More like Malazan Book of the Fallin' Asleep! Aaaayyyyyyy!
My patience for White Guy Epic Fantasy is at an epic low; we need to care about DNF @ 15%.
More like Malazan Book of the Fallin' Asleep! Aaaayyyyyyy!
My patience for White Guy Epic Fantasy is at an epic low; we need to care about something, or someone, on the ground level, and the distant third pov undercuts that. It's not a bad book, and on a writing level, it's actually pretty good, but there's such much ponderous almost-hinting at everything that the writing can't save it.
I know this is spicy romance, but for the love of heaven, PLEASE give me consistent characters -- or just, you know, characterization -- before the hoI know this is spicy romance, but for the love of heaven, PLEASE give me consistent characters -- or just, you know, characterization -- before the horniness kicks in. ...more
As usual with books that I didn't finish but also didn't hate, I'm not leaving stars -- in this case, I DNF around the halfway point because of a buncAs usual with books that I didn't finish but also didn't hate, I'm not leaving stars -- in this case, I DNF around the halfway point because of a bunch of small annoyances that added up to a LOT of annoyance. I wasn't into the narrator; I really didn't like how women were talked about, by the narrator and the other male characters; it felt VERY male gaze-y in various othering ways, and NO effort was made to make the story actually feel like it was set in NYC.
I think the central conceit -- of bodies being the ultimate commodity -- is a solid one, and the writing style is very lean and noir-ish, but the execution was ultimately not my thing. As some books are bound to be!...more
I tried, I honestly tried, but this just did not work for me. The tone is uneven, and I'm not sure at all what to make of the FMC -- after experiencinI tried, I honestly tried, but this just did not work for me. The tone is uneven, and I'm not sure at all what to make of the FMC -- after experiencing a horrific loss at the start of the book, she just...haphazardly refers to it, and none of it seems to influence how she interacts with the world. At times it's lampshaded that she doesn't experience grief the way other people do, which is fine, and in the hands of a more confident author would have worked within the story, but here, it's not integrated whatsoever.
Dain seems to be a lovely character, but with the FMC feeling more callous and almost snide at times, it just wasn't for me. ...more
I bounced HARD off this one at the 10% mark, despite the premise being really interesting; I think it was the writing style, which felt very disjointeI bounced HARD off this one at the 10% mark, despite the premise being really interesting; I think it was the writing style, which felt very disjointed and staccato -- normally I would handle that, but it felt like so much had been left out of the story that I couldn't get invested in what was going on.
I may try more of Hairston's books in the future, just to see if this was just a book that didn't work for me....more
Tapping out at 15%. It's a pet peeve of mine when the chapters are so (to me) needlessly short, and life is too short to spend on plots that come downTapping out at 15%. It's a pet peeve of mine when the chapters are so (to me) needlessly short, and life is too short to spend on plots that come down to "daddy issues", unless there's something really compelling about the book. In this case, there was not, so I'm out. ...more
It's amazing what I will put up with in romance, but the whole romanticizing of a woman's helplessness (as in, a guy implying she HAS to marry him, beIt's amazing what I will put up with in romance, but the whole romanticizing of a woman's helplessness (as in, a guy implying she HAS to marry him, before initiating sex that she's not 100% into) and manipulating her as a way for two dudes in a relationship to score points off each other...nah. The writing is fine, and there's some interesting worldbuilding, but overall I feel like it'll be tedious, needless drama, and life is too short....more
When am I going to learn that Banks's work just doesn't...work for me? He's an intelligent writer, with some interesting prose, but in both DNF @ 25%
When am I going to learn that Banks's work just doesn't...work for me? He's an intelligent writer, with some interesting prose, but in both of his books I've read/attempted to read, I've always gotten a sense that he doesn't care so much about character as he does about plot, by a substantial margin. Which is fine -- there are many people who like to read and write that way! -- but I prefer actual characters, and not endless repetitions of "hot babe with robot sidekick meets a scoundrel full of angst that is mostly his own fault".
I already spoiled myself for this one, so I'll be leaving it here. ...more
I tried, I really did, but the ham-fisted way the narrative tries to hold back what has ACTUALLY happened drove me nuts, and without Jules' cDNF @ 30%
I tried, I really did, but the ham-fisted way the narrative tries to hold back what has ACTUALLY happened drove me nuts, and without Jules' compelling determination, there wasn't really a reason to push forward. ...more
Have you ever read a book that is meticulously, beautifully written, as well as passionate and well-edited? But something about it just didn't work foHave you ever read a book that is meticulously, beautifully written, as well as passionate and well-edited? But something about it just didn't work for you?
I don't know why, but this is that kind of book for me....more
There's a good story in here, but the writing style is very jerky in places, and while the basic premise -- a city built on oppression and pDNF @ 10%
There's a good story in here, but the writing style is very jerky in places, and while the basic premise -- a city built on oppression and prejudice, and about to reach a breaking point in terms of its politics -- is solid, it feels too...diffuse? To really pull off the set-up. I may come back to it later, since there IS a good story, but the execution is too uneven to fight through at the moment. ...more
Tapping out at about 50% -- the characters are too slight to sustain my interest, even after the Developments, and I'm tired of the whole "I'm a vampiTapping out at about 50% -- the characters are too slight to sustain my interest, even after the Developments, and I'm tired of the whole "I'm a vampire now, so I'm pale AND gorgeous, even though I was stated or implied to be non-white before" trope....more
Oh boy. Life is too short to read books where one of two named female characters in the first 10% of the book is fat-shamed and brutalized in flashbacOh boy. Life is too short to read books where one of two named female characters in the first 10% of the book is fat-shamed and brutalized in flashback. The writing is too disjointed and choppy to hold my interest, and -- this is a personal nitpick! -- the reliance on gross-out scares without doing much to build narrative urgency just falls flat.
It's a cool concept, but I'm not hanging around for the rest. Maybe The Troop will be more my thing! ...more
Another DNF. I have to admit the long introduction was a bit off-putting (I think there are better/more interesting ways to convey that kind of informAnother DNF. I have to admit the long introduction was a bit off-putting (I think there are better/more interesting ways to convey that kind of information), and I just wasn't feeling it by the end of the first chapter. I'll give it another try later -- starting to read it around 11:00pm at night was probably not the way to give this book a fair shot! ...more
As much as it pains me to say, this didn't grab me by the 10% mark, which is my cutoff point for books these days. I love Laura Thalassa's novels in gAs much as it pains me to say, this didn't grab me by the 10% mark, which is my cutoff point for books these days. I love Laura Thalassa's novels in general, so I may give this another try later. ...more
I bowed out at about 16% -- there are a lot of elements I generally love, but I didn't feel much tension, and the way the protagonist looks at other wI bowed out at about 16% -- there are a lot of elements I generally love, but I didn't feel much tension, and the way the protagonist looks at other women feels borderline misogynist. Moving on! ...more
I'm not rating this because I didn't even get halfway before giving up, but I was fairly disappointed by this book. It certainly has a lot going for iI'm not rating this because I didn't even get halfway before giving up, but I was fairly disappointed by this book. It certainly has a lot going for it, including a really interesting premise, but the pacing is so jagged and the characters so flat that I just couldn't care about what was going on. The growing fixation on sexualized violence (why is Jaydon so obsessed with the witch's boobs? Why do the references to nipples keep increasing?) was also a big turn-off.
The only female character to get any POV chapters (as far as I read) is not treated with empathy whatsoever, despite having an absolutely shit life, and her characterization leans on the "fat and gross" tropes way too much for my liking. As I read, I felt a subtle but pervasive sexism and I'm TIRED of that, you guys. I'm so tired of it.
Life is too short to read books without a compelling reason to do so -- this didn't work for me, so back on the shelf it goes....more
A truly fascinating concept, but it's hampered by being too diffuse; I think this would have worked better as a short story collection, whereDNF @ 30%
A truly fascinating concept, but it's hampered by being too diffuse; I think this would have worked better as a short story collection, where the sudden transitions wouldn't have been as jarring. The emphasis is on world and plot, rather than the characters, so whenever one of them makes a big decision, it's unclear where the motivations are coming from.
And -- granted it was written in 2000 -- I don't have a ton of patience for books that are fine with all sorts of transhumanism, but are stuck in very heteronormative (at least in what I read) modes. ...more
Bethany Bee
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Books:
did-not-finish
(21)
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