This was hard to rate because the overall story I found to be just fine, but the craft to be extremely excellent. The voice was very noticeable because, well, it was being narrated. Certainly seems like an author I could read/listen to about basically anything at all. Though the story and plot were not bad at all. Just not a particular stand out.

Merged review:

This was hard to rate because the overall story I found to be just fine, but the craft to be extremely excellent. The voice was very noticeable because, well, it was being narrated. Certainly seems like an author I could read/listen to about basically anything at all. Though the story and plot were not bad at all. Just not a particular stand out.

Not having much luck with ends of trilogies this month, apparently. While I still really like the voice, worldbuilding and prose, generally, the plotting and pace felt very strange in this. And because so much—too much, imo—of various things from the past are incorporated in this one, it feels very contrived and convenient at time. Combined with the strange need to bring in every character from the first book, it simultaneously feels like a lot is happening when actually very little plot occurs.

This sort of feels like the second Kvothe book, where it’s just like bizarre wish fulfillment. Some of which does hit, but more often than not noticeable plot holes are never explained and other things, for sake of theme, I think? generate various new B plot tangents that weren’t what I was interested in. The found family aspect feels especially contrived sometimes because it is mired in archaic honourifics and time jumps to that attempt to create artificial community and intimacy.

What does land is the world building aspects that I’d been waiting for since the beginning. How spells work, the titular reveals of the Book of Life, and the core dynamics of the main characters, all work well for me. It’s just too puffed up and mired with all this other stuff.

But the main reason it didn’t work for me was the antagonist, which felt like a caricature and a contrivance from the past. And Diana just doesn’t feel like she should have such a firm grasp on everything, mostly because she basically never fails. Coupled with Matthew’s hereditary “blood rage”, as a blood wolf vampire, it feels like initially a good counter balance until actually examined. The wolf dynamics are really weird, and completely lacks empathy and understanding of actual wolves but is repeatedly reiterated. I like it somewhat as a metaphor for toxic masculinity… but I just can’t stand Matthew regardless due to his wildly shitty behaviour and the posturing of the family dynamics with the wolf pack mentality, which focus solely on when a person is perceived to be in danger, pretty much. And then the toxic elements aren’t actually addressed with Matthew at a character growth level regardless.

If you’re in it to find out the large reveals, you’ll leave happy. But I’m not sure anything else about this, other than the general pleasant readability that, if you’re on book three, you probably already know you like, I can’t say you’ll find any other stand out aspects of the book.

Honestly, had I read this on paper, this might have been a 5. The narrator was great, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I feel like the structural things that are compelling about this do not translate to being spoken aloud. Time jumps and complex motifs “click” for me much better on the page. There’s like an almost physical sensation of my brain shifting gears and “getting it”. So anyway, I’ve ordered it and look forward to reading it again in the coming months.

This book is very much my jam. I love the ecosystem of Linda’s narration and how memory and time and visualization work in her mind. There are large themes being explored that are still soft subjective; I hate it when large themes are given in prescriptive ways (Midnight Libraries, let me tell you what is correct and what is not, for instance).

It subverts coming of age in general, the potential danger of religion or rigid structure/doctrine in thought, sexual awakening, the pain, and altered states guardians and parents can inflict on children - wildly altering surprising aspects of a person. It’s about social dynamics, especially trust.

Strangely, some of the critiques I’ve often seen of this is that they don’t like… find Linda relatable or likable, presumably this also means unlikable in a “fun” way for the reader, otherwise I don’t even know what to do with that. But I feel like people miss the intentions of very fundamental structural aspects of the book. It’s intentionally unreliable narration, the characterization, and interactivity of the narration via Linda’s memory. These work in tandem with the themes to communicate really important things about the protagonist.

Even what she says her story is about, which is how some people have judged if the overall story is successful or not needs to be interrogated but seems to be taken at face value.

Overall I think this is spectacular. Very well written. Especially in that the writing, as I mentioned, lures the reader into a false sense of security about aspects of the form and subsequent implications and assumptions the reader has. And at a personal level, I just really liked that it was unsettling and haunting in a low-key way. It’s weird that some people don’t see that that is the point? Not that it’s the result of the craft nothing being applied with intent or purpose.

I hadn’t even heard of this until a Booktuber, Shaelin Writes, talked about it during multiple videos. She has great taste in books so I thought I’d give it a try. Very glad I did~

Merged review:

Honestly, had I read this on paper, this might have been a 5. The narrator was great, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I feel like the structural things that are compelling about this do not translate to being spoken aloud. Time jumps and complex motifs “click” for me much better on the page. There’s like an almost physical sensation of my brain shifting gears and “getting it”. So anyway, I’ve ordered it and look forward to reading it again in the coming months.

This book is very much my jam. I love the ecosystem of Linda’s narration and how memory and time and visualization work in her mind. There are large themes being explored that are still soft subjective; I hate it when large themes are given in prescriptive ways (Midnight Libraries, let me tell you what is correct and what is not, for instance).

It subverts coming of age in general, the potential danger of religion or rigid structure/doctrine in thought, sexual awakening, the pain, and altered states guardians and parents can inflict on children - wildly altering surprising aspects of a person. It’s about social dynamics, especially trust.

Strangely, some of the critiques I’ve often seen of this is that they don’t like… find Linda relatable or likable, presumably this also means unlikable in a “fun” way for the reader, otherwise I don’t even know what to do with that. But I feel like people miss the intentions of very fundamental structural aspects of the book. It’s intentionally unreliable narration, the characterization, and interactivity of the narration via Linda’s memory. These work in tandem with the themes to communicate really important things about the protagonist.

Even what she says her story is about, which is how some people have judged if the overall story is successful or not needs to be interrogated but seems to be taken at face value.

Overall I think this is spectacular. Very well written. Especially in that the writing, as I mentioned, lures the reader into a false sense of security about aspects of the form and subsequent implications and assumptions the reader has. And at a personal level, I just really liked that it was unsettling and haunting in a low-key way. It’s weird that some people don’t see that that is the point? Not that it’s the result of the craft nothing being applied with intent or purpose.

I hadn’t even heard of this until a Booktuber, Shaelin Writes, talked about it during multiple videos. She has great taste in books so I thought I’d give it a try. Very glad I did~

I haven’t read this in almost two decades, and boy is it dated. It occupies the same headspace as really silly pulp, especially with a particular kind of power fantasy. Even when I was young I was warned repeatedly that the first few are really not great, but they get better. Basically, when I’m in the mood for fantasy trash. This is doubly confirmed now.

Because it is narrated by Dresden it is laughably solipsistic and unconvincing. He’s a wizard who got dealt a bad deal. The white council thinks he’s bad all because they don’t believe what happened between he and his master, who turned evil and tried to kill him. He’s dogged by a watcher as he tries to eek out a living helping out the cops when occult stuff goes down. In this case, a particular nasty killing sends him careening into a pretty straight forward plot that is pretty much just an endless series of fights. By the end he’s all haggard and people who trusted him didn’t believe him, but of course he’s right about everything, even if he stumbles his way there.

It’s not good, it’s fun. As long as you can look past a lot, including some of the worst writing of women. They always have ulterior motives deployed in sexist ways. Thankfully this was pretty heavily criticized and they get adjusted as they go. But this book is best thought of as the pilot that somehow managed to get green lit despite internal consistency issues that the newest of editors should have caught.

Where it does get things right, I think, is this pseudo mash-up of fantasy pulp and detective noir, mixed with the accessibility of commercial fiction and it’s playing into the monster of the week formula that has rooted nostalgia dating back for all generations who are likely to pick it up. Also they’re a very quick read.

The latest broadway production of the play is on audible and it’s absolutely fantastic.

Better than the movie; still a product of its time in the flaws department, though. Little bit racist, sexist sometimes. I loved the writing style and prose; lent the book a different quality and experience than the movie.

This was better than I expected. The prose is especially lush, but less… dramatic, let’s say, then something I didn’t get on with, like Wuthering Heights. Jane herself I found quite likeable though, even if it’s a bit Not Like Other Girls, particularly around her supposed attractiveness, or unattractiveness, depending on the character mentioning it. Her values and a conflict around them is directly woven into the plot, and I guess though if you summarized what all happened, it wouldn’t feel like much happened, but it felt, aside from a section near the end, like it had great flow and was very engaging.

Aside from a huge contrivance three quarters in, I was picking up what it was dropping down. It is such a huge, not to mention unnecessary one, however, that it really did knock my enjoyment down. It followed the kind of too-long, more boring section, after a fun little twist (of which, there were a surprising few!). Jane becomes more and more endearing to me, as does her problematic love interest, to some degree. The characters are more complex than expected from a rather straight forward conflict test plot.

All around solid. I didn’t find the romantic aspects that odd either. Modern romance is just as problematic, if not more so, since here there are actual reasons for it, and in many modern ones, there just isn’t a single explanation at all, and it’s normalized.

I have the first book some passes because it’s a sophomoric effort, but this definitively cements my inability to get along with Childs’ style. More staccato than even Elroy Might be hand-waved, if the prose actually did more than set the thriller pace, but unfortunately even the bad dialogue suffers from syncopation. The plot itself is serviceable for commercial thrillers but I just cannot get along with all the other aspects of writing. I know I know, my snobbery is showing.

My favourite book so far. Great pacing, shakes setting up a heck of a lot while doing world building. The chapters are from the Roci crew members, all of which added a lot to the characters. Avasarala and Bobby were around more. Action packed. Tighter writing in general with each book, I find. Nuanced psychological and political positioning for each character, including the “bad” guys. Nice little cliff hanger at the end, too.

Couldn’t ask for more, really.