I need to listen to my wife more often. She read this years ago and said it was terrible. I have had it on my TBR, saw it was nominated for 1.5 Stars
I need to listen to my wife more often. She read this years ago and said it was terrible. I have had it on my TBR, saw it was nominated for some awards, noticed it was available from the library, and figured it couldn’t be all that bad so I might as well try it. Well, my wife was right!
The only reason it is not 1 star is the first third or so was actually pretty good and interesting. But, don’t you just hate it when the awesome plot development dissolves into non-sensical ramblings and time jumping? That is exactly what happened here. It is never a good sign when you are fully invested at 1/3 and could care less by 2/3 because the plot has completely devolved and become almost incomprehensible.
Also, the character relationships and their actions really bugged me. I didn’t understand motivations and I didn’t believe the discussions people were having. Then, someone would do something really outlandish without giving me, as a reader, any reason to believe that it was logical behavior for their character or the plot. It was just kind of a silly mess.
So, now I will add my 1 or 2 star review disclaimer. This review is based solely on my experience with this book (and apparently my wife’s experience, too). I am sure there are those out there who love it and will completely disagree with me. That is totally cool! I just must stay true to my personal experience with a book, and in this case, it was not a good one. ...more
I will start this off with a 1-Star review disclaimer. There are probably some who will enjoy this book. I am sure the author/artist is an awesome perI will start this off with a 1-Star review disclaimer. There are probably some who will enjoy this book. I am sure the author/artist is an awesome person and she has published a graphic novel and I have not, so she has had more success in the genre than I have. Maybe this just wasn’t written for someone with interests like mine. So, this review is simply my experience with the book and may not match your own. But, I have to review how it honestly made me feel.
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Have you read a book or seen a movie where the focus of the story is a romp across Europe? Seems like there have been a series of comedies and romances over the past 20 years with the many countries of Europe as their setting. Imagine those stories, but with no humor or interesting dialogue and you have The Contradictions. Seriously, it is just two or three characters wandering about Europe looking for something to do and not having much success. The main characters are blah, the people they meet are blah. I kept figuring there would be some big climax to make it all worth it, but (SPOILER ALERT) there is not.
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For me, the art was not much better than the story. Not very much dialogue and the images don’t do that great of a job conveying a story without words. Each of the characters kind of look the same, so it was a bit hard to tell who was who. You have to look for subtle clues – slightly different hairstyle/hair color, glasses, black dots for freckles/pimples, etc. Sometimes I have read blah graphic novels but the cool imagery made up for it. That did not happen here.
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Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this to anyone simply for the same reason I would not tell you to go and sit and wait for a bus if you have nowhere to go: it would be boring and pointless. ...more
I am not sure is I will continue to volume two as there are so many other titles out there to choose from. I just don’t think I care enough for2 Stars
I am not sure is I will continue to volume two as there are so many other titles out there to choose from. I just don’t think I care enough for this title to keep going.
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The story is weird and artsy, and it is in that forced weird and artsy way that I don’t really care for. It’s like the author sat down to make something “out there” instead of letting the oddities flow organically
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The artwork, in my opinion, is not for me. It does not really interest my eye and I cannot think of one time I enjoyed looking at it throughout volume 1. Maybe it will be something you will like (see examples), but I felt nothing for it.
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As I didn’t care for this, I am not sure who I think I would recommend it to. If you do enjoy the more unusual superhero titles (which are not uncommon with Image Comics), you may enjoy this one. However, I do usually enjoy the more unusual titles, so . . . proceed with caution!
When I read this as a kid: 5 Stars Reread as an adult: 2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic. I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it asWhen I read this as a kid: 5 Stars Reread as an adult: 2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic. I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it as an adult when I reread it with my kids a few months ago. Next logical step was to reread the sequel to my kids which was another book that I had fond memories of from my childhood.
However, this book has not aged well . . .
Generally, I really enjoy Dahl’s work, but I may have found one that might be best left skipped. I guess the incoherent goofiness of this was endearing to me as a child, but it was quite painful during the reread. My wife kept trying to get out of listening to it with me and the kids because it was so bad, but the kids would not let me proceed unless she was in the room! The first half of the book is a bizarre space adventure with cringe-worthy dialogue. The second half is a thinly veiled commentary on drug overdosing – including an (view spoiler)[Oompa Loompa song about a girl ODing on laxatives and having permanent damage where she must sit on the toilet for hours every day (hide spoiler)]. It’s just makes me wonder a lot about where this all came from after the wonderful first book.
Also, there are many cultural representations in this book that would not fly today. Some of you have seen on Disney+ where they have left the old movies in tact but put a warning on movies like Dumbo and Peter Pan that they contain dated cultural references – this book needs that disclaimer! As racial tensions have been very high in the news lately, know that this book would not hold up in the debate. This is especially troublesome as it is geared towards children – so I kind of skimmed a few parts. Maybe back when it was written it was not a big deal, but there are several things here I would not want my kids repeating in public!
So, approach this one with caution. If you want to complete Charlie and Willy Wonka’s journey, then give it a go and maybe you will enjoy it more than I did. But, you have been warned about what you are getting into! ...more
I had to go look at some other reviews before I wrote this. I can honestly say that I am shocked to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews. Th1 to 1.5 stars
I had to go look at some other reviews before I wrote this. I can honestly say that I am shocked to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews. That does not mean I think those reviews are incorrect, I am just surprised at how many people connected with this book in a very positive way. I will hang out in the cellar of the 1 and 2 star reviews, because in this case, those are my people!
I always want to try new and interesting books from a variety of genres. Sometimes I find some big, positive surprises, other times I find books I struggle to finish. In this case, it was a struggle. I read this book as part of my Completist Book Club as this book is featured on Time’s All Time Best 100 Novels list. And, since I am seeing lots of passionate 5-star reviews, many agree with this assessment for To The Lighthouse. And, with that in mind, if you have a passion for the classic must-reads you may enjoy this one. However, I enjoy many, many, classic must-reads so that may not be the best criteria to use.
Within minutes of starting this book, I was confused. I reread the beginning a few times and it still was not clicking. Over the course of the book, I reread several sections to try and connect to the writing and pull something from the story. I also read an online summary of every chapter TWICE! Often, after reading a summary section, I would say to myself “Did I really just read and reread sections of this book!? Nothing in that summary sounded familiar!” And, when I got to the end of the summary I figured it would clarify for me the whole point, but it really didn’t. I know the book is about life, death, and relationships and I get the impression it is somewhat dark. But, after all that, I think I would have taken more away from it all, but I’ve got nothing.
I will say that the one silver lining about it that kept me interested in it is that one of the main characters is named Minta. I have a friend with the same name and always thought it was an unusual name that her parents made up. But, when I asked her, not only did her parents not make up the name, they didn’t get it from this book, either! So, just hearing her name frequently as the book went along kept me somewhat engaged.
So, yeah . . . this book is a BIG no for me. It is very obviously a masterpiece for some, and maybe it will be for you. But after the effort I put into it and still feeling nothing but nothing, I cannot join the masterpiece crowd.
And . . . I guess I’m afraid of Virginia Woolf!...more
This might possibly be the most exactly 2.5 star book I have read. Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars, but usually I can figure out easily if I wiThis might possibly be the most exactly 2.5 star book I have read. Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars, but usually I can figure out easily if I will round up or round down. With this book, that is not quite so easy.
Disclaimer before I go on. My review is 100% without a doubt influenced by the fact that, from the description in the book, I live exactly where this book takes place. I am not saying there are not some truths to how the area is described in the book, but, the author sets up suburban Indianapolis as an excessively cynical caricature of how it really is. He makes it sound like a total hell hole with nothing but misery, drugs, racism, etc. to be found on every block and every corner. I don't doubt that there may be some people around here who's view of this area is skewed that way, but overall, I don't this it is all that bad. Someone who is not familiar with the area will likely not be distracted by the descriptions. Also, it's okay for the sake of the story, but if you come visit, I hope you don't find it to be quite so awful.
Onward with the review!
First of all, my impression was that the author was trying to write like Sherman Alexie. Not a bad author to try and emulate! I cannot say for sure if this improved my experience or if I felt it did not quite achieve what Alexie has done. I just wanted to point out it was what the writing felt like to me, so if you are familiar with Alexie, you might feel the same.
The main character kind of drove me crazy with his disgruntled ramblings. And, while he is complaining about the environment and the people of Opioid, Indiana, he is making many dumb mistakes himself. I am not sure if we are supposed to sympathize with him, support his plight, or be disgusted with him.
There really is not much of a story. There are a few key settings and plot points, but it doesn't really develop much and nothing is resolved in the end. When I encounter books like this, they are often redeemed by a great resolution that ties it all together. In this case, there was nothing.
At least the book was not very long and the writing was not bad. I think if it had gone on much longer without the story improving, I would have had a tough time finishing it. To start 2020 I have read a lot of depressing stories. Unfortunately, none of them have impressed me much. Because of that, it's been a real reading downer lately.
Final note . . . I guess I will round down to two stars. I just cannot bring it up to 3 because when I try and compare it to other books I have given 3 stars, it just doesn't match up....more
I seem to be starting of 2020 with a lot of gloomy and hopeless titles. Home After Dark definitely falls into that category.
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The story was okay,I seem to be starting of 2020 with a lot of gloomy and hopeless titles. Home After Dark definitely falls into that category.
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The story was okay, but not much really happens. Mainly it is a series of events in the life of the protagonist showing that life really sucks. Period. The end. If you are looking for a story to bring your mood down, look no further.
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The art was just so so. It is mostly sloppy and impressionistic. Sometimes it was difficult to tell characters apart. Also, there would be chunks of pages with no dialogue and little artwork - so much filler! This large book really ends up reading faster than a 120 page graphic novel because there is less story and less to look at.
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I cannot say for sure who would enjoy this book. I guess if you are into real downers, this is a must read! But, since I have read several downers in a row, I am kind of getting tired of it. If I could tell why or find the point, maybe I would enjoy more. But, it just feels like the point is "Life sucks".
As I begin writing this review, I feel like it might be an unpopular opinion. However, as of this time, the average rating is 3.51 stars and most of mAs I begin writing this review, I feel like it might be an unpopular opinion. However, as of this time, the average rating is 3.51 stars and most of my Goodreads friends seem to be giving it 3 stars. So, while my rating is lower than most, overall the opinions of this book seem to trend downwards.
With my 1 star rating, I feel like doing a bullet point review that is introduced by one of my favorite gifs. This was me throughout this book:
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- I am not sure I have ever read a book that was trying so hard to manufacture suspense . . . without success - This book had the potential to address some serious social issues, but, the way the story was told, refer to Tommy Lee Jones above. - The characters were not interesting and their personalities were so forced and unbelievable. - The story was all over the place. I could not tell exactly what it was trying to do or where it was going. The lack of coherent continuity was annoying. - With all that is mentioned above, I spent most of my time rolling my eyes and praying for it to end. - When it finally ended and went into a fairly excessive epilogue, nothing had really happened. Everything was over and everything looked like it was going to be fine. As a reader, I went through a whole lot of nothing to end up with a whole lot of nothing.
I hate to start of 2020 with a 1 star book before my first 5 star, but my time with this book was too frustrating to rate it any higher. I think that a few tweaks here and there and some better editing would have done it a lot of good. Also, I go back to the lack of urgency and suspense that made me not care about anything that was going on. If the author could have more organically developed a thrilling and more smoothly flowing storyline, I would have enjoyed this a great deal more....more
I read some other reviews before writing this. It appears that 9 times out of 10 people liked it okay. Unfortunately, I cannot join them.
I thou2 Stars
I read some other reviews before writing this. It appears that 9 times out of 10 people liked it okay. Unfortunately, I cannot join them.
I thought this was a far fetched, outlandish, unbelievably boring mess. The whole plot is held together by the thinnest of spiderwebs. Most of the time when something happened, I said to myself,"seriously . . . SERIOUSLY!? Ugh *sigh*". Also, it felt like plot points were being randomly generated to move the questionable story along. The only thing I was interested in was finishing it so I could move on.
Not that the original Andromeda Strain was my favorite Crichton book, but this makes it look like a literary prize winner in comparison. While I found little redeeming value, I am very glad that many found this to be a good read - hopefully if you try it you will not have the same experience I did....more
1 star . . . maybe 1.5 because the climax was okay . . .
I read through many other reviews of this book before starting my review. I have taken a lot o1 star . . . maybe 1.5 because the climax was okay . . .
I read through many other reviews of this book before starting my review. I have taken a lot of guff on at least one of my 1-star reviews in the past, so since I was feeling another 1-star review, I knew I should probably tread carefully. In this case, it seems like the majority agree with me.
In at least one of the positive reviews I read it was mentioned that maybe memories of Silence of the Lambs was causing too much of a comparison and, thus, led to generally negative reviews. I like to think I went into this not expecting more of the same. If anything, I think it is more of a pre-conception of how I feel about Harris as an author. In this case, I have read Harris books I loved and Harris books I couldn’t stand, so I guess I was figuring anything goes!
I will stress that I did not look at reviews of this before reading, so I was not influenced by bad reviews. In fact, the only thing I heard about it was from a person who liked it. So, by the time I was about 2/3 of the way through and thought the book was not good, I figured I would be in the minority of thinking this. Imagine my surprise when I went to Goodreads and saw an average review of 2.89 stars! (as of August 11th, 2019) So, I was going into this review feeling the same as many! As much as I don’t like to celebrate 1 star reviews, I am glad to have some company.
From the very beginning I was not invested in the story at all. The beginning of the book must hook me and at least get me interested. I don’t care how unusual, bizarre, or hard to follow it becomes after that. Once I am hooked, I can then figure out if I am headed towards a low star or high star rating. In this case, Harris just kept throwing out rotten bait and I just kept swimming around the boat looking for something tantalizing. A couple of times I thought I finally got a really juicy nightcrawler, but then it fell of the hook, so I just kept on swimming. I mentioned earlier the climax was okay – maybe by then I was tired of swimming and just finally gave up and let a moderately-tasty morsel pull me in because I could sense the end was in sight. Needless to say, I hope my next excursion looking for a hook gets me pulled on board right away! ...more
Well, this brings a great series to a screeching halt. 2.5 stars – I am rounding up to 3 because of track record with this series, but this volume reaWell, this brings a great series to a screeching halt. 2.5 stars – I am rounding up to 3 because of track record with this series, but this volume really fell flat. Looking at some other reviews, it seems I am not alone.
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Maybe if it was not part of such a great series it would not stand out so much to me as a dud. Sure it has a few twists and a couple of interesting points, but it just isn’t fleshed out like the previous titles. It felt like I was going from Shakespeare to a Kindergarten reading primer. From The Godfather to Howard the Duck (now, I loved Howard the Duck, but I figure people would recognize it as a movie generally panned by movie goers and critics alike!) I wanted to love it as much of the previous ones, but I just couldn’t.
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The story is very straight-forward and linear. Maybe this was on purpose as the others ones are not – they have complex relationships, layered characters, twists and turns, etc. – and Miller wanted to be different this time. Instead, it just felt blah. The first time you meet and learn about each character, that is who they are till the very end. Maybe okay in some cases, but it just was not what I have come to expect with Sin City.
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Filler – so much filler! This story probably could have been told and had the same impact in 10 pages. Lots of repetitive action frames and plot points revisited (which isn’t super-necessary in a plot as linear as this one). And, there was so much potential background on the story that feels like it could have been fleshed out and just wasn’t. Instead, we just get more fight scenes and good guys trying to sound all tough to the bad guys.
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The artwork felt like it got lazy. Miller established a pretty awesome black/white contrast comic book art form with the Sin City series - and here it got sloppy. There were a few frames that hit the old glory, but most of it ran together so much it was hard to tell what was going on. This was the first Sin City where I had to stare at some of the panels for a long time to figure out what I was looking at. Also, and maybe this was done just to contrast with everything else in the volume, but Miho was so bland and one dimensional that it was distracting. I was not impressed with any of the Miho artwork (not that I could do any better, but as a consumer I have come to expect more from this product!)
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So, I am just a guy who has been enjoying this series and, maybe for you, my opinions on it will be totally off base. When I have become used to a stellar product, it is more likely that my opinion is going to be stronger. If this was the first Sin City volume, I probably would not have had quite so many issues. I am hoping the next one returns to form!...more
I would have rated this book higher if the subject matter was as advertised. My wife and I decided to attend a marriage class at church and this was tI would have rated this book higher if the subject matter was as advertised. My wife and I decided to attend a marriage class at church and this was the accompying book. We have taken other courses at our church where the subject matter was on point with the reading materials providing key parts of scripture to emphasize the content (Dave Ramsey comes to mind). Instead, this book was all about the difficulties and struggles of being Christian with a little bit about marriage and family thrown in.
Now, if you are a Christian and reading this review you might say, "Well, Matthew, being a Christian isn't always easy, were you expecting the content to be a cakewalk?" To that I say that I never expect these courses or the content to be easy (that is why we are interested in taking them to enrich ourselves - if it was easy, we probably wouldn't bother!) However, I expect it to be accessible and relevant. If I gave Dave Ramsey to a non-Christian I would feel pretty good that they would enjoy it, gain lots of insight, and maybe the Christian parts of it would have an impact, but it wouldn't push them away from the awesome advice. With this book, I think only hardcore Christians will make it past chapter one and they would not really gain a lot about marriage.
So, I can't really recommend this as a marriage guide and I can only really recommend it as a Christian book if you want to self-flaggelate and feel guilty about how you are not doing Christianity right. I am sure that the authors are great people, but they just don't sell Christianity in a way that works for me.
(Note: my wife and I both realized we felt the same way without prompting reach other. That should tell you something.)...more
I have decided to add a disclaimer to my review. The review in it's entirely is below in the spoiler tag. Here are my reasons for the disclaimer:
- I kI have decided to add a disclaimer to my review. The review in it's entirely is below in the spoiler tag. Here are my reasons for the disclaimer:
- I knew that this would be controversial as it touches on a hot button topic. But, responses have become uncomfortable to the point I cringe when I open Goodreads. I know, I know, what did I expect sharing a controversial opinion on social media!? Yeah, I admit I guess I should have seen that coming. But, this review simply shares my opinion on a topic I felt was key to the story. Many people agree, many people don't. That is fine! All opinions welcome! I just don't want to fight about it because I have no desire to change anyone's opinion. - I have received negative feedback from both sides of my argument! That's right, I picked a hot button topic and managed to annoy people on both sides (that is pretty impressive). I have been told that I missed the point, I am dense, I have lost respect from people, I think I am better than others, etc. I have been unfriended and unfollowed by many. That was 100% not my intention and I want it to stop. In fact, the point of my opinion is that discussions on this topic drives people apart and causes people to hate each other. So, the fact that my review is only promoting negative behavior (in some cases) is sad to me. 🙁 - I am okay with all the 5 star reviews of this book. I am glad many people had a better experience with it than I did. I do not go to the 5 star reviews and try to prove them wrong. Goodreads is all about differing opinions and I embrace that. -You may notice that this review has lots of comments. If you have a criticism of my review, it most likely been discussed ad nauseum so I encourage you to look through the comments first. "That I missed the point", "The book did not say 'All' people of a certain group", "Don't you understand what the political climate is in America right now?", etc. - all have been covered. - At one point in my review I make a bold statement using the number 99%, after the response I have received from both sides, that number is probably more like 75%
So, feel free to read the review. I am not trying to change anyone's mind. I am just trying to express my opinion as thoroughly as possible, and if you don't agree that is fine. The point of my review is to help stop hate, hurt, and bias, so I do not want my review to contribute to that in any way.
(view spoiler)[Controversial review time! Grab the popcorn and settle in . . .
First of all, many thanks to the Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I am just sorry that my review does not end up being more positive!
I think this book is dangerous. I think the ideas in it are inflammatory and will unnecessarily pit good people against each other. If the book has only moderate success, then maybe crisis will be averted. But, if it is embraced, I think there are a lot of misconceptions in it that could be destructive to our society. And, goodness knows that society doesn’t need any help with that right now! I am seeing some positive pre-release reviews, many of which praise the cautionary tale within, and that scares me. It scares me a lot!
I love dystopian fiction. This book really made me think about why I love dystopian fiction. The “what-ifs” that drive this genre and the potential evils haunting our current society that could lead to its downfall are fascinating. Corrupt politicians, radical ideals, oppression, crazy religious zealots, diseases, zombies – all are interesting to think about. Sometimes the books are tongue-in-cheek about the cause with caricatures of current leaders or allegories of dangerous political ideals. Also, we frequently see books where the dystopian isn’t even fully explained (I am trying to remember if they even ever tell us why everything happened in the world of the Hunger Games – we know the end result, but I don’t think they ever give us the specifics).
So, the fact that this book made me think about why I love dystopian fiction made me realize why I did not like this book and its dangerous message. Usually the causes are hinted at or left to be guessed about (Hunger Games), represented in a thought provoking way (allegories like Animal Farm), or just downright out of our control (disease and zombies). This book just straight up says that Christians and Christianity are to blame. I would like to say that it is just hinted at, or at least it is a combination of events in addition to crazy religious leaders that leads to the horribly oppressive society within. But, the author straight up comes out a blames Christianity, quotes scripture, and repeatedly brings it back to the forefront. And, throughout she does not say it is some Christians, or a few wacko Christians, it is ALL CHRISTIANS and they are more than happy to take over the country and silence Women and send non-straight people to camps where they are forced into heterosexual relationships. At one point she even hints the next step is that anyone who is not white will be oppressed and sent to the camps as well.
Whew . . . I need a moment to re-wrap my brain around that and explain a few things . . .
I have known a lot of you for several years here on Goodreads and I believe I represent myself as open and fair. I like to read almost any type of book. I have friends on here and in real life who are women, men, gay, straight, black, Asian, Hispanic, etc. I have befriended many people who are agnostic, atheist, Christian, Muslim, etc. I believe all my conversations with everyone are pleasant and I do not try and force who I am on any one – I just share who I am and let others decide how they feel about me.
Well, I am a Christian. I do my best to go to church every week and I enjoy reading the bible. I have never met a Christian who wants to oppress people the way they do in this book. We have a variety of races of people who attend our church. I am not sure that I know any gay people who are Christian, and I can see why that might be, but I hold no ill will towards anyone because of their sexual preference or gender status. If anyone wanted to talk to me about Christianity, I would do so with an open and friendly heart and not desire them to be oppressed in any way for not being just like me.
I truly believe that 99% of all Christians are like me. In this day and age, it is the controversial Christians who get all the publicity. It’s the keyboard warriors who feel like they should post nasty comments on every internet article and tweet that they consider “Unchristian”. It’s the awful people with hateful signs protesting the funerals of our servicemen. It’s the white supremacist rallies where the “men” hide behind the cross like God agrees with the hate they spew. The internet and media love to focus on hate and people treating each other poorly. If one crazy Christian kills someone it will be remembered much more than a church that raises money and takes donations to feed and clothe 5000 people.
I could have been behind this book if it was blamed on a few religious extremists who managed to take over the government; there are definitely religious extremists out there that would love to do that and oppress lots of people – I do not argue that! But, it really isn’t presented as a few bad apples. There are mentions of expanding Christian communities taking over and forcing people to follow their ways. I will say that I can definitely see people having that fear with the way Christians are presented: debates on TV – Creation vs Science, protesters claiming they know who “God Hates”, bad people hiding behind prayers and crosses. But with this book saying it is all Christians and getting reviews from people thinking that it is a cautionary tale worth considering, again, it scares me.
I ask you this, and you might say that I am being too extreme here, but how would you respond if the plot of a dystopian book was identical to this but it was an extreme-Christian blaming homosexuals or a extreme-right-winger blaming people who are not white? It would be panned! It would be destroyed by critics and the author trashed on Twitter! As a Christian, this is how this book makes me feel. I mentioned earlier that I have tried my best to be a good person, a reasonable thinker, and a supportive friend to all people I meet – so, should I be okay with it when a book attacks an important part of me and blames it for the potential downfall of society?
As a book, it was okay. I probably would have gone 3 stars if it was not for my concerns above. The end felt kind of rushed and convenient – sort of Deus ex Machina (which is ironic since Deus means God!). Up until the last 50 pages or so, the plot development seemed somewhat reasonable and then it just got kind of crazy. Also, I found all the main characters to be unlikable throughout. Sometimes unlikable works when that is the point, but I don't think they were supposed to be unlikable in this context.
Maybe the author will read my review and think, “That was not my intention at all”. And, if she does and contacts me I will be happy to discuss it with an open mind and an open heart. I hold her no ill will and I think doing so would be un-Christian of me. If anything, I would like to show her that Christians are reasonable and friendly people – don’t let the few bad apples who get all the screen time cause you to group us together with them. (hide spoiler)]...more
Well . . . that’s the ending of the iZombie series. Pretty much seemed like a phoned in rush job just to bring the series to a close. They might as weWell . . . that’s the ending of the iZombie series. Pretty much seemed like a phoned in rush job just to bring the series to a close. They might as well have called this issue “Deus Ex Machina” as almost every frame was like “Oh, here are some people that we need to be here to continue the story” and “Oh, suddenly we are all here where the important stuff is happening”.
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For a series that started off so well, I am disappointed that it ended this way. In fact, I am not sure you really need to read the previous volumes because they throw it all out the window to bring it to a close. All the focus on Gwen as the zombie protagonist is gone as she is hardly in this volume until the very end. Every character they introduced throughout the previous books is in this, but they have very little purpose except to interact with each other in a way that will get them all to the same place for the big climax. In fact, there are two or three characters I am not even sure they ever explained why they were there – they just show up! It really feels like the creators were suddenly told they were cancelling the series and the author and artist scrambled to get it done. I even feel like the art is less crisp – like it was rushed.
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I should have known it wasn’t going well when it took me two weeks to read this because I was never really interested in going back to it.
While I enjoyed the first 3 volumes, I cannot say I recommend the series because I know you are building up to a disappointing ending. ...more
I am not sure what happened to this series, but I am done. This volume was just a confusing[image]
I don’t think that is possible
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Oh, but I will!
I am not sure what happened to this series, but I am done. This volume was just a confusing mess of disjointed randomness. I could barely find any coherent continuation of the storyline beyond a few panels here and there.
The art is still pretty good, but that does not make up for the time I spent on this. I just cannot see myself wasting any more time with this series when there are so many other great books and graphic novels out there I could be spending my time on.
Unless someone insists this gets better (and you would have to be very convincing), I am done. After 5 volumes – with many ups and many downs – I feel like I know enough to let this one go. I am not even interested in finding out what happens. And, I am not ever sure I know anymore what I am waiting to find out!
This may be a book that some will enjoy, but I cannot recommend it.
I had high hopes for this one after We Were Liars.
I was let down.
I didn’t really get it. When I finished it I asked myself “Why?” and there was no goI had high hopes for this one after We Were Liars.
I was let down.
I didn’t really get it. When I finished it I asked myself “Why?” and there was no good answer. The author tries to explain her inspiration in an Author’s Note at the end, but it seems like what she was trying to do didn’t end up with a full, cohesive, and complete story.
The book had its moments and part way through I thought that maybe the interesting format was going to play out into an awesome “AH HA!” moment. But, not really . . . maybe more of an “Ahhhh meh” moment.
I can’t really say who I would recommend this one to. It is not one that I can say that I didn’t care for it but I would expect that some people would think it is awesome. It is just too contrived with no great payoff. ...more
I had high hopes for this, and it started off interesting enough, but two things got in the way of my enjoyment.
World building: I enjoy world buildingI had high hopes for this, and it started off interesting enough, but two things got in the way of my enjoyment.
World building: I enjoy world building a lot. It’s great when the author creates new places, ideas, magics, monsters, etc. But, it has to be done right with the right amount of moderation. In the case of this book, the world building lasted the entire book. I am not sure a single page goes by without an explanation of a monster or a charm or something that is slightly different than the world we live in. Just when I am getting into the story, she would stop and spend pages talking about how wards work. It got frustrating after a while.
More story, less talk: Don’t get me wrong, I am a talker – frequently I have to be hushed because I just won’t stop. So, I do feel for Sunshine because she just keeps talking . . . and talking . . . and talking. Someone looks at her funny, and we get lots and lots and LOTS of introspection about what that means and how she feels and what she plans to do about it.
With these two previous things in mind, I think this book is about 25% story and the rest is world building and talking.
I do think that this book is perfect for some, but I had little interest in finishing when I got about 2/3 of the way through. I see that many designate this book as “Urban Fantasy” and I have had problems with this genre before (I fought through several Jim Butcher books before giving up) so maybe I need to stay away from this genre! ...more
• Drags on . . . and on . . . and on . . . • Disjointed and confusing plot • One-dimensional characters • Randomly preachy (anNope . . . not for me . . .
• Drags on . . . and on . . . and on . . . • Disjointed and confusing plot • One-dimensional characters • Randomly preachy (and not in a way that made me think) • Bizarre and gratuitous sex stuff (I don’t mind sex at all in books if it advances the plot or even if it is part of a cheesy romance and is there to titillate the reader. In this book, it is just weird) • Not very clearly delineated time jumps • Events that don’t really make a lot of sense • Lack of resolution • I wanted to DNF this about ten times. I usually never have a desire to DNF, even when I don’t like a book. So, that speaks volumes!
I can see that some like this book, and that is great. But, for me, this will be my last Zadie Smith....more
This review is being posted mainly because of the awesome backstory. I actually had to read this twice in high school and didn't care for it much eithThis review is being posted mainly because of the awesome backstory. I actually had to read this twice in high school and didn't care for it much either time.
But, here comes my great story!
When I was a sophomore in high school I went out with this girl who eventually dumped me and gave the reason that she was only going out with me until the guy she really liked showed interest in her. A real downer!
Fast forward to senior year . . .
I was in theater and I just so happened to do shows at the all girls school where the aforementioned girl went. After a performance (I was Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie), she came up to me and said that she needed to talk to me and that she was interested in me attending prom with her!?? WHAT!?? I hadn't talked to her in a couple of years . . . my mind was blown!
I said yes, but I was skeptical . . .
While at prom she sat me down for "the talk". She said that she felt terrible for what she did to me. She said that while reading The Awakening, she started to realize that I was really good to her and being the place holder for this other guy was not fair to me. *VINDICATED!* She wrote an essay about what she had done to me and how the book had opened her eyes (an awakening, perhaps???). This essay ended up winning some sort of state-wide competition. *Feeling pretty great by this point!*
Epilogue
She came up to me at the end of the prom and asked me if she could leave with another guy who she has been kind of interested in for awhile . . . (you can't make this stuff up!) So, I got my vindication, but history repeated itself - at least I wasn't officially dating her this time!...more
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