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A review by tiggum
Beth by Jennifer Stevenson
3.0
When I saw the title of this book I had only one question: Is it funny-terrible, or just plain terrible? It was free, so I decided to find out. Surprisingly, it's actually kind of good? I can't imagine who this title is intended to appeal to, but I guess it sort of worked on me? Except that I wouldn't have given it a second look if it cost any money at all.
Actually, the entire book has that problem, really. I'm not sure who it's supposed to appeal to. I certainly can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to. I think its main strength lies in the contrast between the title and the content. After setting your expectations incredibly low, the book surprises you by exceeding them. It's kind of a clever trick, although I suspect not a particularly effective one.
I won't be reading any more of the series, but I mostly enjoyed this one while I was reading it. It's got about the depth of a well-written video game (Shadowrun Hong Kong, for example) and it takes the protagonist an annoyingly long time to get a handle on her new life, but it's competently written and after a slow start it moves at a decent pace. It's short, it's moderately entertaining. Yeah, it's an OK book.
Actually, the entire book has that problem, really. I'm not sure who it's supposed to appeal to. I certainly can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to. I think its main strength lies in the contrast between the title and the content. After setting your expectations incredibly low, the book surprises you by exceeding them. It's kind of a clever trick, although I suspect not a particularly effective one.
I won't be reading any more of the series, but I mostly enjoyed this one while I was reading it. It's got about the depth of a well-written video game (Shadowrun Hong Kong, for example) and it takes the protagonist an annoyingly long time to get a handle on her new life, but it's competently written and after a slow start it moves at a decent pace. It's short, it's moderately entertaining. Yeah, it's an OK book.