annoyingtiger888's Reviews (344)

If you show me a cover with two cute lil polar bears, I can't say no! However, I also struggle with these kind of books.

Give me a murder mystery or a thriller where humans get hurt and I don't bat an eye. But you give me a book where an animal gets hurt? That's hard for me to take. It's why I'm so reluctant to read the warriors series!

This book is darker than I expected it to be. I did not expect these poor lil bears to go through so much hell. And killing off my favorite character? Not cool, book, not cool.

Also, I'm not sure if this book came out before tiktok but every time they call the bears "tick tocks" I actually cringe a little inside. I thought they were actually talking about that damned app 😭 

Overall, it was a good book. Emotional and sad, but good.

This book started off real slow and the main character is kind of annoying. Like, I'll be the first to admit I have serious issues with self confidence and I cry easily, but damn. The main character has negative 0 self confidence and cries A LOT. This is supposed to be a cozy mystery, but the main character is kind of a drag.

It feels like she is in the wrong story, like the author intended for this story to be darker and more serious. I don't know, it just felt weird.

That's not to say it was a bad book. It has its flaws, but it's not bad and I enjoyed listening. Plus there's a badass cat which always helps lmao

I have heard only good things about this and... I don't know why. It was so boring and disjointed. I had no idea what the hell was going on and kept zoning out because it was so boring.

Narrator was cool, though.

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my mind, I don't even know if I can focus on them all for this review. First, I want to say that this book fell short for me, it wasn't as good as the first two. The first half of the story was kind of boring and the constant bickering and saying the same insults over and over got really annoying. For the first time, I just wanted to tell all three of them to shut up.

The final half picked up the slack, though. Not enough to bump it up to 5 stars, but it got close. This was the first book that made me cry - multiple times - and filled me with a deep sorrow. As someone who grew up without ever knowing who my father is, if he's alive or if he knows I'm alive, this hit me a lot harder than I expected it, too.

When Mr. Midnight first appeared, I was intrigued about him long before I knew his true identity. I mean, who isn't a sucker for the brooding bad boy with a dark past? Now, though? I am full on in love with this man. He is my favorite character and I want - need - to know more about him, more about his past. I need to know if he's okay, goddamn it.

I have to say, the whole spiral of Amelia - "I can't do this" "I'm a curse" - is getting old. In the first book, she doubted she was good enough to be at the school and was constantly trying to prove everyone wrong. She then learned she didn't need to prove them wrong and that she does have it what takes. Great lesson. 

Book two, once again, she doubts herself, thinks she's not good enough, blames herself for everything. She completely forgot the lessons she learned in book one, but she re-learned them and realized it wasn't her fault. A little old, but still a good lesson.

Book three, once again, she doubts herself, calls herself a curse, blames herself for everything... Like, I have -1000% self-confidence and even I'm not this bad. I mean, yeah, she's a kid so she has less control over her emotions. But she's starting to feel less like a loveable heroine embracing her flaws and more like an annoying brat who forgets all the lessons she learns and keeps making the same mistakes over and over and over again. There's no point in her learning if she's gonna keep doing the same shit.

If there is a book four, I truly hope it doesn't continue on this path. Also, I hope the next one is lighter. I get adding drama and feels to a book helps people connect better with the characters but goddamn. I signed up for cool music and funny ass friendships, not dark drama that squeezes the heart until it bursts. Like, these kids are 12! Let them have a break! Give us a book where it's not dark drama constantly doubting/hating herself and crying.

Send them to the beach, for christ's sake.

Like, the first two were pretty fucking funny with great quips. This one? That seemed to be lost. I laughed only once or twice. The quips and comedy just... died. Not only that, but the main three were annoying as hell. I will be the first person to say I'm fine when I'm not, but they take it to a whole other level. They want to keep everything to themselves and then whine about each other doing the same thing. And Darby trying to push everyone to do what they don't want to do... I was so mad when she tried to play in that church (I think it was a church.)

They were supposed to stay low and yet she prances out there without giving a single fuck about what damage it could cause. She wanted to constantly complain about bullies while literally trying to bully people into standing up against their bullies... girl huh. And I also understand getting angry about how women were treated back then, but it's not like present day is like that.

The number one rule of time travel is DON'T CHANGE THE PAST. And they use the poor excuse of "we didn't change it, she did" as if that's supposed to change the fact that they literally changed the past, thus altering the future. I know, I know, she was dealing with trauma - they all were - and they are kids who can't quite process their drama properly but damn, it was annoying as hell. For me, it did not have the impact it was supposed to on me.

They made so many dumb decisions. 12 years old cannot be that dumb... right? I don't know. I'm just disappointed. I was so happy during the first two books, so much so that I listened back to back, forgoing sleep to finish them. When I woke up, I was excited to get into book three only to get this. Maybe my expectations were too high. 

Also, I really REALLY want this to be made into a series. I don't care if it's animated or live action but I NEED this in my life. And I need them to make Eric cute as hell, okay. It's for... science. Netflix, make it happen!

There better be a book four and I really hope it is lighter than this one.

Well, I finally found a character I can't stand. I swear, I've never wanted to punch a 12 year old more in my life, what a brat! I don't care if she had a good reason, she was out of line! Plus, she kept dishing it out without a care but as soon as she got some back, she cracked like an egg. I hope she doesn't return in book 3.

I'm not sure if it's because this is middle grade, but I figured out who Mr. Midnight was pretty early on. It's rare for me to guess correctly because I'm kinda dumb, so I felt so good at the reveal haha

This book was far more emotional than the first. Our poor little main character really goes through it in this book. Hit me right in the feels more than once.

There was also an entire section dedicated to the band so we got more awesome guitar! I found this video on YouTube about the music in this series and it all looks like children?? That's incredible! They're very talented and did an amazing job with this.

Finally, allow me to share a few of the funniest quotes that I just had to write down because I laughed so hard at them lol These characters should not be allowed to be this funny.

"Couldn't he have just written in blood on your mirror? Or left a dead rat on your pillow like a normal bad guy?"

"You are determined to see me in an early grave, aren't you?" "Still doubt me, Mr. Pinwhistle? I told you my locator spell was fool proof." "You teleported us to Greenland first." "And wasn't the view lovely? All those polar bears..."

"We've been sounding alarms across the countryside and teleporting from one end of the globe to the other looking for you small walking nightmares. So start talking!"

Listen, I love music, it's gotten me through some HARD times when I was a kid. However, I know nothing about PLAYING music. I don't know what parts of instruments are called or how to read music. It's like a foreign language to me and, for that reason, I was worried I would not like this.

Boy was I wrong! This story was amazing, full of friendship and amazing music that gave me chills. The symphony that did the music for this story did such a good job and I'm happy they chose to include this. The characters did not annoy me at all which is always a plus.

It was light-hearted and funny, with a few serious moments that had me feeling bad for our main character. She overcame, though, and ended with a funny little twist that I did not expect. Actually, I loved this so much that I'm going straight to the second one because I need more!

The only real complaint I have here is the rock music. As a rock gal, I was sad that the role they played was so small. I got so hyped when I heard them for the first time! I hope they have a more prominent role in the next book because it went hard.

Listen, I have nothing against owls and I find them to be cute, interesting lil creatures, but this book was too much for my tiny brain to handle. I grabbed this book because my mom is obsessed with owls and I figured I could pick up a few things to pass along to her. She could never read it herself because of the explanations about owls getting hurt and how they feed.

It kind of felt like a million arrows being shot at me all at once, but each arrow was knowledge about owls. I feel overwhelmed lmao I didn't really grasp most of it and it honestly feels like my brain shorted out halfway through and is currently buffering, trying to fix itself.

I'm not saying this book is bad. For anyone who wants to learn more about owls, this book is perfect for you. For my dumbass, though? It felt like I was sitting in a lecture hall. I don't know if it would have been easier if owls were my favorite animal. Maybe? I'm not even sure if there's a way to make the book less... boring, I guess? I mean, it's interesting as hell, sure, but it was also kind of boring. I don't know if that's just me that feels that way if there was a more entertaining way she could have written it.

Anywho, save the damn owls. They're cute.

Oh my god, this book was so good 😭 I was hooked from the very first sentence, it was just such a relaxing journey that I really needed. The narrators did such a good job telling this story in a calm, relaxing manner. And the premise of the book is amazing!

I would give anything to find that coffee shop, even if it WAS just a dream. I've never been a hardcore fan of astrology, but it's always been something I found to be quite interesting. A lot of what was said made sense, too. It kind of makes me want to get into astrology again and find my own chart!

I really enjoyed how all of the stories were tied together so nicely. I thought they were going to be their own stories, their own journeys, but it quickly became apparent that they are connected. How, you ask? Well, you'll have to read this for yourself to find out! I will say it's very heartwarming, though, and I managed to not cry - though I got close.

There's just something so incredible to me about books written by Japanese people. They're so much better than the American books and I hope we get more translated and narrated in the future! Plus, this translation was not Americanized, which is always a plus.

This is easily one of my favorite books.

Mansplaining? MANSPLAINING? Anyone who is a fan of the Murder, She Wrote series and Jessica knows that she would NEVER use such dumb internet slang. Mrs. Fletcher the former ENGLISH teacher from small town Cabot Cover would never say such a thing!

This author should be ashamed for this sheer disrespect to such an amazing and iconic character, not to mention her late actress, Angela Lansbury.

Gone are the days of Donald Bain and Jon Land who do such an amazing job of writing the TRUE character of Mrs. Fletcher and her companions. The characters in this book were bland and flavorless. How can you have Harry Feckin' McGraw in a story and not have a SINGLE funny quip from him?

This book was boring as hell, the characters flat, and that stupid mansplaining line sent me over the edge. This author should not be allowed to touch Jessica Fletcher with a 10 foot pole. Every media I love has been ruined, warped to fit what they want to see instead of staying true to the actual character and setting.

Mrs. Fletcher has been my hero for years and I won't stand for her being disrespected and warped into something she is not. It's depressing that this is the first Murder, She Wrote book that I can't give 5 stars, too. This author is ruining Mrs. Fletcher and her friends.

I know Mrs. Fletcher depends on her friends for help from time to time but, for the most part, she is relying solely on whatever information Harry can dig up instead of looking for this information herself. What, she's not going to complain about Harry mansplaining her? How can you make her use such a feminist word and then have her rely on a man to solve 90% of this case? Pick a damn lane.

And she was snippy with Seth! Not the playful banter that makes their friendship so lovely and human. She acted annoyed by him! And when she was looking for information, she seemed more manipulative and annoying, like a fly buzzing by your head, than the headstrong intelligent detective her actual character is.

Yes, she's not above telling a little white lie to get information, but this goes way beyond that. Hearing her interact with the cops just felt disrespectful and Mrs. Fletcher is NOT disrespectful, especially not to cops!

The murder was boring, the characters were boring, and the plot was boring.

This author should be ashamed of herself for this. Fucking mansplaining. Give me a break! Instead of disrespecting the creator of Mrs. Fletcher and the very soul of her character, go create your own!

I am extremely wary of reading any other books by this author because, if she pulls this shit once, you can bet your ass she'll do it again. Jessica Fletcher deserves better. Murder, She Wrote deserves better.

I wish Donald Bain was still here. He truly understood the characters and he didn't try to twist them into something they're not. If you want to write someone OOC, go write fanfiction. That's what I'm going to call this book from now on.

This is not an official Murder, She Wrote book, it's a goddamn fanfiction that should have stayed on tumblr.

Will I read the other books by this author? I don't know. Right now, I'm so disappointed by this that I'm leaning toward no. However, I swore to myself a long time ago that I would read every single book in this series in honor of Angela Lansbury who brought such an amazing character to life.

May she and Donald Bain rest in peace and may they find someone better suited to write for this series.

I was so excited for this, too, because I love koi fish and the cover is awesome. I haven't come across a single book in this series so far that has been this bad, certainly nothing that warranted less than a 5 star. But this? This is disappointing.

This is not Murder, She Wrote.

The only redeeming quality is the narrator, Laural Merlington, who always does an awesome job capturing Jessica and the other characters.

Wow, this book was... a really good one! I'm not usually fond of books that jump back and forth in time, but the author did a really good job with it. I was intrigued for both cases. It was so nice to get some insight into Jessica's relationship with her late husband and when they bought the house, I wanted to cry 😢 

If you know anything about me, you know I'm a huge Murder, She Wrote fan. I love all the books, but I think this one might be in my top five. It was very interesting, well paced and, above all else, hilarious. I laughed so many times during the various back and forth with Jessica and Mort. And my god, I forgot how fucking hilarious Harry is 🤣 

Like, please MSW gods, give me more of him. Give him his own book or more appearances because he never fails to make me laugh. There were so many good quotes that I wish I would have wrote down but I was forgoing sleep to finish this lol The ending was wild, too, unlike anything I've read so far.

Currently, Donald Bain is my favorite MSW author because he does such a good job of capturing the essence of these characters. However, Jon Land did a fantastic job here. The pacing was great, the mystery was great, the comedy was on point, and all of the characters felt authentic. Plus, we got insight into Jessica's past!

I love this book. The murderer is bat shit crazy, though.