tori_storydelver's reviews
625 reviews

I thought this book was a great introduction to the steampunk version of these characters. That being said, I do feel the story was a little rushed or forced at times, and it would have been better as a longer running series. Still, I am excited to read the next Legenderry comic and the character spin-offs.

I was excited to get back to a real adventurous Bloody Jacky story after reading the last book, but I felt that it fell a bit short of my expectations. Jacky is once again out on the seas, only this time she is well-known and we finally get to see pirates in this book. I liked all the new characters introduced, and the situations Jacky gets into, I think, have been some of the more interesting scenarios in this series so far. What I was most disappointed in was the fact that I felt like Jacky had done a lot of growing up at the end of her time at school in Boston, only to act really childish at times in this installment. I also haven't liked how Jacky seems to get more girly as the series continues. She also relies more and more on the men around her, which I can understand being in a YA story the main character always needs help from their friends. But on the other side , Jacky is supposed to be a strong female role model, and in my opinion strong females should be more independent. I will definitely continue this series, but for now I am taking a break, hopefully that is all I need to get me excited about this series again.

This book was only slightly better than book #4, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Dorothy goes off alone with the shaggy man, who steals todo by the way, and so all three of them get lost. They instantly think they are on the road to Oz, and run into new characters along the way which all ask to be invited to Ozma's birthday.

By the end of the book the Shaggy Man was my favorite character, despite his creepy start. I also thought Polychrome was an interesting idea, but she didn't have a very big part. I thought some of Baum's imaginatitive characters had come back, and in that respect I enjoyed parts of this book. However, I agree with others that Button Bright was the most annoying character in the series so far. The one time the group did run into problems it was just magically resolved, and it ended as quickly as the last book.

I picked up this book interested in learning more about Kevin Smith and his movies, and hoping to be inspired while starting up my own business. While this book did not quite lend me the inspiration I was hoping for, it was very funny and gave interesting insights into the making of his movies. I must confess that I am not Kevin Smith's biggest fan, before reading his book I had not even seen all of his movies, let alone listened to his podcasts. I loved Clerks, Red State, and Zack and Miri(although, I guess me and my group of friends are the only ones who do!?) Other than that I really didn't know much about Kevin Smith. Not knowing a lot made this book very entertaining! There were no parts that dragged on because I had already heard that part of Kevin Smith's story before. Everything I read was new and exciting! Unless you are easily offended by crude humor I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the movie business or for anyone who is (even somewhat) a fan of Kevin Smith.

On a side note and having little to do with this review:
Not knowing about anything in the book I, ironically enough, read the majority of it on a Southwest flight. By the time I got to the "to fat to fly" chapter, the flight attendant was handing me my drink while I awkwardly tried to hide the cover of my book, and I understood why a couple of flight attendants gave me looks while I was boarding. Luckily they didn't kick me off!

This addition to the Oz series was so full of inconsistencies that I felt distracted while reading it. Firstly, and most distractingly, The Shaggy man and Polychrome do not seem to recognize each other despite having spent a whole book together previously. The same book, I should mention, where both characters were first introduced. Also, the love magnet worked differently, and needed to be shown to someone to have an effect on them. Lastly, the Nome King has changed his name, the reason being that he had forgotten it when he drank from the Fountain of Oblivion in The Emerald City of OZ. Only, I distinctly remember Princess Ozma telling him what his name was after he drank from the fountain.

Despite the things mentioned above, Baum continues to actually have a plot and introduce new and exciting characters. Though I did feel like he was repeating some of the same ideas he had in other books, the rose garden/vegetable garden or the similarities between General Jinger and Queen Ann Soforth. The ending was alright, although parts of it were just as easily resolved as you can expect from an Oz book by now, and he finally answered why Toto doesn't talk, although that hardly makes up for everything that is wrong with this book.

The Casual Vacancy is not for everyone. If you are someone who believes that the majority of humanity is wholesome and good, I do not recommend you read this book. If you are someone who gets uncomfortable hearing about foul language, teenagers doing things they probably shouldn't be, or abuse then I urge you to forget J.K. Rowling ever wrote this story, and to go find something more pleasant to read. If, however, you find yourself as someone who accepts that humans hurt each other (whether knowingly or not), like books that mainly focus on character development, and/or are not deterred by the more horrific facts of life, you'll probably find some enjoyment in this otherwise heart-breaking novel.

Let me start by saying that I finished this book over a month ago. Every time I have started writing a review since then, I had to stop and think about it a little more. That is just one of the reasons this book is great, it really makes you think. This book is all about its characters, and takes a realistic look at the thoughts and concerns of everyday people living in a small town. Some characters, when first introduced, are likeable others, not so much. Throughout the story some characters will be revealed to be worse than their first impressions and some better. Just like in real life everyone has faults. Only someone who has a deep understanding of humans and their emotions would be able to write this book, and J.K. Rowling proves that she is one of these people.

Although we are introduced to several members of the community of Pagford, all of which play important roles, I feel like the book mainly centers around two characters, Berry Fairbrother and Krystal Weedon. Berry Fairbrother, coach of the girl's rowing team, and a member of the town's council, suddenly dies leaving his chair on the council empty. This could mean bad news for The Fields, an area of town where all the drug users, drug sellers, and just generally "bad" people live. Berry is one of few people who believe that given support and help the people in The Fields could change for the better. The rest of Pagford uses the Weedon's and other families that live in the The Fields as an example of what and who are bad despite the fact that they've all done things no one should be proud of. Krystal, largely impart to her coach, Berry Fairbrother, looked like she was on the right path. But when Berry dies Krystal has no one to turn to, and slowly looses any progress or hope that she had previously gained. What I took away from this book (and it is something I am surprised to have not seen in the reviews I have read) is to not be so self-absorbed and/or judgmental that you are blind to how you could be helping someone in need.

The artwork is so great! It is very realistic, or at least jut about as realistic as anthropomorphic animals can be. The artwork is so beautiful in fact it is so beautiful that I had to give this comic an extra star. Based on the story alone, Autumnlands really only deserves a 3 star rating. The plot is a little predictable and unoriginal. That being said, I expect the following issues will pick up a little and focus on world-building a little more, which should be interesting.