Maren > Recent Status Updates

Definitely some big time Stargate vibs with this one. Since it is one of my favorite tv shows (also movie), though, I definitely don't mind the minor thievery

First impressions
1) Not super spooky as an audiobook, but if I were reading it with just my own imagination to fill in the voices and effects? It definitely would be
2) It would make a pretty epic supernatural horror movie that I would probably actually want to watch - which is saying something because I never watch horror movies.

Enjoyable so far, but it still reads like a YA fantasy, just with humans and orcs instead of humans and fae/vampires/shapechangers

So far I don't love the vibe with this one as much as I enjoyed the first two Magiford series. Where as the friendships in Hall of Blood and Mercy, and the Court of Midnight snd Deception developed through mutual respect and trust, this one seems a lot more forced from the get go.

Huh. Minor spoilers but ...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
... the Alice in Wonderland comparison is apparently more accurate than I initially thought.

The writing reminds me of the love child of The City We Became meets Alice in Wonderland so far - Lyrical, lovely, and nightmarish all at once.

I reserve the right to change my mind again in the second half, but for now I will say that I am liking #2 better. The physical disassociation caused by Events at the end of #1 has actually added an intriguing depth to the characters I didn't expect, as well as the universe they inhabit.

Woops, I got my early 2000s Vin Diesel movies mixed up. It's not XXX fic it's Pitch Black fic. But the sentiment remains - you go girl!

The further I read, the more I am convinced this story started life as a XXX fanfic. Not shaming the author, mind, because a significant portion of books started life as fan fiction (including some classes like Emma and Ulysses) and I am more along the lines of "You go girlfriend! Absolutely keep finding out ways to make money doing something you love!"

I mean... it's alright so far but also it is also basically x X x. The movie with Vin Diesel that is, not your local porn shop. But I suspect there will be plenty of that before long, too.

xXx IV - Space Romance!

It is very wordy, the "romance" isn't very plausible, and not a whole heck of a lot happens. But the excess words do paint a lyrical and pretty picture, and if you want something slow but fairly engrossing while not requiring all one's attention, this is something that would fit into that niche.

There have already been several deep dives into the philosophical and for the first time ever I am not actually mad about it. Possibly because the deep dives have kinda also been a deep dive into physics. I never expected to enjoy either, and yet...

It is quite cheesy. It reads a lot like a Hallmark Movie - occasional awkward dialogue and excess of Lust At First Sight. However, it has also been some desperately needed mindless Fluff to keep me momentarily distracted from stressing about Current Events.

On the one hand, I love the premise. On the other hand, the main characters irritate. One more than the other because she had let people walk over her her whole life, but the other with a huge chip on her shoulder isn't much better.
Their baby obsession rubs me the wrong way a bit, too, but that's just me and my "avoid pregnant woman and babies lest they are catching" mindset.

Initial assessment - kind of tropey and very YA but so far the characters haven't made me hate them yet.

I don't think I have ever before run across a novel that makes me so actively cranky. Disliked, yes. Hated to love or loved to hate, definitely. But "fuck you and the ship you rosetteded in on"? This may be the first.

I intend to continue just through sheer stubbornness (and no small amount of literary pride), and the concept of the Ringworld itself is just plain neat. But I doubt I'll really enjoy it.

Children of Time is... something. Brilliantly realized, incredibly visionary - and one looooong, painful philosophical headache.

It plays badminton with your brain and gives you new (and not entirely welcome) insight into the proverbial "we," rewrites the ideals of what makes a person a person instead of an animal or thing, and just generally makes too much sense and not enough at the same time.

It never takes me so long to get through a book - it just doesn't hold my interest like Around the World in 80 Days, and even if I was kind of meh on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, at least it had enough excitement to keep me engrossed. Journey to the Center of the Earth is just kinda dull - like reading a geology text book with only occasional intrigue and interpersonal development.

It's taken me three different attempts to get into this book and I couldn't figure out why until now - I highly dislike the main character, Axel. He is whiny and prone to hysterics and a bit of a wuss to boot. It doesn't help that the first few chapters are pretty dull and more technical, either. Things do pick up eventually, though.

It started very boring and so far has developed into a lot of philosophy and politics interspersed with in-your-face character development and the very brief (and, in my opinion, insufficient) action. Since I loath philosophy only slightly more than i hate politics, I probably won't carry on much longer with the book. However, I can see how it would appeal to those with an interest in political science and government

Only a quarter of the way through and so far it seems to be a really solid plot buried under way too much sappiness and mush. Hopefully the plot outweighs the Feelings focus or this one might end up on the "did not finish pile", which would be a bit of a bummer for what was a pretty strong series.