Ahoy there me mateys! I seem to be in the minority for this one as it be just an okay read. I loved the author’s zoo city and so picked up this one to listen to in audiobook format. Here are just some of me random thoughts about the book:

- Cool concepts – It starts out as a police murder mystery and winds into something crazier by the end. It had thriller elements, paranormal fantasy elements, and some horror elements. I enjoyed the mix.

- Annoying characters – I think most of me problems with this book stem from the fact that I couldn’t stand the stupid teenager, Layla. She was just so self-absorbed and dramatic and spoiled. Her actions were selfish and thoughtless. She never seemed to use her brain. I didn’t like her mother, the police detective very much either.

- The mother, Gabriella – This cop made so many bad choices. Her daughter roamed wild and the mother made excuses for some of the VERY not cool things her daughter did. She also broke police protocol all the time, used her position for personal gain, and left her gun where her daughter could get to it. I think she is a negligent parent. I did however buy the fact that she would do anything for her daughter and that her choices stemmed from (misused) love.

- Social media – I did enjoy the use of social media in the book. It was nicely used to further both plot and tension. I particularly loved the live-streaming from the phone and the phone call logs. There was also some philosophical dilemmas that arose from the proper use of social media and technology. In fact this theme may be me favourite part of the book.

- The ending – Did not do it for me. I loved what happens to the reporter character. That was cool. And the portion about TK. But again the mom and daughter stuff just seemed way too easy and unsatisfying. Plus there were “convenience” characters that never got any real closure. I don’t think other readers care but I wanted updates on them.

Basically me dislike of two main characters is what caused the decrease of satisfaction in this book. However I still overall enjoyed the writing style and many of the minor characters. I was engaged almost the entire time I was listening to it (minus the very last couple Layla sections). No regrets here!

Side note: The first mate just finished the shining girls and thought it was excellent. I be readin’ that book soon. Arrr!

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Ahoy there mateys! I remember loving this series back in the day. This series has folks with Graces – a special extreme skill of magic. Now in the first book graceling, the main character Katsa has the grace of killing people. But it could also be something simple like being able to pick out a flattering outfit or something. I listened to these on audiobook and goodness did me viewpoint change.

I still loved the first book. Katsa and Po have a wonderful story. The characterizations are better than the plot but the nostalgia was high and I loved it. But then I absolutely hated the second book, fire. I was so very bored and the main character, Fire, was whiny and waffling and she sits and lets things happen to her. I couldn’t believe how long this book felt even though I still liked the weird world the author created. I wasn’t sure if I was going to reread book three because of how book two let me down but I did.

Book three was a mixed bag. Bitterblue is an engaging character but also a waffler. She also reads more like 12 then 18. There is a lot of this book where nothing happens. There is a lot of talk of abuse and how to handle it. It is rather dark. Again I thought the plot was weak even if I liked many of the characters. I don’t think I will ever reread the second and third books. This series weakened immensely in me adult worldview. But I am glad I revisited it.

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Ahoy there mateys! I remember loving this series back in the day. This series has folks with Graces – a special extreme skill of magic. Now in the first book graceling, the main character Katsa has the grace of killing people. But it could also be something simple like being able to pick out a flattering outfit or something. I listened to these on audiobook and goodness did me viewpoint change.

I still loved the first book. Katsa and Po have a wonderful story. The characterizations are better than the plot but the nostalgia was high and I loved it. But then I absolutely hated the second book, fire. I was so very bored and the main character, Fire, was whiny and waffling and she sits and lets things happen to her. I couldn’t believe how long this book felt even though I still liked the weird world the author created. I wasn’t sure if I was going to reread book three because of how book two let me down but I did.

Book three was a mixed bag. Bitterblue is an engaging character but also a waffler. She also reads more like 12 then 18. There is a lot of this book where nothing happens. There is a lot of talk of abuse and how to handle it. It is rather dark. Again I thought the plot was weak even if I liked many of the characters. I don’t think I will ever reread the second and third books. This series weakened immensely in me adult worldview. But I am glad I revisited it.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! I remember loving this series back in the day. This series has folks with Graces – a special extreme skill of magic. Now in the first book graceling, the main character Katsa has the grace of killing people. But it could also be something simple like being able to pick out a flattering outfit or something. I listened to these on audiobook and goodness did me viewpoint change.

I still loved the first book. Katsa and Po have a wonderful story. The characterizations are better than the plot but the nostalgia was high and I loved it. But then I absolutely hated the second book, fire. I was so very bored and the main character, Fire, was whiny and waffling and she sits and lets things happen to her. I couldn’t believe how long this book felt even though I still liked the weird world the author created. I wasn’t sure if I was going to reread book three because of how book two let me down but I did.

Book three was a mixed bag. Bitterblue is an engaging character but also a waffler. She also reads more like 12 then 18. There is a lot of this book where nothing happens. There is a lot of talk of abuse and how to handle it. It is rather dark. Again I thought the plot was weak even if I liked many of the characters. I don’t think I will ever reread the second and third books. This series weakened immensely in me adult worldview. But I am glad I revisited it.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! I love Shannon Hale’s writing and have read 7 of her books. This book is the first of the Bayern series. Not only was this audiobook fantastic but me favourite part was the author’s afterword about her process into writing the book. The story was so very cute and I am glad I know it. Her website has more insight into this book and the others of the series. What I loved about revisiting this one is how nuanced and well-written it is. The hard elements of the original Grimm tales are there but they are tempered with the growth of the wonderful characters. As Ms. Hale says, “Even though it was my favorite, its strangeness and brevity always left me wanting more. Why did the princess let her lady-in-waiting steal her identity? How did she learn to command the wind? And what about the prince? I thought the story fairly begged to be written into a longer work.” I am so very glad she made this version of the tale.

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Ahoy there mateys! Oh how I absolutely utterly love Bartimaeus. He makes me so very happy. For those who haven’t read the series, it takes place in Britain where magicians rule Parliament and tells the tale of teenage magician Nathaniel who summons Bartimaeus, the djinni, and gets way more than he bargained for. Nathaniel is obnoxious and arrogant but ye love him in the end. Bartimaeus is sarcastic and funny and provoking and wonderful. Listening to the audiobooks was such a treat. In listening to them, I am not sure if book one or three is me favourite. But the human and djinni relationship is the highlight of these books. The plots are wonderful but the characters are even better. I won’t be waiting for so long to read them all again.

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Ahoy there mateys! Oh how I absolutely utterly love Bartimaeus. He makes me so very happy. For those who haven’t read the series, it takes place in Britain where magicians rule Parliament and tells the tale of teenage magician Nathaniel who summons Bartimaeus, the djinni, and gets way more than he bargained for. Nathaniel is obnoxious and arrogant but ye love him in the end. Bartimaeus is sarcastic and funny and provoking and wonderful. Listening to the audiobooks was such a treat. In listening to them, I am not sure if book one or three is me favourite. But the human and djinni relationship is the highlight of these books. The plots are wonderful but the characters are even better. I won’t be waiting for so long to read them all again.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! Oh how I absolutely utterly love Bartimaeus. He makes me so very happy. For those who haven’t read the series, it takes place in Britain where magicians rule Parliament and tells the tale of teenage magician Nathaniel who summons Bartimaeus, the djinni, and gets way more than he bargained for. Nathaniel is obnoxious and arrogant but ye love him in the end. Bartimaeus is sarcastic and funny and provoking and wonderful. Listening to the audiobooks was such a treat. In listening to them, I am not sure if book one or three is me favourite. But the human and djinni relationship is the highlight of these books. The plots are wonderful but the characters are even better. I won’t be waiting for so long to read them all again.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! This author has been on my list to read for quite some time. So when I saw that Tachyon Publications had a short story collection, I was excited to read this. I wish I could say that I loved this but unfortunately I think the author's short fiction doesn't work for me. I only read 31% of the book and didn't really like any of the stories. I found some of the imagery interesting but overall was dissatisfied. I definitely believe that that this is a case of me and not the author. I do still have her novel the red tree on me list to see if her longer works float me boat better. Many thanks to Tachyon Publications for the review copy. Arrr!

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Ahoy there mateys! So basically I have found a kindred spirit in Ove. He is a curmudgeon who likes things done his way. He also just might be the terror of the neighborhood. This book made me laugh and cry. I had heard good things but nothing really does this book justice. It has an hysterical cat. It has quirky neighbors. It is about friendship. It is about love. It has heart and soul and hilarity. I absolutely loved it. I listened to the audiobook version of this and thought the narrator, George Newburn, did such a wonderful job. I would listen to this again. And I would recommend this to all readers regardless of yer preferred genre.

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