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and_im_ash's Reviews (395)
Jane Harper's prose is great, as with The Dry, but I'm just finding it hard to care about the characters involved in this particular mystery.
What made The Dry so compelling is missing from Force of Nature for me. I simply do not care what happened to Alice or any of the other people on this corporate retreat. I also feel like I know nothing about Falk's partner Carmen, her character is just a bit blah.
There are subtle hints about the serial killer who once frequented the area, and I needed more of that by now because it was the part I found more interesting.
I think I just don't connect with these characters the way I need to. I will still give book number 3 a go, but this is a miss for me.
What made The Dry so compelling is missing from Force of Nature for me. I simply do not care what happened to Alice or any of the other people on this corporate retreat. I also feel like I know nothing about Falk's partner Carmen, her character is just a bit blah.
There are subtle hints about the serial killer who once frequented the area, and I needed more of that by now because it was the part I found more interesting.
I think I just don't connect with these characters the way I need to. I will still give book number 3 a go, but this is a miss for me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is such a good mystery. So well-written, so compelling. I love the Aussie outback setting.
I saw the movie when it came out, and it's taken me this long to get to the book. I was so impressed by how close the movie adaptation is to this book.
Will be reading Jane Harper's other books!
I saw the movie when it came out, and it's taken me this long to get to the book. I was so impressed by how close the movie adaptation is to this book.
Will be reading Jane Harper's other books!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this a whole lot. Something about these books and the way this author writes just works for me. I just have such a blast reading these.
My favourite part of this was Rowin's family. He and his siblings were brilliant and I enjoyed how they all interacted together and with Vivi.
The little hints at what's to come have me wishing the third book was announced already.
This series is just a whole lot of fun, set in a real cool alternate world where demons and Devils and magic exists, with characters you can't help but love.
The author's biggest strength is pacing, in my opinion. Both Phantasma and Enchantra progressed at a really good pace, and I never found myself feeling stagnant or bogged down in exposition. The story just keeps pulling you along effortlessly until the end.
Another thing I love about this series is the way Smith has brought horror elements into it. As a horror lover, this just makes these books that much more appealing for me.
I will be eagerly awaiting the third book, and the progression of this story. I'm pretty sure I know who the third book will follow...but I have certain hopes for who her suitor will be. I will keep my fingers crossed.
My favourite part of this was Rowin's family. He and his siblings were brilliant and I enjoyed how they all interacted together and with Vivi.
The little hints at what's to come have me wishing the third book was announced already.
This series is just a whole lot of fun, set in a real cool alternate world where demons and Devils and magic exists, with characters you can't help but love.
The author's biggest strength is pacing, in my opinion. Both Phantasma and Enchantra progressed at a really good pace, and I never found myself feeling stagnant or bogged down in exposition. The story just keeps pulling you along effortlessly until the end.
Another thing I love about this series is the way Smith has brought horror elements into it. As a horror lover, this just makes these books that much more appealing for me.
I will be eagerly awaiting the third book, and the progression of this story. I'm pretty sure I know who the third book will follow...but I have certain hopes for who her suitor will be. I will keep my fingers crossed.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Being in Corialanus Snow's head is uncomfortable, eye opening and even depressing at times.
From the first page to the last, he is selfish, entitled, cruel and undoubtedly evil. But nothing cemented that more for me than the epilogue...
He had Sejanus killed and then took his place. He got everything he'd ever wanted. And he is so hung up on Lucy Grey, because she is the only person who ever truly saw through his mask.
Crucial reading for THG universe, but not comfortable reading. I hate Snow now even more than I did before.
From the first page to the last, he is selfish, entitled, cruel and undoubtedly evil. But nothing cemented that more for me than the epilogue...
Crucial reading for THG universe, but not comfortable reading. I hate Snow now even more than I did before.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was incredible.
So well-written, so impactful, so powerful.
This is probably the best prequel I've ever read for any series - the way it builds on the story we already know, adds extra layers, details, meaning.
And my god, Haymitch's love for Lenore Dove, and then his grief, is absolutely devastating.
I knew everyone would die. We know this from THG. But I still was not prepared enough for how gutting it was.
The exploration of propaganda, stories, control and power is poignant. I loved the insight into other characters we know - Plutarch, Mags, Wiress, Beattie, Effie - and now really want a book on Plutarch's story. He is such a fascinating character.
I really appreciate how Collins creates characters who are so complicated, not simply good or evil, who are so diverse in their wants and needs. All of these characters, including the new tributes, feel so real.
My favourite takeaway from this instalment in The Hunger Games world is how long the revolution was in the works for. They tried over and over and over again before Katniss' games, and the Capitol edited it all out and rewrote their stories so Katniss and Peeta have no idea what previous tributes have done before them. Katniss was the eventual Mockingjay, but she wasn't the first person who tried to be. And that makes this story so much more compelling, and real, and gritty, because we see now how revolution is not born overnight. It took decades of trying and failing and learning to finally make it stick.
No one does dystopia like Suzanne Collins.
So well-written, so impactful, so powerful.
This is probably the best prequel I've ever read for any series - the way it builds on the story we already know, adds extra layers, details, meaning.
And my god, Haymitch's love for Lenore Dove, and then his grief, is absolutely devastating.
I knew everyone would die. We know this from THG. But I still was not prepared enough for how gutting it was.
The exploration of propaganda, stories, control and power is poignant. I loved the insight into other characters we know - Plutarch, Mags, Wiress, Beattie, Effie - and now really want a book on Plutarch's story. He is such a fascinating character.
I really appreciate how Collins creates characters who are so complicated, not simply good or evil, who are so diverse in their wants and needs. All of these characters, including the new tributes, feel so real.
My favourite takeaway from this instalment in The Hunger Games world is how long the revolution was in the works for. They tried over and over and over again before Katniss' games, and the Capitol edited it all out and rewrote their stories so Katniss and Peeta have no idea what previous tributes have done before them. Katniss was the eventual Mockingjay, but she wasn't the first person who tried to be. And that makes this story so much more compelling, and real, and gritty, because we see now how revolution is not born overnight. It took decades of trying and failing and learning to finally make it stick.
No one does dystopia like Suzanne Collins.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This is very well-written, as I've come to expect from Nat Cassidy.
It is a short, punchy horror that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It got my heart rate up and left me, at 9pm, scrambling for a fluffy rom com to start before bed.
Don't know if I'll ever look at googly eyes the same way again.
It is a short, punchy horror that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It got my heart rate up and left me, at 9pm, scrambling for a fluffy rom com to start before bed.
Don't know if I'll ever look at googly eyes the same way again.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
slow-paced
The first half of this book was excellent as it explored Louisa's life, what happened and the trials.
It lost me after that, however. The recounts of the aftermath of the trials dragged out, and then the multiple chapters about vaguely associated people and women's right to vote felt like a deviation from the central story of the book. It felt like the author went off on tangents, and while they are interesting topics separately, the connection between these tangents and Louisa's story wasn't strong enough for it to feel like it belonged in the same book.
A shorter book about Louisa, and then a separate book about women's suffrage in 19th century Australia would have been more impactful in my opinion.
Still a worthwhile read, but the tangents did it a disservice I think.
It lost me after that, however. The recounts of the aftermath of the trials dragged out, and then the multiple chapters about vaguely associated people and women's right to vote felt like a deviation from the central story of the book. It felt like the author went off on tangents, and while they are interesting topics separately, the connection between these tangents and Louisa's story wasn't strong enough for it to feel like it belonged in the same book.
A shorter book about Louisa, and then a separate book about women's suffrage in 19th century Australia would have been more impactful in my opinion.
Still a worthwhile read, but the tangents did it a disservice I think.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was a really interesting read for me. I found it a bit difficult to get myself situated in the time and place during the first few chapters, but once I was settled in I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through the exiled empress' story.
I feel like I will enjoy this more on a re-read, to be honest.
I feel like I will enjoy this more on a re-read, to be honest.