Before I Go to Sleep consistently threatened to put me in a coma. This book was like groundhog day - without the humour and without Bill Murray. The book received 2 stars based on the fact that this was a debut novel, it was in fact very well written and I read it all the way to the end. Unfortunately, I was quite bored and often wished I was the main character and would awake the next morning and forget I was reading the book.
Plot Summary
The plot revolves around a character who suffers from short term amnesia. The result being she is unable to form new memories while forgetting much of her past life. Once she sleeps and awakens the next morning, she forgets what happened the previous day, previous month and previous decades. In an effort to build a narrative of her life, she begins to write a journal detailing the day, her relationship with her husband, her previous life and the events that led to her current condition. In order to remember this book, she is daily contacted, in secret, by a doctor who tells her where to find the book. Given that she can only rely on what she had previously written, she is an unreliable narrator. Unfortunately for her, not everything is as it seems and she is left to wondering if she can trust herself or anyone around her.
My Take
To be honest, the premise is quite good. I loved the idea. It was like a written version of Memento -- only less awesome. Although I was taken by the premise, the first 2/3 of the book became painfully repetitive and began to stretch believability. While I like the idea of an amnesiac trying to secretly piece her life back together, I just could not believe her methods would be successful or secret.
Almost from the beginning, I assumed the book would have one of two endings. *sighs* Unfortunately, I was right and I had a very hard time accepting what had happened. The setup of the story did not make it believable to me. Sure, the narrator was unreliable but I think it was used as a gimmick to stretch believability. Maybe I am being unduly harsh. I recently gave Gone Girl and Rebecca 5 star ratings and they both employed unreliable narrators. To me, the difference in these books is that the unreliable nature of the narration was not used to explain away plot weakness but was instead used to highlight the nature of the characters. In this book, I did not feel this plot device was handled well.
That said, this book has many accolades. I can appreciate how some readers will find this to be thrilling and enchanting. It was well written and the plot was decent. It had a nice twisty ending and it (attempted) to explain itself in the end. Some readers will take my side and see this book as one trick pony. I found the trick to be transparent and none too exciting.
Final Thoughts
I am not trying to scare anyone away from reading this. I don't think it is rubbish but was simply not to my liking. If the things I listed would also bother you, you might not enjoy it. If you don't care about characterization and simply want to go for a ride, you might enjoy the trip. I generally have a high tolerance for boring books but without great characterization, I could barely hang on. Too bad....more
I love the Kingkiller Chronicles. The two book in the series are the best fantasy novels I have ever read. This novella in the Kingskiller Chronicles is...well.....incredibly boring.
The book focus on Auri, one of the more entertaining and mysterious characters in the series. Honestly, though. I was happy to just to leave some mystery because he underground world is just so painful to read about. I really only got halfway before I gave up. In was written in Patrick Rothfuss' wonder style and beautiful prose but regardless of how beautifully you describe the process by which grass grows, it is still tedious.
Sorry Patrick. Really, I am sorry I tried to read this....more
This was a book of confusion. It was filled with confused characters, it seemed confused as to what genre it More Confused than Clever - 1 Stars
This was a book of confusion. It was filled with confused characters, it seemed confused as to what genre it wanted to be and I am confused as to why the terrible books win the CWA award winners for best new authors.
Plot Summary
Lucy is British. Lucy escaped her life by going to Japan. Lucy is morose. Lucy is obsessive. Lucy has friends and Lucy loses friends. Maybe Lucy killed her friends.
My Take
I thought this book was a hot mess. For the most part, it was book of confusion but lets start with the positive.
Despite my obvious dislike, the author is not a bad writer. Her style is not amateurish. She appeared to have a plan with this novel and she stuck with it. Unfortunately, I liked very little of it. Although I wasn't enjoying the majority of the novel, the fact the writing itself was good and the fact book was relatively short, kept me from putting it down and giving it one star.
Just having quality writing skills does not translate into a great novel. For the most part, this was a character novel. A bad character novel. Lucy was the major character with two secondary characters. None were well developed and but worst of all, each lacked insight into their own actions and emotions. Lucy was morose and broken. Generally, I would not take issue with that but Lucy had no sense of who she was and failed to develop through the novel. She failed to grow and learn from her experiences. It left me feeling that the events were a waste of my time.
The story contains a mystery. Instead of being explored it is simply revealed. As we near the end of the story, the author tells us that we have been in the middle of a second mystery the whole time. Given the character's lack of insight, its no wonder it took the characters by surprise. A reader who does not lack insight saw it coming a mile away.
Final Thoughts
There was not much to enjoy here. The lack of insight displayed was disappointing. A bit of insight goes a long way. If you like your characters dull and uninspired. This is the book for you....more
This is the second in the Hard Case Crime series. Each installment is a throwback to pulp crime fiction and feature bad behavior, cigarettes and at least one woman with loose morals. It is not a series in the traditional sense and books are written by a wide array of authors and are taken from the past and present. The series spoils the reader by featuring a Lawrence Block novel as the first installment and I should not have expected the same quality in each novel. This is the only book I have read by Max Phillips and will likely be the last.
Plot Outline
Bachelor, loaner and part-time roofer Ray Corso is approached by a mysterious and sultry Blonde with a job offer. The blonde bombshell goes by the name of Rebecca. She tell a story of mistakes and missteps. Needing money, she starred in a couple of adult films. This was not something she wanted to do, so she escaped the clutches of the evil film producer. Upon leaving, the producer threatened to burn her face and Rebecca need someone to attack the producer before he attacks her. The story follows Ray through seedy bars, a drug house for the wealthy and connects him with the mob. There are plenty of lies and no one is whom they seem and it all wraps up with violence.
My Take
If you are expecting a gritty and atmospheric novel, you will be disappointed. It certainly had the potential to be an interesting tale but the plot suffered from a severe case of ADD. Was this a mob tale, a murderer for hire tale or a PI tale? The author seemed unclear and left me scratching my head. The fact is that most of the many directions the novel took were interesting. The problem was that the author could not stick with one. Had he focused on one or two of these varying plot points, the novel would have been better on the whole. It was a short novel at around 220 pages. All these plots changes would have been acceptable in an 800 page novel but loses the reader in a short one. All that said, it did win a Shamus Award for best PI Paperback Original. For what its worth, someone liked it enough to give it an award.
The preferred method of writing was staccato, machinegun speech. There were so many short sentences the book began to feel like a long running knock-knock joke. While it was interesting at first, it quickly became tiresome.
My final issue was that in between the many plot changes, there was...nothing. Nothing happened. There was conversation and meandering but it took the story nowhere. Read any of my reviews, I have a bias for meandering stories so long as the scenery is enjoyable. Not the case here.
Verdict
The book wasn't horrible but it was not enjoyable. I only read it to the end because it was so short. It may be that this is a spot on rendition of old pulp crime fiction and that I simply do appreciate the artistry. Try it out yourself and maybe you will feel differently.
Can it Stand Alone
Yes. The books in this series are not connected. You can read it or skip it without fear of missing anything.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 3
The cover is rather misleading. The idea of sex and a early 1950's porn industry is in the background but rarely broached. There is a sex scene that is moderately graphic and footage from one of the films is discovered but it is only mildly graphic.
Language - 2.5
The language usage is average and consistent with the time period. There are no f-words. 12 uses of damn and 48 religious exclamations.
Violence - 3
There is scheming and conniving as well as few murders. Most of the murders are not graphic. There is violence toward a woman in the story that some readers may find unsettling. There is a set of murders that are moderately graphic....more
After finish this book, I read through all of the reviews in my friends list. Time and time again there were 5 stars reviews. I thought I may have missed something, misunderstood something or possibly read another book. After thinking it over, it turns out that I just thought the book sucked.
This is not to say that the book was not well written. It is clear that the author devoted an amazing amount of time in the story and the building of the many, many layers. While I love to peel apart the each facet of such a novel, it turns out that the more I pulled apart Night Film , the less interesting it became.
The novel is hard to define. At the outset, the story hints at elements of horror, and morphs into a crime mystery and ends, well...existentially. While this is part of the allure of the book, it is, in my opinion, a weakness. In many ways it tries to be everything and, to me, ends up being nothing. Night Film is a clever illusion but when you lift the curtains it is only smoke an mirrors. I was initially impressed with some of the literary devices used. Yet, upon reflection I felt as if the author had only tricked me into believing something it was not. Part of this came from the extensive mythology that was created around, Cordova, the reclusive film director with a cult following. He was a bigger than life character with a whole catalogue of films that reflect and enlighten the human experience. This part is very well crafted...but than the problem, the mythology explains the story instead of enlightening the story. I was left feeling cheated and couldn't help but feel that everything in the story was self serving. For example (view spoiler)[ two thirds of the way through the story, the main character is provided with a list of about 9 (I forget the exact number) elements that showed up in most Cordova films. As each of these elements is explained, he comes recognized most of them as elements of his own personal story and that in someway he is living out (or having forced on him) a Cordova film. He is than provided with a road map for survival. This is an important elements of the story and explains several layers. My issue is that after reading the vast majority of the book, we are not provided with the information to really grasp this "reality". I felt as if this was a gimmick. Instead of the using skill to infuse these elements into the story and leave the reader with a true "aha" moment, the author using an artificial creation meant to make the reader feel as if it were an "aha" moment. Lazy writing in my opinion. (hide spoiler)]
The book tried so hard to be contemporary fiction that used elements of horror, mystery, suspense and thriller to create and work of literary fiction. Unfortunately, the horror left much to be desired, the thrills were often shrouded in confusion, and the suspense was lacking. I felt that only the mystery was of any interest and the only reason I did not abandon this one. While the story was complex the writing was average at best. The overuse of the simile does not a good novel make. It serves as heavy layer of makeup to cover flaws and blemishes but never provides true structural change.
Maybe I am being too hard on this book. It is clear that many people found it be quite suspenseful and thrilling. I found it to be self involved, contrived, overblown and pretentious. I did read it all the way through without throwing myself off a bridge so it is good enough to get two stars. ...more
My bad luck with audiobooks continues. At least I made it about 40% through this time. First off, the narration was below average. It was not bad enouMy bad luck with audiobooks continues. At least I made it about 40% through this time. First off, the narration was below average. It was not bad enough to make me abandon the audio. This time around, I abandoned the book because of the content. I enjoyed the first book in the series very much. This time around, the sexual content of the story was pervasive and too much for my liking. The setting (Las Vegas) plays a role in the content and frankly, it does not feel out of place. That said, it was as if the author wanted to bring in as many sexual situations and persuasions that he could find. We have the sex obsessed Latino cop, the non operative transgendered partner, the love interest who was formally in a lesbian relationship. There are prostitutes, strippers, exotic dancers, retired yet vivacious showgirls.
I found the content was simply not to my liking and I had to abandon the story. That said, I will get a copy of the book to read as I am interested in continuing the series. It appears that the location changes. The series was excellent when it was set in Minnesota and I hope that he returns....more
Before I say anything further, I think it is important to state that this review is for the Audiobook ver The Vampires Bite...and Suck - 2.5 Stars
Before I say anything further, I think it is important to state that this review is for the Audiobook version narrated by Christian Baskous. I really did enjoy The Blood Gospel. I was expecting the second installment to begin where we left off and to be filled with the action and discovery of the first book. In fact, I listed to the audiobook version of the first installment which was narrated by the same person. I don't always advise when I am reviewing an audiobook but in this case, the narration played a major role in my rating. Bad narration can ruin your enjoyment of an otherwise entertaining book.
Plot summary
After the events of the first book, our heroes, human and vampire, come back together to save the world as foretold in the Blood Gospel. The previously unknown (and evil) leader of the strigoi and human alliance reveals himself and his plan to begin Armageddon and told in the Book of Revelation. Are our heroes fighting against inevitable prophecy, being used for some other purpose or fighting against the pride and presumption of a single man.
The Good
They Did One Thing Right
I read the first in the series nearly a year ago and quickly realized I could not remember the majority of the plot from the first installment. While most subsequent books in a series require some recap, I think it is lazy and poor writing to provide a recap on the reader by dumping the info in a massive download. Rollins and Cantrell expertly recap the first book by reminding us of events from time to time throughout the book. Despite my lack of memory, this kept me from feeling lost as I read the book.
The Bad
An Elegy for James Rollins
Ok. This might be a bit of exaggeration but seriously, I have high expectations when I read a James Rollins novel. Generally, the characters well devised, the plot is taunt while moving quickly and the story is well research and intelligent. Unfortunately, none of these adjective describe this book.
While there were many characters, they were often confused, disoriented and unsure of themselves. While I appreciate a good broken and unsure character, I was never able to grasp exactly what it was that motivated the characters (beside the desire that the world not end) from scene to scene. The characters were simply not interesting or not likeable. This is quite the accomplishment considering I liked each of the characters in the first book.
The plot failed to get off the ground. The plot was as confused as the characters. Most James Rollins novels involves characters unfolding or solving some mystery. In this novels, the characters spent the majority of their time chasing shadows without much in the way of a plan. In the end it was only in part luck and logical leaps that allowed them to figure out the pieces missing to solve the puzzle. Additionally, this volume lacks Rollins trademark action. There is very little confrontation between characters and when there is, our heroes are impotent and unable to act.
What is with this Guy
It is hard for me to understand how I can find great enjoyment in the narration of the first book but despise it in the second book. In this book it is as if the narrator took vocal lessons from some daytime soap stars. The pace was soap opera dramatic throughout and ran the gambit from melodramatic to cheesy. The voices he used were mostly bad. Most of the vampires sounded like the traditional, `I vant to suck your blood` Transylvania type vampires. The female voices were either childish sounding or sounded like an effeminate man. While I appreciate that a man doing a female voice is always a difficult task, the narrator made it sound like he wasn`t even trying. I feel as if I would have enjoyed this book more and rated the book higher if I have read this as opposed to listening to it. I you have choice, pick up the book and skip the audio.
Final Thoughts
I have read interviews with James Rollins where to states that his writing partner, Rebecca Cantrell, is the one who is providing the dark and taunt atmosphere of the novels. In this case, there was more atmosphere than content. While the novel made you feel as if you our late at night standing under a streetlamp with a light fog at your at your feet and pack of vampires at your back, the reader become lost in the fog, knocks his head on the lamppost, falls into the fog and is devoured by the undead. A sad day for James Rollins.
Audiobook Notes
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2.5
While there are no sex scenes to speak of, there is an allusion to one and one interrupted scene. Beyond this, there is also discussion of the erotic feelings when one is turned into a vampire. Several of the characters recount these experience and feelings. There is significant sexual tension and desire between two of the characters for much of the book.
Language - 2
As in most James Rollins novel, adult language is at a premium. I do not recall any uses of the f-word and only minor usage of other adult language.
Violence - 3
There is considerable less violence in this installment. Most of the violence in Rollins novels occurs in confrontations. In this volume, the characters spend their times tracking the bad guys and there are only a few confrontations. A few people die during the confrontation but there is not graphic of gratuitous violence. There is some mild monster violence when there is a recounting of the characters transformation in a vampire state....more
Given the 1.25 million ratings this book has on Goodreads, there is a good chance that my review will not sway your opinion. Unfortunately for you, I am just conceited enough to believe that you should read my review and believe that my 2.5 rating better reflects the book than the average 4.21 rating! Of course I am joking around. This is a case where I have a hard time seeing the draw of the story when it has clearly appealed to many people.
Plot summary
This is essentially the life story of Amir, an upper class Afghan and the life long effect of his friendship with Hassan, his friend from a low and despised caste and his own father. As a young child, Amir lived a charmed life. He had everything he wanted except the unconditional love of his father. He had a best friend but the relationship was somewhat strained due to cultural prejudices. Amir is set to experience the greatest time of his life when he enters an annual kite flying contest. His dreams of a triumphant return to his father are dashed after he witnesses the rape of his friend Hassan. Struggling with his guilt, Amir begin a downward spiral of destructive behaviour. Soon after his behaviour changes, he is forced from his home as Russia invades and he begins a journey to a new life. The past haunts him and he is given a chance to atone for old wrongs.
The Good
The backdrop of Afghanistan was wonderfully drawn. It was the major reason that I did not rate this lower. After hearing of damage and destruction brought on by years of conflict, it was interesting to see a picture of the country before it was ravaged. Their food, their religion, their customs and their prejudices were on full display. The Afghan people are painted in a positive light. As a side note, all of the talk of naan made me go out and buy some. The author certainly made the local food sound delicious!
The Bad
Outside of the intial setting, there was little that I enjoyed.
The novel was essentially one long flashback with flashbacks within the main flashback. I did not enjoy the method of storytelling as at times it felt like I was reading a 300+ page run on sentence.
The story is not the least bit uplifting. It is a series of painful, life altering, distressing and depressing events. I appreciate that real life is not always happy and charming. These events are meant to create an emotional story. I am not opposed to emotional stories. Just read my reviews of The Starboard Sea or The Light Between Oceans. Both of those stories packed an emotional wallop. It was the manner in which The Kite Runner elicited emotion that left me cold. This book used good old emotional manipulation to drive this story. Just when you think there will be a ray of sunshine, another disaster occurs. In fact, feels as the main character Amir wants you to root against him. He is so unhappy with himself and caries such a sense or worthlessness that you can hardly believe that something good could happen to him. In this is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. It is the character that continually laments and (figuratively) flagellates himself because of events that are either out of their control or not their fault. Much of Amir issues stem from an event that occurred in his childhood. He could never say to himself "Hey. I was young and scared. There was nothing I could have done". Characters like Amir lack basic insight into themselves and make reading about them frustrating and not the least bit compelling.
Final Thoughts
I did not enjoy this one and would not recommend it. While I enjoyed the background, the action up front left me dissatisfied and occasionally frustrated. It is this one man's opinion that this book is seriously overrated.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2.5
There is a moderately graphic scene of a young boy being raped. Some version of the event is relived within the mind of Amir throughout the book. Late in the book there is allusion to another young boy being subjected to sexual abuse.
Language - 2
There is some name calling of a cultural/racist nature. Some the terms were not familiar to me and may be lost on you as well.
Violence - 3.5
As stated above, there was a moderately graphic rape scene. It was proceeded by violence. There was fight between two people that resulted in one person in the hospital and another suffering a gruesome injury. There is description of people being shot in the street and stoned in front of a crowd. When modern Afghanistan was discussed, violence followed...more
I cannot recall the last time I was so happy to finish a book. I felt as if I had gone up against a ferocious beast and emerged as the winner. Having recently read, REVIEWED and loved The Clan of the Cave Bear, I fully expected another magical story set it the distant past, long before recorded history. I liked The Clan of the Cave Bear so much, it was my 7th favorite read of 2013. Unfortunately, the Valley of Horses turned into a prehistoric romance novel. I felt duped and angry with how the series had progressed. What looked to be shaping into an exciting and memorable series has turned into a series that I will not finish.
Plot summary
Our intrepid female hero from the first book, has struck out on her own after the events at the end of Clan of the Cave Bear. Ayla is forced to use all of the knowledge she has gained over the course of her short life to eek out an existence on her own. In a parallel story, we are introduced to Jondular, a male from the "others", as he and his younger brother set out on a journey of self discovery.
The Good
Despite this book, Ayla is one of most memorable characters from any book I have read. She is plucky, smart and resourceful in an environment that does not understand these traits. Up until the storylines converge, Ayla's story was interesting. I enjoyed reading about her and I felt invested in her wellbeing after the first novel. This is the only reason the book avoided a one star rating and the only reason that I read the book until the end. Had the story simply focused on her and her fight for survival, the book may have been a 4 star read.
The Bad
Jondular.
Seriously, I could not stand the character. In Jondular, we have a 21 year old man without a mate and without a purpose in life. He cannot commit to a woman, loves to make tools but his true calling in life is giving women their "Pleasure" (yes, it is supposed to be capitalized) with his organ/manhood/woman-maker. Seriously, at one point a wise Shaman type woman tells him that some people have the gift of making boats, or hunting or carving but he has the gift of pleasuring woman and he should not despise this. I was ready to stab myself in the eyes at this point. This guy was so torn up by the fact that he could make a woman happy in bed but no woman could make him happy in his heart..............I didn't care.
The tone of the story was far more modern. The speech, attidudes and actions of the characters would not have been out of place had the story been of a few people trying to win the game of Survivor. While the first book did a masterful job of making the reader feel as if they were in an ancient and unknown time, this book lost the mystical quality.
While Ayla's inventiveness was endearing in the first book, it seemed in the second book as if Ayla wsa to be the inventor of every great discovery of prehistoric man. In chapter after chapter she was disovering or improving on the tools and materials of the her world. As far as I could tell, the wheel had not yet been invented but I assume that Ayla will invent it in a later book.
Romance, Romance, Romance. It is simply not my cup of tea. Books focusing on the love and relationship between two characters does not interest me. Like many historical fiction novels, this falls into the trap of simply trying to convince us that love is the tie that binds the eras together. As the first book was not written with romance and relationship as a major plotline, it was disappointing that this book changed direction.
Finally, the storytelling was lazy. In the first book, we were able to watch Ayla learn and grow. When she was adopted by the Neanderthals, she had to learn their way of life, their custom and their unique language. In this book, Ayla is faced with similar circumstance but the author cheats us by cutting corners. For example, (view spoiler)[ Ayla was learning spoken language from Jondular. Her speech was rough and her understanding was incomplete but she was trying and learning quickly. She could vaguely recall speaking as a 5 year old but it was not more than a fleeting memory. After having a dream about her initial cave lion attack and a dream about her parents, she suddenly recalls how to speak and she has not issues with language and understating language. (hide spoiler)]
It was dizzying how quickly this series became unpalpable. It was a huge disappointment after the first book. That said, if you like the Outlander series and you enjoyed the romance and sexual content of the first in the series, you may in fact like this series. Unfortunately, two is enough for me.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 5
I have to apologize but I lost count of the sex scenes. There were 5-7 scene that were graphic in nature. Mr. `Don Juan` Jondular was also Mr. Pleasure so he certainly took his time. The scene were far more graphic than I appreciate and they were were plentiful. Hence the 5 rating. Outside of these scenes, there was significant discussion of sex. Avoid if you are not comfortable with this type of material.
Language - 1
While some may consider sexual terms as adult language, I have included that in the rating above. As for swearing and other adult language, it was non-existed although Ayla may discover and invent the f-word in a later book
Violence - 2.5
There were several graphic scene of animal deaths that occurred as part of hunting excursions. Animals were constantly being killed for food and material. The book may not be PETA friendly. On top of this there were a couple of scene of animal attacks but none were especially graphic. There is also some non graphic discussion of rape. One such discussions was not considered rape by the character but in a modern setting, the perpetrator would most certainly be behind bars. ...more
I gave this one the old college try. I gave the audiobook 6 hours of my time which was about 30%. I found the prem Couldn't finish this one - 2 Stars
I gave this one the old college try. I gave the audiobook 6 hours of my time which was about 30%. I found the premise of the story to be interesting and unique. A group of mages whose powers stem from and primarily effect gunpowder, orchestrate a coup to take down the ruling government whilst attempting to destroy the mages or "privileged" of other orders.
Unfortunately the writing and plot development was both unappealing and uninteresting. The story was written in short choppy sentences. It gave the novel a jagged and unsettling tempo. On top of the this, the story progressed in a jagged and unsettling manner. A scene would cut and at the next sentence, several days had passed. This left me feeling confused on a couple of occasions. It was especially difficult when I restarted the audiobook. The pace made it very difficult for me to reorient myself to the story.
I simply did not care about any of the characters. They seemed flat and one dimensional and at times were simply perplexing. Minor spoiler hidden. (view spoiler)[ The plot centred around, as I understand, a coup that had been decades in planning yet on the day that the plan was put into action, the main proponent of the plan was confused, often indecisive and acted as if he had not planned for many contingencies. This simply did not make sense to me. (hide spoiler)]
I gave this book 2 star even though it is a DNF. I give some credit to the author for coming up with a new and interesting idea. While the writing was not horrendous and was not so bad that I would say it was amateurish, it simply was not a book I could appreciate and enjoy. This was disappointing as I enjoy novels that are in the flintlock rifle era. ...more
I just can't finish this one. I got though about 40%. While the premise is intereting - A time travelling killer stalks and ultimately kills his victiI just can't finish this one. I got though about 40%. While the premise is intereting - A time travelling killer stalks and ultimately kills his victims across time while one victim defies his attempts- the writing and characters were not interesting.
The MC is simply depraved. I don't have a stomach for psychos who get their jollies from killing young girls. While the descriptions of the murders were not graphic, there was constant description of the MC's "tastes". Additionally, all of the characters are broken. While Kirby, our intrepid and precocious hero, has spunk and vigor, she is as broken as everyone else.
The content of the novel was a little to "adult" for my taste. While it might interest other readers, I will not be finishing it. It has been thrown into the "disappointments of 2013" pile.
Please note that this relates to the audiobook version of the book.
Notes Specific to the Audiobook
The Narrator is ter A disappointing 2.5 Stars
Please note that this relates to the audiobook version of the book.
Notes Specific to the Audiobook
The Narrator is terrible. Specifically where it came to emotion, voice selection and tempo. Firstly, the voice of Henry, a main character, sounded like a 10 year old child. I appreciate that he was meant to be an innocent and unprepared kid going to college but he sounded like he belong in elementary school. Additionally, many times throughout the story, the narrator was speaking with emotion that did not fit the circumstance. It was confusing. Finally, the narrator had an annoying habit of saying sentences very quickly as if the characters were constantly trying to rush their speaking. I believe I would have enjoyed this more were I to have read it.
The Story
I wanted to love to love this book. I enjoy coming of age stories and have read some that I simply love. Take The Starboard Sea which I gave 5 stars (and is a MUCH better book. Seriously. Read it.) I was further excited as this was a book about baseball, the greatest game on earth. Unfortunately, the book is not about baseball, but rather uses baseball as a metaphor. The story in and of itself, was about 150 pages too long and was not especially original. That is not to say that it was not well written. It does a wonderful job of taking multiple themes, i.e. the intricacies of the relationships men have with each other and various forms it takes, and weaving it throughout the book. There is certainly plenty to think about when the book is done. That said, the author tried to do too much. Too many threads of idea to weave together. To accomplish this, the author included some useless characters. Specifically, the character of the school president. As the young characters were coming of age, the school president has his own "awakening". His story was not compelling, interesting or necessary. I found myself skipping over the scenes he appeared.
The author also fell into the trap of apparently needing to include all races, gender and sexual orientation. For example, I felt as if the character of Owen was forced. As if the author felt that he needed to have a character that was gay. (view spoiler)[ The whole storyline where the school president discovers he is gay and has an affair with Owen felt contrived. It was as if as if the happened simply to have a "lover" as the final graveside scene. Beyond this, a coming of age story is about the younger characters. I wanted to focus on them and not the president's tangent (hide spoiler)]
Halfway through the 18 hour audiobook, I was set to turn it off and give it 1 star. Fortunately, the story improved in the second half and there was more baseball action. Not enough positive to redeem the book but enough to make me wish I hadn't been forced to listen to the first half. ...more
This was a book I wanted to love more than I did. It was about the real life Dracula. How can you go wrong. After reading t A disappointing 2.5 Stars
This was a book I wanted to love more than I did. It was about the real life Dracula. How can you go wrong. After reading the first 2/3 I was planning on giving it two stars. Fortunately the author pulls it together by the end.
I didn't buy the premise. Three of the people who knew Vlad Dracula the best were gathered together after he died to give a information (a last confession) of what they knew of Dracula. In part, they were attempting to explain his actions and shed light on his atrocities. Unfortunately, the did not do a very good job of doing it. Maybe I was supposed to feel conflicted and unsure of whether he was a national hero or a murderous lunatic. I was left annoyed. I don't come to care for or about what happened to anyone. The writing style was scattered. I found I had to read paragraphs because the author kept losing me.
Fortunately the book did its best to redeem itself in the last third. It mostly succeeded in doing so. At this point we finally get to know the characters and understand how they tick. Although I did not feel like I fully understood why Dracula committed his atrocities, I fel like he was humanized by the end and I felt I could understand his actions the rest if the way.
Regardless, Vlad Dracula is an interesting character for a story. This is the first time I have read a novel set in this era and area of the world....more
Nothing groundbreaking in this short read. I was interested in reading this after my visit to Cuba. Ernesto "Che" Guevara was, if nothing els2.5 Stars
Nothing groundbreaking in this short read. I was interested in reading this after my visit to Cuba. Ernesto "Che" Guevara was, if nothing else, an interting and complex person.
In reading the novel you follow a young Che on a trip through Latin America before he graduates Medical School and before he meets Fidel Castro and puts himself in the history books. Essentially, the book is a diary of his trip. For a non "professional" writer, he wrote quite well. In reading you gather snippets of the beliefs lead him to follow the path that he did.
Outside of these brief snippets, you read some travelouge of his visits to latin american countryside. This becomes rather boring..... The book lost me at the end when I began to read a reprint of a speech he had given to graduating class of a cuban medical school. I was eerily simlar to the propoganda that was spouted by tour guides during my cuban vacation.
Overall, its interesting only if you want to get to know Che in his early years. Otherwise, you will want to skip it....more
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Let me preface my review with a few statements. 1 - I generally do not read books aimeI received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Let me preface my review with a few statements. 1 - I generally do not read books aimed at young adult readers. 2 - This is the first novel I have read by a self-published/Indie author.
Immediately upon starting this book you are confronted with the catchwords that will take you through the book. "Dissidents", "Internal", "Monitors". These were among the many characters/storylines/locales that reminded me of other books I have read. Unfortunately, many of the characters, storylines and themes came off as generic versions of their cousins. Much of the book did not strike me as original. Unfortunately for the novel, this is worst in the first quarter of the book. Had I not agreed to provide a review, I would have stopped reading long before completion. The storyline does become more interesting after this but not enough to get three stars.
It may be that I am being unduly harsh on the book given the audience to which it is directed. The characters are in high school but at times feel even younger. It may be that the storytelling is age appropriate so please take my statements with a grain of salt.
Having seen these themes and storylines used with much better effect, I was disappointed. A younger reader may in fact be quite happy with book. It is easy to read and the dialogue is simple. There is not excessive description and the scene change with enough regularity to keep the attention of a younger reader.
Overall, best suited for younger (early high school) readers with limited appeal to adult readers....more
Could not finish the audiobook. The overly descriptive writing style does not lend well to an audiobook. The excessive descriptions become a distractiCould not finish the audiobook. The overly descriptive writing style does not lend well to an audiobook. The excessive descriptions become a distraction and bothersome, hence, I did not finish this one....more
I was very disappointed with this book. If you have read The Skystone and the rest of the Camulod Chronicles you will know why that work by Jack WhyteI was very disappointed with this book. If you have read The Skystone and the rest of the Camulod Chronicles you will know why that work by Jack Whyte makes my list of ten favorite books of all time. This offering pales in comparison. Honestly, I only made it about 150 pages in. The story was disjointed, the characters were one dimensional and the some of the characters did not seem to the fit the era. There was clearly meant to be some sort of "message fiction" which I generally find to be pretentious and obnoxious. (not always. See my review of The Windup Girl for message fiction done right)
This marks my most disappointing read of 2014 and now makes me nervous to read Jack Whyte's other work. ...more
I have a disclaimer and I am going to get it out of the way right now. I am a Christian and my beliefs are generally in line with those you might consider evangelical. That said, I wasn't crying foul over the DiVinci Code nor do I avoid books that involve wizards or magic. I don't believe that Harry Potter was written by Satan and I do not hold book burning parties for those books which "offend the moral sensitivities". I have read many books that do no share my view on Christianity. Authors often take liberty with Biblical accounts or add elements to scriptures that are not there. It doesn't bother me. I know what I believe. I am not easily offended. I have read books that tried to be offensive, books that offended many others and books that people say should have offended me, yet I was not offended.
I know what does bother me and it was on full display in this novel. The Alchemist purports to tell the story in the vein of a "Christian" Parable. The main character professes to be a Christian, professes a belief in Jesus. The problem is that the author does not present Christianity but rather a form of Mysticism and Religious Plurality. In essence, God is not a being or entity but rather everywhere and everything, including in nature, Jesus, Allah and Buddha.
Before you jump down my throat, I don't have a problem with the author writing of his belief system. I have a problem with the author cloaking his belief system within the guise of my own. I found it to be offensive and disingenuous. He has taken the framework of Christianity and subtly introduced elements of his own worldview.
In reality, this a generic "spiritual" parable and holds itself out as something else. It get one star for the offence of personation of Christianity.
Outside of this, the story was rather dull and unimaginative. The only clever elements were at the very end. Honestly, this story could have been told in about 150 less pages. I do not understand what people have found to be so charming and compelling about this less than average tale. If you are looking for a heartwarming and uplifting parable, look somewhere else....more
Tim The Enchanter
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