2018 Reviews Week 7

💖 2018 Reviews Week 7 💖

February 12th- 18th

Book 21: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by 

Becky Albertalli 
Read February 13th
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This is the third time that I have read this novel and I cannot get enough of it. Becky does an amazing job creating an authentic voice and character for Simon. Simon is funny, sweet, and loveable. It's a joy getting to experience his story and getting to experience his love story with Blue. I really love how the narrative goes back and forth between the emails between Simon and Blue and then to the prose. This was a great way to enjoy the story. It's a sweet one that everyone should read. I can't wait for the movie.

This is one of my all-time favorites and also my favorite young-adult contemporary.

Book 22: Once upon a Time Machine

Edited by Andrew Carl and Chris Stevens
Read February 15th
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New retellings and twistings of the classic Greek myths such as the twelve trials of Hercules, the kidnapping of Persephone, the Minotaur, and so many more. Each is set in the future, some the distant future and some more contemporary.

This was everything for my Greek Mythology loving heart. I loved how much these short comics felt like the original myths but also the changes to them. This was a great fresh take on each of the tales used and is one of a kind. Also, the different styles made each tale stand out on their own. I recommend this to anyone who loves great comics and/or Greek Mythology.

My favorites were "Icarus", "Away Mission (Actaeon)", "Pygmalion", and "Zeus at Large"

This will be released in April.

*I received this graphic novel for free for an honest review*

Book 23: Glass Town by Steven Savile 
Read by Steve West
Listened to February 15th-17th
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~ Introduction ~
I don't really ever read thrillers because they are not my thing. I do like mysteries but there's just something I really can't get into with thrillers. This book is classified as a thriller. The synopsis of this book was what interested me in it, to begin with. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I thought that the magic system would be interesting. Sadly, once I got into this book I realized that it was not what I wanted.

I will say that the beginning was interesting. The letter from Josh's great-grandfather to his grandfather was a really great way to start. I wanted to know more about his "love" for Eleanor. As the novel went on we never got any more of his perspective. It would have been great to get more of it. This book has a great idea behind it. I just do not believe that it was executed in a good way at all. I'll discuss those reasons below.

~ Pacing ~

This is meant to be a thriller but was slow in the scenes that should have been thrilling. There are only a couple of scenes that even felt "thrilling." The actions scenes needed to be quickened a bit.

~ Characters ~
Most of the characters were two dimensional and were not that interesting. The only character that was developed was Josh, but he even wasn't developed enough. He was just as bland a character as all of the others. His motivations are unclear and quite frankly didn't seem real. It only seemed like he was even trying to figure out the mystery because of the plot. He was even asked by multiple characters about why he was even doing everything and he never really had an answer.

The villain in this story was evil just to be evil. We never got any of his motivations to act in the way he did. For instance, why is he obsessed with Eleanor? I don't know probably because she's pretty. Not that he even says it himself.

Don't even get me started on Eleanor. She's basically an object for the men of the Lockwood family to obsess about like a brand new shiny toy.

~ Scenes ~

There are some pretty messed up scenes in this book that make it a very adult read. Two of them are sexual scenes that are gory and quite horrifying to listen to. This is one of the only ways horror is actually brought into the novel and it's pretty awful to listen to. I was not expecting for these graphic scenes when I went into this book and it was not a style that I enjoyed in the slightest. I know I would have never listened to this book if I went in knowing about these scenes. They were just disgusting. Also, the language is vulgar. This is definitely not for children.

~ Magic System ~

This was one of the aspects of the book that I had been looking forward to. I really wanted to know what was going on with the Glass Town. The idea of having it work with the old silent movies was a fantastic idea but it was not really explained too well. Also, the use of the missing Alfred Hitchcock movie Thirteen was really cool. We just ever got enough of it at all.

It really is interesting to set part of the novel in 1920s England and the others in 1990s. I wanted to see more of the 1920s because it would have helped flesh out the plot a lot more. This has one of the most interesting premises that I have heard in quite some time for a thriller but it just didn't work.

~ Narration ~

The best part of this audiobook was the narration. Steve West's narration creates a chilling atmosphere that matches the Glass Town and its inhabitants perfectly. He helps create the eerie setting of this novel. I'm glad that I listened to it instead of just reading it because it's the only reason I didn't outright hate it. I'm only giving it two stars because of the narration.

I don't recommend this book.

*I received this book for free for an honest review*