Hooked on Books discussion

Members Starting the BR: Judith, Angie, Sammy, Jenny
Challenge: Book Quest Adventures
Book: The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

Wow!
This is Jurassic Park, but with Dragons!!!!

The setting is fun, the characters are boiler plate, but fun, and the writing is reminding me of the solo work by Lincoln Child.

So, derivative, but a good quick (so far) read.

I'm doing this one when wheel starts, as it's by far the longest page count I have lined up for turf right now 😆

I'm enjoying the story so far, although I'm not a huge fan of the writing. Jurassic Park was much better in that respect, I think. that one was a comfortable 5 star for me, and I'm stingy with those!

Love the idea though, and the setting works well (of course China are the ones to create dragons, lol).

Wasn't a fan of the audio though, as the narrator slurs his S sounds, which was getting really distracting, so have switched to the ebook.

I just have the audio, and I keep going from this to a better book.

I think if I hadn't read Jurassic Park, this would have been better, but it is so close to it story wise that I keep comparing them.

I do love me a dragon though, so I have an inherent bias for dragon stories, even if they are not brilliant.

dragons are awesome. I'm totally picturing Lucky as Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon though 😆

I never saw that, or read it if it was a book, but from the trailer I saw at some point, I can see what you are seeing.

It is both. My son adored the books as a kid, and he loved the first movie too (helped by the fact that Gerry Butler voices one of the characters, and that's his favourite actor).

It's all quite fun, but better enjoyed with little people, I think.

And done.

All-in-all I didn't dislike it, but the writing definitely wasn't what I would prefer. I think it could have been trimmed by a good many pages too. That's where Jurassic Park did it right. There is plenty of action, but there are moments to breathe and it didn't get dogged down in dino attacks too much. I feel this one didn't quite get that balance right.

But if there was a dragon zoo I would totally go (and get eaten)!

I'm done. I think I would have given this 2 stars if there weren't dragons. I think the problem is also that I am reading the new. Jody Taylor book at the same time, and she does absurd so much better. I found the dragon attacks pretty absurd. But, dragons, so I am giving it three.
Someday I will meet a dragon. I'm sure. It may be a short meeting, and it may not end well for me, but I want to meet one.

Yeah, I feel much the same. Dragons are cool, but I think the execution was lacking.

And Jodi Taylor does most things better, IMO 😆

I finally finished this book. It would have been a quick read if I had more time. I really liked Lucky. Overall, a quick, fun read.

I enjoyed this as a reread. Not as much as the first time, I think I'm just a harder reviewer like 6 years later.

I kinda just thought of it as Jurassic Park fanfiction and didn't think all that hard about it.

I agree Jodi Taylor writes absurd better, but that woman seriously needs to chill out and not be such a debbie downer to her characters.

I mean she writes about absurd things but also gives an absurd level of trauma to her characters to the point I can't even read her books too close together as it gets too depressing. Like why!?!

Did you just read the one that takes place during the sack of Constantinople in 1204? Not that that story stuck with me or anything.

I'm a few past that. The last full length book I read was #10, Hope for the Best where she sort of joins the Time Police for a hot minute.

Her newest one, which is part of the Time Police series has Max in is as well. So much fun. I love her interactions with the time police. She out-snarks them so very well.

Judith, read book 11!!!!!

It's my favourite of the series so far, and there is a major reveal in it. We're talking epic! 😁

It's kind funny how review habits change. When I first joined GR, I added a load of books I'd read, and gave most of them 5 stars. I'm fairly certain I'd give only a few of them 5 stars if I were to re-read them.
A 5 star rating is very rare for me these days.

My reviews tend to follow my mood. I am more nitpicky when I am grumpy.

Well yes, there is that too. But I think I'm getting grumpier more as I'm getting older 😂

On the other hand, I'm reading all kinds of rubbish dreck crap books I would never have picked up when I was younger too.

This was a reread for me as well. I still enjoyed it, because dragons!, but not as much as the first time. When I read it originally, I don't think I had read or seen Jurassic Park. Now, that I've read both, I am comparing too.

I like Reilly's books, but they are not 5 stars by any stretch for me anymore! Originally, this one was.

I do enjoy dragon books. That was my favorite thing about the book...