Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
This is basically a really detailed movie script. Not sure why it hasn’t been made into a movie, except maybe The Host didn’t do well enough at the box office.
I normally avoid books and movies that have anything to do with torture, so it was kind of odd that I finished a book in which the main character is a professional torturer. Fortunately the violence was pretty over-the-top Action Movie, and the torture was not graphic.
The Chemist started really slow, with way too much detail about the precautions the main character (let’s call her Alex) takes each night to make sure she is not murdered in her sleep. It’s clear that Meyer did a lot of research on a lot of things and it shows, although the editor could have done us all a favor by cutting some of the details out.
The book really took off after the main character is set up and tortures an innocent man. (The torture is brief.) I really enjoyed the banter between Alex and Daniel and. Stephenie Meyer does banter well. The plot got a little draggy during one of the safe place interludes when Alex and Daniel are falling in love, but then it sped up again.
There are a lot of heroic dogs in the book. Trigger warning: some of the non-hero dogs presumably die, although we are left to decide that for ourselves. The hero dogs are pretty lovable.
So, on the whole I did enjoy The Chemist for its entertainment value, and I’d read a sequel if she writes one. And I’d go see the movie. (I personally enjoyed The Host movie!)
I normally avoid books and movies that have anything to do with torture, so it was kind of odd that I finished a book in which the main character is a professional torturer. Fortunately the violence was pretty over-the-top Action Movie, and the torture was not graphic.
The Chemist started really slow, with way too much detail about the precautions the main character (let’s call her Alex) takes each night to make sure she is not murdered in her sleep. It’s clear that Meyer did a lot of research on a lot of things and it shows, although the editor could have done us all a favor by cutting some of the details out.
The book really took off after the main character is set up and tortures an innocent man. (The torture is brief.) I really enjoyed the banter between Alex and Daniel and
Spoiler
Daniel’s brother Kevin, another presumed dead ex-agent who shows up to rescue Daniel from AlexThere are a lot of heroic dogs in the book. Trigger warning: some of the non-hero dogs presumably die, although we are left to decide that for ourselves. The hero dogs are pretty lovable.
So, on the whole I did enjoy The Chemist for its entertainment value, and I’d read a sequel if she writes one. And I’d go see the movie. (I personally enjoyed The Host movie!)
The chemist’s life is perpetually at risk. As a consequence, the chemist typically went to unrealistically extreme (yet, clearly effective) means to thwart any of the occasional lone assassins who would attempt to kill her.
But circumstances draw her out of hiding as she targets someone planning a mass casualty event. But nothing goes according to her plan. The result: Unexpected reactions. New dangers. Personal conflicts. Liabilities. Life strategies are changed, abandoned or even reversed. But the situation is not sustainable long term. Something extreme must be done to fix the increased danger due to the untenable situation they find themselves in. Do or die.
Over the top, unrealistic characters. But lots of action & adventure. Not realistic, but if you can suspend your sense of disbelief, you should enjoy the story. And I found the final chapter to be especially satisfying.
But circumstances draw her out of hiding as she targets someone planning a mass casualty event. But nothing goes according to her plan. The result: Unexpected reactions. New dangers. Personal conflicts. Liabilities. Life strategies are changed, abandoned or even reversed. But the situation is not sustainable long term. Something extreme must be done to fix the increased danger due to the untenable situation they find themselves in. Do or die.
Over the top, unrealistic characters. But lots of action & adventure. Not realistic, but if you can suspend your sense of disbelief, you should enjoy the story. And I found the final chapter to be especially satisfying.
Alex (nee Juliana Fortis) is a graduate of Columbia Medical School who is recruited while still in school to join a secret government agency so secret it doesn’t have a name. She does chemical research there and is employed as an interrogator which provides the application for her research. She is not-so-subtly fired when there’s an explosion in her lab that kills her mentor but she is spared on a fluke because she happens to be in the bathroom. This sparks three years on the run, until her old boss offers a contract job with high stakes as her way back in.
When I picked this book up off the shelves, I will admit that I had already read the synopsis inside the cover before realizing it was from Stephenie Meyer. It was crystal clear that this book was inspired by the Bourne series, so I was a little disappointed when she had to staple the names of the two Bourne Protagonists on the dedications page (in case anyone missed the connection). Props for dedications to fictional characters though, I’m a sucker for that. I remarked to a friend as I added it to my stack, “I just hope she doesn’t kill it with the romantic subplot again.” Spoiler: she did.
There’s a lot of things Stephenie Meyer does well in her books, not the least of which is making you care about the characters regardless of the mediocrity of the actual prose. This book was no different. I cared about Alex (Juliana) and what happened to her from the beginning.
The pace in the book is excellent, it’s only dull when the romantic subplot gets in it’s own way. Romance in a thriller novel is not unexpected and can add important intrigue. But the romance almost elicited an eye roll. It was cute and fun, but unbelievable. The romance was missing all the subtle complexities that make romantic relationships interesting. The guy says “I love you” after barely a few days together.
Overall, I liked this book. My criticisms are mostly related to the heavy-handedness of the themes. During a section near the end, she actually has a character state, ‘Jules, you never lost your humanity.’ This seemed superfluous. It was clear that Meyer spends the entire book trying to convince the reader of this, so much so that, again, the potential complexities and subtleties of a book on this subject were almost lost.
I would recommend this book as a great, quick read for those afternoons when you want some entertainment but your brain doesn’t want to work that hard.
When I picked this book up off the shelves, I will admit that I had already read the synopsis inside the cover before realizing it was from Stephenie Meyer. It was crystal clear that this book was inspired by the Bourne series, so I was a little disappointed when she had to staple the names of the two Bourne Protagonists on the dedications page (in case anyone missed the connection). Props for dedications to fictional characters though, I’m a sucker for that. I remarked to a friend as I added it to my stack, “I just hope she doesn’t kill it with the romantic subplot again.” Spoiler: she did.
There’s a lot of things Stephenie Meyer does well in her books, not the least of which is making you care about the characters regardless of the mediocrity of the actual prose. This book was no different. I cared about Alex (Juliana) and what happened to her from the beginning.
The pace in the book is excellent, it’s only dull when the romantic subplot gets in it’s own way. Romance in a thriller novel is not unexpected and can add important intrigue. But the romance almost elicited an eye roll. It was cute and fun, but unbelievable. The romance was missing all the subtle complexities that make romantic relationships interesting. The guy says “I love you” after barely a few days together.
Overall, I liked this book. My criticisms are mostly related to the heavy-handedness of the themes. During a section near the end, she actually has a character state, ‘Jules, you never lost your humanity.’ This seemed superfluous. It was clear that Meyer spends the entire book trying to convince the reader of this, so much so that, again, the potential complexities and subtleties of a book on this subject were almost lost.
I would recommend this book as a great, quick read for those afternoons when you want some entertainment but your brain doesn’t want to work that hard.
It may have started slow, but it kicked up a notch halfway through and got better and better towards the end. The last half of the book was suspenseful and I couldn’t put the book down! It is very different than Twilight, and was a brilliant piece of work. I recommend!!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
this is by no means a good book.it stretches belief to it's limit multiple times and revolves around an unearned love story between a boring blond 6ft something nerdy guy and a 5ft something brunette assassin. but i enjoyed the heck out of this! the dialogue was smooth and believable and the stakes kept you at the edge of your seat. unfortunately a dull safe predictable ending further contributes to this books mediocrity.
Was a great story. Stephanie Meyer is a great storyteller. The characters are fully developed and believable. I didn’t want to put it down. Incidentally, I ink my husband would enjoy this book as much as I did. If you like Jason Bourne type thrillers you will like this.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I loved this book! Super action packed with a lot of planning, black ops, spy operations and a badass leading lady who uses her brain to solve problems and think on her feet. I could not put this book down!
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated