I really love the concepts in this book. We've got a woman who cleans magical crime scenes, and she's passionate about studying magical animals. The bI really love the concepts in this book. We've got a woman who cleans magical crime scenes, and she's passionate about studying magical animals. The book doesn't shy away from talking about the chemistry of her magical experiments either.
The protagonist's involvement in the plot of the book was clunky tho. It felt like the book was always reaching for flimsy excuses to continue. I wish that she had been given more personal stakes connected to the plot, instead of feeling like "well I guess I have to do this now, because of [flimsy reason with plot hole]" every other scene....more
This is a novella in the Rip Through Time series. The premise of the series is that Mallory, modern day detective, accidentally time travelled to VictThis is a novella in the Rip Through Time series. The premise of the series is that Mallory, modern day detective, accidentally time travelled to Victorian Era Scotland. Now, she solves crimes there while serving as a housemaid to an undertaker.
The pace is constantly interrupted. Every few pages, we get a long explanation that we don't need. Sometimes, it's Mallory re-explaining her backstory to us. Or her relationship to a character. Or the historical background of the place she's going. Or the ins and outs of the period's dress. It feels like 20% of the book is recapping previous events of the series, and 30% of the book is a history lesson. The story itself is lost in the shuffle.
The constant exposition makes the book feel very hand-holdy. It's annoying and patronizing. We don't need to be told several times that Mallory has a strained relationship with a character. We don't need to be told several times about the details of the dresses everyone is wearing. Perhaps, it's a sign that the author is much too excited about all the historical research that she did. Tho this was sometimes too much in the previous books, it felt even more exaggerated in this novella.
The story continues with the loveable characters of the series, and I have no complaints with it. It's fun, showcasing how Mallory handles herself in trouble. I just wish that the actual plot took up more of our page length.
Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own. ...more
This is like a historical mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who. The age category feels fairly middle grade. I laughed, I smiled, I'll read the next one.This is like a historical mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who. The age category feels fairly middle grade. I laughed, I smiled, I'll read the next one....more
I love this sequel series. Our protagonists have spent many books saving the world and defeating gods. Now, they are trying to settle down and keep a I love this sequel series. Our protagonists have spent many books saving the world and defeating gods. Now, they are trying to settle down and keep a low profile. The problem is that that's hard to do when your first instinct is to start chopping off heads and slaying monsters.
This novela packs a fairly simple story. The main point is to show off our characters in the new challenges they're facing: nosy neighbors, home renovations, and dark gods stealing children. I love this homey feel to the familiar gang.
The audiobook, tho with a different narrator of the main series, fits the characters perfectly. Both the voices for Kate and Curran are well performed.
Thanks to Netgalley and NYLA for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own....more
This is the fifth book in the Stevie Bell series, and the one with the best mystery so far. The series blends teen drama with murder mysteries. For meThis is the fifth book in the Stevie Bell series, and the one with the best mystery so far. The series blends teen drama with murder mysteries. For me, the teen drama only gets more annoying the farther into the series I read. However, the murder mysteries? Those just keep getting better.
This book gives you the perfect amount of information on the murders to set you theorizing, without giving too much and giving it away. You get both flashbacks to the crime and police reports, which often disagree with each other. The trick is to combine it with clues from the present to figure out who is lying, and why.
I would also like to take this opportunity to say that I still hate David as a love interest. Somehow, this book got me to hate him even more. But, I must admire the consistency of his characterization. While the average YA love interest would lose his jerk-qualities over the series, David stays consistently terrible.
This is the third book in the Sunshine Vicram series. Sunshine is the sheriff of the small town of Del Sol, and something is always going wrong in theThis is the third book in the Sunshine Vicram series. Sunshine is the sheriff of the small town of Del Sol, and something is always going wrong in the town. Oftentimes, something that deals directly with Sunshine's messy personal life. Her teenage daughter, Auri, is also a narrator. She is insatiably curious, and sticks her nose into all the trouble of the town.
This book feels like a season of a TV show. It's the type of TV show that takes place in a small town where nothing should be happening that is all that interesting. However, all of these murders and plot twists keep happening anyway! And our main characters are always in the middle of it! It has the small town charm of everyone knowing everyone, with all of the shenanigans thrown in. Another reason that it feels like a TV show is that there are so many plots. There are side plots heaped on side plots. There is always something happening and so many balls to juggle. As Sunshine herself puts it in this book, "This town is like Smallville only none of the crazy people were infected by meteor rocks."
Every time the love interest, Levi, is on the page, Sunshine completely loses her mind to tell us how incredibly sexy he is. It's a strange mix of entertaining and over-the-top annoying. However, it does lead to some sexy payoff, so it's certainly plot relevant.
Overall, this is a solid book that pushes the series in a new direction.
I love the premise of this book. It's a traditional Urban Fantasy Chosen One story, with the twist that our chosen one is 60 years old.
Every moment oI love the premise of this book. It's a traditional Urban Fantasy Chosen One story, with the twist that our chosen one is 60 years old.
Every moment of this book felt like it was firmly Doylist with no Watsonian. Doylist = something happens in the story because that's what the author wanted to happen. Watsonian = something happened in the story because the characters made it happen, because the sequence of events made it happen. The scenes never felt like they were happening because of who the characters were. It felt like it was happing because this was the next plot beat on the outline.
Thanks to Netgalley and IBPA for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own....more
Loading...
