the_pale_woman's Reviews (542)

I found the first part of this book a little slow. I ended up loving it, so if you're struggling, keep with it. That feeling might be partially attributed to having seen the movie multiple times. Knowing too much about a story beforehand can sometimes affect my enjoyment.

Additionally, the audio book of this is not what I would call good. They added cheap dramatic music clips almost at random. Even when thematically placed, these sounds distracted from the atmosphere that's already present in the text. I hated these sounds with a passion, so that kept me from really enjoying this book at first. I'll admit the narrator nails Annie Wilkes' dialog most of the time. But I still wouldn't recommend listening to this one. Read physically instead. 

This story really picks up its intensity as it progresses. I found the second half of Misery completely gripping. Even the ending was satisfying despite my foreknowledge and the audio. The story took on a meta vibe that was super entertaining as an avid book reader. Reading King write from a writers perspective is unsurprisingly interesting. This book is a must-read for King fans and a good pick for readers looking for only his best. Many fans will tell you The Stand or IT. I would go more for smaller, focused stories like this. 

This just wasn't that interesting. There was a lot of tension built into the scenes, but I just didn't feel it. I've heard this series gets better, but I've never continued on with a series when I'm two books in and have yet to enjoy it. So why would I continue this? This has me questioning my entire King journey. 

My big hang-up is the racism. I'm just tired of how black characters are portrayed in King books. This one was particularly offensive. I think listening to this one on audiobook was a bad idea. Hearing someone use that voice, in this context, grated on my nerves. 

Also, if you haven't read the Talisman, you won't even understand what's happening. You can speculate, but nothing is explained. In my opinion, this book is not that good. I'm surprised so many people like this series. I would think it would be more divisive. 

This is not a typical King book. It was easy to digest, and I didn't find anything offensive. I would even say it's suitable for kids. I assume that's why this is labeled as young adult. But don't let that misleading classification fool you. Young adult fantasy today has come to mean something every different from what you will find here. This book has a fairytale vibe, but it still has that gritty King atmosphere. Told from storytellers' perspective, The Eyes of the Dragon is a story of intrigue and betrayal. It follows a royal family and the advisor to the King/ mysterious wizard... Flagg. Flagg is a notorious villain in the Kingverse. Getting more of his story, told in this unique-to-King way, was a real treat. If you're a fan of The Stand, this book is a must-read.

The narrator of the audiobook nailed Flagg as a character. I actually enjoyed the voices he gave to all the characters. He really brought the whole thing to life. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan as it can stand on its own. However, I think I liked this even more because of where it fell in my King journey. IT was a disappointment in my eyes, so this book helped to revitalize my excitement for King's work. I think fans of King should talk about this one more. This book deserves more hype. 

WTF. That is the thought I'm left with after finishing this book. 

The only aspect of this that I really liked was the vibe. It's practically an origin of stranger things. A group of loser kids team up against the big bad. The concept sounds interesting, and a lot of the opening scenes are great. Then the drag kicks in. I had the feeling that I was sitting through the same experience again and again. It was too much. Ultimately, it felt bloated and unnecessary. 

Normally, I can look past some of the racism that is prevalent in King's writing. This book went past the line, in my opinion. It went so far that I can't even give it the benefit of age. It just felt wrong, and that issue was my biggest hurdle in trying to enjoy this story. Or at least that was the case... up until... "the scene." I was stocked. Disgusted. I hate that this happened in such a beloved book. Why? I can't look past it. It's not the only disgusting scene, but it's the only one I can't stop thinking about. Why? WTF. The whole thing came out of nowhere and was just gross. 

In retrospect, I wish I had never read this book. I would not recommend. 

I don't even want to talk about this book. The only reason I finished this series is because I'm stubborn. I rarely DNF a book, especially a series. So I finished it. I understood what type of series this was, but I expected it to grow. To get better with each installment. Instead it I felt like the writing and plots were cheaper and more uninspired with each edition. Maybe I've just read too many good fantasy books to consider this anything other than bad. 

The only focus here is on the relationships, and it doesn't even do that well. Everything is forced and reads like a pre-teens diary. The fantasy is not just in the setting but also in the characters and their interactions. 

I need more than this from my literature. Adding some Latin and a few old quotes doesn't make a well written book. Anyone can do research to pad a text. Creating a smart plot with unique, layered characters is what makes a book. 

Only the inexperienced can read this with any enjoyment. I would not recommend it. 

Even though this book was co-written, it feels very much like a king book in tone. I'm glad I read it in my king journey. Only for the kingverse connections. It made the Gunslinger make a little more sense... right here and now. 

The story centers around a kid and his magical trek across America. While slightly childish, it was extremely adult in subject matter. I personally found that dichotomy unenjoyable and uncomfortable.

One caveat that might explain my dislike of this book is that I'm not a fan of fairytales. Not all readers have that type of hang-up, so they might find more to like in this story. In my experience, fairytales have hollow characters, and the events can feel too convenient. As if the story was dumb down it be easily understood. The Talisman had these issues, in my opinion. The protagonist is a shell who realizes exactly what he needs to when he needs to. There's no surprise or drama in the adventure. All events are predestined to occur. Regardless of the reasons behind these stylistic choices, I can't enjoy it. It's just not my vibe. 

This isn't a book I would recommend to anyone. 

I think this is one of those books that is more enjoyable when you go in, mostly blind so I won't go into any details. It's short, so it's not like you really need all the details beforehand anyway. Part of the enjoyment of the story is not fully understanding everything that is happening. I actually liked the slow meandering pace of the story. The end was a little less concrete than I normally prefer, but I found it fitting for the tale.

Another aspect I found fitting was the lack of names. People are referred to by their titles or purpose rather than who they are. I think it tricked my mind into humanizing the characters more, but that thought doesn't really make any sense.

The POV was my favorite part of this work. I rarely felt frustrated with her actions, which is a unique quality for a POV to possess in a mystery.

I would recommend this to people who like surreal fiction. Or for fans of sci-fi with a dreamlike horror fantasy vibe.

Edit:
Having finished the trilogy I feel the need to put a disclaimer here. I hated the last book. The second book is okay but I really wish I hadn't read either sequel. I would recommend reading this as a standalone. You won't get any satisfaction from the tiny morsels of information you're provided in the later books. 

WARNING: The rest of this trilogy sucks. I just DNF'd the third book at about a quarter so I'd disregard the following review if I were you. 




I started this book listening to the audio. The narrator wasn't my vibe. I felt like she was putting too much emphasis on every sentence, and it sounded slightly childish. The story intrigued me, so I switched to reading physically, and I'm glad I did. It was a much more enjoyable experience. Not every book is cut out to be an audio book. 

The story centers around an infinite library. It is a fantastic setting, in my opinion, as a book lover. The concept kept me interested throughout the read. There are epigraphs before each chapter with an excerpt from a book in the library. I wish there had been information about where in the library whose book currently were, but those excerpts were nonetheless fun. 

I would recommend this book to people who love books. It's not a hard sell considering the audience. 

My favorite part of Christine was the characters. King did a fantastic job writing from a teenage perspective. Proving you don't have to have your young characters whine constantly to show youth like so many other teen focused stories. These kids felt realistic, and their relationships with each other, their parents, and authority figures were believable. 

The plot itself, when thought of in basic terms, is a little silly. However, the car (Christine) was a compelling villain. The menace was palpable throughout the entire book. I wish there was more substance in the final explanations, but I still felt satisfied with the conclusion.

I think if this hadn't been about a car, I would have rated it higher. I'm just not that interested in a car as a topic, so I found that aspect of the tale less intriguing.

I would recommend this book to any reader. It's more of a thriller than a horror, in my opinion. Solid read. 

This is the worst King book I've read so far. It's a real disappointment. I have really enjoyed most of King's books since I started going through his work (this was my tenth). I was really looking forward to starting the Dark Tower series in particular, but after this book, I'm less thrilled with the prospect of continuing this story. I plan to give this series one or two more volumes to see if it gets better, but that's mostly due to my own stubbornness. My original plan was to go through all his novels in publication order... now my tbr is laughing at me. 

The Gunslinger has the same vibe as The Stand minus all the interesting information and character development. It's a real slog of a book, and that's a real feat, considering it's only a little over 200 pages. My recommendation would be to at least read The Stand before you go into this. If you don't like that you won't like this. If you do like The Stand, know that this is a step down. Hopefully, the series has more to offer in book 2.