This started well. The first chapter was well written and engaged my interest. I cared about the characters. First chapter solid 4 star. But with eachThis started well. The first chapter was well written and engaged my interest. I cared about the characters. First chapter solid 4 star. But with each chapter the book just got stupid. That’s unkind but it was so stupid that I feel my head will pop if I don’t say it. It was obvious where the story was going but it was completely implausible and the more it went on the more implausible it became. Plot holes a huge truck could be driven through. And the author really did not understand women and certainly couldn’t write them. Not one believable female character. Certainly not one likeable one. I should have dnffed, especially when it hit my 3 eyeroll limit but I was so close to finished and I kept expecting this big twist that reviewers said was going to happen, which was actually completely obvious from early on, so no big twist for me. And don’t even get me started with the prose. So badly overwritten that I’m shocked this was even published. Do not understand why this book is so well reviewed. Completely understand why M. night Shyamalan made a movie of it and I don’t mean that in a complimentary way. Definitely do not recommend. ...more
First dnf of the year. Just not feeling this in any way which I find surprising as it’s usually the kind of book I enjoy but alas the character develoFirst dnf of the year. Just not feeling this in any way which I find surprising as it’s usually the kind of book I enjoy but alas the character development is weak. Perhaps having the dual povs is part of my problem with this. There’s a number of characters with names that are hard to be keep straight, so the dual pov adds to the confusion. The characters aren’t particularly engaging or memorable except that one could turn into a bird and has some anger issues. It’s a little trope-y and is initially (at least 40ish percent the way thru the book) reading like a bad romance novel. The thought of reading this right now makes me feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Perhaps this will be a dnf for now and I will pick it up later. I returned the audio version as I found the narrators voice grating and if I try again Ill read rather than listen. Or I’ll unhaul tomorrow. It can go either way at this point. So disappointed as I loved her last book so much....more
Kind of a dumpster fire of a book. Hated it and should have probably just set it aside and called it a day but it’s Catriona Ward and I thought it musKind of a dumpster fire of a book. Hated it and should have probably just set it aside and called it a day but it’s Catriona Ward and I thought it must get less convoluted and become engaging. 80% of the book made no sense. At all. Last 20% did not save it. Not a happy camper. Will be looking at the next book with a little less enthusiasm and it won’t be an auto buy as this one has been. ...more
Got to 207 pages and could not do one more. Craft wise, it’s beautiful writing. The prose is next level of excellence. But I hated every single characGot to 207 pages and could not do one more. Craft wise, it’s beautiful writing. The prose is next level of excellence. But I hated every single character. Hated being in the minds of characters that I found just detestable and listening to it on audiobook with the voice that I found extremely grating meant that I needed to put this aside temporarily (or maybe for good) and try reading without audio at another time. It was a gazillion hours long and that’s too long to spend with a voice that’s grating on the nerves. Marked as read as to mark it as want to read at this time would be wildly inaccurate. ...more
Well, that was really terrible. The experience was very like watching porn where the sex is bad and cringey, the story is silly and the characters areWell, that was really terrible. The experience was very like watching porn where the sex is bad and cringey, the story is silly and the characters are not very well fleshed out (ha!) There was not one redeemable thing about this book and I have no idea why I didn’t dnf.
The sex scenes with the ‘man wolf’ were so weird and awkward and I legitimately would be asking myself why would any sane woman be ok having sex with a big hairy non human? Like why? And why does this 23 year old guy start sounding all pompous and old worldly? It was really terrible on audio. Why did I keep reading?
Well, because it was Anne Rice. I loved Anne Rice. Interview With a Vampire, the Witching series were rich reading experiences where I was engaged fully with her prose, her characters and her stories but none of that worked here. It was just really awful in every way for me and that makes me sad because I was planning to reread some of her work and I’m a little afraid the time to appreciate her work was back when I first discovered it and that perhaps it’s best to leave well enough alone....more
So this is going to be a little ranty and if you loved this book, and surprisingly, there’s a fair number that do, look away if rants about books you So this is going to be a little ranty and if you loved this book, and surprisingly, there’s a fair number that do, look away if rants about books you love bother you. But I am not a happy camper and the review is going to reflect that.
Damn!!! That sure went off the rails and into the weeds. So, so disappointed. To begin with, it was boring. Kip, a character I liked in the previous books, read like a very ya character. In charge of everything, but not really written in a way this time around that earned that role. Whiny, self loathing and lacking in any charm or interest. Mainly his pov seems to centre on his sexually dysfunctional relationship with his wife. Do you know what is more unwelcome than a lot of unwanted sex scenes and discussions and internal dialogues about ‘horns’ ‘tunnels’ ‘caves’?…dysfunctional sex scenes. It was cringey. Also, given the endnote by the author, perhaps he felt that he was doing a public service for those unfortunate women (and the men who find themselves in a relationship with one),who experience Vaginismus. Thanks Brent Weeks! But it didn’t make for an engaging reading experience as it was repeated over and over and over again. Nor did the fart jokes, talk of boogers and jokes about Kip’s sex life improve it. So not a fan of all that. Kip’s pov was tedious and I didn’t get what he was doing or why.
SPOILERS: But what takes the story from not engaging to ire inducing, was the twist. WTF was that idiocy? Daisen never imprisoned his brother but it was all a figment of DGavin’s deluded imagination. Really? So everything that involved the parts about Gavin in the previous books (the parts I liked and was invested in) didn’t happen? This is so stupid. Twist for the sake of a twist. So what I liked about the series, the twists, is in the end, what I hate about it.
Unhauled the series from my library as I will never reread. Not sure I’ll bother finishing the series because I cant see how he can repair the damage done, or that I’ll generate the interest at this point to see if he does. I guess I’ll know in a month when it becomes available on Libby. I was going to spend a credit and get the audible but no way am I wasting a credit on this.
I was really not feeling this book and felt frequently I should dnf (even at the 80% mark) and man, I have got to listen to that dnf voice and just let go of the books that I’m wanting to be done with. This is the second book in a row where I had high hopes for the book but the reading experience was not aligning with the hopes. There is no value in finishing a book if as a reader I loath it....more
2.5 Aw man. I have got to stop reading books that are marketed as being ‘like’ Madeline Miller’s work. It never is and this ones no exception. Damn. I2.5 Aw man. I have got to stop reading books that are marketed as being ‘like’ Madeline Miller’s work. It never is and this ones no exception. Damn. I’ll write a fuller review tomorrow but right now I’m just a little bummed. :(
So, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve finished this book and I guess I’m finally ready to write a proper review. This was a fail for me. Keyne’s character is well written and a thoroughly engaging and sympathetic character but she is written for another time, namely our own, speaking in 2021 speak about gender that didn’t feel authentic to the time and setting. It was jarring to read about a thoroughly modern take on a prevalent subject of our culture set at a time when it seemed unlikely that the character would think and respond as a person of today would. I’ve been reading a fair amount of historical fiction recently and one element that’s important for it to be successful is to get place and setting authentic and that just didn’t happen here.
This book being marketed as being like Madeline Miller’s work is like saying a shrub is like a mighty oak. Not comparable and I swear the next book that markets itself as her work I’m going to just pass on because I’m learning that marketers idea of ‘being like’ and mine are miles apart....more
Rather disappointing read overall. The first 2 parts of the book were good in that there was tension and interest in the story even if the characters Rather disappointing read overall. The first 2 parts of the book were good in that there was tension and interest in the story even if the characters were all rather shallow and one dimensional but as the novel progressed the story and the characters really didn’t.
I’m not sure the author achieved any meaning towards a feminist point of view other than women are always the victims of the gods and of men which is the point and theme she hammers throughout the book. But it seems to me that how Hippolytus fares disputes her theme. The gods are pretty much assholes to everybody.
The most disappointing aspect though is that but for a brief flare of empowerment in Phaedra’s character, she and Ariadne are so passive displaying no strength or agency in their decisions and actions. Phaedra learns to be manipulative to gain any kind of control and Ariadne simply just decides to not look too closely. So then the theme would actually appear to be more about how women choose to navigate their place in male dominated spaces. But if so, these were not very empowering at all. They ultimately had no power, no agency and no wisdom and particularly Ariadne who had an astounding capacity for passivity throughout most of the book. Their only big moves of autonomy occurred when making foolish choices for love. Not very feminist at all.
This is not anything at all like Madeline Miller’s works other than they are retellings of Greek mythologies which is actually the most disappointing aspect of the book as that is how the book is being marketed. If you are looking for the depth and nuance that can be found in Miller’s writing it’s not to be found in either the character or the book Ariadne. ...more
2.5…barely. This is going to be a bit ranty so if you loved this book, you might want to take a pass on this review but this book made me cranky and t2.5…barely. This is going to be a bit ranty so if you loved this book, you might want to take a pass on this review but this book made me cranky and the review is going to reflect that.
This started off strong. The first chapter of the book was so well written. A young girl in the horrible circumstances of extreme poverty and starvation gets the very bright idea to take her brother’s place and fate in a Buddhist monastery, and claim them for her own. Utterly believable plot and initially, sympathetic character whose success I felt invested in. It was off to a good start and if asked it would have begun as a solid four star read. Then she ends up with the rebel army and it dropped. The connection to the character had diminished and there was no narrative provided to show how the character became someone who seemed completely different from the one in the monastery. She felt like an entirely different character and the narrative was structured in such a way as to keep her distant and a little unknowable. What happened to create this change? It’s not considered important enough to show the reader. As the story progresses this not showing continues as there is less and less narrative to show what happens. So much happens behind the scenes and is told after the fact, my least favourite writing device. Was this way of writing used to surprise the reader? Was it just lack of page count? Or was it an inexperienced writer not recognizing the value of showing the story? In any case the story became hard to read at that point and I was constantly considering just not finishing. Zhu never became a fully fleshed out character, nor did any of the others. The women were all portrayed with a curious antipathy, having characteristics of shrewishness and general awfulness. A curious thing considering the inclusive nature that is supposedly at the heart of the book. Battle scenes were almost non-existent. There were battles, but again, not delved into with any degree that would have given the reader a mental picture of the action taking place, except after it had all unfolded. This left a layer of character development that should and could have been better utilized to give the characters some depth other than the one note of ‘I’m different from everybody else gender wise so I’m angsty and bitter and can justify all my shitty actions in that narrow lens’. This made the characters repetitious, boring and utterly dislikable the more the book progressed. It became eye roll worthy. I usually do not finish a book that makes my eyes roll but I was halfway finished and thought I’d give it one more chapter. It got moderately interesting at that point and became a grudging three stars and though the action was still taking place more off the page the plot did manage to hold my interest. But in the end, there was too much action off page, to the point that the suspension of disbelief, already pushed to the limit ( how can a Buddhist monk’s main tenet for herself be to want anything? It’s literally the most important tenet of Buddhism to not attach to anything. How is this not a huge plot hole for the story?) anyways, it devolves further to the main characters doing things that make it impossible to like or respect them.
To sum up, the reading experience was uneven. The pacing and characters frustrating and weak. Obvious plot holes and things that just wouldn’t have happened which spoiled the tone and setting of the book and took me out of the story again and again and made me feel downright cranky. This book was nothing like Mulan or The Song of Achilles except in the barest way, involving a girl taking the place of a boy and people of the same sex caring for each other. I am getting very tired of hyped up books being compared to beautiful works of art that are not worthy of the comparison. One blurb said it was “Magnificent in every way” Did we read the same book? Now perhaps, if there was a doubled page count where the story could be shown rather than explained after the fact and there was more development of character beyond the issue of their feelings about their gender and who they were attracted too this could be a story worthy of all the hype and praise it’s receiving. With the next book in the proposed duology, considering the strength of the writing in the first chapter of this one, if the weaknesses are addressed, I may pick it up but if not, this book is going in the unhaul pile....more
I wish this had been an unequivocal 5 star read as it has been for many of my goodreads friends on here but this was a slog for me. While I enjoyed thI wish this had been an unequivocal 5 star read as it has been for many of my goodreads friends on here but this was a slog for me. While I enjoyed the world building which was just an excellent premise at every turn, there was so much narrative exposition with stream of consciousness dialogue that went on and on, even when something potentially dangerous was going on, that I found myself wanting to just dnf. Tension was often stripped from the action as the narrator would feel it important to share school history or something about her mother or childhood while the action was unfolding. It became annoying for me because as a reader I just wanted her to get on with it. Action felt as though it was being told rather than shown as it was filtered through El’s pov which I wasn’t a fan of. It stripped the tension and became tiresome for me. I’d have moments where I’d feel some connection to the character but overall she was a lot like a lot of other YA female leads and I didn’t enjoy reading her perspective. And I didn’t get Orion. Like not at all. Had no clue why he’d do half of the incredibly dangerous and sometimes reckless things he’d do and I also had no idea why he liked El other than that she didn’t pander to him. It was just too YA for me. Not sure it’s worth going on with the series at this point. Very bummed ☹️ ...more
This was barely a 2 star read for me. Nearly abandoned it altogether but pushed on to finish it for a book club challenge. There was three problems wiThis was barely a 2 star read for me. Nearly abandoned it altogether but pushed on to finish it for a book club challenge. There was three problems with the novel for me. The main character was super annoying as almost all teenaged girl first person written narrated novels tend to be for me. They tend to be pushy, demanding, self centered and the plot tends to rely too much on that pushy demanding behaviour as they steam roll their way into whatever secret situation they’re supposed to be exempt and protected from. This book relies on that a lot. Didn’t enjoy it in Twilight, didn’t enjoy here.
The second problem was the fact that there were constant info dumps throughout. Some of them were baffling as they were shared with the main character who was not apart of the secret society, was not known and yet everyone was always babbling everything at her. Seemed highly unlikely and lazy story telling.
The third problem was that I’m just not into young adult books. That part is on me and I would have definitely passed except I am a sucker for pretty covers and with all the positive reviews, some from booktubers I follow, I thought I’d give it a try. I would not recommend this to anyone unless they were young adult readers who thought Twilight was awesome. Disappointed but moving on....more
**spoiler alert** What a disappointment. I had seen so many positive reviews so I was eager to read this but it wasn’t long before I realized the whol**spoiler alert** What a disappointment. I had seen so many positive reviews so I was eager to read this but it wasn’t long before I realized the whole point of the book was a pointless relationship between the main character and the entity who cursed her.
And that went on and on and on. It was repetitive. It was insufferable. It also just about made the three eye roll limit ( the point at which I throw in the towel and dnf)
What was really disappointing though was the wasted potential. Here is a girl living through all this history, I mean she’s written as having lived through the French Revolution and has nothing of note to say about that. Or the wars. Those garner a couple of pages of her experience but not a single thing of what she thought about it beyond a sense of some sadness. She learns to read, learning several languages and she has nothing of interest to share or impart of her experiences or of what she’s learned which appears to be very little given what the inner dialogue reveals. It left the main character flat. Hollow. Her only dimension, her continuous inner whiny dialogue about how wronged she’s been and how hard everything is for her. It got very tiresome. By the end I had zero attachment to any of the characters and didn’t really care what happened to any of them.
I would say, given the overwhelming avalanche of positive reviews of this, I am just not the target audience for this kind of book. I would not recommend this....more
2.5 This started strong but the more the story progressed, the more it just came apart. There were some noticeable inconsistencies and the pacing was 2.5 This started strong but the more the story progressed, the more it just came apart. There were some noticeable inconsistencies and the pacing was strange as was the story. A lot of time in the narrative was spent showing the main characters pretty crappy childhoods and crappy interactions with one another as teens which was not something I expected from the blurb on the book but I just readjusted expectations and went with it and the first part was interesting. Not blow me away interesting but interesting enough to keep me reading. But as they meet up as adults the story gets stranger and stranger and not in a good way.
It was curious (strange) too that while the author mocked the hipster crowd with their fancy coffee and vegan restaurants she wrote her characters as being exactly the kind of hipsters she wrote mockingly about and did so in such an obnoxiously irritating way that they were at times, thoroughly pretentious. So I didn’t love that. I also didn’t love that the plot would spend so much time on some aspects and then jump past other events and give a little blurb about what would have been potentially far more interesting to have read about. So again, the pacing and story was frustrating. But even so, I felt that what was a solid 3.5, then 3 became less because the ending was just silly.
Overall, very disappointed with this. I had read her short story, Six Months, Three Days and loved it so much I had wanted to read more from the author so bought this and one other of her books and I can see some of the themes in the short story around relationships explored in this book, just not as successfully. I’ll try once more and hope some of what attracted me to reading her in the first place will be present in the next read. Fingers crossed ...more
Well damn. This was one of the books I really anticipated reading for almost a year now. So much so that I bought all the books in the series being suWell damn. This was one of the books I really anticipated reading for almost a year now. So much so that I bought all the books in the series being sure I was going to love it. And why wouldn’t I? Asian themed magic fantasy. Sounds right up my proverbial reading alley. It was so well reviewed what could go wrong? Well, what went wrong is that this was a hot mess written more like a YA novel than an adult novel despite some of the subject matter. The main character, despite an initial interesting start, devolves into an angsty, demanding character prone to fits of temper and disrespect to those who would have been her superiors in the settings she’s written in, namely, school and war, which seemed very improbable. The early chapters of her learning strategy and combat are absent in the remaining two books which was disappointing to say the least as those were the most interesting and where the main character briefly shined.
I’m left to wonder if I would have been as bitterly disappointed if I had not spent months anticipating reading this or if the author and the people who marketed this book had done so with a clear idea as to who this book was meant for? Young adults who would be able to relate more readily to the main character’s angst (and so leaving out some of the darker elements dealt with, or at least not being quite so graphic about them) or write a book with characters that had the depth to handle some of the darker issues rather than just using them as a means to exploit the issues to give the characters motivation to do the destructive and foolish thing they were warned not to do, thereby propelling the book to it’s idiotic conclusion and making it impossible to like this main character and highly unlikely that I’ll read the other damn books I bought in this series? Genuinely perplexed as to why this is so highly rated....more
Dnf’d a third of the way through. Really good idea but not well executed and it would have been nice to see actual quotes rather than having the subjeDnf’d a third of the way through. Really good idea but not well executed and it would have been nice to see actual quotes rather than having the subject matter interpreted and regurgitated at me. These are deep subjects by deep thinkers and to have their teachings presented in a way that lacks the depth the subject material deserved became tedious. ...more
Well that was disappointing. I rather expected there to be more of a supernatural aspect to the book based on its description which there was none of.Well that was disappointing. I rather expected there to be more of a supernatural aspect to the book based on its description which there was none of. Now, that is a fault that lies with the publisher rather than the author but I really dislike a book being promoted in a way that peaks my interest only to find the book does not deliver. So buyer beware....this book is not what it’s promoted to be. Now onto what is in the purview of the author and that is the writing. It was not good. I had read Summer Frost and was so impressed with Mr Crouch’s writing that I had looked forward to reading more from him. This book was a poor choice and I sincerely hope not indicative of his writing ability because I still have Recursion on the shelf waiting to be read. It was often unclear what was happening partly because it was written in such a way as to have the result of an action written, bypassing the action that created it. Not a fan of that. Also not a fan of the dual reflecting timelines as they seemed to reveal what was happening in the other timeline and served almost as spoilers for the damn plot for most of the novel. Only positive was that it kept a brisk pace for which I was able to keep reading and not ‘abandon’ it altogether....more
Ugh. Goodreads really needs a DNF designation. So I had reached a third of the way through the book which was plodding along at about the same pace asUgh. Goodreads really needs a DNF designation. So I had reached a third of the way through the book which was plodding along at about the same pace as the sleepwalkers in the story, wondering a what point is something interesting going to happen when I realized not only did I know where the story was going but according to my kindle I still had over 13 hours of reading to go to get there and I didn’t care. The characters were flat and one dimensional, the viewpoints as subtle as a jackhammer and it was completely obvious where the story was going. So I thought I’d check goodreads in the hopes that perhaps it was a slow burn as a start but improves at some point and to my dismay found a lot of reviews confirming my thoughts. So I read the last 50 pages, well skimmed really because I really wasn’t all that invested at that point and sure enough it ended pretty much as I suspected it would and for the reason I thought it would. Ugh.
First off, this is in no way anything like Stephen King’s The Stand. Just no. Nor is it like McCammon’s Swan Song. I wasn’t a huge fan of that but it was a whole lot better than the Wanderers. So if you loved those books and go in expecting anything like them, you might be disappointed. I say might because people’s likes and dislikes are myriad and inexplicable so one can never say definitively who will or won’t like something.
Secondly, and why I abandoned the book, SPOILERS SO DONT READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO READ THE BOOK I really, really hate the trope that somehow, we as a human race are a disease and should be exterminated because somehow we’re all so bad for the planet. Now i know that it’s ironic that I write this during a pandemic, just after a huge unrest because of police brutality and people are being pretty sh*tty to one another. Can’t even be bothered with a damn mask to ensure the well being of their fellow man. So yeah, as a species, we sometimes suck. But we are also the species from which Mozart, DaVinci, Klimt, Dickens,Dickinson, Steinbeck and Galileo sprang from. We are the species that will go into burning buildings, or flooding waters to save people or kittens or anything vulnerable and in need. We, collectively are ok. We try to do better. Even now, through the hostility and very differing views on current events you have many people trying to truly listen and do better. I kind of love us. Maybe not so much as a crowd, but as individuals, we can be marvellous. I’ll never be part of that crowd that believes we are all awful and a disease on the planet. I love us all too much for that. So mr Chuck Wendig, take your pessimistic view of people ( it shows in the writing btw not one likeable interesting character) and your subpar writing and bugger off. Well, maybe that’s a wee bit harsh, so maybe just go google people being nice and rescuing dying squirrels or abandoned kittens or something. It might make you feel better about us. Maybe I’ll go watch videos of people being nice and saving baby animals and I can put the experience of this book behind me.
Now onto something that doesn’t make me want to cry when I see how much is left to read....more
Well, it’s safe to say that I did not enjoy this as much as the majority seems to have. In fact I had considered creating a new shelf for this called Well, it’s safe to say that I did not enjoy this as much as the majority seems to have. In fact I had considered creating a new shelf for this called Bitterly Disappointed but settled for I Expected Better. The book had an interesting premise but the the more the rules and fallout for the rules were explained the less possible it became to set aside my suspension of disbelief. In short, there was a glaring problem with the book, which is, how could a society with technology so advanced that they could reverse aging, death, poverty, crime etc, etc not be able to deal with the problem of overpopulation without resorting to murderous, above the law, scythes? The author never really answers this to any real satisfaction and it bothered me throughout the book. The two teenagers apparently have feelings for each other but it can’t have come from anything either of them did because until the end they were surly and overtly hostile to one another. In fact neither of them were even likeable, which was another problem with the book. Lastly, the plot was rather pointless and resolved itself far too easily, being that it was pretty much used as a device to reveal a twist that was not all that twisty when it was revealed. I read this based on all the rave reviews and for a group read ( where everyone appears to have loved it but me) so I’m interested to learn what others in the group enjoyed about the book and how they were able to reconcile the problems with the world building, plot and characters....more
Well, I’m very surprised to have finished this considering my three eye roll rule was broken pretty early in, but apparently, I’m a rule breaker, espeWell, I’m very surprised to have finished this considering my three eye roll rule was broken pretty early in, but apparently, I’m a rule breaker, especially if I want answers to a particular part of the plot, that never really got answered in the end. This was just very disappointing for me in every way. If you like this book just a heads up, this is going to be a bit rant-y as all reviews of books that greatly disappoint me tend to be. I wasn’t happy and the review is going to reflect that.
I liked the premise going in but unfortunately, the author felt the need to hammer home her concept in ways that just became ridiculous and implausible as the story progressed. It would definitely take me out of the story as I would try to fathom the reasoning behind some of the author’s choices, like why do you have your mc go to such extreme lengths be so careful in not attracting attention (smart) but have her wearing a bright red hood (stupid) So irritating. So implausible.
As well, much of the choices about the character were completely predicable. And of course with these choices came the predictable chip on the character’s shoulders which translated to an angry, disagreeable and utterly dislikable personality. When a character is that dislikable and I am reading a steady stream of her thinking, it doesn’t make me a happy reader. Her arrogance and certainty she was right about everything while frequently being stupid was a problem for the book. There were frequent times when people would try to help or have a differing viewpoint and she’d just mow everyone down with her insistence that was predicated on her knowledge gleaned from reading and tv shows. (I always wondered whether my reading of post apocalyptic lit would prepare me but, thanks to this book I’m thinking the answer is no.)
One of the things I initially liked was that a lot of her instincts on what she should and shouldn’t do was based on the movies she watched and books she read but the more the character thought and acted based on that premise, the more the story just falls apart and becomes more and more implausible, not to mention very repetitious. A lot of her internal dialogue was also repetitive and it became tedious.
So, really disliked this. Really wish I’d followed the dnf by the third eye roll rule( well second now because I’m supposed to be more discerning, ha!) The aspect of the plot I had been initially intrigued with was not addressed in a way that was satisfying and was just glossed over was probably the most disappointing aspect of the book for me. I think if there had been less internal, (horrible)dialogue and more working on that aspect of the plot, I’d have found this much less disappointing.
So now I’m feeling a little foolish for continuing something that I was not liking with a character that I truly loathed. The lesson of the story: I do not enjoy books written in first person narrative that focuses on one character. They do not work for me. I almost always end up hating the character. I almost always end up hating the book. Must not read these kinds of books in the future (saying like a mantra to myself to spare myself future aggravation) ...more
**spoiler alert** I had higher hopes for this based on the reviews I read. I found it rather dull with unlikable characters. I have read a review in w**spoiler alert** I had higher hopes for this based on the reviews I read. I found it rather dull with unlikable characters. I have read a review in which the reviewer believed the main character was not in fact Miss Brodie but rather Sandy which I think is a very plausible take on the narrative and gave the book another star, because that’s kind of brilliant really. It’s just not enough to offset the tedium of the book for me....more
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