This one kind of eases you into it, like a historical fiction. You get little tidbits of the rules of magic, but really, it feels like a historical fiThis one kind of eases you into it, like a historical fiction. You get little tidbits of the rules of magic, but really, it feels like a historical fiction mystery case that Iz and Warren are hired to investigate.
I loved the romance that comes from a long marriage, the comfort of two who are still very much in love but don't need to constantly guess about things, and who have the confidence to try and work well together.
The magic-The hexes were a lot of fun. I loved that Hexes weren't always used in a negative connotation and were closer to wards.
The end really pulled things together and picked up nicely. It was a tiny bit of a "get ready for more next week" sort of ending that made me want to continue the story.
Honestly, the king wanting to get baked into a pie was the highlight of the hilarity! I loved the way that Josiah Bancroft ran with the nursery rhyme, haha.
It is good for serial killers and true crime lovers.
My biggest issue is that the flow and timeline could be much better! This is nonfiction; there's nIt is good for serial killers and true crime lovers.
My biggest issue is that the flow and timeline could be much better! This is nonfiction; there's no need to jump back and forth in the timeline to try to generate suspense, and it didn't work.
Otherwise, the grooming and the creations of teen groomers was insane.
The fact that still no one has any idea what the truth is or how many victims there were is scary.
The appendixes are some of the best parts of the book.
I picked this one up because of the cover and the title, and I was expecting Finlay Donovan-styled humor... And there is humor.. But I was NOT expectiI picked this one up because of the cover and the title, and I was expecting Finlay Donovan-styled humor... And there is humor.. But I was NOT expecting so much extreme domestic abuse.
It's always a weird comfort to return to the Overlook. On this re-read, 5 years since my last one, I had forgotten just how freaky the hedge animals wIt's always a weird comfort to return to the Overlook. On this re-read, 5 years since my last one, I had forgotten just how freaky the hedge animals were!
Perfection in storytelling.
This is a classic King novel and superbly done. The flow is spot on, and it doesn't feel like scaling a mountain to read, no matter how rewarding other mountains are to scale. This was done perfectly—one of his greatest works of all time.
There's weirdly a LOT of narrators and locations and a LOT of different things going, while still having a SLOW pace during much of the book.
I appreciThere's weirdly a LOT of narrators and locations and a LOT of different things going, while still having a SLOW pace during much of the book.
I appreciate that Lawrence Wright has a lot of scientific and geopolitical knowledge in this story, and that it shows well on the page.
The issue ends up being with trying to cram too many things in too small of a space. This either needed to be stretched into a series or lengthened to a much longer novel to allow things to develop further.
I really enjoyed this one. It was a beautiful, whimsical tale based on the indigenous lore of the Lipan Apache tribe.
Elatsoe was SO good, so of coursI really enjoyed this one. It was a beautiful, whimsical tale based on the indigenous lore of the Lipan Apache tribe.
Elatsoe was SO good, so of course, I wanted to know more about Grandma Shane. I loved Elatsoe's ability to communicate with animals and her adventure.
This one felt deeper and richer in that so much was acceptable, such as with the mushroom rings for travel and the way that Darcie Little Badger wrote this showed growth and strength in her talent as an author. I really can't wait to see what she delivers next.
A scene that stood out starkly to me was when everyone was getting sick from unsanitary water after a flood, and the question is asked "What did we do now?" and trying to find a reason how it can be tied back to some guilt of a past misdeed But the response "Nothing. Tragedies aren't punishments." And I think a lot of us still have that kind of religious guilt of being punished for action or inaction, but really, it is just a tragedy and not a punishment. Sometimes bad things just happen, and it's not a karmic reaction or a punishment.
This started out really well, and then it just kind of started to turn 2-dimensional.
The mystery wasn't too bad, but it could have provided a bit morThis started out really well, and then it just kind of started to turn 2-dimensional.
The mystery wasn't too bad, but it could have provided a bit more suspense.
The two timelines were weirdly set up.
There's not really any one thing I can put my finger on here escept maybe character development of the 2nd timeline from the beginning, and then the 1st timeline slacked off while the 2nd got more important.
I am mid-range on this one. This is a book written to make you angry, to make you react, to make you want to take up arms. And in that, it is frightenI am mid-range on this one. This is a book written to make you angry, to make you react, to make you want to take up arms. And in that, it is frighteningly effective.
I had never heard of William R. Forstchen, but I am willing to read almost anything once. A coworker lent me this novel, knowing my vast range of book love, letting me know that grammatically, it needed work, but to give it a chance. I have to agree that as far as polish goes, this has none at all. It is an obviously indie-published novel that never saw the light of a professional editor's office.
This is NOT a character-driven book; it is all action, fear, and rage. The characters are not well-developed, but they do play on racist and phobic fears of the American people vs the jihadists.
The biggest issue with this book is that Americans' overall reaction would, unfortunately, NOT be so far from what is predicted here. While active shooter drills have gotten better, and the school my son attends is a guardian school armed for this type of scenario, this is still a nightmare for any parent/teacher/student.
The decision made by the president in the end, we saw some of that with Covid and as a reaction to rioting in larger towns when riot baiters escalated violence and damage outside of frustrated people with a just cause.
The biggest mistake many people make is EVER painting an enemy as stupid. Leaders do not become leaders who plot for years extensively without some grasp and understanding of their target. The Russia/Crimea/Ukraine scenario showed just how social media can be used against an enemy. Showcasing that here was a good call.
This book is worth reading to get a better understanding of horrors coming true on a large-scale terrorist attack on schools and highways.
This is not an easy book to read. It is very gruesome and traumatic. It is meant to be triggering. There is much gun violence and the sexual assault of a minor.
Not many authors would want to go there.
Overall, the book itself is about a 3 star. ...more
5 years later, I enjoyed this one even more than the first time. Maybe it's because I have read the follow-on series, and my fulfillment was better fi5 years later, I enjoyed this one even more than the first time. Maybe it's because I have read the follow-on series, and my fulfillment was better filled with that one.
Persephone is hands down my all-time favorite character of this whole series, and she was woefully short in lines. I missed the witty humor and her quotable awesomeness that was held in other books. I was so happy for those short moments though.
This time around, the romance and understanding with Blue were more apparent. However, I still want more of Blue and the ladies.
As a tea connoisseur, I absolutely loved the devotion to tea in the first book. This is the Book of Tea series, after all. So... Other than the same cAs a tea connoisseur, I absolutely loved the devotion to tea in the first book. This is the Book of Tea series, after all. So... Other than the same characters, the essence of the reverence of Tea was missing completely in this novel.
This almost felt like an entirely different series. There were enjoyable elements, but it was more of standalone than a sequel. I was disappointed a bit by that.
The narrative on this one was excellent, but I have a lot of questions, such as how anyone can devote years of their life to a trial, how a trial can The narrative on this one was excellent, but I have a lot of questions, such as how anyone can devote years of their life to a trial, how a trial can take this many consecutive years to conclude, and how many trials are happening in Tokyo at the same time.
I also hope never to need to go on trial there. In a way it is a bit like being in jail for years while a case is built against/for you.
Worth a read. He's a serial rapist at the very least.
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