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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Humorous charming adventure. Do I call it geek fiction?
Don't read expecting a cold factual explanation of the sci-fi twist its not some serious sci-fi epic; its here for the fun story.
I think I would call this the opposite to the three body problem. Where that was over-hyped boring crap with stilted characters acting stupid this was a blast to read and a joy to join the the characters nerding out.
Don't read expecting a cold factual explanation of the sci-fi twist its not some serious sci-fi epic; its here for the fun story.
I think I would call this the opposite to the three body problem. Where that was over-hyped boring crap with stilted characters acting stupid this was a blast to read and a joy to join the the characters nerding out.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book. The story was funny, the plot interesting and I liked the main character. But there were so many things that were illogical and so many plot holes - that I just couldn't enjoy it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strange pacing and tone. It reads like A Series of Unfortunate Events but for adults. So good people die and there are semi explicit sex scenes.
One of the ways the author tries to soften the impact of character deaths and similarly tragic happenings is by explicitly foreshadowing them eg. “I really appreciated his gesture, it’s a shame what happened to him later”. I found this technique set me up to expect some emotional payout, but usually Max would just skim over it, without their death ever affecting her (and by extension, the reader).
One of the ways the author tries to soften the impact of character deaths and similarly tragic happenings is by explicitly foreshadowing them eg. “I really appreciated his gesture, it’s a shame what happened to him later”. I found this technique set me up to expect some emotional payout, but usually Max would just skim over it, without their death ever affecting her (and by extension, the reader).
Given I was expecting this to be a village cosy mystery with possibly a nun or priest as the investigator a la Father Brown, reading two attempted rapes and contemplation of suicide was a big shock! Expectations well and truly not met! This was a riot with Max a sort of time travelling disaster of the Stephanie Plum mode.
Great set of characters and just the right amount of Sci fi for me. Hilarious author. Downsides: Taylor doesn't do a good job of indicating the amount of time passing and comments alluding to the length of Max's stay at St Mary are jarring. A few too many characters right off the bat. Plot lines could definitely be thicker.
Pros: really cool concept with time travel and you grow to love the story.
Not sure how she will keep a good pace in these plot lines with a bajillion books in the series. She went pretty heavy on. Ideas but light on details in the first novel.
Pros: really cool concept with time travel and you grow to love the story.
Not sure how she will keep a good pace in these plot lines with a bajillion books in the series. She went pretty heavy on. Ideas but light on details in the first novel.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
CW: one IMNSHO pointless descriptive intimacy scene (the scene could so have happened without the detail)
What would happen if historians, as they actually are, could go back in time?
This book.
It's actually a fun read with engaging characters. At times, the book does feel a bit too sprawling. Still it was great fun.
What I particularly liked is that by and large, the women in the book were friends with each other. There is also some wonderful comments and use of work place gossip.
(BTW - some short stories in this series are free audio books at the moment - 10/13/15)
This book.
It's actually a fun read with engaging characters. At times, the book does feel a bit too sprawling. Still it was great fun.
What I particularly liked is that by and large, the women in the book were friends with each other. There is also some wonderful comments and use of work place gossip.
(BTW - some short stories in this series are free audio books at the moment - 10/13/15)