writingpen

This book is probably more like 3.5 but I am rounding up because it was better than book 2.
Things I liked:
Tarman!
The dragons coming into themselves.
The conflict between Alise goals and the keeper's goals
I love to hate Hest but I wish this storyline had progressed a little faster
The traders making a bargaining mistake
Things I did not:
Why...why do we need to hear about the adolescent sexual squabbles? Is this going somewhere?
Selden's storyline could have been more cohesive but it feels kind of shoved in.

I really enjoyed the reading experience of this book and where it went. I re-emphasized to me how much I enjoy this type of book. My only real complaint, is that I never fully felt bonded with the characters. So I am withholding five stars for now, but I think story as a whole as a lot of potential.

An exceedinly cute novella

A very cute and fun story. The prose is very easy to read and keeps you turning pages. I loved Adalla's sub-plot and had to stop myself from verbally cheering her on during the halfway point. The society structure was fun interesting and well thought out. Though I wish that I could have gotten a diagram or something better outlining out the family structure worked. My biggest complaints stem from the book leaning a little hard on some tropes, especially in the romance department. Plus, the ending almost felt too tidy/convenient. Putting all that aside, this was a genuinely fun read if you enjoy coming of age outer space stories.

This is a preliminary review. I read it for a book club that will discuss later in the month. Maybe the discussion will affect my opinion?
I went into this book excited because I read another book by this author in 2021 and was obsessed with it. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite meet my expectations. The prose was very smooth and kept me turning pages. It never felt particularly draggy/slow. The magic system mostly made sense. The beginning of the book was very intense and probably one of the best parts. And there were several scenes when there were big reveals etc. that I enjoyed. I loved the wooden balls of death. Those scenes kept me on the edge of my seat, metaphorically. Having this adapted in an animated style could be very cool. Unfortunately, this book also had several weaknesses.

The biggest issue for me was probably how the tropes were handled. I know tropes exist for a reason, but these never felt particularly creative or subverted. I may be slightly biased because one of the main tropes used is one of my least favorites. I also wish that some of the characters had gotten a little more characterization. This book could have easily been 20 pages or so longer and let us get to know the characters better so we were more invested.

This book had a interesting villain concept and characters I enjoyed. The killer was genuinely disturbing and there is no way I could watch a movie adaptation, it would be too disturbing. My main 2 complaints that prevent from reaching five stars are A) Too many view points, especially in the first 1/4 of the book and B) An excessive amount of call backs to the previous book.

My actual score for this book would probably be closer to 3.5 or so. Rounded up to 4 because its a first book. The world building is very cool and immersive. The blend of Native American culture and disaster movie aesthetic created a unique background to the story that held my attention. The side characters are fleshed out enough that I actually care what happens to them.
Unfortunately, there are also several weaknesses that bothered me. When we Maggie finally finds out what her partner can do, it's incredibly anticlimactic, and makes her look stupid. The general plot point is...fine, but Roanhorse doesn't stick the landing to my satisfaction. Additionally, the same kind of joke is to build character connection. Nicknames are not the only way people get to know each other. (This isn't a huge complaint, but it started to feel like a shortcut to saying “These people like each other!”). My final complaint is part of the ending just feels strange. I've read it twice now and while I understand it, I feel like it could have been handled better. Maybe I'm missing some nuance?

I really wanted to like this book more. I've seen it on quite a few of those recommended lists and was excited to finally get a copy of the first one. Unfortunately, it just didn't feel unique enough to me. If you've read The Iron Druid Chronicles and The Dresden Files this feels somewhat similar. (To be clear, I don't think Alex Verus is a rip off. I think his powers are interesting and I liked his sidekick.) There was some decent world building I love Arachne, and her relationship with Alex. I felt pulled into her scenes. It just...didn't grab me? If I had a friend who was fan, I would probably keep reading so we could discuss them. As it is, this world doesn't stand out to me enough to keep going.

This was...okay? The art was interesting at any rate. I just couldn't bring myself to care very much about the characters.

(I will admit I finished book 3 before I remembered reviews. woopsie.)
This book was good but also sort of frustrating. Certain reveals took too long and felt like Tarman was moving at approximately the speed of molasses. I know the point of the book is the journey, but yeesh. It's possible the journey dragged more for me in this book because of the focus on people's sex lives. I'm not a prude necessarily, it just felt kinda weird. If I was trapped in a canoe and had to hunt to feed myself, whether or sex is forbidden would not be my top priority. Also, why all the focus on how the young people don't truly understand love yet? It's repeated multiple time. The thing that really confused me, is how Hobb forshadowed the gay like crazy ( I saw it coming way before the reveal, I'm not exactly the queen of analytical reading.) but the character took forever to actually admit on the page. But then it's implied it is basically an open secret in Bingtown. I'm just very confused about this aspect of the story now. I feel like I need a top down analysis of homophobia in Bingtown now. Is it just frowned upon? Are you shunned? I NEED answers.

I have found. I have found a creepy house book worthy of a throne. I loved the concept and the twist. I also liked that the house architecture was relevant. Too often authors spend multiple paragraphs describing the house and it's barely relevant. This felt like horror combined with an adult fairytale and I loved it. Gives author quiet hi-five.

This book is super cute. My only complaint is that apparently Sir Edgar doesn't become a talking cat until later in the series.

This one is weird one for me. There was 50% I enjoyed: the gift buying, the real estate shopping, and the personal growth. I also liked Marnie's friends but they weren't fully on the page enough for me to get properly attached. I even enjoyed the affair partner getting to be the POV. Also the secret daughter. I think she was handled rather well.
And then there was the romance element, which is obviously very important because it's a romance novel. And I think this book suffered from splitting itself between two romances that were occurring in 2 different generations. The younger set felt slightly rushed and I was ever able to get fully yay invested. The older set felt smoother but I have really hard time cheering for taking a cheater back. The explanation and build up were done rather well, I just didn't have it in me to cheer them on.

This story was decent but somehow it just lacked some punch. I think I would have enjoyed it more, if I hadn't other similar books I enjoyed more in the last few months. Malice House and the Hollow Places fit a similar niche and did it better. If there being a child focus improves a book for you, you may enjoy this book more than me. I didn't hate the kid, he was one the few unique things about this book compared to some I've read in this subgenre. Most creepy house books seems to feature adult women who are single and don't have kids.

This book had a lot of potential and is a solid 3.5 for me. I have a feeling the sequels will improve would her higher rankings from me. The worldbuilding was fun and a I liked the way social strata was handled. The bravi were one of my favorite parts. I also appreciated the way women were treated for the most part. Clothing etc. was described but it never felt gross.
Things done well:
-worldbuilding
-relationships, though sometimes it felt like too much tell and not enough show
-The magic system has potential and feels more unique than some I've seen recently.
- The MC struggles and the first thing he tries doesn't always work. Yay troubleshooting!
Things that got a meh:
-The cast size combined with some people having multiple names was hard for me because I am bad with names.
-Certain world building things got repeated too much. I know, the characters know. Please chill
-The MC got mighty close to chosen one territory, which I do not enjoy
Overall: a decent book that doesn't feel like a retread. There are far worse things my father could have checked out from the library.

This book started out decent, but really bobbled the ending. It kinda felt like the author wasn't sure which twist/ betrayal she wanted to go with, so just combined a few. The prose style was fairly smooth and I enjoyed the culty vibes. It just doesn't feel like a proper cult by the end. More like a mini-conspiracy.

How could I resist a baking book?? This book does a lot of things right. I was obsessed with gay bar. My favorite thing though is how the unreliable narrator is handled. I didn't feel lied to. It was more like the narrator was lying to herself because she was wrapped up in infatuation. One star removed since the ending feels a bit too convenient and pat.

A fun book with teen bonding. I like the ease of different social groups interacting with each other. I always feel like media depictions make it seem like there is razor wire between different kinds of kids, which is not terribly accurate. I mean yes, there are friend groups, but not to the extent alot of movies/books want to believe. The willingness of people to talk to each other and friends calling each other on nonsense was refreshing. Some of the romance elements didn't fully land for me ( I don't enjoy obsession), but I don't regret reading it. I can see it being 5 stars for someone who is closer in age to the target audience.

I can easily see this being a five star for some folks. There were some parts I really enjoyed, like the very start of the maze. Things like the corn jennies and letting each continent/ area have their seasonal personifications (like Australia). I just wasn't invested enough, I guess? I plan to keep reading the series, it's just not my favorite by this author.

A cute story, but I wish it was more memorable.

That was certainly a book. A lot of other reviewers cover most of the bases so I'll keep this short. It kinda feels the author came a with a title and a general idea ( They got to weddings AND a funeral like that one famous romcom. ) but then couldn't figure how to move the pieces around? The supposed central relationship just feels like arguments + sexy times with very little growth or momentum. And then the ending is one step removed from “ It was all a dream.” If you are a completionist or really enjoy the side characters of this series like Luc's mom, go ahead and read this book. If you want to read this book for Luc and Oliver, re-read boyfriend material or skim. I'm not necessarily angry with this book, just disappointed.

I want preface this review by saying I really wanted to like this book. It had an interesting concept and an imperfect protagonist. I also appreciated that the focus was on sewing and the character was allowed succeed without becoming Buffy. Also the cover art is swoon.
Unfortunately, this book had a lot of problems. I'm hoping the sequels solve at least some of them. These problems include:
* Not thinking through the politics enough. If you are going to make politics a central theme they need to be fleshed out and believable in terms of human nature.
* Certain aspects of romance felt like they went to0 fast and the protag caught damsel syndrome when I wanted her to be awesome instead. She flip flops on things that are supposedly significant to her.
* The magic system was okay but as one reviewer mentioned, one particular person gaining powers was just...annoying.

A book where having 2 timelines isn't incredibly annoying. I think it made the book a little bit fatter than it needed to be, but overall a goodread. I enjoyed Courtland's first days under Hightower's command and how he handled being on a team. The end was tied in a very bow, as well. My main complaint aside from length, is I wasn't super feeling the romance. I liked both characters, I'm not into Greaney's romance writing skills.

Not a bad book, just a little more heavily romance focused than I expected when I picked the book up.

A cute, cozy selection of short stories. I liked that they held to a rough theme while having a decent amount of variety. Realistically, it's more like a 4.5 because it's not like every story is perfect. I'm rounding up because I can't think of a solid complaint I have against the book.