Maybe not my favourite of David's (NOT DAVE) books, but it was the most telling for me. It was fascinating to note the difference from the start to thMaybe not my favourite of David's (NOT DAVE) books, but it was the most telling for me. It was fascinating to note the difference from the start to the finish. How different he was at the start. Still somewhat sarcastic and funny, but I felt that there wasn't much enjoyment (I guess not when you're sleeping in vomit covered rooms and showering in tubs that have your own vomit in them).
A couple of things. It was a lightbulb moment for me when David writes in his diary towards the end about his birthday wish. When he wished for not more...but for less. When he reflects how he can just go and buy what strikes his fancy, whilst in the past he was content with just being able to borrow a book for a library and have a cup of coffee uninterrupted at McDonalds. I imagine we have all been there. Hopefully we are all in a better place than we were a couple of dozen years ago. I mean that's how it's meant to work. You work hard and then you can enjoy and stress less as you're older....but how nice to remember that you were perfectly able to survive with less and still be happy. Seriously...it was a stop the book for a moment and reflect moment for me.
Another thing. Poor Hugh. I mean seriously....Poor poor Hugh. And thank goodness for Hugh. The honesty in David and Hugh's relationship, in even a few short sentences from a diary entry...well...it's amazing...and humbling as well. I wonder where David would be if he hadn't met Hugh. I also wonder where Hugh would be. Talk about two opposites attracting. And the strengths of one complimenting the other...whilst the weaknesses of one smooth the rough edges off the other at the same time. I just imagine a household where there is a lot of eye rolling on both sides!
Another thing...I challenge ANYONE to read one of Sedaris' novels without laughing out loud. I just don't think it can be done.
Finally, when I've thought of diaries, or have kept journals in the past, I always imagined they had to have some sort of deep thought process...or that they had to be pages and pages long. Now I know they don't have to be daily...and they don't have to be word for word. They can be random. They can be funny. They can be sad. They can be angry. They can be just a single sentence. They don't have to thought provoking...but funnily enough, a single sentence about an observation of a stranger CAN be though provoking!
So glad he published this one. Sure, I've read his other books and I know he's had a substance and alcohol problem...but reading this novel really was an eye opener for what has really made David Sedaris the person that he is today. From social attitudes, how strangers have treated him, from family, to jobs, to being poor, from teaching, from lack of taking control, from a thousand different things that have shaped him...I think I love him even more...as if that was possible...and as only David can make you feel, I at times, absolutely dislike him...but that's only the social pressure that says you shouldn't allow people to say some of the things he does out loud....but I can't help it...his honesty is one of the reasons I love him the most...and how can you stay annoyed at someone whilst at the same time you're laughing your head off as well? ...more
**spoiler alert** I have to say that I read this book quickly. I really felt compelled to finish it to the end. I had to see how it ended.
Having said **spoiler alert** I have to say that I read this book quickly. I really felt compelled to finish it to the end. I had to see how it ended.
Having said that, well....that's all I can really say...I found the writing style not only distracting, but also confusing. I found many parts of the novel repetitive. I found the children to be the only mature characters in the novel. I understood their confusion. I understood their emotions and feelings going back and forth. The adults however...I just couldn't relate to. Their constant going back and forth. Their seeming ability to let 6 years go by and every one of them thinking things could/would go back to how it was before.
How does one expect us to feel sorry for the one that left, when she only came back for the reasons she did...I might not agree with her leaving...or why she left...but I could try to relate and understand it somehow...but let's face it, if she wasn't facing a life changing situation, she would still be off doing whatever it is that she did the previous 6 years...
The father...don't even get me started on him. I understand not being perfect. I understand being confused...but he just took it to another level, didn't he?
The "otherworldliness" stuff...again...I just don't get it...sure, I understand that the author might have felt she was adding to the story and trying to stick in clever bits of symbolism, but seriously? It just added to the confusion and the not connecting to the story...as did all the strange "prominent but not prominent" twitter cast.
Finally, the different POVs....I don't mind stories told in different POVs...but when the character in the chapter refers to themselves in 3rd person...it just does my head in...I've never before read anything like that...it's almost like the characters decided to play both character and a narrator and that they couldn't even keep their roles straight and kept getting confused and that's why they slipped into 3rd person narratives from time to time...
Honestly, I'm not trying to rip this book to shreds. It was an interesting storyline. People do walk out of their lives. Sometimes they decide to come back. Often for the exact reasons described in this novel. However, I just don't think many of them come back and expect to pick up exactly where they left off...they come back hoping to mend fences and make amends....not to step right back into the life they walked away from..as if nothing happened....as if they hadn't been heard from in 6 years...as if time froze and did not move one once they left...and certainly, not one, but several adults expecting that to happen for various different reasons...
When it's all said and done, am I glad I read this book? Yes. Was I in a hurry to finish so I could see what happened? Yes. Did I SOOOOO wish it was written differently? Hell yes...
Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
You won't find any spoilers here...if you're looking for that you can just move on by...ha!
Honestly, you won't find much at all here...there simply arYou won't find any spoilers here...if you're looking for that you can just move on by...ha!
Honestly, you won't find much at all here...there simply aren't words enough that I can say to make you understand how much I loved this novel.
What's more, there are no words for just how much this book resonated with me. The truths that lie within, that we all know, but refuse to accept as truths...just because we know they are wrong...or we choose to believe that they have nothing to do with us and are in no way, shape, or form our fault.
I don't want to say Picoult was brave in the writing of this novel. However, that's just not true...it's not how we should look at the writing of this novel. This was the right thing to do. The elephant in the room needs to be acknowledged....I hope that this novel is the start of things to come....
Equity...
Read this book...Recommend this book...Buy a copy of this book and give it to a stranger...But most of all....Discuss this book with as many people as you can...
ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
Mixed reviews on this one. I will quickly say that it felt like borderline erotica that was poorly executed. I also think that at the start that the wMixed reviews on this one. I will quickly say that it felt like borderline erotica that was poorly executed. I also think that at the start that the writing style was mimic of the writing style of "Memories of a Geisha", but where in MoaG it felt authentic, in this novel it just felt amateurish and childish.
Also you had the main character that was obviously powerful in her own right, and at times, she seemed to know this, but most of the time she was still dogeza with the other girls. SHe plainly knew the workings of the culture as it was all she knew...She noted the powers that some of the girls had over the others and noted the powers that her "auntie" had...even though men were always in power at the end of the day...however, it still bothered me that she seemed so subservient to everyone, even though she, in her own right, was put into several positions of power by some of her patrons.
Many times I wanted to put this novel down and place it in my DNF column. There are many parts of the story I would have liked to seen handled differently.
However, at the end of the day, I wanted to see what happened at the end of the story. At the end of the day I think there was some great potential here to make a mediocre novel into something that was very good. Yes it fell short, but I spent a great deal of time imagining and thinking about this novel when I wasn't reading it. I just couldn't manage to put it aside and felt compelled to finish it. I didn't want to walk away and leave it undone. That in itself is something. I have to give credit where credit is due. No it wasn't written as I wished it had, some parts of it I found silly even, but despite all of that, I had to finish it and I am glad that I did.
Not my best read of the year, but certainly not my worst either...
Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review
Okay, so maybe chasing tigers doesn't make this a great read...maybe some of it was a bit far fetched as well...however, I don't give a rat's arse...tOkay, so maybe chasing tigers doesn't make this a great read...maybe some of it was a bit far fetched as well...however, I don't give a rat's arse...this is the Sandford I love...characters going back and forth with sarcasm and wit that makes you feel like you're right there in the same room with them.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen to Flowers now that Davenport has moved on and isn't his boss any longer...reading this novel made me realise that it doesn't even matter any longer...
Flowers is no longer a spin off from The Prey Series...Virgil isn't simply a protégé of Lucas Davenport's. He's all grown up now and is his own self.
I've often marveled at how Sandford has taken Davenport and shaped him into someone that is still relevant despite his aging years and his greying temples...
But now I am seeing the exact same with Flowers. I used to be amused by Flowers, but didn't really have any real respect for him. I found him a bit too free spirited to take seriously....but he's really grown on me...I like the serious Flowers I see now...yes, he still maintains that free spirit bobble headed boy, but there's no doubt that his spirit is laced with steel. His experiences have hardened him and we see more and more of that...but that hardening hasn't changed who he is...only how he handles the situations he's found himself in....
I think there is a lot more to Flowers that we'll see in the future and that's why this is still a series that I am still excited about!
ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
Another great book by Connolly. Again, the ending of this book left me with chills and excitement of things yet to come. I really really REALLY wish CAnother great book by Connolly. Again, the ending of this book left me with chills and excitement of things yet to come. I really really REALLY wish Connolly would stop tormenting us with hints of the daughters and what they are capable of. Ha! I'm sick and anxious over them...and a wee bit scared as well!
For those that haven't read Connolly before, you don't HAVE to read his prior books to enjoy his works...however, there is so much story and history in the previous works. You won't get lost having not read the previous books, but you won't understand all the good stuff either. The layers and layers of history and characters that Connolly has interwoven. Charlie Parker really inspired those around him. Not all of those inspirations are positive. Some of them are borderline worshiping. And all of them are relevant. Imagine these novels are going to a wonderful city...yes, you can enjoy the city no matter what, but only a true local knows all the ins and outs that the city can offer. Those places not found in the tourist attractions. The very same is true for Charlie Parker. You learn much from Parker himself, but so much can be gained by the people that surround him in life.
Finally, I have to say, these characters are getting so rich and so many that I am thinking about starting a Charlie Parker notebook...So many characters that show up from novel to novel and so much of their stories growing and expanding...even though I've read of them in the past, I still feel as if I am missing some stuff because I can't remember them all and all the details.
Of course that might just be an excuse my mind is using to go back and reread all the books!
Please, go read some Charlie Parker books...you won't be disappointed...he's really turning out to be a long time favourite of mine!
ARC provided by netgalley for an honest review...more
Oh dear...I hate to give a review for a book I didn't like much by an author that everyone seems to love. Especially if it's a genre that I've made clOh dear...I hate to give a review for a book I didn't like much by an author that everyone seems to love. Especially if it's a genre that I've made clear isn't my favourite.
As I've wanted to read more books from this genre lately I have been asking myself more and more why it's not a genre that I absolutely love.
This book is why! I've read some exceptional books that were classified "chick lit". I've read some that make my heart swell...some that have made me laugh out loud...and some that have given me so many "feels" that I can't help but to always seek out that next one that makes me feel all those emotions.
This book wasn't awful. But I just have issues with the characters.
Why was the main character so stressed out from a job that she proclaimed meant so much to her, that she was so passionate about, but then was willing to just walk away for several months. I understand stress...I do! I understand needing a break...I do! However, this just seemed like it was over dramatic, especially since a few weeks later it was once again the best job in the universe with no issues at all...what was the real story going on there?
Second, I can't stand where a character just falls for someone they don't know...I mean, she didn't even seem to find him that attractive when she first saw him...then suddenly after talking to her mate, she couldn't stop thinking of him...then after one day she's willing to do all sorts of things with him...
TBH, when we first heard of the *love interest* in this novel the description was so non-descriptive I didn't have a clue what he was like...I pictured him as older man that didn't speak much and might not even speak the same language...
Again, I'm not trying to be horrible here...the book REALLY was okay...
I just need some type of foundation to build a HEA on and I don't feel like I received it in this novel. Little Kate was wonderful...the teddy was wonderful...the elderly Maisie was wonderful...
But that's just it...the rest just weren't...and there were bits that really bothered me...How in an interview and discussing a new job the main character kept referring to the elderly as "old people". Here she is in an interview and they ask her if she's ever worked with senior citizens and she goes on about "one old lady in particular". Im not really one for strict PC, but I just found it a bit off-putting for me. It bothered me. Two days later it STILL bothers me...That "old woman" was meant to be her friend...and there you have it...I just found Emily shallow and fickle. I found Alasdair stern, controlling and unforgiving...and I didn't seem them as an item at all...
I certainly didn't hate the book, but I can't reconcile myself a fantastic, deep felt relationship between two people that I never saw any evidence of...so this book was a pass for me...
I really love this series so I was well chuffed when I received an ARC to read and review. I've been a huge fan of the mother/daughter team of PJ TracI really love this series so I was well chuffed when I received an ARC to read and review. I've been a huge fan of the mother/daughter team of PJ Tracy. I was totally blown away when Monkeewrench was published in 2003 and I am always excited when a new installment comes out.
If I wasn't already familiar with the Monkeewrench team I might have been a bit disappointed in this novel...or perhaps I wouldn't have been disappointed in it, but I wouldn't have understood the relationship that the 5 team members (yes, Charlie IS a team member) share.
I really enjoyed this novel. I just wish there had been more of the interatction between the team. I really missed that. No, we didn't have to revisit and rehash all of the past, but there just didn't seem to be the same chemistry between them as there has been in other novels.
Don't let my disappointment stop you from reading a very good novel! Please! If I'm to be honest, maybe I can admit that the lack of chemistry between the team might mean that they are all in better places and much more able to support themselves emotionally.
Yes, you can read this novel and follow along just fine. You won't be lost. It's a good solid stand alone crime novel...however, don't cut yourself short. This is a series that deserves to be read from the first book. If only you can see how wonderful this series is.
ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
I didn't just fall in love with this novel like I did the first in the series. However, after finishing it, I think I do appreciate this one much moreI didn't just fall in love with this novel like I did the first in the series. However, after finishing it, I think I do appreciate this one much more.
In Veronica we now see someone that has grown a bit since we last saw her. She isn't nearly as annoying as she was in the first book. She seems to no longer feel the need to let everyone else she knows everything...yes, she still believes she's more clever than most, but she isn't determined to prove it in this novel.
Stoker...damn, he was so attractive to me in the first novel...he was no less in this one.
This mystery wasn't as engaging as the last one was (for me). There also is much less *tension* between Veronica and Stoker. However, what Raybourn has managed to do is simply amazing.
What do I mean by this? Veronica and Stoker are both very independent people. Often authors present us with what they believe independent people, but at the same time, they are actually very dependent. They go out of their way to prove to their independence when all they really want to do is be dependent. It's what I find most annoying about romantic novels. Women or men that are suppose to be so strong and then overnight become weak and hopeless waiting on someone to rescue them. I'm not trying to be mean here...I'm just giving my viewpoint...
But this? Veronica and Stoker are fast friends and best mates, but they are still independent thinkers. I don't see that changing. Somehow Raybourn has managed to keep the characters true to themselves. Veronica and Stoker are a united front against the world. We all know that eventually they will be together (YES YES YES) however, I don't believe they will ever fit in with society's norm to do so. I don't believe they will ever find it necessary to become dependent on each other...yes, of course they will depend on each other...they do that now...but you'll never find one sniveling and hiding in the corner and acting the fool to win the other's love...they won't need to...they truly are secure in their own identity...
I know this is probably my worst review EVER!!! But I place all the blame on just how much I love what Raybourn has created in these two characters. Two people that have very checkered pasts, two people that aren't holding themselves pure and chaste for the perfect love, two people that are self confident enough to not try to manipulate (although they both have no problem doing so to get to the truth of the matter in their investigations) each other...and yet they trust each other 100% and don't feel a need to give one iota of a care to what anyone else thinks about their relationship. This novel might not be the best...this mystery might not be the best...but this relationship is so refreshing to me that I am just at a loss of words...
Wow...what a wild ride. Parts of this I never saw coming and I have to say they had me all up in arms and twitchy with nerves! Parts of it were downriWow...what a wild ride. Parts of this I never saw coming and I have to say they had me all up in arms and twitchy with nerves! Parts of it were downright scary to me!
This book blinded me with parts that were filled with brilliance. Other parts were just so outside the normal acceptable realm of imagination that I had a hard time wrapping my head around it.
That is entirely my fault, and of no fault of Brom.
Do you want to know how I know it was my fault and not Brom's? Because as I read it, I had no problem believing that the characters he dreamed up were real...as my mind was almost stretched beyond belief, I kept thinking, does Brom really expect me to believe that was not freaking out whilst this happened? No doubt of the character...just the crazy circumstances that they were having to endure...
I can't say I was 100% sure about this book as I read it. The Child Thief is an all time favourite of mine...From the first page to the last I loved every word. I loved this one as well, I just wasn't sure I could accept it. I wasn't sure I could believe it. I wasn't sure if I would be glad I read this at the end of the day or feel like it was a wasted read...it started out just so wonderful and then I kind of stalled...again, simply because it was so far out there....
However, once I finished the last page (and I was reading at a mad pace to see what happened the last few chapters). I was very sad to see it end. Hell was a small price to pay to spend time with all of these wonderful characters Brom created....I knew as soon as I finished it that any doubts I had were unfounded...I loved this novel....even if it did seem almost impossible at times...
I'm still thinking about some of these characters long after I finished the last page...
Finally...the artwork! Hey, it's Brom and you should expect nothing less...except expectations often fall flat...but Brom's artwork ALWAYS blows me away...
ARC provided by Edelweiss for an honest review ...more
My first Monteflore book and it wasn't at all what I expected. I excepted a light read that would entertain me for a bit and then leave me quickly...
IMy first Monteflore book and it wasn't at all what I expected. I excepted a light read that would entertain me for a bit and then leave me quickly...
Instead I've falling in love with Ireland...a country I've never seen. I can't say I really enjoyed the characters. I can't say I didn't either. There was love, hate, and anger for all. However, I take that as a sign of a really fantastic writer. The characters were real to me.
If I have one compliant it's that this is labeled as a series. I don't mind series. However, it really shouldn't be labeled as such. I imagined it would be a story that was wrapped up for certain characters and then continued with new characters the next installment. Or perhaps focused on one character and then another the next novel....instead the reader is left with not just a cliffhanger...they are left with NO ANSWERS at all. Not one storyline was wrapped up. Yes, I am disappointed. If you want me to read a beautiful story and I invest my time then at least give me something...Of course I've read books that had cliffhangers....but there was at least some closure...there was none here...it just seemed to stop in mid breath...and now I am left here...sad and lonely...and waiting...
Review copy provided by Edelweiss for an honest review...more
I've read many Emily Giffin books in my time...This was nothing like any of the previous books that I've read by her. If you're looking for some sillyI've read many Emily Giffin books in my time...This was nothing like any of the previous books that I've read by her. If you're looking for some silly lighthearted reading, this isn't the book I would recommend to you.
I have to admit, I was looking for silly and lighthearted when I picked up this novel...so was a bit disappointed.
This is a hard book to review. Not just because it was different than I expected. I just found it extremely hard to get into. At about 20% I was wishing I hadn't even started it. I can't say there was much of anything I was enjoying. I didn't like the characters. More so, I hated the way they treated one another.
At about 40% - 50% things turned around and I didn't want to put the book down. However, I can't stress this enough, I absolutely HATED one of the characters, and as much as I tried to make allowances for her behaviour, I simply could not set my dislike aside. Even as I finished the last page, I still was flabbergasted at an adult acting like she did.
I'm not sure if Griffin meant for me to feel that the character that was was presented as the most unsettled and immature, in my opinion, turned out to be more mature than the majority of the others, including the one that was settled, smart, and level headed. Perhaps it should be noted at this point that everyone that leads a *perfect* life might, in fact, be hiding just how messed up their life really is...and those that seem scattered, and unsettled, might in fact be solid, steady, and perfectly okay.
Yes, the second half of the book is really engaging and you're invested in the characters, and was well worth the time of the reader...however, I don't think it should take half a book for things to start being interesting.
The book is really full of some adults that over the process of 15 years seem to revert to selfish children. I don't feel any of those things ultimately changed at the end of the novel...I wouldn't want those type of people surrounding me in real life...and sadly, at the end of the day, I didn't want them surrounding me in my literary life either...
I haven't added a book to "my-best-reads-ever" in over 2 years...This book deserves to be there. I still don't know what to think about it. I just knoI haven't added a book to "my-best-reads-ever" in over 2 years...This book deserves to be there. I still don't know what to think about it. I just know I couldn't stop feeling whilst reading this book. My heart broke over and over again. The parts that I had trouble with coming to terms with morally are the very same parts I am most thankful for. For without those parts this would have been a very different story. It would have been a story of a young girl and her brother with no hope at all in a very violent world. It would have been a story that had no stars to guide Wavy in the darkest hours to find a better life.
Greenwood has done an amazing job of simply telling a story. She doesn't try to make the reader take a moral high road. Nor does she warn us to stay off a path of despair. Instead, the reader is left to find their own way and to struggle with the road signs that we can easily read, but which are so difficult to understand.
Don't read this book looking for some sappy love story....this novel will punch you over and over again in your guts. It is brutal. It will take your breath away...yet, once you finish the last page, you'll marvel at the wonder that can be found in the world. It is both an ugly world....but more importantly, it is a wonderful world...There are so many wrongs in this novel and yet somehow, at the end, Greenwood has made it all right...
Wow...I'm so feeling this book...really....so thankful to have read this novel...
ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
**spoiler alert** Oh dear...sorry....but oh dear....it's time to admit that I don't hate "chick lit"...okay maybe I hate that term...but I actually do**spoiler alert** Oh dear...sorry....but oh dear....it's time to admit that I don't hate "chick lit"...okay maybe I hate that term...but I actually do enjoy a light hearted romantic romp around now and again...
However, this wasn't the book for me...
I suppose some people might have issues with how fast the romance progressed...ummm...not me...I met my husband and fell in love in four short days once on holiday...today, even on a bad day, I still love him more than I could ever express...more than I ever thought I could...
However, I just don't think these two people belonged together. I just don't think Sophie was ready for a relationship. At the end of the novel I still don't think she was.
I kept trying to put myself in her shoes...and honestly, I can't understand why she refused to trust Billy throughout the novel. He gave her no reason to distrust him...except for being the exact person he actually is...a famous, attractive movie star. He didn't really even have much of a past of being a bad boy...sure he dated before Sophie, but he wasn't portrayed as a dishonest person in those relationships...
Sophie's only reason for distrust was her doubt of her own self worth...and that certainly wasn't Billy's fault as he spent the entire novel telling her how important she was to him.
I didn't sense a lot of depth in Sophie or Billy either one. To be honest, they were both pretty boring to read about. The saving grace of this novel are two of the secondary characters. Sophie's mum...who I actually disliked for the first half of the book, but came to appreciate...and of course, Molly....Molly was the best part of the book! However, once again, I felt like as great as these two secondary characters were, that there will still much more that could have been added to even them...
This was a fast and easy read...and don't misunderstand, I did enjoy it. However, this is one HEA ending that I think would have been better to never have happened....sorry but true......more
This would have been a SOLID 4 star read for me except for the last *shocker* at the end. Yes, two little pages forced me to bring the rating down. ItThis would have been a SOLID 4 star read for me except for the last *shocker* at the end. Yes, two little pages forced me to bring the rating down. It upset me that much.
All throughout this book Hutchinson pushes the limit of just how much you can suspend reality and believe this could actually happen. She does a really good job of making one believe that with enough money and power that, you can indeed, have your very own private garden full of kidnapped butterflies that are forced to act upon your every whim or fancy. Then she attempts to pull off a last minute need to add one more shocking thing that is meant to totally shock and come as a surprise. Sure, it was a surprise...no one saw it coming, because it really leant nothing to the story. It didn't change the story. It didn't change the characters, or motivations. The entire story could have played out the exact same without that bit. So why put it in there except to have a reader say, "oh wow, I didn't see that coming." It kind of pissed me off to be honest...
I did have problems following along at times as well. When Maya is telling her story it does jump around a bit. One moment a girl is no longer in the garden, then a few pages later Maya is talking about a time with her. Having said that, I suppose that in real life that is exactly how people tell their stories. Jumping back and forth as their memories guide them. It still didn't help set a reliable timeline for me to follow.
Perhaps I am being too harsh. However, I don't take it back. This could have been an absolutely brilliant book that would have been one I recommended to certain types of readers for years to come. The problems as I saw them (hey ho, maybe I'm the only one) would have been small fixes and would have made all the difference for me. So maybe I'm harsh, but it's only because I am saddened a bit to see a fantastic read end up as just a good read that I enjoyed but will quickly move on from.
I do look forward to more from Dot Hutchison...I see great potential...and this plot and premise was fantastic. The thriller/crime/warped reader in me was very happy indeed......more
I really enjoyed parts of this novel. Other parts kinda bored me. Here we have a young 17 year old man that joins the Roman army right before an invasI really enjoyed parts of this novel. Other parts kinda bored me. Here we have a young 17 year old man that joins the Roman army right before an invasion of England. Because of his past (that we do not know about) he is placed second in command under his commander Marco.
My main complaint about the book is that is seems to just go from no relationship between Marco and Cato and then to much more. For me that would have been the best part of the book. Seeing that relationship grow. Watching Cato help Marco learning to read. Watching Marco build up the self confidence in the boy. We only saw minor glimpses of that happening.
It was obvious to me who the spy was. From the very first mention of their name. I also kind of resent not being told who Cato really is. His history. It will obviously come about and we will eventually know, but I am disappointed that the author didn't expect anyone to actually ask Cato who his father is...especially when it became apparent that the leaders wife knew him by sight. Obviously someone would have questioned him about his father since it placed him in a position of authority above me twice his age and all the whilst he had no training.
Finally, this book really shone when Cato was at the forefront in battle. When he placed himself in danger to save others without a thought of his own safety. When he would scream a battle cry and not even know where it came from. At times he was very childish, but when he was a man, he was a man to be feared and admired.
I just wish we had seen more of the same from Marco. As it stands in the ending of this novel, he is a very flat character.
I'm not sure if I shall continue this series or not....yes, I want to find out more about Cato, but sadly, I'm just not sure if I'm really willing to invest the time to find out those answers...more
This one took me a bit longer to finish...I did enjoy it...I did! However, if not for the ending I might very well have rated it a teeny tiny bit loweThis one took me a bit longer to finish...I did enjoy it...I did! However, if not for the ending I might very well have rated it a teeny tiny bit lower.
The thing is, I love Sandford so much because of his incredible gift of writing dialogue. When Davenport is with his comrades, well it just doesn't get any better. The banter between him and his friends/colleagues...well it just doesn't get any better....Stanford really shines and it's probably the main reason he's been a favourite author for decades.
With this novel I just felt Davenport was adrift. Yes, he did his "job non-job"...but he was out on his own. Yes, we met some really interesting characters that I hope to run into again in the future....yes, we saw some old characters that we haven't seen in a while. All of that was great...but that closeness, dialogue, and teamwork that we've always seen in the past was just missing for me.
Lucas hasn't been happy professionally for a while now. That has left him adrift professionally, and now that seemed to leak into his personal life as well. I mean, really, he didn't even seemed to connect with his family like he used to...
Hopefully the ending of this book will clear all of this out and Lucas will be part of a team again...in his personal life as well as his professional one...yes, he'll always be the top dog, even when he isn't...but at least he'll be a member of the pack instead of just a lone wolf...
However...this does bring up new developments for that F'ing Flowers now doesn't it...
ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...more
Totally gutted over this novel. I read Reichert's first novel in less than 24 hours and absolutely loved it! I went running to the computer to find moTotally gutted over this novel. I read Reichert's first novel in less than 24 hours and absolutely loved it! I went running to the computer to find more by her! When I was approved for this novel I think I actually did a happy dance!!!
I didn't stay dancing for long. I sometimes actually like "chick lit"...okay, so maybe this will be the only time I admit to that....
butttttttt....this novel is one of the reasons I will rarely admit it. You have a middle aged lady who is all but ignored by her husband and children. She gets drunk, basically decides to ignore her family and seeks to "find herself" by doing exactly what has made her feel so unworthy to begin with. Not spending time with her husband, not spending time with her children and ignoring their wants and needs.
No one is saying that you need to devote yourself 100% to others and ignore yourself. However, I feel no sympathy for someone that complains about how they feel unappreciated and then precedes to go off and "unappreciate" their own loved ones and justifies it as it's about time she did something for herself.
I don't think you need another man outside of your husband to make you feel attractive. I don't think your husband should only find you attractive once someone else does. AAMOF you should feel attractive all by yourself...no need to rely on ANYONE to do that for you...
I think there is a happy medium and that author took the easy way out and went to the extreme.
Sorry, I absolutely loved her first book...and I will keep her on my radar for the future, but there wasn't really anything I found to like in this novel. Women often sell themselves short in real life..and then go to the extreme to correct that...This novel is a perfect example of how to do just that...
**spoiler alert** This book started out fantastic! I mean I seriously loved every single minute of it! Then I hit the 60% or so mark. It was all downh**spoiler alert** This book started out fantastic! I mean I seriously loved every single minute of it! Then I hit the 60% or so mark. It was all downhill from there. The camp, the items that went missing, the tension between the players...all of that was fantastic. However, somewhere along the way Hill seemed to get lost. For starters, where did the love interest between two main characters come from? I mean, we saw the Fireman at the start...and then he just kinda disappeared for a good portion of the book...then when he reappeared there was this relationship that was going on...there just wasn't a foundation for it. I also have to say that the husband and wife thing...it really pissed me off...it was so cliche...she was madly in love with him...then he turned on her....then she realised that she hadn't loved him for years and he he was never loved her. Seriously? That THAT'S never been done before in a book. Stuff like that really pisses me off...but regardless of that, I tried to ignore that let down and get on with enjoying the book...but then we have the whole no relationship thing until in a blink of an eye we have a serious relationship thing....no....I don't like it when I feel an author is taking me for granted and expecting me to suspend reality...
The storyline was fine...I was even excited about the thief and who it turned out to be...
Then we have the escape...and wham bam....the author expects me to suspend reality again and believe all these miracle close calls...
Yep...there will be a second book...and the Fireman will be the lead (without even being in the majority of the book again, I bet) once again...
Joe Hill, I love your writing...NOS4A2 was simply amazing...it kept me up at night...this one? I was just well and truly gutted that a book that started out so fantastic just took a easy way out at the end...
ARC provided by Edelweiss for an honest review...more
Connie Rea
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