Laura > Recent Status Updates

I'm really struggling. There's way too much French, both language and court, which would be fine, if I hadn't been craving my traditional Regency jaunt. The character introductions have been jarring, there's an annoying whiff of vital details being held back with a smug sort of air. Or maybe it's just that so far I positively despise the Duke of Avon and violently do not want him to be the Hero of the romance.

Not sure if it's the writing, or just bad formatting, but there are some seriously confusing jumps.

Also. Haaaaaaate the nicknames. "Gusta"? Meh. "Char-Char"? Ew. "Moo"?!? That's just cruel.

I'm really struggling to get into this. It's so... disparate. And the hook about it's relation to the real Lewis and Clark seems more gimmick than substance.

Finished the first story, which had a whole lot of cliches, and that would've been okay had the art been consistent. Unfortunately, it seemed to change hands between artists with drastically different styles and skill levels. Really killed my enjoyment.

Other than one or two info dumps, I am really, really enjoying this book. The world-building is on-point and the lead characters are exactly my kind of people. So far, surprisingly, I've also really liked the blog entries sprinkled in between the narrative. I love the voice and style of this book already.

So far, it's a bit of a slog. The most annoying part so far is the inconsistency about the library itself. One minute, it's an underfunded, underused library with only one patron, only using the computer. The next, it's crowded with parents and a million kids, only there to listen to a teenager do story time. In a town that is not just dying, but has been dead for what seems more than a decade. Makes no sense!

It's a little surreal to read YA as an adult, because I can see how my teenage self would be reading, and how differently I do now. I now fully understand the way adults used to smile, shake their heads and say, "You'll understand some day." I used to hate that, but I get it now. Good grief, do I get it.

Also, teen!me would be appalled at how hot under the collar adult!me is for Tom Imura.

I'm 8 pages and 1 chapter in, and damn if Mayberry doesn't have clueless, belligerent teenager completely nailed.

Welp, I've officially read way too many YA vampire books. My eyes were glazing over and I could already see where this was going and just. Bored. Not saying the book itself is any worse than anything else in the genre, (it's probably still a better love story than Twilight, because everything is,) I've just read this formula too much. I think I've outgrown it, at least for now.

Nope.

Holy crap, I adored every damn bit of typeface of this book! Veronica is one of the best MCs I've ever had the pleasure to read, and I'm probably ridiculously in love with Stoker, as well. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next books in this series and devour them, too.

Lilly's positive attitude and enthusiasm for the hustle are positively infectious and I love her for that, even though I know I could never match her energy level. She's just so damn inspiring!

A pox upon all booksellers that insist on marring collector edition hardbacks with cheap paper adhesive price tags that are nearly impossible to cleanly and easily remove! Damn you all, you ill-mannered troglodytes!

So glad I found it again, buried under the crap in my room, because a little dose of Lilly-spiration was EXACTLY what I was needing in my life right now. <3

I'm absolutely loving this!

Just took a quick skim of the reviews, and... I think the internet has officially reached a level of oversensitivity to PC culture that even I can't take seriously any longer. Laughing a little and putting aside all the seriousness for a minute really won't kill you. Also, just because YOU don't like something, does not, in fact, mean it is objectively bad writing.

I really hate how it always takes the main characters 200 more pages than it does me to ask blatantly obvious questions for no other reason than "because plot" and/or to fabricating suspense. They just look like idiots.

A maths-based magic system is certainly an original concept in fantasy, but so far it just sends me back to my glassy-eyed boredom in maths classes as a kid. Geometry is so EASY, dammit! How is this such an elite kind of magic?! At least trig or calculus, maybe, but just plain old geometry? SERIOUSLY? That's it? Drawing really great chalk circles makes you superior to everyone.

Drawing. Circles.

Wow. That has got to be one of the most racist introductions of a character I've ever read. Just... wow.

UGH. Even Mrs. Bennet would be saying "Isn't this a bit much?" about Diana's mother's behavior concerning James.

Reading this is leaving me feeling really divided. On one hand, classic Penny Dreadfuls like this are definitely to thank for a lot of the basis of modern horror. On the other, actually reading them is a goddamned slog.

I hate that the page numbers are only including the story and not the rather substantial academic introductory material that prefaces it. That's another 40 pages that I've read that aren't being counted by goodreads, dammit!

Officially calling this as a hot mess of cliches and info-dumping. Info-dumping that just. does. not. end. Where was the editor on this thing? WHERE?! I'm actually MORE frustrated because I can see the potential under the mess than if this was just a genuinely bad book. I am so disappointed in Bloomsbury right now. They should have shepherded this so much better.

90% sure I know exactly what all the twists are going to be. Don't even need to be clairvoyant to see it coming, either.

I almost like the MC, but she's got so much Mary Sue on her that it's killing all my sympathy. Also, some of the implied romantic relationships in her past are pricking alarm bells and skeeving me out.

Holy Infodump, Batman! Send Robin to help me, please? Or just let the Joker blow it up, maybe. Ugh.

This is not nearly as original as I was led to believe. Making up gibberish words does not, in fact, decode them cleverly enough to make me not recognize something as blatantly obvious as the Fae.

This is so obviously a first novel. Inexperience and cliches abound.