evdark's reviews
111 reviews

The concept is better than the execution when it comes to this book. I can still remember it months later and some of the scenes really stuck with me. When he wakes up in the diner and the town feels a little off, that was really well down. But the reveals at the end ruined this book. The main character found nothing out and the information was just hitting us over the head. This book felt like someone sat down next to you at a bar with a really great story idea and just told it to you all in one night and then asked your opinion. Yeah, that's a great idea. Go write the story. Then he says "that's it. That's the story." Really wish it was fleshed out differently with a lasting impact and better world building it is all so vague and disjointed. A lot of good ideas dressed up in a package tossed in the dang mud. What a shame. I still liked it though.

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I skimmed through the heroes' chapters because he was so cringy. There is nothing attractive about this guy and his husky eyes and his saving little kids from prostitution, slavery, and death. He felt so one note and his obsession with the heroine was just because she was pretty and he wanted no one else to touch her. Really? It ain't that deep. Stalkers don't choose their victim because its some author who is pretty get out of here. There has to be more to it. And once he started getting to know her and how much of an idiot she was, if he were a real person he would've dropped her ass so fast she'd have shattered on the concrete with her one dimensional ass hanging in the air.

Gun play. Rape. The sex scenes were not worth it at all and didn't do a thing for me. The plot in this book is stupid and the writing was all over the place. It had a clear, coherent structure but the characters made no sense. All her friend wants her to do is get laid, that's her entire personality. Like, what? Why even be friends with this girl who has shitty taste in men telling you what to do with your life? Dumb.

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

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adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

This was the book that put me into a reading slump with Dresden the first time. I liked it alright but when I re-read it all I remembered was him trapping Toot Toot the fairy with a pizza and him playing dungeon and dragons and with the Alpha werewolves at the end. I liked Elaine in this one and thought her dynamic with Harry was fascinating, but in order to write this review, I had to watch a review to jog my memory. I'm writing this a few months later and the whole story, except that he didn't want to become the Winter Night and there was a battle between Summer and Winter courts, escaped my mind. I remember there was an epic battle but it was hard to picture things in this book there was a lot going on. Some of it was beautifully written and I enjoyed it enough to start on Death Masks. What I really loved about this book is it is the first one that flew by. I liked Grave Peril a lot but it dragged and made no sense at times. This one felt like Jim Butcher really hit his stride in the plot department but then he bogged it down with a lot of world building where he did not hold your hand and it was hard to remember which character was in which court or what their "ranks" were (Lady, Mother, and Queen). What does it even mean to be the Summer Knight or Winter Knight? It sounds cool but after reading this, I could not tell you.

The major reason I'm rating this 4.0 is the Susan subplot I am so tired of this bitch.

Death Masks by Jim Butcher

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adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

Shiro dying is a crime and I hate this book because I loved him so much. "Hold my glasses" and then he kicked butt. This book went in one ear and out the other and I forgot it as soon as I was done reading it. I liked Michael and Molly and Shiro, but nothing about this book stuck. I might have to re-read this. I actually forgot that he is tracking down the thieves that stole the Shroud of Turin to give to Marcone which is a main plot thread.

The duel reminded me of John Wick's duel but not as good. Even had Asian dude as a second lol. Shiro was nearly exactly like Caine but with less character development and not as cool but that's what i pictured in my head.

Until listening to a review of this book, Nicodemus completely slipped my mind. He wears a noose as a necktie that Judas hung him with. It's interesting to hear this after the fact because I literally don't remember this character at all. I will have to re-listen to this.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Zero Cool by John Lange

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

One step forward, two steps back. This book was awful. Not as bad as his first book, but super boring and contrived and the way he writes women is the worst. I love Michael Crichton, but this book had me questioning if he was even a good human let alone a good writer. The hero gets dragged and tortured through generic action set piece after generic action set piece. There is no action in this book and the plot makes zero sense. When he goes into history, that is when the book gets interesting. I love the way he does research and conveys that beautifully, even if the rest of the book is garbage. He has such a unique mind and you can tell he is a genius but he is wasting it on a book like this. It makes me really appreciate his later works to see how far he came.

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evdark's reviews 111 reviews

evdark's reviews
111 reviews