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authorrubyduvall's Reviews (154)
There's a lot of valuable information in "Future Crimes." Goodman has seemingly endless examples of online criminality and the reasons why it has proliferated so much (i.e. not enough people use the already-existing security tools or have enough tech literacy). However, he does get pretty repetitive at times. If I had the time (I don't), I could probably find approximately ten instances of similar paragraphs all saying the same thing: "Because criminals are better at computers than non-criminals, we must do more to reduce their impact!" Reading this kind of felt like each chapter was a standalone blog post, but when they were combined into a book, the primary Call To Action wasn't trimmed or cut. That said, it is worth a read if you're interested in tech crime.
(And yes, it did take me two years to read this book. I had a lot going on!)
(And yes, it did take me two years to read this book. I had a lot going on!)
Beautifully written, but sometimes overwritten as well. If I'm skimming paragraphs because I'm tired of being told what the Underground's tunnels are like or because I'd rather be napping than trying to decipher the music-theory infodump sections, then it's overwritten.
The protagonist Liesl was, at times, easy to identify with—who hasn't had low self-esteem?—but at other times I really wanted her to stop wallowing in it.
While there is romance in this book (and "sex scenes", albeit written with too much metaphor for my taste), this book is definitely not a capital-R Romance novel. Sure, a few (hundred) people have shelved it that way (for some reason) and the genre on Amazon is mainly set to Teen, but whoever recommended this book on Twitter as a Romance should apologize to me. There isn't an HEA, which is a requirement, and while there's a glimmer of hope at the end for an HEA, that doesn't count. Also, the relationship between Liesl and the Goblin King is honestly a little too push-and-pull for me.
Unfortunately, the overwriting and the testy romantic relationship mean I'm not interested in the next book. Glad I read Wintersong but wouldn't read it again. *shrug*
The protagonist Liesl was, at times, easy to identify with—who hasn't had low self-esteem?—but at other times I really wanted her to stop wallowing in it.
While there is romance in this book (and "sex scenes", albeit written with too much metaphor for my taste), this book is definitely not a capital-R Romance novel. Sure, a few (hundred) people have shelved it that way (for some reason) and the genre on Amazon is mainly set to Teen, but whoever recommended this book on Twitter as a Romance should apologize to me. There isn't an HEA, which is a requirement, and while there's a glimmer of hope at the end for an HEA, that doesn't count. Also, the relationship between Liesl and the Goblin King is honestly a little too push-and-pull for me.
Unfortunately, the overwriting and the testy romantic relationship mean I'm not interested in the next book. Glad I read Wintersong but wouldn't read it again. *shrug*
I'm entirely biased when it comes to how I liked this book. (Aren't we all?) But though it wasn't perfect, it was very cathartic to read. Like Ela, I married a younger man, and like Ela, I had trouble conceiving—then was blessed with twins. Some reviewers found the ending too short or wrapped up too neatly (I mostly agree) but this sort of uber-happy ending REALLY hit the spot for me. I got my own ridiculously happy ending so why shouldn't Ela?
I'd give the book five stars, but I was a little disappointed with how the initial "pleasure club" scene panned out (an attempted rape by a couple dudes who are never seen again? really?). I was looking forward to Colin seducing this masked woman, realizing after a bit who she was and then REALLY seducing her with everything he has but not revealing that he's figured out her identity, and them getting it on in the club, but alas... I also wish the author had tried a little harder to make Colin Strickland less pushy and aggressive. Still, I really enjoyed the story and I'm excited to read the next in the series.
I'd give the book five stars, but I was a little disappointed with how the initial "pleasure club" scene panned out (an attempted rape by a couple dudes who are never seen again? really?). I was looking forward to Colin seducing this masked woman, realizing after a bit who she was and then REALLY seducing her with everything he has but not revealing that he's figured out her identity, and them getting it on in the club, but alas... I also wish the author had tried a little harder to make Colin Strickland less pushy and aggressive. Still, I really enjoyed the story and I'm excited to read the next in the series.
