I make no secret of the fact that I love Moskowitz’s work with the power of a thousand Beiber fans except I don’t need to suspend my disbelief in MoskI make no secret of the fact that I love Moskowitz’s work with the power of a thousand Beiber fans except I don’t need to suspend my disbelief in Moskowitz’s ability.
Teeth is a heartbreaking novel about a lonely boy and an even lonelier magic fish boy. On an island there is a secret. The fish there are magic and they can keep you alive from even the most serious illness. Rudy moves there with his family for is brother’s sake, but things aren’t as simple as they seem when he meets Teeth.
As I’ve come to expect from Moskowitz, the writing is nothing short of spectacular and the characterization, Oh! The characterization! Here is a quote from my review of her book Gone, Gone, Gone about her characterization:
“Well and truly it is the intense characterization of Craig and Lio that make this novel. Clearly Moskowitz doesn’t just do characterization. She DOES characterization. You know. Like, when she writes a character – that character has been written. That character KNOWS it’s been written. That character will probably tell all it’s friends about that time it was written really well. Then it will compare all other writings to the writing that Moskowitz gave it. Thoroughly.”
That is as true in Teeth as it was in Gone, Gone, Gone. Teeth and Rudy are incredibly complex characters – amazingly flawed and dysfunctional. Lonely, desperate, passionate, broken and utterly charming.
But the themes in Teeth are significantly darker than they were in Gone, Gone, Gone, making me hesitant to recommend it to those unable to cope with issues of serious and repetitive sexual abuse. Teeth is dark. Teeth is very, very gothic and depressing and sad. Sometimes I wondered if it was too sad, too dark, too emotive. There’s very little cheer and fun to be had in it. But it turns out it’s just the right amount of dark, sad and emotive for me because I still loved it.
And if you love Moskowitz, it is likely that her ability to make you feel, to illicit a remarkable amount of empathy for her characters, to bare their soul to you – is one of the biggest attractions. That is what you consistently get with Moskowitz – so if you’re up for another beautifully written tale with a fresh bunch of characters waiting to make your heart bleed, then this is for you. If you’re in the mood for something that will make you laugh and feel good, then maybe you’re better off moving along.
And, people, when you do make it to the end of this book, just remember, I’m here for you.
[image]
*An ARC was provided to me by the publisher. No gifts, favours or money was exchanged for this review.
Whilst I was aware of this novel before Stephanie read and reviewed it, it didn’t strike me as something that I needed to read until that point. ThereWhilst I was aware of this novel before Stephanie read and reviewed it, it didn’t strike me as something that I needed to read until that point. There are many unfavourable comparisons to Twilight floating around. This is not an invalid point.
-6 inhuman teenagers who pretend to be siblings – 1) the love interest (Edward/Daemon) 2) the delicate best friend of the protagonist (Alice/Dee) 3) The bitch sister who doesn’t approve (Rosalie/Ash) 4+5) Background dudes who we don’t see a lot of – one of which is partnered with Alice/Dee.
-New girl MC goes to school and meets asshole who is only behaving that way to protect his family.
-New girl is with sole parent who provides highly dubious supervision and new girl acts like the parent – cooking, cleaning, shopping etc.
-Love interest is devastatingly, unbelievably, inhumanly hot.
Blah, blah, blah – we all know the deal. And I knew this going in – but was willing to go with it anyway because, as Steph repeatedly told me, “It’s like she wrote what Twilight SHOULD have been.”
To that I say: maybe, yes, kind of, no, a little – but mostly… I guess?
So let’s get this out of the way quickly:
If you enjoyed Twilight but found the relationship dynamics, i.e. Bella Swan’s permissiveness and stalkish tendencies to be aggravating, then this is your perfect novel. Go forth and multiply, my friend. You will be in heaven.
And I can certainly see how this novel could be as addictive as many of my friends say it is. Katy and Daemon scenes, when he’s not being a complete and utter dick, were exceptionally hot. But, to be clear, by scenes I mean “scene” (because there was only one of them – and he went right back to being a dick afterwards) and that wasn’t enough for me.
But I could have put that aside, technically, and given this book a higher rating if I hadn’t found myself, for a not insignificant amount of time, bored with the story. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I breezed through it in a few hours. I was trapped in bed all day with sickness. There were a couple of times where the slightest distraction, had one existed, would have fairly swept me off my feet and away from the narrative.
Then I started imagining a drinking game for every time I could have come up with a better comeback than Katy. Not an alcoholic one, because I’m sick, but with actual water in the hopes that I wouldn’t dehydrate – which I didn’t. Some of my favourites included: “Glow-stick-for-a-dick”, “Over-grown Fairylight”, “Skinny, limp Twat-bedazzler” and “You have all the charm of a facehugger and only the half the technique, you extraterritorial welfare-mooch!” (this one, clearly, happened after a certain scene that readers will all know and understand my reaction to.)
But, and it must be said, having such a strong reaction to the love lives of the characters was a huge indication that I was at least invested, and after reading hundreds and hundreds of books, the ability to still get invested can sometimes be something of a gift. Ultimately I did like Katy even if, as far as I was concerned, she was far too permissive of Daemon’s behaviour. Sticking around and giving him a break when my personal sense of vengeance would have seen a different, more violent and less polite response. And I did, in true guilty-pleasure style, enjoy enough of the book to at least read the free chapters of its sequel, posted at the back.
I decided that I will very likely read the next book, because it seemed much more my thing – and I think that interest in reading the subsequent novel is the highest praise I can give.
Extra points* to whoever comes up with the best curses to throw at Daemon in the comments!
*Points are completely meaningless, have no value, and result in nothing other than my esteem.
Whether or not you enjoy this book depends on what you were expecting to begin with. No Really. Look at that cover, reread the synopsis and decide Whether or not you enjoy this book depends on what you were expecting to begin with. No Really. Look at that cover, reread the synopsis and decide right now what you’re hoping from this book. Is it:
a) A dark, twisted retelling of Alice in Wonderland with zombie creatures?
b) A high school melodrama about ghost/zombies with no real Alice in Wonderland connection.
If you thought B then good for you. Read this book. If you thought A then back the hell off now. This is not the book for you and you will likely be disappointed.
I thought A. From the title and the vague synopsis I believed that this would be an Alice going into zombieland and dealing with a dark, unsettling, gory version of Wonderland with many of the themes and symbolism from the original story modernized and reimagined in this book. I thought this was going to be a book version of American McGee’s Alice.
[image]
Now, just to make it clear. It’s not a book or author’s fault if that book was not what the reader imagined. But I do think the title and synopsis is misleading considering a number of people, myself included are probably a little confused about what this actually is. The synopsis is vague, mentioning only revenge and monsters and a bad boy.
So let’s clear this up. This is what Alice in Zombieland is:
Alice’s entire family die in a car crash. Her father, who always believed in zombies (they aren’t physical zombies. They’re incorporeal, evil spirits that attack and eat your soul) is eaten. Alice, orphaned, goes to a new school where students act strangely. In particular, a student name Cole who is all badass and secretive. Instalove, love triangles, special girl with special powers later, blah blah blah THAT is the story.
In fact it felt, while reading, that the Alice in Wonderland elements were shooed in at the last minute and didn’t feel as though they were native or even relevant to the story. Certainly, whilst the author links to a couple of small, inconsequential details like the white rabbit and the Cheshire cat, none of the themes of Alice seemed touched upon or incorporated into the story as a whole. Which is a shame because the coming of age in a strange and crazy world that everyone thinks is normal theme would have worked so extremely well IN A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL ABOUT ZOMBIES!
But instead of talking about what I wanted the book to be – what is the actual book like? Well, just not for me. Showalter is transitioning from adult paranormal romance to YA and I don’t think it was successful. She built Cole off the foundation of a romanticized Alpha male – if that’s your thing fine, but I think the effect is lost when the audience is reminded that this is a sixteen year old boy. Like when they’re at the club and intimidating grown men away from the girls by growling. Yeah…
Alice is a reasonable character, though not one I had a great deal of interest in. She simply capitulated too much to Cole’s cavemanish tendencies to keep my interest. The general cast is alright but it is quite sizable and burdens the plot with a great deal of what felt like unnecessary posturing and conversing over things the audience already knows.
I somewhat expected better from the writing considering this is far from Showalter’s debut novel. The action scenes did not feel well realized and the final battle was amazingly short and anticlimatic. There was a focus on the romance. To be fair, it’s by no means a single-minded focus, simply too much for me considering I had no investment in their relationship to begin with. Instalove is not a plot device that I like. I never felt that I championed the relationship between these two characters because it never seemed to me that they had any chemistry to begin with or even liked each other – at all.
My basic advice before buying this book would be to read as many reviews of it as you can by people whose opinion you trust, decide if it is something that’s going to appeal to you and read the sample online before you purchase.
Basically, would it have been too hard to have a story where Alice and the Mad Hatter throw down in a knife fight? Really, guys? REALLY?!...more
The Iron Seas series is exactly my kind of shizzam. It's a buttload of plot, a healthy dose of characterizationion and then just the most delicious hiThe Iron Seas series is exactly my kind of shizzam. It's a buttload of plot, a healthy dose of characterizationion and then just the most delicious hint of sexy times - all grilled in some really fantastic world-building. It's almost like Brook is writing these books just for me! The reason is that I struggle with normal romance novels - I need romance novels that don't feel like romance novels because they're too busy being awesome sci-fi or fantasy etc with some sex in it. This is exactly what Brook does. Sure there's sex, and Iron Seas, the first book in this series is far more romance-y than the next two - but, more than that, they're just plain great Steampunk. It's almost enough to make me bow down and her feet and beg her to never stop.
To begin with, this book takes places in a different part of the same Steampunk driven world from The Iron Duke and Heart of Steel. But the great thing about this series is that Brook just keep shaking it up! She takes you everywhere and with so many great new characters. For me, Captain Corsair is my true literary love, so Annika had big ass-kicking boots to fill. She took a little while to warm on me, and whilst she can never replace Captain Corsair in my heart, she held her own. Her relationship with David was lovely, sweet and beautiful.
Riveted is a bit of a divergence from Brook's other novels. It takes the plot a long time to kick into gear. The first half is solidly centered on Annika and David developing a mutual relationship and trust. There's very little action or plot in that regard. Then the tension and action is ramped up a notch in the second half, and it's back to dodging bullets and mechanical monstrosities. AKA business as usual in Iron Seas world.
The writing was, as usual with Brook, solid and well-constructed. The plot progressed well with some interesting twists that I didn't see coming. But as usual, it was the characters, relationships and world that really makes this novel. While reading the Iron Seas series, Brook will take you to every corner of it and introduce so many wonderful marvels. The world, politics, locations and peoples are so fabulously complex and intriguing that it keeps you wrapped up in the continuing story.
Annika's home town was one of the things that truly made me fall in love with this novel. The normality of their circumstances, the brilliant and respectful way Brook represented it and wove it into the novel, it was all brilliant. I love this series and I can't wait to see what Brook does next!
*A Copy of Riveted was provided for me by the author. No favours, money or gifts were exchanged though I readily offered them for a chance to read this early. My review and opinion remains unaffected....more
I don’t read many books that I would rate 1 star these days. I seem to have mastered my preferences and hit a stride of excellent books – or at leI don’t read many books that I would rate 1 star these days. I seem to have mastered my preferences and hit a stride of excellent books – or at least mostly readable books.
Admittedly I only made it fifty-six pages into this book before I threw my hands up in disgust and tossed a pillow at the wall – so I suggest you take that into account when deciding whether to buy this book.
Why did I stop reading? First reason:
The death of a token character
[image]
We didn’t know her long enough, but I’m pretty sure she could play base.
Right off a POC character is killed and whilst that would be annoying in its own right, since killing off POC characters is a frustrating cliche in books, TV shows and films, this was even more annoying. Firstly because her description was extremely stereotypical – to the point that she was less of a character and more of a caricature. Perhaps even worse and more degrading is that there was no real lament to her death. It was used as a story progression so that the male protagonist could wax lyrical about how beautiful and brave the female protagonist for trying to save the dying POC character. I kid you not. A girl is dying in a terrifying, violent, horrifying way and this is what he’s thinking:
“It’s just that… she doesn’t look as though she needs help. Her pale face is contorted with anger. Not fear. Not distress. Just fury. Her white hair floats like an aura, jerking in delayed reaction with each of her capable movements.”
[image]
Like I said – a girl just died and he’s having a hard on for Emma. And even worse, we’re supposed to be having a hard on for how awesome Emma is. The text is all about Emma.
In fact, Chloe’s death seems to be nothing but an agent for making us sympathetic for Emma. It felt cheap and dirty. Sure, taking on a bullshark is a seriously awesome thing to do. Almost as awesome as that time I wrestled a crocodile. But let’s not get off track here. When sitting down and planning how to make a main character rock super hard, I could think of a hundred ways that didn’t involve creating a token character, immediately killing her off and then using that death to wank about how awesome the protagonist is.
I mean, first of all… gross from an imagery point of view. Second of all, holy flipping duck twat, Batman, way to be offensive!
Second reason:
The sexism.
[image]
There’s nothing wrong with creating a sexist society. However, there is some responsibility when doing so. That the writing doesn’t actually support or romanticize or give tacit approval for the sexism is a good start. Of Poseidon features a heavily misogynistic mermaid society. And as such, the male characters act like a bunch of misogynistic dicks. Once again, completely understandable. But then it’s when everyone else just kind of goes along with that and doesn’t see a problem that my eye started to twitch. And then when some pretty outright paternalistic bullcrap takes place, I started seeing red. Like when a stalker mermaid arrives for a female character, Rayna. They are mated against her will and her refusal and hatred of him is treated as a comical device in the story – just her being a fickle and childish girl – not actually a woman rebelling against a system that doesn’t allow her to choose her mate or even requires her to be present for the ceremony. She’s angry at him because they were childhood friends and he’s always known that she never wanted to mate. He went behind her back, asked her Dad and organized for them to be mated. She’s pissed at him. Naturally. Personally, I would have seduced him out onto an isolated locale and impaled him on a rock. Rayna’s anger and hatred toward him is just laughed off by everyone. Including her brother.
Excuse me? EXCUSE ME!? What the ever loving fuck?! Oh, I see. Women in this world don’t know what they want until the smarter, better men come along and show them. Right. RIGHT.
[image]
Then there’s Gallen who is just sexist plain and simple. He dismisses his sister, does not discuss the information he’s working on with her – but will with her mate – another man. I am told that he takes over Emma’s life and treats her much like a bit of baggage in the name of taking care of her. I didn’t see any progression toward a less sexist Galen having any kind of revelation that women weren’t all a bunch of objects to be ordered around like sheep.
You expect women to be unreasonable barnyard animals too busy masticating and going into heat to do any reasonable and logical thought, fine. But think like that and try to be a romantic interest in a YA novel I’m reading? No way. Sorry, Galen. You are the weakest link. Goodbye.
Third reason:
The writing.
[image]
I truly disliked the writing. Not only was it incredibly telling and flat but the story also jumped awkwardly between the first person narrative for Emma and the third person narrative for Gallen. It did not feel polished or finished at all.
“Stop!” she yells.
Galen stops. But Emma’s not talking to him. She’s talking to the shark.
And the shark stops.
Emma wraps both arms around Chloe and hugs her to her chest, leaning her friend away from the attack. “You can’t have her! Leave her alone! Leave us both alone!”
The shark turns, saunters away as if sulking.
SHARKS CAN SAUNTER?! AND SULK!?
I know what she’s doing here and that’s being abrupt and edgy with a tense moment. But I just trip over those sentences every time I read them. And a lot of this book is like this. Part of me wants to take a red pen to it and just clean it up a bit. It’s not like Banks is necessarily a bad writer – but that her writing isn’t smooth. There’s no poetry or rhythm to it. Just these jarring, awkward sentences that hurt my brain.
Fourth reason:
The characterization
[image]
“Hi! My name is River Swan Desmonda Sparkle-Eyes!”
Emma was, in my opinion, a Mary Sue – and that is a term I don’t use often. Basically, I felt she was an author insert. Rare compelling eyes, one of a kind in her species, ultra special, father AND friend died to create sympathy. Even Gallen, when not with Emma, only thinks about Emma. He can sense her on land when that’s supposed to be impossible. It’s always the same with Mary Sues. Impossibility surrounds them and they’re just so fucking SPESHAL while being the most boring, repetitive, inoffensive turds around. The problem with Mary Sues is that, if you’ve read one you’ve read them all and the only thing that separates them is the degree to exactly HOW speshul and ewnique they are. And the more Mary Suish they are, the more the other characters spend every fucking moment talking and thinking about Mary Sue – which as far as I could see, was exactly what happened in this book. The only character flaw the author has given her is that she’s clumsy. Clumsy is not a character flaw. I’m sorry, but it’s not. It’s a lazy way of trying to make a young, beautiful female character immediately adorable and relatable to an audience and writers do it all the time. Stop. Just stop it, okay?
Even if the story telling explains the clumsiness (she’s not meant to be on land – she’s meant to be in the water) it still makes for a weaker character. Because if you can’t bare to give your MC a more intense flaw than ‘clumsy’ then that becomes ALL you can say about her. “What’s Emma like?” “Oh, she’s just this really clumsy, insecure teenage girl.” Clumsy and insecure? No! Never. That only marginally ties her to like 95% of the YA MC population!
Basically, I can deal with bad writing – to a degree. And bad characterization – to a degree. And sexism – to a degree. But throw them all in with the death of a token character and smoosh it into a terrible mess? Then I can’t deal. Then I throw my hands up in disgust, delete the book off my ereader and try to scrub my bloody brain free....more
There are some things I saw done very well in Giarratano's new novel, Disharmony. Her first mark comes for characterization as she successfully buildsThere are some things I saw done very well in Giarratano's new novel, Disharmony. Her first mark comes for characterization as she successfully builds and maintains several very authentic, interesting voices. Each with a story that is a little like a crocheted doily in how the pattern touches at the right time in the right places. The second comes from the settings which are engaging and rich. It was like a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed the exposure to her take on the Roma families and the juvenile detention center - both of which were a very welcome break from the now very familiar middle American setting that many books take place in.
I should mention that the format that I read it in was different to how I receive most ARCs, making reading difficult and frustrating. It probably interfered somewhat with my ability to relate and engage with the story and contributed to me giving up and being unable to finish reading the novel.
Where the story fell apart for me was its painstakingly slow start. The story seems to feel no rush and rambles on, sometimes seemingly aimlessly. You can kind of excuse Bronte for taking more than three chapters to get to the point. The setup felt worth it for the creepy atmosphere. The waffling and slow beginning seemed to fit. But often, while reading Disharmony, I wondered what the actual point of several of the first chapters were. Certainly we were introduced to the characters and settings and early story - but the important parts seemed steeped in superfluous scenes that bogged down the story. Understandably, this could all be explained later and be a brilliant setup to a most amazing story - but if the audience stops caring and reading, is it worth it? I guess I'll never know....more
When trying to find a way to describe this book – I settled on this: Pushing The Limits is the closest I’ve ever gotten to reading a Machetta bWhen trying to find a way to describe this book – I settled on this: Pushing The Limits is the closest I’ve ever gotten to reading a Machetta book.
For anyone familiar with me or Machetta – that is the highest praise I give.
Very rarely does a book make me laugh and cry at all – let alone multiple times. But that’s what this book did. And really, what the hell kind of badass reviewer am I when I’m brought to sniveling, snotty tears by a book?
Noah and Echo don’t talk at school. Noah is the atypical bad boy and Echo is the former Teen Queen on the verge of reclaiming her former glory. But Noah and Echo have a lot more in common than they realize. They’re both broken. This book is told through both of their view points as they start therapy and their lives start to unravel and they get pushed closer and closer together by their circumstances.
What I love is that there are three realities in this book. McGarry takes into account that there is Noah’s truth, Echo’s truth and then there’s this whole other creature we’ll call What Is Actually Happening. I haven’t seen someone show flawed narration this well in a long time. What McGarry captured perfectly is that disconnect while keeping me plugged in an sympathetic.
Example.
Noah is fighting for custody of his younger brothers. When his parents died, he and his siblings were separated. Noah was placed in a series of very bad and negligent homes while his brothers were placed with a custody family who restrict his access to his siblings and are trying to adopt them.
Echo’s father and his new wife (Echo’s old babysitter) have a very rocky, unhealthy relationship. He is controlling, the new wife is pregnant and Echo is desperate to try and make contact with her mother (who has been cut off from contact by Echo’s father).
At least – that is how it looks at the beginning. And it’s very easy to think that these adults in Echo and Noah’s lives are horrible. But whilst Echo and Noah continue to see them that way for awhile, and whilst I as the reader remained completely empathetic as to why Noah and Echo saw them that way, it becomes clear that the situation is not as cut and dry as that.
By the climax of both Echo and Noah’s stories I was weeping uncontrollably. I still cry when I think about those two parts of the book. McGarry’s writing is powerful, emotive. Her character voices for both Noah and Echo were very well done – reflecting on their distinct personalities and characteristics. The plot contained little action and was largely carried by the myriad of relationships and the mystery of Echo’s past – so fans of more fast paced, active novels may want to steer clear.
Mrs Collins, their therapist, plays an almost omnipotent, godlike character in the novel and brought a fresh, lovable addition. She was one of my favourites.
Over all, I think most readers are going to love this one. One of the absolute best books of 2012!...more
Skylark is the most technically proficient and well-written novel that I've ever struggled to finish. No doubt Spooner is an author to watch.
The worldSkylark is the most technically proficient and well-written novel that I've ever struggled to finish. No doubt Spooner is an author to watch.
The world building of Skylark is both imaginative and rich. It has a fascinating backstory set in a dangerous and vivid world. By the end of the novel I was rather attached to the characters and invested in Lark's and Oren's struggles. I cheered them on and felt a little heart palpitation at the impossibility of their circumstances.
Your enjoyment of this novel will hinge on what kind of reader you are. Do you like writing so animated and dynamic that it leaves you feeling as if you've reached through the pages and felt everything the author intended you to feel? Do you like a slow and sensual walk through a character's journey as if you are taking it yourself? Then, by all means, go get this book. Read it. You will love it.
I was simply the wrong reader. I don't typically like journey stories with lots of walking from A to B where every ache along the way is explored. I like fights. I like blood. I like sex. I like action. I like suspense. This novel has a lot of that (Well not the sex) but I wasn't feeling it due to the plot which simply wasn't gripping enough to keep me coming back. I enjoyed the book while I read it, but struggled to muster the enthusiasm once it was put down.
But I really have to hand it to Spooner. It's just been so long since I've seen writing like this that I almost wish I'd loved it more.
"Then I looked up.
And saw the sky.
The wind had blown the day's thick cloud cover away, and a bottomless blackness yawned above, pockmarked with stars. A sliver of moon cast the sickly, color-leaching hint of light across the ruined city. There was no end to the sky, nothing holding me down on the ground. I felt it reach down to me, threaten to swallow me. I seemed to fall upward, and threw myself down to stop it, knocking the breath out of my lungs."
I could literarywank to that for hours. I feel the vertigo hit me every time I read this passage. There's like three passages including this one about the sky and I read them while feeling my lungs constrict in sympathy. I felt her terror like I've rarely felt physically for a book character before. I could see that exact sky above me, waiting to drag me up into the nothingness.
While reading this book, I often just went back a reread passages of some of the most superb writing I've seen in a long time. It was enough to make me shake my head, stare glumly at my own manuscript and start pressing 'delete'. Truly, I just wish that the story had focused more on the necessary story telling elements instead of covering every missed meal and blistered foot. But that's a personal thing and it's going to be different for every reader.
I will be desperately looking our for Spooner's next novel in the hopes that the plot and pacing is more to my speed, but that her wonderful quality of prose hasn't diminished.
*An ARC of Skylark was provided to me by the publisher. No money or favours were exchanged for this review....more
I can't review this yet. I quite liked it, yet don't know how to describe it.
I know I read it instead of doing Buzz Worthy News, which is a big no-no I can't review this yet. I quite liked it, yet don't know how to describe it.
I know I read it instead of doing Buzz Worthy News, which is a big no-no for me. But I just couldn't help myself. And whilst I won't give anything away, I finished it like I had a spell over me.
Something Strange and deadly had a really rough start with me. There is a divide between the writing of the first chapter and the rest of the novelSomething Strange and deadly had a really rough start with me. There is a divide between the writing of the first chapter and the rest of the novel. The first chapter gave me the false impression that this book was flimsy, badly written and suffering from stagnant characters and plot.
However, this quickly faded away as Dennard hit her stride – introducing fresh, interesting characters, and intriguing plotline.
Dennard creates an interesting and fresh mythology in Something Strange and Deadly that mixes aspects of Steampunk with good ol’ zombie fun. In Elanore we find a fun, willful protagonist – driving the story forward and fleshing it out with wit, humour and a charm. She also makes a perfect balance between what you would expect of well-bred lady of her times, and a strong-willed, intelligent woman eager to prove herself. She certainly makes excellent use of her parasol at certain points in the novel in a way that would make womankind proud. However, I’m convinced that the parasol was its own character in this novel. Parasols make everything better. Parasols are awesome, but I digress…
[image] Everything!
Daniel, Jie and Joseph are the icing to a very fun cake. Particularly Daniel, with his abrasive, working class attitude and grouchy personality, which played nicely against Joseph’s gentlemanly persuasions and Jie’s serious case of kickass. Like, she just really kicked everyone’s butt in this novel at least three times and never once complained.
I’m one of those people who like steampunk things with monsters. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter sounds like a terrible, stupid movie that is perfect for me.
What was extremely refreshing was that whilst there was some romantic involvement, it clearly took a back seat to the more pressing issue of masses of walking undead trying to make mince meat out of your internal organs. Plus there was mystery and intrigue and more mystery and action and butt kicking interspersed evenly and generously throughout the novel.
My only real complaint – putting the first chapter aside – was one minor issue and that relates to the simpleness of the mystery.
The ending was simply too obvious and came as something of a letdown to realize my suspicions from the very beginning were confirmed.
[image] When you resemble an owl and make this face, you know the mystery has been too easy.
Overall, this was a great read and I strongly anticipate the next one!...more
For me, there’s two kind of books I give low ratings to. Books that I thought were bad, or books that I simply didn’t enjoy. This is the later of thFor me, there’s two kind of books I give low ratings to. Books that I thought were bad, or books that I simply didn’t enjoy. This is the later of those two options. It’s not that Arise was necessarily bad, but that it wasn’t for me. For starters, I believe I mentioned in my review of The Treachery of Beautiful Things, that I need to pay more attention to book covers in order to avoid the whole purity thing. Once again, I clearly should have anticipated a big sex issue with this book based on the puritanical white dress and girl holding some type of greenery. I’m not sure who in our culture decided that white dress and foliage equaled hymen – but they did a really good job convincing everyone else (yes, the ferns represent death, but work with me here, people!). I was thrown off by the ghost part, because I honestly didn’t anticipate a book about a ghost in love with a boy would be all about how to have sex. It just wasn’t my thing – and particularly wasn’t the kind of book I wanted it to be. Which must be really annoying to fans reading this review and going:
[image]
It’s not that the writing was bad. I didn’t feel like there were any real technical issues the author suffered from, but the plot took a significant amount of time to kick into gear, which made keeping my interest difficult. Because, you know, if someone isn’t about to have illicit smoochies or die on the very page that I’m reading then I’m bored. And this book started out well because it started out with illicit smooches. Between ghost girl and her boyfriend. So I was simultaneously impressed and disturbed.
[image] There’s a meme for everything, ya know?
But then we get to the main source of tension and part of the driving plot – they can’t…how do I put this politely? They can’t seal the deal, understand? It’s over before the cigar’s lit. The party’s started but the guests can’t come. I have no clue what I’m saying. Look, they can’t bone, alright?
So whilst other, more involved stuff is happening, in the background there’s all this tension on can they, or can’t they do the horizontal mamba. This is probably going to be very interesting, involving stuff for people who aren’t me. The point was always moot because it’s not my bag, baby. I’m more of a The Ghost and Mrs Muir kind of girl. I like my ghost stories to be all about that insanely secret, entirely emotional/intellectual bond. I want that bittersweet, mournful love where it’s already lost before it’s even started. For a dead girl, Amelia sees a lot of action. For starters, her and her boyfriend can make out and touch. A good portion of his family can see/talk to her and they even go out dancing together at a bar at one point. That felt like cheating a little. Being almost entirely intangible, immaterial and unable to touch or shape the world around you is one stable aspect that makes ghost stories powerful. Take that away and I feel like the whole story loses it’s best, most emotionally stirring aspects.
Maybe it’s an obsession YA has with being perfect and getting the perfect ending. When Vampires can come out in the sun and sparkle, when miracles are pulled out of a hat, when ghosts can go clubbing, they start to lose their interest for me. Which is a shame, because monsters and supernaturals, as they are, are the perfect metaphor for the awkward, disturbing, intimidating, frustrating experience that is puberty. Instead you just have pretty people with pretty problems and that’s simply doesn’t hold my interest....more
Requiem. When all good things must come to an end. A horrible, horrible end that didn’t do any justice to the series. But an end nonetheless. Requiem Requiem. When all good things must come to an end. A horrible, horrible end that didn’t do any justice to the series. But an end nonetheless. Requiem is like sitting down to a well-deserved, hot pie and relishing every bite until you get to the last one and die of poisoning without ever knowing why or how. There was literally a moment when I got to the last few pages, realized there wasn’t any more and freaked out. From enjoyment for insurmountable anger.
[image]
I am a solid believer that Lauren Oliver is a capable, talented author. I also think she’s brave. Not all authors risk venturing into unfamiliar territory. Think how common it is for an author to be writing their fourth or fifth book in a series and starting spinoffs in the same world when even that gets old. It’s clear from Delirium that Oliver was trying on something new. Uncomfortable at first, but I’d felt that in Pandemonium, she had hit her stride. Requiem, the last part of Lena’s journey, seems to have been a new challenge all in its own. One that I didn’t feel Oliver managed to surmount.
The novel is divvied up into Lena’s POV and Hannah’s POV – sometimes done with more success than other times. Overall, it wasn’t a bad series and Requiem wasn’t necessarily a bad book. It simply could never escape from the premise holding so much more promise than the story could deliver. Compared to other series in this genre, it struggled to hold its own candle. I feel bereft and let down after the promise and goodness that was Pandemonium.
There are concepts and ideas there. A tale Oliver wants to tell about love – its strengths and pitfalls. The good and the bad. You can see the reaching for it in Requiem. Then a point comes when it seems the tale is abandoned in favour of wrapping it up as soon as possible. Some might call it an open ending. To me an open ending leaves you with thoughtful questions, not a whole lot of blank spaces. To me, Requiem doesn’t have an open ending. It just stops, with little rhyme or reason.
I’m not even going to talk about anything else that happens or the characters or themes or writing or anything. I refuse. Debate or not, an ending is an ending is an ending. Just because something ended doesn’t mean you gave it an actual ending. Need further proof? Allow me to illuminate on th-
I put off reading this book for a long time and I’m not sure why. I asked Matt if there was any sexy times in it, and he said not really. That may havI put off reading this book for a long time and I’m not sure why. I asked Matt if there was any sexy times in it, and he said not really. That may have had something to do with it. But if he’d told me that there was so much chemistry between Chase and Rayna, I might have checked it out faster. Because it kind of had the potential to stroll into bow chica wow wow territory, and probably would have more if they hadn’t all been so busy fighting to survive. Also, Merrick, what are you doing wasting all that potential sexual chemistry?! And have you ever considered writing romances?
Exiled is like a diamond in the rough. I see so much of Merrick’s potential as an author. I think given time, attention, and hardwork – his books are going to be pretty damn great. Exiled itself was a difficult book to me to rate. The raw material, itself, was pretty excellent. There was certainly plenty to appreciate about the novel and I had a great deal of enjoyment while reading it. This was Merrick’s first novel, though, so there are always going to be things that an author can learn and improve on. When I said diamond in the rough, I meant it. I got the sense throughout reading it, that it really needed an experienced editor to cut and polish it to help Merrick bring out the best parts, and chip off the parts that were cumbersome or unnecessary.
[image] In case you can’t tell – that’s Aladdin and that’s someone explaining the process of how they perfected his look. Isn’t this, like, the most appropriate GIF for a review ever?!
The intro needed to be a little smoother, and the back end of the story contained some unnecessary story telling that I could see was probably setting up for the next novel, but that really punched the pacing in the gut and detracted from the overall plot.
The characters were a big positive for this book. Chase was endearing in that way that little brothers are. Overly-confident and just adorable enough to pull it off. Rayna was a great counter-balance, providing maturity and a gravity that Chase could aspire to. Marcus played the ever-patient and ever-ignored father figure while Chase’s mum gave the novel a sweet, grounding, human touch. Then, of course, there’s Vincent if you want a mature romantic lead.
And whilst I am eager to follow up on the lives and adventures of Chase and crew, I can’t help but want to take a red pen to this book. I enjoyed it so much but feel like its potential was cut short, like a world-class athlete with no one to train it. Merrick made a couple of astounding female characters, which I’d like to see him do more of. The novel does feel a little unbalanced and overpopulated with powerful men in leadership/destiny roles. I feel like they’re especially necessary to balance out the damsel in distress-heavy plot toward the second half of the book.
You’re probably going to like this book if you’re into a younger version of The Dresden Files with a main protagonist who is almost as exasperating. It’s certainly not a perfect novel, but also not without merit.
Ultimately, I want to see more from Merrick. This was a really hard book to rate. I feel like it deserved more stars based on my enjoyment, but the issues with the plotting and pacing tripped me up. I think he has the signs of an excellent story teller, though, and I’m eager to read the next in the series, Shift.
I jumped at the thought of this ARC. A girl time traveling back to seduce Shakespeare? That’s awesome! Shakespeare! *Swoon*
[image]
I had full on JI jumped at the thought of this ARC. A girl time traveling back to seduce Shakespeare? That’s awesome! Shakespeare! *Swoon*
[image]
I had full on Joseph Fiennes from Shakespeare in Love flashbacks because, of course, I was 12 when the movie came out. Of course, as an adult I know a lot more about who Shakespeare seemed to be like from what documents we have.
But still, I thought, how fascinating? How is this going to go down? But this emphasis on Stephen Langford in the synopsis? After all, the book is called Kissing Shakespeare. So… she’ll just be kissing Shakespeare, right?!
There will be people who will enjoy this book, undoubtedly. But before you buy this book, allow me to give you this spoiler in case it’s important. Shakespeare is nothing more than a shadow of a character in this book.
Miranda, teenage actress from Massachusetts, gets physically abducted by Stephen and dragged back to Elizabethan England for the express purpose of having to seduce Shakespeare so that he doesn’t turn to the Priesthood. So the romance, up until I read, seemed to be between Stephen and Miranda… the man who forcibly abducted a terrified girl, took her to a place where she’d be friendless and alone, and threatened her unless she seduces his friend.
Please allow me a moment to react.
[image]
No! NOOOOO! NOOOOOO! Why?! WHY!? Why does our male protagonist have to be someone who abducted her and is literally forcing her into a form of prostitution because he thinks it doesn’t matter since women in the future are all sluts anyway. WHY!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
If that were the only problem with the novel, I MAY have been able to shudder and at least finished the novel. Maybe.
Unfortunately, his other reasons for abducting this one particular girl are that she is: a) an actress, b) very familiar with Shakespeare’s works and world and c) supposed to be able to pull this stupid, stupid, ridiculously dumb scheme off.
The first problem is that if she is an actress then I am Imelda Marcos – and since I can’t seem to find my impressive collection of designer shoes (I looked) then this first part is rubbish. All three of these foundations have a basis in her supposed intellect which was unfortunately out for dinner throughout any of the book I read. For someone whose main asset was being steeped in Shakespearean plays and culture – she just plain SUCKED. She was mindless. She couldn’t even CURTSY! I know she was supposed to be an audience surrogate, but there’s a balance that needs to be maintained. That balance repeatedly had its feelings hurt and it eventually left to find someone who would treat it properly.
Then we get to the writing which was just juvenile, which matched the plot and the characters so at least I can’t say it was inconsistent.
One of the worst things about reviewing a book is to be careful not to mix up what you wanted and expected with the actual story. Sometimes that’s just impossible to do. But I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect a book titled Kissing Shakespeare about a girl supposed to be seducing Shakespeare would actually… be about Shakespeare.
And I guess it’s not unfair to expect that one of the most brilliant playwrights of all time would be a little more complex and interesting. Look, I know he wrote to make money and he wrote populist material for the time but his beautiful, beautiful prose! His sonnets! It is technically possible that he could have just been a dumb, shallow useless seventeen year old. But c’mon!
[image]
It is also entirely possible that he was a complicated, thoughtful and insightful human being.
And if we take a quick poll of people to ask about which Shakespeare they’d rather read about, I’m pretty sure I know which option would come out on top. I certainly know which one I would have rather have read....more
I met Kendall Grey in Kara's chat and resolved to try and read every author who attended since they were all fabulous people. Inhale was my maiden voyI met Kendall Grey in Kara's chat and resolved to try and read every author who attended since they were all fabulous people. Inhale was my maiden voyage into this endeavour and came with a strong recommendation from my dear friend.
I purchased a copy and eagerly sat down to read. I applaud Grey on her imagination and unique world-building. Also her research and attention to detail gets a credit. I wasn't able to finish this novel despite rather liking both of the main protagonists and generally appreciating the magic system and society she created.
I had to stop reading though because I found the writing very difficult to submerge myself in.
It felt like every third sentence was doused in jarring, uncomfortable metaphors and the similes were not a great improvement.
Of course, the first odd bit of writing to really catch my eye was on page 19 - not a great start:
"Or innocent people woke up dead."
Someone in the comments mentioned a Cordelia quote from Buffy.
[image](Image is from Coalitiongurl.tumblr) If anyone remembers this episode, Giles' reaction to that comment was my exact reaction to the line above.
And if that had been the worst of it I would have gotten the hell over it and gotten back to reading and trying to submerge myself in the world and narrative. But it wasn't.
"The implications rushed like a runaway bowling ball on a pre-ordained path to a game-winning strike. For the opposing team."
"The Sentinel's body convulsed, her fear producing more Fire. Like pulling spaghetti from a steaming pot, the jackals dredged out the last few red sparks and fought over them with bared teeth."
These are the examples that most stick out. It's not that they're horrible but, to me, they felt craftless and cumbersome in the text. There was an awkward, rough quality to the prose that made it difficult for me to connect to the writing.
When I realized how hard I was working to try and enjoy the story, I mostly gave up. For this caliber of novel, I expect to be swept away, not to endure a hard slog against the current.
Goodness, now I'm doing it too! Signing off before it spreads and gets worse!
This is a DNF review. Which means everything should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Harlequin Teen was kind enough to provide this ARC to me aThis is a DNF review. Which means everything should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Harlequin Teen was kind enough to provide this ARC to me and I felt I should at least take the time to explain why I couldn't make it all the way through.
It had something to do with this: [image]
The writing made me go: [image]
The Characters were like: [image]
And I had to stop before I was driven to: [image]
Maybe I should have kept up with it, because most people seem to really enjoy this book. But I found the writing extremely telling. The main character, Samantha tells us a lot about herself in a very awkward manner rather than showing us who she is. Thus I had very little invested in either her or Bishop. Since I didn't connect to her, I found it hard to connect to the world and to, in turn, stay interested in the novel.
It was like one of those avalanches started by a single stone. I don't want to hear that you were acting out because of your parent's divorce so you tried shoplifting and, since that didn't work, making out with your crush was another option. It was very disingenuous to me as a character voice and I couldn't relate to how she expressed herself. Sure, the back story is there but the emotion is not. The frustration, the sense of helplessness and impotence, the uncontrollable urge to lash out - all of this was missing and replaced with a fairly lucid, detached personality reflecting on her state of being with all the emotional investment that I usually give to my breakfast cereal.
I would suggest this book for fans of City of Bones or Twilight - but I would also suggest reading the first chapter and half and deciding whether you bond with the protagonist and the writing style before purchasing.
This is the perfect book for fans of Vampire Diaries or soap operas. If that’s your thing, then this will be YOUR thing. I mean, in a big way. YoThis is the perfect book for fans of Vampire Diaries or soap operas. If that’s your thing, then this will be YOUR thing. I mean, in a big way. You’ll probably jizz yourself and explode in an apoplexy of fan squees. It’s not that there wasn’t a plot, but it was suffocating under a barrage of heavy, thick, awkward romances. Like that guy who was really into you but also really into mouth-breathing and you weren’t sure if his hands were always wet because he was nervous or he’d just been to the bathroom. There weren’t any serious issues with the actual technical writing. Peacock is reasonably proficient at expressing herself and conveying emotions in prose. I enjoyed the varied relationships that existed between several characters – to a degree. My main issue was that as much as I generally liked each character individually, together as a group and the ties that bound them were shallow, simplistic and juvenile. When writing, if you feel the need for your narrator to express how similar their life is to a CW program, then there’s your first sign that you may be doing it wrong. And if, at any time, all the problems in your fictional world extend from the fact that people just love the main protagonist TOO much, then there’s your second sign. The last sign is when your characters spend comparable amounts of time agonizing over their relationships and angst, as would a soap opera. Over all, it was a light, interesting read. If you’re into wangst, love triangles and paranormal YA’s then give it a go. If the combination of those three together creeps you out as much as your great Uncle Harvey, then give it a miss for your own sake.
Sequels are really hard to write reviews for. Mostly because people don’t want to read them for fear of spoilers, but keeping them spoiler free makes Sequels are really hard to write reviews for. Mostly because people don’t want to read them for fear of spoilers, but keeping them spoiler free makes it difficult to properly discuss the book. So now I’m going to have to do this review in code.
In Siege and Storm Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling. They meet Pumpkin who has the ability to help Alina defeat the Darkling. Problem is, Mal and Pumpkin don’t get on at all. Also, the Darkling can now line dance which adds a level of complication. As well as line dancing, which makes a dark and creepy addition to the novel, the Darling drives a wedge between Mal and Alina by knitting. Also, I think he may be losing the plot a little.
[image]
Firstly, Bardugo’s writing has dramatically improved. Siege & Storm is a far smoother novel, both in terms of writing craft and pacing. The tension is always ramped up, the drama meter is set to erupt and before you realize what is happening, it all explodes in your face, leaving you clutching at the tattered remains of your heart and an ego that is no longer ashamed to see you crawl onto twitter to cry on Bardugo’s shoulder.
I can’t really talk too much about the characters without giving it away – but Alina kicked butt in this installment. Especially when she got hold of her aardvark. No more doe-eyed victim. She really struggles and grapples with her goiter. What does her goiter mean for her? For Mal? For the future of Ravka? And was the Darkling right about that Chinese finger box between Mal and Alina? Mal struggles the most in this novel as he is a salt mine. And in his salt mineyness he deteriorates and loses a lot of faith. I have a feeling he learned a lot about himself in this novel.
Everyone grows and changes, even the Darkling a little and I wonder if he’ll let Alina continue to cross stitch, or if he’s finally going to seriously back stitch her? Or has his line dancing finally started to shake him up? So many questions, so many moral and ethical dilemmas.
There is little doubt that Pumpkin stole the show and I applaud Bardugo for his inclusion. He certainly made life interesting and added a great comedic element to the book. Overall, Siege and Storm managed to be a stronger novel than the first. Now I absolutely can’t wait for the next!
If there’s one thing I hate, it’s this. When there’s a reasonably professional, respectful self-published whose book I just don’t jive with.
The concepIf there’s one thing I hate, it’s this. When there’s a reasonably professional, respectful self-published whose book I just don’t jive with.
The concept is pretty cool. One twin dies and then her mother performs illicit black magic to bring her back. Problem? She has to share her twin’s body like a time share thing. Awesome, right?
And it’s not like the writing is necessarily bad. The novel’s been reasonably well edited and clearly Jefford has put a lot of effort into providing a professional product to her readers. I think this is a great credit to her.
But my problem with the book came from the inexplicable actions of the characters. They acted outside the realm where you would think sense and reason exist. Their response to stress and stimuli were just foreign and completely alien to me. There was this great divide between the events of the novel, and the response of the characters.
For example, Graylee and Charlene are the twins sisters and it’s quite clear from the beginning of the novel that Charlene is a selfish horror-cow of epic proportions. When Charlene’s boyfriend leaves her for Stacey, Graylee and her mother reasonably believe that Charlene will hurt Stacey. Like just straight up murder her. There is an amazing lack of response to this from either of them. Just stop imagine if your sibling or child was honestly someone you believe would murder another girl over something as stupid as a highschool boyfriend. Just look at whatever family member is closest to you and wonder what your reaction would be if you genuinely thought they could just murder the hell out of someone.
Just the nonplussed reaction by either of them to this fact is one of many baffling character decisions in this book. Raj is another one. Why does he suddenly like Graylee? Why is Graylee terrified of him? Why is she very suddenly not terrified of him? What is it with Graylee’s complete and utter reaction to her own death? There is no chemistry between these characters because I couldn’t, for a moment, think up a single thing they actually had in common – other than both like an invisibility spell.
I found everyone in this book almost completely lacking reasonable motivation. They just seemed really cardboard and did things without genuine incentive.
The plot was, similarly, overwrought with ridiculousness. On the plus side, I finished the book and it wasn’t a horrible read. Many people will probably enjoy this book a lot if they’re into that sort of thing. I personally need a stronger, tighter storyline, plot and characters.
For Spoilers:
(view spoiler)[The weirdest thing about this book was just how full of crazy people it was and how little this bothered the other characters.
Charlene was definitely the weirdest instance. Like when Graylee was like, “Hey Mom, that girl Charlene totally wanted to kill was in an unfortunate accident two days after my death. Ya think Charlene had anything to do with that?”
Mom: “I put a protection spell on Stacey so that Charlene couldn’t use magic on her. Hey, check out this sweater!”
Excuse me, what?! Your daughter is a psychopath! You actually think she COULD kill another human and this is your reaction to that?
And the way Graylee died? This comes up later like it’s supposed to be a big shock that it was Charlene that killed Gray. Cause, ya know, that wasn’t immediately obvious by the source text?
Then there’s Nolan. Nolan is this semi stranger/casual acquaintance who agrees to help Graylee. The morning he’s supposed to go off with her, she makes out with Raj. So of course, OF COURSE, his reasonable reaction to that is to join with Charlene and purge Graylee’s soul (basically killing her). Yup. Totally reasonable and not at all insane.
No, actually, that is completely insane and there is no justification given for this by the way. I can’t express how many times a guy I’m vaguely acquainted with has tried to murder me because I’ve started dating another guy. Of course!
It’s just all so inexplicable – but the worst moment, and I mean the absolute worst, came at the very end. When Charlene’s other psychotic friend (how many sociopaths attend this school!?) purges Graylee from Charlene’s body. Whatever shall Graylee do? Well, of course, there’s Stacey’s body in a coma. Why not just go use that body?
[image]
Cause even though the body already had a soul, all it needed was a shot of vitamin Gray! Bam! Graylee is back in the form or Stacey! Joy!
[image]
Look, the fix to a coma is not to insert a different soul! Comas don’t work like that… Stacey’s body is not sitting around waiting for a different spirit to get in there and make some magic!
It was all just so crazily dumb that I struggled not to whack myself in the head.
So I guess the word of the review was inexplicable. Because that’s what this book was for me. Inexplicably irrational, dull and boring. But at least the review was cathartic to write. (hide spoiler)]...more
So I really wanted to like this one, but I just didn’t and the more I think about it, the less I like it. For me, the biggest problem was Gray, whose So I really wanted to like this one, but I just didn’t and the more I think about it, the less I like it. For me, the biggest problem was Gray, whose head we experience the world in. If you don’t like a protagonist in a novel that is narrated in the first person then that’s an immediate problem – one that is probably highly dependent on the individual reading. Gray just didn’t feel like a real character to me. It was hard to explain exactly what it was I didn’t like about his personality, but when I made a list of Gray’s characteristics: Angry, impulsive, curious – and realized that was all I could say about him, I figured that was a pretty good indication.
Actually, the focus on the novel really is largely on the characters, which was unfortunate for me because I simply couldn’t connect to them. I couldn’t really name my favourite other than a slightly more preferential nod toward Bree. But the others tended to fall under a giant banner of Meh from which none of the actions of plot developments could rescue them.
The world building was interesting, and is at least certainly different, though a little M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village for my taste. FULL OF TWISTS MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[image]
But, having said that, at least the world building was interesting. What I did find intriguing is the number of typos. And, yes, it is an ARC so I expect they’ll all be fixed up by the time Taken goes to print. I’m just still not used to seeing that many typos in an ARC. My only real issue with the writing was how often it turned from an engaged narration to a reflective one.
And not that that’s bad because different tones represent different kinds of story telling, but it would spend a lot of time in reflective mode which involved a lot of summarizing and musing which kind of stalled it up a bit. When I would have liked to have seen these things, even briefly rather than just hear about them. Particularly at the end where it felt like the reflective tone started just a little too early and spent an inordinately long time wrapping up events that would probably have been better off not being consigned to a summary of their happenings.
Also, and this is really weird to complain about but… but… GRAY HITS A GIRL! Like just punches her in the face. Now can I mention that she was being a horrible, nasty person. And my feminist instincts would say that if you’re an equal opportunity douche, then you maybe can get an equal opportunity punch in the face. But… But… DUDE!
[image]
She does slog him a good one back, but the thing is, most women can’t hit anywhere near as hard as a man can. So hitting kind of takes it into unfair territory. I know Gray is impulsive and angry and that takes up 2 out of 3 of his personality traits – but wasn’t there a better way to show this than beating up on some girl and putting her in the medical bay?...more
Kat Kennedy
>
Books:
kat-s-book-reviews
(338)
Loading...
