This was a lot of fun. I'm not sure where the story is going yet and the book ended without any sort of resolution. My guess is that this was split in half and the next book should have been bundled together with this one.
Sadly I'm going to have to wait to get to book two. I've been listening to this on Audible and for some reason the publisher decided to change readers in book 2. The reviews are understandably negative as a result. Publishers, if you're reading this, don't do that. Seriously.
Reviews and Comments
I love to read and sometimes write. I'm active on fedi mostly as @tomasino@tilde.zone. I've been using Goodreads for the past bajillion years and will try to transition here. I run cosmic.voyage and a bunch of fun projects like @SolarpunkPrompts@podcast.tomasino.org
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Tomasino reviewed Aftershocks (The Palladium Wars) by Marko Kloos
Review of 'Aftershocks (The Palladium Wars)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Tomasino reviewed Witch Is Why The Music Stopped by Adele Abbott
Review of 'Witch Is Why The Music Stopped' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Just more candy to cleanse the palette
Tomasino reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This is a "feel good" book? I did not feel good reading it. I felt rather grossed out and disliked the protagonist more and more as we progressed. There's some deep ethical conversations that I'd like to have in response to the story, possibly in a midnight diner with a comfortable tuna melt and lots of coffee. The writing itself is quite good.
Tomasino reviewed Lord Edgware dies by Agatha Christie
Tomasino reviewed The Sandman: Act II by Neil Gaiman (The Sandman Audible Original #2)
Review of 'The Sandman: Act II' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The graphic novel is the way to go. This was too abridged, the music too invasive, and the voice acting can't carry the weight of the missing visuals.
Tomasino reviewed The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth
Tomasino reviewed One More Last TIme by Eric Ugland
Review of 'One More Last TIme' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Another litrpg another difficult review. Eric Ugland's story takes a different tack than most, inserting a colorful character with a shady past into a game world rather than the geek du jour. I had high hopes that the lead's desire for a peaceful life to re-start would take us in interesting directions. Sadly with a few minor exceptions the output was pretty boilerplate. "I don't want to be a hero," became code for a false modesty as our protagonist quickly gained unbalanced abilities and worked miracles. The result is an average undertaking.
If you adore litrpg you will probably like this. If you are like me and roll your eyes everytime someone busts out their character sheet, skip it.
Tomasino reviewed Of Sea and Shadow by Will Wight
Review of 'Of Sea and Shadow' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
This book started out interesting with a motley assortment of characters and a fun magic system but things took a turn for the... how do I put it?... generic HR Gieger. Or perhaps the cheesy death cult from the second Riddick movie? Whatever the case, the setting and character changes lost my interest. I abandoned the book around 80%. DNF.
Tomasino reviewed Virtual light by William Gibson
Review of 'The Shadow Ryana (The Shadow Sisters Book 1)' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
This book started out well enough. It was a bit generic but the familiar bits were all heading in a nice direction. Then it just sort of falls apart. I lost interest about halfway and pressed on for another quarter. DNF
Tomasino reviewed A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Review of 'A Deadly Education' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
What a treat! This isn't magic school trope. It feels more like The Call then Rowling. Great round characters and intricate multifaceted relationships. Incredible world building. I'm so ready for the next book.
Tomasino reviewed Witch Is Why Two Became One by Adele Abbott
Review of 'Witch Is Why Two Became One' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I love how the titles of these books has nothing to do with the story.