HELLO HELLO!
Another year is upon us, and as I’ve done every year since 2016, I have another reading goal. I also make an effort to read new material, as its very easy for me to get into a genre zone. Springing forward hasn’t worked out well for me, at least where sleeping is concerned, but at least I’m awake enough to read. Right?! I’m sure some of you understand 🙂
And off we go for our new round of reviews! Happy Reading and I hope you’ll let me know your thoughts in the comments!
*Warning. May contain spoilers*
The Pharaoh’s Treasure: The Origin of Paper and the Rise of Western Civilization – John Gaudet
SKIP IT.
I would love to write something positive about this particular book, but I was completely unimpressed by the author’s take on the subject. The premise of the book is what caught my eye in the first place, and I should have stopped there. Gaudet claims to be providing a historical study of how writing impacted the growth/evolution of Western culture. While the historical context he provides isn’t uninteresting, his writing style is monotonous and barely scratches the depth of research available. It wasn’t so much a “rise” of civilization as a “guide to how papyrus was cultivated.” Again, might be interesting, except upon learning that the author basically wrote the same book twice. He has another non-fiction work studying papyrus and its impact on culture in Papyrus: The Plant That Changed the World.” Insert epic sigh of disappointment here.
There was a major disconnect between what the book was trying to be, and where it was actually successful (a word I use loosely). A major negative for me was that Gaudet is not only PhD-trained Ecologist but also a Fulbright scholar, and none of this is reflected in his choice of material. Throughout his narrative, he utilized Wikipedia as a credible source for quotes, data and images. No! Just no! Red flags everywhere! For a trained scholar and scientist, using Wikipedia as a constantly quoted source shows a lack of research, a lack of foresight and depth into his topic, and a lack of ethics. The author was lazy and couldn’t be bothered to write a “new” book let alone provide the breadth of research that should have been included.
Very disappointing and not an author I will be pursuing in the future.
Witches of East End – Melissa de la Cruz
I did check out the TV show first, and only learned it was a book after the fact. If you are pursuing the novel based on your interest in the show itself, you should that the amount of similarities are minimal, at least in my opinion. While most readers have come to expect a little fiction license when it comes to Hollywood translations of books, I’d say this one was extreme.
For starters, I detested the characters in the novel. Freya was an emotional firecracker with absolutely no common sense. Flitting like a drunken, emotional stunted butterfly from one situation to the next and ignoring direction or advice, even when she seeks it out. Ingrid has the nickname “frigid” for a reason, but the author forgot to add whiny. The list could go on, but I feel like I would be wasting good prose. The characters were riddled with ridiculous tropes mixed with mythology. The author’s narrative was droning and I continually wished for the book to end far sooner than it did. Big reveals lacked a good punch, especially at the end which was thrown into the last twenty or so pages at a break-neck speed.
Reviews seem to be polarized for the most part, especially on sites like Goodreads. However, I really would skip this book if you don’t want to feel like your brain is dying.
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse- Tom E. Sniegoski
Sniegoski deliberately sets up the adventure as a noir-type fiction, even going so far as having the main character take his name from a thriller/detective fiction writer. While I won’t be singing praises from the rooftop, I did enjoy the general feel of the book. It had a good pace and was a decent Sunday-afternoon read. I wouldn’t call it difficult or a go so far as a “page turner,” but it was enjoyable enough for me to consider continuing with the series in general.
There were two relatively minor issues I had with the first of Remy Chandler’s adventures. The first was that A LOT of characters were introduced in a short amount of time. Many of them were flat, one-dimensional introductions. While most of the characters popped up time and again in the novel, it wasn’t super impressive and some of the connections were low on depth. The second issue was the introduction of Remy’s personal history into the narrative. The constant back and forth between explaining Remy’s supernatural history and his mystery-solving dialogue was a little much. I freely admit, I at times skipped a page or two of narrative…
Final verdict: Don’t expect earth shattering greatness, but I am going to give the second book of the series a try before deciding further.
Wisteria Witches – Angela Pepper
In a way, this series was very Gilmore Girls meets Charmed. A mother and daughter team full of sarcasms and witticisms, who both find out after moving to new town that they are in fact supernaturally inclined. I immensely enjoyed the dialogue of the book, especially between the mother/daughter duo. It showed a healthy relationship between a single mom and her teenage daughter, but didn’t sugar-coat the negatives either. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of a mother/daughter duo learning their powers together, and navigating the differences in how they learn. It would have been highly disappointing if both the mother/daughter just naturally jumped into a supernatural existence without any bumps in the road.
The plot is not a deep thinker. Its quick, quirky and fun, and makes for a great afternoon read. No real surprises jump out at you, but the book has enough detail and wit to keep your interest . The only paranormal trope I found unnecessary within the plot was that of the love interest. In addition to moving to a new city, starting a new career, finding out about their powers, naturally the mother MUST have a love interest in the form of her next door neighbor. I found it, uninspiring, to be honest. The only interest in the character’s relationship was in Ms. Pepper’s mind and didn’t truly translate to paper. I’m hopeful this may change in the second book of the series.
I will be pursuing the next book in the series, but I’m not expecting a masterpiece.
Toil & Tomes 