May

Fun concept, dissappointing execution

Revisado: 10-23-21

I loved the concept of old has-beens getting the band back together for one last adventure. However, the author couldn't even seem to commit to to the theme of has-beens, having at least one member having the attention or adoration of the younger characters of the books. They should be old, forgotten and irrelevant, but the book clings onto some wishful thinking of legendary timelessness. If we're sticking to singer/rock and roll metaphors, how many teens actually even know individual members of bands their parents listened to? Teens who recognize old farts are the exception, most are into their own stuff and that's fine! But no, not in this book. Only the old guard remember how real music, I mean, adventuring, was done. For a while I wondered if this was satire, but his theme seems unchallenged throughout the book. The old characters don't sound old and the younger characters sound like the imagination an old person would have of a youth. I don't even think the author was that old when writing this so it's a shame about the disconnect.

Also, I'm not usually one to be too bothered by some misogyny in fantasy but the female characters here are all either, drug addicts, baby plot devices, nagging mothers, cheating harlots or damsels in distress. I love a good evil woman character (see GoT) but when everyone (including the main party) are flat, the tropes wear on you fast. The exceptions are written like Joss Whedon 'cool girls' and still seem to exist to begrudgingly admit how cool someone in the band is. Almost every woman is a hurdle or a plot device who exist to elevate or bring man pain to the cast.

There are moments of humor and sincerity that I loved that are quickly overshadowed by these old men who don't want to stop acting like they're college boys. For the characters in this book, getting old just meant that getting weaker and becoming dads but show little wisdom you'd hope their age would bring. I stopped reading the book when one of the main characters had his fantasy equivalent of punching the dry wall. It's a shame, but I just didn't get attached enough to the cast to slog through everything else that was going on. The narration was kind of awkward in places too.

Maybe this story works for others, but for me it's a DNF. I liked the wizard and some of the world building though.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Pride & Prejudice Retelling but with Dragons

Revisado: 05-16-19

The story structure is directly derived from Pride and Prejudice so don't expect anything too new. Still, the world building was surprisingly convincing and the characters were charming in a way I found kinder than in the original tale. Billie Fulford-Brown does a good job making characters sound distinct from another while making the narration engaging. A fun light read.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Chaotic fun

Revisado: 12-13-18

This series is full of unrestrained comic-book like fun. As a protagonist, I liked Jace a lot more than Kara from the first book. Laurenston understands that introverts does not make anyone less feisty and creates a character you can't wait to learn more about. The sisterhood in the Crows are always a delight to read about and I'm glad they keep a strong presence.

As much as I enjoy the books I still find the covers a tad bit misleading. The romance elements are secondary to the ladies doing kickass adventures. Read the book for crazy ladies going on crazy adventures and expect the boys to pop up for dessert. I know covers are usually out of the author's control but I wish the publishers could do these fun books a little more justice.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Hammy fun with a dash of romance

Revisado: 12-09-18

It's hammy, ridiculous, and completely unashamed of what it is. I originally got this book in the romance bundle expecting your typical romance, but got a crazy superhero comic book drama-laden TV show of a book instead. The book reads more like the X-Men but with modern mythology clans instead. Once in a while you'll be reminded that there's romance though I don't mind that it isn't the driving force of the story. This book is not deep literature nor does it have particularly complex character arcs, but reads like a serialized show; maddening, silly but entertaining at the end of the day.

I can definitely see that this book would be a hit or miss with readers depending on their preferences. Luckily, I enjoyed the book despite some elements that made my eyes roll. How mad could I get? The premise is bonkers, and lets you know what you signed up for right away. I wasn't particularly fond of some ways the former marine character's background was handled but the side characters were interesting and I think I may enjoy the next book's protagonist better.

Recommended for people who like campy fun. Not sure if I'd recommend this to people looking to read a romance.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A fun ride

Revisado: 12-04-18

This book reads like an 80s B-rate action space opera with extra spice... and I mean that in the best way possible. The pacing is brisk but it never feels rushed and the characters, setting and story are given enough time to establish themselves to the reader. Mara's sexual agency that she's never ashamed for is a breath of fresh air I welcome wholeheartedly. Despite being a fan of both romance and sci-fi, I've found a lot of books in the sci-fi/space opera romance department quite lacking in quality. This book definitely scratched that itch for me. I'll be checking out more of Zoe Archer's books in the future.

Bonnie Dee Jones' narration did great in keeping the book fun, exciting and sexy as well. There was no time where I was taken out of the story due to strained voices which is a problem I have with some romance books.

Don't expect deep literature but expect a fun ride with this one. Recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Sweet but simple story with cool world building

Revisado: 11-24-18

Tried out this book from the romance package and was surprised that the sauciness wasn't the biggest draw of this book. The story feels like a classic medieval romance set in a world that has mostly forgotten it's past as a frontier space colony. While the romance was cute, the world building was what fascinated me the most. It's a shame that this is the only book that Grant has wrote in this setting, for I'd have loved to explore the lore a little more.

As for the characters of the book, I did like that they were honest with each other compared to other romances that seem hell bent on characters never telling each other the truth. Their archetypes are nothing new but I don't feel like that's a detriment to the book. I believe that people will either hate or love this frankness but to each their own. The plot is simple but no worse than many other romance books I've read. It seems a little rushed towards the end but not to the point I felt frustrated.

Jasicki does a good job narrating the book giving each character a voice without becoming too grating. I found that sometimes romance narrators try a little too hard to give themselves a low/high voice depending on their range but that wasn't too much of a problem in this book. I might be biased because I have listened to a lot of bad romance audio books... So maybe this was just good comparatively... but I think she did well.

All in all I enjoyed this book. I've seen raving reviews of Grant's other books so I am looking forward to trying them out as well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña