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amandajo087's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good read. This story mixed several popular genres into one. There was Sci-Fi, there was western, there was romance, there was horror and it was all written with the simplicity of a teen novel (which it is not). The imagery was great, the character stories and dynamic was great. The entire concept and story were unique. I'm thoroughly impressed!
sturmykins's review against another edition
4.0
I liked Arrivals and it was certainly a fun, somewhat original idea. It didn't quite suck me in like the Wicked Lovely series or Carnival of Souls, but it was by no means a disappointment. It was fun to read something with a little bit of a wild west feel that was still a fantasy novel. My two critiques would be that I thought the very end was a little hasty in wrapping things up and I felt like a little more explanation and/or exploration of Wasteland would have been nice.
thebookhaze's review against another edition
5.0
Where have you been all my life?! I've seen Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely books everywhere, but didn't feel like starting another new series until I was done with the ones I was already reading (I'm going to have to reconsider my decision), but then I came across The Arrivals and thought I'd read a stand-alone book.
Well, I read it, and I loved it, and now I want more! I love Kitty's attitude, I love Jack's steadiness, I love Edgar's loyalty, I love Chloe's fearlessness, I love Daniel's courage, and I really love Garuda's character. I love the whole Wasteland and Arrivals concept.
I'm sorry for gushing, there's just so much to like about this book. But I've always said that I'm a character-driven reader, and the characters in this book are extremely well-developed and completely came to life for me. I'm really hoping for a sequel or a series based on these characters, but if not, I'm just going have to read Melissa Marr's other books. I was going to read them anyway. =)
Well, I read it, and I loved it, and now I want more! I love Kitty's attitude, I love Jack's steadiness, I love Edgar's loyalty, I love Chloe's fearlessness, I love Daniel's courage, and I really love Garuda's character. I love the whole Wasteland and Arrivals concept.
I'm sorry for gushing, there's just so much to like about this book. But I've always said that I'm a character-driven reader, and the characters in this book are extremely well-developed and completely came to life for me. I'm really hoping for a sequel or a series based on these characters, but if not, I'm just going have to read Melissa Marr's other books. I was going to read them anyway. =)
michalice's review
3.0
Every other book I have read by Melissa Marr I was loved, so when I got the chance to review The Arrivals I jumped at the chance. Not long after it arrived I began reading, and I will admit to struggling to get into the story. I ended up putting the book down for a week and reading a few others before coming back to The Arrivals. My second attempt at reading was better, and I managed to finish the book in a few days.
I think the main problem I had with The Arrivals was it took a long time for anything to happen after the initial fight that we start the book with. We are given a brief introduction to the different characters and the world they inhabit. We are also told how they arrived and why. It wasn't till Chloe made her arrival, and then recovered, that I began to get interested. By that time I was just over 100 pages into the book, that only has 276. Chloe made it easier to get into the world, possibly because she was new to it just like me, and as she learns about it, we learn along with her. She adds a nice element to the world, a modern person trying to get along with people from years ago, yet not looking any older.
The idea behind The Arrivals was great, and the synopsis definitely draws you in, but if it was any other author that I wasn't a fan of I doubt I would have carried on reading after the first couple of chapters. I found it hard to become invested in the characters well-being, I didn't understand why they fought so hard against their feelings, if you are stuck in some strange place with only a few humans why give so much effort to fight the feelings you have for one another, its pointless and a waste of energy. After the initial bumpy start I did enjoy The Arrivals, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I think the main problem I had with The Arrivals was it took a long time for anything to happen after the initial fight that we start the book with. We are given a brief introduction to the different characters and the world they inhabit. We are also told how they arrived and why. It wasn't till Chloe made her arrival, and then recovered, that I began to get interested. By that time I was just over 100 pages into the book, that only has 276. Chloe made it easier to get into the world, possibly because she was new to it just like me, and as she learns about it, we learn along with her. She adds a nice element to the world, a modern person trying to get along with people from years ago, yet not looking any older.
The idea behind The Arrivals was great, and the synopsis definitely draws you in, but if it was any other author that I wasn't a fan of I doubt I would have carried on reading after the first couple of chapters. I found it hard to become invested in the characters well-being, I didn't understand why they fought so hard against their feelings, if you are stuck in some strange place with only a few humans why give so much effort to fight the feelings you have for one another, its pointless and a waste of energy. After the initial bumpy start I did enjoy The Arrivals, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
lgmaxwell722's review against another edition
2.0
Not my typical book, so I was moving into uncharted territory with this sci-fi western. I found the characters to be quirky and likable, but the writing style was limited and repetitive. An easy read for a fun break.
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
The Arrivals started out a little weird. I almost put it down. I guess it was because Melissa Marr wrote it like it was a sequel and we should know all about the Wasteland? I'm glad I didn't. I am hoping there is a part 2.
lemonith's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the idea behind The Arrivals - a world where the wild west meets fantasy in a mix of cowboys, mysterious travel through time and space, dragon-farming, demon-summoning monks and insectoid desert vampires. Wow. Just wow. I'm sad that I'm only giving this book two stars. I wanted to love it.
The problem with this book is that it wants to do too much all at once. One moment it's a noir cowboy tale, the next it's an urban fantasy/ paranormal romance. Don't get me wrong, I love it when an author experiment with genres and makes an effort to create something original. This one unfortunately, felt unfinished, like it needed a little more work.
There is no doubt that Marr is a talented writer and she clearly excels in her description of the relationships between characters. In the steamy parts the chemistry is undeniable, sparks flying and everything. I also felt that she created some very interesting characters who I would have loved to learn more about, with all their quirks and unusual backgrounds. Basically I wish that this book was either a straight up paranormal romance or (preferably) that it was just a lot longer and went more in depth with this crazy world. It could have been amazing!
To sum up: Interesting concept, points for originality, but it felt unfinished.
The problem with this book is that it wants to do too much all at once. One moment it's a noir cowboy tale, the next it's an urban fantasy/ paranormal romance. Don't get me wrong, I love it when an author experiment with genres and makes an effort to create something original. This one unfortunately, felt unfinished, like it needed a little more work.
There is no doubt that Marr is a talented writer and she clearly excels in her description of the relationships between characters. In the steamy parts the chemistry is undeniable, sparks flying and everything. I also felt that she created some very interesting characters who I would have loved to learn more about, with all their quirks and unusual backgrounds. Basically I wish that this book was either a straight up paranormal romance or (preferably) that it was just a lot longer and went more in depth with this crazy world. It could have been amazing!
To sum up: Interesting concept, points for originality, but it felt unfinished.
christajls's review against another edition
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Firefly fans – this one is for you. It’s that fantastic mix of science fiction and Western with a little time travel thrown in for good measure (so Doctor Who fans may want to check this out as well). The story focuses on a rag tag team of individuals who have all time travelled to the mysterious Wasteland from different periods of history – it’s a unique concept and one that grabs you right away, as you wonder where exactly they are and what brought them there. All the characters are interesting, but with so many players on the board it was hard to get to know any of them that well. That being said, I have to admit my favourite was Edgar, a prohibition era bootlegger. He was charming, sweet and brave. What more could you ask for?
Matt Burns did a good job narrating this story – particularly when he took on Jack’s Western drawl. At times I found it a bit too slow but once I sped it up to 1.25x speed my listening experience improved greatly.
Firefly fans – this one is for you. It’s that fantastic mix of science fiction and Western with a little time travel thrown in for good measure (so Doctor Who fans may want to check this out as well). The story focuses on a rag tag team of individuals who have all time travelled to the mysterious Wasteland from different periods of history – it’s a unique concept and one that grabs you right away, as you wonder where exactly they are and what brought them there. All the characters are interesting, but with so many players on the board it was hard to get to know any of them that well. That being said, I have to admit my favourite was Edgar, a prohibition era bootlegger. He was charming, sweet and brave. What more could you ask for?
Matt Burns did a good job narrating this story – particularly when he took on Jack’s Western drawl. At times I found it a bit too slow but once I sped it up to 1.25x speed my listening experience improved greatly.
haleyhamfan's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book way more than I did. Truthfully, the concept is really cool, and the world Marr created could have been so much more lush. I wanted to see more development and explanation in the world.
Chloe is the most uninteresting lead Marr could have chosen. Marr's narrative is third-person limited and constantly shifting between the four leads, but I believe it would've been stronger if it had just followed one narrative. The split-narrative felt unnecessary and strained.
I also would've loved to read more about Ajani and why he was there and how the Wasteland was even created. There were just a lot of things that I think Marr could have paid attention to instead of the things she did. She dropped you in with little explanation and made no efforts to answer any questions that arose.
Could have been a much much stronger book.
Chloe is the most uninteresting lead Marr could have chosen. Marr's narrative is third-person limited and constantly shifting between the four leads, but I believe it would've been stronger if it had just followed one narrative. The split-narrative felt unnecessary and strained.
I also would've loved to read more about Ajani and why he was there and how the Wasteland was even created. There were just a lot of things that I think Marr could have paid attention to instead of the things she did. She dropped you in with little explanation and made no efforts to answer any questions that arose.
Could have been a much much stronger book.
scythefranz's review against another edition
2.0
The Arrivals are people who are brought to the Wasteland-- a world full of creepy monsters, cynanthropes (werewolves) and bloedzuigers (blood suckers). Amazingly, these Arrivals came from different years/era and brought to that place because of one reason. They killed.
It is an okay read for me, to be honest. There are parts that tension should be more aggressive or should I say need more emphasis because I only felt a slight tension when I'm reading those parts. But, I can say that it is still a good read because of the originality of the concept. Twists, yet not surprisingly appealing, are unexpected.
What I really love with this book is the cover. So, basically, the 1 star is for the cover.
It is an okay read for me, to be honest. There are parts that tension should be more aggressive or should I say need more emphasis because I only felt a slight tension when I'm reading those parts. But, I can say that it is still a good read because of the originality of the concept. Twists, yet not surprisingly appealing, are unexpected.
What I really love with this book is the cover. So, basically, the 1 star is for the cover.