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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Oh my stars, I’m conflicted about this one. I’ve read all of Stephenie Meyer’s books, but I’m not obsessed with her. I don’t have any Twilight themed tattoos or have I written any fan fic, and I am continuing to function while waiting for the sequel to The Host (which I do think was her strongest book so far). But I will always pick up a new book by Meyer, as she spawned an entire genre of YA paranormal romance. There is literally a section of the book store which didn’t exist before she wrote Twilight. She is an innovator.
So how is The Chemist, Meyer’s foray into the adult spy novel genre? Not quite as successful as her sci-fi novel, The Host as I really liked the two beings inhabiting one body aspect of that story with the Meyer’s signature chaste romance in play. Like her other works, the plot is good, and the concepts and universe are decently drawn. The writing itself is a little choppy, lots of opportunities to “show, not tell” which became even tougher in this book because of the third person narrative perspective.
The biggest nit to pick is the “insta-love” attraction that Daniel feels for Alex. Seriously, is this man brain damaged after their first encounter in which he has not one iota of resentment for the woman who kidnapped and tortured him? That seems incredible. And not in a “cool, wow, that is amazing” sense of the word, but instead in a “strains the credulity” and seems so unrealistic as to make you question the whole character of Daniel. And once you start questioning Daniel, well then you have question someone who falls for him too, as loons attract like. And then we’re in a place where all of your main characters are unbelievable, or at least, seriously doubting their sincerity. Alex was pretty interesting all along, but her complete naiveté also seemed unrealistic for a person who was educated and worked in her role. Rather than The Spy Who Loved Me, this could be The spy who kind of had a crush on me, but didn’t really act on it, because you know, all the feels.
So, that was the biggest detraction. I liked the interaction with the characters introduced along the way. I’m a big fan of super-intelligent dogs (and I was so relieved that they weren’t actually werewolves). I liked the descriptions of Alex living on the run, staying under the radar, setting up her environment to be a deathtrap to any who come uninvited. I guess that is one way to avoid having Avon calling at an inconvenient time. Alex’ extreme lack of social skills reminded me of the alien, Wanda the Wanderer, and I was glad that she’d at least had a prom date, even if it was a lame one, as otherwise I’d be suspecting a crossover and Alex’ true form was the Host alien.
I think this could have used a little paring down, as it was 500+ pages and it had about 400 pages of plot. The rest seemed like rather slow moving interactions where we discover that Alex and Daniel are the two most awkward people in the world, whom we are surprised both somehow made it well into adulthood. I know lots of other reviewers are bagging on this one, and while I didn’t love it, it was an enjoyable read.
So how is The Chemist, Meyer’s foray into the adult spy novel genre? Not quite as successful as her sci-fi novel, The Host as I really liked the two beings inhabiting one body aspect of that story with the Meyer’s signature chaste romance in play. Like her other works, the plot is good, and the concepts and universe are decently drawn. The writing itself is a little choppy, lots of opportunities to “show, not tell” which became even tougher in this book because of the third person narrative perspective.
The biggest nit to pick is the “insta-love” attraction that Daniel feels for Alex. Seriously, is this man brain damaged after their first encounter in which he has not one iota of resentment for the woman who kidnapped and tortured him? That seems incredible. And not in a “cool, wow, that is amazing” sense of the word, but instead in a “strains the credulity” and seems so unrealistic as to make you question the whole character of Daniel. And once you start questioning Daniel, well then you have question someone who falls for him too, as loons attract like. And then we’re in a place where all of your main characters are unbelievable, or at least, seriously doubting their sincerity. Alex was pretty interesting all along, but her complete naiveté also seemed unrealistic for a person who was educated and worked in her role. Rather than The Spy Who Loved Me, this could be The spy who kind of had a crush on me, but didn’t really act on it, because you know, all the feels.
So, that was the biggest detraction. I liked the interaction with the characters introduced along the way. I’m a big fan of super-intelligent dogs (and I was so relieved that they weren’t actually werewolves). I liked the descriptions of Alex living on the run, staying under the radar, setting up her environment to be a deathtrap to any who come uninvited. I guess that is one way to avoid having Avon calling at an inconvenient time. Alex’ extreme lack of social skills reminded me of the alien, Wanda the Wanderer, and I was glad that she’d at least had a prom date, even if it was a lame one, as otherwise I’d be suspecting a crossover and Alex’ true form was the Host alien.
I think this could have used a little paring down, as it was 500+ pages and it had about 400 pages of plot. The rest seemed like rather slow moving interactions where we discover that Alex and Daniel are the two most awkward people in the world, whom we are surprised both somehow made it well into adulthood. I know lots of other reviewers are bagging on this one, and while I didn’t love it, it was an enjoyable read.
Cuando lo leí de chica me encanto pero la ultima vez que lo intente leer no pude. Creo que tenia 0 🌶️
I'm starting to think that the whole Twilight saga was just Meyer's way of asserting herself into the publishing world and, now that she has, she can write what she wants the way she wants. Because when she's not being pandering to teenagers, her writing is actually pretty solid. I mean sure, it's not anything spectacular, but she held my interest and I really liked her deviation into a spy/thriller that was almost real life.
I say "almost" because there are definitely things that fall way beyond my suspension of disbelief. Most of those things, unsurprisingly, center around our romantic leads. My biggest thing is that there really wasn't a need for there to be romance in this story. I feel like the spy/thriller would've been just fine on its own. I liked the protagonist and thought her chemistry know-how was a really cool idea, and how cold she could be and calculating was really awesome. If anything, the romance element detracted from the story. There was so much time spent piddling around trying to build a relationship with the two when Alex/Juliana/whatever could've been doing cool stuff. Speaking of relationship, there was no chemistry. Which is a little ironic from a book called The Chemist, but there you go. I'll buy that Daniel was attracted to her when they first met, but to keep that up after being tortured and then falling in love with her.... somehow. And he never seemed bothered that she tortured him or fought his brother or anything. You, sir, are not a person.
The twin thing was pretty contrived too, if I have to be honest. Didn't take too long to figure that one out. Also, the mirror body thing was just super weird. I know little about medicine, but that seems super dangerous.
With all that said, though, I still really liked it. When it was focusing on the Chemist doing her thing and the spy stuff, it was enjoyable and kept me turning pages. The love story seriously weighed it down. Maybe just not include one next time, and then you'll really be onto something.
I say "almost" because there are definitely things that fall way beyond my suspension of disbelief. Most of those things, unsurprisingly, center around our romantic leads. My biggest thing is that there really wasn't a need for there to be romance in this story. I feel like the spy/thriller would've been just fine on its own. I liked the protagonist and thought her chemistry know-how was a really cool idea, and how cold she could be and calculating was really awesome. If anything, the romance element detracted from the story. There was so much time spent piddling around trying to build a relationship with the two when Alex/Juliana/whatever could've been doing cool stuff. Speaking of relationship, there was no chemistry. Which is a little ironic from a book called The Chemist, but there you go. I'll buy that Daniel was attracted to her when they first met, but to keep that up after being tortured and then falling in love with her.... somehow. And he never seemed bothered that she tortured him or fought his brother or anything. You, sir, are not a person.
The twin thing was pretty contrived too, if I have to be honest. Didn't take too long to figure that one out. Also, the mirror body thing was just super weird. I know little about medicine, but that seems super dangerous.
With all that said, though, I still really liked it. When it was focusing on the Chemist doing her thing and the spy stuff, it was enjoyable and kept me turning pages. The love story seriously weighed it down. Maybe just not include one next time, and then you'll really be onto something.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! I like this genre anyway but this book seemed well-resrarched by the author to put the burned spy/agent storyline together. I recommend!
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this book so much! I listened to the audiobook. The story was captivating & the narrator was awesome. Absolutely one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. 17 hours long but I never got bored. I couldn't wait to hear what happened next.
man this took FOREVER to finish. So Slow and I just wasn't into it. :(
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
It was actually pretty decent being a Stephanie Meyer book. It's an easy read, and a somewhat decent storyline of a female on the run from some agency. Definitely kept me interested, and it's Stephanie Meyer so there's the love interest as well.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes