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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Surprisingly not that much chemistry in the story with this title. But that was alright I got into it and enjoyed the fiction. If this was reality it would be A HORROR. A person with this skill set with out any oversight is not a good idea. But as fiction I didn't mind the several improbabilities in this story..
I started out listening to this as an audiobook during my commute, but loved it so much and couldn't wait for the weekend or evening to end so I could get in the car and listen to more, so I went out and bought the book. So good! I loved the characters, storyline, excitement, and Jason Bourne-like intrigue. Not a lot of twists and turns to the story, but some good, nail-biting moments.
A quick easy read. Sort of a modern day wizard of oz. Juliana /Alex finds herself the target of her former employer for unknown reasons. In her search to discover why her former boss put a hit out on her, she inadvertantly picks up a hodgepodge group of companions: Daniel the good guy, Kevin the soldier, Arne the wingman, and Val the vamp. Alex is a loner who spent most of her life immersing herself in her work as a chemist. Trying to keep herself and her friends alive long enough to find out why this is all happening to her puts her on a steep social learning curve.
I found this book entertaining, and fun. I liked that the hero is smart, tough, and always trying to learn. Not a highly intellectual book but fun with a few unexpected turns.
I found this book entertaining, and fun. I liked that the hero is smart, tough, and always trying to learn. Not a highly intellectual book but fun with a few unexpected turns.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One thing Stephanie Meyer can write is an easy read, and that's what I'm here for.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence
A much better book when the protagonist is by herself, once the little gang widens the quality of the writing drops significantly. Its as though Meyer can't deal with the weight of the extra characters. Fun thriller.
Damn good. By far her best. It neat packaged just as anticipated, but fine by me.
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
I HATE THIS GODARN BOOK IT SO FREAKING GOOD! I cried... alot at one point
“Kevin rolled his eyes. “I bet you always have a plan, don’t you, shorty?”
She regarded him with flat eyes. “I can’t rely on muscle, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite problem.”
Stephanie Meyer can write a good page-turner. All of the books I have read by her have really engaged me, and The Chemist was no exception. It is a light thriller with a fair share of romantic mush. Although it has lots of violence and a high mortality rate, it is not very dark, terrifying, or heart pounding. Somehow you know everything is going to turn out OK. Our heroine is an emotionally damaged female John Wick, Jason Bourne, or Equalizer type, except she has the special superpower of being a brilliant chemist and former torturer who uses her expertise to protect herself and wreak havoc on bad guys. At least she hopes they are bad guys. She is on the run from a certain U.S government agency that is trying to kill her because she knows too much. She agrees to do one last job for them in exchange for them ceasing and desisting. A common trope, yes.
The book kind of bogs down at the beginning with the setup and her preparations to capture her prey. It was interesting and admirable but went on a bit too long. I almost quit. I hung on and it picked up considerably after her target proves himself to be a sweet, innocent victim with an extremely dangerous twin brother, who turns out to be also targeted by another branch of the government. Alex, our heroine, reluctantly teams up with him to extricate themselves from their mutual dilemma and keep his beloved, but naïve, (and, sadly, a bit dim,) brother safe. And therein lies my main complaint about this book. I actually prefer beta heroes as opposed to the Alpha male heroes. But they don’t work so well when the book is set, not in the real world, but in the nether world of constant danger, evil, and death. Especially when our heroine is such a badass. I didn’t understand the romance. She had more in common and more chemistry with his crazy and dangerous brother. They really got each other. By comparison, Daniel seemed ineffectual. But a super-nice guy. A mensch. Yeah. He actually expresses qualms about stealing a car when they were running for their lives, pursued by the powers of hell. And he was apologizing all the way through the book for being so stupid. At one point, Kevin, the uber-tough agent, tells him to shut up so he can talk to his nemesis, Alex, because at least she has some sense. Those two are hostile towards each other through the majority of the book accompanied by a lot of amusing banter and snark, but they had mutual respect. They bonded over rolling their eyes at his brother and her love interest. But, to my disappointment, it was not foreplay.
Towards the end, I kind of sped-read, not feeling compelled to savor every word and development. As a side note, Kevin’s dogs also were a little over the top and added an almost fantasy element. (Think Dean Koontz’s Watchers). The ending was a little pat, but I didn’t mind that so much either. I like the way the epilogue was done. It was clever. All in all, an intriguing concept, competently done, but lacking any surprise or twists. She is not a great writer, like some non-literary entertainment-only novelists are, but she can spin a tale and keep you engaged. I'd give a sequel, if there is one, a chance. But please, first, a sequel to The Host!
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