Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Fiction/LGBT+
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Her city is under siege. The zombies are coming back. And all Nona wants is …
I have been betrayed. The friend that I was doing a read-along with just went on a binge and finished the whole book in 2 days while they were on vacation...
And I'm stuck busy with work only managing a few chapters a day and struggling to keep up with the cast of characters; as Muir is up to her usual character shenanigans. Great read so far though. In love with all the characters as per usual.
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London …
Not certain if I'm going to be able to make it through this one. I'm loving the world building but I want to strangle one of the protagonists. I've already guessed two minor "twists." And there doesn't seem to be much pulling me into this world so far.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to …
Another one I couldn't put down!
5 stars
Content warning
Minor vaugish spoilers for both Fallen Night and Priory of the Orange Tree
When I first heard that this was going to be a prequel I was so concerned I wasn't going to enjoy this book. I usually hate prequels because the author usually needs to spend time introducing characters that, if you read the "first" book to be released you're already familiar with. Shannon successfully dodges this by jumping multiple decades into her world's past, and introduces a new set of characters that have significant influence on the world.
It was an interesting experience at some points, however, where since I knew how the "story" was going to end because I read The Priory of the Orange Tree. I found myself demoralized and unwilling to continue to read these character's tales of struggle since I knew there was going to be another event of destruction far into the world's future. Despite that, I still continued on because I cared deeply for all these characters by that point and wanted to know how their tales ended.
As usual Shannon's done such an amazing job at both writing immaculately described scenery and cultures, while also writing such well developed characters that I feel like I'm friends and family with almost every character in the book. She also does a phenomenal job at inclusivity to where there are characters all over the rainbow that are just allowed to exist in the world. Several non-binary characters just exist, able to live their lives in the book with little drama from other characters over their identity. Everyone just accepts who everyone else is. There are more important things going on in the world than who we choose to love or how we want to be addressed.
Now I can't wait to see if there's another installment in this series!
This is the original edition which was published in 3 volumes. The cover photograph is …
A great classic, but a tough read overall
3 stars
Like most classics this book involves a bit of work to get through and really appreciate. It's stood the tests of time because you can easily compare Dr. Frankenstein to the modern day tech innovators that create for the sake of creation without really stopping to think on what their creation is going to bring to the world.
Frankenstein's chapters are long and drawn out, really building up how much you the reader just want to absolutely strangle him. He is self-pitying and seems to put most of his friends and family on a weirdly high pedestal while also not giving them a second thought when it's inconvenient? I think Shelley has actually done a fabulous job at writing a complete narcissist.
The chapters following Frankenstein's monsters completely sucked me in however, and I wish more of the book had been spent on detailing the monster's experiences in life that …
Like most classics this book involves a bit of work to get through and really appreciate. It's stood the tests of time because you can easily compare Dr. Frankenstein to the modern day tech innovators that create for the sake of creation without really stopping to think on what their creation is going to bring to the world.
Frankenstein's chapters are long and drawn out, really building up how much you the reader just want to absolutely strangle him. He is self-pitying and seems to put most of his friends and family on a weirdly high pedestal while also not giving them a second thought when it's inconvenient? I think Shelley has actually done a fabulous job at writing a complete narcissist.
The chapters following Frankenstein's monsters completely sucked me in however, and I wish more of the book had been spent on detailing the monster's experiences in life that ultimately drove him to murder. The monster's chapters begin to feel rushed, and his fall from grace seems a bit ill-supported unless you the reader fill in some blanks. But by the end you absolutely understand that these are two not-great protagonists battling it out in a somewhat weird rivalry/friendship?
I would have loved to see what Shelley could have expanded upon would she have made this original text longer and more detailed. But with this loose framework of a tale she let forth one of the most popular Halloween characters to this date.
A refreshing piece on sexuality if your high school sex-ed sucked
4 stars
I really enjoyed Emily's discussions and thoughts on sexuality and what motivates sexual desire in (mostly) cis-women. It was a nice chicken soup read for me during COVID since when I was feeling horribly alone and non-sexy, and has given me a more healthier approach to sexuality beyond just the PIV mechanics of sex.
I do wish the focus had been more gender fluid, and a little less hetero-normative, but I understand you gotta aim for a target market somewhere. I think anyone can benefit from this book if they want to be a little bit more introspective on their own sexuality and what motivates their desires.
The book did begin to feel a little repetitive towards the end, so I sped-read through the last bit. Didn't feel like I could quite claim to have "finished" the book, but not because I didn't enjoy it!
Having been a fan of Good Mythical Morning and Ear Biscuits for a long time, I was curious to see what Rhett and Link's written story telling was like, as they are great vocal story tellers in everything they do.
They advertised this book as a comedy, thriller, and mystery. Which initially made me extremely hesitant, as that seemed very ambitious for a first fictional novel. But after reading the book I have to say, it was a nice mix of everything!
They do a great job of developing scenes and writing relationships between characters. You can really feel the bond of friendship and the dilemmas of parenthood between the characters; and you can easily relate to most in the book, even the bad guys.
The only weaknesses I saw in the book was the dialogue between characters seemed a little flat at times. Although I am not convinced this …
Having been a fan of Good Mythical Morning and Ear Biscuits for a long time, I was curious to see what Rhett and Link's written story telling was like, as they are great vocal story tellers in everything they do.
They advertised this book as a comedy, thriller, and mystery. Which initially made me extremely hesitant, as that seemed very ambitious for a first fictional novel. But after reading the book I have to say, it was a nice mix of everything!
They do a great job of developing scenes and writing relationships between characters. You can really feel the bond of friendship and the dilemmas of parenthood between the characters; and you can easily relate to most in the book, even the bad guys.
The only weaknesses I saw in the book was the dialogue between characters seemed a little flat at times. Although I am not convinced this was entirely a lack of expertise in writing, or the fact that most of the characters are middle school age.
A fair bit of the comedy may be missed out on by the younger readers, as the comedy mostly relies on nostalgia from the 90s.
A few of the older characters I feel could have been a little more developed. Their logic and opinions in certain situations seems more in line of someone in middle/high school than that of someone in/finishing college. And I often forgot what age they actually were while reading.
Overall I wholeheartedly enjoyed my experience joining Totally Not Rhett and Link through their horrifying adventure. I love a horror/mystery that doesn't wrap quite everything up in a neat package. I loved the way they chose to start the story, and I hope they continue to write fiction if it brings them joy!
