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illusie's review against another edition
2.0
This book had too many Flesh Eating Zombies in it for my liking. I'd have liked more romance. I won't read the next book.
saviinvhetin's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
The first book was good and fun as a twilight parody but this one blew that right out of the water. It is somehow even better and more fun than the first one. Parts of it were incredibly stressful in that edge of your seat nail biting kind of way and other parts moved a bit slower than I enjoyed but overall?? Amazing iconic showstopping.
I wish I could find the third one, it appears that it was supposed to come out in 2019 and there’s info on the authors website as if it’s out but it isn’t actually available anywhere? So that’s disappointing because I would love to be able to read it.
I wish I could find the third one, it appears that it was supposed to come out in 2019 and there’s info on the authors website as if it’s out but it isn’t actually available anywhere? So that’s disappointing because I would love to be able to read it.
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first book of this series but this one I just found too slow and I lost interest completely , it was a DNF to be honest and couldn’t hold my attention at all , 2 stars because I still enjoyed bits of it and it wasn’t awful enough to deserve 1 star
janetbrisson's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Chemistry and couldn't wait to get my hands on History. C. L. Lynch didn't disappoint. The book was great. Stella is such a strong character but bit by bit we get to see her softer side and the struggles she has to go through. I couldn't put the book down!
jaironside's review
5.0
4.5 * rounded up
Chemistry (Stella Blunt #1) 4 *
History (Stella Blunt #2) 4.5*
I was given an ARC copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I remember being slightly reluctant to read ‘Chemistry’ originally since I’d heard it was a Twilight parody, and I find parodies are so often poorly done. Still, I kept coming across the book and curiosity got the better of me. I was very glad I did since ‘Chemistry’ was laugh out loud funny and, while it did nod to the source material, was very much its own story as well.
History picks up where Chemistry leaves off. (In fact there are some brilliant free fics set in between ‘Chemistry’ and ‘History’ that the author is giving away on her website so I highly recommend checking those out too – Tim is my clear and away favourite character and ‘the Bean Counter’ is all about him!) Where was I? Post ‘Chemistry’, Stella has settled into her new home and school, and into her relationship with semi-zombie boyfriend, Howie. It’s Stella’s final year at school and graduation is fast approaching. The only blot on the horizon is the increasing strain in her relationship with Howie. Howie btw is so adorable that you just kinda want to pick pieces off him and eat him like marzipan – or you would if he wasn’t infected with zombie virus. The same virus that is such a barrier for Howie interacted on a perceived level of normalcy with the world. Meanwhile, enter good looking, charming, popular and Stella Smitten Dean – who turns up, appropriately enough, in Stella’s drama class. Fear not that this will turn into a love triangle, oh ye of little faith.
So far so rom com? Well yes and no because the widening cracks in Stella’s and Howie’s relationship set off a chain of events that will change the world forever. No exaggeration there. Not even a little bit.
History combines loose parodies – or rather subversions – of Meyer’s ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’. However the book is still very much its own thing. Personally I felt the humour was darker here than it was in ‘Chemistry’ – as it should be considering what happens. I really enjoyed that but admittedly I have a very dark sense of humour (a decade and more or working in the NHS will do that to you.) There is romance, action, dark fantasy and plenty of sharp dialogue. I imagine this would appeal to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Cassandra Clare’s ‘The Mortal Instruments’ (although this is far better than the latter).
On the subject of subversion, the one I liked most was that in these books, the ‘gorgeous immortal’ is actually at a real disadvantage. At no point is being a zombie sold to us a sexy life choice, which I really appreciated. I enjoy a trashy vampire book, for example, as much as the next person but I do sometimes wonder what the slew of romanticised monsters in teen fiction is really telling readers. (Sometimes it seems worrying like the message is ‘being you, isn’t enough. Being human and aiming for human goals and having human aspirations is mundane.’ Like we have to outsource the extraordinary rather than learn to see it in the every day.) In line with this disadvantage, Lynch explores the difficulties inherent in a relationship between two people where one party is neuroatypical and the other just doesn’t understand why they can’t rise above it. As someone who is neuroatypical and a chronic pain sufferer, I found that this portrayal rang true even if it didn’t exactly echo my own circumstances.
Finally a word on characterisation; Stella is a great character – loud, aggressive, witty, plus sized, kung fu fighting, and under the abrasive exterior, kind. She is by no means likeable all the time but that only adds to her depth as a character. Her interactions with other characters are pitch perfect. I especially like the very balanced and healthy relationship she has with her parents – admittedly I would read an entire 250k epic about Stella’s dad, Tim, making snarky comments on the TV listings and consider it time well spent.
My minor quibbles are entirely to do with me so don’t read them as real criticisms because I am 99% sure that they have far more to do with my personality than the book. Occasionally I found Howie, as delightful as he is, to be a bit too good to be true. On the other hand he both is a teenager and isn’t, having been one for about sixty years – no wonder he is both patient and boasting a greater range of understanding than most teens of the same age. Other minor quibble? This really is me because in general I don’t like romance so I am hyper sensitive to anything sweet in that regard, but some of the dialogue in the love scenes seemed to me to be a bit sentimental. Please bear in mind that I am generally a cold customer and unless you’re a six week old kitten, you’re unlikely to get an ‘awww’ out of me. And yet I still was totally rooting for Stella and Howie, despite any personal cringiness dilemmas.
The best bits about this book? It doesn’t over or under romanticise sex. It is sex positive in its portrayal of being a teen, especially a teen girl, and looks at issues of consent without preaching – from both male and female perspectives. We need more of that in YA fiction. By the same token it doesn’t over or under romanticise a teenaged relationship, also important. There are some kick ass action sequences and an intriguing examination of how a zombie virus might work. It also manages to be by turns dark and gritty, and funny and sweet. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for ‘Biology’. Highly recommend this for all lovers of humorous urban fantasy.
Chemistry (Stella Blunt #1) 4 *
History (Stella Blunt #2) 4.5*
I was given an ARC copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I remember being slightly reluctant to read ‘Chemistry’ originally since I’d heard it was a Twilight parody, and I find parodies are so often poorly done. Still, I kept coming across the book and curiosity got the better of me. I was very glad I did since ‘Chemistry’ was laugh out loud funny and, while it did nod to the source material, was very much its own story as well.
History picks up where Chemistry leaves off. (In fact there are some brilliant free fics set in between ‘Chemistry’ and ‘History’ that the author is giving away on her website so I highly recommend checking those out too – Tim is my clear and away favourite character and ‘the Bean Counter’ is all about him!) Where was I? Post ‘Chemistry’, Stella has settled into her new home and school, and into her relationship with semi-zombie boyfriend, Howie. It’s Stella’s final year at school and graduation is fast approaching. The only blot on the horizon is the increasing strain in her relationship with Howie. Howie btw is so adorable that you just kinda want to pick pieces off him and eat him like marzipan – or you would if he wasn’t infected with zombie virus. The same virus that is such a barrier for Howie interacted on a perceived level of normalcy with the world. Meanwhile, enter good looking, charming, popular and Stella Smitten Dean – who turns up, appropriately enough, in Stella’s drama class. Fear not that this will turn into a love triangle, oh ye of little faith.
So far so rom com? Well yes and no because the widening cracks in Stella’s and Howie’s relationship set off a chain of events that will change the world forever. No exaggeration there. Not even a little bit.
History combines loose parodies – or rather subversions – of Meyer’s ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’. However the book is still very much its own thing. Personally I felt the humour was darker here than it was in ‘Chemistry’ – as it should be considering what happens. I really enjoyed that but admittedly I have a very dark sense of humour (a decade and more or working in the NHS will do that to you.) There is romance, action, dark fantasy and plenty of sharp dialogue. I imagine this would appeal to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Cassandra Clare’s ‘The Mortal Instruments’ (although this is far better than the latter).
On the subject of subversion, the one I liked most was that in these books, the ‘gorgeous immortal’ is actually at a real disadvantage. At no point is being a zombie sold to us a sexy life choice, which I really appreciated. I enjoy a trashy vampire book, for example, as much as the next person but I do sometimes wonder what the slew of romanticised monsters in teen fiction is really telling readers. (Sometimes it seems worrying like the message is ‘being you, isn’t enough. Being human and aiming for human goals and having human aspirations is mundane.’ Like we have to outsource the extraordinary rather than learn to see it in the every day.) In line with this disadvantage, Lynch explores the difficulties inherent in a relationship between two people where one party is neuroatypical and the other just doesn’t understand why they can’t rise above it. As someone who is neuroatypical and a chronic pain sufferer, I found that this portrayal rang true even if it didn’t exactly echo my own circumstances.
Finally a word on characterisation; Stella is a great character – loud, aggressive, witty, plus sized, kung fu fighting, and under the abrasive exterior, kind. She is by no means likeable all the time but that only adds to her depth as a character. Her interactions with other characters are pitch perfect. I especially like the very balanced and healthy relationship she has with her parents – admittedly I would read an entire 250k epic about Stella’s dad, Tim, making snarky comments on the TV listings and consider it time well spent.
My minor quibbles are entirely to do with me so don’t read them as real criticisms because I am 99% sure that they have far more to do with my personality than the book. Occasionally I found Howie, as delightful as he is, to be a bit too good to be true. On the other hand he both is a teenager and isn’t, having been one for about sixty years – no wonder he is both patient and boasting a greater range of understanding than most teens of the same age. Other minor quibble? This really is me because in general I don’t like romance so I am hyper sensitive to anything sweet in that regard, but some of the dialogue in the love scenes seemed to me to be a bit sentimental. Please bear in mind that I am generally a cold customer and unless you’re a six week old kitten, you’re unlikely to get an ‘awww’ out of me. And yet I still was totally rooting for Stella and Howie, despite any personal cringiness dilemmas.
The best bits about this book? It doesn’t over or under romanticise sex. It is sex positive in its portrayal of being a teen, especially a teen girl, and looks at issues of consent without preaching – from both male and female perspectives. We need more of that in YA fiction. By the same token it doesn’t over or under romanticise a teenaged relationship, also important. There are some kick ass action sequences and an intriguing examination of how a zombie virus might work. It also manages to be by turns dark and gritty, and funny and sweet. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for ‘Biology’. Highly recommend this for all lovers of humorous urban fantasy.