This book caused a lot of strong emotions to happen all at once inside me. Most of them were angry feelings. I did not like this book at all. Not one This book caused a lot of strong emotions to happen all at once inside me. Most of them were angry feelings. I did not like this book at all. Not one bit. Which was such a disappointment because I loved her other book, Rooms. The idea behind this one is a good one, but I don’t like the messages being sent in this book at all.
Little Miss Perfect goes to school dressed like a tramp for Valentine’s Day. It’s the Friday before VD and she has the most studly boyfriend ever. Her and her stuck up BFF’s roll into the school parking lot a little late, cut a classmate off causing said classmate to be late for class, and go strolling into school like they own the place. Because in most senses, they do. They’re the “it girls” of Thomas Jefferson High.
They get all their flowers an valentines. Flirt with the creepy teacher. Sneak out during class and smoke cigarettes. Then they go to the “big party” that night where of course, they’re gonna dress like dirty street-whores, drink their faces off, smoke some pot and then bang their boyfriends.
Instead they help to humiliate a girl in front of everyone at the party. They leave amid the laughter and encouragement of their peers. Because being a rude, selfish twat is all the rage these days. FUCK I hate high school.
When they leave, they get into a car accident where they’re killed. Or are they?
Little Miss Perfect keeps reliving the day. Over and over and over again. No one else seems aware of what is happening to her. She can do things exactly the same or drastically different and none of it seems to matter…except it does. The outcome of that fateful night is different. Can she figure out the secret code? Can she figure out what to do in order to save them all?
DUNDUNDUN.
Oh my god. I hate this book. She never learns anything. There’s no growth. There’s not an ounce of regret for her behavior. There’s an attitude of “well, we’re all assholes in high school so it’s ok”. Well, guess what? Not all of us are. Some of us are the victims of the ones who were. Some of us are the ones plagued with self-doubt and low self-esteem from deeply rooted memories of being humilated and tortured on a regular basis by our classmates. And not all of us have what it takes to rise above it. Some of us don’t make it out alive.
This book bothered me on so many levels. I could go on about this for a while, but I won’t. I’ll just say that anything that justifies shitty human behavior is complete garbage. It is not difficult to be kind. It is not difficult to live and let live. It kills me that people can so actively go out of their way to make other people’s lives miserable.
I am not saying that I never had a go at anyone else, or that I didn’t laugh at someone else’s misfortune. But these girls go out of their way to make sure that certain people suffer and that is a big fucking problem with me. And nothing these girls could have done would have excused or made up for it with me. Hence the 1 star rating....more
Do you want to read a book where literally nothing happens? Do you enjoy stories where you’rOriginal review:
What a snooze fest.
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Updated Review:
Do you want to read a book where literally nothing happens? Do you enjoy stories where you’re led to believe there’s some big discovery about to happen only to find that no, it’s actually fucking pointless? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then boy do I have the book for you.
Here’s yet another Overdrive audiobook I snagged while waiting for more credits. Life with the World’s Busiest 18-Month Old leaves little time for “actual” reading but offers ample opportunities for audiobooks! And I have been burning through them at the speed of light!
Anyway, I did a very brief scan of the description of this one before deciding that it sounded interesting. A stripper, a psychologist and the potential for things to get dirty. The potential lied. This was boring, under developed and exaggerated.
We’ve got a stripper with a bad case of stage fright. But that’s not all folks! (Cue the sappy music) She’s trying to get her child back from Evil Baby Daddy. Oh, you thought that was it? Nope. Not even close. She’s also being threatened by her Russian Mafia boss! Yup. I think this author wanted to see how many clichés could be jammed into one character.
We’ve got a doctor who is so apathetic it’s kind of terrifying. His patients’ lives mean nothing to him. And while I can see where this is important- separating their lives from your own as their doctor- I still think it’s important for a doctor to want to help his patient out of genuine concern for their well-being. I don’t know exactly what I’m getting at here, other than to say that his indifference to everyone else’s life was reason enough for me to NEVER want to go see a psychologist.
The writing was decent. I particularly liked the formatting. The psychologist teaches a class at a local college at night and you get his lectures which relate to something that is about to occur between him and his patient. He uses the phrase “The good psychologist” quite often while lecturing indicating the do’s and don’ts of doctor/patient relations.
Literally nothing really happens. It was a neat little insight into phycology but that was about all it had going for it. I didn’t like anyone in the book nor could I relate. The narration was not great either which did not help me enjoy it. ...more
When I first saw the previews for The Shape of Water I remember thinking that it not only looked different, but it looked weird. Weird is my thing. I When I first saw the previews for The Shape of Water I remember thinking that it not only looked different, but it looked weird. Weird is my thing. I love weird. I embrace it. Well, when the book showed up on my GR Newsfeed I about shat myself out of pure excitement. Not only is it a book, but it is written by Guillermo del Toro himself. We all know the man can make movies, but a writer too? Surely this was going to be a perfect storm of creative genius that I would fall hopelessly in love with.
WRONG.
It’s 1962 and Elisa Esposita works as a janitor for a research center. She was orphaned as a child and has horribly scarring across her throat where her vocal chords were removed as a child. She’s been mute her whole life. And she loves wearing fancy shoes. Seems legit. Because as a janitor wearing glittery pumps makes all the sense in the world. Right? Right.
Anyway, one night she stumbles across something she wasn’t supposed to. Or rather, she goes willingly into a room she has been expressly forbidden from entering. What does she find? The company is hoarding a man-beast. It is some sort of reptile meets human who radiates colors and farts rainbows or something. Who the fuck actually knows? Either way, Elisa and her ruby slippers get this things motors running. And they eat eggs together and he/it watches her dance the tango by herself in her glittery pumps.
Of course it’s the beauty meeting the beast and falling hopelessly in love. Because no one could ever love Elisa. She’s mute. She’s a janitor. But you know something? EVERYONE fucking loves Elisa. Not only does she have glittery shoes, but she is of the Bejeweled Vagaina Variety. Everyone who meets her, walks by her, hears mention of her name is immeidiately smitten and must do everything in their power to bend over backwards for her.
FUCK ME.
As if this wasn’t enough, del Toro decides the story needs more. We need to have an obsessed ex-military type who wants to exterminate this mythical creature he doesn’t understand. We have closet homosexuals being mistreated. We have the Civil Rights Movement. We have the Russians coming. I mean it literally never ends. I am not saying that those things shouldn’t be written about. I am not even remotely trying to be insensitive to any of those issues. What I AM saying is that authors try to cram waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much shit into one book. And some of them do it with a grace that makes it almost unnoticable…Others, like del Toro, lack such grace and throw elements in with seemingly no rhyme or reason. It makes my head hurt.
There were so many things that were beautiful about this book. It had such potential but instead was bogged down with useless storylines and political elements that didn’t belong. Some of the writing in here was straight poetry. I was intrigued but found myself losing more and more intersest as the story continued. It was such a disappointment. I went into this so enthusiastically and had the rug pulled out from under my feet.
I’d like to thank Kelly for joining me on what was supposed to be a fun adventure. I wish we could say it was worth the wait, but it proved to be a shit show. Without Kelly, I may have lost my mind....more
Let’s talk about the book that inspired my first review in months.
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The introduction was by far the best part of the whole book….and you can readLet’s talk about the book that inspired my first review in months.
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The introduction was by far the best part of the whole book….and you can read all about that on the back cover of the book. It starts with a suicide in a book store. Joey, a BookFrog(which is an annoying term for someone who is probably homeless who hangs out in the bookstore all day most days during the week) hangs himself right before the book store closes. Lydia, our MC with a bejeweled vagina, is of course the special snowflake who finds him.
Lydia. Let’s talk about her. She witnessed the murder of her friend and her friend’s parents when she was a child and was the sole survivor of the even more poorly named “Hammerman”. I mean seriously, does this author have a creative bone in his body? A fucking bookfrog? WTF is that? And gee, can you take a guess as to the weapon of choice of the dreaded Hammerman? Give me a break. Fucking lame. Right off the bat. Anyway, she’s obviously very traumatized. Her father whisks her away to the mountains where they can live in peace away from the chaos of the city and she cannot be pursued by the media.
Fast forward however many years to when this new tragic event happens. Lydia once again finds herself center of attention. Joey loved her. And OFFUCKINGCOURSE he coordinated his suicide to ensure SHE would find him, bequeathed her his belongings and left her super-secret coded messages in books that only she would be smart enough to figure out because plot. And let’s just presume she cares enough to put forth the effort to decode these ridiculous messages and follow a woman she doesn’t know into a sketchy-ass apartment.
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Our lovely bejeweled vagina MC gets hit on by nearly every man she encounters. But rest assured, folks, she is NOT anything special. She’s just Lydia.
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You’re a special fucking snowflake, Lydia. And you and your magical brain power and ridiculous decision-making skills will surely figure this whole absurd mystery out.
There were SO many things in this book that made no sense. Someone who literally watched her childhood friend get beat to death with a hammer as a child is NOT going to follow a complete stranger to the other shady side of town and enter the apartment of someone else she knew in passing. It does not make sense. Then you have the detective that investigated the murders, who sees Lydia’s picture in the paper, send her a post card informing her to come visit him if she wants answers to some things from said investigation. When she shows up he’s a complete dick to her and acts all put-out by the fact that she’s trudging up the past. WTF?! Lydia’s boyfriend is so underdeveloped and cast aside I am not even sure why he’s in there to begin with. Oh, and can we talk about how there’s a woman who works in the bookstore named PLATH? Right, because that’s a super common name. Come the fuck on with this garbage.
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I will also say this, though I will caution you not to open the spoiler unless you're completely sure that you aren't going to read it. (view spoiler)[ I was infuriated that a MOTHER could know that her husband slaughtered a family, including one of her son's best friends, and do nothing about it. What could he have done to you? He would certainly have been in prison for the rest of his life. I don't care how scared you are. HE IS A MURDERER. HE KILLED A CHILD. And then to pick one son over the other because you CHOSE to stay with a man you knew to be a murderer?? FUCK you. And fuck this author for creating such a terrible character and storyline. Absolute garbage. (hide spoiler)]
I have found myself wondering on occasion how certain books ever leave an editor’s desk. This is one of those instances. Editors: Stop babying your clients and start thinking critically. Your audience deserves better!
I read a really great review for Allegedly and thought it sounded awesome. Sometimes when this happens we too think that the book is awesome. OtheUgh.
I read a really great review for Allegedly and thought it sounded awesome. Sometimes when this happens we too think that the book is awesome. Other times we are let down and remember that our tastes are different; that what others look for in a book might not be the same thing we are looking for in a book. What I can say is that I enjoyed Deanna’s review more than I did the actual book.
I had to set the bad grammar aside in this book because it was told from the first person point of view. The grammatical errors were done intentionally to showcase the lack of education of our narrator. So who is our narrator? Why is her grammar so bad? What story does she have to tell us?
Mary B. Addison.
When Mary was only 9 years old she was convicted of killing a baby. The baby was in the care of her mother and the details of the death are hazy and confused. When Mary is accused, she doesn’t speak. She refuses to answer questions or talk at all to detectives. All they have is the testimony of Mary’s mother and the evidence. While the evidence indicates there may be more to the story than meets the eye, Mary’s refusal to speak leaves them with no choice.
The story is told in parts. We get Mary’s firsthand experience in the world of juvenile detention facilities. She refers to her first six years in the facility as “baby jail”. She was released to a halfway house of sorts for children who have committed crimes. The girls in this house are violent and cruel. While the house is meant to be a means of rehabilitating these girls, the “wardens” within it are worse than the criminals. They are aware of the goings-on and yet refuse to intervene. They do nothing to help aide these girls in their attempts to better themselves- merely mocking and demeaning the girls at every turn.
Mary is far from innocent. She is allowed out to work at a nearby hospital where she tends to the elderly. She sneaks off with her boyfriend, Ted, who is 2 years her elder and also housed at a detention facility for criminal youth. And Mary is pregnant with Ted’s baby.
Mary decides that the only way for her to keep her baby is to convince her mother to tell the truth about what happened that night when Mary allegedly killed the baby.
The events in this book were frustrating to me as a reader. It seemed to take forever for the author to get to the point and tell us what happened. Instead we get the everyday mundane rituals of the halfway house, underdeveloped side characters and the confusion of what actually occurred that resulted in the death of a baby.
I felt the ending was garbage. After reading almost 400 pages I expected something much better than what I was given. And I didn’t care for a single person in the book. To me, there is no worse feeling than not having a single character to pull for, or stand behind. Mary’s refusal to say outright what happened annoyed me. At the very least let the reader know. It was uneventful and I found myself bored more than once. If you want to read the great review that led to me reading this book you may do so here. The book just didn’t do much for me personally....more
Undivided is the last book of the UnWind series. By the time all was said and done I was completely uninvested in these characters. What started out s
Undivided is the last book of the UnWind series. By the time all was said and done I was completely uninvested in these characters. What started out so strongly ended so poorly.
Our cast of characters have lost sight of who they are. And, like the previous installment, they are indecisive and spread out all over the place. We get an additional 14 side story lines that seemingly came out of nowhere to add plenty of confusion to the storyline.
Lev’s whole storyline just drove me nuts. It was great in the beginning to see someone who was brainwashed into believing that being unwound is a holy experience. But where his story went from there was just….UGH. I can’t even come up with a word that explains it well enough! Lame? Overdone? Desperate? Pathetic? I think, honestly, given where the story goes, Lev should have just been killed off in book 2. I just did not fucking care about anything he had going on past the first book.
Risa and Connor are supposed to be madly in love with one another. We are told this repeatedly throughout the book. But I just didn't feel it. Some authors are WONDERFUL at creating relationships that feel real. You read these couples and know that they belong together. You are reminded of your hormonal teenage years where LOVE was everything and there was nothing in the world that could stop it. This romance was forced and just did NOT work.
All the side characters seemed to be distracting to the whole storyline. I feel like the author meant to use them as a way to tell a broader story, but it just didn't work. They were either underdeveloped, thrown in last minute or so overdone you weren't sure what the REAL storyline was.
The ending of the series did very little for me. I just thought there were aspects that could have been done better, and a LOT of things that could have been left out completely. It felt like things were thrown in as an afterthought and it just did NOT work for me. It makes me sad because as you all know, I just love YA Dystopians. (I also feel bad because my dear friend Ashley recommended these to me and I always hate when I don’t jive with a book a friend recommends.) Overall the series would get a 3 star rating from me. I really enjoyed the first two but the last two were HUGE disappointments.
For months I have been avoiding this book. After seeing everyone on Goodreads farting rainbows over it, I figured it was probably over-hyped. But ther
For months I have been avoiding this book. After seeing everyone on Goodreads farting rainbows over it, I figured it was probably over-hyped. But there are a few known exceptions to the rule of Goodreads Hype. The Lunar Chronicles, for example, is a super fun series AND is hyped beyond belief. So, could it be that there is yet another YA series worthy of the outrageous amount of 4/5 star ratings on GR?
Meh.
There were parts of this book that I enjoyed and parts that made me want to gouge my eyes out with a plastic spoon. I, for one, will not be farting rainbows all over the place for this book. See? It IS possible for me to read a YA Dystopian without gushing. Who knew??
There are Reds and Silvers. Silvers are special. Reds are essentially slaves who are permitted to live as long as they do so to serve Silvers. Reds and Silvers have been at war forever but the Reds have been beaten into submission. Silvers have these crazy talents that very from being able to control water to being able to clone themselves 890 times over again to really trip out your opponent. They force a Red to battle a Silver in the Hunger Games an arena for entertainment.
Our MC Mare is a complete fucking moron who sets women back to the Victorian Era. Oh, and what do you know- she’s of the Bejeweled Vagina Variety so every male character she comes in contact with is instantly sporting a boner for her. But why? She’s so not pretty or talented. She’s so average. OH JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY. I am so over this method of “I’m not pretty or smart or talented but everyone is just so into me” writing. Just stop already and find a new way to create a love story. Holy balls!
But what Aveyard DID manage to create was the first love SQUARE I have ever encountered. Because you know… a triangle is just so overdone.
Someone please….just put me out of my misery.
Now that we have established just how awful Mare is, let me tell you about the others. There’s GaleKillorn who is Mare’s hometown BFF that’s been obviouslysecretly in love with her since the dawn of time and who has all of 12 lines in the entire book yet we are supposed to feel all gushy about because plot. There’s the asshole prince, Cal who is smitten with our MC after she tries to pickpocket him because plot. There’s his brother, Peeta Maven, who is kind and gentle and works extra hard to win her over even though everyone knows he is NOT the gallant hero his brother is.
The two characters I did like there wasn’t nearly enough of. Julian, Mare’s mentor and friend, who immediately discovers that, shocker, Mare is a Special Fucking SnowFlake. Who saw that coming? And Farley, a take-no-shit female commander of the rebel forces seeking to take down the Capitol the Silvers. She even hates Mare, which totally works for me.
By now you are asking yourself- what DO you like about this book? Anything? Are there any redeemable qualities?
*shrugs*
It’s YA. It’s Dystopian. And there was a really nice twist that even I did not see coming. So, kind of. I will continue the series, even though there are inconsistencies everywhere. I will hope that they get better and that the author remembers what she wrote 3 pages before. I will see how the series does as a whole before casting this book into the abyss.
But honestly, people… it’s a mash-up of every YA Dystopian and Fantasy series I have ever read. It’s not worth farting rainbows for. I am fully prepared for trolls with their pitchforks and torches. So please, come one, come all to cast your stones and She-Who-Read-It-Wrong. I promise to play nice. :D
This book really pissed me off…for lots of reasons at various times throughout my encounters with it. I will try my best to be nice, but most likely I
This book really pissed me off…for lots of reasons at various times throughout my encounters with it. I will try my best to be nice, but most likely I will not be.
Let’s start with the title, shall we? The dying girl…really? REALLY? One of the hardest parts about watching my father battle cancer was watching his “friends” disappear. He was no longer Al. He was a cancer patient. He was treated like he had the Plague and anyone seen near him was sure to be next. Do you have ANY idea how offensive this title is to me? Probably not. No one desereves to be referred to in such a manner and having watched someone I love be referred to as such makes me feel all sorts of stabby.,.
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Now, maybe some of you will nod your heads in agreement while others are putting me in the category of Generation ButtHurt. Either way, I don’t care. I feel very strongly that an individual with a terminal illness should be recognized as a human being and NOT by the nature of their disease.
The next thing to irritate me right off the bat was the letter to the readers in the beginning. Now, I did this on audio so I am not completely sure if it is from the author of the book or the narrator who is being portrayed as the author of the book, but either way it’s pretentious as fuck and shouldn’t have been in there. Don’t ever fucking tell a reader how to read your book.
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Now, I was reassured by everyone’s favorite taxidermy-enthusiast, Kelly, that this book was quite funny and that I should continue. I did. And it WAS funny. Parts of it anyway. Any part containing Earl that is. Earl was a fantastic character. He was a tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy but not in the Donald Trump way. He was always there to put our MC in his place. His life and its many difficulties led him to be smarter and much more empathetic than that useless pile of shit, Greg. Earl is the guy that everyone wants to hang out with in real life. He’s Joe Cool and the ONLY redeemable quality of this book.
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Greg is the WORST. I have so much hostility toward this MC. He is awful. Horrible. I know, I know…he’s just a teenager. He doesn’t know what he’s doing… or NOT doing. BULL shit. I don’t buy it. He knows he is a fucking sociopath who has no emotions and thinks it is the absolute best way to go through life. Don’t make friends; don’t date anyone, value girls on the size of their breasts…yes. This is a great way to go coasting through life.
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Yes, Greg. I hate you SO much I was willing to use a gif of someone I hate even more. See what you’ve made me do?!
The worst part of this book is that our MC learns absolutely nothing. There is no redemption. He just continues to be a heartless, soulless, pretentious little fucktard.
Fuck this book. Writing the review made me realize just how much I hated it. Earl gets a star and RACHEL gets a star. HER FUCKING NAME IS RACHEL.
What Jeff? FINE. Go to the bathrooGather round, gather round. *waits patiently*
Everyone settled? Jeff, put your hand down.
Ok, so now that everyone’s-
What Jeff? FINE. Go to the bathroom, but come RIGHT back.
*10 minutes later*
Finally! Can I tell my story now? Great. Here we go.
So, let me just tell you all this quick little story. I received an email from Goodreads. It was one of those Dear John letters that tells you about this wonderful new book that is going to be the Next Big Thing. You know the type.
In this email it said: Stepheny, you’re going to love this book. It’s YA. It’s “the modern day version of The Stand”. Read it, Stepheny and you will see just how awesome this book is and then go tell your friends about how awesome it is.
Well, I thought about it. But the price tag on Kindle didn't agree with my budget so I sat on it a while longer. I went on a Barnes and Noble run with my best friend Andrea- you have to understand- our nearest bookstore is over an hour away.
Before we went in there I told her- Andrea- don't let me buy more than X amount of books! And of course we laughed because I’m a book-buying junky and no matter what boundary I try to set I always come home with more. *hangs head in shame*
Anyway, we go in and immediately I am lured right in by the incredible smell of books…and coffee. God bless bookstores with cafés built right into them. I went directly to the YA section because I was hoping to snag a copy of All the Bright Places- a book I loved so much when I bought it on Kindle that I knew I needed a hardcover version as well.
There I was amidst rows and rows of YA books when what should catch my eye, but We All Looked Up. I grabbed it the instant my eyes took notice. I loved the cover, the title- but mostly the cover. It was soft. And not just in the literal sense of it being a paperback- but it was almost like a suede-feeling. It was amazing. I literally stood there petting the book. But once again- the price tag made me hesitant. After 2 hours or so of carrying the book around in my arms(while petting it) I eventually put it back and went with The Buried Giant instead-which I still haven't read yet.
Yes, Jeff?
I’m getting there!
For those of you who didn't hear what Jeff asked- he wanted to know how it was that I finally came to read this book. Amazon Kindle Daily Deals. It went on sale for 1.99 or 2.99 and BAM- one click shopping.
Let me just tell you- this book is absolutely 100% NOTHING LIKE THE STAND. I repeat- this book is NOTHING LIKE THE STAND. In all my years of reading I don’t think I have ever seen such a horrible comparison.
We All Looked Up is the story of high school kids in Seattle finding out that an Asteroid is going to hit Earth causing the end of the world. No survivors. Do Not Pass Go. DO NOT COLLECT $200. One big bang to end the world- ohhh the irony! Am I right?
One would think, that with such a great plot line that the book would be filled with deep philosophical thoughts. We would see what really matters at the end of the world. We would watch them make their final stand.
Instead what you have is a half-assed attempt to show how the government would, like try to control you man. *passes doobie to Jeff* It’s like…no one understands us. We’re so tortured and like…fight the system. Parents just don’t get it, dude.
Absolutely the most ridiculous end-of-the-world story I think I have ever read. There seemed to be no point to this book. In fact, the ending wasn't even a fucking ending. I had continued reading in hopes that the ending would salvage it all and give me that GAHHHH moment that I wanted. But no, the ending was as lame and boring as the rest of it.
I really don’t enjoy writing reviews that trash the book. I try to find redeeming qualities but truly- I am completely underwhelmed. It was a huge letdown and I am thankful that I only spent, at most, $3 for it. Don’t be fooled by the fancy cover. Don’t be fooled by that outrageous claim that it is “the modern day Stand”. I will not tell you NOT to read it, but just don’t go into it expecting much and maybe you won’t be so disappointed.
Jeff- get out of the cookie jar. Jesus. Back to the cellar, NOW. ...more
I think my subconscious mind knows a lot more than I like to give it credit for. You see, I waited and waited and waited for this book to come out. TH
I think my subconscious mind knows a lot more than I like to give it credit for. You see, I waited and waited and waited for this book to come out. THEN I bought it. Did I start it right away? Nope, sure didn’t. Why, Stepheny? You loved the first book, you enjoyed the second one…why the hesitation? Well, I think deeeeeeeep down in my subconscious I just knew this book was going to blow donkey balls.
Here’s the thing: I loved the shit out of the Fifth Wave. Don’t believe me? Read this super gushy review and see for yourself! When I love shit, I love it whole-heartedly. No half-ass love here. Full ass or no ass. That’s just the way it is.
Out came Infinite Sea and I enjoyed it a lot as well. What I didn’t like was all the new POV’s. I hated Ringer and Zombie and didn’t care enough about the other characters to be bothered remembering their names…let alone give a shit about what they were doing.
So here we are with book 3. The highly-anticipated final installment of the Fifth Wave series- and what a fucking let-down it was. I can’t even begin to wonder what Rick Yancey was thinking when he sent this pile of garbage to be published.
Let’s dive right in and get into this shit, because I am NOT a happy camper and I need to let it out before my head explodes.
STOP changing POV’s. It works for some writers, it doesn’t work for you. Here’s the thing, Rick, buddy, old pal…. You are SO in tune with Cassie I almost would have believed you were a 16 year old girl-not a middle-aged man. You are also very in tune with Evan Walker. These other characters are so flat they don’t deserve their own chapters. They’re so generic it’s painful. The Fifth Wave was great because it centered on those two. Cassie had almost no chapters in this one and therefor I did NOT enjoy reading it. Ringer fucking sucks. Zombie fucking sucks. Sam fucking sucks. The ONLY two people who matter are Evan and Cassie and I got them in not even a quarter of the time in this book. Fuck you, Rick Yancey. Ya done fucked up.
Thanks for turning what was a fun YA Dystopian into a militaristic war-book. There was so much “action” there wasn’t room for a storyline. Every two pages it seemed someone was killing someone or being killed or having some epic battle where they’re both “enhanced” humans who can’t be hurt. Why didn’t you just throw in Wiley E. Coyote and the Road Runner too? You made it tacky and corny when it didn’t need to be. But thanks for ruining what had the potential to be awesome.
Spoiler alert. If you care at all about finishing the series and don’t want to know about the ending I’d stop here.
Really, Rick? It’s bad enough you have Ringer end up pregnant. When was this supposed to have happened? Either I forgot that she hooked up with a dude or just didn’t care enough to pay attention, but ok. She’s pregnant. Great. Let’s have Ringer- the girl who hates everyone and everything become the mother. Perfect. But then you have her name her daughter after Cassie? REALLY? Cassie and Ringer couldn’t stand each other. How fucking cliché. Oh, well, Cassie made up for it in a big way so now I am going to name my child after her. *rolls eyes* Give me a break! This would not happen. Ringer was not that person. Even if she DID make up with Cassie or had a newfound respect for her Ringer WAS not the person to name her kid after the likes of Cassie. It just would NOT happen. She’s too fucking pigheaded for that. Maybe her dog, but not her daughter.
I didn’t mind the ending. It made sense. Cassie’s actions made sense for her character. Evan being alive kind of blew my mind a bit, but I accepted it. And I was glad they gave him back his memories. Pain is life. I loved that. THAT was good. The rest of this book can take a hike. It was not at all what I had come to expect out of Yancey and to fill a book with unlikeable characters was a huge mistake.
I was beyond disappointed in this- both as a book and as a finale for the series. It left a very sour taste in my mouth- in case you couldn’t tell- and I’m now unsure whether I will be reading any of his other books.
Prepare yourselves for a rant-filled scathing review. So. Much. Hate.
When I read the Martian I really never thought there would be a book I would ha Prepare yourselves for a rant-filled scathing review. So. Much. Hate.
When I read the Martian I really never thought there would be a book I would hate more. But boy am I putting my foot in my mouth on that one! The Magicians was the winner by a landslide for The Most Obnoxious Book of the Year Award!
Congratulations, Lev Grossman! Your book fucking sucks.
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This book was said to be the “adult version of Harry Potter.” Those are some big balls you have making that claim. Especially to someone like me. This is NOT anywhere near as good as Harry Potter. In fact, you may as well compare hippogriffs to flobberworms! I mean, seriously. The two aren't even in the same realm, let alone the same fucking genre. Everything that Harry Potter is is exactly what the Magicians isn’t.
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Now, I can forgive the idiot who decided to use the slogan “the adult version of Harry Potter” to help sell the Magicians. Clearly that person is a fucking moron who never read either book. It’s ok, I’ve forgiven him/her. What I can’t forgive is Lev Grossman creating the most obnoxious character I have ever encountered. That’s right! Step aside, Bella! Quentin has taken your place atop the list of Most Useless Main Character!
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Quentin is…oh dear. I am not even sure where to start. Quentin is just awful. He’s plagued with self-loathing and yet so incredibly full of himself that he he’s blinded by his own shit because his head is crammed up his own ass. The dumbass actually has the audacity to demean his girlfriend for cheating on him after he cheated on her. He acts as if he is completely innocent and then rips her to pieces verbally. That’s just one example but my god, what the fuck is wrong with you?! Great storytelling, Lev!
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The only memorable moment for me throughout this heaping pile of shit book was that they got turned into geese where they flew to the south pole…or was it the north? Ah, fuck it. It doesn't matter anyway because the whole storyline was pointless. Anyway, they later get turned into arctic foxes and then they fuck. The single most exciting moment in the whole entire book.
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But listen, this book has absolutely no point. None. Quentin figures out he is a special snowflake- shocker. And then goes to school at the Special Snowflake Academy where he learns some magic tricks. But no one knows where the magic comes from you know. Like it’s apart of your being, ya know. And it’s all like hipster meets grunge mentality there. Everyone is so fucking privileged but they do nothing but bitch about their parents and life. Oh. And the school? Well, that could have been interesting. But instead we get barely half of the book worth of schooling before they are all graduated and find out that their lives don’t matter. They can do everything. But…DUN DUN DUN! They can also do nothing! Fascinating. No?
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No. I suppose you’re right.
I almost never tell people not to read books. But if you value your sanity I would stay far, far away from this book. What a disappointment. I will not be continuing the series. I do not care what happens to anyone in it. I don’t care to see how the story progresses. I do not care one bit. So please, do not tell me how awesome the rest of them are. I will kill you lock you up in my basement and feed you to Jeff and Mr. KIng.
The Given Day taught me something very important about myself: I don’t like historical fiction.
I like fiction. Apparently I only like certain parts of The Given Day taught me something very important about myself: I don’t like historical fiction.
I like fiction. Apparently I only like certain parts of history.
When I read Mystic River I was blown away. I absolutely loved Lehane’s writing. He was eloquent and thought-provoking-even moving at times. So when Honk, Graymeat and the White Candle (sometimes Candlestick) and this here crazy MahFah decided we were going to read a Dennis Lehane book I was over the moon about it. I already owned the Given Day and thought it was a perfect choice.
Boy was I wrong.
I only liked one person in this whole book- Luther. For me, Luther was the only real character in the book. The others felt like ideas, or shadows of people we know. They fell flat for me and I had a very hard time connecting with anyone but Luther. Luther’s decisions, though at times were horrible, made sense to me. He acted without thinking, he committed a crime and he left his pregnant wife behind in the wake of his heinous acts. BUT, I understood those decisions. I couldn’t completely sympathize with him but I could at the very least understand that once one thing happened a whole slew of other things happened right after before he had time to evaluate it.
That’s what happens in life. And I like when writers capture those real-life situations. It’s my favorite. That’s why Mystic River struck such a chord with me- he captured very realistic reactions by the characters in his book.
I didn’t like a single person in the Coughlin family- no not even Danny- who for some reason was called Aiden randomly. Danny was a big time whiner. If there is one thing in men that drives me nuts the most it would be whining. Maybe it’s because my dad was never a complaining type and I grew accustomed to men who just went about their life knowing they did what they had to and did so without complaint. Luther reminded me a lot of my father. (view spoiler)[Not the part where he kills a guy (hide spoiler)] No, not that part, but even given his situation he rarely, if ever, commented on it. He didn’t wallow in his own self-pity. He worked, he saved, and he lived.
Danny, sometimes Aiden, did nothing but play the victim. He complained incessantly and there were times I wanted to reach through the pages and rip his throat out just to get him to shut up. He was also the Ned Stark of this book- “But this is the LEGAL and RIGHT and JUST way of doing things!” He failed to understand that in life there are grey areas. He wouldn’t bend, he wouldn’t budge and he certainly would not open his eyes…even when the facts were laid out before them.
I hated his father the most though- an arrogant and self-righteous man who needed to control every aspect of his family’s life. He was filled with hate, anger and resentment and I grew to loathe him like I did Professor Umbridge. He was a mean old bastard.
None of the other characters even warrant discussion in my opinion. They were background noise on an already muddled storyline. As I have already mentioned- the only storyline in the book that I cared for was Luther’s and he is the reason this book gets the rating it does. I almost one-starred it but in the end Luther resonated with me and I can’t discredit Lehane too much for that. I just think this book was bogged down with history. OBVIOUSLY I won’t be trying historical fiction again. This clearly was a huge failure. Maybe I should stick to Nicholas Sparks? (view spoiler)[FUCK YOU, Kimberly (hide spoiler)]
This is not to say that my buddies didn’t make the experience better. It’s always a hoot to get the gang together! This book just happened to be a mind-numbing slog for me!
Carmen and Steve both joined us late but ended up finishing before any of us(I think)....more
Everyone has been talking about The Martian. And I literally mean everyone. Since the moment I saw the cover and the raving reThank god that's over.
Everyone has been talking about The Martian. And I literally mean everyone. Since the moment I saw the cover and the raving reviews I knew I had to pick it up. There’s a reason people are talking about this book.
I just don’t fucking get it.
I think I am the only person on GR to give this pile a one star rating. I’m ok with that. This is a classic case of- it’s not you, it’s me.
I wanted desperately to fit in with the Goodreads community and love the shit out of this book and start farting rainbows every time I saw the title. Unfortunately I was not blessed with a Science Brain and this book went far over my head. My brains were floating in outer space waiting patiently to be brought back down. I think they’re still up there somewhere because I can’t for the life of me understand why people find this book is so awe-inspiring.
I loved the concept. Mark Watney gets left in space by accident. His crewmates think he’s dead and they take off for home. But Mark is not dead. He’s very much alive and he knows his shit. Boy, does he know his shit. He knows it so well he can’t wait to tell you about it in lengthy detail. He goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on…
Oh, I’m sorry. Forgot you were reading.
When it comes to Sci-fi I need it to be just enough detail to get me by. There’s a fine line that needs to be walked between vague and in-depth. Andy Weir was in so much depth I think he might be in the wrong career all together. In fact, Andy, if you’re reading this, why don’t you go apply for NASA. Clearly your brains are far superior to my own. Just for the love of god, don’t write another book.
Ok, that’s rude, I’ll admit. Next time you write a book though, I will politely pass it up and save myself the time and effort all together.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator did a great job telling a boring story.
I kept waiting for something awesome to happen. What exactly, you ask? Well, I don’t know….but with a name like The Martian; I guess I was kind of hoping our MC would discover life on Mars. Or he would maybe figure out a way to live on Mars permanently-becoming the Martian himself. No such luck. Just boring tales of growing potatoes and drinking urine while listening to Disco music.
It takes quite a bit for me to give a one star rating. I read because I love books. I almost always find redeemable qualities in a book but I was counting down until this one was over. The Martian gets one star for the concept behind the story. That’s it. For all of you science lovers- I’m glad you enjoyed it. This book was just not for me.
I really wanted so much more from this book. I wanted to know things about the characters that we had been introduced to in the first three books. InsI really wanted so much more from this book. I wanted to know things about the characters that we had been introduced to in the first three books. Instead we are introduced to all new people 13 years prior to the events that take place in books 1-3. All this did was give us a history of what happened, how the world ended, how the virus came to be and how they found out about people being immune.
Through the first three books there are references to Thomas and Theresa's involvement in setting up the Maze and how they worked for WICKED. Well, wouldn't you think that the prequel to those stories would involve us getting more insight into what it was that they actaully DID?! That's all I wanted. I longed for character development. Getting to know Thomas and Theresa before the Swipe could have salvaged some of my indifference towards them. But instead the author decides to tell me a story I could really live without.
Dashner was strong in the areas of keeping his readers intriged and on the edge of their seats. One area he severely dropped the ball was in the climax. He leads you to believe you are going to have some huge revelation that changes the game and then he pulls the carpet out from under your feet and says "Nope, it really IS that boring story!". I think he could really use some tips in character development as well. I honestly have never cared less about any character in my life. I didn't like a single character in any of these books. Nope, not one.
I am so let down by this series in so many ways. I think it really had the potential to be something great. Personally, I think that Dashner just had too many ideas and wanted to put them all in one book rather than developing the top few. These books are kind of all over the place and I won't be recommending them to anyone at any time. Unless I don't like you and want to see you suffer, in which case- here, read this book. ;)
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