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fyrekatz's review
3.0
This book me forever to read... it was an ok story just not like by me I guess. Not enjoyable like his artemis fowl series which I missed. :( Maybe I'll reread that series one day. POOP! LOL. Well I can't say it was horrible there was a few good parts and I like the relationship between Riley and Chevie. And Riley's past was interesting but just dropped. I wonder if the next book will talk more about things left to question. :)
adamrshields's review
3.0
Short Review: An orphan from 1898 and a disgraced teen FBI agent from the present team up to survive (and hopefully defeat) a time traveling homicidal maniac. Everyone will compare this to Artemis Fowl. It is fine, but not as good. A lot more violent and a bit older reader. The characters are fairly well drawn, but the plot is basically stay alive and avoid the homicidal maniac. And that just really isn't enough to drive the book. But it was (is until May 21) free at ya sync's weekly audiobook giveaway for the summer. And it wasn't a bad listen since I didn't have to pay for it.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/reluctant-assassin/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/reluctant-assassin/
amaldae's review against another edition
1.0
At his best, Colfer can be a charmingly funny writer. But to me, if something is funny, it isn't just random. It may be something unexpected and it is something insightful, but also connected to what's going on in the moment. (*Speaking of relevant connection here)
So, Chevron and Riley were not fun. They were just random. (And Garrick was so over the top powerful and scary it wasn't really funny either and I just couldn't get over the fact that Colfer didn't give enough space for Felix, who was the only character that I cared about in the novel).
Colfer also has a talent for writing about emotions in a way that doesn't make all the action-seekers run away but still touches those who like to just sit there and cry with the story. He didn't do that there, either (I'm not sure if he tried to, though). WARP is written for, I don't know, James Bond fans?
Well, I'm not a James Bond/action fan. I'm the very opposite of that (but I do like guns, and explosions too if they're not real) and hated the book from the first to the last page. UGH I'm glad it's over.
So, Chevron and Riley were not fun. They were just random. (And Garrick was so over the top powerful and scary it wasn't really funny either and I just couldn't get over the fact that Colfer didn't give enough space for Felix, who was the only character that I cared about in the novel).
Colfer also has a talent for writing about emotions in a way that doesn't make all the action-seekers run away but still touches those who like to just sit there and cry with the story. He didn't do that there, either (I'm not sure if he tried to, though). WARP is written for, I don't know, James Bond fans?
Well, I'm not a James Bond/action fan. I'm the very opposite of that (but I do like guns, and explosions too if they're not real) and hated the book from the first to the last page. UGH I'm glad it's over.
bookgirl4ever's review
2.0
Riley lives in Victorian England, an apprentice to a ruthless assassin. When Riley goes on his first job to kill someone he learns he doesn't have it in him. But then the job goes awry when the mark pulls Riley into modern day England through a wormhole of sorts. He finds himself in a warehouse housing a top secret witness protection program run by the United States. It is here he meets Chevron, a teenage FBI agent (hmmm...) who was reassigned to this top secret post after botching another job. Chevron has no idea what she is protecting until Riley shows up. When her team is unable to clean up the mess from the other side and the deadly assassin makes his way to modern day England, Chevron finds herself fighting keep herself and Riley alive.
Could not suspend my disbelief.
JHS/HS
Could not suspend my disbelief.
JHS/HS
forever_day's review
3.0
Rating: 3.5
Plot/characters: see review
Book Warnings: Gore and a creepy serial killer but nothing otherwise.
I think I would've enjoyed this more if I hadn't read most of his other books beforehand. Because, this was a good book. It had all the booky qualities of plot and characters and settings etc But at the same time... It just felt a little unoriginal. I must say as a disclaimer that time travel is not really my favourite genre and if it hadn't had EC's name on the cover I probably wouldn't have picked it up, so I was biased against the plot to start with.
Still, even with that said I wasn't really blown away. I appreciate that wise cracking characters are one of his trademarks (it's one of the reasons he's one of my favourite authors) and he likes the dumb tough guys (and he does make them come up with some hilarious oneliners) but I felt like I'd met every character (with the possible exception of Riley) before just with a different name. And it felt a lot like he was covering ground he'd already covered with the plot and other aspects. I also think it may be my age, since it felt like it would be more suited to younger teens, like the 10-13 y/o demographic (although, saying that it could get a bit graphic at times and I don't think I was wild about descriptions of sawing through muscle and bone and blood fountains at that age.)
Look, he's good at the sassy teenagers but I just would really like to see him do something completely different (and I don't mean like Plugged because that also felt like same old same old but with more swearing, I mean something like Airman which was brilliant and original and had all the sass and Colfer-ness within something with a completely different feel.)
Eh, to sum it up, Eoin Colfer is brilliant writer but this was a little too samey samey for my liking.
Plot/characters: see review
Book Warnings: Gore and a creepy serial killer but nothing otherwise.
I think I would've enjoyed this more if I hadn't read most of his other books beforehand. Because, this was a good book. It had all the booky qualities of plot and characters and settings etc But at the same time... It just felt a little unoriginal. I must say as a disclaimer that time travel is not really my favourite genre and if it hadn't had EC's name on the cover I probably wouldn't have picked it up, so I was biased against the plot to start with.
Still, even with that said I wasn't really blown away. I appreciate that wise cracking characters are one of his trademarks (it's one of the reasons he's one of my favourite authors) and he likes the dumb tough guys (and he does make them come up with some hilarious oneliners) but I felt like I'd met every character (with the possible exception of Riley) before just with a different name. And it felt a lot like he was covering ground he'd already covered with the plot and other aspects. I also think it may be my age, since it felt like it would be more suited to younger teens, like the 10-13 y/o demographic (although, saying that it could get a bit graphic at times and I don't think I was wild about descriptions of sawing through muscle and bone and blood fountains at that age.)
Look, he's good at the sassy teenagers but I just would really like to see him do something completely different (and I don't mean like Plugged because that also felt like same old same old but with more swearing, I mean something like Airman which was brilliant and original and had all the sass and Colfer-ness within something with a completely different feel.)
Eh, to sum it up, Eoin Colfer is brilliant writer but this was a little too samey samey for my liking.
hrgisahero's review
3.0
Enjoyed it, feels like pretty classic Eoin Colfer - no Artemis Fowl but felt like a fun and quick romp.
sidneyellwood's review
4.0
[review written 2013]
wow!!! i really like eoin colfer’s books. ive read several of his other ones and i really like this one.
so i’ve been a fan of artemis fowl since sixth grade so that’s like … five years now? and WARP: the reluctant assassin reminded me of artemis fowl, especially the time paradox. but then again it deals with time travel just like the time paradox did.
now this book was a lot darker than artemis fowl or the supernaturalist was which is why i kept seeing it in the teen section rather than the young adult. there’s more violence and a tad more cursing than i’ve seen the artemis fowl series. but it was cool. and chevie was seventeen.
and oh my god i liked chevie. like. what a smartass. i liked her a lot and her backstory. riley was pretty cool too i liked him a lot. like. okay, it’s not artemis-fowl level snark, but the snark is there. (artemis fowl is one of the snarkier series. if you don’t snark in artemis fowl, you’re probably incompetent and unimportant. rick riordan and john flanagan are quite snarky too. i enjoy snark a lot.)
so yeah! and the plot was good - garrick was completely off his rocker and he was a good antagonist wow. i am definitely waiting for the next book, because i really do like eoin colfer as an author
(and hopefully i can get rid of my artemis fowl parallels to because like there is age difference between the girl and the boy and also a bit of a romance hint too god i need to go read artemis fowl again)
wow!!! i really like eoin colfer’s books. ive read several of his other ones and i really like this one.
so i’ve been a fan of artemis fowl since sixth grade so that’s like … five years now? and WARP: the reluctant assassin reminded me of artemis fowl, especially the time paradox. but then again it deals with time travel just like the time paradox did.
now this book was a lot darker than artemis fowl or the supernaturalist was which is why i kept seeing it in the teen section rather than the young adult. there’s more violence and a tad more cursing than i’ve seen the artemis fowl series. but it was cool. and chevie was seventeen.
and oh my god i liked chevie. like. what a smartass. i liked her a lot and her backstory. riley was pretty cool too i liked him a lot. like. okay, it’s not artemis-fowl level snark, but the snark is there. (artemis fowl is one of the snarkier series. if you don’t snark in artemis fowl, you’re probably incompetent and unimportant. rick riordan and john flanagan are quite snarky too. i enjoy snark a lot.)
so yeah! and the plot was good - garrick was completely off his rocker and he was a good antagonist wow. i am definitely waiting for the next book, because i really do like eoin colfer as an author
(and hopefully i can get rid of my artemis fowl parallels to because like there is age difference between the girl and the boy and also a bit of a romance hint too god i need to go read artemis fowl again)
jasmiinaf's review against another edition
2.0
I met Eoin Colfer last year in Helsinki Book Fair where I bought his newest book and I got a signature to the book (with a text "parties in time"). At the moment I'm really annoyed that the book was on sale only in English because, frankly, this translation was pretty lousy. And the book itself is not as good as Artemis Fowl, or at least the characters were not as good. A little annoying because I like Artemis Fowl books very much.
I can't quite decide what I should read next. I can't read one of Pratchett's books that I have, because it's the last volume of a trilogy, and I don't own the first two (yet). I also thought about reading The Count of Monte Cristo but maybe I'll save that one for later when I'm in the right mood. I'm tempted to read something light. It's hard to decide.
I can't quite decide what I should read next. I can't read one of Pratchett's books that I have, because it's the last volume of a trilogy, and I don't own the first two (yet). I also thought about reading The Count of Monte Cristo but maybe I'll save that one for later when I'm in the right mood. I'm tempted to read something light. It's hard to decide.