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bandherbooks's reviews
3658 reviews
Inferno by Dan Brown
2.0
**Some Spoilers ahead**
I really enjoyed Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, but was not thrilled with The Lost Symbol. Inferno continues my disappointment. While it had an interesting mystery revolving around a madman's fixation on Dante's Inferno and the oncoming world over-population crisis that made me finish reading the darn thing, I was sad Brown's signature puzzles and riddles were mostly missing from this very long tome. Instead the majority of the book was spent on explaining various literary, historic, and architectural references to the reader punctuated by short spurts of the protaganists running around different European cities and always luckily running into different people who could help them on their path to discovering where the maleavolent hidden object they sought was.
Kudos to Brown for throwing in some very good twists to the plot, this book definitely did not end as I imagined and as stated before, he did keep me wanting to know how the mystery would wrap up on the end. I'm interested to see if he will continue with a sequel because the (spoiler alert) virus was actually released into the world. Not expecting that!
I will need to go back and check, but I'm fairly certain at three different mortal sins were described as the "worst" and at the "lowest level" in Dante's Inferno. I hope I'm wrong.
The female lead, Sienna, was also a throw away for me. Of course she is utterly gorgeous, young, and attracted to Robert Langdon (twice her age), and is a brilliant person with an IQ off the charts. Except for Lost Symbol, this has been the case. Let's give Robert a more intersting foil next time please.
I really enjoyed Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, but was not thrilled with The Lost Symbol. Inferno continues my disappointment. While it had an interesting mystery revolving around a madman's fixation on Dante's Inferno and the oncoming world over-population crisis that made me finish reading the darn thing, I was sad Brown's signature puzzles and riddles were mostly missing from this very long tome. Instead the majority of the book was spent on explaining various literary, historic, and architectural references to the reader punctuated by short spurts of the protaganists running around different European cities and always luckily running into different people who could help them on their path to discovering where the maleavolent hidden object they sought was.
Kudos to Brown for throwing in some very good twists to the plot, this book definitely did not end as I imagined and as stated before, he did keep me wanting to know how the mystery would wrap up on the end. I'm interested to see if he will continue with a sequel because the (spoiler alert) virus was actually released into the world. Not expecting that!
I will need to go back and check, but I'm fairly certain at three different mortal sins were described as the "worst" and at the "lowest level" in Dante's Inferno. I hope I'm wrong.
The female lead, Sienna, was also a throw away for me. Of course she is utterly gorgeous, young, and attracted to Robert Langdon (twice her age), and is a brilliant person with an IQ off the charts. Except for Lost Symbol, this has been the case. Let's give Robert a more intersting foil next time please.
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
3.0
A frothy, boozey, southern belle, Zelda Fitzgerald comes in Fowler's novel, narrated with a Southern Accent in this audiobook. Fowler gives Zelda a tragic air, a woman who dabbled at best in many things but never truly shook off her main identity, that of the wild wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not many surprises here, but a fun read for summer.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
2.0
**Review based on audiobook**
Teens wake up with targeted memory loss in an enormous maze that does not appear to have an exit. Complicating matters are the wandering gruesome mechanized monsters who try to kill the teens on sight. Why are they in the maze? Why can't they remember who they are? And why do the two newest additions, Thomas, and the first ever girl, Theresa, seem so familiar?
Unfortunately Dashner's writing style and the poor narration did not absorb me into this world. I felt no connection to the characters and did not care if they died or prevailed. The world-building was lack luster, and the conclusion which answered the reasons why these kids were in this maze was completely unsatisfactory. Yahoo, another cliff hanger trilogy. Unfortunately I've read too many books that were akin to this one already.
Teens wake up with targeted memory loss in an enormous maze that does not appear to have an exit. Complicating matters are the wandering gruesome mechanized monsters who try to kill the teens on sight. Why are they in the maze? Why can't they remember who they are? And why do the two newest additions, Thomas, and the first ever girl, Theresa, seem so familiar?
Unfortunately Dashner's writing style and the poor narration did not absorb me into this world. I felt no connection to the characters and did not care if they died or prevailed. The world-building was lack luster, and the conclusion which answered the reasons why these kids were in this maze was completely unsatisfactory. Yahoo, another cliff hanger trilogy. Unfortunately I've read too many books that were akin to this one already.
Legend by Marie Lu
4.0
Thrilling but a bit light on details, Legend is a fun summer read for fans of The Hunger Games or Divergent. Another dystopian version of America, this one focuses on two young people from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum who come together to fight against a common goal. I do wish Lu spent a bit more time on describing what caused the rifts in society, but hopefully as the trilogy unfolds this will become more clear.
Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne by Brian Clevinger
4.0
Fun graphic novel about a robot who leads a group of scientists who fight throughout history.
The artists did an amazing job conveying emotion (in a robot) and action, and I dug the non-linear story telling. Several laugh-out-loud moments including a funny dig at Stephen Hawking and excellent word play.
The artists did an amazing job conveying emotion (in a robot) and action, and I dug the non-linear story telling. Several laugh-out-loud moments including a funny dig at Stephen Hawking and excellent word play.
Joyland by Stephen King
4.0
**Review based on audiobook version**
While cataloged as a "mystery," the true beauty of Joyland is its language and character development. A truly nostalgic tale of one man's 21st year working at an amusement park in the 1970s, King's imagery jumps to life and immerses you in this seaside world. The narrator (Stamper from House of Cards) is also amazing. Each character is distinctly defined and has his or her own voice. Great listen for a trip up to Door County, WI and VERY short (less than 300 pages in the print version)for Stephen King.
While cataloged as a "mystery," the true beauty of Joyland is its language and character development. A truly nostalgic tale of one man's 21st year working at an amusement park in the 1970s, King's imagery jumps to life and immerses you in this seaside world. The narrator (Stamper from House of Cards) is also amazing. Each character is distinctly defined and has his or her own voice. Great listen for a trip up to Door County, WI and VERY short (less than 300 pages in the print version)for Stephen King.
Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century : An Introduction by Kay Ann Cassell
4.0
Rating is for a text book. It fit the parameters of the clas and gave helpful charts with reference sources (in print and online).
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
4.0
23 year old slacker Scott is dating a high schooler (but they haven't even held hands yet), is in a band that kind of sucks, and is obsessed by a girl with purple hair who delivers for Amazon in Canada.
Bright, vivid illustrations and snappy dialog. Fun video game references. Good times!
Bright, vivid illustrations and snappy dialog. Fun video game references. Good times!
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
1.0
Light, frothy YA historical romance that tries to be like Jane Austen but lacks her depth.
Althea Crawley needs to marry a rich man to ensure her family's castle and legacy remains secure. While it is refereshing to see a charachter who is self-aware and a bit self-deprecating (consigned to her lot in life) I never truly found a reason to really like her or root for her. The main love interests are not really fleshed out and what is a lame attempt to pull off a relationship akin to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth falls flat. Of course everything ties up with a perfect ending. Not for me.
Althea Crawley needs to marry a rich man to ensure her family's castle and legacy remains secure. While it is refereshing to see a charachter who is self-aware and a bit self-deprecating (consigned to her lot in life) I never truly found a reason to really like her or root for her. The main love interests are not really fleshed out and what is a lame attempt to pull off a relationship akin to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth falls flat. Of course everything ties up with a perfect ending. Not for me.