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blackgoddessreviews 's review for:
Weapon
by Lynette Noni
I almost never review sequels because I don’t want to give away spoilers, so this is all new territory for me.
I read almost the entire book in one day – it was completely addictive and so easy to read. For me, it’s the mark of good book when I wouldn’t really change anything. My issues in the first book were resolved to my satisfaction. All loose ends were tied up, and conclusion was open ended enough that you can imagine the future you want.
Something I really like about Lynette Noni’s books is that she takes tropes and cliches inherent in the genre, and she does one of two things: she turns them on their head, or she acknowledges them and pokes fun at them in these meta moments.
She does a similar thing with the info and clues she lays down. Even though I sometimes wanted to shake Alyssa and point her to the answer, she got there not long after I did. It annoys me when a main character is completely oblivious when they have all the information. Alyssa was a breath of fresh air in that respect, because she was rational and acknowledged that there would be repercussions to her actions, and she admitted when she wasn’t sure about something. It’s like Lynette Noni has somehow read my list of things I hate in books and set out to address every single one of them.
Weapon had some genuinely surprising twists. While I predicted some things, there were others I never saw coming. The last couple chapters were what tipped it over to five stars, because all the foreshadowing was there, and I still did not see things coming. I like to be knocked off my feet like that.
I also liked that there was a hint of romance, but it was dealt with in a mature, subtle, and quite rational way. By that I mean that the main character didn’t just turn into a pile of goop whenever she even thought about possible love interest(s). I really appreciated that Alyssa’s feelings didn’t completely run the show, and her rational mind tempered those feelings when it was appropriate. (God it’s hard to be non-specific.)
I don’t feel like I can say a lot more about the characters, but I loved Arryn, and I really loved Smith’s backstory. And all I will say about Vannik, our resident psycho, is that by the very end he was given a bit more depth, which I appreciated.
I also liked the thought and research that had gone into the setting. It was nice to read about (semi) familiar landmarks in Sydney. And the whole underground tunnels is actually a real thing, which is so cool.
Here come the minor spoilers, so if you aren’t interested, stop reading now.
MINOR SPOILER
My one quibble is this:
It was completely unrealistic that the whole gang made it out alive and only some of the bad guys died. The stakes were too high for everyone to come out of it physically unscathed.
I read almost the entire book in one day – it was completely addictive and so easy to read. For me, it’s the mark of good book when I wouldn’t really change anything. My issues in the first book were resolved to my satisfaction. All loose ends were tied up, and conclusion was open ended enough that you can imagine the future you want.
Something I really like about Lynette Noni’s books is that she takes tropes and cliches inherent in the genre, and she does one of two things: she turns them on their head, or she acknowledges them and pokes fun at them in these meta moments.
She does a similar thing with the info and clues she lays down. Even though I sometimes wanted to shake Alyssa and point her to the answer, she got there not long after I did. It annoys me when a main character is completely oblivious when they have all the information. Alyssa was a breath of fresh air in that respect, because she was rational and acknowledged that there would be repercussions to her actions, and she admitted when she wasn’t sure about something. It’s like Lynette Noni has somehow read my list of things I hate in books and set out to address every single one of them.
Weapon had some genuinely surprising twists. While I predicted some things, there were others I never saw coming. The last couple chapters were what tipped it over to five stars, because all the foreshadowing was there, and I still did not see things coming. I like to be knocked off my feet like that.
I also liked that there was a hint of romance, but it was dealt with in a mature, subtle, and quite rational way. By that I mean that the main character didn’t just turn into a pile of goop whenever she even thought about possible love interest(s). I really appreciated that Alyssa’s feelings didn’t completely run the show, and her rational mind tempered those feelings when it was appropriate. (God it’s hard to be non-specific.)
I don’t feel like I can say a lot more about the characters, but I loved Arryn, and I really loved Smith’s backstory. And all I will say about Vannik, our resident psycho, is that by the very end he was given a bit more depth, which I appreciated.
I also liked the thought and research that had gone into the setting. It was nice to read about (semi) familiar landmarks in Sydney. And the whole underground tunnels is actually a real thing, which is so cool.
Here come the minor spoilers, so if you aren’t interested, stop reading now.
MINOR SPOILER
My one quibble is this:
It was completely unrealistic that the whole gang made it out alive and only some of the bad guys died. The stakes were too high for everyone to come out of it physically unscathed.