MrsC

Twisty but unconvincing plot

Revisado: 02-06-21

Q&A has some wild plot twists. The voice acting is very good, and the performance held my attention. The conversations are well written and not stilted or unnatural. But it has loose ends and inconsistencies that nag at me.

This recording has some characters who are clever and professional, but they end up doing things that are neither, unless "creating a cute plot twist" is a legitimate motivation. It left me wondering why. This is my first Ben Winters book, and I will try another. I think in a longer story he may flesh out the details and satisfy my curiosity.

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Great Worldcraft

Revisado: 01-25-21

This is a YA fantasy set in parallel worlds where magic works. I liked this book, and I will be reading the next in the series someday. The worldcraft knocked my socks off. Schwab has developed the mechanics of the magic- and its limitations and its social implications and its true nature. It has sensuous details: Balanced magic smells like cut flowers, power magic fades out colors, and each parallel world has its own distinct miasma.

The characters worked well and held my interest, but they won't follow me into my dreams. There are two sufficiently complex characters working out a relationship while solving a rather interesting problem, and a genuinely complex villain.

Pacing almost ruined this book. If this book were not a gift from a friend, I would not have finished it. When I hit the wall, I made a list of characters so that I could keep track of those I did not care enough about to remember. Later on, though, I realized I was following along just because I was hooked.

By the end of the book, I wanted to stay in this world and keep following these characters.

The audio performance made the book better. An important character, Kell, was voiced in a way that was at odds with his description, but otherwise it was flawless.

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Not my cup of terror

Revisado: 01-25-21

This compelling, fast paced thriller was not my cup of tea. A woman and her two children are at the center of this book, and the looming threats include an evil serial killer. The tension that increased as I read this book was unrelieved until the end.

I was scared early and scared often. I could believe that the main characters were real people in danger. I could buy into the relationships that formed and morphed and dissolved. Rachel Caine avoided the things that turn me off. I hate it when characters get attached without a sane explanation of why that would happen, but there's none of that. I hate it when macho rescues are the answers to conflicts, but there's none of that.

This is not a favorite book because, for me to love a thriller, there has to be enough light to balance the darkness. The light can be from characters that shine, and these sometimes do, but not brightly. Sometimes the light is found in resolutions that are deliciously satisfying: Caine's resolutions are mostly satisfying, but not… shiny. Although the world she spun is engrossing, Stillhouse Lake is not a place I want to return to. It is too dark for me. Perhaps I just want more sugar in my tea.

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Not Reasonably Distracting

Revisado: 01-13-21

This story seemed to be a teaser, intended to draw a reader into the story and leave them hanging and wanting more. I was not drawn in. The main character was not complex enough to seem authentic. The troubles confronted were not strange enough to distract me from my own.

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Attitude Adjustment

Revisado: 09-19-20

A calm and gentle voice coaches you to focus on people you love. As you feel kinder, the focus shifts to loving thoughts of the wider world.

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Ends abruptly

Revisado: 10-03-16

Huh? I just read half a book. I really feel it must be a recording error. NOTHING has been resolved.

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Forced to Think

Revisado: 01-22-13

What did you love best about Heft?

The two perspectives and the way they interact.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heft?

When a shut-in allows another person in his house for the first time in years.

Which scene was your favorite?

Kell's girlfriend gets angry at him, for a reason that makes sense to her and which is barely on his radar.

If you could take any character from Heft out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take the whole damn cast, even Trevor, because I feel connected to them. I know their flaws and I like them anyway.

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