Georgia Shopper

Weakest so far

Revisado: 02-20-25

I'm over halfway through this one and it's been pretty consistent all the way through, so I feel like I can rate it even though I'm not finished yet. First, the narrator. Yikes. I understand getting someone Scottish and female to read a book from Mo's perspective, but I wish they'd gotten someone who could pronounce words correctly. It's not just British vs. American pronunciations, either. "Lichen" is pronounced "liken" and not "litchen" (to rhyme with kitchen). Just one example. She also puts the wrong emphasis on words and changes the meaning of whole sentences, so much so that I wince. Most narrators seem to read the chapters prior to reading them out loud. This narrator should have done that. The other thing about this book is that it reminds me of a "girl power" version of the series, like the all-female version of Ghostbusters or something. It's a very weak installment after killing off some major characters at the end of the last book. Finally, Ramona and Mary seem to have all of the interesting parts of their personalities removed, so they're bland and boring in this one. They were both so adept in past stories it is depressing to have them cast as handicapped characters here. Parts of the book are painful to get through. I'm hoping the next one gets back on track.

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Good for what it is

Revisado: 12-17-24

I enjoyed a book that focused on Wulfgar instead of Drizzt for a change. Drizzt gets annoying with his non-stop angst and his perfect behavior. It was a lot more interesting to hear the story of his flawed and troubled friend instead. It was nice to get a break from the non-stop fighting, too. These are definitely fluff books, guilty pleasures, but fun in small doses.

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Great story from the 1950s

Revisado: 11-10-24

This novel is a trip back to the Havana of the 1950s. I personally loved the story. Yes, it's dated, but you have to think of it as a trip back in time. You can't expect people in the 1950s to act the way they do now. I think of it as the culture of the time and don't judge. I didn't have any trouble with the narrator... not sure if there was a bad copy floating around initially or what. But, it's a cute story and it is very funny if you keep an open mind about it. Tip: don't read books written in other times if you want every book you read to be politically correct and have modern attitudes.

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Insightful AND fun!

Revisado: 10-17-24

As I've been reading Jason Pargin's novels, I've noticed an increasing tendency to include actual interesting facts woven in with all the madness. While I enjoy the madness, I've started looking forward to finding these nuggets of realworld info in each one. This book will definitely give you something to think about. I look at Reddit in a different way now (and really wish my username was skip_tutorial). So yes, this book is a crazy rollercoaster ride. You can expect the usual unexpected plot twists, violence, and laugh-outloud humor. No need for supernatural or extraterrestrial monsters here though. WE are the monsters. The cast is a different set of characters, which might be for the best. Give John and the gang a rest for one cycle. I'm sure we'll return to them soon enough.

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A weirdly beautiful story

Revisado: 05-19-24

I LOVED this book. I wanted to listen every moment I could because I wanted to know what was going to happen next! The only Brandon Sanderson I'd read prior to these Secret Project books were the Wheel of Time books. But these blow that work out of the water. Apparently, no one builds a world like Brandon Sanderson. I don't know how he manages to create such bizarre worlds and characters, so strange that they SHOULD be difficult to relate to, but he weaves in emotions and motivations common to all humans and makes you care about these otherwordly beings so deeply. In this book, Yumi stacks stones to draw spirits in order to make userful items. And Painter traps nightmares in paintings in his world to keep them from becoming dangerous. Her world is full of heat and light, his world is dark and cool. They intersect one day and it ALMOST becomes a body swap story. Yes, it's weird! But just go with it and you won't regret it.

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Worldbuilding with character development and humor

Revisado: 05-15-24

If you're going to write this kind of book, you have to do it well, or it will come out cloying, goofy, irritating, and/or childish. I'm not a diehard Sanderson fan (or at least I wasn't) so I went into this book with only the final Wheel of Time books to go by. But I was so impressed with this book that I find myself reading the third Secret Projects book in a row! Sanderson's imagination is completely delightful. He builds intricate worlds and then just tosses them away--he can always build another, equally as engaging! Tress and the band of quirky characters in this book are so alien to the human experience, and yet relatable on a deeper level. I still have trouble imagining the spore seas, but I could completely relate to Tress's desire to please everyone, to never make a fuss, and enjoyed watching her change. Anyone who enjoys character-driven novels, fantasy settings, and humor will enjoy this book. Genuinely clever, funny fantasy books are hard to come by, and this is one of them!

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Not for me

Revisado: 04-30-24

Lots of VERY DETAILED rape and no likeable characters. I usually enjoy the roller coaster novels that Dan Simmons creates, but not this one. I returned it after listening to 4 hours. I couldn't imagine when I'd want to hear about more people being controlled, tortured, and/or killed for the pleasure of sadists. Honestly, I wonder about Dan Simmons as a human being now. The world's bad enough without making up stories like this.

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Just OK

Revisado: 04-15-24

This book seemed overly long. Several chapters just seemed completely unnecessary. Memnoch yammers on and on and on at Lestat for hours. I did other things while I listened to the endless descriptions of singing and heaven and angels. Parts were very dry and boring, like reading a textbook about madeup things. When I finally finished wading through the endless sea of words, I did enjoy the ending. It could've been SO much shorter, however. I greatly enjoyed the first three novels, and I'm starting to wonder if Rice said all she had to say about vampires in those books. This could've been a novella.

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Amazingly well-crafted tale

Revisado: 04-15-24

I can only imagine the author charting out timelines with string and thumbtacks on a wall to keep the plot straight as he wrote this story. Who knew what, and when? As always, K. J. Parker has delivered an excellent story. I find his tales can be a little dry when starting out, but they sneak up on you. Before I know it, I'm finding an excuse to listen (or read, as many of his books aren't on Audible--more's the pity!) whenever I can. I was captivated by the intricacy. Such a bizarre plot device! I don't think I've ever read anything like it before.

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I thought the narrator was fine

Revisado: 04-15-24

As I am not five years old any longer, I do not require someone to do funny voices while reading a story. I didn't think it was that difficult to keep the characters straight! But if that's a dealbreaker for you, then no, the narrator does not do funny voices.

The story is excellent. It is very clever and witty. But you do sort of have to pay attention.

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