoretically, Urban gives really good perspective into the mind of a 12 year old boy, but the focus on body grossness bordered on ludicrous; there was so much puke and poop and boobs and peckers in this book that it eventually led to eyerolling exasperation. The supporting cast of characters were pretty much written stereotypes, which made the story approachable but indistinct.
Indistinct works all around here, I think. This was fun enough but doesn't stand out as anything other than the embodiment of the subgenre and all of its tropes....more
Chantal is having a relationship with a sentence. Just one of those things. A chance meeting that grew into something important for the both of the
Chantal is having a relationship with a sentence. Just one of those things. A chance meeting that grew into something important for the both of them.
Solidly satisfying adaptation of one of my favourite graphic novels! This was a delightful way to revisit Dream.
This first volume tells, mostly, the tale of Morpheus (the powerful personification of dream) after he escapes a decades-long captivity. He must, in a quest-type fashion, regain his objects of power, muster his strength, and begin setting the long neglected Dreaming back into order. It is dark and gritty and so much fun.
While I generally feel that nothing could match the original graphic novel presentation, Gaiman and the team involved clearly put a huge amount of careful effort into this iteration and it shows. I'd absolutely recommend it all around (to adult audiences), and most especially for curious readers who don't love comics.
So very pleased to have this in my audiobook collection....more
A concept to 'squee' over, even if it has been done before; even if it has been done to death and the darkness beyond.
The idea itself is just so quainA concept to 'squee' over, even if it has been done before; even if it has been done to death and the darkness beyond.
The idea itself is just so quaint: what if the consistently logical famous detective, who relies so keenly on observation of the tangible world, were to come up against inexplicable madness and magic? The Casebook introduces Lovecraft's Elder gods and mythos to the traditional Holmes setting and atmosphere. It is good fun.
In what sounds to be a trilogy, Lovegrove spends some of this first book rewriting the origin of Holmes and Watson's partnership. In this version, awareness of the dark magics of Lovecraft are what quickly bind them together,
Set in the voice of Arthur Conan Doyle's writing, I found the mimicked tone of Watson to be mostly true and satisfying. The actual 'mystery' of the story, while present and a useful introductory device, takes a backseat to Holmes and Watson's initial experiences of the dark and mystical Lovecraftian elements. Ultimately, this challenges the very core of what we've come to expect from Sherlock; his powers of deduction and reason become somewhat extraneous. While this opposition to Holmes' logic is theoretically interesting, most dedicated fans with a very solid picture of this hero's most unassailable characteristics may well question and possibly be disappointed by his fairly abrupt spiritual conversion. On the other hand, I myself tend to appreciate when the character of Watson is developed beyond the somewhat baser qualities that Doyle gave him. This iteration of the good doctor gets a lot more agency and usefulness, and a dash more intuitive smarts which fleshes him out beyond the role of 'narrator with a sidearm'.
I think Lovegrove wrote this with genuine admiration for his source materials, and I enjoyed it without getting much caught up by it. I'll likely try the next offering in the series, but it is not any kind of compulsive priority for me.
as an aside, I don't think I've come across any mash-ups written in a Lovecraftian tone which pull the Baker Street Duo into that world. I'm sure they exist, I just don't know what they are. I think that may be a very different experience....more
A nice short distraction about both sides of an intergalactic war. The execution as an audiobook was quite good, though in this instance I was missingA nice short distraction about both sides of an intergalactic war. The execution as an audiobook was quite good, though in this instance I was missing the nuance that comes with narration. Conversation alone comes close to carrying this tale, but ultimately misses a few of the finest points that the author was trying to make.
A slight stumbling block was the juxtaposition between humour and statement. This certainly feels like the story itself is meant to be a “Messenger”; it has a point to make about the misunderstandings and blind hate in conflict. While billed as a 'dark comedy', the humour itself isn't so much dark as it is somewhat slapstick and, at times, heavy handed. Not to say it isn't funny, though. I found myself chuckling often, but it was just a bit too much. The simplicity of it seemed to lessen or lighten the impact of the more serious goals of the story.
Still, it was an easy listen with good intentions. I appreciated its aim and felt it was the perfect length for a one-sitting consumption....more
I love love LOVE the premise of this story: After school counselor Rendell Locke is murdered during a horrifying encounter his widow and three childreI love love LOVE the premise of this story: After school counselor Rendell Locke is murdered during a horrifying encounter his widow and three children move across the country to the ancestral home of his family. Locke House is big and old and – the children start discovering – has scattered throughout it many mysterious keys. Each one, it seems, unlocks a unique skill or power that is amazing, often fun and potentially dangerous.
This specific review (and my rating) is based on the Audible audio production of this work.
Originally written and published as a serial graphic novel collection, I think I ultimately did myself a disservice by first experiencing this tale through an audio presentation. The adaptation opted for what felt almost like a straight read-through of the comic, which made this full-cast recording feel very much like a radio play, with fewer sound effects. Although it boasts some decent musical scoring and fantastically dramatic voice acting, it didn't feel like it introduced any additional narration. Now, my experience with graphic novels is that dialogue is only one key component of the storytelling, and it needs the accompanying illustrations for the whole presentation to be clear. In this audiobook, hearing only the dialogue without narration to replace the art from the panels in the book, the story seemed to feel incomplete. I felt like I was missing so much of the action and nuance that any complaints I might have about the actual movement of the plot feel unfair. Much of the wonder of the magic of the keys was still very clear, and I admire the way the creators addressed the grief and loneliness in the characters lives.
I'm looking forward to reading the original publication at some point. I also enjoyed binge watching the Netflix adaptation (and really appreciated the makeover that Mrs Locke received, which wasn't too heavy handed but made her a much stronger character). I suspect I'll enjoy the graphic novels most of all....more
part of the early free offerings from Audible's Plus catalogue, and consumed as light escapism during the worst of my Great Distractedness
A fun light part of the early free offerings from Audible's Plus catalogue, and consumed as light escapism during the worst of my Great Distractedness
A fun light kid's story about the son of the devil :D
This short audio production feels more like a radio play than a traditional audiobook. I felt it was well put together, and the technical quality was high.
It paints 'scary' themes irreverently and with humour and is most importantly about acceptance, support and family.
There's a solidly decent chance it might feel too flippant for Christian Listeners, as it treats the devil as a laughable, garden-variety underground Baddie. If you're precious about the 'dangers' of that sort of thing, you should likely give this a pass.
It felt like enjoyable light fluff to me, in quick and shiny packaging....more
I can say I have a fondness for terribly silly humour in small doses, and Manatees is at least short. Adam Baldwin (who was inPolitical and petulant.
I can say I have a fondness for terribly silly humour in small doses, and Manatees is at least short. Adam Baldwin (who was in both Firefly and Chuck which is worth something) was a fantastic choice as audiobook narrator. Correia has written an absolutely bonkers tale, and I admit I occasionally chuckled. The idea of an intergalactic, multidimensional Insurance Agent devoted to serving his company at all costs while maintaining perfect client satisfaction sounds new, sounds fresh...sounds like the potential for a lot of fun. And I dunno, maybe it was.
I don't mind saying that I would have tolerated the pointed, acidic (and cleverly worded) commentary had it echoed ideas more in line with my own. I like to think, though, that the smug arrogance and constant down-punching would have gotten on my nerves no matter which ideological, holier-than-thou pedestal it was being flung down from. Whether that's true or not, this got tiresome...fast. It got mean, and then doubled down on its meanness by going meta to mock readers who had not appreciated the authors' earlier works. It really ended up feeling like I stumbled onto Right Wing Capitalist Corner on the Storytime Mat, with a surprisingly grammatical but childish troll as Storyteller. And I feel like I get enough of that already in nearly every aspect of social media, so...
No matter how free Audible makes it, I won't be exploring this series any further....more
The second (and at least so far, concluding) novel in the Six of Crows duology, this was a fine continuance and conclusion. Bardugo gets a solid tip oThe second (and at least so far, concluding) novel in the Six of Crows duology, this was a fine continuance and conclusion. Bardugo gets a solid tip of the hat for wrapping up her arc in a genuinely satisfying way, while still leaving herself potential avenues to explore with this band of criminals that, I admit, grew on me over the course of these two books.
Crooked Kingdom picks up immediately after Six of Crows leaves off: Brekker's 6 not only being double crossed by the 'organization' that hired their criminal talents, but also being drawn in to a larger conspiracy.
I found the first book to be a bit more interesting, but this second installment is ultimately superior. The shifting between character groups is smoother, and the politics involved have already been established and explained so the setting feels more natural and familiar. The MC's have stopped reminding us consistently of their age, so the YA label doesn't feel quite so forced. The romance is still present, but feels like it has found a proper place and weight in the narrative. Kaz is still an angsty asshat, but I found him to be more of a team player this time around.
Each of the main characters were given a solid amount of individual attention. They fleshed out nicely under spotlight, and I was happy that each of their own arcs came to a satisfying...not conclusion, but midpoint. A strength of this novel is the acknowledgment that it is only a snapshot of lives that will (er, mostly) continue after we readers close the back cover.
All in all, I'm satisfied. That's a pretty good thing.
[A note on the audio: I enjoyed most of the narrator voices in pts 1 and 2. I wish they'd chosen a full cast production, though. As it was, each narrator read a full chapter at a time, and voiced all of the characters within that chapter. This was...off-putting.]...more
A satisfyingly engrossing fantasy where the “quest” takes the form of a heist. It was engaging enough that the second installment is already queued upA satisfyingly engrossing fantasy where the “quest” takes the form of a heist. It was engaging enough that the second installment is already queued up in my TBR.
So, a heist fantasy! It's a super fun idea. I can't say that Six of Crows fully lived up to the promise of its premise, but it had a lot of good things going for it.
An (overly) competent young criminal – Kaz – gets offered a huge amount of money to plan a prison break. The mission is to rescue a scientist who has refined a drug that enhances the magical abilities of the Grisha. The drug is deadly and addictive, and the control it grants over magic users – to whoever can create and administer the drug – is dangerous.
Kaz assembles his team (though that process was a bit too short, I thought) of 6. Each character is interesting in their own right, and their motives are all unique and compelling.
I've not read anything in this 'verse before, but I didn't find that detracting. Although the setting itself is not terribly inventive, it is clearly very comfortable for Bardugo and she makes it easy to understand. Ditto for the magic system.
The MCs regularly remind us that they are YA, but honestly feel more solidly like adults with penchants for romantic angst. Although the pauses we take for this occasional turbulence feel out of place, they don't overpower the story, thank frick.
So yeah, I'd have enjoyed a bit more team assembly and planning. The heist itself starts to drag some when the characters split up; narrative convention apparently demands each group must have its stumbling blocks. This keeps the action from being snappy.
My biggest complaint is Kaz himself. Bardugo doles out backstory in a well-measured way, but nothing in Kaz's tragic past excuses the very tropey “won't-tell-anyone-anything” broken, distrustful arrogance that drives his actions. It gets tiresome. Heist leaders can be assholes, but they should at least be charismatic assholes.
Grumps aside I genuinely enjoyed the story, and am excited to see how it concludes....more
Review specifically for the Audiobook Edition My review of the story here
Compliments of and at the encouragement of Carol. I had an awesome time with tReview specifically for the Audiobook Edition My review of the story here
Compliments of and at the encouragement of Carol. I had an awesome time with this audiobook.
I listened to it immediately after physically reading my electronic copy, which was a unique experience; it's an odd thing contrasting my own inner interpretations of narrative/character voices with someone else's – especially when that person has more of the built-in characteristics than I do.
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith truly embodies the spirit and flavour of Aaronovitch's writing, but I suspect he would also be pretty outstanding reading the phonebook. He almost never actually sounds like he's reading, which is remarkably rare in my experience with audiobooks (so far I've only pegged Tim Gerard Reynolds as having the same talent), and his character voices are consistent, with a few of them being stand-out. His narration added a layer I didn't know I was missing in an already fantastic literary experience.
Thanks, Carol.! When I am ready for a full reread of the series I think I will do it on audio :D...more
I find myself in the same boat as I did with Red Rising: I listened to the (honestly fantastic) audio version of this book, when I know darn well thatI find myself in the same boat as I did with Red Rising: I listened to the (honestly fantastic) audio version of this book, when I know darn well that something about its style demands that I physically read it. I don't feel like I gave it the attention it deserves, so I don't feel right doing a proper review.
I know that I like it. Enough that I've already used a credit for the final book in this first trilogy, because I must. But someday I willread read it, and have a ton of opinions.
I can say that I liked it even better than the first. And I will say that I respect the motivation of the main character, a leader of a galaxy wide rebellion. It's not the almost unware indifference of the forced-into-it Katnisses, nor the prophesized savior-type hero. He's not an anti-hero or the bumbling apprentice altruistic savior-in-the-making. He's angry. He's motivated by rage and loss and unfairness. He is deliberate, and ruthless, but also full of depth. I like it....more
This book club read is one of those stories that would have fared better (for me) without reflection of any sort. I've no doubt at all that Colleen HoThis book club read is one of those stories that would have fared better (for me) without reflection of any sort. I've no doubt at all that Colleen Hoover has great skill as a writer. 'Verity' would have been a perfect vacation read, and had elements that made for fantastically lurid conversation. I was genuinely entertained the entire time I was reading; but...once I started picking at it, so I'd have more to say than “I was entertained” at our last meeting...the whole thing fell apart. Hard and fast and almost completely.
My biggest issue was the sheer implausibility of it all. I mean it literally. Not much in this book was believable when you actually stop to think about it. If I was feeling snarky and spoilery I'd share my jotted down notes, which became an exercise in finding creative ways to express incredulity. (I started with the standard “nopes” and “nu-uhs,” but ended with interesting experiments in profanity.) The contrivance involved in the basic setup alone required contortionist-level skill in the suspension of my disbelief: somehow, an independent self-published author (with only one under-performing book under her belt) is chosen to write the last three books in a best selling series (that she has never read,) whose author (the titular Verity) is now in a vegetative state following an accident. This (obviously) necessitates our heroine (Lowen) to (one week after her own mother has died, mind,) move in to Verity's house (because neither the publisher nor the Estate have ever heard of hotels) in order to sort through Verity's notes – something which could not possibly have been done by Verity's publisher, agent, editor, or husband. Lowen's new housemates are Verity and a full time nurse, (only just home from the hospital themselves), Verity's hot husband and Verity's young son.
This is just premise setup, and already it is all so freaking unlikely. But it doesn't stop. Among the things it had me questioning? Professional healthcare proficiency. Spousal communication. Book publishing practices. Hazardous lock placement. The power of an itchy nose. The outcome of an Ultimate Warrior type battle between human teeth and headboard wood.
Meh. This has already gone on longer than I wanted it to...I was really entertained by this book until I thought about it, and then I wasn't. There.
[as a book club note, though: some of this shit is messed up and makes for great conversation. This is also the sort of book that would be great to do as a read-along. The pacing is honestly phenomenal and some of the in-story reveals are great 'oh my god' moments. On the flip side, it means you'll be thinking while reading, which might wreck everything.]...more
“ 'I prefer to quit when I'm ahead,' Heraldin explained. 'You've a funny definition of ahead,' said Gorm. 'I prefer to define words in ways that sui
“ 'I prefer to quit when I'm ahead,' Heraldin explained. 'You've a funny definition of ahead,' said Gorm. 'I prefer to define words in ways that suit me,' said Heraldin.”
Having recently run (for the first time) a short-lived campaign for curious friends who had never played a table-top RPG before, I spent a lot of time thinking about crafting a world and an adventure from scratch, though I ultimately opted for Starter Kit. At some point in my imaginings, though, my mind turned to thoughts of the genre-standard Heroes Guild. I mean, it's a great starting point for all sorts of shenanigans, and it handily makes plausible any number of characters banding together for a common goal. Skilled adventurers for hire: What kind of world makes that sort of thing commonplace? What might that look like in a real-world setting, or with real-world ideologies running the show? Orconomics tackles exactly these questions, and so much more!
Nonstop wit and commentary balance masterfully with an adventurous quest through a magical land. This was so much fun to experience.
The book unfolds, on its topmost layer, like a fairly standard RPG might – if the players all had great comic appreciation and are okay with irreverence. There are eight (8!) main characters, each of a standard archetype: the stout battle-hardened, gold loving dwarf; the ageless nimble Elvin Ranger who forgets she has some medical skills; the Casanova bard with a shady background etc etc, and they evolve as most questing player-generated characters do – stubbornly holding onto their 'isms' while being shaped by their interactions and growing with every random encounter. I fell in love with most of them.
And there are layers... This is a quest story most certainly, and also a mocking but loving homage to the tropes of Quest Fantasy. Beyond the spoofery lies blatant satire, with a quieter underlying commentary on 'good' and 'right.' Beyond the challenges of the quest itself, greed, Corporation and subjugation emerge as the world's biggest foes.
The intellectual obstacles run deeper than they appear:
“ 'People always say that we must stand up for what is right' 'They're not talking to you!' barked Gorm. 'They're talking to people who don't believe in stupid things!'”
It's all uproarious and deftly done. The first in what looks to be a trilogy, there is some wrap-up in this first volume, but readers will most certainly want to continue straight on to the second installment.
[for my own self: hunt down a physical copy of this. The audio is really well done, but you've got a head like a ping-pong ball, and distractions kept you from appreciating this as much as you could have.]...more
A fun gimmick made this horror story somewhat charming in its cheekiness. This, along with some strength of tone has kept a sense of Horrorstor in my A fun gimmick made this horror story somewhat charming in its cheekiness. This, along with some strength of tone has kept a sense of Horrorstor in my memory for quite some time, though the details are all but gone.
I think I missed out by choosing the audiobook format here, though it was well done. What others have described as a short read felt like a long listen, and I suspect the unique presentation of the physical book is one of its biggest draws.
Overall this was entertaining. I've worked enough retail to appreciate the dry humour of Hendrix's style and commentary, and the story kept me mostly engaged but certainly not immersed.
When all is said and done it is the gimmick that remains, and vague remembrances of tentacles and ominous strange furniture. I can't recall many story details, but honestly I have no complaints. I do remember that I had a good time....more
Michelle F
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