essjay's Reviews (635)

If you are predisposed to thinking of Jezebel as the sluttiest slut since sluts came to SlutTown, you're probably going to have a bad time with this one.  

For the most part, I enjoyed it. There have always been things about her v short appearance in the Bible that rubbed me the wrong way (the whole thing with Naboth never really made much sense to me), so I appreciate this attempt at recontextualizing her story. 

But I do think the pacing was a little awkward. Years go by between one paragraph and the next, and the entire third act felt super rushed. We all know where it's going, why are we in such a hurry to get there? 

So gorgeous and gross, exactly what I was hoping it would be. 

I just really hated what little I read of this and could not imagine trying to finish it. 

Thoroughly engaging, even if none of the "twists" were actually v twisty. 

This is my second time listening to this audio, and I just love Tim Curry's reading voice so much. 

Can I give this infinity stars? 

I found the Young Wizards more than 30 years ago, a book club omnibus of the first three books caught my hand, and it was only 50¢! I've read and re-read the first three books more times than I can count, and have read the rest of the series several times over. Gave them to my oldest (now almost 24) when HE was 13, and he loved them, too.  Spent the last several nights reading this aloud to my youngest (13) and we both cried and cried at the end. 

I am so happy these books exist.  

In Life's name and for Life's sake...

I just couldn't get into this. I don't read blurbs now, so am not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. 

I think part of why both of these books bothered me so much is that they seem to be coming from a place of privilege and entitlement without ever really acknowledging it. Alex (and everyone else we meet) has a very black and white way of thinking about the situation, with zero nuance or room for error. And I guess maybe it's not meant to be read this way, since

SIDEKICK says they completed their mission to save Alex,

but by

returning to our Earth with the technology instead of destroying it, and creating a new "meritocracy," are they not just the beginning of the cycle they've just worked so hard to end?

Idk, overall there was just an awful lot about this duology that didn't work for me. Both books could have been improved greatly if some of the pacing issues were worked out. In both, not a whole lot happened for 75-80% (just so much wheel-spinning), only for an "explosive conclusion" that goes exactly nowhere. 

Bleh. 

I didn't dislike this at all, but all I kept thinking while reading was "this should've been a novella" or "these two books should've been combined." 

I enjoyed seeing things from Tybalt's perspective, but a whole book of it may have been too much for me. Again, I think I would have had more fun with it had it been one slightly longer book with alternating PoVs.  

My lingering questions:

Where the fuck was Jazz? Where the fuck was Marcia? WHO THE FUCK WAS CASSIE?! And WHAT THE FUCK, AMANDINE?!

As always, looking forward to the next book in the series. Nineteen, can you even?