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ellemnope's Reviews (2.4k)
I am disappointed that this series hasn't stayed as awesome as the first book, but I'm still enjoying the story. The series is at least very cohesive - it can be tough for me to keep track of where one book ends and the next begins. I did like the time travel element of this book, but the short bursts left me wanting more. Traveling by announcer still leaves me highly confused and made a lot of holes in the plot for me. I'd be more specific, but I don't want to create any spoilers. Suffice it to say, I liked the book, but I didn't love it.
I got this book as a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. And I'm always honest about books...
Blackbird was somewhat of a hodgepodge of the YA fantasy genre. I saw a little bit of the Fallen series in here, a bit of The Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices series. Basically, it was right up my alley.
The plot was fantastic and I really liked the main character. The whole thing is so secretive, you learn as you go. I kind of liked that, but I will admit that it frustrated me a little bit...in a good way. It pushed me to really want to keep reading. The pace was super fast, which I liked, but which was probably what kept me from rating at the full five stars. The pace kind of lent itself to a little bit of confusion. I found that there were a few times when I forgot which secondary character was which.
I really liked this book. But...unfortunately, it's the first in a series, so I managed to shoot myself in the foot again. Now I'm stuck waiting for book two. Drat!
See the full review at Erratic Project Junkie
Blackbird was somewhat of a hodgepodge of the YA fantasy genre. I saw a little bit of the Fallen series in here, a bit of The Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices series. Basically, it was right up my alley.
The plot was fantastic and I really liked the main character. The whole thing is so secretive, you learn as you go. I kind of liked that, but I will admit that it frustrated me a little bit...in a good way. It pushed me to really want to keep reading. The pace was super fast, which I liked, but which was probably what kept me from rating at the full five stars. The pace kind of lent itself to a little bit of confusion. I found that there were a few times when I forgot which secondary character was which.
I really liked this book. But...unfortunately, it's the first in a series, so I managed to shoot myself in the foot again. Now I'm stuck waiting for book two. Drat!
See the full review at Erratic Project Junkie
(Disclaimer: I received this book as a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My reviews are always honest and my own opinion...I never lie about books.)
The writing in this book is good and the main character is good, but the approach just turned out not to be as much my thing. I really liked Holly. She talks a lot like me. She's full of sarcasm and sardonic wit. She's sassy. The writing is very descriptive and easily puts a good, solid imagery in your head. It was the use of the workbook that threw me. It's like a novel mixed with a self help book. I just didn't get what I was expecting. I was expecting a light-hearted, quippy fiction novel with a bouncy plot. What I got was a diary...and a bit more "namaste" than I had planned on. I think this author has some great talent and I hope to see more from her. This just wasn't my particular style. I think there was a lot there that had potential, it just wasn't used.
See the full review of this novel at Erratic Project Junkie
The writing in this book is good and the main character is good, but the approach just turned out not to be as much my thing. I really liked Holly. She talks a lot like me. She's full of sarcasm and sardonic wit. She's sassy. The writing is very descriptive and easily puts a good, solid imagery in your head. It was the use of the workbook that threw me. It's like a novel mixed with a self help book. I just didn't get what I was expecting. I was expecting a light-hearted, quippy fiction novel with a bouncy plot. What I got was a diary...and a bit more "namaste" than I had planned on. I think this author has some great talent and I hope to see more from her. This just wasn't my particular style. I think there was a lot there that had potential, it just wasn't used.
See the full review of this novel at Erratic Project Junkie
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I never lie about books...
The actual rating is 2.5, but Goodreads doesn't let me do 1/2 stars. This one was okay. It had good potential and good pieces, but there were just too many awkward things. The writing felt a little choppy and disheveled, including the organization of the chapters. In fact, some chapters could probably been left out - they more left me confused and/or frustrated than helped the story. It reads like some weirdo acid trip. The switch of narration between 1st person and 3rd person was a good idea in theory, but the execution was lacking and just left me having to decipher who was talking at the beginning of each chapter. Oh...and the ending sucked. It was way too quick and didn't have enough detail. I was not happy with the ending at all.
The actual rating is 2.5, but Goodreads doesn't let me do 1/2 stars. This one was okay. It had good potential and good pieces, but there were just too many awkward things. The writing felt a little choppy and disheveled, including the organization of the chapters. In fact, some chapters could probably been left out - they more left me confused and/or frustrated than helped the story. It reads like some weirdo acid trip. The switch of narration between 1st person and 3rd person was a good idea in theory, but the execution was lacking and just left me having to decipher who was talking at the beginning of each chapter. Oh...and the ending sucked. It was way too quick and didn't have enough detail. I was not happy with the ending at all.
Umm...whoa. Psycho is a very apt term for this book. Patrick Bateman is a complete lunatic. Reading a book with the title American Psycho, you expect a bit of craziness, but this was just a full on assault. I was shaken by many of the events. My stomach turned frequently as I read and it was a challenge to finish. While I respect the fact that from a literary standpoint this book really has some great qualities, it was extremely difficult to read. As it is written from the first person point of view, it is very sporadic and jumbled and sometimes hard to follow. The descriptions can be very in your face crude and pornographic. It was a lot to handle. If you're looking at the book from a critical standpoint rather than a subjective and emotional standpoint, there is a lot this book has to offer. There is some amazing submersion into the character of Pat Bateman. He really feels real and you can follow his complete descent into madness. It's an overwhelming journey, but very well written when you consider what had to be undertaken to make this character come to life so fully. It was...an experience. I won't be reading it again, but I do think it has some merit. I don't feel my time was completely wasted.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I never lie about books...
Of Scars and Stardust really gets 3.5 stars. It was a departure from my usual reads, but I quite enjoyed it. I will admit that I was a little lost and confused for a good portion of the book, which probably cost it a little in terms of rating. I understand that it was on purpose, but a little bit of clarity could be a good thing. There was a bit of choppiness present with Claire. Again in reflection, this may have been somewhat on purpose, but it does detract from the writing a little. I think this one is probably worth of a reread. Now that I know how it all comes together, I think there is more to be gleaned. And I think I may enjoy it even more on the second pass. The ending was actually very well written, but I could have done with a little more. This was a case where there was a lot of potential that wasn't used. It just worked out okay for this one.
See my full review at Erratic Project Junkie
Of Scars and Stardust really gets 3.5 stars. It was a departure from my usual reads, but I quite enjoyed it. I will admit that I was a little lost and confused for a good portion of the book, which probably cost it a little in terms of rating. I understand that it was on purpose, but a little bit of clarity could be a good thing. There was a bit of choppiness present with Claire. Again in reflection, this may have been somewhat on purpose, but it does detract from the writing a little. I think this one is probably worth of a reread. Now that I know how it all comes together, I think there is more to be gleaned. And I think I may enjoy it even more on the second pass. The ending was actually very well written, but I could have done with a little more. This was a case where there was a lot of potential that wasn't used. It just worked out okay for this one.
See my full review at Erratic Project Junkie
This one started out pretty slow for me and nearly got abandoned in the beginning. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at all. His use of language was odd in the first third and it made the reading uncomfortable and difficult. I had to work to stay focused and know what was going on. Once I got into it though, the story did well. The writing got better and the book gets more interesting. It's a nice weave of fairy tale and historical fiction.
Disclaimer: I received this book as a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I never lie about books.
I waffled for a minute on my rating for this one. I had to step away from a bit of anger to see it all clearly. I almost gave it 3 stars...but it really does deserve 4. I liked this character right away and could identify with her, despite her being nearly a decade younger than myself. The whole cancer thing started to make me a little paranoid about my own life, but I think that's just a sign that the writing is good. Another sign? There were multiple times where I had to remind myself that this was not non-fiction. Two things could have made this a 5 star review for me. 1 - Ihe ending was too quick. It felt like one of those times where and author just decides "meh, good enough" and wraps it up. 2 - I can't really spell this one out without making a spoiler, but I'll just leave it as I think a chunk of time was inappropriately left out/glossed over. The book could have been more powerful if it was written in. But...I still liked the book. I LOVED the first half to two-thirds, liked the end.
See the full review at Erratic Project Junkie
I waffled for a minute on my rating for this one. I had to step away from a bit of anger to see it all clearly. I almost gave it 3 stars...but it really does deserve 4. I liked this character right away and could identify with her, despite her being nearly a decade younger than myself. The whole cancer thing started to make me a little paranoid about my own life, but I think that's just a sign that the writing is good. Another sign? There were multiple times where I had to remind myself that this was not non-fiction. Two things could have made this a 5 star review for me. 1 - Ihe ending was too quick. It felt like one of those times where and author just decides "meh, good enough" and wraps it up. 2 - I can't really spell this one out without making a spoiler, but I'll just leave it as I think a chunk of time was inappropriately left out/glossed over. The book could have been more powerful if it was written in. But...I still liked the book. I LOVED the first half to two-thirds, liked the end.
See the full review at Erratic Project Junkie
This was a good read. It's one of those books where I really would like the choice of giving half star ratings, because I'm torn between a 3 and a 4. So really, for me this is a 3.5. I liked the retelling of a Titanic tale that had a good story feel, but didn't focus on the time on the boat or the actual retelling of the sinking sequence. Instead, it focused more on the people and their lives immediately after being rescued.
Ugh. This book nearly killed me. I fell asleep in it countless times and found myself terribly bored by it and frustrated by the wording. I get that these people were supposed to have an accent, but don't make me read it that way for over 400 pages. So much annoyance in these pages. Oh...and I wanted to smack Rosasharn/Rose of Sharon across the freaking face numerous times. Who names their kid Rose of Sharon anyways? I get that it's a classic and yes it does tell an important tale and it does capture the desperation of the situation, but it was not my idea of a good read. Concept, yes. Execution, no.