Wow, well. This book is a big ol' DNF for me. And let me preface that by saying that I am not really religious. I'm not quite agnostic. I belie[image]
Wow, well. This book is a big ol' DNF for me. And let me preface that by saying that I am not really religious. I'm not quite agnostic. I believe in a higher power, and I will attend church the 1-2x per year that I go home to visit my parents on holidays. But I'm not a habitual attender at organized religion, and I don't care what anyone else's religion is. I kinda find them all interesting after taking a theology class in college that delved into all kinds of historical religions and religious practices. To each their own is my belief, and no one religion should speak against another unless of course evil acts are being carried put in the guise of religion. Then it would be appropriate to speak against the group carrying out those acts, not the religion as a whole.
So coming from the aspect of a non-religious person, even I was offended by the theme of this book. Serious, you blame the downfall of society on ALL Christians? ALL of them? Not a radical group or a subsect, but ALL of them? When did it become acceptable to demonize or marginalize all Christians? What if you substituted Muslim, Judiasm, or any other faith here? Would it still be acceptable to modern society? Not likely. So why is it acceptable for the Christian faith? And especially to do it as a whole. Don't we separate radical Muslims from the vast majority of the Muslim faith? Do you really see Christians lauding the antics of Westboro? No you do not.
I voluntarily read (in part) and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher. Sadly, I found the themes to be offensive and off-putting and I can't honestly recommend this book to anyone. I find the tone and theme somewhat dangerous in our current society when people would rather hate everyone that doesn't agree with them 100%. I think this book adds to the divisiveness that we are seeing everywhere we look. I don't need more of that in my life....more
I'm not enjoying this book any more than the first, so I'm not gonna force it this time. DNF at page 53.I'm not enjoying this book any more than the first, so I'm not gonna force it this time. DNF at page 53....more
Honestly, the dedication of this book turned me off so much that I DNF'd before I even got to the first page. I'm so tired of politics... I don't wantHonestly, the dedication of this book turned me off so much that I DNF'd before I even got to the first page. I'm so tired of politics... I don't want to see it in my romance reading, which is usually an escape for me. When I want politics, I will pick up a political romance or something with court intrigue. I wasn't expecting to be hit with it in a hockey/sports romance. Sigh. Maybe there aren't politics in the book, but I'm not going to make the time investment to find out.
On a positive note - I love the cover. I received an advanced copy of this book from Avon....more
Plot, plot, where is the plot? I've given The Queens of Innis Lear more than 11 hours of my life. Unfortunately, I don't think I can give it mo[image]
Plot, plot, where is the plot? I've given The Queens of Innis Lear more than 11 hours of my life. Unfortunately, I don't think I can give it more. This audiobook is a monster at nearly 26.5 hours long, and I made it to just about 43%. I kept sallying forth waiting for something to happen... but I have grown too impatient to continue.
I really wanted to like this story. The story is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear supposedly told in a Game of Thrones style drama and battle. Sounds interesting, right? It could have been, but nothing ever happens and it became tiresome and boring.
Gaela Lear is the eldest daughter of King Lear and seemingly rightful heir to the throne. Gaele is battle thirsty, cold and cruel. She wishes to be a man so she can be king, and she will run right over anyone who gets in the way of her goals. Regan is her middle sister, pretty and vain, but with the persona of a mean girl, and yet devoted to Gaela and her future plans. Elia is the youngest daughter, devoted to her father, but a weakling that needed a backbone. Our three POC heroines stood out in a land of pale islanders, all exotic and beautiful in their own right. While I'm all for diversity in my stories, I felt like there were far too many references to the sisters' physical characteristics. It threw me out of the story. As a reader who envisions themself as the main character, any time an author goes on and on about physical characteristics (whether is glowing mahogany skin or beautiful red hair or a model thin body), it's going to throw me out of the story. So I could have done with less of that.
Overall, there were an abundance of descriptions. While the words coming off the page were not bad, there were just too many of them. I wanted some action, some drama, something to draw me into the story. Instead I felt like I was just meandering down a path without aim and would never make it anywhere with this story. There was no hook - at least not by the 43% mark which seems like an advanced point in the book to not have a somewhat developed plot.
As for the characters - I didn't like any of them. They just weren't likable, and seemed to be more automatons than engaging characters. We got a tiny bit of emotion from Elia, but nothing to write home about. But the other two sisters were cold and calculating. I didn't even feel anything for Regan despite her repeated miscarriages, something that should have been tragic and heartrending... but instead we get her talking about her child's brains upon her thighs. Uh, what? I thought there was some potential with Ban - like he would be the moral focus of the story - the Jon Snow if you will. But then he shows he is willing to hurt someone innocent to make a point and I lost faith in him. Maybe he redeems himself, maybe not. I really can't say what his role was. So by the time I gave up on the story, the only character I really cared about at all was King Morimaros. Unfortunately, his role in the story is limited and he wasn't enough to keep me listening.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Macmillan Audio....more
This book didn't work for me and I DNF'd. I didn't get far enough into the story to judge the writing. I just couldn't connect to the characters. I diThis book didn't work for me and I DNF'd. I didn't get far enough into the story to judge the writing. I just couldn't connect to the characters. I didn't realize it was a new adult story - I like my characters in romantic suspense to be a bit older and established. Thanks for the opportunity to review....more
This book seemed very wordy for what was otherwise a light fluff read. I think the purple prose got to me. I was crinkling my nose or scratching my heThis book seemed very wordy for what was otherwise a light fluff read. I think the purple prose got to me. I was crinkling my nose or scratching my head at things like:
His gaze was a lawn mower, sheared right over her. Scalped. Clipped.
So this one didn't work for me, though I did spend a good amount of time with the story before giving up. I was never invested in either of our main characters and I'm not feeling overly bad about walking away. DNF at 55%....more
The formatting on the Kindle book was too wonky to do more than skim through. I wasn't too interested in most of the recipes. I would rather surf PintThe formatting on the Kindle book was too wonky to do more than skim through. I wasn't too interested in most of the recipes. I would rather surf Pinterest than resort to this cookbook....more
I gave this audiobook 2 hours of my road trip and it didn't hold my interest at all. The pace is very slow, and there has yet to be any hints of romanI gave this audiobook 2 hours of my road trip and it didn't hold my interest at all. The pace is very slow, and there has yet to be any hints of romance or focus on the dragons....more
I tried this one in audio and the narration didn't work for me. The American accent for parts of the story, then switching to an Irish accent for the I tried this one in audio and the narration didn't work for me. The American accent for parts of the story, then switching to an Irish accent for the dialogue was jarring and kept throwing me out of the story. Also, when the dialogue was occurring, the narrator spoke extremely slowly. I had to speed up the playback to get past it, but it wasn't perfect. I think I will skip this one in audio and try again in print....more
Dude... I had to give this story a shot because... llama shifter! I expected it to be hokey, but I thought it would be a fun/funny hokey. UnfortunatelDude... I had to give this story a shot because... llama shifter! I expected it to be hokey, but I thought it would be a fun/funny hokey. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I lost interest after the hero and heroine were in the midst of a plane crash barreling toward the ground, where half of the plane has broken off, and they just... hop off. Into a tree. For real. Seriously. I couldn't suspend my disbelief that far so when I laid the book down to make dinner, I didn't feel the urge to pick it back up. So this one was a DNF for me....more
I'm bailing on this one at 22%. It seems all over the place to me, and like it's a continuation of the last book instead of a new installment of the sI'm bailing on this one at 22%. It seems all over the place to me, and like it's a continuation of the last book instead of a new installment of the series. There wasn't enough recap to remind me what happened in the previous installment, which you absolutely need with 2 years between pub dates. I will re-try this one when I have time to do a complete series re-read. I tend to enjoy this series as a binge, but not enough of the storyline sticks in my head to wait long between installments....more
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