There’s too much going on and too many characters to process. The elements that make me love a Horn book are present, but it’s too much. I’m left tryiThere’s too much going on and too many characters to process. The elements that make me love a Horn book are present, but it’s too much. I’m left trying to keep everything straight, while also keeping up with the slowly churning plot.
This needed to go back to the editor. Scrap five or so characters, change some names for variety/clarity, flesh out settings more clearly, focus on moving plot forward.
Fair warning: I graduated from high school in '96 which means that '89 Walls made me a very happy person. Ugh! Memory Lane! I am home again with cordeFair warning: I graduated from high school in '96 which means that '89 Walls made me a very happy person. Ugh! Memory Lane! I am home again with corded phones, actual letters, chalk, overheads, terrible lighting! It was a wonderful time.
Besides the time period, I was equally pulled in by the political backdrop of the novel. My friends and argued incessantly by the time we were juniors and seniors. I remember getting in terrible arguments with my now husband about abortion rights and civil rights. He would argue against me just to make me mad. For me, '89 Walls resonated perfectly with who I was at 17 and my own experiences as a teenager.
'89 Walls is an ambitious novel in that the characters are dealing with some truly difficult topics and experiences such as abortion teen sex, AIDS, growing apart from longtime friends, drinking, and MS. Pierson tackles each topic with care. it never feels like too much. As a matter a fact, it feels just the right balance.
The plot is driven forward by Quinn and Seth's government class led by Mr. Levine. He's your quintessential government teacher with the chalk hand print on his knee and the dirty coffee mugs. But what he lacks in style, he makes up for in his passion for his students and the role of democracy. The changing tide of American politics and the world landscape is cleverly told through Mr. Levine and in doing so, Pierson takes us through '89.
'89 Walls is a wonderful political romance with a YA feel. ...more
I was super pumped to receive this novel via Netgalley, but I have such a tremendous reading list that I didn't get to it until Friday night. I then pI was super pumped to receive this novel via Netgalley, but I have such a tremendous reading list that I didn't get to it until Friday night. I then proceeded to devour it.
Wonderful works of fantasy are hard to come by, especially those that have a strong female protagonist. Novik's young witch is not without self doubt, but she's strong and fierce. Her relationship with her mentor, the Dragon is satisfying. Novik is especially good at writing magic in a way that the reader can visualize. In this instance, Neizka's magic is more intuitive, while the Dragon's is precise. Of course this makes him very frustrated, and in it, a lot of my favorite moments are played between the two.
Novik has produced a beautiful world rendered clear and bright, full of magic....more
I am such an absolute fan of the Dexter novels so it was with great delight that I was given the newest edition last month from the publishers. Thank I am such an absolute fan of the Dexter novels so it was with great delight that I was given the newest edition last month from the publishers. Thank you.
This final installment ends in a way that's fitting for the best serial killer ever; Dark Dexter, our dashing, devious hero. As a fan of the books and a viewer of The Showtime series, my heart lies with the novels. Showtime rarely got right, and in the end gave us one of the most disappointing final seasons in recent television history. Lindsay in marvelous effort gives fans want they've hoped for: a great ending for an even greater character.
I don't want to give anything away, but I do want to emphasize that this last novel is as perfect a Dexter as any of the previous Dexters. There are no shortcuts. Perhaps it's even better. Better because of Brian and Deborah. Better because even though Dexter claims to be inhuman, we see his humanity even more than previous books. For all of Dexter's protestations, he is our favorite dark hero, and he is human.
I was three quarters of the way through this novel when I quit. I had been having a rough time caring about the characters for a few days and I realizI was three quarters of the way through this novel when I quit. I had been having a rough time caring about the characters for a few days and I realized, I was near the end and I didn't care one way or another.
First, this is a decent fantasy with some excellent world building. Unfortunately the novel lacks believability when it comes to its characters. The dialogue is stilted and contrived. And, although we've been told a few of the characters have anger issues or trust issues, they are more likely to display generalized misgivings or moodiness that is worked out two pages later.
I wanted to really love this book because it right in my wheelhouse, but it lacked characters who were genuine....more
The problem with this whimsical novel is that it suffers from too much. Too many secondary characters and their problems. Too many sentimental ramblinThe problem with this whimsical novel is that it suffers from too much. Too many secondary characters and their problems. Too many sentimental ramblings. What ends up happening is that it all just starts to blend together.
For example, near the end of the novel, after an exceptionally long and tedious chase, Annie ends up in the hospital. She gets out and three days later went to Kansas to backpack across a wheat field, (because she can't drive on the road?) and mourn her grandmother who she might not ever meet.
Let me stop you here. No. Here I am as the reader. I think your characters are rather lovely. I love the time travel aspect. I've suspended my disbelief for you, but now you are being silly. The characters are now being overindulgent with their dramatics.
Similarly there are the characters Christian and Edmond. They are great characters in a cute new relationship. Christian is Annie's best and dearest friend. He's sweet and wears his heart on his sleeve. Edmond is tough, and reformed bad boy. All by themselves they are fine and enjoyable. What we as readers don't need is Christian's whole memory loss and accident subplot. It's predictable overdramatics, but more to the point, it is incidental to the reader and is lost in all the other useless revelations. It's just not that important and there were few heartstrings to pull as the whole thing seemed so forced.
Again, this book has so much working for it, but to do it well, there needs to be some serious editing so that the real heart of the story is not lost in the jumble....more
I rarely ever give five star reviews, but this title got to me. I found it nearly unpredictable, which is so refreshing. It's kind of magical in a wayI rarely ever give five star reviews, but this title got to me. I found it nearly unpredictable, which is so refreshing. It's kind of magical in a way that wasn't obvious. I'm of course talking about the characters and the plot, not the clockwork garden fairies or Katsu, the clockwork octopus--those were just magical by themselves.
I loved Thaniel first and he made me believe in Mori. Investing myself in The Watchmaker of Filligree Street was easy after that no matter where the plot was headed....more
I still have room for dystopian ya novels. Who knew?
400 years after the blast, all humans are born as twins. One child is perfect. This is the alpha I still have room for dystopian ya novels. Who knew?
400 years after the blast, all humans are born as twins. One child is perfect. This is the alpha twin. The other twin might have some type of physical deformity. This is the omega. In this world, alpha twins are split from their twin and raised with their parents, while the omega is sent to live in another settlement.
Lately things have worsened for omegas. The idea has always been that alphas needed to protect omegas so that they would be protected as well. If one twin dies, both die. Now though, the tithes have increased, omegas are being run off of their land,and alphas raid settlements.
There's something about the premise in Fire Sermon that really stirs the imagination. I'm glad when the world in which we find the characters that we love isn't a flat world, or even a black and white world. It's Cass that sees a world in which twins are never separated, but live together. This idealism in the face of such adversity what gives Fire Sermon its heart. ...more
The beginning of this modern horror gets a slow start, but readers who continue will be rewarded with a surprisingly fresh dose of suspense. 3.5 stars
The beginning of this modern horror gets a slow start, but readers who continue will be rewarded with a surprisingly fresh dose of suspense.
This one did it for me. I think that it was the little boy, Charlie, who feels something watching him in the woods, and instead of being terrified, he believes it's playing a game. This book has that special something that has you silently screaming, No, no, no! Oh, my God! Where are your parents?! Dead stuff!...more
It's been sometime since I've read anything this good. If you like Stephen King, this one's for you.It's been sometime since I've read anything this good. If you like Stephen King, this one's for you....more
Anna is a mess. She married a Swiss banker because she was in a type of love. She confesses that she could never love a Steve or a Robert. No, Anna roAnna is a mess. She married a Swiss banker because she was in a type of love. She confesses that she could never love a Steve or a Robert. No, Anna romanticized the Phillipee, or a Marco. She got what she wanted in a Bruno. In Switzerland where Anna slowly begins to cut herself off from the rest of society, both intentionally and unintentually. For instance, in the 10 years that Anna has been in Switzerland, she's yet to take a German class. She feels outside everything, even the lives of her young children.
Hausfrau is a novel about loneliness and a kind of self-destruction that comes from deep inside the psyche. It's an intense and often frustrating novel, but well worth the read....more
Warning: book contains guilded mists, swirling choices, clouds of secrecy doused in the fug of a dozen girls' hair products and cheap body sprays.
If yWarning: book contains guilded mists, swirling choices, clouds of secrecy doused in the fug of a dozen girls' hair products and cheap body sprays.
If you weren't taken in by the poetry dipped prose, then you probably didn't like this book. I, being a hardcore romantic, enjoyed it immensely. ...more
I loved the opening of this book immensely. I was hooked. There is chemistry without a lot of the silliness that can happen in a YA novel. The protagoI loved the opening of this book immensely. I was hooked. There is chemistry without a lot of the silliness that can happen in a YA novel. The protagonist is smart, candid and focused. I appreciate that. What I didn't like was the sudden turn the story took. At first I was open to ithe shift, then we began the achingly slow tour that marked my rapid disinterest. I skimmed. I hate skimming, but dear God, I was dying. It was too much and too one sided.
The writing is good, I just felt the middle drag on and on. There was a real opportunity to get to know Ceony, but instead our focus was the dude. I thought that there was also an opportuniy to understand Lira a bit more, even if she is an evil bitch. Instead, some of the characters become clichés of themselves. It's hard to take a bad guy seriously when they're twirtling their mustache and cackling....more
I don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I kept reading. On the other, even I had to do some stretching and suspension of disbelief. ThaI don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I kept reading. On the other, even I had to do some stretching and suspension of disbelief. That's saying a lot, because if anything, I'm a straight up scifi geek. That of course is the reason that I requested this novel from Netgalley. I love anything Gillian Anderson does. I'm a die hard fan.
I wish this had been a better book, but it had some seriously slow sections. The mystery of the relic kept me reading. It certainly wasn't the characters. I just wasn't into anyone in particular, which can be difficult as a reader. You want to be in someone's corner, and this book didn't have that for me.
The story is present. That's what kept me interested. It's half traditional arcane knowledge rediscovered, half preapocolyptic thriller. It's in this weird recipe that we find a reason to turn the pages. There's some great stuff. Some real meat and mythology. I can see the next installment really taking off.
The low down: if you loves you some Xfiles, get on this. The first part is a lot if exposition and posturing. Hang in there. It picks up in part two....more
This book didn't work for me in so many levels. The first and primary issue is the format. The book is told through diary entries, video footage, and This book didn't work for me in so many levels. The first and primary issue is the format. The book is told through diary entries, video footage, and other odds and ends. It's distracting. In some cases, I felt it was lazy.
More than the formatting, the so called "mystery" was a let down. That's not to say the end is not unique, but it wasn't enough. After the choppy Paranormal Activity equivalent of story telling, all I could think was, "Neat trick. Next."...more
When Ibby's (short for Liberty) dad dies, her craptastic mom dumps her at her grandma Fannie's house.
Far from Ibby's hoI loved this book. I LOVED it!
When Ibby's (short for Liberty) dad dies, her craptastic mom dumps her at her grandma Fannie's house.
Far from Ibby's home in the northwest, she is thrust into New Orleans in 1964.
Ibby's world becomes Frannie, Queenie and Dollbaby. We quickly realize that though Queenie and Dollbaby might be the help, they are most certainly in charge. It is Doll that more or less guides Ibby, who naturally has a lot of questions she can't ask Fannie.
Dollbaby is one of those amazing books that is so bright and odd that it can't be anything but beautiful. The connections between each of the characters over a lifetime are woven so subtly, that only in the end can we step back and view it in its whole and appreciate the greatness.
Alisha-Dear Constant Reader
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