Katie > Recent Status Updates

Now that we've got the pirates, this feels purely like a retread of Treasure Island.

So far, based on Thomas' narrative voice, I think "wacky" is meant to equal one of the following: precocious, pretentious, or precociously pretentious.

Also, even the rudest teacher I had wouldn't have asked me about a zit by calling it an "ugly thing protruding from your nose" - but I will admit to being lucky in the teachers I had.

Still really feels like I am reading about what Hollywood thinks teens are like vs what real teens are like.

So far, decent writing, decent pacing. Interesting enough plot. But the characters, dialogue, etc - they paint a scene that feels far closer to High School In Hollywood-Vision than real teens and real school. Then again, I am now 16 years out of high school so maybe things have changed.

Interesting that the digital version matches the original print run, with the continuity error regarding who killed a certain character and how. It is especially glaring if reading straight from Trickster's Choice into Trickster's Queen.

I am already loving this. So much.

Geordi is so entertaining and endearing and so clueless at times it hurts.

I'm so confused...

It's difficult for me to get into this one. The author's love for the genre and the sources of inspiration are crystal clear. But without visuals, I'm finding it hard to keep track of who is who in the large cast of characters.

In addition, I feel the author would benefit from a few more sessions with the editor. Sometimes "said" is actually the best word.

The stories are still disjointed messes, with multiple grammatical errors.

So far, I have not seen why this is a $5 purchase. I like reading about con experiences but the stories feel a bit scattered and the need for an editor to tighten the writing shows.

I must have a different edition, as my copy is 535 pages.

So much potential is bogged down by so much redundancy in the text. It makes me sad.

Not sure why this one is so slow-going for me. I like the ideas but I think it needs to be a little tighter. Sometimes, the narration is redundant, explaining the dialogue even when tone and intent is already obvious. There are also some grammatical errors.

But on the whole, I am enjoying this.

Tension. This book does not have it. I wish someone had told the author that some of the inane details could go away and this would be 25% better just Boom!

"My underwear was clearly stained. I had finally started my period!"

She then jokomgly grumbles that if what she experienced all day is PMS, she doesn't want it.

What. Please tell.me this whole "bemoaning my late-onset-but-finally-here dose of puberty" doesn't last.

I am completely and utterly confused now on the timeline. But more certain than ever that Xavier doesn't exist like the protag thinks he does.

So, I can already tell this book needs a little more editing - not much, but there are parts that could read a little tighter.

Xavier obviously isn't real - he's a ghost, a memory, a figment the protag uses to help himself function, something. But not real.

Creepy cop at the start is probably the serial killer. Or connected to him.

So far, this is pure, cotton-candy YA fluff. Sure, the characters are common archetypes and nothing seems to be happening...but I'm really not bothered. Because it's fluffy.

World-building only works if you give readers enough knowledge. I feel like I have been dumped into without a map and only a patchy knowledge of the language.

The ideas are great, but the pacing and world feel uncertain.

Reading this is like giving the cockiest person you know an hour to just talk about themselves. It goes everywhere and nothing is their fault, and somehow they always come out looking great.

It reads quickly and is somewhat entertaining but our narrator/author comes off as a smug jackass.

No, really, who is the audience? The main character paints, meets a new girl, gets laid, inspires a girl.to chase her dreams, gets laid...lather, rinse, repeat.

The bits of wisdom he is slowly acquiring feel ripped from a bad motivational speech or self-help book.

The grammar errors are becoming more frequent and jarring - missing words, mixed tenses, etc.

I'm not sure who this was aimed at, but I get the impression it definitely isn't aimed at me...

The latter half of the book keeps galloping along.

Mahoy, my man, you are an idiot. Couldn't you see you were being pumped for information? You're going to regret that conversation later. I'd bet on it.

Plot thickens. About time we started getting some answers on just why vampires are hanging around the family cemetery...One minor goof between "bare" and "bear" in Watkin's story, but otherwise, I definitely love the detail there!

Took a VERY extended break from this, and came back to it. It wasn't grabbing me before, and I don't know why. But it's easier going now.

Standard sci-fi so far. Hadn't noticed any grammar errors until "quiet" and "quite" were mixed up twice on the same page. Hoping that doesn't keep happening.