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pagesplotsandpints's Reviews (2.1k)
<b>Read Completed 7/26/24 |</b> 4 stars
This was such a fun read! It was humorous without being too silly or over-the-top. I loved the idea of assassins in recovery and the characters were really enjoyable to follow.
I think the first half of the book was a little stronger than the second half as everything was setting up. I really liked seeing the characters interact and seeing Mark's backstory unfold. There were even a few good twists and turns to add some extra surprise to the book.
The ending was also great, but I didn't love some of the reveal. Overall, this was just a fun book and I had a great time reading it. It was what I needed in after a rocky start to this month, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
This was such a fun read! It was humorous without being too silly or over-the-top. I loved the idea of assassins in recovery and the characters were really enjoyable to follow.
I think the first half of the book was a little stronger than the second half as everything was setting up. I really liked seeing the characters interact and seeing Mark's backstory unfold. There were even a few good twists and turns to add some extra surprise to the book.
The ending was also great, but I didn't love some of the reveal. Overall, this was just a fun book and I had a great time reading it. It was what I needed in after a rocky start to this month, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
<b>Read Completed 7/24/24 |</b> 4 stars
Every time I start one of these books, I have a hard time focusing. I think it's just a me thing -- maybe I'm out of practice focusing on fantasy! Anyway, I slowed down my audiobook and/or finally got a grip on it and it was fast and furious towards the end.
I am really enjoying spending time in this world, but I need to pay more attention to the world-building. It's actually quite awesome and there are a lot of layers in there and I need to figure out how to focus because I'd really love to FEEL all of this to its maximum potential. This may also be one of those series that just gets better with rereads too, which I'm sure I'll do down the line before future books. I think I'm going to slow down even more with the next book...
Anyway, series are hard for me to review, but I really did like THE SONG RISING! There are always new things popping up and I really like how Samantha Shannon keeps building this world up in each book. We started small and keep moving further and further out and moving on to even bigger things. Things got super intense in the end, as they do, and there were definitely some heart-stopping moments!
Every time I start one of these books, I have a hard time focusing. I think it's just a me thing -- maybe I'm out of practice focusing on fantasy! Anyway, I slowed down my audiobook and/or finally got a grip on it and it was fast and furious towards the end.
I am really enjoying spending time in this world, but I need to pay more attention to the world-building. It's actually quite awesome and there are a lot of layers in there and I need to figure out how to focus because I'd really love to FEEL all of this to its maximum potential. This may also be one of those series that just gets better with rereads too, which I'm sure I'll do down the line before future books. I think I'm going to slow down even more with the next book...
Anyway, series are hard for me to review, but I really did like THE SONG RISING! There are always new things popping up and I really like how Samantha Shannon keeps building this world up in each book. We started small and keep moving further and further out and moving on to even bigger things. Things got super intense in the end, as they do, and there were definitely some heart-stopping moments!
<b>Read Completed 7/23/24 |</b> 3.75 stars
I was a little bit bored with this in the beginning because I had such a John Marrs type feel in my head, but ONE OF THE BOYS takes a near-future concept with a bit slower of a pace than a fast and furious twisty John Marrs novel.
ONE OF THE BOYS is about two sisters, each having a son. There's a new test that's been perfected that can test males for a gene that indicates if they have a prevalence for violence. The concept was interesting and provided a lot of questions for the reader dealing with morality, motherhood, societal interactions, and so much more. I liked that the book presented all sides of the concept and explored it from many different ways.
I had a hard time connecting with the sisters at first. Bea is the main female voice and Simon, her son, is the main male voice, but I do believe there were a couple other perspectives thrown in there because I know we see some of Jack, Antonia's son. I think maybe we get some POVs from Antonia too, but don't quote me on that. Once we got to know the characters a bit more, I started to get into the plot as well and things perked up. The first 15% was more intro and the chapters also flip back and forth from present to various points in the past, so I was switching characters as well as timelines. I almost quit because I was just having a hard time with a lot of books, but I'm glad I stuck it out.
While this started a bit slower, it really turned into a full-blown thriller in the end! Things started to really heat up, we saw more darkness, characters had to pay for their actions, and there were a lot of reveals. I saw almost all of the secrets coming before the plot twists were revealed, but I enjoyed being right about them! It still made for a fun read and I liked how the author put everything together.
I was a little bit bored with this in the beginning because I had such a John Marrs type feel in my head, but ONE OF THE BOYS takes a near-future concept with a bit slower of a pace than a fast and furious twisty John Marrs novel.
ONE OF THE BOYS is about two sisters, each having a son. There's a new test that's been perfected that can test males for a gene that indicates if they have a prevalence for violence. The concept was interesting and provided a lot of questions for the reader dealing with morality, motherhood, societal interactions, and so much more. I liked that the book presented all sides of the concept and explored it from many different ways.
I had a hard time connecting with the sisters at first. Bea is the main female voice and Simon, her son, is the main male voice, but I do believe there were a couple other perspectives thrown in there because I know we see some of Jack, Antonia's son. I think maybe we get some POVs from Antonia too, but don't quote me on that. Once we got to know the characters a bit more, I started to get into the plot as well and things perked up. The first 15% was more intro and the chapters also flip back and forth from present to various points in the past, so I was switching characters as well as timelines. I almost quit because I was just having a hard time with a lot of books, but I'm glad I stuck it out.
While this started a bit slower, it really turned into a full-blown thriller in the end! Things started to really heat up, we saw more darkness, characters had to pay for their actions, and there were a lot of reveals. I saw almost all of the secrets coming before the plot twists were revealed, but I enjoyed being right about them! It still made for a fun read and I liked how the author put everything together.
<b>Read Completed 7/22/24 |</b> 3.75 stars
This was an interesting and suspenseful psychological thriller! The titular unraveling refers to main character Meredith who starts to derail after getting inappropriately close to one of her patients... who just so happens to someone that she has a tragic connection to. The lines blur as Meredith can't help herself as she gets closer and closer and there's a lot more beneath the surface than anyone realizes.
While Meredith wasn't always a likable character -- she does make some truly awful decisions -- her story was very interesting! She's dealing with her own grief and guilt but feels an intense connection to this man, and it was especially interesting from a psychiatrist's point of view. She knew what she was doing was wrong and was also finding pieces of herself in her patients.
THE UNRAVELING was a little suspenseful and that suspense grew the further we got into this tangled web. I enjoyed the way that it was written and it got intense watching Meredith's story as this went further and further. I thought it was going to end a little too nicely and we got a nice thriller jab there at the end.
This was an interesting and suspenseful psychological thriller! The titular unraveling refers to main character Meredith who starts to derail after getting inappropriately close to one of her patients... who just so happens to someone that she has a tragic connection to. The lines blur as Meredith can't help herself as she gets closer and closer and there's a lot more beneath the surface than anyone realizes.
While Meredith wasn't always a likable character -- she does make some truly awful decisions -- her story was very interesting! She's dealing with her own grief and guilt but feels an intense connection to this man, and it was especially interesting from a psychiatrist's point of view. She knew what she was doing was wrong and was also finding pieces of herself in her patients.
THE UNRAVELING was a little suspenseful and that suspense grew the further we got into this tangled web. I enjoyed the way that it was written and it got intense watching Meredith's story as this went further and further. I thought it was going to end a little too nicely and we got a nice thriller jab there at the end.
<b>Read Completed 7/20/24 |</b> 2.75 stars
I was very excited for this book so the fact that I didn't connect is quite the letdown. I loved the 2000s nostalgia, the concept of this magical mix CD, and a second chance romance, but the writing here just really fell flat in a lot of ways.
Firstly, the things I did like. I really liked the concept of taking care of yourself first and fulfilling your dreams, and that some people can be meant to be together but need to find each other at the right time. I really liked that Sam & Damon met up again as adults and they were more mature and therefore better equipped to work on a relationship. I also really liked Sam's relationship with her grandma. For some reason I'm just a sucker for a cute grandparent relationship. The 2000s nostalgia was also fun, albeit overdone.
Sadly, I had a lot of issues with a lot of things, though, and that really overshadowed my reading experience. First and foremost, while Sam & Damon matured as they grew to be adults, most of Sam's growth within the timeline of the story was ONLY because of this magical CD. She gains perspective on why her mother left and never came back, but she doesn't ever really talk to her mom or grandmother about it until the very end, and it's very quick and not developed. She's only able to have this perspective because the CD shows her what her and Damon's relationship would have been like if she stayed and she kind of understands now why her mother had to leave. But I really, really wish that had been developed more and she could have come to a better realization, like on her own and the CD just helps. It basically hands it to her and she had to be slapped in the face with it.
I also had issues with the romance. I really didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Sam & Damon. I felt like both of them were kind of boring characters and I didn't really feel their personalities. Honestly, MOST of the plot takes place through the flashbacks and obviously there's some in the present as well, but there's not a lot of communication, flirting, dancing back and forth, working things out. The characters were pretty boring and relying on their teenage selves to tell most of the story didn't really tell me who they are as adults.
This also isn't really a romcom. The concept leads to believe it's going to be a 13 Going on 30 type vibe, or some other cute romcom movie, and the cartoon cover also implies romcom, but the book is fairly even-keeled with maybe 2-3 funny moments that might make you chuckle, mostly relating to silly 2000s trends, but it's kind of serious in a lot of ways. I'm not saying the author should have written it differently but I do feel like the marketing leads you to believe this is a little lighter than it is. It's not super heavy but I kind of felt dragged down the whole time.
I also felt like the parts that were lighter were too cheesy. The 2000s vibe was a little too overdone -- I don't need to know that a character was wearing Soffie shorts that were rolled three times. The mention of the clothing styles, trends, decor, and music was a little much. Sure, a lot of us looked like that in the 2000s and had all that crap in the 2000s, but it just felt like it was trying too hard. Some cute mentions are great, but it was all the time to make sure you really, really got the picture. The ending was SO CHEESY that it made me embarrassed for the characters and I really hated it. I also had really stupid things that I wanted to pick apart (like Damon's gonna go sell his beer internationally when he doesn't even sell nationally yet? -- At least, I'm assuming. There's no mention of his reach and his success outside of this small town. And do you know how wildly expensive it is to import beer? And can they even keep up with production? This is like, a small hometown local brewery. I hated the nickname "Sam Sam". I hated that Sam called her past self "Alt-Sam". Enough, just call her me or Sam. It's stupid, but things like that got on my nerves.)
THE BACKTRACK had some really good bones but the writing really left me wanting more. I just didn't connect with the characters and I feel like there was no plot because the backstory did all the hard work. Maybe Erin LaRosa just isn't for me. I've DNFed another one of her books and this was the second one I tried. I mostly felt like the scenes in the past took up way too much of the book and we never got to feel the characters as adults. Why were they so meant to be? Being best friends and having a missed opportunity as a teenager doesn't mean you're meant to be. We didn't really see much of them as adults and I just felt like the author wanted us to just know instead of really displaying how much chemistry they really had.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also really, really didn't like this audiobook narrator. I just really didn't love her voice and I didn't like the tone it gave to the book. She wasn't bad but it just really wasn't my preference at all.
I was very excited for this book so the fact that I didn't connect is quite the letdown. I loved the 2000s nostalgia, the concept of this magical mix CD, and a second chance romance, but the writing here just really fell flat in a lot of ways.
Firstly, the things I did like. I really liked the concept of taking care of yourself first and fulfilling your dreams, and that some people can be meant to be together but need to find each other at the right time. I really liked that Sam & Damon met up again as adults and they were more mature and therefore better equipped to work on a relationship. I also really liked Sam's relationship with her grandma. For some reason I'm just a sucker for a cute grandparent relationship. The 2000s nostalgia was also fun, albeit overdone.
Sadly, I had a lot of issues with a lot of things, though, and that really overshadowed my reading experience. First and foremost, while Sam & Damon matured as they grew to be adults, most of Sam's growth within the timeline of the story was ONLY because of this magical CD. She gains perspective on why her mother left and never came back, but she doesn't ever really talk to her mom or grandmother about it until the very end, and it's very quick and not developed. She's only able to have this perspective because the CD shows her what her and Damon's relationship would have been like if she stayed and she kind of understands now why her mother had to leave. But I really, really wish that had been developed more and she could have come to a better realization, like on her own and the CD just helps. It basically hands it to her and she had to be slapped in the face with it.
I also had issues with the romance. I really didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Sam & Damon. I felt like both of them were kind of boring characters and I didn't really feel their personalities. Honestly, MOST of the plot takes place through the flashbacks and obviously there's some in the present as well, but there's not a lot of communication, flirting, dancing back and forth, working things out. The characters were pretty boring and relying on their teenage selves to tell most of the story didn't really tell me who they are as adults.
This also isn't really a romcom. The concept leads to believe it's going to be a 13 Going on 30 type vibe, or some other cute romcom movie, and the cartoon cover also implies romcom, but the book is fairly even-keeled with maybe 2-3 funny moments that might make you chuckle, mostly relating to silly 2000s trends, but it's kind of serious in a lot of ways. I'm not saying the author should have written it differently but I do feel like the marketing leads you to believe this is a little lighter than it is. It's not super heavy but I kind of felt dragged down the whole time.
I also felt like the parts that were lighter were too cheesy. The 2000s vibe was a little too overdone -- I don't need to know that a character was wearing Soffie shorts that were rolled three times. The mention of the clothing styles, trends, decor, and music was a little much. Sure, a lot of us looked like that in the 2000s and had all that crap in the 2000s, but it just felt like it was trying too hard. Some cute mentions are great, but it was all the time to make sure you really, really got the picture. The ending was SO CHEESY that it made me embarrassed for the characters and I really hated it. I also had really stupid things that I wanted to pick apart (like Damon's gonna go sell his beer internationally when he doesn't even sell nationally yet? -- At least, I'm assuming. There's no mention of his reach and his success outside of this small town. And do you know how wildly expensive it is to import beer? And can they even keep up with production? This is like, a small hometown local brewery. I hated the nickname "Sam Sam". I hated that Sam called her past self "Alt-Sam". Enough, just call her me or Sam. It's stupid, but things like that got on my nerves.)
THE BACKTRACK had some really good bones but the writing really left me wanting more. I just didn't connect with the characters and I feel like there was no plot because the backstory did all the hard work. Maybe Erin LaRosa just isn't for me. I've DNFed another one of her books and this was the second one I tried. I mostly felt like the scenes in the past took up way too much of the book and we never got to feel the characters as adults. Why were they so meant to be? Being best friends and having a missed opportunity as a teenager doesn't mean you're meant to be. We didn't really see much of them as adults and I just felt like the author wanted us to just know instead of really displaying how much chemistry they really had.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also really, really didn't like this audiobook narrator. I just really didn't love her voice and I didn't like the tone it gave to the book. She wasn't bad but it just really wasn't my preference at all.
<b>Read Completed 7/17/24 |</b> 4.25 stars
Wow, I am sorry for whoever read this as the books were first being published because that was one wicked ending. That's like, worse than GOLDEN SON.
This was a fun read for me, having re-read THE BONE SEASON this year after not really loving it the first time I read it and then really getting into the groove of this series. I'm still not 100% over the top in love with it yet, but I'm definitely enjoying my reads and things really escalated in THE MIME ORDER! I think the next book will get right into it and kick off fast and furious, where I was kind of losing focus in the first 10% of THE MIME ORDER.
I'm loving seeing people use their abilities more, there was a lot more world-building in terms of all of that and the inner workings of the Syndicate... everything I really wanted to see! I was initially turned off by the romance and now I'm like the kid in The Princess Bride movie -- I don't mind so much. I like that it's very, very minimal but it does evoke some good feelings. The plot is really the most important part of everything and Paige is her own person, not flinging herself around for her love interest.
Wow, I am sorry for whoever read this as the books were first being published because that was one wicked ending. That's like, worse than GOLDEN SON.
This was a fun read for me, having re-read THE BONE SEASON this year after not really loving it the first time I read it and then really getting into the groove of this series. I'm still not 100% over the top in love with it yet, but I'm definitely enjoying my reads and things really escalated in THE MIME ORDER! I think the next book will get right into it and kick off fast and furious, where I was kind of losing focus in the first 10% of THE MIME ORDER.
I'm loving seeing people use their abilities more, there was a lot more world-building in terms of all of that and the inner workings of the Syndicate... everything I really wanted to see! I was initially turned off by the romance and now I'm like the kid in The Princess Bride movie -- I don't mind so much. I like that it's very, very minimal but it does evoke some good feelings. The plot is really the most important part of everything and Paige is her own person, not flinging herself around for her love interest.
<b>Read Completed 7/15/24 |</b> 3.75 stars
THE HATERS was a tense, entertaining read that was hard to put down. I easily blew through this audiobook in a single day while I was working and it really had a ton of tension and anxious feelings! As someone who's been a part of social media for a long time and putting myself out there (owning a small business and making products and to a lesser extent, being a book reviewer), it's honestly a huge modern-day fear for many influencers and anyone prominent on social media to get caught up internet drama that can instantly take you down.
I enjoyed my read but I really felt like I could have taken a break from Camryn's POV. She was okay, but some of the drama really was a lot and it was just difficult getting along with her stream of consciousness sometimes. There are some in-betweens as the book goes on that gives us chapters of Camryn's book but honestly I couldn't have cared less about them and I wouldn't have read her book, to be honest 😅 That was a little annoying, but overall, I enjoyed the read.
The ending was a little lackluster for me. It was kind of all too easy in a way and it just wasn't super satisfying. I don't need a crazy twist, but ya know, I kind of would have liked one here. For all of the build up, there could have been a massive punch, but this was just a little tiny bit of a let down for me.
I'm happy to have enjoyed it and while it won't be a new favorite, it's definitely easily readable!
THE HATERS was a tense, entertaining read that was hard to put down. I easily blew through this audiobook in a single day while I was working and it really had a ton of tension and anxious feelings! As someone who's been a part of social media for a long time and putting myself out there (owning a small business and making products and to a lesser extent, being a book reviewer), it's honestly a huge modern-day fear for many influencers and anyone prominent on social media to get caught up internet drama that can instantly take you down.
I enjoyed my read but I really felt like I could have taken a break from Camryn's POV. She was okay, but some of the drama really was a lot and it was just difficult getting along with her stream of consciousness sometimes. There are some in-betweens as the book goes on that gives us chapters of Camryn's book but honestly I couldn't have cared less about them and I wouldn't have read her book, to be honest 😅 That was a little annoying, but overall, I enjoyed the read.
The ending was a little lackluster for me. It was kind of all too easy in a way and it just wasn't super satisfying. I don't need a crazy twist, but ya know, I kind of would have liked one here. For all of the build up, there could have been a massive punch, but this was just a little tiny bit of a let down for me.
I'm happy to have enjoyed it and while it won't be a new favorite, it's definitely easily readable!
<b>Read Completed 7/14/24 |</b> 3.75 stars rounded up, I think. I reserve the right to change this later.
This was probably my least favorite John Marrs book. It had all the good bones, and maybe this was a "me" problem, but I just had a really hard time getting into it. I was not in the mood to keep track of everyone and everything that was going on. This is not news -- all of his books set in this speculative fiction universe always have a large cast of characters, often coupled up, and I've struggled the last two books to really care in the beginning who they are and try to keep them straight. I think it distracted me more the past couple books because there ARE references to the previous books and I got mad when I didn't remember who people were and what happened so I just gave up and stopped trying to pay attention to that part.
I did like the concept, I was still entertained and things got much better as the book went on and we focused on a few core couples. I didn't know in the beginning who was going to be more important and why they would be, so it was just disorienting for a while trying to keep up with these characters while everything else was going on.
I think part of my issue was that I genuinely didn't like a lot of the couples. Some were annoying and some were supposed to be terrible people but I just wanted someone to root for. I don't know, maybe I was just in the wrong mood to read this, but I just really had a hard time wanting to read about some of these characters. I seem to like John Marrs' previous books a bit more because even though they still have a large cast of characters and POVs, it's still more from one person at a time in THE ONE and THE PASSENGERS, even though they're being paired off and often have stories about their time as a partnership/couple. THE MINDERS I loved and was a bit more action-based. THE MARRIAGE ACT and THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT had a lot of moving pieces with these couples and now we've also introduced kids that I had to keep track of too. I also got sick of the cliffhanger chapters. It got frustrated to keep doing that all the time and then we would go a few chapters without seeing that person/couple and once we started up again, I'd have to remember who the people were AND what happened when we left them behind. Wrapping it up inside the chapter probably would have actually helped me connect to them a bit more because then I'd have a story attached to them.
The interludes and asides were very entertaining and I loved the world-building and perspective they brought to the book! There were some fun mixed media vibes/concepts with some sound effects and the multiple narrators of the audiobook were helpful, of course. I also didn't like some of the sound quality of some of the audiobook narration and that also didn't help. Some were a little muffled and it was different switching back and forth from one person to the next.
There were a lot of good reveals in the end and I liked how things came back to tie in to other important pieces, but there was a moment that felt like the tipping point and then we still had so much book left! I felt like the book was about to end and I still had multiple hours left in the audiobook. Some of the pacing was just a bit off as well.
Another "me" problem is that I probably overhyped this for myself. It's been five books and I thought this was going to be incredible, especially after starting and stopping a lot of books being in a fickle mood. I thought this would fix my problem and I struggled with this one too.
This was probably my least favorite John Marrs book. It had all the good bones, and maybe this was a "me" problem, but I just had a really hard time getting into it. I was not in the mood to keep track of everyone and everything that was going on. This is not news -- all of his books set in this speculative fiction universe always have a large cast of characters, often coupled up, and I've struggled the last two books to really care in the beginning who they are and try to keep them straight. I think it distracted me more the past couple books because there ARE references to the previous books and I got mad when I didn't remember who people were and what happened so I just gave up and stopped trying to pay attention to that part.
I did like the concept, I was still entertained and things got much better as the book went on and we focused on a few core couples. I didn't know in the beginning who was going to be more important and why they would be, so it was just disorienting for a while trying to keep up with these characters while everything else was going on.
I think part of my issue was that I genuinely didn't like a lot of the couples. Some were annoying and some were supposed to be terrible people but I just wanted someone to root for. I don't know, maybe I was just in the wrong mood to read this, but I just really had a hard time wanting to read about some of these characters. I seem to like John Marrs' previous books a bit more because even though they still have a large cast of characters and POVs, it's still more from one person at a time in THE ONE and THE PASSENGERS, even though they're being paired off and often have stories about their time as a partnership/couple. THE MINDERS I loved and was a bit more action-based. THE MARRIAGE ACT and THE FAMILY EXPERIMENT had a lot of moving pieces with these couples and now we've also introduced kids that I had to keep track of too. I also got sick of the cliffhanger chapters. It got frustrated to keep doing that all the time and then we would go a few chapters without seeing that person/couple and once we started up again, I'd have to remember who the people were AND what happened when we left them behind. Wrapping it up inside the chapter probably would have actually helped me connect to them a bit more because then I'd have a story attached to them.
The interludes and asides were very entertaining and I loved the world-building and perspective they brought to the book! There were some fun mixed media vibes/concepts with some sound effects and the multiple narrators of the audiobook were helpful, of course. I also didn't like some of the sound quality of some of the audiobook narration and that also didn't help. Some were a little muffled and it was different switching back and forth from one person to the next.
There were a lot of good reveals in the end and I liked how things came back to tie in to other important pieces, but there was a moment that felt like the tipping point and then we still had so much book left! I felt like the book was about to end and I still had multiple hours left in the audiobook. Some of the pacing was just a bit off as well.
Another "me" problem is that I probably overhyped this for myself. It's been five books and I thought this was going to be incredible, especially after starting and stopping a lot of books being in a fickle mood. I thought this would fix my problem and I struggled with this one too.
<b>Read Completed 7/12/24 |</b> 2.25 stars
That's it? That's how the book ends? This was an interesting story but I don't know what the point was. It started off as an apocalyptic murder mystery, which was kind of a weird combination but I went with it, but then the mystery dropped off for a very long time. This was almost more contemporary with an apocalyptic twist than it was anything else. It wasn't a thriller, which the cover was shooting for. It wasn't really a mystery because they didn't do a lot with that. It wasn't horror because despite there being creepy things happening in the hotel, that never panned out. It was barely anything. The plot kind of meandered around, which would have been fine, but I never really got the book's purpose. And then the ending just kind of stopped like the author didn't know how to write a conclusion.
This had so much potential and every single angle that it could have shined, it flopped. The writing was interesting enough and I just kept hoping that something would happen to give this novel direction... and then it ended. I was so disappointed.
I was actually going to rate this 3 stars because I had a decent enough time reading it, but now that I'm finished, I'm SO disappointed in everything. There were so many opportunities to make this interesting somehow and it just never went anywhere. It ended with the reader being led somewhere, and something I figured was coming, but it was kind of a little too much of everything and a little too much of nothing for anything to be impactful. I didn't like a lot the directions it went.
That's it? That's how the book ends? This was an interesting story but I don't know what the point was. It started off as an apocalyptic murder mystery, which was kind of a weird combination but I went with it, but then the mystery dropped off for a very long time. This was almost more contemporary with an apocalyptic twist than it was anything else. It wasn't a thriller, which the cover was shooting for. It wasn't really a mystery because they didn't do a lot with that. It wasn't horror because despite there being creepy things happening in the hotel, that never panned out. It was barely anything. The plot kind of meandered around, which would have been fine, but I never really got the book's purpose. And then the ending just kind of stopped like the author didn't know how to write a conclusion.
This had so much potential and every single angle that it could have shined, it flopped. The writing was interesting enough and I just kept hoping that something would happen to give this novel direction... and then it ended. I was so disappointed.
I was actually going to rate this 3 stars because I had a decent enough time reading it, but now that I'm finished, I'm SO disappointed in everything. There were so many opportunities to make this interesting somehow and it just never went anywhere. It ended with the reader being led somewhere, and something I figured was coming, but it was kind of a little too much of everything and a little too much of nothing for anything to be impactful. I didn't like a lot the directions it went.
<b>Read Completed 7/10/24 |</b> 3 stars
I did a reread of THE BONE SEASON several years after my initial read and finally decided to continue the series! I was much more excited for it and I decided to work backwards to the novella first before continuing on.
THE PALE DREAMER deals with Paige's time in the Seven Seals and first learning her abilities. I enjoyed this prequel in that sense, and I was hoping to see more world-building from it because we don't get to spend a *ton* of time here in THE BONE SEASON. There is definitely some, but I was really hoping to jump into some more of the classes / orders and all of the different abilities. More world, less action. This was really mostly action with the team hunting a poltergeist that I didn't know anything about and didn't really care. It was a little too disconnected for what I was hoping to see, so I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I'm more excited to be connected to TBS and hopefully we get to explore more of all of that in future books.
I did a reread of THE BONE SEASON several years after my initial read and finally decided to continue the series! I was much more excited for it and I decided to work backwards to the novella first before continuing on.
THE PALE DREAMER deals with Paige's time in the Seven Seals and first learning her abilities. I enjoyed this prequel in that sense, and I was hoping to see more world-building from it because we don't get to spend a *ton* of time here in THE BONE SEASON. There is definitely some, but I was really hoping to jump into some more of the classes / orders and all of the different abilities. More world, less action. This was really mostly action with the team hunting a poltergeist that I didn't know anything about and didn't really care. It was a little too disconnected for what I was hoping to see, so I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I'm more excited to be connected to TBS and hopefully we get to explore more of all of that in future books.