There's something I need to say first before putting my review for Zenith out into the world... I've read a ton of reviews where people were bashing tThere's something I need to say first before putting my review for Zenith out into the world... I've read a ton of reviews where people were bashing this book because one of the authors is a Youtube book reviewer. I want everyone to know that I never once took that into account when reading or reviewing this book. I actually really enjoy Sasha's reviews, and I loved The Murder Complex by Lindsey Cummings, so when it came to reading this book I put everything aside and just went into it like I would any other. Now on to the review.
I think that I'm going to write this review a little differently than others, because I find myself struggling to do a review in my usual fashion. Since this book is closer to a novella/short story, and will be released in parts, I think it's harder to write a bulk review. This is just going to be a list of what I found to be pros and cons for Zenith.
-The world is very different from anything else out there right now. It's interesting and for the most part fascinating. However, I found it lacking depth. This could change as the series continues, but as far as this first part went it was lacking that gripping factor. -The synopsis of the book will pull you in, but the story doesn't back it up. The synopsis made this book sound so interesting and intense but the story itself was confusing. -It's said to be around 62 pages, but it's more like 40. -The world itself might sound interesting, but it lacks information. They tried to fit so much into such a small space, yet managed to be so vague about everything. - The writing style was just a con for me. It felt like two different authors were writing it. It was lacking flow. -The story lacked polish. Felt like Zenith was just a list of names. -The Blood Baroness aka the most notorious criminals in all of Mirabel... Well, it wasn't very intimidating. She was just kind of all talk. Yeah, she killed a lot of people, but I was never scared. -The plot-line is a bit recycled and feels like many things I've read before. -I do have a feeling this story could become very likable with time and a little more effort. (Not saying the authors didn't put their heart into this, I just think they have more to offer, and hopefully with time this will show) -A lot of the sentences and writing were just.... Awkward. (I don't know if that's the word I'm really looking for, but it's the one I'm going to use.) I found myself asking myself "What??" far too often.
“Breck shrugged. ‘Any money is good money, if it brings us more food stores.’ ‘And ammo,’ Gilly said, cracking her knuckles like the soldier she was. Andi inclined her head at Lira. ‘Thoughts?’ ‘We will see where the stars lead us,’ Lira answered. Andi nodded."
-There are a lot of mentioned but unanswered things about the plot... Talks of a war, but nothing about: who started it, who is involved, why it happened, etc. There's aliens? Well maybe. There's someone with green blood and someone with blue skin.
-Feel I was handed all these new worlds, races, species, and social systems and then basically told "here... now figure it out yourself".
“Marauder and her crew could lose a tail as fast as a Xen Pterran Darowak could fly.” ...
Ummm what the heck is a Xen Pterran Darowak?!?! Again, just fancy names were expected to just know. I get the authors don't want to give everything away right away, but you have to give us something!
-A big pro for me was diversity. Zenith is oozing with diversity. -There's too much description without the descriptions. -Andi being compared to Celaena Sardothien... Okay y'all; let's not do this. Andi isn't AT ALL like my girl Ce. Even though Celaena is a hired assassin I still feel like there is actual motivation behind her killings. There are reasons she does the things she does. Andi is killing people just for the Hell of it. She's a villain who they are trying to paint as something "good". These two characters, though both killers, are nothing alike. POINT BLANK.
-A possible interesting "ship" in the works???? I think the authors have a possible love interest brewing and I dig it! Think it might be a spoiler if I say who between them, but I did enjoy the love-hate aspect of it. -The ending will definitely make you want to read the next one... BUT I just don't know if it's enough to get me to.
I think Sasha is just getting her footing into the writing world, and that Lindsey is doing the same when it comes to learning to CO-writer. Though my rating is low for this story, I strongly believe that these two can find a balance and make this series work in the future. Maybe when the series is fully released I'll be more motivated to go back to it.
Merged review:
There's something I need to say first before putting my review for Zenith out into the world... I've read a ton of reviews where people were bashing this book because one of the authors is a Youtube book reviewer. I want everyone to know that I never once took that into account when reading or reviewing this book. I actually really enjoy Sasha's reviews, and I loved The Murder Complex by Lindsey Cummings, so when it came to reading this book I put everything aside and just went into it like I would any other. Now on to the review.
I think that I'm going to write this review a little differently than others, because I find myself struggling to do a review in my usual fashion. Since this book is closer to a novella/short story, and will be released in parts, I think it's harder to write a bulk review. This is just going to be a list of what I found to be pros and cons for Zenith.
-The world is very different from anything else out there right now. It's interesting and for the most part fascinating. However, I found it lacking depth. This could change as the series continues, but as far as this first part went it was lacking that gripping factor. -The synopsis of the book will pull you in, but the story doesn't back it up. The synopsis made this book sound so interesting and intense but the story itself was confusing. -It's said to be around 62 pages, but it's more like 40. -The world itself might sound interesting, but it lacks information. They tried to fit so much into such a small space, yet managed to be so vague about everything. - The writing style was just a con for me. It felt like two different authors were writing it. It was lacking flow. -The story lacked polish. Felt like Zenith was just a list of names. -The Blood Baroness aka the most notorious criminals in all of Mirabel... Well, it wasn't very intimidating. She was just kind of all talk. Yeah, she killed a lot of people, but I was never scared. -The plot-line is a bit recycled and feels like many things I've read before. -I do have a feeling this story could become very likable with time and a little more effort. (Not saying the authors didn't put their heart into this, I just think they have more to offer, and hopefully with time this will show) -A lot of the sentences and writing were just.... Awkward. (I don't know if that's the word I'm really looking for, but it's the one I'm going to use.) I found myself asking myself "What??" far too often.
“Breck shrugged. ‘Any money is good money, if it brings us more food stores.’ ‘And ammo,’ Gilly said, cracking her knuckles like the soldier she was. Andi inclined her head at Lira. ‘Thoughts?’ ‘We will see where the stars lead us,’ Lira answered. Andi nodded."
-There are a lot of mentioned but unanswered things about the plot... Talks of a war, but nothing about: who started it, who is involved, why it happened, etc. There's aliens? Well maybe. There's someone with green blood and someone with blue skin.
-Feel I was handed all these new worlds, races, species, and social systems and then basically told "here... now figure it out yourself".
“Marauder and her crew could lose a tail as fast as a Xen Pterran Darowak could fly.” ...
Ummm what the heck is a Xen Pterran Darowak?!?! Again, just fancy names were expected to just know. I get the authors don't want to give everything away right away, but you have to give us something!
-A big pro for me was diversity. Zenith is oozing with diversity. -There's too much description without the descriptions. -Andi being compared to Celaena Sardothien... Okay y'all; let's not do this. Andi isn't AT ALL like my girl Ce. Even though Celaena is a hired assassin I still feel like there is actual motivation behind her killings. There are reasons she does the things she does. Andi is killing people just for the Hell of it. She's a villain who they are trying to paint as something "good". These two characters, though both killers, are nothing alike. POINT BLANK.
-A possible interesting "ship" in the works???? I think the authors have a possible love interest brewing and I dig it! Think it might be a spoiler if I say who between them, but I did enjoy the love-hate aspect of it. -The ending will definitely make you want to read the next one... BUT I just don't know if it's enough to get me to.
I think Sasha is just getting her footing into the writing world, and that Lindsey is doing the same when it comes to learning to CO-writer. Though my rating is low for this story, I strongly believe that these two can find a balance and make this series work in the future. Maybe when the series is fully released I'll be more motivated to go back to it....more
I tried SO hard to get into this, but sadly it just never happens. The storyline gets lost in the smut… Which might confuse you seeing as this is listI tried SO hard to get into this, but sadly it just never happens. The storyline gets lost in the smut… Which might confuse you seeing as this is listed as a thriller.
Don’t get me wrong, yall know I LOVE smut, but in this context it’s a hard pass. Just didn’t seem necessary for what this story was trying to be. If you’re trying to do an unhinged thriller with smut you have to do it in a Rina Kent-Penelope Douglas way. Yeah, it might not be everyone's taste, but at least you went full insane with it, and people love that.
Also felt like there was too much time spent on the side characters and not enough time on the leads. I really wanted more! I get what Katherine was trying to do with her book, but I feel like she missed the mark.
I do want to say though… In a world filled with cartoon characters and watercolor book covers it was nice seeing a book without it. I think the cover is fitting and beautiful. Wish more people were going back to this style with theirs.
Thank you Random House Publishing for the advance copy. ...more
"Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness: a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her"Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness: a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her fearsome glass starship the Marauder, she’s just Andi, their captain and protector.
When a routine mission goes awry, the all-girl crew’s resilience is tested as they find themselves in a most unfamiliar place: at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter connected to Andi’s past and a harrowing betrayal." -Goodreads synopsis
There's something I need to say first before putting my review for Zenith out into the world... I've read a ton of reviews where people were bashing this book because one of the authors is a Youtube book reviewer. I want everyone to know that I never once took that into account when reading or reviewing this book. I actually really enjoy Sasha's reviews, and I loved The Murder Complex by Lindsey Cummings, so when it came to reading this book I put everything aside and just went into it like I would any other. Now on to the review.
I think that I'm going to write this review a little differently than others, because I find myself struggling to do a review in my usual fashion. Since this book is closer to a novella/short story, and will be released in parts, I think it's harder to write a bulk review. This is just going to be a list of what I found to be pros and cons for Zenith.
-The world is very different from anything else out there right now. It's interesting and for the most part fascinating. However, I found it lacking depth. This could change as the series continues, but as far as this first part went it was lacking that gripping factor. -The synopsis of the book will pull you in, but the story doesn't back it up. The synopsis made this book sound so interesting and intense but the story itself was confusing. -It's said to be around 62 pages, but it's more like 40. -The world itself might sound interesting, but it lacks information. They tried to fit so much into such a small space, yet managed to be so vague about everything. - The writing style was just a con for me. It felt like two different authors were writing it. It was lacking flow. -The story lacked polish. Felt like Zenith was just a list of names. -The Blood Baroness aka the most notorious criminals in all of Mirabel... Well, it wasn't very intimidating. She was just kind of all talk. Yeah, she killed a lot of people, but I was never scared. -The plot-line is a bit recycled and feels like many things I've read before. -I do have a feeling this story could become very likable with time and a little more effort. (Not saying the authors didn't put their heart into this, I just think they have more to offer, and hopefully with time this will show) -A lot of the sentences and writing were just.... Awkward. (I don't know if that's the word I'm really looking for, but it's the one I'm going to use.) I found myself asking myself "What??" far too often.
“Breck shrugged. ‘Any money is good money, if it brings us more food stores.’ ‘And ammo,’ Gilly said, cracking her knuckles like the soldier she was. Andi inclined her head at Lira. ‘Thoughts?’ ‘We will see where the stars lead us,’ Lira answered. Andi nodded."
-There are a lot of mentioned but unanswered things about the plot... Talks of a war, but nothing about: who started it, who is involved, why it happened, etc. There's aliens? Well maybe. There's someone with green blood and someone with blue skin. -Feel I was handed all these new worlds, races, species, and social systems and then basically told "here... now figure it out yourself".
“Marauder and her crew could lose a tail as fast as a Xen Pterran Darowak could fly.” …
Ummm what the heck is a Xen Pterran Darowak?!?! Again, just fancy names were expected to just know. I get the authors don't want to give everything away right away, but you have to give us something!
[image]
-A big pro for me was diversity. Zenith is oozing with diversity. -There's too much description without the descriptions. -Andi being compared to Celaena Sardothien... Okay y'all; let's not do this. Andi isn't AT ALL like my girl Ce. Even though Celaena a hired assassin I still feel like there is actual motivation behind her killings. There are reasons she does the things she does. Andi is killing people just for the Hell of it. She's a villain who they are trying to paint as something "good". These two characters, though both killers, are nothing alike. POINT BLANK. -A possible interesting "ship" in the works???? I think the authors have a possible love interest brewing and I dig it! Think it might be a spoiler if I say who between them, but I did enjoy the love-hate aspect of it. -The ending will definitely make you want to read the next one... BUT I just don't know if its enough to get me to.
I think Sasha is just getting her footing into the writing world, and that Lindsey is doing the same when it comes to learning to CO-writer. Though my rating is low for this story, I strongly believe that these two can find a balance and make this series work in the future. Maybe when the series is fully released I'll be more motivated to go back to it. ...more
I think I need to take a break from books like this… I don’t know why I keep picking them up thinking “this one will be different.”, because they neveI think I need to take a break from books like this… I don’t know why I keep picking them up thinking “this one will be different.”, because they never are. Pretty sure almost all books with covers like this just piss me off.
Katherine Center is already a hit or miss author for me, but I did have high hopes that this one would swing me in the hit direction, but sadly it did the opposite.
You will pick up this book and know right away what EXACTLY will happen. And I mean EXACTLY what will happen. The plot dragged on forever, the dialogue was too repetitive, and the main characters…. Good God, by the end I was hoping I’d be killed by a stalker. Hannah and Jack were so vanilla… The chemistry wasn't there for me. Also in no world would I trust Hannah with my life! She was so annoying and immature, and Jack…. THE MISOGYNY!!!! Baby boy it’s 2023!
I mean I knew I was in for a rough ride when the book opens with her dying mothers last wish is for her to take a vacation… like seriously?!?!?! And then she goes to Ohio!!! If you’re not from South Carolina or have never visited then I have no idea why you would know this BUT people from SC (myself included) HATE OHIO!!!! People who move here from Ohio often lie and say they’re from another state, because they know they’re so hated.
Nothing really worked for me. I kept seeing a lot of people saying a positive thing about this book was it was such a quick read… I can read a 700+ page book in a few hours. This took me a week to get through. It was just so hard to go back to. But again, I was hoping something would change my mind, because it is rated so high.
I think if you like a revolving door or minor characters, a story not driven on plot or characters, and hallmark style books this is for you....more
Read this mainly because of the divided reviews. That and it’s a pretty newly released book.
Sister, Maiden, Monster did not work for me. I had a feeRead this mainly because of the divided reviews. That and it’s a pretty newly released book.
Sister, Maiden, Monster did not work for me. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be for me as soon as covid was brought up. I in no way have an issue with pandemic books, but I do tend to read for some escapism so when I hear about covid in books it usually puts me off. However, with this book my main issue is that it’s said not to be like covid, but then the author basically goes through a timeline that mirrors how covid was handled. I think there could have been more done with this area to separate it. If it’s not covid, don’t make it covid.
After that things just gradually got worse. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, nor the way things were explained. At one point she’s explaining the way someone said something, but it was in the most bizarre way. This happened a few times throughout and I wasn’t feeling it.
Felt like the stories were almost choppy. Something just didn’t gel.
I among others have an issue with the gross jokes that name drop a real life child victim. This isn’t okay. People’s tragedies are not your jokes. This person's family is still alive today. I feel like this author was just so into watching Netflix while writing this and was just like hey I can throw this in. No. stop.
Y’all. It’s been a minute since I’ve had a ranty hate review. So. Here. We. Go.
The Friend Zone started off pretty good. So like the book itself that’Y’all. It’s been a minute since I’ve had a ranty hate review. So. Here. We. Go.
The Friend Zone started off pretty good. So like the book itself that’s how my review will be too. Abby’s writing and style is well done. Yup, that’s my positive note.
On to the rest of the book. I don’t even know how to put into words how disappointed I am with this. The issues I thought I was going to have with it, which were presented early, ended up not being issues at all. Some much of this book had me wondering why the author chose to include so many random tropes. An example: Why even chose to include the whole military boyfriend overseas thing. The whole situation served no purpose except to add useless drama.
On to the two leads. Kristen and Josh (why every military book dude is named Josh idk. Oh yeah he was in the military too, because of course.).
Kristen. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her before… She's not like other girls. She wears sweats, a messy bun, she drinks beer, cheeseburgers are her life, and she doesn’t do drama. She’s a unicorn! No, I’m not personally calling her that, Josh is…
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She has a quirky job, a tiny body, and wit for days. So yeah unlike any female lead ever portrayed in books. She’s so #relatable.
Josh is a whole other story. He, I guess, is likable enough. He’s a handsome ex/marine, turned firefighter paramedic who also has a carpentry background and a magic penis. Of course he sees Kristen for who she really is. A vessel to carry his children…. Sorry I got carried away. I'll get to that issue in a minute.
Here lies the real issue with the two. Kristen’s been keeping a secret from Josh. No, not that she has a boyfriend, she’s open about that. She has a medical condition. Promise this isn’t a spoiler. Which you find out early on could possibly keep her from having kids. So Kristen doesn’t cheat on her boyfriend because it’s morally wrong, she doesn’t because Josh wants kids, and she might not be able to give him that… Excuse me what?!
Also Josh doesn’t want just one kid. He wants a whole damn army. I’m sorry, but if a man told me his goal was to have nine. Yes you read that right NINE kids… I’m sorry but
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As the book moves on the characters get more and more insufferable!!! They just go in circles, by the end I was wishing I was overseas so I could be as far away as possible from these two. Because the whole infertility aspect of this book isn’t handled well. I truly think Abby thought she was doing something so feminist with this, and sorry honey ya didn’t. WOMEN DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS. You’re not more of a woman or more deserving of love and a partner because of kids.
Let me finally just rattle off the last few things that irked me: -The whole section where Tyler the “boyfriend” comes back. STFU. This was so dumb. Why include this!?! -Comments on guys not wanting to buy tampons or feminine hygiene products because it’s icky... come the F on. This was written in 2019 not 1920. I’ve never met a man , woman, or nonbinary person who wouldn’t buy tampons for someone. -Characters constantly saying how Kristen is just not like other girls. STOP COMPARING WOMEN!!! We’re done with that. -Men having to make it clear to everyone how they’re men! Like making your male characters overly masculine is weird. Omg you’re holding a small dog YA GAY.
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Hey authors, it's called the female gaze. Look it up sometime. We want the whole “men written by women” thing. -Lastly the entire ending... No. Just no. It manages to be cliche, cringe, predictable, and annoying all at once. Honestly 75% of this book is just not okay. But the very end of it. BBFR.
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I heard some of Abby’s other novels have hard topics that aren’t handled well at all. So I don’t know if I’ll read another book by her or not.
I haven't read a Rachel Hawkins book in YEARS!!!! I couldn't remember why either.... Now I do I haven't read a Rachel Hawkins book in YEARS!!!! I couldn't remember why either.... Now I do ...more
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and what a let down it was.
The more unhinged the female lead is, the more I like a story.... So what the heck happened here?!
I can't think of the single thing I liked about this book.
Oh wait there is one... this quote “Yes, people age horribly. They suffer strokes. Their bodies and brains fall apart. But the male ego? Firmly intact until the bitter end.” Because, facts.
Big Swiss was racist, the plot lacked in every department, and the chemistry wasn't there.
I'm floored by all the 5 star ratings on this. Usually I would think "HUH? Did I miss something?", I don't think that's the case here. As soon as I finished this, everything I read I forgot about, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that! Because that ending….. WTF was that!!!!...more
I just couldn’t take it anymore! I stuck it out as long as I could!
DNF’d @ 72%
Not lying when I say less than 5% into the book we had:
-misogyny -homI just couldn’t take it anymore! I stuck it out as long as I could!
DNF’d @ 72%
Not lying when I say less than 5% into the book we had:
-misogyny -homophobic jokes -body shaming
From that point forward it only got worse.
Baby girl even told us what merch stands for…… like honey stop.
Weird phrases like “I wanted to pull a turtle” are said throughout. And “my face got hotter than my straightening iron”.
Boobs are referred to as hooters or twin peaks.
And so… soooooo many more cringey statements made throughout.
Oh and of course Gaby isn’t a regular girl, she's a cool girl with “invisible balls”…
I just couldn’t stomach it anymore. Not a single good character. Not even going to touch down on the love interest, Sacha, because he’s just nothing to write home about....more
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