Megan

Some cheesy dialogue and scenes (I seriously had visions of Threat Level Midnight), but it kept me entertained enough on a long car ride. Some of the jokes were a bit repetitive and weak, but a couple made me laugh.

Duplibook Thrifters Book Club pick for the month of June.

It's a light, quick read that's simply meant to entertain and make you feel like you're in the Old West. It's accomplishes that and nothing else.

Everything happens “all of a sudden” (no joke, in 188 pages a variation of that is used 48 times), the characters are pretty flat, and the pacing is ALL over the place. It's full of cliché Western sayings, which I think is the main point of these books. It has some pretty ridiculous sentences such as, “... in the changing of days the seemingly changeless hills do also change” (pg 145). I couldn't help but laugh.

It was okay enough for what it was.

Ol' Pirate Cove (a book that takes place on the sea) read for the Quest for the Bookie Grail in The Book Junkie Trials 2019. Magi for the win!

This was okay enough, I guess, but definitely not for those who regularly read fantasy or maybe even books in general. The reveal on the 3rd to last page was spoiled for me when someone decided to give me a two sentence synopsis that I didn't ask for, so that may have contributed to my mindset while reading. Pacing was off, dialogue felt unnatural and inauthentic to the time period, and the characters were all caricatures. Some people may enjoy all the nods to famous literature, but most of it felt lazy to me. There was potential for this to be really fast paced, exciting, and funny. It did not live up to that potential at all.



That being said, there was one quote that I loved enough to tab (which could possibly be reworded/borrowed from another author and I'm just too uncultured to realize it):

“When all that we have within is exposed, and we may no longer blame our inadequacies for our failure, but must instead depend on out strengths to succeed... that is when the measure of a man is taken, my boy.”

I'm so sad to say I think this may be my last adventure with the Lumberjanes. There's a noticeable difference in the story and characters with the departure of Noelle Stevenson, and I haven't been vibing with the new art style for a couple volumes. It's a major bummer, but I'm happy to say the first few volumes will easily remain among my favorite graphic novels of all time.

I can't get over how cute this book is. I laughed out loud multiple times. I would have been obsessed with Amelia and her friends as a kid, but you absolutely do not have a be a kid to enjoy it. Highly recommend for a not-so-creepy read for October!

Hell's Princess was well-researched and intriguing, but I got really sick of the author fat shaming, using the term “mannish” and other disparaging words for women, and what seriously felt like an unnecessary and gratuitous use of the n-word and negative racial stereotypes every other page. I don't think I vibed with the writing voice in general. I think another reviewer said it best when they pointed out that the amount of detailed research was great, but the book would have been much better if written by someone else. Interesting case though, I honestly had never heard of it. I wish there had been a clean resolution, but that's obviously not the fault of the author.

While this author writes very interesting and original stories, I just can't with the repetition. How many times do we need to be told a character dresses like Emma Frost, how scientists can be obsessive about their research, that it was so unlikely that two characters would become friends and did so against the odds, and pretty much every other character trait or thought? We get it, that one guy has a bad leg. And did you know that deep ocean depths can crush you? Well no need to worry if you don't, because the author hammers it into your head repeatedly over the course of an entire chapter. None of these repetitive points are included to further the plot, drive character development, or even investigate the point in more detail. No. They're just the same thing repeated again, as if the reader won't remember the fact on their own. If the repetitions were removed (which would seriously help the pacing and story overall), the book would probably have been a third shorter.

As for the good, there's a lot of diversity that is easily woven into the story without feeling contrived. The science talk was fun and most likely easy for most people to understand, if a bit fudged at times to make the story work. It felt a lot like Jurassic Park (the book, not the movie) with the cast of characters and multiple perspectives. It's an easy read and definitely a page turner with creepy and scary vibes at times. There is quite a bit of suspense and really interesting interactions with the mermaids. It's a fun twist on the mermaid myth, though the end was a bit boring. Kind of like Mira Grant wasn't sure how to finish everything once she wrote the “big reveal” (which wasn't big nor a reveal given all the repetition of a particular fact about the mermaids prior to that, and it was a huge stretch). She may as well have written “and then they found twenty dollars. The end.”

I keep holding out hope that one of Mira Grant's books will completely work for me. Three stars is fun! It's good, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to some people, but I don't want to waste time on an author that always underwhelms me when I'm so excited for the premise. The stories and characters have so much potential, but the writing itself feels like a drag. It's like she gets in the way of her own good ideas. I want her to have more faith in the reader to remember things she's told us already, and I want her to really push these fantastic ideas she has to the absolute limit.

I really enjoyed this series introduction! It was exactly what I was looking for this Christmas to have a good time, solve a mystery, and not get too serious. I immediately wanted to pick up the next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship dynamics and character work done in this book. They are very real people, if somewhat stereotypical. We all know these kinds of people.

The introduction to the new world and cast of characters is done incredibly well. The characters are distinct, and the relationships develop in a very natural way over a realistic amount of time. The emotions feel very real. The pacing is perfect, and the overall intrigue remains present throughout the entire book. I figured out the character “twist” right away, which is to be expected since I'm considerably older than the target audience. However, I was so engrossed in Morrigan's emotional journey that the big reveal took me completely by surprise! That's how you know a middle grade book is well done. It accomplishes everything it sets out to do and much more.

This is absolutely a book I will be revisiting and a series I will continue. I wish Morrigan Crow had been around when I was a kid.

Talk about a boring book. I'm not even sure what the point was. Tell us everything but somehow don't say anything.

This was a super cute read. I recommend it for anyone who won't dwell on clichés. I don't think it'll change your life, but it was quite enjoyable and sweet. I saw the twists almost from the start, but that didn't take away from the story in my opinion.

Intense, but very interesting.

Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever identified with a character more than Murderbot. This book had me chuckling to myself so much. This particular volume worked really well as a novella and had me eager to continue on with the series.

I love this book so much! The characters are so complex and interesting. The political intrigue is fantastic. The history of the tribes and world building are fascinating. There were so many times when I gasped, laughed, or otherwise exclaimed out loud. What an excellent debut novel.

This one really wasn't for me. The scariest part of this book was the thought of all the fish smells the characters must have had to deal with. I didn't get the end. I didn't get any of it honestly. I was happy to see very clear consent given by the characters. I'm glad it was short because I wouldn't have finished it otherwise, not that I have any sort of resolution having read the whole thing.

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes very realistic characters and engaging stories, and you will find yourself swept up in the lives of the characters and interested in their journeys. Each POV has a very distinct voice too.

The two things I think Reid needs to improve on are the predictability of her stories (it's not hard to guess every single thing that will happen) and the way she basically points and says, “Look, here's the moral of the story. This is what you should think about this thing.” She doesn't really allow the reader to infer or form their own opinions.

All in all, I'll probably always waver between 3 and 4 stars. I really liked some parts, liked some others, and straight up rolled my eyes a few times. I think the fantastic bisexual representation is what really makes this book worth it.

Super fun quick book. I think I enjoyed it even more not really knowing much going into it. Definitely recommend if you want an easy sci-fi.

I believe this is the first official manga I've ever read, at least the only one I can remember. The message is strong and homophobia isn't danced around like it doesn't really happen. The characters face it head on. I loved how the naive questions and earnest acceptance of the daughter forces the father to challenge his own thoughts.

I honestly have no idea how I feel about this graphic novel. I really don't enjoy the art style but am intrigued by the concept. Parts of the story are interesting while others just fall totally flat.

Fun read, but pretty surface level and overloaded with nerd pop culture references. Ray Porter is a great narrator, but other than that I'm honestly not sure why this book is as highly rated/frequently recommended as it is. Not bad, not phenomenal. If you like sci-fi, space operas, or nerd culture and fandom, you'll probably enjoy your time reading or listening to this. I'd say go into it expecting similar vibes to Ready Player One.

Angie Thomas is an incredibly skilled writer. The characters were so real and vibrant for me, and the topic is obviously (and tragically) still so relevant today. Starr was an excellent protagonist with so many layers. The family dynamics were super intriguing and kept my interest even though I don't usually care much about that kind of thing in a story.

I can't believe I'm saying this about a contemporary novel, but this is absolutely one of my favorite books of all time. Top 10 if not Top 5.

I did not know what this book was about, other than a small town that loves hockey, and I honestly believe that was the perfect way to go into it. The way Fredrik Backman handled every aspect of this story, from the big moments to the most subtle, is superb.

I can't adequately express my thoughts about this book. For now, I'll just say I loved it and you should read it.

Easily my favorite in the series so far. Back stories are totally my jam, and I love the complexity of these characters, especially TIM-22.

I'm not sure when I signed away the rights to Shannon Hale to publish my childhood story, but I must have at some point. This was painful to read, but in a good way (kinda). Some suppressed memories totally came kicking and screaming to the forefront of my mind.