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Second Quarter reding Wrap-up!
Jul. 1st, 2023 10:38 amI'm still making good progress on my Book Bingo card. It felt like I read a lot less than the first quarter, but in reality I only read one book less, I finished six books in the second quarter:
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - this reads like an action movie, I could easily see it being made into a big budget film. It's a fun read with a bit of science thrown in to explain how a world of Kaijus could actually exist. The only drawback of it is that a lot of the characters and their relationships lacked depth, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you want a light read.
Void's Enigmatic Mansion, Volume 1 HeeEun Kim and JiEun Ha - this manga was supposed to be horror, but instead it came across as really sad to me, a bunch of people living in a mansion that grants their wishes in twisted ways, but most of them were just lonely and sad. I won't be continuing with the series.
The Retreat by Sherri Smith - this was an okay mystery, but it had pacing problems, with a big lull in the middle, It also had a quite a few red herrings and plot points that turned out not to matter. Overall it was alright, but felt like it needed to be trimmed down and tightened up.
The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye - The first half of this book was really good, with a slow build and just the hints of creepy stuff going on, very atmospheric . However the second half was disappointing, and it had one of those open endings which doesn't really explain anything, and it is so frustrating. One character in this book really started to drive me crazy by the end, in the beginning he was likable, but by the end he was useless! Like hey buddy, your pregnant girlfriend is possibly having issues, do you think you could do more to help her? Maybe take her into the nearest town to see some doctors? No, you're just going to sit there and do nothing but paint? Great. I wanted to slap him by the end. Like I know the whole point is that they are being manipulated, but at some point he should have showed some initiative, even if it is to make the wrong decision, but he does nothing! (Sorry for the rant)
Crisis on Centaurus by Brad Ferguson - this was a well done Trek novel. I'd say the first half was better than the second. The first half has a lot of high stakes, there is a terrorist attack on a planet that destroys an entire city, the same planet where McCoy's daughter is living on while going to nursing school. Plus, the Enterprise is in terrible condition, but they are the only ones that can help. The second half was a little more flat, but you do get to see Uhura be acting Captain of the Enterprise, and there is a couple small, but nice moments with Spock concerning McCoy, although overall Kirk is the main focus. One funny thing is, because this was written pre-TNG, some stuff feels a little out of place in the world of Trek, like at one point American Express is mentioned, and I was oh please god no, we don't need predatory credit cards in the future!
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland - okay I'm going to say if you like loyalty kink at all, you may like this story. It is fantasy romance between a Prince and his bodyguard/knight essentially. I will say the beginning was a little rough, the author just throws you into this world and it takes bit to get used to, plus the bodyguard is not all that likable in the beginning, he is very judgmental, but he does get better over the course of the novel, and their relationship is a bit of a slow build. Also, this has a trope that I usually hate, where one half of the pairing has a lover at the beginning, but somehow this author made it work, mostly because their relationship was already coming to an end and there was also still a lot of respect and friendship between the two, plus the lover is very funny throughout. Anyways, I read a few goodreads reviews and a lot of people where like I gave up 50 pages in, so I can understand why, but I really liked it by the end, it had lots of tropey goodness.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù - My first ever danmei! This is another author that just throws you into the world and there is a lot of people. places and things to try and absorb and it is a bit overwhelming. Plus, I don't know if it is just the translation or not, but it took me awhile to get used to the writing style. There was a also a lot more horror elements than I was expecting, evil spirits, zombies, body parts, etc. I enjoyed the characters, Wei Wuxian is a chaotic character to follow. I will say now that I have read the first book I completely see why Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are shipped, Wei Wuxian is the sunshine chaos butterfly and Lan Wangji is stoic and reserved, a classic shippy dynamic. Once I got into the story I found myself enjoying it, and I think I will most definitely pick up the second one at some point.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - this reads like an action movie, I could easily see it being made into a big budget film. It's a fun read with a bit of science thrown in to explain how a world of Kaijus could actually exist. The only drawback of it is that a lot of the characters and their relationships lacked depth, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you want a light read.
Void's Enigmatic Mansion, Volume 1 HeeEun Kim and JiEun Ha - this manga was supposed to be horror, but instead it came across as really sad to me, a bunch of people living in a mansion that grants their wishes in twisted ways, but most of them were just lonely and sad. I won't be continuing with the series.
The Retreat by Sherri Smith - this was an okay mystery, but it had pacing problems, with a big lull in the middle, It also had a quite a few red herrings and plot points that turned out not to matter. Overall it was alright, but felt like it needed to be trimmed down and tightened up.
The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye - The first half of this book was really good, with a slow build and just the hints of creepy stuff going on, very atmospheric . However the second half was disappointing, and it had one of those open endings which doesn't really explain anything, and it is so frustrating. One character in this book really started to drive me crazy by the end, in the beginning he was likable, but by the end he was useless! Like hey buddy, your pregnant girlfriend is possibly having issues, do you think you could do more to help her? Maybe take her into the nearest town to see some doctors? No, you're just going to sit there and do nothing but paint? Great. I wanted to slap him by the end. Like I know the whole point is that they are being manipulated, but at some point he should have showed some initiative, even if it is to make the wrong decision, but he does nothing! (Sorry for the rant)
Crisis on Centaurus by Brad Ferguson - this was a well done Trek novel. I'd say the first half was better than the second. The first half has a lot of high stakes, there is a terrorist attack on a planet that destroys an entire city, the same planet where McCoy's daughter is living on while going to nursing school. Plus, the Enterprise is in terrible condition, but they are the only ones that can help. The second half was a little more flat, but you do get to see Uhura be acting Captain of the Enterprise, and there is a couple small, but nice moments with Spock concerning McCoy, although overall Kirk is the main focus. One funny thing is, because this was written pre-TNG, some stuff feels a little out of place in the world of Trek, like at one point American Express is mentioned, and I was oh please god no, we don't need predatory credit cards in the future!
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland - okay I'm going to say if you like loyalty kink at all, you may like this story. It is fantasy romance between a Prince and his bodyguard/knight essentially. I will say the beginning was a little rough, the author just throws you into this world and it takes bit to get used to, plus the bodyguard is not all that likable in the beginning, he is very judgmental, but he does get better over the course of the novel, and their relationship is a bit of a slow build. Also, this has a trope that I usually hate, where one half of the pairing has a lover at the beginning, but somehow this author made it work, mostly because their relationship was already coming to an end and there was also still a lot of respect and friendship between the two, plus the lover is very funny throughout. Anyways, I read a few goodreads reviews and a lot of people where like I gave up 50 pages in, so I can understand why, but I really liked it by the end, it had lots of tropey goodness.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù - My first ever danmei! This is another author that just throws you into the world and there is a lot of people. places and things to try and absorb and it is a bit overwhelming. Plus, I don't know if it is just the translation or not, but it took me awhile to get used to the writing style. There was a also a lot more horror elements than I was expecting, evil spirits, zombies, body parts, etc. I enjoyed the characters, Wei Wuxian is a chaotic character to follow. I will say now that I have read the first book I completely see why Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are shipped, Wei Wuxian is the sunshine chaos butterfly and Lan Wangji is stoic and reserved, a classic shippy dynamic. Once I got into the story I found myself enjoying it, and I think I will most definitely pick up the second one at some point.
