MeowMeow
Entertaining with sympathetic characters. There were one or two scenes that made me raise my eyebrows (I cannot say more, as they'd be spoilers). Overall, I liked it. Different, and perhaps a bit too “convenient” at times with the main character's ability... but, well, it was a good read all the same.
The grand dame of urban fantasy. Now I know why all the others have the elements they do – they're trying to be Anita Blake.
This was better written than some paranormal cozies I've read before, which were laughably bad. The mystery was relatively basic, but after reading a few of these paranormal cozies I feel like they all have extremely simple plots. They're fluff reads and not for engaging your brain, unlike normal cozies or mysteries. This would have been 3-4 stars if not for Cass. I detest reading about asshole minor characters.
Noooooooo.... it could have been 5 stars but the story unraveled into a terrible plot. :( I'm so disappointed!!
So lovely. I wasn't sure I would like it at the start, but Eleanor won me over and I just wanted all the best for her. It made me think of things that happened during my own childhood, and though remembering them wasn't exactly lovely, it brought my connection to Eleanor closer – and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I wasn't alone. There was someone (even if fictional) who shared similar memories. We understood each other.
Ah, the two main characters are just so sweet together. Loved the way they interact. Loved Harry most of all – so sweet and positive.
I just like the characters too much to stop even though the story/plot has been quite boring and uninteresting for a few books now. :/
Leyli is a badass. Unrealistic, yes, because I doubt you can turn someone who hasn't done anything more strenuous than carrying a dress to a “lean, mean, killing machine” in the time-frame of this book. (E.g., just 2 weeks of training and then she has her first tandem fights with Tristan ... and then later on we find that it's only been 5 months-ish that has gone by, but now she's one of the best gladiators ever. I mean ... Okay then.
But still really enjoyable. Made scenes from Gladiator flash through my head from time to time, and also gave me a hankering for ancient Rome.
Immediate DNF in Chapter 2 for a main character who sees nothing wrong with her best friend being a gossipy asshole and spreading LIES, saying a guy murdered his own wife and buried her out in the woods, just because the gossipy asshole was bored that day. Also, right afterward she calls an elderly woman “that old biddie” who's about to “keel over any moment.” Then she says to the MC (who is blind) that she, gossipy bitch, would poke her own eyes out just to get the job as a blind reader if the MC doesn't apply.
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!! I cannot forgive being friends with someone who would willfully spread lies that would damage someone's reputation just because she wanted to. It's not fucking harmless, no matter how much you want to make it out to be that way.
Do you want to see the conversation? Here it is:
“Don't be silly. The man's not dangerous. He's just anti-social.”
“Not dangerous! Aren't you the one who said he killed his wife and buried her in the woods and the wolves are there so no one goes looking for her bones?”
She giggled. “Well, I was bored that afternoon. Don't you think it'll be fun?”
“You just want me to apply so you'd have all kinds of new gossip to spread around.”
“Come on. I'd ask someone else, but you're the only blind person in town.”
“Isn't Mrs. Murtle blind too?”
“That old biddie,” she dismissed immediately. “She's about to keel over any moment. I heard her sons have already dug her grave.”
I shook my head in wonder at that untrue piece of gossip.
“I am,” she admitted. “So are you going to do it or not?”
“I don't know, Elaine. It's awkward.”
“Look, if you don't apply, I'm going to poke my eyes out and apply myself,” she growled.
I laughed. “I'll think about it.”
FINALLY stuff starts happening after the last 3 books where basically the plot dragged and nobody did anything. I love the story and the characters, don't get me wrong, but I had to grit my teeth to read the last few. This one was such a joy to read and explained a bit more about things I wanted to know.
I love trashy books and all, but this novel is just pure cringe. None of these characters (I guess besides Jagger and his family) are likeable. The dialogue is absolutely stupid; who the hell thinks anyone actually talks the way they do in this novel? It's written like an alien trying to simulate how people speak. It horrifies me that a book like this, with such low quality writing and low quality plot + characters, gets 5 star reviews. Also, don't get me started on the terrible comma usage. Please read a grammar book or something before publishing another book or find a different editor.
I don't even know why I try LitRPG books. This one, like every single one I've tried, is just horribly written, featuring infuriating and immature characters and cringe-worthy plots. LitRPG is like gamer vomit on the page, and as a gamer myself I'm always so embarrassed to see how enthusiastic other gamers are about crappy writing.
The only good thing I can say about the entire subgenre is that it has gotten people who would never pick up a book to actually read something. Hopefully these readers will graduate to other genres and realize just how much better other books can be, because holy shit. I understand reading comfy, trashy books – I do it too when I need a mental break – but man, I really hope they read other things and expand their horizons beyond cringe-filled, grammatically crappy books.
LEARN HOW TO USE A DAMN COMMA! They're not interchangeable with periods, for goodness sake.
Every character is infuriating. Stop effing beating around the bush and just SAY WHAT YOU MEAN. Basically all anyone does is rehash the same things over and over. I bought the entire series on the back of others' recommendations and I'm disappointed.
The books in this series read like a first draft. Convoluted plot, people saying nothing, people rehashing the same shit in different ways ... it's like painfully watching someone write with no real idea where they want to go and then watching them try to figure things out with word vomit on the page. This is not even to mention all the annoying characters. (Honestly, the ONLY ones who are bearable and even interesting are minor characters like Shera or the group of omega wolves who move in with Violet.)
One of the main characters thinks it's perfectly fine to videotape the heroine having sex without her consent, and sends it to the other main characters, who think it's totally okay to keep the video even after the heroine asks them to delete it. What a bunch of assholes. Then, of course, the circling plot and the vague references and just ... FFS people, SPIT OUT YOUR WORDS AND SAY WHAT YOU REALLY MEAN. Every character sounds the same – I always have to check whose chapter I'm even in, they all sound the same. They're all also annoying creepbags and Violet is infuriating and stupid. I bought the entire series on the back of others' recommendations and I'm disappointed.
DNF 55%. Eff this, I'm so done with this series. I would've been done in the middle of Book 2 (I didn't like Book 1 but was giving it the benefit of the doubt), but I bought the entire series on the back of others' recommendations so I felt like I needed to keep going to see if it got better. No, no it did not. Still the same vague, “swirly” writing style, with dialogue so stilted and people in this feel like they're not even speaking the same language, considering the way they constantly misunderstand everything everyone says.
Creepy asshole characters who don't see anything wrong with filming someone (without consent) having sex or showering, then sending it to other people, and a stupid heroine who whines about other people not telling her things but is the exact same with expecting others to know what she's thinking by cryptic comments. Convoluted writing that circles and goes nowhere, with infuriating characters who are too cryptic for their own good. The writing is abysmal, like being caught in someone's feverish writing sessions, vomiting as many words as possible onto the page without a clear idea of where to go (which is why everyone says vague shit all the time, apparently a pantser writer who can't commit and doesn't know how to actually plot). Stupid, asinine characters just top the crap cake.
Spent way too much time on this series, so fucking done.
I liked it, I guess, but reading pages and pages of the main character's disbelief was tiresome and annoying as hell.
One of my favorite reads of the year. The descriptions of everyday life was surprisingly entertaining.
