Midge

updated my review from 3 to 4 stars for this one. the first time i read it i was unreasonably cynical, but i actually quite enjoyed it this time around. there were a couple slow stretches but i'm not sure if that was the writing or just the fact that i vaguely remembered the main story beats and was anxious to get to them. i never read book 3, so i'm just anxious to get there now.

listening to stephen fry read these books is like drinking warm cocoa in the fall- they are my ultimate comfort listens.

okay, i finally finished my reread of this series. and i have feelings.

this series is so tough for me. while i do enjoy the story, about 2/3 through the first book i become super involved in the romance and then i don't really care about much that happens outside of that after. and a lot happens outside of that. like most of the books. after reading it i seemed to have blacked out and forgot how SLOW it burns. during my read this year i got about 1/3 of the way into this book and started losing it a little. i knew there were good moments coming up, but they really felt outside of my grasp.

then i picked it back up.

today i remembered why i soldiered on through the slow beginnings of this book because the QUOTES.

CARDAN AND JUDE.
(i feel strongly about them).

“my sweet nemesis, how glad i am that you have returned” is a line that makes me want to scream a little every time i readit. she made me wait so long to hear those lines of them finally understanding and hearing each other truly, and i am thrilled by it. anyway if you've read this please come talk to me about cardan and jude because they make me so mad and i love them in such an unreasonable way.

i may have enjoyed this book a lot more if i didn't have to read it for class, but then again i may never have read it. gallagher's arguments in this book are really interesting, but challenging to get through when you read the whole book in less than 24 hours. overall, i am not a historian i am just a person who enjoys the casual learn so i cannot speak from a historian's perspective. i thought it was interesting but not fascinating.

okay, mixed feelings on this. first of all, it's not really a book- it's more of a full-cast drama in audio format. i've never ventured into the category of audible originals before this so i have absolutely no basis of comparison for this but here goes.

the story is basic- evil cyberpunk corporation runs the whole world and the government (except in this case the entire world and government is....... manhattan? new york city? and nowhere else). we have to bring down the government with our ragtag group.

anyway thought the story was fun in a simple, relatively predictable way although there was still a twist at the end i did not expect.

on the other hand, there was some stuff that was really displeasing to listen to in headphones for me. the sound design was overall pretty cool and interesting, but i never want to hear that many kissing noises directly in my ear again. also the ending was a little abrupt and i was a little taken aback by what i felt like was a but of a lacking conclusion.

overall it was fine- got me through my shift and kept me pretty well entertained.