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A review by mrobison576
Queens of Noise by Leigh Harlen
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The things that reminded me of Monster of the Week were fun!
On the other hand, this book had a lot of telling vs. showing, and even more telling me things that did not ring true in execution. The characters are in their thirties, but they were constantly acting like teenagers. A lot of giggling about crushes and using phrases like “but do you liiiike her?”, and far too much miscommunication drama for characters who are ostensibly adults. The characters are allegedly punks, but talk about drugs and alcohol like they’re teenagers trying to be cool. They’re ostensibly really good friends who live together, but their dialogue is stilted and formal, and anything approaching banter would have all this checking in and clarifying and “I didn’t mean that offensively” about things no average reader would think to find offensive (like calling the full moon a “wolf moon,” which could exclude shifters who aren’t wolves). The two romantic leads also suffered from this level of stilted dialogue, and as a result had zero chemistry, absolutely none.
I also got fed up with the fact that the book introduces a Baba Yaga themed band within the first few pages, but then later when a mysterious bad guy is leaving Baba Yaga themed clues around town, no one thinks of this band until halfway through the book?! How was that not insanely obvious to everyone involved???
The final showdown was paced agonizingly slowly for how few pages it actually was, and then the death-protection necklaces removed any remaining stakes. I was basically just pushing myself to get to the end for the sake of getting to the end.
You know all those tumblr posts that are like “Can we talk about punk witches? Mixing a potion with tequila in a red solo cup. Broken coffee stirrers for wands. Sigils in eyeliner that’s smeared from being slept in. Dog-eared spell books on a bookshelf with cheap paperbacks. An annoyed roommate because you tried to pay the rent with crystals. Punk witches, guys. Punk witches.”? Reading one of those will give you pretty much the exact experience of reading this book. It’s not so much a plot with characters as it is the textual equivalent of a Pinterest board. Vibes do not a story make…
On the other hand, this book had a lot of telling vs. showing, and even more telling me things that did not ring true in execution. The characters are in their thirties, but they were constantly acting like teenagers. A lot of giggling about crushes and using phrases like “but do you liiiike her?”, and far too much miscommunication drama for characters who are ostensibly adults. The characters are allegedly punks, but talk about drugs and alcohol like they’re teenagers trying to be cool. They’re ostensibly really good friends who live together, but their dialogue is stilted and formal, and anything approaching banter would have all this checking in and clarifying and “I didn’t mean that offensively” about things no average reader would think to find offensive (like calling the full moon a “wolf moon,” which could exclude shifters who aren’t wolves). The two romantic leads also suffered from this level of stilted dialogue, and as a result had zero chemistry, absolutely none.
I also got fed up with the fact that the book introduces a Baba Yaga themed band within the first few pages, but then later when a mysterious bad guy is leaving Baba Yaga themed clues around town, no one thinks of this band until halfway through the book?! How was that not insanely obvious to everyone involved???
The final showdown was paced agonizingly slowly for how few pages it actually was, and then the death-protection necklaces removed any remaining stakes. I was basically just pushing myself to get to the end for the sake of getting to the end.
You know all those tumblr posts that are like “Can we talk about punk witches? Mixing a potion with tequila in a red solo cup. Broken coffee stirrers for wands. Sigils in eyeliner that’s smeared from being slept in. Dog-eared spell books on a bookshelf with cheap paperbacks. An annoyed roommate because you tried to pay the rent with crystals. Punk witches, guys. Punk witches.”? Reading one of those will give you pretty much the exact experience of reading this book. It’s not so much a plot with characters as it is the textual equivalent of a Pinterest board. Vibes do not a story make…