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pagesplotsandpints's Reviews (2.1k)
Read Completed 5/3/24 | 3.5 stars
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this early listening review copy! Macmillan Audio provided this audiobook for review and this did not affect my read or review process in any way. #MacAudio2024
EVERY LAST FEAR (2021) | 4 stars
THE NIGHT SHIFT (2022) | DNF
WHAT HAVE WE DONE (2023) | 1.75 stars
Alex Finlay has been super hit or miss for me lately so honestly, I didn't go into his one with high expectations and I think that helped my read a little bit. Alex Finlay still has a million POVs in the book, but these characters were much easier for me to connect with than some of his previous books, and they were just slightly less cliche, so that helped.
I don't normally like mob plot lines in psychological thrillers (not a spoiler - it's one of the POVs in the beginning), and I figured everything would tie back in that way because why else would you include it.... The ending wasn't super shocking and I easily picked up on some clues and twists throughout the way.
This wasn't ground-breaking for me, but I'm happy I still was engaged with the book and got to root for some characters. I wasn't ever bored and the pacing was good, keeping me wondering what was going to happen next and waiting for my guesses about the twists to be confirmed. It wasn't super believable in some ways, but I was here for the popcorn thriller entertainment factor and let it be what it was.
I'm glad I enjoyed this, even if it wasn't a new favorite. If I didn't like this read, I definitely wouldn't be reading more Alex Finlay, so there's hope yet!
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: I was happy to see Helen Laser as a narrator because I've enjoyed her performance and her voice lately! I thought all of the narrators did a nice job and covered the voices really well. There were two other narrators, both male -- John Pirhalla, Paul Dateh -- and I thought they had nice performances as well! There were multiple male POVs so I think they did a really good job making all of those characters feel different enough that I wasn't confused. I forgot how many narrators there were and while the voices weren't wildly different, I would have believed there were more to cover all of the POVs. I would happily recommend this as an audiobook for someone who was interested.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this early listening review copy! Macmillan Audio provided this audiobook for review and this did not affect my read or review process in any way. #MacAudio2024
EVERY LAST FEAR (2021) | 4 stars
THE NIGHT SHIFT (2022) | DNF
WHAT HAVE WE DONE (2023) | 1.75 stars
Alex Finlay has been super hit or miss for me lately so honestly, I didn't go into his one with high expectations and I think that helped my read a little bit. Alex Finlay still has a million POVs in the book, but these characters were much easier for me to connect with than some of his previous books, and they were just slightly less cliche, so that helped.
I don't normally like mob plot lines in psychological thrillers (not a spoiler - it's one of the POVs in the beginning), and I figured everything would tie back in that way because why else would you include it.... The ending wasn't super shocking and I easily picked up on some clues and twists throughout the way.
This wasn't ground-breaking for me, but I'm happy I still was engaged with the book and got to root for some characters. I wasn't ever bored and the pacing was good, keeping me wondering what was going to happen next and waiting for my guesses about the twists to be confirmed. It wasn't super believable in some ways, but I was here for the popcorn thriller entertainment factor and let it be what it was.
I'm glad I enjoyed this, even if it wasn't a new favorite. If I didn't like this read, I definitely wouldn't be reading more Alex Finlay, so there's hope yet!
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: I was happy to see Helen Laser as a narrator because I've enjoyed her performance and her voice lately! I thought all of the narrators did a nice job and covered the voices really well. There were two other narrators, both male -- John Pirhalla, Paul Dateh -- and I thought they had nice performances as well! There were multiple male POVs so I think they did a really good job making all of those characters feel different enough that I wasn't confused. I forgot how many narrators there were and while the voices weren't wildly different, I would have believed there were more to cover all of the POVs. I would happily recommend this as an audiobook for someone who was interested.
Read Completed 5/2/24 | 3.75 stars
This was a fun read! It wasn't at first, with the beginning being quite slow and very little plot for a long time (maybe 25 - 30%.... or even longer), but I was also warned so I wasn't worried about pushing through as much as I might have been. I was distracted while listening to the audiobook so I wasn't working very hard to figure out what all the connections were and who might have been behind it. I was just along for the ride and having fun reading it without even trying to attach someone to everything. If I had, I likely wouldn't have liked it nearly as much, so take that for what it is. If you're someone who figures out twists easily, you'll probably figure this one out. It's really not hard, but like I said, I just wasn't in the proper mindset for it.
The writing bothered me a little bit. I felt like the author was trying way too hard and almost every simile and metaphor made me roll my eyes. They weren't clever and in fact, they were pretty stupid. Despite that, the plot flowed well once the it showed up and things were always interesting. I kind of didn't like the POV of the mother in there because it didn't make any sense how we'd have that POV? I don't know, books do it all the time where we have a POV in the past and I never question it but with three present-tense POVs and one in the past, it just didn't quite feel right.
I'm trying not to pick this apart and let it be something that I enjoyed so I'll leave it at that!
This was a fun read! It wasn't at first, with the beginning being quite slow and very little plot for a long time (maybe 25 - 30%.... or even longer), but I was also warned so I wasn't worried about pushing through as much as I might have been. I was distracted while listening to the audiobook so I wasn't working very hard to figure out what all the connections were and who might have been behind it. I was just along for the ride and having fun reading it without even trying to attach someone to everything. If I had, I likely wouldn't have liked it nearly as much, so take that for what it is. If you're someone who figures out twists easily, you'll probably figure this one out. It's really not hard, but like I said, I just wasn't in the proper mindset for it.
The writing bothered me a little bit. I felt like the author was trying way too hard and almost every simile and metaphor made me roll my eyes. They weren't clever and in fact, they were pretty stupid. Despite that, the plot flowed well once the it showed up and things were always interesting. I kind of didn't like the POV of the mother in there because it didn't make any sense how we'd have that POV? I don't know, books do it all the time where we have a POV in the past and I never question it but with three present-tense POVs and one in the past, it just didn't quite feel right.
I'm trying not to pick this apart and let it be something that I enjoyed so I'll leave it at that!
Read Completed 4/26/24 | 2.75 stars
I only picked up this book because I wanted a baseball romance. I had seen good reviews from a few Goodreads friends and decided to finally give it a shot! I was worried because I really don't really read young adult contemporary romance anymore, but with baseball involved, I was hoping to have something to hang onto even if the romance was a little young.
The book started out enjoyable and I was happy that it didn't feel to young for me. I know plenty of adults still enjoy young adult books, and I read YA from time-to-time still, but not nearly as much as I used to, so I'm not knocking it for being YA. But for my personal tastes at this point time, it start to really feel too immature for me, which is why I've steered clear of YA books recently anyway. That being said, I don't think some of the decisions that Annie made were unrealistic. I sure remember what it was like being 16 - 18, in high school, "falling in love" for the first time (because mine wasn't love but I thought it was at the time). I remember wanting to sneak out with my friends and act like teenagers do, so while that's not always my favorite thing to read about in YA, it's still realistic.
What wasn't realistic was the baseball, which is why I wanted to read the book in the first place. The romantic lead, Jason Brody, is a new rookie pitcher who's just been brought up to the MLB. His baseball story and some of the game-play stuff just didn't really make sense and wasn't very believable. There were things that CAN'T happen because of the rules of baseball, and some things that almost definitely wouldn't happen because of how rare they are and what skills + luck they take. I was fairly disappointed that this side of the story was kind of more fantasy than being more realistic, because without this included, I wouldn't have picked up the book at all.
There were other things that I was a little disappointed in, like the character development and some of their backstories (Jason's baseball trajectory made no sense and he didn't get enough development). Some of the writing choices were weird like calling Jason Brody "Brody" the whole time and even when Annie was falling in love with him, no one ever called him Jason. Calling the first baseman "First Base" instead of his name was just weird? Like it was supposed to be normal that a baseball team does this which didn't make any sense to me. The mom's story was weird enough without throwing it in there that she was nearly and adult film star? She can be flighty and fair-weather without that.
I was kind of bummed because I really wanted to like this and just a lot of it seemed unrealistic to me. Even just the guy falling in love with a high school girl was weird. He was supposed to be 19 so it's only a two year age difference, but he's playing Major League Baseball and she's in high school. It just seemed like a maturity difference and wildly different worlds. I really would have loved if Annie was at least in college so some of this made a little more sense. It wasn't the age number but the maturity level, and the sneaking around behind her dad's back is an old and tired story.
Maybe I would have liked this a lot more when I was younger and in my YA phase! Reading it now didn't really hit nor was it even just an enjoyable read for me. Ah well, I tried!
I only picked up this book because I wanted a baseball romance. I had seen good reviews from a few Goodreads friends and decided to finally give it a shot! I was worried because I really don't really read young adult contemporary romance anymore, but with baseball involved, I was hoping to have something to hang onto even if the romance was a little young.
The book started out enjoyable and I was happy that it didn't feel to young for me. I know plenty of adults still enjoy young adult books, and I read YA from time-to-time still, but not nearly as much as I used to, so I'm not knocking it for being YA. But for my personal tastes at this point time, it start to really feel too immature for me, which is why I've steered clear of YA books recently anyway. That being said, I don't think some of the decisions that Annie made were unrealistic. I sure remember what it was like being 16 - 18, in high school, "falling in love" for the first time (because mine wasn't love but I thought it was at the time). I remember wanting to sneak out with my friends and act like teenagers do, so while that's not always my favorite thing to read about in YA, it's still realistic.
What wasn't realistic was the baseball, which is why I wanted to read the book in the first place. The romantic lead, Jason Brody, is a new rookie pitcher who's just been brought up to the MLB. His baseball story and some of the game-play stuff just didn't really make sense and wasn't very believable. There were things that CAN'T happen because of the rules of baseball, and some things that almost definitely wouldn't happen because of how rare they are and what skills + luck they take. I was fairly disappointed that this side of the story was kind of more fantasy than being more realistic, because without this included, I wouldn't have picked up the book at all.
There were other things that I was a little disappointed in, like the character development and some of their backstories (Jason's baseball trajectory made no sense and he didn't get enough development). Some of the writing choices were weird like calling Jason Brody "Brody" the whole time and even when Annie was falling in love with him, no one ever called him Jason. Calling the first baseman "First Base" instead of his name was just weird? Like it was supposed to be normal that a baseball team does this which didn't make any sense to me. The mom's story was weird enough without throwing it in there that she was nearly and adult film star? She can be flighty and fair-weather without that.
I was kind of bummed because I really wanted to like this and just a lot of it seemed unrealistic to me. Even just the guy falling in love with a high school girl was weird. He was supposed to be 19 so it's only a two year age difference, but he's playing Major League Baseball and she's in high school. It just seemed like a maturity difference and wildly different worlds. I really would have loved if Annie was at least in college so some of this made a little more sense. It wasn't the age number but the maturity level, and the sneaking around behind her dad's back is an old and tired story.
Maybe I would have liked this a lot more when I was younger and in my YA phase! Reading it now didn't really hit nor was it even just an enjoyable read for me. Ah well, I tried!
Read Completed 4/24/24 | 3.75 stars
Sally Hepworth can be hit or miss for me, but I was interested in trying DARLING GIRLS and I'm glad I read it! At some points it felt a bit more drama than thriller, really focusing on the characters of the book and while it was engaging, it wasn't super fast paced or heart-pounding. Some of the pacing was a little off for me at times, but it wasn't in a bad way. It just wasn't quite what I was expecting and there were some lulls, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and what their stories were.
I don't always love the "trouble kids in a foster home" thriller trope because I feel like it's overly used and honestly, I don't love reading all of the abuse that authors tend to include with it. (Can we have some more nice foster home stories? I know both exist. Though I guess nice stories don't make good thrillers.) I did really love how the sisters came together and bonded so tightly after what they all went through in their lives. I think the one "complaint" I had about the book was that SO much of it took place in the past. We spend a lot of time with the girls as their stories unfold in the past and I always have a little bit of a hard time when we spend more time in the past than the present, but it really was necessary and where most of the plot took place in the book. I didn't dislike it but I did miss spending more time with them all in the present day.
The ending came with an extra punch that surprised me and I was happy to see one more exciting element as the book closed. There were a lot of tough topics in this book which makes it kind of hard to read and rate sometimes, but this one left me with more positive feelings and I liked that we got to root for the sisters and we didn't get left with total despair.
If you liked this, read... No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall, Those Girls by Chevy Stevens
Sally Hepworth can be hit or miss for me, but I was interested in trying DARLING GIRLS and I'm glad I read it! At some points it felt a bit more drama than thriller, really focusing on the characters of the book and while it was engaging, it wasn't super fast paced or heart-pounding. Some of the pacing was a little off for me at times, but it wasn't in a bad way. It just wasn't quite what I was expecting and there were some lulls, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and what their stories were.
I don't always love the "trouble kids in a foster home" thriller trope because I feel like it's overly used and honestly, I don't love reading all of the abuse that authors tend to include with it. (Can we have some more nice foster home stories? I know both exist. Though I guess nice stories don't make good thrillers.) I did really love how the sisters came together and bonded so tightly after what they all went through in their lives. I think the one "complaint" I had about the book was that SO much of it took place in the past. We spend a lot of time with the girls as their stories unfold in the past and I always have a little bit of a hard time when we spend more time in the past than the present, but it really was necessary and where most of the plot took place in the book. I didn't dislike it but I did miss spending more time with them all in the present day.
The ending came with an extra punch that surprised me and I was happy to see one more exciting element as the book closed. There were a lot of tough topics in this book which makes it kind of hard to read and rate sometimes, but this one left me with more positive feelings and I liked that we got to root for the sisters and we didn't get left with total despair.
If you liked this, read... No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall, Those Girls by Chevy Stevens
Read Completed 4/23/24 | 3.75 stars
(Rating updated 4/28/24 from 4 stars to 3.75 after reflecting on my read for a few days)
BEACH READ (2020) | 3.5 stars
PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION (2021) | 5 stars
BOOK LOVERS (2022) | 4.5 stars
HAPPY PLACE (2023) | 2.75 stars
FUNNY STORY (2024) | 3.75 stars
My Emily Henry experience has been a roller coaster and I had no idea what to expect from FUNNY STORY. I was nervous to read it after really not liking HAPPY PLACE and was really hoping FUNNY STORY was going to be funny since HAPPY PLACE was not happy. I'm very happy I enjoyed this but it still came with a little side of disappointment.
I'm not sure what it was but I really didn't like the first 15% of this book. We experience Daphne get dumped in a very rom-com way after her fiancé dumps her for his life-long best friend Petra. Daphne moves in with Petra's ex, Miles. I just didn't like the vibe or flow in the beginning of this book at all and I was terrified we were headed for another HAPPY PLACE. I actually slowed down my audiobook narration to try to connect with the book and absorb it, and thankfully, things started clicking and the vibe sorted itself out. BUT I hate it when I immediately don't connect with a book because it really sets a tone.
Things really did start to pick up and I loved the genuine connection between Daphne and Miles. They really did have a good chemistry and I appreciated the sort of "fake dating" but not having the main characters at each other's throats, like many fake dating stories tend to be. It also kicked off with the chemistry right away so there was something to root for.
I'm a fan of Emily Henry's more romcom, funny, and lighter books so while this wasn't the heaviest, it also wasn't the lightest. I loved the bright moments. There was some clever with and Daphne and Miles had some adorable banter that I absolutely loved (and could have used JUST a bit more of). I adored the supporting characters like the new best friend who isn't afraid to speak her mind and brought so much energy to the page and Miles' sister who shows up and brings the carefree spirit when Daphne and Miles are both more careful. Even smaller characters like Daphne's mother and her co-workers brought some more support, warmth, and funny moments for readers really made the book well-rounded. I wish we had more Ashleigh and Julia earlier on because I needed their vibe in the beginning when I wanted a bit more levity.
I certainly don't mind heavier topics in romance books -- I love Abby Jimenez and she does an amazing job with this, and Emily Henry has done this in all of her books in the past too. But I need to be laughing a lot to balance that seriousness. That's my personal preference as a reader so certain heavier topics will hit differently, and some of this just weighed on me a bit more when I was hoping to be a little bit happier. This was better than HAPPY PLACE, but I still prefer some of EH's lighter books more than this one. I also read this shortly after JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez which dealt with some similar topics, especially the parent and family things, so I just couldn't help but think back to that book as well. Not FUNNY STORY's fault, but I was just not as connected to more of the personal drama and growth in the book.
The second half of the book is where it really took off for me! I really clicked with Daphne & Miles as they were falling in love, I loved watching Daphne grow, we had fun friendships, and falling in love with this adorable small town in Michigan. There was so much to like and that's when I really started to get in the swing of things, plus I loved the ending.
I liked FUNNY STORY but it's probably not one I'll be thinking about for years to come. It was enjoyable, I didn't really have many complaints, but it's definitely not a new favorite.
(Rating updated 4/28/24 from 4 stars to 3.75 after reflecting on my read for a few days)
BEACH READ (2020) | 3.5 stars
PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION (2021) | 5 stars
BOOK LOVERS (2022) | 4.5 stars
HAPPY PLACE (2023) | 2.75 stars
FUNNY STORY (2024) | 3.75 stars
My Emily Henry experience has been a roller coaster and I had no idea what to expect from FUNNY STORY. I was nervous to read it after really not liking HAPPY PLACE and was really hoping FUNNY STORY was going to be funny since HAPPY PLACE was not happy. I'm very happy I enjoyed this but it still came with a little side of disappointment.
I'm not sure what it was but I really didn't like the first 15% of this book. We experience Daphne get dumped in a very rom-com way after her fiancé dumps her for his life-long best friend Petra. Daphne moves in with Petra's ex, Miles. I just didn't like the vibe or flow in the beginning of this book at all and I was terrified we were headed for another HAPPY PLACE. I actually slowed down my audiobook narration to try to connect with the book and absorb it, and thankfully, things started clicking and the vibe sorted itself out. BUT I hate it when I immediately don't connect with a book because it really sets a tone.
Things really did start to pick up and I loved the genuine connection between Daphne and Miles. They really did have a good chemistry and I appreciated the sort of "fake dating" but not having the main characters at each other's throats, like many fake dating stories tend to be. It also kicked off with the chemistry right away so there was something to root for.
I'm a fan of Emily Henry's more romcom, funny, and lighter books so while this wasn't the heaviest, it also wasn't the lightest. I loved the bright moments. There was some clever with and Daphne and Miles had some adorable banter that I absolutely loved (and could have used JUST a bit more of). I adored the supporting characters like the new best friend who isn't afraid to speak her mind and brought so much energy to the page and Miles' sister who shows up and brings the carefree spirit when Daphne and Miles are both more careful. Even smaller characters like Daphne's mother and her co-workers brought some more support, warmth, and funny moments for readers really made the book well-rounded. I wish we had more Ashleigh and Julia earlier on because I needed their vibe in the beginning when I wanted a bit more levity.
I certainly don't mind heavier topics in romance books -- I love Abby Jimenez and she does an amazing job with this, and Emily Henry has done this in all of her books in the past too. But I need to be laughing a lot to balance that seriousness. That's my personal preference as a reader so certain heavier topics will hit differently, and some of this just weighed on me a bit more when I was hoping to be a little bit happier. This was better than HAPPY PLACE, but I still prefer some of EH's lighter books more than this one. I also read this shortly after JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez which dealt with some similar topics, especially the parent and family things, so I just couldn't help but think back to that book as well. Not FUNNY STORY's fault, but I was just not as connected to more of the personal drama and growth in the book.
The second half of the book is where it really took off for me! I really clicked with Daphne & Miles as they were falling in love, I loved watching Daphne grow, we had fun friendships, and falling in love with this adorable small town in Michigan. There was so much to like and that's when I really started to get in the swing of things, plus I loved the ending.
I liked FUNNY STORY but it's probably not one I'll be thinking about for years to come. It was enjoyable, I didn't really have many complaints, but it's definitely not a new favorite.
Read Completed 4/22/24 | 3.75 stars
Was this the best book ever written? No. Was I entertained? Yes!
Look, this wasn't the best writing ever nor did the author even do a good job at making some of this believable, but I had a fun time reading it and I'm rating this experience based on vibes. I love a good time travel story and this combined some elements of some favorite TV shows (in spoilers because the comparisons might give things away...like Netflix's DARK and NBC show TIMELESS
This was a better experience than the other A.G. Riddle book I read, THE EXTINCTION TRIALS, though I think the writing was about the same. I enjoyed this plot more and it was fun watching all of the timelines connect. I still rolled my eyes in a couple spots when things were terribly cliche, but it was still an entertaining read and I had a good time reading it!
Was this the best book ever written? No. Was I entertained? Yes!
Look, this wasn't the best writing ever nor did the author even do a good job at making some of this believable, but I had a fun time reading it and I'm rating this experience based on vibes. I love a good time travel story and this combined some elements of some favorite TV shows (in spoilers because the comparisons might give things away...
This was a better experience than the other A.G. Riddle book I read, THE EXTINCTION TRIALS, though I think the writing was about the same. I enjoyed this plot more and it was fun watching all of the timelines connect. I still rolled my eyes in a couple spots when things were terribly cliche, but it was still an entertaining read and I had a good time reading it!
Read Completed 4/20/24 | 1.5 stars
This was so stupid. I found this title because I was looking for some funny reads for a pick-me-up and this had the total opposite effect. It was like Office Space meets Stephanie Plum, but stupider.
Melvin is a terrible person. He's unhappy with his job and has a boring life, and when he gets a death threat, he feels more important and more special. It starts off kind of nicely with Melvin going to a fancy restaurant, making an attempt to talk to the cute coat check girl, and it seems like this will be a nice book about Melvin making a better life for himself after receiving a death threat. But nope, he just becomes more self-involved, selfish, and needy as the book goes on. A co-worker gets mugged and Melvin is disappointed that his death threat is overlooked and he isn't the center of attention. And to top it all off, the threatener isn't even competent or scary.
I really just didn't like anything about this. It was supposed to be funny, but I was hoping for clever. This was just silly. I guess it's more absurdist which probably isn't my style, but it was a little too annoying and the ending didn't even have a good point. Melvin is still insufferable and self-centered. He has no character growth. The writing was annoying and repetitive. I honestly think the author used the phrase "man under the threat of death" at least 50 times if not more. This was just a bit fat nope for me.
I wouldn't have finished this if it wasn't so short, but I probably should have. It was easy to finish, though, and I was really hoping something good would come out of it in the end to at least redeem it a little bit. I just didn't like any part of it except the very beginning, which wasn't even a like but a potential. Oh well.
This was so stupid. I found this title because I was looking for some funny reads for a pick-me-up and this had the total opposite effect. It was like Office Space meets Stephanie Plum, but stupider.
Melvin is a terrible person. He's unhappy with his job and has a boring life, and when he gets a death threat, he feels more important and more special. It starts off kind of nicely with Melvin going to a fancy restaurant, making an attempt to talk to the cute coat check girl, and it seems like this will be a nice book about Melvin making a better life for himself after receiving a death threat. But nope, he just becomes more self-involved, selfish, and needy as the book goes on. A co-worker gets mugged and Melvin is disappointed that his death threat is overlooked and he isn't the center of attention. And to top it all off, the threatener isn't even competent or scary.
I really just didn't like anything about this. It was supposed to be funny, but I was hoping for clever. This was just silly. I guess it's more absurdist which probably isn't my style, but it was a little too annoying and the ending didn't even have a good point. Melvin is still insufferable and self-centered. He has no character growth. The writing was annoying and repetitive. I honestly think the author used the phrase "man under the threat of death" at least 50 times if not more. This was just a bit fat nope for me.
I wouldn't have finished this if it wasn't so short, but I probably should have. It was easy to finish, though, and I was really hoping something good would come out of it in the end to at least redeem it a little bit. I just didn't like any part of it except the very beginning, which wasn't even a like but a potential. Oh well.
Read Complete 4/19/24 | 3.25 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook review copy of this book. This did not affect my review in anyway.
I was really excited for this book and all it promised, and reviews really got my hopes up comparing it to THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. The beginning started out well and I was really into it at first, but unfortunately, it really didn't develop enough for me.
Mostly my issue was with the main character, Lukan. He was fine but that's the problem. He was just... fine. I wasn't excited for his story, we barely got any backstory, and he didn't have enough personality to really carry this book. I wanted more fire or more humor or more grumpiness but he was just kind of middle of the road on literally everything. It really dragged down the vibe and it made it hard for me to get excited about everything that was going on.
The world-building was interesting, but also kind of lacking. There's a mythical society that died out 1000 years ago which you know will be connected somehow, but we didn't get enough info about them. There are all these beautiful and new places, but I didn't feel connected to them. There were some really interesting scenes and some good action in parts that got me engaged again, but then we fell back into a lull immediately after.
The secondary characters had potential and really, Flea was the most appealing character of the book. Nothing about it really quite got me there and it almost felt like a set up for the series rather than kicking the story off for itself. I probably won't pick up the rest of the series because I got rather bored with this one at times. I'm so disappointed because I really wanted this to be a new favorite! The audiobook narrator was kind of a drag too. I guess he was in Game of Thrones? I forgot to look him up. But his narration was a little dull and that could have really helped the main character, but instead it had the opposite effect. Maybe if there was a new narrator for the second book, I'd consider it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook review copy of this book. This did not affect my review in anyway.
I was really excited for this book and all it promised, and reviews really got my hopes up comparing it to THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. The beginning started out well and I was really into it at first, but unfortunately, it really didn't develop enough for me.
Mostly my issue was with the main character, Lukan. He was fine but that's the problem. He was just... fine. I wasn't excited for his story, we barely got any backstory, and he didn't have enough personality to really carry this book. I wanted more fire or more humor or more grumpiness but he was just kind of middle of the road on literally everything. It really dragged down the vibe and it made it hard for me to get excited about everything that was going on.
The world-building was interesting, but also kind of lacking. There's a mythical society that died out 1000 years ago which you know will be connected somehow, but we didn't get enough info about them. There are all these beautiful and new places, but I didn't feel connected to them. There were some really interesting scenes and some good action in parts that got me engaged again, but then we fell back into a lull immediately after.
The secondary characters had potential and really, Flea was the most appealing character of the book. Nothing about it really quite got me there and it almost felt like a set up for the series rather than kicking the story off for itself. I probably won't pick up the rest of the series because I got rather bored with this one at times. I'm so disappointed because I really wanted this to be a new favorite! The audiobook narrator was kind of a drag too. I guess he was in Game of Thrones? I forgot to look him up. But his narration was a little dull and that could have really helped the main character, but instead it had the opposite effect. Maybe if there was a new narrator for the second book, I'd consider it.
Read Completed 4/16/24 | 3 stars
Thank you to DAW Books for this ARC review copy! Receiving this review copy did not affect my reading experience in any way.
Oof, I had flashbacks to TOWER OF DAWN. This was a rough read in the beginning, and once I got to 50%, it helped that it was all downhill from there but frankly, this book didn't need to exist, and if it did, it could have been a novella or alternate POVs within SLEEP NO MORE. I bet this happened because of demand to see things from Tybalt's POV? I can only guess that's why, because while October was off in la-la land, Tybalt was running around getting other things done to save her but... really nothing important enough happened that we needed to relive that WHOLE BOOK again. There were quite a few many portions that were literally copy & paste as the events overlapped, which they did a few times. It wasn't all the time, and we do get behind-the-scenes things and see other side characters that we didn't get to see from Toby's POV in SLEEP NO MORE, but yeah. This didn't need to happen.
I made it through, I guess I'm happy I read it? But from SLEEP NO MORE where everyone's character was totally different to this alternate POV that just repeated everything, this really slowed me down on my October Daye binge read catch up. However, I can't wait for the next book because I'm happy to be back in this series!
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: I've been listening to this series on audio so I continued on here. There was a different narrator since this was from Tybalt's POV instead of Toby. He did a decent job but some of the voices weren't that different and it was just too hard hearing Mary Robinette Kowal's voice for all those books and then someone different for this one. It just wasn't as great as I had hoped and I didn't really love being in Tybalt's head.
Thank you to DAW Books for this ARC review copy! Receiving this review copy did not affect my reading experience in any way.
Oof, I had flashbacks to TOWER OF DAWN. This was a rough read in the beginning, and once I got to 50%, it helped that it was all downhill from there but frankly, this book didn't need to exist, and if it did, it could have been a novella or alternate POVs within SLEEP NO MORE. I bet this happened because of demand to see things from Tybalt's POV? I can only guess that's why, because while October was off in la-la land, Tybalt was running around getting other things done to save her but... really nothing important enough happened that we needed to relive that WHOLE BOOK again. There were quite a few many portions that were literally copy & paste as the events overlapped, which they did a few times. It wasn't all the time, and we do get behind-the-scenes things and see other side characters that we didn't get to see from Toby's POV in SLEEP NO MORE, but yeah. This didn't need to happen.
I made it through, I guess I'm happy I read it? But from SLEEP NO MORE where everyone's character was totally different to this alternate POV that just repeated everything, this really slowed me down on my October Daye binge read catch up. However, I can't wait for the next book because I'm happy to be back in this series!
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: I've been listening to this series on audio so I continued on here. There was a different narrator since this was from Tybalt's POV instead of Toby. He did a decent job but some of the voices weren't that different and it was just too hard hearing Mary Robinette Kowal's voice for all those books and then someone different for this one. It just wasn't as great as I had hoped and I didn't really love being in Tybalt's head.
Read Completed 4/15/24 | 4 stars
Thank you to DAW books for sending me this ARC copy! Receiving a review copy did not affect my review in any way.
This was a little bit of a rough start, given its nature. Toby is sucked into a giant illusion and her personality is essentially ripped away in this book. Considering I was on a binge from # 15 - # 18, this really slowed my flow. It eventually got good, and we did get glimpses of October breaking through here and there, but it was quite slower and off-pace because of the subject. I still ended up enjoying it and even with the interruption from my binge read pace, I almost forgot about it every once in a while.
I did kind of like seeing the "what-ifs", and even though this wasn't real, it turns out to be real in the end because all of these characters really did live like this for four months. Relationships were mended because of how they were messed with and up-ended. On the contrary, other characters got to see how bleak their lives could have been, or how they could have been worse if they weren't where they are now.
I hope to see more of those relationships, specifically with August! It was nice to see her and Toby as close sisters and I'd like to see her in future books. The weirdness of this book also helped jump backwards and remind me of things from the beginning of the series and earlier books because of how everything had changed, so that was a helpful refresher, actually.
Thank you to DAW books for sending me this ARC copy! Receiving a review copy did not affect my review in any way.
This was a little bit of a rough start, given its nature. Toby is sucked into a giant illusion and her personality is essentially ripped away in this book. Considering I was on a binge from # 15 - # 18, this really slowed my flow. It eventually got good, and we did get glimpses of October breaking through here and there, but it was quite slower and off-pace because of the subject. I still ended up enjoying it and even with the interruption from my binge read pace, I almost forgot about it every once in a while.
I did kind of like seeing the "what-ifs", and even though this wasn't real, it turns out to be real in the end because all of these characters really did live like this for four months. Relationships were mended because of how they were messed with and up-ended. On the contrary, other characters got to see how bleak their lives could have been, or how they could have been worse if they weren't where they are now.
I hope to see more of those relationships, specifically with August! It was nice to see her and Toby as close sisters and I'd like to see her in future books. The weirdness of this book also helped jump backwards and remind me of things from the beginning of the series and earlier books because of how everything had changed, so that was a helpful refresher, actually.