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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Unbreakable (The Legion, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Obviously choosing to dissect Kami Garcia's solo series as my next audiobook victim was a bad idea... a very bad idea...
Basically, I'm saying I give up on Kami Garcia. No offense, but after my horrid experience with the first couple of books of her <i>Beautiful Creatures</i> series she wrote with Margaret Stohl and then <i>Unbreakable</i>, I'm not sure I want to read another of her books (aside from maybe reading <i>Dangerous Creatures</i>).
<i>Unbreakable</i> sort of has a good idea – emphasis on sort of. Garcia's first debut solo novel follows Kennedy Waters, a girl who doesn't actually believe in ghosts until she finds her mother dead. Shortly after, a ghost makes an attempt to kill her as well, and is stopped by Lukas and Jared Lockhart, two brothers who are part of a centuries-old secret society made up of five members trying to stop a demon released by their ancestors hundreds of years ago. However, Kennedy isn't entirely too sure about whether or not she really belongs with this secret society called the Legion of the Black Dove.
For a person who doesn't watch <i>Supernatural</i> much, it's really weird when I get though, oh... 33 pages, that I realize a book is almost an exact carbon copy of the few episodes I watched.
For instance, there are two brothers in <i>Supernatural</i> and there are two brothers in <i>Unbreakable</i>. Are Sam and his brother identical? No.... not that I'm aware, which is only a small difference between the two books. Brother Pair 1 (<i>Supernatural</i>) and Brother Pair 2 (Unbreakable) apparently hunt demons for a living. At least, that's what I think Pair 1 did – correct me if I'm wrong, avid fans who are bound to be more accurate than me.
Oh, and there's a demon hunting around for a certain person... or a certain group of people. I'm pretty sure there was a demon hunting Brother Pair 1 for quite awhile in the episodes I actually watched (give me a break. I was bored. <i>Supernatural</i> just seemed interesting). Fun fact: possession involved in both TV show and book.
The mere fact that <i>Unbreakable</i> matched the few episodes (I believe they were reruns) I watched didn't bother me too much – it was a potential love triangle between Kennedy, Jared, and Lukas that eventually drove me up the wall. If Garcia isn't careful enough, the tension between Jared and Lukas could eventually set the book on fire – Lukas spends a good part of his time between fighting vengeful spirits and other things rubbing something that Jared did wrong in his face. It gets bad enough that both brothers reach the point of throttling each other's throats and Kennedy going between them and stopping them.
I felt like I was watching a scene from a <i>Twilight</i> (I'm starting to appreciate this series). <i>Lux</i> (because I totally snuck a few peeks in the third one), and pretty much any other book that has a love triangle in which 66% of them nearly start a brawl while the rest of the 33% pretty much yells, "STOP!"
By then, I was definitely not sticking around for five to go down to four just because of a mistake.
I did, however, like the world of Legion. It's certainly not a life I would want, but I definitely enjoyed the basic idea behind the series, Candice Accola's narration of <i>Unbreakable</i>, and the sound effects used in the audiobook.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-audiobook-review-unbreakable-by-kami-garcia/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Basically, I'm saying I give up on Kami Garcia. No offense, but after my horrid experience with the first couple of books of her <i>Beautiful Creatures</i> series she wrote with Margaret Stohl and then <i>Unbreakable</i>, I'm not sure I want to read another of her books (aside from maybe reading <i>Dangerous Creatures</i>).
<i>Unbreakable</i> sort of has a good idea – emphasis on sort of. Garcia's first debut solo novel follows Kennedy Waters, a girl who doesn't actually believe in ghosts until she finds her mother dead. Shortly after, a ghost makes an attempt to kill her as well, and is stopped by Lukas and Jared Lockhart, two brothers who are part of a centuries-old secret society made up of five members trying to stop a demon released by their ancestors hundreds of years ago. However, Kennedy isn't entirely too sure about whether or not she really belongs with this secret society called the Legion of the Black Dove.
For a person who doesn't watch <i>Supernatural</i> much, it's really weird when I get though, oh... 33 pages, that I realize a book is almost an exact carbon copy of the few episodes I watched.
For instance, there are two brothers in <i>Supernatural</i> and there are two brothers in <i>Unbreakable</i>. Are Sam and his brother identical? No.... not that I'm aware, which is only a small difference between the two books. Brother Pair 1 (<i>Supernatural</i>) and Brother Pair 2 (Unbreakable) apparently hunt demons for a living. At least, that's what I think Pair 1 did – correct me if I'm wrong, avid fans who are bound to be more accurate than me.
Oh, and there's a demon hunting around for a certain person... or a certain group of people. I'm pretty sure there was a demon hunting Brother Pair 1 for quite awhile in the episodes I actually watched (give me a break. I was bored. <i>Supernatural</i> just seemed interesting). Fun fact: possession involved in both TV show and book.
The mere fact that <i>Unbreakable</i> matched the few episodes (I believe they were reruns) I watched didn't bother me too much – it was a potential love triangle between Kennedy, Jared, and Lukas that eventually drove me up the wall. If Garcia isn't careful enough, the tension between Jared and Lukas could eventually set the book on fire – Lukas spends a good part of his time between fighting vengeful spirits and other things rubbing something that Jared did wrong in his face. It gets bad enough that both brothers reach the point of throttling each other's throats and Kennedy going between them and stopping them.
I felt like I was watching a scene from a <i>Twilight</i> (I'm starting to appreciate this series). <i>Lux</i> (because I totally snuck a few peeks in the third one), and pretty much any other book that has a love triangle in which 66% of them nearly start a brawl while the rest of the 33% pretty much yells, "STOP!"
By then, I was definitely not sticking around for five to go down to four just because of a mistake.
I did, however, like the world of Legion. It's certainly not a life I would want, but I definitely enjoyed the basic idea behind the series, Candice Accola's narration of <i>Unbreakable</i>, and the sound effects used in the audiobook.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-audiobook-review-unbreakable-by-kami-garcia/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Snow White & the Huntsman in Books
Apr 27, 2018
You know what I love? Creatively re-told fairy-tales. You know what I hate? Terribly re-told fairy-tales made into crappy movies and then made into a book, written with poor prose. That pretty much summarizes how I feel about this (audio)book.
Let's start with the good:
1. The narrator was excellent. She also read for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Why We Broke Up, the Iron King, and many other audiobooks. She made even the dullest most pointless sentences, pieces of dialogue, and descriptions sound interesting, and managed to hold my attention most of they way through the audiobook (until I stopped for dinner, and then realized I really didn't want to start listening again.)
2. It was fast-paced. The plot never slowed... but there were parts where the unneeded descriptions seemed to slow down and break the tension, or unnecessary interior monologue broke the mood.
3. The bad guys were very bad, and the good guys were very good. It made it a classic hero-vilan fairy-tale.
Now for the not-so-good:
1. Poor writing. It wasn't Stephenie-Meyer Terrible, but every sentence started with "he..." "she..." "He said," "She felt..." and it felt repetitive and boring. There was no sentence structure besides basic subject-verb-direct object. Also, the adjectives, adverbs, and overall descriptions and vocabulary was boring, expected, and unfeeling.
2. Who names a princess "Snow White?" Really? I can see naming her "Snow" or something, but if you're going to re-tell a fairy-tale, at least give your heroine a name that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I realize that this is a complaint about the movie screenplay, not the book adaption... but still. It felt awkward to have all these names like William, Eric, Gus, Anna, Lilly, and... Snow White.
3. The bad guys were soul-less, and the good guys were perfect. Even bad characters have some redeeming value as to why you kind of wish they didn't have to die, but they're bad so you have to kill them. The bad guys in this story were just so bad, there was no way you could not hate them. The good guys were flawless: children obeyed their parents, men saved their women, women sacrificed for their families, and Snow White was a sweet innocent little angel. I'm sorry, but even good guys have a bad side. And if you're perfect, I couldn't care less what happens to you, because I can't relate to you.
So that is, essentially, why I stopped listening to the audiobook halfway through.
Let's start with the good:
1. The narrator was excellent. She also read for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Why We Broke Up, the Iron King, and many other audiobooks. She made even the dullest most pointless sentences, pieces of dialogue, and descriptions sound interesting, and managed to hold my attention most of they way through the audiobook (until I stopped for dinner, and then realized I really didn't want to start listening again.)
2. It was fast-paced. The plot never slowed... but there were parts where the unneeded descriptions seemed to slow down and break the tension, or unnecessary interior monologue broke the mood.
3. The bad guys were very bad, and the good guys were very good. It made it a classic hero-vilan fairy-tale.
Now for the not-so-good:
1. Poor writing. It wasn't Stephenie-Meyer Terrible, but every sentence started with "he..." "she..." "He said," "She felt..." and it felt repetitive and boring. There was no sentence structure besides basic subject-verb-direct object. Also, the adjectives, adverbs, and overall descriptions and vocabulary was boring, expected, and unfeeling.
2. Who names a princess "Snow White?" Really? I can see naming her "Snow" or something, but if you're going to re-tell a fairy-tale, at least give your heroine a name that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I realize that this is a complaint about the movie screenplay, not the book adaption... but still. It felt awkward to have all these names like William, Eric, Gus, Anna, Lilly, and... Snow White.
3. The bad guys were soul-less, and the good guys were perfect. Even bad characters have some redeeming value as to why you kind of wish they didn't have to die, but they're bad so you have to kill them. The bad guys in this story were just so bad, there was no way you could not hate them. The good guys were flawless: children obeyed their parents, men saved their women, women sacrificed for their families, and Snow White was a sweet innocent little angel. I'm sorry, but even good guys have a bad side. And if you're perfect, I couldn't care less what happens to you, because I can't relate to you.
So that is, essentially, why I stopped listening to the audiobook halfway through.
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Right Hand in Books
Apr 27, 2018
I started listening to The Right Hand with absolutely no idea what it was about, and within seconds I was entranced. Everything about this book was 5 stars or higher. The writing was right for the genre: descriptive and witty, but more focused on the point of the story than the writing itself. The pacing was perfect, the tone was awesome, and the characters were fabulous. I mean, a CIA spy who is so bad-ass and awesome at what he does that the organization doesn't even want to know how he gets his job done, only that he gets it done? How awesome is that? The plot never stopped moving, changing, turning. (And since I did listen to the audiobook, I will say, the reader did an excellent job!)
Sometimes I have long drawn out reviews and lots to say about books… and don't get me wrong, I have a lot to say about The Right Hand, but it all circles around one thing: If you like spy thrillers and adventure novels and don't mind a good murder or some bloodshed, go read this book now. This book is Exciting, entertaining, funny, emotional, and just downright awesomely cool.
Content/Recommendation: Mind language. Violence (not gruesome, but still bloody). Ages 16+
Sometimes I have long drawn out reviews and lots to say about books… and don't get me wrong, I have a lot to say about The Right Hand, but it all circles around one thing: If you like spy thrillers and adventure novels and don't mind a good murder or some bloodshed, go read this book now. This book is Exciting, entertaining, funny, emotional, and just downright awesomely cool.
Content/Recommendation: Mind language. Violence (not gruesome, but still bloody). Ages 16+
ClareR (5885 KP) rated An American Marriage in Books
Apr 26, 2019
A thought provoking novel
The story of Roy, Celestine and André. Roy is falsely accused of rape and is imprisoned for ten years. He and Celestine haven’t been married for much more than a year, and Celestine finds quite early on that she can’t cope with being alone and a prisoners wife. I have to admit that I disliked her a great deal for this. She knew that he was innocent, but couldn’t stand by him. She stops visiting, cuts off contact, but still pays money into his jail bank account. Her childhood friend, and Roy’s best friend develops into something more at Roy’s mothers funeral. I realise, looking back on this, that I was very judgemental of someone who was put into an impossible situation. Celestine didn’t ask for any of the problems that were thrown at her after Roy’s imprisonment, and I really think that this book was very good at making you see all sides of the story. People had their reasons for doing what they did.
I actually listened to this on audiobook, and I think this was in large part to ‘blame’ for my very emotional reaction to Celestine’s apparent abandonment of Roy. The narrators were excellent.
I actually listened to this on audiobook, and I think this was in large part to ‘blame’ for my very emotional reaction to Celestine’s apparent abandonment of Roy. The narrators were excellent.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Bitterblue in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Bitterblue is the third book in the Graceling Realm trilogy, and probably my favourite of the three. Graceling took place in a land of seven Kingdoms, then the second book, Fire, shifted the narrative's time and space. It took place many years before the events in Graceling and in a land quite unlike the one created in the first book. Bitterblue returns us to the world we began in, ten years later and in the final chapters weaves the story from Fire in more clearly.
It was nice seeing the characters from Graceling, like Katsa and Po making an appearance once more in this series. It's been a decade, so you're curious what has happened to everyone. I enjoyed the main characters in this book and enjoyed the scenes with both familiar and new faces.
The pace of this book wasn't frenetic or the plot action-packed, but it was engaging nonetheless. There's not much more that I can discuss without spoilers, other than the fact that I listened to this via audiobook. I quite enjoyed the narrator's performance and she also performed Fire, although she was not one of the narrators for Graceling.
Overall, I did enjoy this series but it is certainly not in my top ten fantasy series of all time.
It was nice seeing the characters from Graceling, like Katsa and Po making an appearance once more in this series. It's been a decade, so you're curious what has happened to everyone. I enjoyed the main characters in this book and enjoyed the scenes with both familiar and new faces.
The pace of this book wasn't frenetic or the plot action-packed, but it was engaging nonetheless. There's not much more that I can discuss without spoilers, other than the fact that I listened to this via audiobook. I quite enjoyed the narrator's performance and she also performed Fire, although she was not one of the narrators for Graceling.
Overall, I did enjoy this series but it is certainly not in my top ten fantasy series of all time.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Okay, I didn't hate this book as much as I thought I would but that doesn't mean much. As anyone that follows my reviews will notice, I do not read mysteries. When I do read a mystery it is for book club and inevitably I find it dull. This book was no different. I would give this book a 2.5 star rating so I rounded up to 3.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology in Books
Nov 9, 2018
Fascinating book filled with drama, hope, and a lot of cursing
Wow, just wow. I've been wanting to read Troublemaker ever since I heard of it. I've liked Leah Remini as an actress and I've always been curious about Scientology. The only thing I knew about it was that Tom Cruise was a Scientologist and that a bunch of Hollywood people were too.
This book is quite interesting and the audiobook was extremely well done. I enjoyed listening to Leah Remini tell her story and it was fascinating to listen to all of the hardships she has undergone. This book is centered around Scientology because Leah Remini grew up in the cult. I honestly loved hearing her tell her story and it is extremely brave of her to come forward with her story.
One thing that has set this book apart is how much of Leah Remini's personality is in it. It made me laugh, look on in horror, and want to cry at times. Remini really doesn't hold back her opinions yet at the same time this book comes off fairly humble. It's a fascinating book filled with drama, hope, and a lot of cursing. It's definitely worth a read/listen.
This book is quite interesting and the audiobook was extremely well done. I enjoyed listening to Leah Remini tell her story and it was fascinating to listen to all of the hardships she has undergone. This book is centered around Scientology because Leah Remini grew up in the cult. I honestly loved hearing her tell her story and it is extremely brave of her to come forward with her story.
One thing that has set this book apart is how much of Leah Remini's personality is in it. It made me laugh, look on in horror, and want to cry at times. Remini really doesn't hold back her opinions yet at the same time this book comes off fairly humble. It's a fascinating book filled with drama, hope, and a lot of cursing. It's definitely worth a read/listen.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Celine in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I read this book for the monthly mystery book club I attend. Usually, I thoroughly enjoy the books selected for us to read. The other times I really do not like the choice. This, unfortunately, is one of those times. I just could not get into this book. I read nearly 100 pages before I started just skimming the rest of the book. I tried to listen to the audiobook, read the ebook, and read a printed copy of it and none of them could hold my attention.
There is a lot of extraneous detail about the characters, their background, the scenery, etc. The story jumps all over the place and discusses different story lines and different timelines. This did not help me make a connection with any of the characters. The story mentions how bad last year was for the main character. The reason for this was not stated in the first 100 pages or, if it was, I did not care enough to retain the information.
The author, Peter Heller, has written other books. One, "The Dog Stars" is on my "want to read" list. However, after reading this book, it has moved down further on my list.
There is a lot of extraneous detail about the characters, their background, the scenery, etc. The story jumps all over the place and discusses different story lines and different timelines. This did not help me make a connection with any of the characters. The story mentions how bad last year was for the main character. The reason for this was not stated in the first 100 pages or, if it was, I did not care enough to retain the information.
The author, Peter Heller, has written other books. One, "The Dog Stars" is on my "want to read" list. However, after reading this book, it has moved down further on my list.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Why Mummy Drinks in Books
Jan 21, 2020
Swear heavy rantings
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gabrielle Glaister. My expectation picking up this book was that it was going to be a humorous commentary on the daily trials of motherhood but for me, it didn’t hit the funny spot I was hoping for.
Written from the point of view of a 39-year-old mother of two young children we have a view of her life as she hopes it is going to go and then how things actually happen.
The beginning of this book came across as some sort of constant swearing rant by a rather stuck up woman who I was struggling to feel any sympathy for. I nearly gave up on it but it did improve.
I just couldn't muster any love for this mum. I don't think the narration helped for me but overall the tone just wasn't enjoyable. There were moments, in particular, the Christmas period that brought a smile to my face but I had wanted more of a laugh.
I generally don’t mind a lot of swearing but it was done in such a repetitive way it didn’t help the story, oh and having FML read out as letters frequently grated.
Written from the point of view of a 39-year-old mother of two young children we have a view of her life as she hopes it is going to go and then how things actually happen.
The beginning of this book came across as some sort of constant swearing rant by a rather stuck up woman who I was struggling to feel any sympathy for. I nearly gave up on it but it did improve.
I just couldn't muster any love for this mum. I don't think the narration helped for me but overall the tone just wasn't enjoyable. There were moments, in particular, the Christmas period that brought a smile to my face but I had wanted more of a laugh.
I generally don’t mind a lot of swearing but it was done in such a repetitive way it didn’t help the story, oh and having FML read out as letters frequently grated.