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katieinca's review against another edition
2.0
I shelved this magical bookstore romp (with a murder mystery!) as TBR for the next time I was feeling brain dead, and last week it delivered. I read it in about a day and a half and quickly downloaded the next one. The writing's really not great, the dialog is often not how real humans talk, and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if this was supposed to be for kids, teens, or adults. But the worldbuilding was cool, and it certainly moves right along. Spoiler-not-spoiler: I'm currently on book 5, and expect to finish the 9 book series in under 2 weeks.
being_b's review against another edition
4.0
Reminded me a lot of Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper Chronicles series: A woman is caretaker of a magical building that serves as a neutral party in a paranormal universe. The woman finds original solutions to problems. There's a dashing and attractive man. Basically, if you liked one, you'll like the other.
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 rounded down - I've always enjoyed Melissa Mcshane but this one didn't chime with me as much as others have
malreynolds111's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a library staff member I love to read books that are about bookstores and libraries. The thought of having your issues solved by reading a certain book was a fascinating concept. I could have done with out some of the extra mushy doe-eyed cute guy talk, especially since the girl was not some lovesick teenager, but that is a personal preference. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
kerryiscurrentlyreading's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It has potential. The magic system in a little confusing and not super well explored in book one, some of the dialogue is painful and the main characters motivations are a bit wishy washy. I like the concept, even though the oracle process isnt (in my opinion) very well explained or thought out. Willing to persevere with Book 2
mycupoftealcsw's review against another edition
2.0
This book is…not good. It felt like a first draft and was in desperate need of an editor.
First of all, the dialogue is very clunky. Much of it did not seem natural and really did not tell the reader who the characters were because no one has a clear voice.
One nit picky thing (because it’s a pet peeve of mine when books don’t get their time frames right) - when Lucia tells Helena she’ll give her an hour of her time to explain things, then after a conversation that would have taken 15 minutes max in real time she looks at her watch and says “time’s up”. This is where editing would have been very helpful. If the dialogue didn’t take an hour, go back and change it to Lucia saying “I’ll give you 15 minutes” or make it take the hour - but the inconsistency is annoying.
There are a lot of weird bits of information in the book that are totally unnecessary that disrupts the flow of the story. For example, when she is describing her family home, she mentions that they have a 1 ½ car garage that only fits one car because her mother’s stuff takes up the other space- but you can only ever fit one car in a 1 ½ car garage because there is no such thing as half a car so we didn’t need most of that information.
My favorite editing issue is in chapter 8 when one character tells Helena out of nowhere that "Diantha even looks a little like you" - with zero explanation of who Diantha is and Helena doesn't even question it. Diantha is also Never. Mentioned. Again. Who the hell is Diantha? What happened to her? When will she get the justice she deserves?
Helena’s motivation for keeping the job really doesn't make sense. She’s basically an unambitious, extremely passive pushover kind of person who prefers boring and stable but somehow decides to go all in on a potentially very difficult, very dangerous job because a person she just met and who she spent all of 5 minutes with said she would be good for the job. This makes no sense and does not fit her personality at all. Later she also gets super defensive when anyone dares to suggest that she might not be able to do this job she doesn’t understand, has no training for, and exists in a world she just found out about less than 24 hrs ago. She even thinks about running after one of the characters to insist she is capable - based on what, hun? Your vast experience in doing mundane, low stakes, minimally difficult things with average success your whole life? And acting like you know how to do a job that you’ve only known about for 3 days and had zero training in is just immature and stupid.
And, Judy, we get it. You’re in your big feelings about not getting the job. We don’t need to hear about it every time you open your mouth.
Back to who Helena is as a character - why is a 21 year old woman and her best friend texting in all caps? Also, saying her handwriting sucks because she wasn’t taught cursive - printing well is an option and no one that age cares that much that they didn’t learn cursive. I bet Diantha has impeccable handwriting, though.
First of all, the dialogue is very clunky. Much of it did not seem natural and really did not tell the reader who the characters were because no one has a clear voice.
One nit picky thing (because it’s a pet peeve of mine when books don’t get their time frames right) - when Lucia tells Helena she’ll give her an hour of her time to explain things, then after a conversation that would have taken 15 minutes max in real time she looks at her watch and says “time’s up”. This is where editing would have been very helpful. If the dialogue didn’t take an hour, go back and change it to Lucia saying “I’ll give you 15 minutes” or make it take the hour - but the inconsistency is annoying.
There are a lot of weird bits of information in the book that are totally unnecessary that disrupts the flow of the story. For example, when she is describing her family home, she mentions that they have a 1 ½ car garage that only fits one car because her mother’s stuff takes up the other space- but you can only ever fit one car in a 1 ½ car garage because there is no such thing as half a car so we didn’t need most of that information.
My favorite editing issue is in chapter 8 when one character tells Helena out of nowhere that "Diantha even looks a little like you" - with zero explanation of who Diantha is and Helena doesn't even question it. Diantha is also Never. Mentioned. Again. Who the hell is Diantha? What happened to her? When will she get the justice she deserves?
Helena’s motivation for keeping the job really doesn't make sense. She’s basically an unambitious, extremely passive pushover kind of person who prefers boring and stable but somehow decides to go all in on a potentially very difficult, very dangerous job because a person she just met and who she spent all of 5 minutes with said she would be good for the job. This makes no sense and does not fit her personality at all. Later she also gets super defensive when anyone dares to suggest that she might not be able to do this job she doesn’t understand, has no training for, and exists in a world she just found out about less than 24 hrs ago. She even thinks about running after one of the characters to insist she is capable - based on what, hun? Your vast experience in doing mundane, low stakes, minimally difficult things with average success your whole life? And acting like you know how to do a job that you’ve only known about for 3 days and had zero training in is just immature and stupid.
And, Judy, we get it. You’re in your big feelings about not getting the job. We don’t need to hear about it every time you open your mouth.
Back to who Helena is as a character - why is a 21 year old woman and her best friend texting in all caps? Also, saying her handwriting sucks because she wasn’t taught cursive - printing well is an option and no one that age cares that much that they didn’t learn cursive. I bet Diantha has impeccable handwriting, though.
blueshadow's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. Not terribly original plot, you can basically figure it out from the book blurb. Only so many ways to mix magic, bookstores, and saving the world from monsters. Even so, it was done well and a fun story.
3.5 stars, rounded up. It probably deserved my 3 star "average" rating except that I enjoyed it way more than most books that I give 3 stars. So I rounded up. I don't know, I am just working with what I have got here. Assigning stars is hard and arbitrary.
3.5 stars, rounded up. It probably deserved my 3 star "average" rating except that I enjoyed it way more than most books that I give 3 stars. So I rounded up. I don't know, I am just working with what I have got here. Assigning stars is hard and arbitrary.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Book of Secrets is the first book in a new series by Melissa McShane. Though the author's more widely known as a historical fantasy writer, this new series is a departure, since it's more of a light urban fantasy with cozy mystery. The protagonist is a hapless 21 year old who lands a job at an antiquarian bookshop and is thrust into an unknown world when her boss gets murdered whilst she's on the premises and she begins to find out that the bookstore is emphatically not your average bookstore.
I especially enjoyed the characters in the book as well as Helena, the main protagonist's, relationship with her best friend Viv. She also has a great relationship with her family! How refreshing to meet a protagonist in a NA book who isn't broken and emotionally destroyed. The entire book is full of quirky characters and the author does a good job of making them real in all their weird and funky glory. There's a foreshadowed slow burn romance interest, but the author doesn't just fling them together on page 12 (kudos for that!). There's the obligatory female love-to-hate character. I don't think I've read a NA novel in ages that had a female protagonist that didn't use the sarky female-female antagonist device. It's de rigueur. That small quibble aside, the book is fun and well paced and plotted. The oogie space monsters from another dimension are satisfyingly oogie and scary (though happily not wet-your-pants-and-throw-the-book-across-the-room horrifying!).
The mystery part has a satisfying and well paced denouement in the last chapter. All around a fun read. Looking forward to the next book(s) in the series.
Four stars, entertaining and well written.
Info:
The Book of Secrets, book #1 in the Last Oracle series by Melissa McShane.
192 pages, published by Curiosity Quills press.
Released: 20 Feb, 2018 in ebook and paperback formats
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Book of Secrets is the first book in a new series by Melissa McShane. Though the author's more widely known as a historical fantasy writer, this new series is a departure, since it's more of a light urban fantasy with cozy mystery. The protagonist is a hapless 21 year old who lands a job at an antiquarian bookshop and is thrust into an unknown world when her boss gets murdered whilst she's on the premises and she begins to find out that the bookstore is emphatically not your average bookstore.
I especially enjoyed the characters in the book as well as Helena, the main protagonist's, relationship with her best friend Viv. She also has a great relationship with her family! How refreshing to meet a protagonist in a NA book who isn't broken and emotionally destroyed. The entire book is full of quirky characters and the author does a good job of making them real in all their weird and funky glory. There's a foreshadowed slow burn romance interest, but the author doesn't just fling them together on page 12 (kudos for that!). There's the obligatory female love-to-hate character. I don't think I've read a NA novel in ages that had a female protagonist that didn't use the sarky female-female antagonist device. It's de rigueur. That small quibble aside, the book is fun and well paced and plotted. The oogie space monsters from another dimension are satisfyingly oogie and scary (though happily not wet-your-pants-and-throw-the-book-across-the-room horrifying!).
The mystery part has a satisfying and well paced denouement in the last chapter. All around a fun read. Looking forward to the next book(s) in the series.
Four stars, entertaining and well written.
Info:
The Book of Secrets, book #1 in the Last Oracle series by Melissa McShane.
192 pages, published by Curiosity Quills press.
Released: 20 Feb, 2018 in ebook and paperback formats
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.