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thecaptainsquarters
This series is another comfort read for me. I just love the world building in this. But mostly I love Thara Celeha. He does not believe he deserves love or forgiveness, always tries to do the right thing, and is a lovely character to follow. The dignity of how he deals with the dead is so heart warming and also heart wrenching at times. Another favorite in this book is the Pel-Thenior, the manager of the Vermillion Opera. Their interactions sweet. I continue to love how real the world feels. I love how tea is used in the culture. The first book of this series can be read as a standalone. The second cannot. I do not know when book three comes out but I wants it! There seem to be a couple of short stories set in the world that I will have to track down.
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Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. While I try to post no spoilers, this be a direct sequel to the witness for the dead so proceed at yer own peril . . .
As soon as I heard there was another book featuring Celehar, I knew I had to read it. And I was not disappointed. I love him. This book continues the day-to-day life of Celehar and that continues to be the highlight for me. There is also the addition of Othala Tomasarin, a Witness in training, and their solving more crimes as well as helping the common folk. Celehar is still dealing with the trauma of his past and learning to open up to friendships.
It is truly hard to express the complexity of these books and yet how easy and compelling they are to read. The novels are character driven but I am still in awe of how the world building is wrapped into the story. The more I learn about the politics and nuances of the city, the more I want. I appears that there will be another book about Celehar given the way the book ended. At least I hope so! I need to know where Celehar is going to go from here.
This book should not be read as a standalone. I believe both prior books are necessary to read before this one. That said, if ye loved those then this one is likely to float yer boat too. Arrr!
*********************************
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. While I try to post no spoilers, this be a direct sequel to the witness for the dead so proceed at yer own peril . . .
As soon as I heard there was another book featuring Celehar, I knew I had to read it. And I was not disappointed. I love him. This book continues the day-to-day life of Celehar and that continues to be the highlight for me. There is also the addition of Othala Tomasarin, a Witness in training, and their solving more crimes as well as helping the common folk. Celehar is still dealing with the trauma of his past and learning to open up to friendships.
It is truly hard to express the complexity of these books and yet how easy and compelling they are to read. The novels are character driven but I am still in awe of how the world building is wrapped into the story. The more I learn about the politics and nuances of the city, the more I want. I appears that there will be another book about Celehar given the way the book ended. At least I hope so! I need to know where Celehar is going to go from here.
This book should not be read as a standalone. I believe both prior books are necessary to read before this one. That said, if ye loved those then this one is likely to float yer boat too. Arrr!
Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. I enjoyed his viewpoints so I ordered asked him to write reviews. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
From the Captain:
This book is about a dude who hits something with his car when going around a curve and finds out later that he killed an alien (silly!). Of course then dude and his friends have to save the planet with the help of ship AI "Sheldon." I listened to the audiobook of this one and found it very enjoyable but ultimately rather forgettable. There are lots of pop-culture references and geeky sci-fi references. It makes fun of some of the conspiracy theories around aliens. Pleasant and fun and silly.
From the First Mate:
As is expected, my primary exposure to Dennis E. Taylor is his Bobiverse novels. Roadkill has that same snarky style prevalent in the Bobiverse, and if you're into that, you'll enjoy the writing here.
Like the style, the main characters (Jack, Natalie, and Patrick) feel like they've been pulled directly from the Bobiverse with different names and appearances. Taylor is very comfortable writing these types of characters, and they're fun and interesting more often than not. While I enjoyed them, I could see how others might find the lack of character variety between books frustrating.
The AI in the story, Sheldon, feels a bit like a mashup of the AIs present in the works of Douglas Adams, Iain M Banks, and Martha Wells—dour, snarky, irreverent, yet always oddly protective and caring. Again, the character feels a bit like a character appearing at the end of the fourth Bobiverse book. I liked Sheldon and its storyline, but I could again see where others would feel they'd seen it before.
Unfortunately, the plot also falls into the "I think I've seen this before" category. Novelty in the plot is not a requirement for a great book, but when the style and the characters are also so reminiscent of previous works, so much familiarity does seem a bit much after a while.
Despite my criticisms, I did enjoy the book. But I enjoyed it in the "this is silly fluff that passes the time without overly engaging my brain" type of way that sometimes is absolutely needed. Nothing deep here, just silly fun.
From the Captain:
This book is about a dude who hits something with his car when going around a curve and finds out later that he killed an alien (silly!). Of course then dude and his friends have to save the planet with the help of ship AI "Sheldon." I listened to the audiobook of this one and found it very enjoyable but ultimately rather forgettable. There are lots of pop-culture references and geeky sci-fi references. It makes fun of some of the conspiracy theories around aliens. Pleasant and fun and silly.
From the First Mate:
As is expected, my primary exposure to Dennis E. Taylor is his Bobiverse novels. Roadkill has that same snarky style prevalent in the Bobiverse, and if you're into that, you'll enjoy the writing here.
Like the style, the main characters (Jack, Natalie, and Patrick) feel like they've been pulled directly from the Bobiverse with different names and appearances. Taylor is very comfortable writing these types of characters, and they're fun and interesting more often than not. While I enjoyed them, I could see how others might find the lack of character variety between books frustrating.
The AI in the story, Sheldon, feels a bit like a mashup of the AIs present in the works of Douglas Adams, Iain M Banks, and Martha Wells—dour, snarky, irreverent, yet always oddly protective and caring. Again, the character feels a bit like a character appearing at the end of the fourth Bobiverse book. I liked Sheldon and its storyline, but I could again see where others would feel they'd seen it before.
Unfortunately, the plot also falls into the "I think I've seen this before" category. Novelty in the plot is not a requirement for a great book, but when the style and the characters are also so reminiscent of previous works, so much familiarity does seem a bit much after a while.
Despite my criticisms, I did enjoy the book. But I enjoyed it in the "this is silly fluff that passes the time without overly engaging my brain" type of way that sometimes is absolutely needed. Nothing deep here, just silly fun.
Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. I enjoyed his viewpoints so I ordered asked him to write reviews. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
From the Captain:
This be another sci-fi that deals with forgotten Cold War tech and the consequences of climate change. It has killer fungus. The setting of a self-storage facility placed in a former military storage bunker is part of the delight of this novel. Two main characters (ex-con who crushes on the single mom) are self-storage employees. The third is a retired ex-Pentagon operative involved in the original cover up. There are plenty of side characters that are caricatures but fun ones. This is over-the-top but I loved the majority of it up until the silly, but stupidly fun, ending. It was amusing and a quick read. Popcorn sci-fi for sure.
From the First Mate:
Like a Roger Corman or SyFy original in novel form. Minimal locations (majority of the action takes place in a mountainside public storage, small cast (3 main characters, less than a dozen fodder characters), and a sci-fi / horror premise that wouldn't take many special effects to realize (an aggressive fungus turns people into zombies). It's schlocky and silly and is constantly on the edge of falling into absurd territory, but I love schlock, so this one worked for me.
Koepp comes to novel writing from being a screenwriter, and it shows. All the characters are pretty one-note; the background we get on them is essentially the type an actor would get to better prepare for their scene. The tension in the plot is continually ratcheting up, and there's an action beat every ten or so pages. We even get the fungus anthropomorphized to the point that it gets angry (yes, angry fungus) when something thwarts its diabolical plans to break out of its container and zombify the world. There's body horror, plucky high school dropout protagonists, and forgotten thermal bombs tucked away next to Christmas decorations. This one's got all the schlock.
One element that was handled particularly well was the concept of dangerous relics of the past being forgotten and future generations ultimately having to pay the price for past ineptitude. It's a relevant and timely concern in the world today. I thought Koepp was going to do something with it, what with the old soldier coming out of retirement side plot. But no. It's just in service of more schlock. But, again, I like schlock, so no harm done. Recommend for mindless, schlocky fun.
From the Captain:
This be another sci-fi that deals with forgotten Cold War tech and the consequences of climate change. It has killer fungus. The setting of a self-storage facility placed in a former military storage bunker is part of the delight of this novel. Two main characters (ex-con who crushes on the single mom) are self-storage employees. The third is a retired ex-Pentagon operative involved in the original cover up. There are plenty of side characters that are caricatures but fun ones. This is over-the-top but I loved the majority of it up until the silly, but stupidly fun, ending. It was amusing and a quick read. Popcorn sci-fi for sure.
From the First Mate:
Like a Roger Corman or SyFy original in novel form. Minimal locations (majority of the action takes place in a mountainside public storage, small cast (3 main characters, less than a dozen fodder characters), and a sci-fi / horror premise that wouldn't take many special effects to realize (an aggressive fungus turns people into zombies). It's schlocky and silly and is constantly on the edge of falling into absurd territory, but I love schlock, so this one worked for me.
Koepp comes to novel writing from being a screenwriter, and it shows. All the characters are pretty one-note; the background we get on them is essentially the type an actor would get to better prepare for their scene. The tension in the plot is continually ratcheting up, and there's an action beat every ten or so pages. We even get the fungus anthropomorphized to the point that it gets angry (yes, angry fungus) when something thwarts its diabolical plans to break out of its container and zombify the world. There's body horror, plucky high school dropout protagonists, and forgotten thermal bombs tucked away next to Christmas decorations. This one's got all the schlock.
One element that was handled particularly well was the concept of dangerous relics of the past being forgotten and future generations ultimately having to pay the price for past ineptitude. It's a relevant and timely concern in the world today. I thought Koepp was going to do something with it, what with the old soldier coming out of retirement side plot. But no. It's just in service of more schlock. But, again, I like schlock, so no harm done. Recommend for mindless, schlocky fun.
Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. I enjoyed his viewpoints so I ordered asked him to write reviews. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
From the Captain:
I extremely enjoyed this author's romance book, maybe this time, and the First Mate thought I would like this one too. Dude (Cal) makes a bet to take a woman (Min) to dinner. Min knows about the bet and goes. Neither one wants anything to do with the other but of course hilarity ensues. Both parties get various ideas about the bet confused. I really liked this one. The problem I had with it is that the side-plot dealing with the exes went on too long and I got tired of them. I loved the friendships in this. I really loved Min as a main character. This was an excellent car audiobook. I still like the other book better but I am glad I listened to this one. Arr!
From the First Mate:
One of the things I like most about Crusie's romance novels is that they take a typical romance setup (misunderstanding about a bet leading to overtly flirtatious antagonism) and take it to fun places I wasn't expecting. I love the main character, Min, in this one. She's smart, witty, and is an actuary. She is an amazingly fun character who is always dancing a few steps ahead of the other foolish people in her life. At the very least, her love interest, Cal, quickly comes to see how awesome she is. But then there's that misunderstanding about the bet.
As is often typical in romances, each of our main characters has a friend group that is flirtatious with each other. I liked that Cal and Min's exes were continuously involved throughout the story. Many Crusie novels feature rich, hostile family members, and this one is no exception (though Min does a fantastic job there). While not Maybe This Time good, Bet Me is about as good a contemporary romance as I've read. It's a Crusie romance! What's not to like?
From the Captain:
I extremely enjoyed this author's romance book, maybe this time, and the First Mate thought I would like this one too. Dude (Cal) makes a bet to take a woman (Min) to dinner. Min knows about the bet and goes. Neither one wants anything to do with the other but of course hilarity ensues. Both parties get various ideas about the bet confused. I really liked this one. The problem I had with it is that the side-plot dealing with the exes went on too long and I got tired of them. I loved the friendships in this. I really loved Min as a main character. This was an excellent car audiobook. I still like the other book better but I am glad I listened to this one. Arr!
From the First Mate:
One of the things I like most about Crusie's romance novels is that they take a typical romance setup (misunderstanding about a bet leading to overtly flirtatious antagonism) and take it to fun places I wasn't expecting. I love the main character, Min, in this one. She's smart, witty, and is an actuary. She is an amazingly fun character who is always dancing a few steps ahead of the other foolish people in her life. At the very least, her love interest, Cal, quickly comes to see how awesome she is. But then there's that misunderstanding about the bet.
As is often typical in romances, each of our main characters has a friend group that is flirtatious with each other. I liked that Cal and Min's exes were continuously involved throughout the story. Many Crusie novels feature rich, hostile family members, and this one is no exception (though Min does a fantastic job there). While not Maybe This Time good, Bet Me is about as good a contemporary romance as I've read. It's a Crusie romance! What's not to like?
Ahoy there mateys! Unpopular opinion time! This is a standalone book about Beatrice Bird who has second sight. It was the ghost angle that I was interested in the most. I really loved the beginning of the book and learning about Beatrice's childhood and life in San Francisco. When Beatrice's gift becomes too overwhelming, she moves to a small island to avoid others in an attempt to keep her sanity. When Anne, a traumatized woman shows up on the island, I found the book less compelling. Anne is a battered woman and while I could sympathize with her position, I didn't particularly like her storyline or the easily guessable mystery about her husband. I did love the nuns on the island. This was a pleasant read but ultimately the ghosts didn't make a ton of sense in how they worked. I do think the majority of readers would love this book though, even if it was just okay for me. Arrrr!
Ahoy there mateys! I picked this one up because of its focus of tide based magic and dark academia. Sadly I abandoned ship at 23%. Frankly, a quarter of the way through a book, I expect to be rapidly moving through the pages to find out what happens next. I was bored and confused. The pacing was slow and I did not care about the main character, Emory, at all. I didn't really like the other POV, Baz, either. He seemed like a caricature. There was a mystery and a secret society but a lot of the story was told in flashbacks that bogged down the writing. Ye were supposed to sympathize with Emory's grief but she just came across as self-absorbed and silly. The academia setting was basically irrelevant to the plot. The magic made no sense. If ye have magic from childhood, then why do the students not seem to understand how it works. Also the world building was light despite so much descriptive narrative. I stopped where I could feel the love triangle forming. I cannot recommend this one at all. Arrr!
Ahoy there mateys! The was a pleasant, okay read. If I had realized that the author is Anthony Ryan, the fantasy author, I likely wouldn't have picked this up as I generally do not like his writing style. I supposed he used a slightly different name because this was a sci-fi book. This was also a standalone.
I was interested in this book because all seven characters wake up with amnesia and are on some kind of mission on boat in the middle of a river. But to what purpose? I am a sucker for secret missions and boats. I enjoyed the set-up and enjoyed the prospective of the main character, "Conrad."
It was once the mystery starts to be explained that I was less excited. The sci-fi aspects of this book are frankly unoriginal and don't completely make sense when the mission is finally explained. However, it was not unenjoyable. I though the atmosphere on the river was fun and it was a quick read. Readers who don't read a lot of sci-fi would likely enjoy it more. For me it was a fun popcorn book but ultimately rather forgettable. Arrr!
I was interested in this book because all seven characters wake up with amnesia and are on some kind of mission on boat in the middle of a river. But to what purpose? I am a sucker for secret missions and boats. I enjoyed the set-up and enjoyed the prospective of the main character, "Conrad."
It was once the mystery starts to be explained that I was less excited. The sci-fi aspects of this book are frankly unoriginal and don't completely make sense when the mission is finally explained. However, it was not unenjoyable. I though the atmosphere on the river was fun and it was a quick read. Readers who don't read a lot of sci-fi would likely enjoy it more. For me it was a fun popcorn book but ultimately rather forgettable. Arrr!
Ahoy there me mateys! When I heard there was going to be another book in this series, I was very excited. Sadly this was a flop. There were three problems: Verity, the romance, and the plot.
Verity is the main character and she got on me nerves. She is naïve and childish. Dare I say stupid? Aye, stupid. She disregards evidence of evil doings and doesn't consider anything. She seemingly has the inability to use her brain for critical thinking. Verity also seems both stubborn and selfish. I wasn't really rooting for her. I was waiting for her to show both initiative and spark but it never happened.
The romance was odd and unrealistic even for this gothic setting. I couldn't tell if the author wanted her to be in love with Alex or not. Actually, it never seemed like Verity knew if she wanted to be in love with him either. So, when we are finally told Verity does love him, it seems to be out of nowhere. As a character, Alex was light on real substance. Plus the thrown in lust triangle was ridiculous.
The plot was just convoluted and nonsensical. Verity is supposed to see ghosts but this is not used as a plot point particularly well. Also the set-up to the story was amnesia about Verity's past. I thought that was a weird choice. The mystery of the house was seriously laughable as were the hints about the number 3. Even the timeframe was awkward. The pace was slow so it seemed like no action happened at all for 3/4 of the book. Then, sadly, the action was a soap opera with a ridiculous twist that seemed obvious. The cliff hanger ending was also super lame. How can Verity be THAT stupid? Actually all of the characters had flaws when it came to logic and long range planning.
I could write a lot more about the specifics that irked me (peacocks, tea, manservant, experiments, Alex's parents, etc.) but I don't want to think about this book anymore. Shame because the first one was fun. Arrr!
Verity is the main character and she got on me nerves. She is naïve and childish. Dare I say stupid? Aye, stupid. She disregards evidence of evil doings and doesn't consider anything. She seemingly has the inability to use her brain for critical thinking. Verity also seems both stubborn and selfish. I wasn't really rooting for her. I was waiting for her to show both initiative and spark but it never happened.
The romance was odd and unrealistic even for this gothic setting. I couldn't tell if the author wanted her to be in love with Alex or not. Actually, it never seemed like Verity knew if she wanted to be in love with him either. So, when we are finally told Verity does love him, it seems to be out of nowhere. As a character, Alex was light on real substance. Plus the thrown in lust triangle was ridiculous.
The plot was just convoluted and nonsensical. Verity is supposed to see ghosts but this is not used as a plot point particularly well. Also the set-up to the story was amnesia about Verity's past. I thought that was a weird choice. The mystery of the house was seriously laughable as were the hints about the number 3. Even the timeframe was awkward. The pace was slow so it seemed like no action happened at all for 3/4 of the book. Then, sadly, the action was a soap opera with a ridiculous twist that seemed obvious. The cliff hanger ending was also super lame. How can Verity be THAT stupid? Actually all of the characters had flaws when it came to logic and long range planning.
I could write a lot more about the specifics that irked me (peacocks, tea, manservant, experiments, Alex's parents, etc.) but I don't want to think about this book anymore. Shame because the first one was fun. Arrr!
Ahoy there me mateys! Set in an alternate modern day Texas with dragons, this book is sure to please its target audience. Cassidy Drake lives on at a dragon sanctuary ranch and helps her family maintain their rescue dragons. Dragons are in her blood. But unfortunately the ranch is barely surviving and may not have the funds to pay the taxes. Cassidy wants to ride in the Great Texas Dragon Race and follow in the steps of her champion mother. She wants to win and also wants the prize money to keep the ranch. Her father worries for her safety and doesn't want her to participate.
Of course Cassidy gets into the race but I have to admit that I was surprised at how the race unfolded. Cassidy has to learn to deal with other competent dragon riders, make hard choices, and confront her own shortcomings. I found her to be a wonderful protagonist to cheer for. This was fast paced and fun. I enjoyed the different types of dragons.
I wouldn't mind having an adult novel to talk about the intricacies of how the world of dragons works. Arrr!
Of course Cassidy gets into the race but I have to admit that I was surprised at how the race unfolded. Cassidy has to learn to deal with other competent dragon riders, make hard choices, and confront her own shortcomings. I found her to be a wonderful protagonist to cheer for. This was fast paced and fun. I enjoyed the different types of dragons.
I wouldn't mind having an adult novel to talk about the intricacies of how the world of dragons works. Arrr!
Ahoy there mateys! If ye be reading this book for answers about Charlie Fish, then ye might be disappointed. What ye get instead is a story about found family and a harrowingly look into the immensely deadly Galveston hurricane of 1900. Throw in a bit of magic. The actual plot is nothing really like the blurb. It is really Nellie’s story and a bit about her brother Hank and a bit about a man named Floyd. It is also a snapshot into Galveston, Texas which was one of the major ports of the era and one of the largest cities in the state. There was a lot of tension in this one both about the storm and a set of charlatans making trouble. But on the other hand, the main characters were lovely and well-drawn. I was engrossed in this tale. This is a short read (192 pgs) with a bittersweet ending. Recommended for those who like quirky characters and historical details. Arrr!
Received a copy in exchange for an honest rating.
Received a copy in exchange for an honest rating.