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aliciaclarereads's Reviews (1.25k)
read for OWLs Magical Readathon 2019: Potions, a sequel
Not quite enough Eugenides and Attolia for me to be in love with this book. But a valuable perspective and an interesting advancement to the story. Now I'll just patiently wait a year and a half to see how Whalen Turner is going to finish off this series!!
Not quite enough Eugenides and Attolia for me to be in love with this book. But a valuable perspective and an interesting advancement to the story. Now I'll just patiently wait a year and a half to see how Whalen Turner is going to finish off this series!!
After finishing the last volume, I thought how much room there is for more spin-offs like the 1831 Romantic poet inspired issue. So boy was I pleased to realize the penultimate volume was all one-offs!
The opening special about the fall of Rome was not enjoyable. I didn't get it at all, which is frustrating because while the specials aren't required for the story, they do offer insight into what's really happening with Ananke's plans.
However, the rest of the specials were so damn good. The Medieval Lucifer? Absolutely incredible and a great spin on how some people would handle being turned into a god. I already loved the 1831 issue (it's the only issue I actually own because I adore the Romantics) so I was thrilled to reread it. The 1923 issue inspired by [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg|3038872]. There was a lot of mystery I didn't totally get it BUT the atmosphere was perfect. Also Woden as a German nationalist? Checks out.
Finally, the last two issues were the Christmas special and the Funnies. The Christmas specials consisted of deleted scenes which were nice! There wasn't much substance to them but it was really great to get glimpses of the Pantheon before all of this shit went down And the Funnies... oh man they were perfect. I laughed so hard at each one. What a beautiful tribute to the whole series! The Pantheon as dogs... YES. I LOVE IT. The Buzzfeed parody of 5 things about living with Sakmet (I don't remember the specific title in case this is off) was brilliant. Plus I loved the open mocking of Gillen & McKelvie.
I can't believe there's only one volume left!
The opening special about the fall of Rome was not enjoyable. I didn't get it at all, which is frustrating because while the specials aren't required for the story, they do offer insight into what's really happening with Ananke's plans.
However, the rest of the specials were so damn good. The Medieval Lucifer? Absolutely incredible and a great spin on how some people would handle being turned into a god. I already loved the 1831 issue (it's the only issue I actually own because I adore the Romantics) so I was thrilled to reread it. The 1923 issue inspired by [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg|3038872]. There was a lot of mystery I didn't totally get it BUT the atmosphere was perfect. Also Woden as a German nationalist? Checks out.
Finally, the last two issues were the Christmas special and the Funnies. The Christmas specials consisted of deleted scenes which were nice! There wasn't much substance to them but it was really great to get glimpses of the Pantheon before all of this shit went down And the Funnies... oh man they were perfect. I laughed so hard at each one. What a beautiful tribute to the whole series! The Pantheon as dogs... YES. I LOVE IT. The Buzzfeed parody of 5 things about living with Sakmet (I don't remember the specific title in case this is off) was brilliant. Plus I loved the open mocking of Gillen & McKelvie.
I can't believe there's only one volume left!
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read for OWLs Magical Readathon: Defense Against the Dark Arts, title starts with "r"
I'm a big fan of romance and a big fan of Nichole Perkins, so there was no way I wasn't going to enjoy this essay. Romance novels are frequently criticized by people who don't read the genre, so I was really thrilled to read someone who truly loved the genre and can offer valid criticisms. I really loved the perspective of how romance novels shaped her view of relationships and some of the damage it caused her. It was a much more nuanced look at romance novels beyond what snotty white male "literary" authors think of romance.
I will say, I think historical romances have improved with time as the heroines are falling into less and less tropes of delicate, fragile, naive virgins. But they are overwhelmingly white, so it's excellent that subgenres allow women to break free of our cultural expectations.
I absolutely love Perkins' drabbles on her podcast, Thirst Aid Kit, so here's to hoping she writes a romance novel or is hired on a show with romance as a focus or writes a rom-com. Please world, make this happen!!
I'm a big fan of romance and a big fan of Nichole Perkins, so there was no way I wasn't going to enjoy this essay. Romance novels are frequently criticized by people who don't read the genre, so I was really thrilled to read someone who truly loved the genre and can offer valid criticisms. I really loved the perspective of how romance novels shaped her view of relationships and some of the damage it caused her. It was a much more nuanced look at romance novels beyond what snotty white male "literary" authors think of romance.
I will say, I think historical romances have improved with time as the heroines are falling into less and less tropes of delicate, fragile, naive virgins. But they are overwhelmingly white, so it's excellent that subgenres allow women to break free of our cultural expectations.
I absolutely love Perkins' drabbles on her podcast, Thirst Aid Kit, so here's to hoping she writes a romance novel or is hired on a show with romance as a focus or writes a rom-com. Please world, make this happen!!
read for OWLs Magical Readathon 2019: Divination, set in the future
Perhaps one day YA authors will learn that sarcasm is not a personality.
I'm really disappointed I didn't like this. This book is so well loved, the majority of my friends/follows on here have rated it 5 stars. The concept is really interesting! Storytelling via a dossier is a really cool and new way to get a look at a story. The plot is so fast-paced and engaging; I really wanted to know what would happen next.
Yet... these characters are so insanely boring and underdeveloped. Kady is just your standard YA badass heroine who is, of course, a gifted computer hacker prodigy who is the ~only person who can save us all.~ I truly know nothing about her as a person except that she's sarcastic. THAT'S IT. I'm sorry but I can't just root for a completely reckless teenager who never quite seems to grasp the gravity of the situation without knowing who she is. Ezra was even less developed!! All I know about him is he's obsessed with Kady and threatens to have sex with his friend's sisters. And reading their exchanges... oh my god it was so painful. Why the fuck is Ezra making dumb jokes and putting ":P" at the end when THOUSANDS OF PEOPLES LIVES ARE AT STAKE. Like these stakes are extremely high and the teens didn't seem to get it? It's just really sad because I LOVE romances in novels - I rarely if ever think they're necessary. But oh boy did this romance make me so glad I'm not 17 anymore.
The only character with personality is the analyst who describes various footage so we don't get to know him really and the artificial intelligence. Which I'll admit was really dope, but by the time we get a look into Aidan, too much of the book had passed for me to care.and of course he's obsessed with Kady. Cause she's so ~perfect.~ Excuse me while I go vomit. Also... does he basically become a creepier Janet from the Good Place in the next few books? Because that would be fantastic
Apparently the audiobooks of this series are really well loved, and I think that could have changed my opinion. Having actors perform these characters would probably give a depth that is nonexistent in this novel. But a text can't rely solely on performance - unless it's a play of course. Which this isn't.
I looked up spoilers for the next too books because i want to know what happens. Like I said, the plot is really engaging. Too bad the characters can't match it.
Perhaps one day YA authors will learn that sarcasm is not a personality.
I'm really disappointed I didn't like this. This book is so well loved, the majority of my friends/follows on here have rated it 5 stars. The concept is really interesting! Storytelling via a dossier is a really cool and new way to get a look at a story. The plot is so fast-paced and engaging; I really wanted to know what would happen next.
Yet... these characters are so insanely boring and underdeveloped. Kady is just your standard YA badass heroine who is, of course, a gifted computer hacker prodigy who is the ~only person who can save us all.~ I truly know nothing about her as a person except that she's sarcastic. THAT'S IT. I'm sorry but I can't just root for a completely reckless teenager who never quite seems to grasp the gravity of the situation without knowing who she is. Ezra was even less developed!! All I know about him is he's obsessed with Kady and threatens to have sex with his friend's sisters. And reading their exchanges... oh my god it was so painful. Why the fuck is Ezra making dumb jokes and putting ":P" at the end when THOUSANDS OF PEOPLES LIVES ARE AT STAKE. Like these stakes are extremely high and the teens didn't seem to get it? It's just really sad because I LOVE romances in novels - I rarely if ever think they're necessary. But oh boy did this romance make me so glad I'm not 17 anymore.
The only character with personality is the analyst who describes various footage so we don't get to know him really and the artificial intelligence. Which I'll admit was really dope, but by the time we get a look into Aidan, too much of the book had passed for me to care.
Apparently the audiobooks of this series are really well loved, and I think that could have changed my opinion. Having actors perform these characters would probably give a depth that is nonexistent in this novel. But a text can't rely solely on performance - unless it's a play of course. Which this isn't.
I looked up spoilers for the next too books because i want to know what happens. Like I said, the plot is really engaging. Too bad the characters can't match it.
read for OWLs Magical Readathon 2019: Arithmancy, written by more than one author
The mythology is deepening and I am so pumped to see how they are going to end this story. Also I think this volumes offers possible avenues to more one off issues or spinoffs based on the incredibly long history of the different cycles.
The mythology is deepening and I am so pumped to see how they are going to end this story. Also I think this volumes offers possible avenues to more one off issues or spinoffs based on the incredibly long history of the different cycles.
read for OWLs Magical Readathon 2019: Muggle Studies, a contemporary
I really did not vibe with this book. The writing was really juvenile. Also the author inserted hashtags everywhere and I'm not really sure why. Alexa is in marketing, but she doesn't seem to be particularly social media savvy or use it a lot, so I have no idea why the hashtags were everywhere. I think if I liked the writing more I wouldn't have minded them, but because I was already not enjoying it, they really grated at my nerves. Even worse, the characters were one-dimensional. Seriously, I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the hero besides he's a really good football player - which is not a personality. The 'wicked wives' of the Mustangs were so basic mean girls. The conflict between them and Marlee wasn't interesting. They all hate her for being a 'groupie' although she's dating her first boyfriend for TEN YEARS. So the hate felt really contrived. I mean I'm not saying the wives should have been nice, being a bitch is fine! But they were so uninteresting.
Also there's a threat of sexual assault that happens a couple of times in this novel. I hated it. But I feel really sensitive to it right now. I just listened to an interview with Cameron Esposito where she mentioned how she took a moment and noticed how the majority of media has elements of sexual assault. And it felt really unnecessary. Like I completely understand that this happens. Women are constantly at threat in the world, particularly women of color. But there are so many other ways to create tension to draw the hero and heroine together that don't involve the heroine being threatened. It put a really sour taste in my mouth and even though I was not vibing with the book already, I felt completely put off in that moment.
I really did not vibe with this book. The writing was really juvenile. Also the author inserted hashtags everywhere and I'm not really sure why. Alexa is in marketing, but she doesn't seem to be particularly social media savvy or use it a lot, so I have no idea why the hashtags were everywhere. I think if I liked the writing more I wouldn't have minded them, but because I was already not enjoying it, they really grated at my nerves. Even worse, the characters were one-dimensional. Seriously, I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the hero besides he's a really good football player - which is not a personality. The 'wicked wives' of the Mustangs were so basic mean girls. The conflict between them and Marlee wasn't interesting. They all hate her for being a 'groupie' although she's dating her first boyfriend for TEN YEARS. So the hate felt really contrived. I mean I'm not saying the wives should have been nice, being a bitch is fine! But they were so uninteresting.
Also there's a threat of sexual assault that happens a couple of times in this novel. I hated it. But I feel really sensitive to it right now. I just listened to an interview with Cameron Esposito where she mentioned how she took a moment and noticed how the majority of media has elements of sexual assault. And it felt really unnecessary. Like I completely understand that this happens. Women are constantly at threat in the world, particularly women of color. But there are so many other ways to create tension to draw the hero and heroine together that don't involve the heroine being threatened. It put a really sour taste in my mouth and even though I was not vibing with the book already, I felt completely put off in that moment.
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read for OWLs Magical Readathon 2019: Care of Magical Creatures, land animal on the cover
This world is so complicated that I always need a refresher before I start the next volume. The mythology and world building is very dense and the knowledge keeps building from issue to issue. However, once I got back into it - I was into it. This series is so excellent, and I love watching the storyline develop. This also built up to a really incredible action sequence - absolutely thrilling! And of course, this remains gorgeously drawn. Seriously, this artwork is incredible.
This world is so complicated that I always need a refresher before I start the next volume. The mythology and world building is very dense and the knowledge keeps building from issue to issue. However, once I got back into it - I was into it. This series is so excellent, and I love watching the storyline develop. This also built up to a really incredible action sequence - absolutely thrilling! And of course, this remains gorgeously drawn. Seriously, this artwork is incredible.