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ClareR (5950 KP) rated The Pharmacist in Books

Jul 24, 2022  
The Pharmacist
The Pharmacist
Rachelle Atalla | 2022 | Contemporary, Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Pharmacist is the kind of book that I find I have to ration. I love it, but frankly the concept is terrifying. I read a lot of books about End Of Times, apocalypse, dystopia - I’m addicted, but I find I can’t stop thinking about them, and I even dreamt about The Pharmacist!

This isn’t a light read, and the dread isn’t even underlying: it’s constantly there, glowering in every paragraph, every sentence. The reader doesn’t know why these specially chosen people are all holed up in a bunker together, but something terrible, world changing, has happened.

And the claustrophobia! I could imagine the close living quarters, the smell of the not-quite-clean inhabitants, the fear of doing something to incur the wrath of the bunkers leader. Now, he’s quite some character: power mad and more than happy to use anyone to get what he wants. And although the pharmacist, Wolfe, is supplying him with ever greater supplies of drugs, she is the one who is at his mercy.

Whatever is outside the bunker is worse than what’s inside (I debate this, and would be much happier taking my chances on the outside!). And the tasks that the leader demands that Wolfe undertakes, get worse and worse.

This is an unrelentingly grim read, and I’m sure it says a whole lot about me when I say that I loved it. I looked forward - with trepidation - to reading every one of the ten instalments on The Pigeonhole.
  
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Joe Abercrombie | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book of the Shattered Sea trilogy and takes place a couple of years after the previous book, Half the World. The long forecast war between Gettland and the High King commences with the High King's champion, Bright Yilling, invading Throvenland. Princess Skara manages to escape to Gettland where she joins the allies so that she can take her homeland back from the invaders.

Father Yarvi is also determined to strike back, to carry out the oath of vengeance he swore against his father's killers. To do this he must defeat Bright Yilling and his army and then take on the High King himself. But just how far is he prepared to go in order to secure victory?

I actually can't say too much in detail about this book without giving anything away. Much like the previous book, this one seems like a fairly conventional epic fantasy style story for a good half. But then Abercrombie starts to twist the knife as the reader's expectations based on the usual fantasy tropes are knocked down one by one.

Certainly there is much here that is unconventional in many ways and I confess to having a rather mad smile on my face at one point due to the utter craziness of what is going on - but Abercrombie handles it well having laid the groundwork well in advance. It is never clear who is going live and who is going to die, and who is going to win and who is going to lose.

After the first two books, which have quite a lot of conversations and philosophy, this is essentailly one long drawn out battle against various parties in various locations. Some battles are fought with swords and others with words, but both are just as deadly for the loser. The fight scenes are very violent and as expected it's pretty grim and dark at times.

There is plenty of scope left at the end for more stories set in the world of the Shattered Sea and these would be welcome but it also clear that the story of Yarvi and his revenge has been completed.

Not the best of the series, the first half is probably too conventional but the second half turns so much on its head it redeems the book completely.

Rating: Lots of violent battles and deaths, some scatalogical phrases and some non-explict sexual scenes. Young Adult but more at the Adult than Young end of that spectrum
  
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Eona: The Last Dragoneye (Eon, #2)
Eona: The Last Dragoneye (Eon, #2)
Alison Goodman | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
5
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I was young, well, younger, I was obsessed with dragons. I would read anything with dragons in it. So when I found Eon, and saw that there was another book in the series I was so happy.

Back in that time when all I had to worry about was getting good grades and reading books, I would have given this book five stars. Now, however, that I’ve come to read some of the finer offerings this genre has to give, I find myself disappointed. Let this be a lesson to anyone: never re-read your favorite childhood book series (unless it’s Harry Potter or Eragon).

To be 100% honest, this book was a mess from start to finish. I found that the writing wasn’t descriptive enough for me to fully appreciate what the author was trying to do. There was also a lot of world building in a small space, and it didn’t work at all. There needed to be more time for that. I felt that 80% of the book was action. Yes, action is good, but there was too much and not enough time left for characters to develop.

Now my major problem is the main character, Eona. She continues to lie and deceive and deny that she’s doing it throughout the book. It’s very annoying and the author should have been able to come up with other events to keep me interested. Also, bringing all those lies out at the end? Yeah, well, that didn’t work for as much as a shock factor as intended. It was easy to see the outcome.

There are only two things going for this book. The first being the overall plot with the dragons. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it, but I think that was a good way to get the book to end. The second is all the mythology and the world history that was weaved into the plot. I really liked learning about those pieces of the world.

All of that being said, I’ve finally decided on just 3 stars. While I did like it at one point in my life, I don’t as much now. I like parts of the book, but it overall lost all importance in my opinion. I won’t be reading it again unless I forget, for some reason, about how confusing the plot ended up being.
  
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