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omnombailey's Reviews (111)
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You ever witness something that overrides all logic and human decency to the point that you can't help but gawk? Like two middle-aged moms fighting over a TV during a Black Friday sale or people ignoring traffic laws and causing horrible accidents or the dumpster behind your work spontaneously combusting? That's what reading this book felt like.
I added this to my to-read list solely because I enjoyed Eleanor & Park so much that I more or less added everything Rainbow Rowell had written to my list (which I feel like is a book I need to reread now that I have more experience and perspective both as a reader and human being, but that's a story for another time). And with each book of hers that I've read, I've become less and less of a fan of her work. I don't even know what I had for expectations with Landline - just that I knew it was an "adult" book written by someone who typically does YA books.
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships in stories. Anything that veers from the norm catches my attention, but Landline captivated me like that elusive dumpster fire mentioned above; it was an absolute train-wreck and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. In short, this was a perfect example of why I loathe miscommunication as a form of drama.
I didn't enjoy any of the characters. I didn't expect them to be likable considering the context of the story, but when none of them struck me as interesting or even well-done in terms of how they were written? Not good. The only person I empathized with was Neal, because wow did he deserve so much better. I've seen a slew of reviews with people taking a dump on Neal and it boggles my mind, because out of everyone involved in this clusterfuck, Neal is the most stable and logical person of the bunch. And as a fellow introvert, everything he did made sense.
And then there are people like Seth, who I'm surprised Georgie didn't literally set on fire a quarter into the damn story. I felt like he should have been a massive antagonist, but then Georgie keeps him around and puts up with his douchey bullshit again and again and again? Like I understand abusive relationships, even if it's a friendship, but I felt like none of that got addressed. Like at all. And I really wish it had been. Well, I guess Heather was appalled by Seth's antics when he came over that one time, but it wasn't cathartic enough for me.
Honestly, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think, "Geez, I am not straight enough for this damn book." Like... do people actually find Georgie's scenario relatable? Not the magical telephone thing, but the bullshit that is her marriage and family? Do people read this and go, "Yeah, I can relate #mood" ??? Every chapter left me internally screaming (or externally screaming with that one chapter with Seth towards the end) over the fuckery going on. Like... just talk to each other. Or Neal, fucking answer your fucking phone this is 2013 what the fuck. Or Georgie, how the fuck have you gone this long wearing that disgusting old bra.
Speaking of being straight, that was another thing that certifiably pissed me off - the need to point out secondary/minor characters' "otherness." Scotty is gay and Indian. It's not even cleverly woven into the narrative. There is literally a sentence that goes "Scotty was gay." Like awesome job at giving the characters zero agency and assuming your readers have the intelligence of a magikarp. We can put two and two together if you cut that shit out and just have Scotty mention his hopes for a fictional male character getting a boyfriend. There were other times when it's mentioned that characters are essentially Not White and considering characters like Neal and Georgie and Seth and so forth don't get this treatment at all, it makes you wonder if it's a case of "cis straight white is the norm and anything deviating from that needs to have a spotlight on it." It's a shitty way to include diversity to a narrative.
And speaking of Scotty, he could have been replaced by a sexy lamp and I wouldn't have noticed. I couldn't help but wonder what the point of him being there was. Honestly, I thought that about a lot of things. There are so many elements which left me with more questions than answers. Like Georgie's mom is mentioned to have a job way towards the end of the book, but she more or less stays at home all the time? I figured she was some rich lady who inherited her wealth, but I guess she has a job? And what kind of income does Georgie make where her family can survive just off of her job? Yet she can't afford a new damn phone or a bra??? I guess it's mentioned she doesn't make time for that shit, but like.... really?????? For her career, I figured she'd put a little bit more effort into it.
There were some saving graces to this book which bumped up the rating from two stars to three still wasn't enough to salvage this story. I really loved the flashbacks to college. I loved the dialogue between older Georgie and younger Neal. If Rowell does something right, it's dialogue and it shows (albeit at times she does not know when to make her characters shut up, but anyhow). The chapters were paced wonderfully and I enjoyed the bite-sized chapters. The prose was lovely in that frantic, frank mess kind of way, which I can relate to (more so than the characters).
But other than that, this has to be the most stressful book I've read in a long time. Wallowing in angst is one thing, but this felt more like having Thanksgiving dinner with your toxic family and you're magically bound to your set until everyone is finished. Maybe some people enjoy that level of torturing, but I'd prefer not to read something that shaves two years of my life off.
I added this to my to-read list solely because I enjoyed Eleanor & Park so much that I more or less added everything Rainbow Rowell had written to my list (which I feel like is a book I need to reread now that I have more experience and perspective both as a reader and human being, but that's a story for another time). And with each book of hers that I've read, I've become less and less of a fan of her work. I don't even know what I had for expectations with Landline - just that I knew it was an "adult" book written by someone who typically does YA books.
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships in stories. Anything that veers from the norm catches my attention, but Landline captivated me like that elusive dumpster fire mentioned above; it was an absolute train-wreck and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. In short, this was a perfect example of why I loathe miscommunication as a form of drama.
I didn't enjoy any of the characters. I didn't expect them to be likable considering the context of the story, but when none of them struck me as interesting or even well-done in terms of how they were written? Not good. The only person I empathized with was Neal, because wow did he deserve so much better. I've seen a slew of reviews with people taking a dump on Neal and it boggles my mind, because out of everyone involved in this clusterfuck, Neal is the most stable and logical person of the bunch. And as a fellow introvert, everything he did made sense.
And then there are people like Seth, who I'm surprised Georgie didn't literally set on fire a quarter into the damn story. I felt like he should have been a massive antagonist, but then Georgie keeps him around and puts up with his douchey bullshit again and again and again? Like I understand abusive relationships, even if it's a friendship, but I felt like none of that got addressed. Like at all. And I really wish it had been. Well, I guess Heather was appalled by Seth's antics when he came over that one time, but it wasn't cathartic enough for me.
Honestly, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think, "Geez, I am not straight enough for this damn book." Like... do people actually find Georgie's scenario relatable? Not the magical telephone thing, but the bullshit that is her marriage and family? Do people read this and go, "Yeah, I can relate #mood" ??? Every chapter left me internally screaming (or externally screaming with that one chapter with Seth towards the end) over the fuckery going on. Like... just talk to each other. Or Neal, fucking answer your fucking phone this is 2013 what the fuck. Or Georgie, how the fuck have you gone this long wearing that disgusting old bra.
Speaking of being straight, that was another thing that certifiably pissed me off - the need to point out secondary/minor characters' "otherness." Scotty is gay and Indian. It's not even cleverly woven into the narrative. There is literally a sentence that goes "Scotty was gay." Like awesome job at giving the characters zero agency and assuming your readers have the intelligence of a magikarp. We can put two and two together if you cut that shit out and just have Scotty mention his hopes for a fictional male character getting a boyfriend. There were other times when it's mentioned that characters are essentially Not White and considering characters like Neal and Georgie and Seth and so forth don't get this treatment at all, it makes you wonder if it's a case of "cis straight white is the norm and anything deviating from that needs to have a spotlight on it." It's a shitty way to include diversity to a narrative.
And speaking of Scotty, he could have been replaced by a sexy lamp and I wouldn't have noticed. I couldn't help but wonder what the point of him being there was. Honestly, I thought that about a lot of things. There are so many elements which left me with more questions than answers. Like Georgie's mom is mentioned to have a job way towards the end of the book, but she more or less stays at home all the time? I figured she was some rich lady who inherited her wealth, but I guess she has a job? And what kind of income does Georgie make where her family can survive just off of her job? Yet she can't afford a new damn phone or a bra??? I guess it's mentioned she doesn't make time for that shit, but like.... really?????? For her career, I figured she'd put a little bit more effort into it.
There were some saving graces to this book which bumped up the rating from two stars to three still wasn't enough to salvage this story. I really loved the flashbacks to college. I loved the dialogue between older Georgie and younger Neal. If Rowell does something right, it's dialogue and it shows (albeit at times she does not know when to make her characters shut up, but anyhow). The chapters were paced wonderfully and I enjoyed the bite-sized chapters. The prose was lovely in that frantic, frank mess kind of way, which I can relate to (more so than the characters).
But other than that, this has to be the most stressful book I've read in a long time. Wallowing in angst is one thing, but this felt more like having Thanksgiving dinner with your toxic family and you're magically bound to your set until everyone is finished. Maybe some people enjoy that level of torturing, but I'd prefer not to read something that shaves two years of my life off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an absolutely stellar book. I couldn't put it down. Everything from the characters to the narrative to the prose was so masterfully executed. This was a refreshing take on superheroes and what that means in our reality. It was a dark read and quite decadent at that. A sharp, concise story that had me hooked from the opening page and literally squealing during the climax of the story. This scratched an itch I didn't know I had. Loved it to pieces. Literally everything was in its place and the only thing I'd want to change is my memory of reading it so I can read it like the first time all over again.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had high expectations for this and was immensely disappointed. For something that has a vivid and alluring cover for each issue, the actual art throughout the story is uninspiring, dull, and flat. What I expected to be a rainbow of watercolors was something trying to mimic the Batman Animated series from the 90s. The story doesn't make up for any of that, either. The pacing is sloppy and the sequence of the panels (or lack thereof) don't help make the narrative flow. Despite knowing the events with the Spiderverse, you still get thrown into Gwen's world with little to no context. She's Spider-Woman and her dad's a cop and she's in a band and her bandmates are constantly fighting with each other or her and Peter Parker is dead. That's it. Is she in college? Does she have a job? Was she ever friends with her bandmates to begin with? I love the "work"/life balance that Marvel demonstrates in their works and it's not touched on at all here. Her only struggle is band practice vs fighting crime. The only touching moment was when she talked to Aunt May and that was kind of it. I wanted more scenes like that, but the story kept wanting to barrel forward with the villains and action scenes without giving the reader any reason to care to begin with.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a goddamn fantastic book. Hands down one of the best, if not the best, book I've read this year. It's easily joined the list of books that I will forever cherish. Part of me wishes I could have all memory of this book erased so I could reread it again and discover this world and narrative like it was the first time.
This book is what I desperately wanted The Gentlemen Bastards series to be. This book has complex worldbuilding for complex characters. Said characters are competent, intriguing, and real. The heist had me on the edge of my seat, the dialogue is sharp and genuine, and I simply did not want to put this book down.
My only criticism was that one character didn't have the same flashbacks as the others, but considering what happens in the book, it makes sense that that wouldn't happen. Other than that, I loved every second. The pacing was great, the prose was lovely, and overall the story was just fantastic.
I have spent so long hearing so many people sing endless praises of this book. I went in with incredibly high expectations and it managed to shatter every one of them. Please read this book. It was a gem of a story.
This book is what I desperately wanted The Gentlemen Bastards series to be. This book has complex worldbuilding for complex characters. Said characters are competent, intriguing, and real. The heist had me on the edge of my seat, the dialogue is sharp and genuine, and I simply did not want to put this book down.
My only criticism was that one character didn't have the same flashbacks as the others, but considering what happens in the book, it makes sense that that wouldn't happen. Other than that, I loved every second. The pacing was great, the prose was lovely, and overall the story was just fantastic.
I have spent so long hearing so many people sing endless praises of this book. I went in with incredibly high expectations and it managed to shatter every one of them. Please read this book. It was a gem of a story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've had this on my to-read list for a while and only plunged into it once I was halfway through Six of Crows. Despite all the tropey YA nonsense, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't started reading Six of Crows first; the prose and narrative are way more refined in Six of Crows compared to Shadow and Bone. That and I'm not a huge fan of first-person pov. Other than that, I still managed to love this story.
The worldbuilding, oh man, it's gorgeous. I love the take on magic with the Grisha and how that plays into the world. The interactions were intriguing and while the plot was kind of predictable, it was still suspenseful enough to keep me digging for me.
The unfortunate faults in this book are that it is a YA novel and leans so hard into those particular tropes that it leaves a noticeable dent. Plain looking girl who doesn't think she's pretty or worthwhile and is deemed to be The Chosen One and gets a glow-up? Check. Handsome guy is actually the villain? Check. Love triangle? Check. One guy in said love triangle is a childhood friend? Check. Bitchy rival? Check. Poor girl experiencing luxuries and stuff for the first time? Check. I could keep going, but probably write a book on its own about it. And while it's disappointing to see so many overused tropes used in this story (even more so when reading Six of Crows first; it's a lot of mental whiplash), there was just this genuine pull from the story that made me want to read more instead of rolling my eyes and chucking it out the window.
I'll definitely read more from this series, mostly for the worldbuilding and the events happening around Alina instead of like... Alina herself. I'm not really invested in her as a character, but I do love the situations she's thrown into and how she reacts because of it. Not the best thing I've read this year, but it was highly entertaining. A bit of an odd scale to balance, but it works nonetheless.
The worldbuilding, oh man, it's gorgeous. I love the take on magic with the Grisha and how that plays into the world. The interactions were intriguing and while the plot was kind of predictable, it was still suspenseful enough to keep me digging for me.
The unfortunate faults in this book are that it is a YA novel and leans so hard into those particular tropes that it leaves a noticeable dent. Plain looking girl who doesn't think she's pretty or worthwhile and is deemed to be The Chosen One and gets a glow-up? Check. Handsome guy is actually the villain? Check. Love triangle? Check. One guy in said love triangle is a childhood friend? Check. Bitchy rival? Check. Poor girl experiencing luxuries and stuff for the first time? Check. I could keep going, but probably write a book on its own about it. And while it's disappointing to see so many overused tropes used in this story (even more so when reading Six of Crows first; it's a lot of mental whiplash), there was just this genuine pull from the story that made me want to read more instead of rolling my eyes and chucking it out the window.
I'll definitely read more from this series, mostly for the worldbuilding and the events happening around Alina instead of like... Alina herself. I'm not really invested in her as a character, but I do love the situations she's thrown into and how she reacts because of it. Not the best thing I've read this year, but it was highly entertaining. A bit of an odd scale to balance, but it works nonetheless.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely excellent. Loved the backstory involving the mother of the twins. And to have it told as essentially a bar story after her death from a lover was quite interesting. I only wish it was longer! I hope this doesn't conclude the series, because I would love to read more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the shift to epistolary was really jarring for me. The actual story itself continues to be amazing and I understand why it was formatted the way it was, but it was far more of a chore for me to read than the previous two novellas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Gore, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was intrigued by this book months ago thanks to its summary. Then that intrigue plummeted when I got it from the library and noticed that despite there being a woc on the cover, the author photo displayed a very white guy. Not a great way to go into a novel. It's not to say Gladstone isn't allowed to write about a woc, but it makes me way more cautious with diving into the book, like I'm walking on thin ice.
I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved all the magic and the gods and the law system behind all of it. The mystery was good, too, and the suspense of the last 20% of the book had me turning pages like crazy.
And that was kind of it.
I did enjoy the character interactions, but I didn't care for the characters on their own, save for Elayne. Even then, half of the character interactions involve one character infodumping to another character who knows nothing, something I'm not fond of in fantasy stories. I get it; there's a lot going on and it's realistic for one character to be clueless while another who is more familiar can spout off facts. But none of that makes for an interesting read. I wish there was more depth in these characters aside from wanting to revive a dead god. Again, Elayne had a lot of mystery around her, which I enjoyed, but Tara seemed 110% devoted to work and nothing else. Does she not have any hopes or dreams or struggles of her own? At least Cat has her addiction problem, which was... weird and could have been written better. It does make me wonder if because the author is a white male that he chose to exclude anything that would be associated with being a woman or being black or being something that wasn't him.
Furthermore, the prose is really evocative, but more often than not, it gets it the way of what the hell is actually going on. Yes, good job for making a poetic description, but when I can't tell who is doing what, then it's not adding anything to the story.
I know there are other books in this series, but I'm content with just having read this one. Not horrible, but not amazing. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the prose is pretty at times, but it's mind candy that leaves you more numb than stimulated.
I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved all the magic and the gods and the law system behind all of it. The mystery was good, too, and the suspense of the last 20% of the book had me turning pages like crazy.
And that was kind of it.
I did enjoy the character interactions, but I didn't care for the characters on their own, save for Elayne. Even then, half of the character interactions involve one character infodumping to another character who knows nothing, something I'm not fond of in fantasy stories. I get it; there's a lot going on and it's realistic for one character to be clueless while another who is more familiar can spout off facts. But none of that makes for an interesting read. I wish there was more depth in these characters aside from wanting to revive a dead god. Again, Elayne had a lot of mystery around her, which I enjoyed, but Tara seemed 110% devoted to work and nothing else. Does she not have any hopes or dreams or struggles of her own? At least Cat has her addiction problem, which was... weird and could have been written better. It does make me wonder if because the author is a white male that he chose to exclude anything that would be associated with being a woman or being black or being something that wasn't him.
Furthermore, the prose is really evocative, but more often than not, it gets it the way of what the hell is actually going on. Yes, good job for making a poetic description, but when I can't tell who is doing what, then it's not adding anything to the story.
I know there are other books in this series, but I'm content with just having read this one. Not horrible, but not amazing. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the prose is pretty at times, but it's mind candy that leaves you more numb than stimulated.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced