Nomad Scry

Depending on well you deal with the protagonist being a whiny stalker for most of the book, this is better than the first book... if only because Amma doesn't spell words all the damn time. Fantastically annoying in an audio format.

Fascinating how my sympathies fled from Adam to Ronan. Blue is awesome. The “sensible one”, surrounded by magic with none of her own, except a belief in her family and friends that borders on being a power itself.

While a good bit is simply outdated by the passage of time, the idea that chicken footing around is only prolonging the issues that caused the depression and kept the depression going for so long is not something to be overlooked.

There were a few interesting world building ideas here, which kept me going. The annoying offhand sex-shaming was very off putting. Overall, this felt like a writer just learning the craft, and that this should have been a trunk novel.

However, the narration was so flat and inappropriately affected that I'm not entirely sure how much of my distaste was actually his fault instead of the writers.

Enjoyable. It's only in retrospect that certain plot issues come to mind, which is fine. I'm curious to see what the authors do with the story in the next book.

Edit: I forgot to mention this thing that Amma does. She loooooves crosswords, so she spells words out. And she's infected Ethan with this highly irritating habit. I -should- deduct a star just for how much this interrupted my listening.

Freaking fantastic. This story had me hooked and emotional all over the place. Blue is a fantastic white room character and every other character was so interesting and full of nuance. I loved how certain things are just plunked down on the table and only later on do you find out just how baldly stated they'd been.

And I love a good finish and this one... the last sentence was such a great teaser. Can't wait to listen to the next one.

Speaking of listening, I normally hate Will Patton's accent when I see him in movies. And it irritated me for the first few hours, but he does really great character voices, so I forgive him. Ha.

Too much cock. A little too stereotypical man is harsh, woman is victim. Otherwise, pretty damn cool.

The ending delivered a very nice moment of hair raising satisfaction.

Really damn good.

A nicely different take on assassins and mages.

Terrifying, brilliant, and moving, this is the author's autobiography in truth, if not in reality. If you aren't already a fan, well, whatever, but for the rest of us, I cannot recommend The Ocean enough.

Nothing wrong, I just never found myself really engrossed or interested.

This is definitely one of the better dystopias that I read this year. I quite enjoyed the main character and liked the way that the past was hinted at and somewhat revealed as the story progressed. That said, the entire conceit of the different factions and the way the world is set up... ridiculous. Just don't think about that and everything is good.

Or do. It's all good.

I -listened- to this. And it isn't formatted for that, at all.

I don't particularly think that the first few sections were PI, though the bit about the early settlers thinking the AmerInds were actually white under the dirt was interesting. I'll have to see if I can't corroborate that factoid.

However, as the author gets closer and closer to the now, he gets more reactionary and less ... calm? His “clearing of the air” about the Reagan legacy was a bit confusing to me. I thought it well accepted that there was increased government spending and decreased government revenue during Reagan's time in office, but, since that is what Woods claims to have actually happened. I'm confused.

Also, I'll have to ask my more conservative friends about their opinions on the Clinton scandals. I don't recall anyone being really upset about it, more a little disgusted, a little disappointed. Woods seems to have been personally angered about not only Clinton, but also the LBJ and JFK extramarital affairs.

(2 stars if I'd read it, only 1 star because I listened.)

Fun take on shape-shifting dragons hiding in the midst of our world. I was unaware this was book 2 of the series and I don't feel it hurt the story at all.

Probably not for everyone because of the dry and sometimes emotionless main POV. However, that's a good part of what sold me on the character of Athena. I'm looking forward to the next book.

This is the type of story that makes you wish it was in a series, just so some of the fantastic world building can be re-used, but it would dilute the magic, and so you are glad that the author is content to leave well-enough alone.

This is sort of steam/cyber-punk sci-fi. Sort of if the Red/Green/Blue Mars series crossed feelers with Vendermeer's Finch. With less mushrooms.

Fantastic. Beautiful. I don't want to say anything because I don't want to spoil anything. Not that the story would be harmed, really, from spoilers, but it does dilute the wonder a bit.

Fans of Horror, Paranormal Romance, and YA Weird should all enjoy Anna.

I know I'm the oddball here, but I just didn't find anything or anyone interesting enough to make me want to put up with another few hundred thousand pages. His world is peppered with fascinating little hints of the magic that used to be commonplace, and I love that sort of thing, but ... you have to give me something in the here and now too.

If he'd stuck to fewer POV characters, I might have come to care for someone, anyone. If he'd revealed something before the last moments of the last chapter, I might want to come back for more. But he didn't and I don't.

I actually READ this! With written words and everything!

I think this is the only book I read all year, so kudos Mr. Wallace. Ha!

Just a bit mundane compared to some of the other YA Distopians I've been reading lately. Suffers a bit from the main character being less interesting than either of her matches.

Strange and mundane, swirled together but never quite mixed. I'm almost disappointed that the strange elements weren't just a little more magical... but then the city (and the city) wouldn't be just so unique.

I want another story with Borlu but I feel like following him any further would only serve to spoil the wonder.

Wildly original. My only complaint is that I felt the sheer uniqueness was slightly dampened by the inclusion of angels. Which isn't much to worry about.

If I weren't an almost compulsive book finisher, I would have quit before the halfway point. I can't even put my finger on why I was bored, but I'm glad I kept going because there are a few happenings at the very end that, as a father, put a big knot in my throat.

Very very good. i want more strange and despairing stories like this, and more that are this.