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anthonybanthony's reviews
509 reviews
Only Good Enemies by Jennifer Estep
2.0
Rating: D+
Unfortunately, I couldn't form a Truebond with this series. The best option for me is to make like General Grevious and abandon ship.
Unfortunately, I couldn't form a Truebond with this series. The best option for me is to make like General Grevious and abandon ship.
Halo: Epitaph by Kelly Gay
2.75
Rating: C+
If you were hankering for an epilogue to the Forerunner Saga, (I wasn't) you'll probably enjoy this. I still can't get into the flashbacks, and I didn't care for the Dragon Ball Z meets Tron action scenes. Still, it turns the Didact into an actual character who is forced to confront the reality of his crimes, prejudices, and goals. Considering Vampire Darth Vader is/was the second/third worst character in the franchise, that's a big achievement. Also ties neatly into Guardians and Infinite, although you'd need to fire the Halo rings to completely clean up that narrative mess.
If you were hankering for an epilogue to the Forerunner Saga, (I wasn't) you'll probably enjoy this. I still can't get into the flashbacks, and I didn't care for the Dragon Ball Z meets Tron action scenes. Still, it turns the Didact into an actual character who is forced to confront the reality of his crimes, prejudices, and goals. Considering Vampire Darth Vader is/was the second/third worst character in the franchise, that's a big achievement. Also ties neatly into Guardians and Infinite, although you'd need to fire the Halo rings to completely clean up that narrative mess.
Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
3.5
Rating: B+
'For every life situation, he could find a Seinfeld parallel, but he tried to note them aloud only occasionally—to save his reputation and his loved ones’ sanity. With like-minded people, such as his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, he particularly liked to recall all the fictional movie titles referenced throughout the show’s run: Prognosis Negative, Chunnel, Sack Lunch'
'Holton rarely mentioned her involvement with Seinfeld to anyone outside her family. At the motorcycle company where she worked, one of her young coworkers was so obsessed with Seinfeld that his office mates banned him from further show references. They even instituted a Seinfeld jar, where he had to put a dollar each time he broke the ban.'
I felt those.
'For every life situation, he could find a Seinfeld parallel, but he tried to note them aloud only occasionally—to save his reputation and his loved ones’ sanity. With like-minded people, such as his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, he particularly liked to recall all the fictional movie titles referenced throughout the show’s run: Prognosis Negative, Chunnel, Sack Lunch'
'Holton rarely mentioned her involvement with Seinfeld to anyone outside her family. At the motorcycle company where she worked, one of her young coworkers was so obsessed with Seinfeld that his office mates banned him from further show references. They even instituted a Seinfeld jar, where he had to put a dollar each time he broke the ban.'
I felt those.
Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita
3.0
Rating: B-
A fun, quick retelling of the film. Captures Anna and Elsa's relationship well despite their spending almost the entire book apart. Some good twists on the origonal, although the secondary characters struggle to feel relevant.
A fun, quick retelling of the film. Captures Anna and Elsa's relationship well despite their spending almost the entire book apart. Some good twists on the origonal, although the secondary characters struggle to feel relevant.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Rating: D+
I’m surprised by how much I didn’t like this considering it has so many elements that appeal to my sensibilities.
- My biggest problem: This didn’t feel like a YA story. The main characters are 17/18, yet they’re the best fighters and thieves in the world running a criminal empire, with enough psychological and physical trauma to match. (Inej is 17 yet feared enough to be called The Wraith, while Kaz is basicall an anti-hero version of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes with how intelligent and capable he is). They make Cobra Kai and Squad 312 look like emotionally balanced chumps.
- The Crows aren’t enjoyable or fun to read about. They’re a group of dour, dirty, depressing jerks. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Mathias have comically dark/tragic backstories, while Jesper and Wylan are so dull I have nothing to say about them. If they were 25-30, that would’ve been way better. I would’ve bought into the story/world.
- The Crows don’t seem to like each other, either. I can’t imagine any of them enjoying each other's company in a quiet moment with the exception of Mathias and Nina. The best part was the flashback featuring the aforementioned pair surviving the shipwreck. Their relationship wasn't amazing, but it was the only one that felt natural. When I was flat out told Kaz and Inej liked each other, I was shocked.
- The prologue was awful. I felt like I had a glossary dropped on my head and it added almost nothing.
- More flashbacks than a Family Guy marathon, many of which add nothing beyond killing the pace (with the exception of Nina and Mathias, although that storyline has its own problems)
- Banter sucked and the chemistry just wasn't there. The Crows communicate almost entirely in quippy soundbites, many of which are so eye-rollingly silly I thought I was reading Powerless. There’s rarely a genuine moment between them (This may seem hypocritical coming from me, but trust me when I say there's a balance). Consequently, I didn’t care if they succeeded in the heist. The world and characters weren’t worth the emotional investment. They go from grudging allies to spewing Red Dawn-caliber platitudes about love and loyalty between heartbeats.
- Everything from the backstories, to the action, to the magic is so edgy it’ll slice you apart before the end. It’s got all the hits: slavery, graphic torture, dismemberment, bloodbending like its an R rated version of freaking Avatar the Last Airbender, burning at the stake, genocide, forced addiction to drugs, etc. Even the main characters sink to some of these levels to show how badass they are.
- Several key moments and some of the action scenes felt truncated. One of the characters takes out a chimera like it’s nothing and the characters just keep running. I never felt the danger/impact.
- Ending wasn't terrible but had some serious issues.Nina ingests the super drug to amp up her X-Men powers and take out the guards preventing their escape. The guards have their own drugged-up X-Men prisoner, so she decides to put him out of his misery...by making his head explode! She has the power to take out hundreds of soldiers in any way she sees fit, and she has the gall to say 'rest well' when she makes the poor guy's head explode. Couldn't have come up with something a touch more gentle? Then, once Inej gets kidnapped by the central antagonist, Jesper is too pissed about Wylan's minor deception to care. Pal, your friend just got taken prisoner by the most powerful guy on the planet, and you're pissed because your crush pulled a trick on your mutual enemy? Two critical moments that I enjoyed killed by tiny choices. It's a microcosm of the book, really.
I got the duology box set for Christmas so I’m obliged to read Crooked Kingdom at some point in the future. The crew shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for me.
I’m surprised by how much I didn’t like this considering it has so many elements that appeal to my sensibilities.
- My biggest problem: This didn’t feel like a YA story. The main characters are 17/18, yet they’re the best fighters and thieves in the world running a criminal empire, with enough psychological and physical trauma to match. (Inej is 17 yet feared enough to be called The Wraith, while Kaz is basicall an anti-hero version of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes with how intelligent and capable he is). They make Cobra Kai and Squad 312 look like emotionally balanced chumps.
- The Crows aren’t enjoyable or fun to read about. They’re a group of dour, dirty, depressing jerks. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Mathias have comically dark/tragic backstories, while Jesper and Wylan are so dull I have nothing to say about them. If they were 25-30, that would’ve been way better. I would’ve bought into the story/world.
- The Crows don’t seem to like each other, either. I can’t imagine any of them enjoying each other's company in a quiet moment with the exception of Mathias and Nina. The best part was the flashback featuring the aforementioned pair surviving the shipwreck. Their relationship wasn't amazing, but it was the only one that felt natural. When I was flat out told Kaz and Inej liked each other, I was shocked.
- The prologue was awful. I felt like I had a glossary dropped on my head and it added almost nothing.
- More flashbacks than a Family Guy marathon, many of which add nothing beyond killing the pace (with the exception of Nina and Mathias, although that storyline has its own problems)
- Banter sucked and the chemistry just wasn't there. The Crows communicate almost entirely in quippy soundbites, many of which are so eye-rollingly silly I thought I was reading Powerless. There’s rarely a genuine moment between them (This may seem hypocritical coming from me, but trust me when I say there's a balance). Consequently, I didn’t care if they succeeded in the heist. The world and characters weren’t worth the emotional investment. They go from grudging allies to spewing Red Dawn-caliber platitudes about love and loyalty between heartbeats.
- Everything from the backstories, to the action, to the magic is so edgy it’ll slice you apart before the end. It’s got all the hits: slavery, graphic torture, dismemberment, bloodbending like its an R rated version of freaking Avatar the Last Airbender, burning at the stake, genocide, forced addiction to drugs, etc. Even the main characters sink to some of these levels to show how badass they are.
- Several key moments and some of the action scenes felt truncated. One of the characters takes out a chimera like it’s nothing and the characters just keep running. I never felt the danger/impact.
- Ending wasn't terrible but had some serious issues.
I got the duology box set for Christmas so I’m obliged to read Crooked Kingdom at some point in the future. The crew shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for me.
Meridian Divide by Cassandra Rose Clarke
2.75
Rating: C+
Not the best series ever, but I would've liked a third entry.
Not the best series ever, but I would've liked a third entry.
Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland
2.5
Rating: C
I might seem down on this, but I liked it more than Out of the Shadows or Path of Deceit. Meaningful stuff happens, both in the context of its own story and the broader High Republic narrative, and it moves quicker. My biggest problem is that I still don't love the writing. It feels a bit, for lack of a better world, cold. Emotions and events aren't given the proper time/reverence. I couldn't get lost in story because key events felt truncated. Far from the worst Star Wars book you'll read, but it won't bowl you over. I thought Jordanna and Syl's relationship was cute and would've like to have seen more of it. They spend significant portions of this and Out of the Shadows apart, which I think is a mistake.
Also, whenever they mentioned the space station named 'Lightning Crash', I thought of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlbW9mlm7io
I might seem down on this, but I liked it more than Out of the Shadows or Path of Deceit. Meaningful stuff happens, both in the context of its own story and the broader High Republic narrative, and it moves quicker. My biggest problem is that I still don't love the writing. It feels a bit, for lack of a better world, cold. Emotions and events aren't given the proper time/reverence. I couldn't get lost in story because key events felt truncated. Far from the worst Star Wars book you'll read, but it won't bowl you over. I thought Jordanna and Syl's relationship was cute and would've like to have seen more of it. They spend significant portions of this and Out of the Shadows apart, which I think is a mistake.
Also, whenever they mentioned the space station named 'Lightning Crash', I thought of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlbW9mlm7io
Batman: Resurrection by John Jackson Miller
4.0
Rating: A-
This captures the gothic/noirish while also being wacky aesthetic of the film. The villains are outrageous and bombasticHugo Strange is evil Frasier Crane , Gotham is smog-choked mirage, and Batman is a growly snarker. Also ties nicely into the films. Investigates Batman and Gotham's lingering trauma from the Joker's rampage as well as some odd creative choices with the third act. Also retcons Batman and Robin! Batman also makes great use of increasingly elaborate gadgets to fight an endless wave of fedora wearing goons. It's great. I still despise The Tempest.
This captures the gothic/noirish while also being wacky aesthetic of the film. The villains are outrageous and bombastic
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
2.25
Rating: C-
Very up and down with this one. Writing wasn't bad, but something about it left me cold. Parts felt dragged out/repetitive. I didn't get a good sense of place/atmosphere despite how much time was spent laying out the prison. Too many italicized words, and there were often times I'd forget what was happening because we were so deep in Kiva's thoughts going on tangents.I also didn't like how she was totally dependent on outside help to get through every single trial. Would've been nice to show off her quick thinking/skills rather than just Jeran saving the day yet again.
I will say, I liked the main quadrant of characters. Kiva, Tipp, Jeran and Narri had a good dynamic and I liked their interactions. The first twist is also good and enhances the dynamic. I liked seeing them all come together and stand strong despite the revelations and secrets.
That also said, I thought the very last twist was bad. It's completely incongruous with everything presented in the story. It truly feels like a last-second addition to leave the audience hanging. Not only is it a detriment to the overall package, there were already enough dangling threads to keep the reader interested. I'm willing to check out the sequel.
Very up and down with this one. Writing wasn't bad, but something about it left me cold. Parts felt dragged out/repetitive. I didn't get a good sense of place/atmosphere despite how much time was spent laying out the prison. Too many italicized words, and there were often times I'd forget what was happening because we were so deep in Kiva's thoughts going on tangents.
I will say, I liked the main quadrant of characters. Kiva, Tipp, Jeran and Narri had a good dynamic and I liked their interactions. The first twist is also good and enhances the dynamic. I liked seeing them all come together and stand strong despite the revelations and secrets.
That also said, I thought the very last twist was bad. It's completely incongruous with everything presented in the story. It truly feels like a last-second addition to leave the audience hanging. Not only is it a detriment to the overall package, there were already enough dangling threads to keep the reader interested. I'm willing to check out the sequel.