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My Name is Agnes
At first glance, Agnes seems pretty normal. She loves running her café/bookstore, ‘Steamers and Dreamers’, where she’s adored by all her staff. She doesn’t have much family, but her Uncle Robin is always there when she needs him. She’s even got a nice little flirtation going on with a cute customer named Stuart. When evening rolls around, Agnes likes to go out for a drink or two with her friends. Okay, maybe more than one or two. What are you, her conscience?
But Agnes isn’t that normal at all. In the first place, she’s a witch, and in the second, she’s thousands of years old…and in the third, well, you know her Uncle Robin? He’s a shape-shifting bat. And Agnes has troubles. She had them back in Greek antiquity when her best friend married a prince that Agnes never really trusted. She’s got them today too. Remember that cute guy Stuart? Well he’s asked her to help him investigate a murder that she… umm…committed. In duelling story lines, set in ancient times and modern, Agnes grapples with problems so epic they could frazzle a witch to the point it could blow a witch’s mind or at least blow things up with her eyes. But don’t think that means Agnes won’t have time to fall in love…twice.
But Agnes isn’t that normal at all. In the first place, she’s a witch, and in the second, she’s thousands of years old…and in the third, well, you know her Uncle Robin? He’s a shape-shifting bat. And Agnes has troubles. She had them back in Greek antiquity when her best friend married a prince that Agnes never really trusted. She’s got them today too. Remember that cute guy Stuart? Well he’s asked her to help him investigate a murder that she… umm…committed. In duelling story lines, set in ancient times and modern, Agnes grapples with problems so epic they could frazzle a witch to the point it could blow a witch’s mind or at least blow things up with her eyes. But don’t think that means Agnes won’t have time to fall in love…twice.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2017
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 13, 2017
My Name is Agnes by Kelly Brookbank is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This is a fun and clever book perfect for this time of the year. I didn't care for the first part, the dialogue started out childish or trying too hard but later got better. I enjoyed it once the story started going. Solving a mystery, the humor, and the fun.
October 18, 2017
Thank you to Netgalley and BooksgoSocial for allowing me to read this novel!
DNF at 13%
*Big Inhale*
Did no one see the historical inaccuracies in this novel?!
Agnes is said to go back in time to the Grecian period where she is getting lectured by Aristotle. (who lived between 384 BC-322BC (as stated by Britannica.com). We meet Philip, Prince of Greece, very quickly in the novel. First off, what? Princes and royal families did not exist until "...1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973..." (Wikipedia). So how could there be a Prince Philip (who I suppose is named after the actual Prince Philip, married to Queen Elizabeth?) but they cannot be together in the same time period!
Not to mention Agnes' best friend is Polly, which is not historically accurate in the slightest, and wouldn't Agnes go by another name to try to fit into the time period? That's what I would do.
Brookbank would break the fourth wall very often during her novel, something that I *hate*. She had her narrator actually speaking to the reader at times which takes away from the scene in my eyes.
Her style of writing is very simplistic and clearly this is her debut novel. As a writing tutor, I saw many mistakes that I see when tutoring college students for writing that I saw in Brookbank's writing as well. Simplistic wording, longer sentences that could be more concise, very colloquial writing in the novel. It was irritating and something that I was not expecting when opening this book.
Seeing all these other reviews where Brookbank has gotten 3+ stars made me think that I'm missing something, so I kept going back to try to read more but reading this novel kept getting on my nerves. There's a difference between witty and annoying and Agnes crosses the line straight into intolerable.
*big exhale*
So that's how I felt about the novel. I was really hoping for a good read, since I've been on a pretty good streak of novels recently but this was a complete disappointment. I was going to try to make it to 20% to see if I stomached it that far, it would get better. I couldn't even make it that far. The description that was provided lulled me into thinking that this novel would be much better than what it actually was. If the writing of the description was like the writing in the novel, I think I would have loved it a lot more.
I was given this novel via Netgalley for an honest, unbiased opinion.
DNF at 13%
*Big Inhale*
Did no one see the historical inaccuracies in this novel?!
Agnes is said to go back in time to the Grecian period where she is getting lectured by Aristotle. (who lived between 384 BC-322BC (as stated by Britannica.com). We meet Philip, Prince of Greece, very quickly in the novel. First off, what? Princes and royal families did not exist until "...1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973..." (Wikipedia). So how could there be a Prince Philip (who I suppose is named after the actual Prince Philip, married to Queen Elizabeth?) but they cannot be together in the same time period!
Not to mention Agnes' best friend is Polly, which is not historically accurate in the slightest, and wouldn't Agnes go by another name to try to fit into the time period? That's what I would do.
Brookbank would break the fourth wall very often during her novel, something that I *hate*. She had her narrator actually speaking to the reader at times which takes away from the scene in my eyes.
Her style of writing is very simplistic and clearly this is her debut novel. As a writing tutor, I saw many mistakes that I see when tutoring college students for writing that I saw in Brookbank's writing as well. Simplistic wording, longer sentences that could be more concise, very colloquial writing in the novel. It was irritating and something that I was not expecting when opening this book.
Seeing all these other reviews where Brookbank has gotten 3+ stars made me think that I'm missing something, so I kept going back to try to read more but reading this novel kept getting on my nerves. There's a difference between witty and annoying and Agnes crosses the line straight into intolerable.
*big exhale*
So that's how I felt about the novel. I was really hoping for a good read, since I've been on a pretty good streak of novels recently but this was a complete disappointment. I was going to try to make it to 20% to see if I stomached it that far, it would get better. I couldn't even make it that far. The description that was provided lulled me into thinking that this novel would be much better than what it actually was. If the writing of the description was like the writing in the novel, I think I would have loved it a lot more.
I was given this novel via Netgalley for an honest, unbiased opinion.
April 8, 2018
Disclaimer: 'My Name is Agnes' was given to me by NetGalley for my honest and unbiased review.
First of all, let's start by saying that I did enjoy this book, even though I gave it a low rating; I read it in two days and kept reading it every moment I could.
The main issue with this book (and this is an on-going issue throughout the book) is that the writing is quite immature at times (it feels like fanfiction I wrote and read when I was a teenager) and that the grammar was so bad!
No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the characters kept speaking almost with the same slang, which is good in general but not when two completely different eras are being introduced.
Furthermore, names are being misplaced all over the book, sometimes it was pretty hard to track who the author actually meant.
Although the bad writing, I did enjoy the book - Agnes is quite likable and I enjoyed her relationship with Percius and Polly.
The different eras idea was quite special too and done well at most times.
There is a lot of disturbing themes in this book that seem to be the focus in this book, I did like the hint of murder mystery.
The problem is, most plot lines seem to be left on their own without any closure, and unless my copy of the book was faulty or there is more coming from this author, it feels like important plot lines were left unexplored.
Would I recommend this to my friends?
Probably not, unless they like an easy read and aren't bothered by unfinished plot lines.
First of all, let's start by saying that I did enjoy this book, even though I gave it a low rating; I read it in two days and kept reading it every moment I could.
The main issue with this book (and this is an on-going issue throughout the book) is that the writing is quite immature at times (it feels like fanfiction I wrote and read when I was a teenager) and that the grammar was so bad!
No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the characters kept speaking almost with the same slang, which is good in general but not when two completely different eras are being introduced.
Furthermore, names are being misplaced all over the book, sometimes it was pretty hard to track who the author actually meant.
Although the bad writing, I did enjoy the book - Agnes is quite likable and I enjoyed her relationship with Percius and Polly.
The different eras idea was quite special too and done well at most times.
There is a lot of disturbing themes in this book that seem to be the focus in this book, I did like the hint of murder mystery.
The problem is, most plot lines seem to be left on their own without any closure, and unless my copy of the book was faulty or there is more coming from this author, it feels like important plot lines were left unexplored.
Would I recommend this to my friends?
Probably not, unless they like an easy read and aren't bothered by unfinished plot lines.
October 22, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
This almost became my very first dnf book... 3 pages in. I found the “chatty” writing style very difficult to get used to. I am glad I pressed on as the overall story was entertaining.
I liked the switching timelines and I came to like some of the characters I just found it overall pretty unbelievable. The book read more like a creative writing project than a novel and I really had to struggle through it.
I didn’t hate it, and I will probably read the next book if I come across it but I am not in love with it.
This almost became my very first dnf book... 3 pages in. I found the “chatty” writing style very difficult to get used to. I am glad I pressed on as the overall story was entertaining.
I liked the switching timelines and I came to like some of the characters I just found it overall pretty unbelievable. The book read more like a creative writing project than a novel and I really had to struggle through it.
I didn’t hate it, and I will probably read the next book if I come across it but I am not in love with it.
December 2, 2017
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This is a enjoyable read as long as you ignore all the inaccuracies and don't take the story too seriously.
This is a enjoyable read as long as you ignore all the inaccuracies and don't take the story too seriously.
August 9, 2023
This books gets 1 star because I couldn't give it 0 or half star. The cover and summary promise fun, flirty, witchy adventures but it is all a lie. It is a truly awful book. It is so poorly written - it reads like a first draft or the fantasy fiction of a 10 year old with a potty mouth. It seriously needs an editor - several times the writer mixes up the character names from the different timelines. There are too many ideas crammed in there that there was no suspense for the dramatic reveals and most of them made absolutely no sense. Instead there were things like half a page of rambling about the starting stance of 200m ancient olympic runners.
The story in the current timeline seemed to be unresolved (or was it?!? I'm not sure if I zoned out for the last 10% and maybe missed the anticlimactic conclusion)... but if it is unresolved and there is a sequel... the best constructive criticism is: get an editor or a friend someone who will be honest with you about what doesn't make sense and needs to be refined or culled.
Thank you Netgallery for the ARC
The story in the current timeline seemed to be unresolved (or was it?!? I'm not sure if I zoned out for the last 10% and maybe missed the anticlimactic conclusion)... but if it is unresolved and there is a sequel... the best constructive criticism is: get an editor or a friend someone who will be honest with you about what doesn't make sense and needs to be refined or culled.
Thank you Netgallery for the ARC
done-with
June 12, 2018I just could not stay with this story... I really liked the opening - the concept was interesting, I enjoyed Agnes going back-and-forth between times in her life to show connections and character development. I even enjoyed her jocular, casual, hipster-ish voice. But rather quickly, I found those things to feel forced and she couldn't keep my interest. There isn't anything wrong, precisely, this one just didn't resonate with me for the long-haul...
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
October 7, 2017
My Name is Agnes
Kelly Brookbank
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Date of Publishing: January 19, 2017
This book was reviewed for NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for my honest review.
Okay lets just get t out of the way. This books is as funny as all get back. A 30,000 year old witch who wanted a love affair with Aristotle's brain. Agnes is the owner and operator of Streamer's and Dreamers is a which who does it on the fly. She is a coffee aficionado who adds a little something extra to make them happy, feeds the hungry oh and let us not forget she is not really from earth and her pet bat is really her uncle a shape shifter. What's not to love? Agnes tries hard to be normal and stay out of trouble, but she is learning on her own how to control her abilities.
Told in the form of memories we learn of her younger years on earth, like when she first arrived and got mad at a cave man who thought she's make a tasty mate. When she got mad fire came out her eyes and burned him into nothing but ashes and that is how cavemen discovered fire; or later in ancient Greece she used her abilities to influence the schools administrators to let her study under Aristotle because she was in love with his brain. Her memories are important because they explain she the one responsible for the old homicide death the cute customer she has a crush on wants her to help investigate. From beginning to end you will laugh your self silly as you follow along learning about Agnes, her unusual family and friends and how that quirky brain of hers works.
I gave "My Name is Agnes" a 4.5 out of a total of 5 stars.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKVYMF8/...
B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-n...
Kelly Brookbank
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Date of Publishing: January 19, 2017
This book was reviewed for NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for my honest review.
Okay lets just get t out of the way. This books is as funny as all get back. A 30,000 year old witch who wanted a love affair with Aristotle's brain. Agnes is the owner and operator of Streamer's and Dreamers is a which who does it on the fly. She is a coffee aficionado who adds a little something extra to make them happy, feeds the hungry oh and let us not forget she is not really from earth and her pet bat is really her uncle a shape shifter. What's not to love? Agnes tries hard to be normal and stay out of trouble, but she is learning on her own how to control her abilities.
Told in the form of memories we learn of her younger years on earth, like when she first arrived and got mad at a cave man who thought she's make a tasty mate. When she got mad fire came out her eyes and burned him into nothing but ashes and that is how cavemen discovered fire; or later in ancient Greece she used her abilities to influence the schools administrators to let her study under Aristotle because she was in love with his brain. Her memories are important because they explain she the one responsible for the old homicide death the cute customer she has a crush on wants her to help investigate. From beginning to end you will laugh your self silly as you follow along learning about Agnes, her unusual family and friends and how that quirky brain of hers works.
I gave "My Name is Agnes" a 4.5 out of a total of 5 stars.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKVYMF8/...
B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-n...
July 7, 2017
What a great book. So funny. You really become attached to the main character Agnes. Honestly cannot wait for the next book.
Told in two different timelines. Anges tells her story of her current life, living in a small down owning a coffee house/bookstore when she meets and begins to fall for a man that seems to frequent her store and suddenly requests her help in trying to find out what really happened to his nephew that just committed suicide, and her previous life in early Greek/Roman times and the story of her best friend and her first love. This is all her life, all one life because well she is a witch and lives for a very long time.
Both timelines are written well and each section leaves you on the edge of the cliff wanting more. Quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. My only problem with the book was the grammar at times as well as the misuse of which character and storyline was being written about. For example the nephew's mom's name changed in one chapter and then changed back. Love love loved the book and am rooting for a local author with such creativity!
Told in two different timelines. Anges tells her story of her current life, living in a small down owning a coffee house/bookstore when she meets and begins to fall for a man that seems to frequent her store and suddenly requests her help in trying to find out what really happened to his nephew that just committed suicide, and her previous life in early Greek/Roman times and the story of her best friend and her first love. This is all her life, all one life because well she is a witch and lives for a very long time.
Both timelines are written well and each section leaves you on the edge of the cliff wanting more. Quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. My only problem with the book was the grammar at times as well as the misuse of which character and storyline was being written about. For example the nephew's mom's name changed in one chapter and then changed back. Love love loved the book and am rooting for a local author with such creativity!
March 11, 2018
This was definitely a book unlike the other books on my kindle (a witch from another planet?!). From start to finish, I really wasn't sure where we were going next.
Soooo, where to start? This book kind of meanders towards its ultimate destination (which is not exactly a solid ending). We begin in current day, with Agnes telling her tale with wit and humor. She owns a coffee shop, is great with customers, and super protective of her friends. There is also a love interest in the form of a frequent customer. Throw in some employee ex-boyfriend stalking action, a talking bat shapeshifter witch friend and you've got a general idea of Agnes's current world.
This story is interspersed with a dramatic story about her friend from back in the day (a seriously long time ago). I guess the two stories kind of mirror one another in a way, but ultimately this book read like a two story anthology. I was a little shocked when the book ended and found myself wishing for a more solid story ending. Does Agnes end up with a nice HEA? I guess she does? She really grew on me.
Soooo, where to start? This book kind of meanders towards its ultimate destination (which is not exactly a solid ending). We begin in current day, with Agnes telling her tale with wit and humor. She owns a coffee shop, is great with customers, and super protective of her friends. There is also a love interest in the form of a frequent customer. Throw in some employee ex-boyfriend stalking action, a talking bat shapeshifter witch friend and you've got a general idea of Agnes's current world.
This story is interspersed with a dramatic story about her friend from back in the day (a seriously long time ago). I guess the two stories kind of mirror one another in a way, but ultimately this book read like a two story anthology. I was a little shocked when the book ended and found myself wishing for a more solid story ending. Does Agnes end up with a nice HEA? I guess she does? She really grew on me.
November 3, 2017
The starting page is great, I go curious. Then the historical part started and there were so many historical mistakes and was so terrible to read of Aristotele Academy as a high school that it was clear that very it was very poorly research (BTW Benjamin is a Jewish Name and Polly sound a bit strange and, sorry, Greece did not exists). I hope it was just an excursus and it kept going on and on. The contemporary part of the story could have been nice but I was too irritated by the Ancient Greece parte and I gave up at 25%. There are nice ideas and some funny part but it would have been better an era at a time.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book
April 11, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My Name is Agnes is the story of Agnes, a centuries old witch from another planet, living in a modern day world. It's told from alternating time frames between modern day and ancient Greece. If you're going to write a book that takes place in ancient Greece, it would be helpful if there was some kind of historical accuracy to those aspects of the story. The author essentially name dropped which is the only way a reader really knew things were taking place in that time period. Agnes came across as immature and naive. At times, she reminded me of a mischievous teenager looking for attention. Did not really like her at all. Similar to other readers, I had a hard time finishing this.
My Name is Agnes is the story of Agnes, a centuries old witch from another planet, living in a modern day world. It's told from alternating time frames between modern day and ancient Greece. If you're going to write a book that takes place in ancient Greece, it would be helpful if there was some kind of historical accuracy to those aspects of the story. The author essentially name dropped which is the only way a reader really knew things were taking place in that time period. Agnes came across as immature and naive. At times, she reminded me of a mischievous teenager looking for attention. Did not really like her at all. Similar to other readers, I had a hard time finishing this.
October 29, 2017
This book is kinda clunky at the beginning, and end..however there is a sweet smooth bit right in the middle where the storyline is funny and (for the most part) lighthearted. Anges has seen a lot in her time, from sitting in on Aristotle's lectures to being the current day owner of Steamers and Dreamers (totally cool name for cafe/bookshop). Flicking between the two timelines Anges uses her magic (and the trustee Robin) to help out a friend in need, finding a little love for herself along the way. Hopefully there'll be a book to follow this to answer some questions and fill some holes.
October 9, 2017
This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.
November 4, 2017
This is the first book that I have read by Kelly Brookbank and she has a very unique writing style that is very fun and different. Agnes is a very ancient witch that finds herself in a small town owning a shop Steamers and Dreamers part café part bookstore. She was a fun and interesting character and the book was full of several surprises. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this and write an unbiased review.
October 14, 2017
My Name is Agnes was far funnier than I thought it would be. Author Kelly Brookbank gives us a voice through her main character that likeable and has just the right amount of sarcasm.
Recommended for readers looking for a fantasy/science fiction read that isn't deadly serious or concerned with the darkness (and jargon) that sometimes comes with this genre.
Recommended for readers looking for a fantasy/science fiction read that isn't deadly serious or concerned with the darkness (and jargon) that sometimes comes with this genre.
October 20, 2017
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, when it was light and fun - but then things took a turn for the weird and I started to get irritated.
There was so much potential and it was a fun idea but it really didn't work for me, especially the fact that it stopped dead with no conclusion to the story.
There was so much potential and it was a fun idea but it really didn't work for me, especially the fact that it stopped dead with no conclusion to the story.
January 25, 2018
Loved it 💙
Read
October 19, 2017Review to come.
Want to read
October 24, 2017I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews