OYENTE

Tess Thomas

  • 4
  • opiniones
  • 0
  • votos útiles
  • 7
  • calificaciones
The Lightning Thief Audiolibro Por Rick Riordan arte de portada

Greek Mythology with a Modern Twist

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-20-25

I don’t know why it took me so long to actually take the time to read any of these books. I have always been a fan of Greek mythology, and I did watch both Percy Jackson movies when they came out, but now, as an adult, is the first time I have stopped to read them. Now, before I start the review, I will say, I am so incredibly disappointed with the movie now that I have read the book. I had no idea how much they had changed and how much they left out. Percy Jackson never went to the Parthenon in Nashville, Tn... He never fought a hydra. And they didn’t include Ares even though he had a huge role to play in the Lightning Thief. It is sad when Hollywood does things like that...

Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy who has just found out that he is the son of a god. Not just any god of course, he is the son of Poseidon, one of the big three and as such, his uncles are pissed that he exists and there is also an important prophecy about him. It follows the chosen one troupe pretty much to a ‘t’, but honestly, I don’t mind that. I have always enjoyed the troupe, so I don’t mind kids' books, and young adult novels, that follow that same formula, though I know other people do have an issue with it.

Having the story take place in the modern day, real world also gave it a special feel. It makes it easy for young reader to immerse themselves in the story and I am positive that just like with the kids who read Harry Potter and picked their houses, the kids who grew up with Percy Jackson did the same thing with their cabins. I love seeing kids get that involved in the media they consume. (Also, I would be an Apollo kid, just sayin’.) The characterizations were decent, with Ares probably being my favorite, and I really only had one complaint. In my opinion, from what I know of him, Dionysus felt out of character. Maybe it was because Zeus isn’t allowing him to drink, maybe it is because he was separated from the nymph he likes, I am not sure. He just doesn’t feel like the god that is the patron of festivals, theatre, and the LGBT community. He feels like a cranky old man who wants kids to leave him alone.

I genuinely did enjoy the book. It was well written, and I am happy to see so many myths were mentioned in passing: Medusa and the gorgons, the lotus eaters from the Odyssey, Sisyphus and the bolder, and even the mentions of Orpheus (just to name a few). However, it felt a bit unnatural in the way some of them were brought up, and issues being fully resolved in one chapter also felt a bit off. I am not sure how to fix either of those issues though, so I don’t really know how to make this more productive.

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The Unbroken Audiolibro Por C. L. Clark arte de portada

Historic Fiction, but Make it Fantasy

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-12-25

I was a bit nervous about this book, I don’t read a lot of “adult” fiction as I still enjoy young adult and new adult literature despite my age. However, my concerns quickly proved to be unwarranted. This book was amazing! Like, the kind of amazing that makes it impossible to fully describe without spoiling everything. I love all the representation they managed to put in the book without anything feeling forced; multiple LGBT characters, disable characters, and strong POC females! It was refreshing.

My favorite characters were Touraine and her mother, Jaghotai. Both are such strong, bad-ass women who have been through hell. Touraine was kidnapped as a small child by the Balladairan Empire and raised to be a mindless, obedient soldier. Jaghotai mourned the loss of her child with no body to bury, only to have that child come back nearly 20 years later and hang her brother for being a rebel. Touraine’s life was not easy in Balladaire; she was punished harshly as she was growing up, often for other people's infractions, and rewarded for good behavior, as though the military was training dogs – not children. Her goal for her future was to become a captain, the captain of the Sands. She believed that by doing so, she could protect them and better their lives. And perhaps it would have worked out for her, had it not been for her run in with the rebels. Everything changes rapidly and what follows is possibly one of the best examples of human resilience and personal discovery I have ever read.

If you are looking to read this novel because it is labeled as a “sapphic romance”, do not go into it expecting that. There is pining and the characters do seem to love each other (or at least the idea of each other), but romance is far from a focal point. The romance doesn’t even go anywhere in the long run. It’s much more action focused, taking the rebellion to the next level. The fighting scenes were well written, even if the descriptions for scents tended to be... disgusting.

The book seems to be influenced by the French occupation and colonization of North Africa there is no lack of realistic tension. The influence also helps as a segway into why everyone in the audio book is French; a fact that thoroughly confused my brain, but the narrator was fantastic. I am also rather pleased with how the book ended. No revolution is ever going to be bloodless, and I hate that we lost some truly wonderful characters, but it made it more impactful that way. I look forward to picking up the second book and continuing the series.

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wandering Star Audiolibro Por Romina Russell arte de portada

It's Better Than Zodiac

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
2 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-12-25

I hate to admit it, but I owe Romina Russell a round of applause for Wandering Star. I heavily knocked the writing style of Zodiac and while it may have been a bit harsh, I believe I was justified in my treatment of the novel. Now I wonder if perhaps it was first novel jitters. Wandering Star written more the way I expected it to, and it was a huge relief. However, it felt like Rho herself took ten steps in the opposite direction. Before I get into the review I would like to touch on a few things specifically about the audiobook. Unlike the audiobooks for both Zodiac, and Thirteen Rising, I paid for Wandering Star, full price. I had honestly hoped that after Zodiac, the narrator would have looked at reviews other people have posted and corrected her pronunciation, but she did not. Ophiuchus (Awe-few-cuss) is a real constellation, meaning you can learn easily how to say the name of one of your villains easily and this may just be me but in the situation that the name is not made up, you really should learn it. This time it was even worse though, when she randomly mispronounced Mathias’ name, and everyone failed to notice until it was too late. It’s towards the end, so listen for that one.

Now, onto the good stuff; I want to start with praise because, despite the way I tore apart Zodiac in its review, the series isn’t all bad and I loved the direction that Wandering Star took. Finally, people are starting to believe Rho’s stories of Ophiuchus and it’s just in time for us to learn that he isn’t even close to the most dangerous thing in the universe. Now that everyone realizes there was a Thirteenth house, Rho must find a way to get them to redirect their attention and anger to the bigger issue... The Master and the Marad. Thanks to Ophiuchus becoming a turncoat, she might just be able to do just that if the guardians will let her out to do something about it. In return for his help, Ophiuchus wants two promises from Rho; kill him and protect the Risers. Wanting to make life easier for the Risers is an admirable goal, sadly for Wandering Star, Rho has A LOT of growing to do.

I know Rho is only 17, its painfully clear, but in Wandering Star, instead of just being a whiney teenager, the borders on plain cruel. Referring to the old guardian of Taurus the way she did was unnecessary, especially seeing as the behaved the same way and ran when the Plenum treated her the way they did. She also played Hysan this whole ass book: keeping him on speed dial, refusing to date him because of the taboo (when she herself is no longer a guardian) and because of a dead man, nearly sleeping with him and her first thought being of Mathias, and trusting a stranger over him... She is keeping him stuck on her but has no intentions of doing anything about it. In Zodiac, I so desperately wanted them to be together because he treats her like a goddess... but now I want him to run away and never look back. Even if he is my favorite character, I would rather lose him forever than watch her mistreat him this way.

I do have every intention of seeing this series through to the end, but Rho very well might go down as my least favorite main character to ever exist in a book. Black Moon, I am coming for you very soon.

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Zodiac: Zodiac, Book 1 Audiolibro Por Romina Russell arte de portada

Mediocre But Giving Another Chance (Spoilers Ahead

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-27-25

This book was mediocre at best. The writing style feels like it was transferred straight from a teenage girl’s diary, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I know that Young Adult fiction normally has an appeal to a younger audience than it does to a 31-year-old, but unlike most young adult books I have read, this had a very juvenile feel to it, and the mispronunciation of Ophiuchus’ name in the audio book really bothered me. The plot, however, is amazing.

I really enjoy the idea of each house of the zodiac being its own planet with different things they bring to the universe that benefits mankind, and they are easily differentiated but not only personality and primary clothing colors (like the stereotypical way in real life), but also by their physical attributes: like Cancerians all having curly hair and eyes that match the ocean, or Librans all being blonde. The Sagittarian people are my favorites, I think that is because like the people of Sagittarius, I enjoy travel and hate to be cooped up for too long; my favorite character however is Hysan Dax. He is so supportive of Rho, immediately choosing to believe her stories of Ophiuchus and never once judging her for her age, it helps of course that he is attractive and has a generally amazing personality. From the first moment he was introduced to the final page, I was rooting for him in every aspect.

Rho, on the other hand, I had some issues with. I had to remind myself repeatedly that she is sixteen at the start of the book and seventeen by the end, but that just doesn’t negate some of her actions. I understand her frustration that no one believes her about Ophiuchus, and I sympathize with her feeling they don’t take her seriously because she is a ‘kid’, but the way she treats people who don’t believe her is disgusting. Most adults wouldn’t believe the boogeyman was responsible for the mass destruction of multiple planets and four moons, especially when faced with the very real threat of an army that has been witnessed near multiple houses. It’s a very realistic response, but Rho tends to become borderline hostile anytime she is questioned, even by Mathias who swore on his mother’s life to always be loyal to her. In that same vein, I hate her treatment of Mathias and Hysan in terms of their love triangle. My favorite quote comes toward the beginning of the weird interactions. Rho is perfectly aware that by their rules she can’t have Hysan (pointing this out herself more than once) and while I certainly don’t fault her for still wanting him, the heart wants what the heart wants, if you choose to sleep with someone who is clearly in love with you, I don’t believe it is fair to keep them, and your relationship, a secret. I think it's even worse to not correct people who refer to your other crush as your boyfriend in front of the man you slept with. Never once in zodiac does Rho pick one boy over the other; she kisses them both, and honestly it feels like she played them both. That isn’t a sixteen-year-old problem. It’s just messy and cruel.

I have to say I was impressed that a book I struggled through had an ending that actually made me cry. Rho’s raw heartbreak was masterfully written, this was a teenage girl losing everything that she had worked for and fought to protect; I struggled to remain composed, fighting the throat burning sensation and the flaring nostrils that usually reveal you are about to cry. I really felt for Rho, no number of bad decisions would earn her the pain that she went through and honestly it talked me into giving Wandering Star a chance. I need to see if things get better for her.

Denunciar

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup