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stormlightreader's Reviews (936)
slow-paced
First read: no review again (shocker!). (1*)
Re-read: Absolutely not my favourite Reacher but on reread I found it less painful than the first read. It's a far cry from Killing Floor (one of my favourite Reacher books). The whole plot felt so unlike a Reacher book and not in a good way. Reacher is doing his usual thing and is picked up by a Mexican woman called Carmen, who proceeds to tell him about her life and attempts to recruit him to kill her abusive husband. Reacher thinks that she is lying and then there is over 500 pages of back and forth debating as to whether Carmen is a liar. While her story is sad it wasn't interesting enough to be the basis of a Reacher book. Reacher decides early on that he believes her but the usual plot twists (if you can call them that) make the book a good 200 pages longer than it needs to be. The villains are a family of racist Texans and Reacher dispatches a few of them by the midway point of the book then does normal stable hand stuff, learning how to saddle a horse. There is some action towards the end, which looking back to my initial read, I hated but were definitely the highlight on reread. This book is pretty boring and gives the most two-dimensional version of Reacher in the entire series (as far as I can remember). He is flat and if this was the first Reacher book I'd ever read, I would not be a Reacher fan. Some positives though. On my initial read, I as so bored and annoyed at the book, I missed the details on his backstory and odd few funny Reacher one-liners. Hence, why I wanted to do this series reread. (3*)
Re-read: Absolutely not my favourite Reacher but on reread I found it less painful than the first read. It's a far cry from Killing Floor (one of my favourite Reacher books). The whole plot felt so unlike a Reacher book and not in a good way. Reacher is doing his usual thing and is picked up by a Mexican woman called Carmen, who proceeds to tell him about her life and attempts to recruit him to kill her abusive husband. Reacher thinks that she is lying and then there is over 500 pages of back and forth debating as to whether Carmen is a liar. While her story is sad it wasn't interesting enough to be the basis of a Reacher book. Reacher decides early on that he believes her but the usual plot twists (if you can call them that) make the book a good 200 pages longer than it needs to be. The villains are a family of racist Texans and Reacher dispatches a few of them by the midway point of the book then does normal stable hand stuff, learning how to saddle a horse. There is some action towards the end, which looking back to my initial read, I hated but were definitely the highlight on reread. This book is pretty boring and gives the most two-dimensional version of Reacher in the entire series (as far as I can remember). He is flat and if this was the first Reacher book I'd ever read, I would not be a Reacher fan. Some positives though. On my initial read, I as so bored and annoyed at the book, I missed the details on his backstory and odd few funny Reacher one-liners. Hence, why I wanted to do this series reread. (3*)
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
I started The Last Kingdom (TV series) as I started this book, which I've found immensely helpful because of the Æthelred's and the Æthelwold's and the Ælswith's. I'm still no clearer on who's who but I'll get there! Since, I've been watching the series along with the book (which is hard to do since series 1 is an amalgamation of books 1 and 2) the intrigue wasn't there but instead, it was interesting to see how much has changed from the book to the Netflix adaptation.
Going in, I think I expected to struggle with reading about Vikings. I've watched Vikings and loved it and I'm enjoying The Last Kingdom on Netflix but just waiting for it to really kick off. Without the show to help with visualising many characters, this would have been a harder book to read. This sounds really dramatic. It's a book, Rosie!
We're now past Uhtred's childhood chapters, which I think is the part I was least looking forward to and no we've had major characters introduced that I already loved form the show: Leofric, Ragnar (the Younger) and Brida. As well as characters I'm not a fan of: Alfred, Odda the Younger (barf).
I really like Cornwell's battle scenes.
I didn’t know that the books are narrated by an older Uhtred retelling his life from the beginning, but knowing this now makes the narration easier to digest. The writing style took some getting used to but I settled into it and started to enjoy it by the second or third chapter. This is slow paced (as I expected) but this wasn't a major problem for me and the exciting events more than make up for it.
After doing a little reading up for this review, I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
Going in, I think I expected to struggle with reading about Vikings. I've watched Vikings and loved it and I'm enjoying The Last Kingdom on Netflix but just waiting for it to really kick off. Without the show to help with visualising many characters, this would have been a harder book to read. This sounds really dramatic. It's a book, Rosie!
We're now past Uhtred's childhood chapters, which I think is the part I was least looking forward to and no we've had major characters introduced that I already loved form the show: Leofric, Ragnar (the Younger) and Brida. As well as characters I'm not a fan of: Alfred, Odda the Younger (barf).
I really like Cornwell's battle scenes.
I didn’t know that the books are narrated by an older Uhtred retelling his life from the beginning, but knowing this now makes the narration easier to digest. The writing style took some getting used to but I settled into it and started to enjoy it by the second or third chapter. This is slow paced (as I expected) but this wasn't a major problem for me and the exciting events more than make up for it.
After doing a little reading up for this review, I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
dark
mysterious
First read: I read this was when I borrowed a hardback edition from the library, shortly after moving into my own place in 2007.
Re-read 1: 2017 (almost 10 years to the day) with the paperback I bought in Manchester, while working as a supply teacher.
Re-read 2: is courtesy of the audiobook narrated by King himself. The audiobook adds so much to the story, the bell jingles whenever someone walks into Needful Things 🤗 but hearing King narrate sex scenes is odd. I'm not entirely sure why this is my favourite King. Perhaps it's because it was the first adult fiction book I read. Maybe it's because I started reading it on the first night in my own place. Either way, I'm sure the reason is entirely sentimental. That said, it's probably because it's the first big King book I read that made sense after just one read 😂
Re-read 3: on my fourth read of Needful Things, I've finally figured out why I like it so much: it's a small town story. King’s ability to create a fictional town with a cast of distinguishable characters is brilliant and the way Gaunt plays them off each other is clever and eerie. Some parts are straight up funny but otherwise the whole story is just chaotic. Polly Chalmers is and always has been my favourite character, on par with Sheriff Alan Pangborn. My main complaint about this is King's use of certain language and some downright cringey sex scenes, but it's rare that I read a King without encountering these things, nevertheless the former makes for uncomfortable reading in places. Still a fun and sentimental read.
Re-read 1: 2017 (almost 10 years to the day) with the paperback I bought in Manchester, while working as a supply teacher.
Re-read 2: is courtesy of the audiobook narrated by King himself. The audiobook adds so much to the story, the bell jingles whenever someone walks into Needful Things 🤗 but hearing King narrate sex scenes is odd. I'm not entirely sure why this is my favourite King. Perhaps it's because it was the first adult fiction book I read. Maybe it's because I started reading it on the first night in my own place. Either way, I'm sure the reason is entirely sentimental. That said, it's probably because it's the first big King book I read that made sense after just one read 😂
Re-read 3: on my fourth read of Needful Things, I've finally figured out why I like it so much: it's a small town story. King’s ability to create a fictional town with a cast of distinguishable characters is brilliant and the way Gaunt plays them off each other is clever and eerie. Some parts are straight up funny but otherwise the whole story is just chaotic. Polly Chalmers is and always has been my favourite character, on par with Sheriff Alan Pangborn. My main complaint about this is King's use of certain language and some downright cringey sex scenes, but it's rare that I read a King without encountering these things, nevertheless the former makes for uncomfortable reading in places. Still a fun and sentimental read.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I feel like this was a bit slower than The Shadow of the Gods but this is a really good follow up and John Gwynne has won me over with this series.
The new POVs were good, even though the characters the new POVs focus on are human trash! I liked seeing the POV characters from book 1 crossover more in book 2.
Elvar is still my favourite. Grend is still precious. Svik is so funny and his love for cheese always makes me chuckle and although Varg was not a favourite for me in book 1, I enjoyed his POV much more in this book.
We get a lot more of the Bloodsworn in The Hunger of the Gods and as much as I love the Bloodsworn, I'm always more excited for the Battle Grim stuff. Elvar's POV is still my favourite and she's come a long way in just two books and I love that she doesn't really hesitate to deal with obstacles. The plot surrounding the tainted children wasn't my favourite but I loved all of the Gods being resurrected. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I have a feeling of how book 3 will pick up 👀
The Hunger of the Gods picks up right where The Shadow of the Gods left off and because I read them back to back, it felt like I'd read a 1,000+ page book of The Bloodsworn Saga. Not even mad about it. I had a good time with all of the characters (even the human trash). I thoroughly enjoyed this Norse inspired fantasy and I'm looking forward to book 3!
Now, I need to wait until April for the paperback to be released but thanks to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The new POVs were good, even though the characters the new POVs focus on are human trash! I liked seeing the POV characters from book 1 crossover more in book 2.
Elvar is still my favourite. Grend is still precious. Svik is so funny and his love for cheese always makes me chuckle and although Varg was not a favourite for me in book 1, I enjoyed his POV much more in this book.
We get a lot more of the Bloodsworn in The Hunger of the Gods and as much as I love the Bloodsworn, I'm always more excited for the Battle Grim stuff. Elvar's POV is still my favourite and she's come a long way in just two books and I love that she doesn't really hesitate to deal with obstacles. The plot surrounding the tainted children wasn't my favourite but I loved all of the Gods being resurrected. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I have a feeling of how book 3 will pick up 👀
The Hunger of the Gods picks up right where The Shadow of the Gods left off and because I read them back to back, it felt like I'd read a 1,000+ page book of The Bloodsworn Saga. Not even mad about it. I had a good time with all of the characters (even the human trash). I thoroughly enjoyed this Norse inspired fantasy and I'm looking forward to book 3!
Now, I need to wait until April for the paperback to be released but thanks to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is my second attempt at reading a John Gwynne book. The first was Malice, which unfortunately I could not get into and gave up on about three quarters of the way through. The Shadow of the Gods was a different story altogether and Norse inspired fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy I'm annoyed I didn't try sooner. The Shadow of the Gods is very character driven, the plot feels secondary to the character development, which is not a criticism because the lack of characters I cared about was why I couldn't get into Malice. Elvar and Grend were my favourite characters - their relationship is great! Varg grew on me and Orka is a fantastic character. The Shadow of the Gods is very intriguing and the ending leaves you wondering where book 2 will go.
dark
fast-paced
I liked this not so subtle haunted house story. Matheson wastes no time getting the plot established and the characters are soon having fun. The book was very atmospheric, reminding us of the looming presence of the Belasco House. The house is grand and boasts a ball room, indoor swimming pool and a chapel, so you know there is likely to be some nasty scenes. Spoiler alert: there was.
While the book wasn't scary, there were some creepy scenes that gave some low level chills. However, there also some explanations of Belasco's past actions, which weren't detailed and left a lot to the imagination, and I can't really do justice to the vibes Matheson creates explaining these but I'll just say The 120 Days of Sodom got a shoutout. Horror film fans will know what that means and I'll leave it there.
I've read The Haunting of Hill House, and while I didn't enjoy that, I could appreciate Jackson's clear influence on Hell House, but Matheson definitely puts his own spin on the haunted house story. We have a scientist determined to prove that the activity in the house is nothing to do with the supernatural and is purely down to electromagnetic energy and he is sure he can stop it...with a machine (the book almost lost me here). He is joined by a mental medium who definitely takes the brunt of Hell House and there is the scientist's wife and a returning survivor of the Hell House.
Hell House has a big focus on sex, which isn't surprising once you know about Belasco's social activities while he was alive and I saw a review that summed Hell House up as 'a hyper sexual' version of The Haunting of Hill House 'with a dose of science fiction', which is pretty apt in my opinion! This aspect didn't bother me too much but I was taken aback with a scene towards the end which involved a female character and crucifix with an erection. Very American Horror Story!
To sum up, Hell House is dark and atmospheric, and while I doubt I'll revisit it, I did enjoy it more than I expected to and I'm tempted to watch the movie adaptation.
While the book wasn't scary, there were some creepy scenes that gave some low level chills. However, there also some explanations of Belasco's past actions, which weren't detailed and left a lot to the imagination, and I can't really do justice to the vibes Matheson creates explaining these but I'll just say The 120 Days of Sodom got a shoutout. Horror film fans will know what that means and I'll leave it there.
I've read The Haunting of Hill House, and while I didn't enjoy that, I could appreciate Jackson's clear influence on Hell House, but Matheson definitely puts his own spin on the haunted house story. We have a scientist determined to prove that the activity in the house is nothing to do with the supernatural and is purely down to electromagnetic energy and he is sure he can stop it...with a machine (the book almost lost me here). He is joined by a mental medium who definitely takes the brunt of Hell House and there is the scientist's wife and a returning survivor of the Hell House.
Hell House has a big focus on sex, which isn't surprising once you know about Belasco's social activities while he was alive and I saw a review that summed Hell House up as 'a hyper sexual' version of The Haunting of Hill House 'with a dose of science fiction', which is pretty apt in my opinion! This aspect didn't bother me too much but I was taken aback with a scene towards the end which involved a female character and crucifix with an erection. Very American Horror Story!
To sum up, Hell House is dark and atmospheric, and while I doubt I'll revisit it, I did enjoy it more than I expected to and I'm tempted to watch the movie adaptation.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
The big event is simply an 'extinction event' and now the boy and his father are trying to avoid a bunch of cannibals. The ending is a bit of an anti-climax but the fact that the book is a post-apocalyptic, that's not surprising since the 'big event' has already happened. There is no big action and the plot never really takes off but if you are aware you're reading a dystopian story then you shouldn't have unreasonably high expectations and therefore shouldn't be too disappointed. I appreciated that we never found out exactly what happened to the world, but I also didn't feel connected to any character. McCarthy's writing style took some getting used to but once you get into the swing of it, it's bearable but I could not get used to reading books with no punctuation.
This was a book of two halves for me. If I was going to rate each half of the book, I'd rate the first half 2 or 3 ⭐️ and the last half 4 or 5 ⭐️. I really can't tolerate Thick and his presence completely dulls Fitz. There was a chunk of the book that really bored me and Fitz is so boring when Thick is weighing him down. On the flipside, Nettle is fantastic and a new favourite character.
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Characters: Fitz and the Fool. I love both of these characters so so much! Whatever Hobb decides to do with this relationship, I'm here for it! Queen Kettricken is beautiful. I'm still annoyed by Starling's presence and her dumbass opinion that Fitz was wrong to end things with her because she's married. Chade seems to have a whole different air about him in this trilogy. He's developed the Skill and it's all he cares about, making him very bratty. I still struggle with Thick but I really do like Dutiful and he is definitely new favourite character.
Highlight: I can't wait to read for book 3 to see what book 2 has been building up to, particularly with the Outislands and Icefyre!