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More BBC Booklist
Jan. 23rd, 2012 06:08 pmThank you Terry Pratchett for allowing me cross a handful off and feel like I've dones something more with my life...
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So I finally got around to reading Catherine Fisher's The Oracle Betrayed. I gotta say, I'm kind of disappointed. I really liked the concept behind it and I'm intrigued enough to read the other two--eventually--but the entire thing just fell kind of flat. The main weakness lies in the characters. They never really gained any depth or true personality. You never really got a true feel for them; you just watched them go through motions without having any real motivation or emotional connection to them. Maybe we were told too much instead of getting to see? I don't know. It just felt like something was missing... However, although I do have my doubts about where the next books are headed, I will say that I was immensely grateful that she didn't include any romance between the leads--yet. There's just not any spark there and I was really afraid she was going to force it. I still am. I know it's bound to be coming...
Meanwhile, I also read East by Edith Pattou and the next on my Prachett list, Wyrd Sisters. I really enjoyed both of them. I think Wyrd Sisters might be my favorite Prachett so far! Currently working on A Game of Thrones but that's going to take a while...
Meanwhile, I also read East by Edith Pattou and the next on my Prachett list, Wyrd Sisters. I really enjoyed both of them. I think Wyrd Sisters might be my favorite Prachett so far! Currently working on A Game of Thrones but that's going to take a while...
A Conspiracy of Kings
Mar. 27th, 2010 11:35 pmJust finished A Conspiracy of Kings. I enjoyed it. I've always liked Sophos, so its nice to have him--and everyone...minus Costis--back. And I enjoy Sophos/Helen, although I am not nearly as satisfied by it as I am Gen/Attolia. Nor does it leave me as squeeful. Still, it's sweet. There were definitely some very good bits and lines--Attolia's jokes; bits of Moria lessons; "We eat chicken NOW!" etc. And I LOVED the entire voting sequence. It was good stuff. And, I must confess, I am a little in love with the line "I make the king." Certainly, the book had some issues, and I don't think it was quite as strong as it predecessors. And I felt an upsetting disconnect from Gen that made me uncomfortable...but maybe that was the point. At any rate, a good read that has set the scene for the two remaining books, which I shall anxiously await!
Austen Adaptations and the Emily Books
Feb. 28th, 2010 07:44 pmOne: I have been working my way through the Jane Austen Collection DVDs, featuring adaptations circa the 70s/80s, that I got for Christmas several years ago. I've yet to watch Pride and Prejudice and my Sense and Sensibility disc won't read, but in general, I have enjoyed them, especially after I got over the staging and other nitpicky things. Sure Mansfield Park was a little boring, but it kept me watching. However, Northanger Abbey was beyond ridiculous and I have been rambling on for the sole purpose of saying this: LOL!!! What is with the music? And, oh, Catherine's actress...
Two: I have just finished Emily of New Moon, and I really enjoyed it. I've heard there is supposed to be a bit of a divide between Anne people and Emily people, but I don't see why. There are certainly similarities but I think they are two very different animals. Emily was much darker and more realistic than Anne. I suppose sentiment will always make me an Anne person, but I really like Emily--a lot. And Perry. And Ilse. And he father. And Elizabeth. Not sold on Teddy or Emily/Teddy, but I think that's because we never got to see their meeting and he didn't speak until well after his initial introduction. But I also understand that both the character and his romance with Emily gets more interesting early on in the next book. I will have to read the rest of the series someday, though no time soon. As it is I only read Emily because a friend had let it to me and I have to hang on to lent books for too long. But I definitely plan to finish exploring the world of New Moon.
Two: I have just finished Emily of New Moon, and I really enjoyed it. I've heard there is supposed to be a bit of a divide between Anne people and Emily people, but I don't see why. There are certainly similarities but I think they are two very different animals. Emily was much darker and more realistic than Anne. I suppose sentiment will always make me an Anne person, but I really like Emily--a lot. And Perry. And Ilse. And he father. And Elizabeth. Not sold on Teddy or Emily/Teddy, but I think that's because we never got to see their meeting and he didn't speak until well after his initial introduction. But I also understand that both the character and his romance with Emily gets more interesting early on in the next book. I will have to read the rest of the series someday, though no time soon. As it is I only read Emily because a friend had let it to me and I have to hang on to lent books for too long. But I definitely plan to finish exploring the world of New Moon.
Queen's Thief Series
Dec. 11th, 2009 09:47 pmHalf way through The King of Attolia, and it is official! I am in love with this series! (Took me long enough...) Seriously, I'm squeeful right now! I am officially full of squee. Hee!
Thoughts on the Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Sep. 20th, 2009 07:35 pmA Great and Terrible Beauty: I liked it well enough. It was an easy read and passably entertaining in regard to the overall mystery--even if I totally called the twist. My only complaint was that I did not buy the friendship between the girls at all. ( spoiler ) That and the fact that some of the feminism felt forced and anachronistic.
Also, there really wasn’t a single character I found myself actively liking or enjoying. I found them all rather flat, I guess. And many of the back story/character details designed to give them depth and make them sympathetic, honestly didn’t work for me. (But more on that later.) Meanwhile, I enjoyed the interactions of Gemma/Kartik much more before Bray actually began to expand upon the romance.
In sum, I liked the book well enough to read the second.
Rebel Angels: I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Mind, all of the same gripes I had regarding the characters, the girls’ friendship, and forced feminism remained and were exaggerated. The Gemma/Kartik relationship also began to irritate me more. Maybe it felt forced? I dunno. I think it was Kartik I took issue you with. Something about his personality/characterization I didn’t quite like. But the plot, I felt, was well put together, and once more I enjoyed the over all story and mystery. (Even if I called the twist yet again.) In sort, this was easily my favorite of the trilogy.
The Sweet Far Thing: Ugh. I did not like this book. Too unnecessarily long. And, while there were some things I felt didn’t quite mesh between the first two books, this solidified my stance that Bray was doing some major retconning as the story progressed. ( spoiler )
To that end, since when is Gemma such a book nerd? I don’t recall her ever having found such comfort in them in the first book. And where did all the Tree of All Souls stuff come from? Surely there could have been some allusion to it before. And what happened to all the character development from the previous two novels? They certainly are not in the same place at the beginning of the third book as they were at the end of the second. I’m all for characters having flaws but the selfish, immature, pettiness that went on was just ridiculous. ( spoiler )
Lastly, the forced feminism was even more heavy handed than ever. Gemma’s final speech to Mrs. Nightwing was completely soapbox. I’m all for feminism and author’s including themes, but there is no need for it to be that transparent. And the meandering plot did nothing to help. ...I just did not like this book.
That said, I did end up liking at least two characters by the end of the series, Mrs. Nightwing, because I have a soft spot for stern but loving matrons, and Tom, if only because he struck me as a very human character. (And I did rather enjoy Tom/Ann while it lasted.)
Also, there really wasn’t a single character I found myself actively liking or enjoying. I found them all rather flat, I guess. And many of the back story/character details designed to give them depth and make them sympathetic, honestly didn’t work for me. (But more on that later.) Meanwhile, I enjoyed the interactions of Gemma/Kartik much more before Bray actually began to expand upon the romance.
In sum, I liked the book well enough to read the second.
Rebel Angels: I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Mind, all of the same gripes I had regarding the characters, the girls’ friendship, and forced feminism remained and were exaggerated. The Gemma/Kartik relationship also began to irritate me more. Maybe it felt forced? I dunno. I think it was Kartik I took issue you with. Something about his personality/characterization I didn’t quite like. But the plot, I felt, was well put together, and once more I enjoyed the over all story and mystery. (Even if I called the twist yet again.) In sort, this was easily my favorite of the trilogy.
The Sweet Far Thing: Ugh. I did not like this book. Too unnecessarily long. And, while there were some things I felt didn’t quite mesh between the first two books, this solidified my stance that Bray was doing some major retconning as the story progressed. ( spoiler )
To that end, since when is Gemma such a book nerd? I don’t recall her ever having found such comfort in them in the first book. And where did all the Tree of All Souls stuff come from? Surely there could have been some allusion to it before. And what happened to all the character development from the previous two novels? They certainly are not in the same place at the beginning of the third book as they were at the end of the second. I’m all for characters having flaws but the selfish, immature, pettiness that went on was just ridiculous. ( spoiler )
Lastly, the forced feminism was even more heavy handed than ever. Gemma’s final speech to Mrs. Nightwing was completely soapbox. I’m all for feminism and author’s including themes, but there is no need for it to be that transparent. And the meandering plot did nothing to help. ...I just did not like this book.
That said, I did end up liking at least two characters by the end of the series, Mrs. Nightwing, because I have a soft spot for stern but loving matrons, and Tom, if only because he struck me as a very human character. (And I did rather enjoy Tom/Ann while it lasted.)
