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bookslucyking's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
It was a mess, it was confusing but it was fun. I love Connie and Benny. I like Cassie, Colin was a pain in the ... sometimes. I prefer the original characters and storyline but this was nice. The story made sense in the end but to spent some 80% of the book not having a clue what is going on is not that much of fun in the end. The final doesn´t make it up to make me rate this better than 3.5*(half stars, where are you when I need you?!!)
It was a mess, it was confusing but it was fun. I love Connie and Benny. I like Cassie, Colin was a pain in the ... sometimes. I prefer the original characters and storyline but this was nice. The story made sense in the end but to spent some 80% of the book not having a clue what is going on is not that much of fun in the end. The final doesn´t make it up to make me rate this better than 3.5*(half stars, where are you when I need you?!!)
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review
4.0
Colin Hollingshead workd with his father in the widget making industry, and has spent his life being told what to do - where to live, what car to drive, where to work. He's finally had enough, and is hoping that his new friends at J.W.W. Wells, a company his father has engaged to help with a particular contract, might be able to help him escape.
Technically this book is a follow on from the Paul Carpenter trilogy, however it's more like the start of a new set of books that just happen to be set in the same place, with some overlapping characters.
I found Colin to be very similar to Paul - both are men that have let other people run their lives for an extended period of time, and never really stood up for themselves. That said there was something about Colin that made him slightly more enjoyable to read about than Paul was. I'm still not sure what I made of Cassie, but I thought Connie was excellent, she's probably my favourite in the book.
The plot is essentially a mystery story, on many levels. There's the mystery of what is going on with Colin and Cassie, the mystery of what Colin's father has gotten himself involved in and the mystery of who the new owners of J.W.W. Wells and Co are. There's a heavy dose of satire thrown in, and things end up being quite amusing. I particularly liked reading about Colin and Oscar's night out, that's definitely a highlight.
I think this is my favourite book in this series so far, because although it's still quite out there I found that I actually had a better idea what was going on throughout this one that I had in some of the earlier books.
Technically this book is a follow on from the Paul Carpenter trilogy, however it's more like the start of a new set of books that just happen to be set in the same place, with some overlapping characters.
I found Colin to be very similar to Paul - both are men that have let other people run their lives for an extended period of time, and never really stood up for themselves. That said there was something about Colin that made him slightly more enjoyable to read about than Paul was. I'm still not sure what I made of Cassie, but I thought Connie was excellent, she's probably my favourite in the book.
The plot is essentially a mystery story, on many levels. There's the mystery of what is going on with Colin and Cassie, the mystery of what Colin's father has gotten himself involved in and the mystery of who the new owners of J.W.W. Wells and Co are. There's a heavy dose of satire thrown in, and things end up being quite amusing. I particularly liked reading about Colin and Oscar's night out, that's definitely a highlight.
I think this is my favourite book in this series so far, because although it's still quite out there I found that I actually had a better idea what was going on throughout this one that I had in some of the earlier books.
skybalon's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and fun book that is sort of a continuation of a series (but really closer to a shared world set of stories--think [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg] DiscWorld series). The humor is definitely British--meaning more subtle and some references don't parse for me. The plot is ultimately very dense and may not be completely consistent, but that's OK the story makes enough sense to be enjoyable.
zefira's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
That book was so tedious to read! I found the story incredibly boring and the main characters were so bloody annoying!
kjovertherainbow's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
greatbutuseless's review against another edition
3.0
It was cute, not addicting, smartly written though.
liszt91's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
goolaina's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure if this book would be any good. I mean, dumping your main character 4 books into a series seems like a bad move! But I ended up enjoying this book very much. The story telling was neater, less convoluted than the previous books. There were still mysteries the reader wasn't privy to, but unlike books 2 and 3, it felt intentional and didn't prevent me from following the plot. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough Rosie. Even still, it was a highly enjoyable read and my favourite in the series thus far.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not sure why I picked it up, and it's possible that there is some Christopher Moore-like paranormal stuff going on in the background that will eventually become interesting. I read for character, though, and there was nothing in the first few chapters to convince me that I wanted to get to know these guys.