I had said this was going to be my "make it or break it" book for this series. I enjoy the concept of the series, but have been struggling with tSo...
I had said this was going to be my "make it or break it" book for this series. I enjoy the concept of the series, but have been struggling with the actual stories and characters.
And then I was struggling even getting through this one. I'm tired of hearing about how manly man Emerson is, and how he quiets Amelia with his manliness. I'm tired of the precocious 8-year-old who can spout out more Egyptian history than anyone ever. I'm tired of the casual racism, even while I acknowledge it's probably realistic for the time period.
I'm giving it 2-stars instead of 1 as a sort of "It's not you, it's me" thing. I'm sure it's a fine story and all, but it just not doing anything for me....more
I usually try to give it longer - the unofficial rule I set was 35% - but I opened it to read today and was just like:
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*Calling it quits at 11%.
I usually try to give it longer - the unofficial rule I set was 35% - but I opened it to read today and was just like:
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***
Other reviews have detailed what they found wrong with the story. There's a lot of research into the time period, and info-dumpy paragraphs about said details, but the story - the characters - had no heart. No soul.
There was no *life* to the story. Just detail.
I've read too many reviews from people who finished which suggest that if this is an issue, it doesn't get better... so I'm just calling it quits, 'cause I give zero fucks about what's going on.
Calling it quits at around 44% in. I put it down a few days ago to see if I'd want to pick this back up, but I really can't be bothered.
Just can't getCalling it quits at around 44% in. I put it down a few days ago to see if I'd want to pick this back up, but I really can't be bothered.
Just can't get into it. Plodding pacing, and doesn't really add much new to the story. Really, I think "realism" just might not be my thing when it comes to Robin Hood, because this is definitely lacking in spirit. From what I've read of some reviews, just decided not to push my way through....more
I got somewhere between 30-35% through this book, and I just can't.
It has all the elements of a story I should like, but I can't get into it. The narI got somewhere between 30-35% through this book, and I just can't.
It has all the elements of a story I should like, but I can't get into it. The narrative drones, the dialogue is stilted and strangely archaic, though I'm fairly certain this is meant to be modern day, and the waxing philosophic doesn't really work when you sort of just talk in circles.
Mostly, though, I just have no emotional investment in the characters. I'm bored, and I don't particularly care what happens. I struggle to get through more than 10-25 pages in a reading, because it literally puts me to sleep.
Not even (view spoiler)[half a town living as intelligent zombies (hide spoiler)] is enough to keep me interested in continuing. And the thought of a whole trilogy of this? Ye gods and little fishes...
Pity, because the prologue was strong and made me think this would be good... but several of the reviews I read suggest the ending is anti-climactic and not worth the slog to get there.
I said in my last status that this wasn't grabbing me.
I left it sitting on my 'currently reading' for a bit, reading some other stuff, to see how I feI said in my last status that this wasn't grabbing me.
I left it sitting on my 'currently reading' for a bit, reading some other stuff, to see how I felt about continuing... and, honestly, I knew I was unlikely to pick this back up.
So I'm bailing.
I'm giving it 2-stars because I'm leaving it on a "it's not you, it's me (maybe)" note.
It had some cool quotes and I can see elements of Pratchett and whatnot... but I'm just not into it....more
I wouldn't have picked up this book if it wasn't picked for a buddy read by a friend of mine.
I will say that the writing style was interesting enou1.5
I wouldn't have picked up this book if it wasn't picked for a buddy read by a friend of mine.
I will say that the writing style was interesting enough, and I wasn't as bothered by the patois as some, though it did take some getting used to.
And I was interested in the political and racial themes, and the crises of identity portrayed in the story as the Virgin Islands are brought under the "wing" of America.
But the focus of the story - the family drama - is not to my tastes. It's dysfunctional to the extreme, and more than a little squicky, and I wasn't invested enough in any of the characters to make this train wreck of a story more bearable or interesting....more
I don't know why I keep falling for these anthologies, when I don't tend to have a good track record with them. Usually one or two of the short storieI don't know why I keep falling for these anthologies, when I don't tend to have a good track record with them. Usually one or two of the short stories are good, and the rest of just meh or outright boring.
In this case - I didn't even finish them. I just stalled out and couldn't muster the energy or desire to continue. Especially since the "steampunk" elements are barely existent... and completely non-existent in some of the stories. Which, I could be down for a good ghost story now and again, but that's not what I was looking for in a book which promotes itself on the steampunk tailcoats.
Anyway-
The first two stories were lackluster, though 'The Iron Shroud' better than Music, When Soft Voices Die' which was just boring.
'The Shaddowwes Box' was the best of the ones I read, and gave me hope that I could get through the set.
'The Curious Case of the Moondawn Daffodil Murders' was fun - introducing a more supernaturally inclined cousin to the Holmes brothers. Bit silly, but not bad.
'Why I Was Hanged' was ok, and the 'The Proving of Smollett Standforth' utterly failed to be suspenseful.
'The Jade Woman of the Luminous Star' is where I call it quits, and I never even got through the whole story.
I suppose I could've just skipped it and hopped stories until I found some likely looking ones... but I had got this to read for a suspenseful October book, and since it didn't really work on that account, and since I put it aside for awhile and it's now mid-November, I'm throwing in the towel.
Maybe I'll get it from the library again at some point in the future... but I highly doubt I'll bother....more
Got nearly 50% through, and I couldn't care less about anything going on. I'm so bored, and I was gonna try to push my way through, but I can't. I jusGot nearly 50% through, and I couldn't care less about anything going on. I'm so bored, and I was gonna try to push my way through, but I can't. I just can't...
Sad, really, because I had such high hopes for this one, especially since I'd just visited Edinburgh last month. :(...more
**spoiler alert** I read the first book of this series aways back. I had gotten it from Goodreads First Reads, I believe, but I liked it enough to giv**spoiler alert** I read the first book of this series aways back. I had gotten it from Goodreads First Reads, I believe, but I liked it enough to give it 3.5- 4 stars, and to keep an eye out for future installments. It did fall off my radar for awhile, but I finally got around to picking up an e-copy to give the sequel a go.
And I sort of which I'd never bothered.
I honestly don't know what happened between the first and second books, but the religious aspect of it just felt way more in-your-face in this book. I mean, it was pretty strong in the first book, and it was something I was concerned about, but it didn't feel overly preachy - aside from a bit with the ending. But, overall, I was able to deal with it.
Not so in this book.
Also, I just found the whole concept that the priests would lose their ability to perform an exorcism because their bishop dies. The theory behind it behind that they need a direct conduit to papal authority, which is itself a direct conduit to the Christian God's power, and without their bishop that hierarchial link is broken.
But it just makes no sense in the scheme of things. Like, it's not like Catholic priests suddenly stop saying mass if the diocese bishop dies. Or, hell, this would mean between the time that a pope dies and a new one is elected, no one has any ecumenical powers at all? And, if that was the case, then how would they even have the power to vote for a new pope?
But, still, I thought it was hinky and made no sense, but I was willing to let it slide and just write it off as a plot device.
But then there was the nuclear fucking strike on Dearborn Michigan called down by the governor, who had ordered in the National Guard and then gotten them to do the strike, technically. And he does this all in, like, a day because there's information there are some terrorist cells hiding in Dearborn, so his way of dealing with it is to call down a nuclear attack on the whole fucking city.
Nevermind that it's not like the effect and fallout would be contained.
Nevermind that the National Guard doesn't have unilateral power to drop a fucking nuke, and wouldn't use it on a governor's say say even if they did... because it just doesn't fucking work that way.
And, like, yeah, I get that the whole thing is really some demon ploy and all that. Whatever. I'm actually fine with that, because I know what I was reading.
But it's the fact that Mabry had a fucking GOVERNOR have the power to order a NUCLEAR STRIKE on a DOMESTIC. FUCKING. TARGET.
I've read other Caitlin Kiernan books and enjoyed them. Her style of writing adds a surreal, almost dreamlike quality to the stories, which often addsI've read other Caitlin Kiernan books and enjoyed them. Her style of writing adds a surreal, almost dreamlike quality to the stories, which often adds to the atmosphere of the story.
But this one just wasn't working for me. The narrative was more rambling and stream-of-consciousness, and Imp - our unreliable narrator - keeps saying about how she's procrastinating and how she's telling untruths, even though she wants to tell the truth, and just talks in circles and around things because she doesn't want to confront the 'truth' of her ghost story.
But I just found myself not caring, and not worth the bother to continue to find out what does or doesn't happen - which is just as well, really, since Imp is an unreliable narrator apparently you never do find out what's true or what isn't, and, from other reviews, the payout just isn't worth the effort of getting there.
So I'm calling it quits instead of forcing myself through 2 books in a row that I wasn't jiving with....more
I think I gave it a fair shot, but at nearly 40% in I don't care about a single person who thing about this book. (Well, I'm mildly curious to see if I think I gave it a fair shot, but at nearly 40% in I don't care about a single person who thing about this book. (Well, I'm mildly curious to see if (view spoiler)[Jane ever gets one over on Sarah, but that's it (hide spoiler)].
The "intrigue" of everyone in the house having secrets and spying on each other just doesn't do it for me, when I don't like or care about any of the characters.
The fight between anthropometry versus finger printer could be interesting, but we obviously know how that turns out and it doesn't seem to be handled very well through Robert.
Lastly, and this is the real killer, to be honest, is the writing is just so bland to me. Others have described it as bleak and atmospheric, but I'm just finding it bland, dull and tedious. It's one of those books that I have to struggle to keep my eyes open for.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.
The pacing was plodding. Every time it started to pick up, it fizzled again.
Once it started gettI'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.
The pacing was plodding. Every time it started to pick up, it fizzled again.
Once it started getting into the (view spoiler)[sexual abuse with her father (hide spoiler)] I decided to bail. That's a dark path I just don't want to go down in a book I thought was going to be a romance....more
colleen the convivial curmudgeon
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