I really wanted to like this
929846
One reviewer said "A more metal Pink Floyd", which piqued my interest. And I'd say, to an extent, that was not untrue. However, Pink Floyd was all about the songwriting, especially in Roger Waters' era, so you have to taylor your expectations accordingly. Meaning, this ain't no Pink Floyd, but is still engaging musically and sonically.

My main complaint, though, is the vocals; the singer can actually sing OK, but when he is trying to be 'more metal', he sounds like a singer from an average 90's Nu-Metal band. Now, there were a few stellar Nu-Metal bands, and only a few, but the average ones confused a whiny/petulant style with singing with gravity. I am more the sorry for saying this because when this guy sings in his natural voice I can see where the band is going, but his 'more metal' vocals reduce this to a 3 star rating.
3581480
I really, really *wanted* to like this book, as the concept is fantastic. However, I find the prose clunky throughout and the character development a little flat.

My kids and I are currently using this as our read aloud and I feel like we are slogging through it. It is taking forever, as neither I nor the kids are super excited and we've skipped read aloud several nights since starting as a result.  (If you are planning on reading aloud you should also be aware that the chapters are *super* long -- or maybe it just feels that way.)

The historical descriptions and events are interesting enough, but in addition to the flat prose, Rush's insertion of himself into the historical narrative is challenging for me to overcome (although I guess I really shouldn't have expected anything else from Rush Limbaugh).
776202
I really wanted to like this product.  I have a large 70 pound dog and I'm away from home a lot.  I thought this would be easy for me to use.

Perhaps it is easy for people with more patience with technology than I have.  I am in my late 50's and was not raised with technology.  I am rating this as okay because I know with help it would give me information that would be fun to know.

I thought this would be easier to set up and use than it actually was.  I am rating it as okay purely based on the setup factor as I wasn't able to get the tech help I needed to use it.  If you're a person who isn't familiar with technology, you may need some help getting it set up.
267719
I wanted to love this based on the premise and I don't like giving such low-star reviews, but because of the hype and my overreaching hope of falling in love with a brand new world, I think it made my disappointment that much more. I realise books need hype to get in front of eyes, but sometimes the buildup sets a reader up for a bigger let-down. Schwab can clearly write and has an army of fans, but I'm afraid this just wasn't for me. I was never sure if it was meant to be YA or adult, as it leaned more toward YA as far as some of the more ... derivative elements, and character development (or lack thereof, until at least 2/3 of the way through the book). As I say, she's an excellent writer, but this was just not for me. I grew bored at various stages and when I find myself skimming, with a towering TBR pile of books on my nightstand, it's time to finish it and move on. Sorry to say, I'm not one of the legions of fans!
704542
This book had so much potential. I wanted to like it. I really did. Unfortunately, I just didn't like it at all. The idea is great, but the writing and flow need a lot of work.

I would have liked a lot more information on the world before everyone disappeared. The description mentions the soaring population and the outlawing of birth control. I would have liked to know why and how this happened; it sounded so interesting.

I've read several reviews that said the beginning of the book was slow. Yes, in a way it was, but the beginning was really the only part I liked. Once Darrel and Felix met up with Maggy, things went way downhill for me. I struggled to finish, and if I didn't have the nice personality quirk of having to finish books I start, I probably would not have finished this book after Maggy came into the picture. I didn't like her a bit. The nicknames were cruel, and in Felix's case, racist. She seemed very annoying in general. I also, honestly, just despised the "alion" thing and how she pushed it on everyone they met. I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe a 17 year old would correct a military official on something so superficial, and even more unbelievable that these adults would just accept this and not wave her away like the pest she is. I mentally corrected it to alien.

Darrel is really not much better. The...sound...he makes all the time is just annoying. Every time the group stops for a few minutes, it seems he's eating or thinking about eating or wanting to eat...it gets old, fast. And really, I don't need to know every time he wets himself. Ick. I get that they're scared, but some things are better left unsaid. Also, the "bromigo" thing was just irritating as all get out. Apparently, when I got the book, it had been edited to remove 75% of the bromigo/bramiga's. I am so thankful for this. The 25% that were left were still WAY too many, though. I found myself rolling my eyes eventually.

The main characters are supposed to be 16/17. If this had not been stated outright, I would have put their ages at about 13. They act younger and more immature than their ages. This really took away from the story for me.

Honestly, there were very few characters I liked in this book, and one of those few ended up dead. Though, since the book is VERY "video game"-y, I can say I seriously would not have been surprised one bit if he had re-spawned. Seriously. "Xxxxxx screamed as the massive paws and powerful jaws of the feline extraterrestrial ripped into his body. Our faces went slack with shock as we simultaneously wet our pants. I reached for my inhaler, sucking on it like a crackhead trying to get as much of the last hit as possible. We sighed in relief a few minutes later, when he re-spawned several yards away." *not an actual quote, though had it been, I wouldn't have been even mildly surprised* I'm not even joking: it wouldn't have shocked me one bit.

The book really does read like a sub-par first-person shooter. Maybe this would make a decent video game; I don't know. What I do know is, in my opinion, it does not make a very good book. The ending seemed completely unrealistic and rushed. It seemed like it needed a little more thought, a little more time.

I won't harp on the spelling/grammar issues. Others have done this already and probably did a better job than I would. It did get a little distracting, though. The book needs more editing, to catch those mistakes.

Again, I really wanted to like this book. The summary made it sound so interesting. However, the writing style was just not something I enjoy, and the plot went in an entirely different direction than I'd expected, and unfortunately, I did not like that direction.

Oh, important information: I am WAY out of the target demographic for this book. I read it because I just flat-out love YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. Perhaps if I were still in junior high I would enjoy it. Younger readers may enjoy it; I, however, did not.

This review originally appeared on GoodReads.
781529
I wanted to like this, I really did. I love the Alexa and thought that this would be a great addition. I even gave it a couple days. The functions are great, but if you are an audiophile, this probably will not satisfy you either. So if you want convenience, this is great, if you want a quality sound, then look elsewhere. I hope they revamp this product!!! Concept is great!!!
4918174
I must say, I really wanted to like this book.  Before I say why I did not like it all that much, I'll give the positives.  The author is extremely good at writing dialogue, which is very rare in a "Star Trek" book.  The author also does a good job of setting up the potential for a really good story.
I was really hoping for a genre-bender here, given the cover and description of the book--something between Original "Trek" and "The X-Files."  Instead, the book is filled with self-referencing "Star Trek" trivia that span far more than the Original Series.  There's some "Enterprise," some "Deep Space Nine," and some "Voyager."  Not what I would call Original "Trek."  Instead of all this self-referencing there could have been a really cool and original story about the crew of the Enterprise encountering Gray aliens, Men in Black, and flying saucers.  Spock could have been abducted and given an implant.  Chekov could have received an anal probe, which would have allowed for his trademark scream.  Seriously, this could have been a really great book mixing the "Star Trek" and ufology mythologies.  But no, just self-referencing.  And talking in place of action, telling instead of showing, for hundreds of pages.
I can write a better "Star Trek" novel and someday I intend to prove it.
2328958
I wanted to like this book I really did.  The artwork is amazing and the concept is interesting.  And thats's where it fails.  For a romance between two people who are NOT teenagers the characters sure act like teenagers.  Ed must be the healthiest senior citizen in the world considering her age never impacts his sexual adventures.  He's never tired, or struggling with pain, or even just not in the mood.  He may look to be in sixties but he clearly has the body and stamina of a 18 year old porn star.

That's the other thing.  I have no idea why there characters are in love.  They certainly like having sex as that's pretty much all they do, but despite reading the book to the end I still have no idea who these characters or what drew them together.  While there a few moments of bonding I wish the characters would TALK to each other and give me an insight into what is going on in their head.

What drew me to this story was getting to see a relationship through the eyes of people who've been around the block before.  But you could change out Ed and Lucardo for any two characters from a YA paranormal romance and they would still fit.  The author doens't use the concept the way they should and the work shows this.

Letters for Lucardo is a beautiful, inclusive [I love the variety of vampires] and lazy.  It's worth a read but I can't wholeheartedly recommend it and I wish I could.
3117177
I really REALLY wanted to like this. It was an Amazon recommendation and the video review I watched made it seem like a great game, the type of game I would really like. So I set out to find it, found only one Gamestop in the area that had it- there are about 12 Gamestops - maybe more that are within 20 minutes of me- and finally found it hidden in the cabinet behind the register.
Then I got it into the PS3...and it was nothing like I had thought. Cute anime characters? Yes. Humor? Kind of. Disgaea characters? Didn't get that far. The story seemed very slow to me- it dragged on to the point where I just wanted to hit buttons until it got to the part where you play. Which is unusual for someone who enjoys even visual novel games and as much talking and story as possible. Here, it felt unnecessary. When the actual gameplay began, I had to struggle to find where I could go to actually play and suddenly the character was dropped into a tiny dungeon with one or two small rooms. You then proceed to beat the enemies with your giant sword once or twice and you run around for a few seconds before it's clear there is nothing else there save for one or two more mini battles. I then gave up sadly and decided that I had no choice but to return the game. It seems to me like a game for kids, minus the dialogue of course.
I guess I was hoping for something along the lines of Rhapsody- wandering around a town, talking to other characters, going on little missions, leveling up, battling bosses, and enjoying a immersive story.
Feeling very let down and maybe a little less willing to try something based on one good video review.
I still may try one more time before i return it.
I should also note it cost $25 used.
2642915
I really wanted to love this. I saw all the positive reviews and was prepared to give a 5 star review after I tasted it. I have to commend the makers because it really does smell exactly like real eggs, it looks like eggs, and it even cooks similar to eggs. Where it failed for me was the texture and taste. First, I made it scrambled and like I said, I was prepared to love it. It did taste similar to eggs but after I ate the scramble I actually felt nauseous.  The next day I tried again with an omelet filled with my favorite foods, but for some reason it grossed me out and I couldn't finish it. I don't know if it was the sort of rubbery texture or what. So then I tried French toast thinking it couldn't fail there. But I couldn't finish that either because it had a fishy after taste. To be fair, I've never been a fan of seaweed, and I think this is made out of seaweed. So if you don't like seaweed you may not like this.
3507859
I really wanted to like this book because the premise intrigued me, but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief.
3423879
I've gotta echo some of the other reviews when I say that I really, really wanted to like this book. I started it once, got to about page 100, and abandoned it. I started over again about a month later, and managed to get to 124 before I realized what was killing me about it: SO little happens in the first 100 pages of the book.

Let me be positive for a second: Andromeda is a great character, very unique, very well written, very understandable. Her world is populated by believable characters and places. And her interactions with people ring true.

The issue I had is that SO few pages in this book are devoted to forward plot momentum, while so many have to do with her occult analysis and flashbacks to past events. It's sort of amazing in hindsight that this wasn't written in the first person, as we spend such a major portion of the book seeing into Andromeda's brain. To me, it makes the book move insanely slow - we want forward momentum, and Andromeda's character really comes to life when we see her actions and interactions, not read her mind. I hate to say it, but it's really filled to the brim with exposition.

The book ends up covering about 9 days, but the actual real-life events that happen in those days are incredibly minimal. And even events that occur in this time period are sometimes written about in the distant past - for example, a ritual that Andromeda performs on p. 363, which seems to be somewhat important (and risky!) and is even given a fair amount of build-up, is then described as if being remembered four or five hours later, instead of in the moment. Rather than experience it in the moment alongside Andromeda, it's treated as yet another flashback.

All of this wouldn't be so bad if the book weren't so complicated in terms of its occult authenticity. I really, really appreciate that Frank went out of his way to make a book that would have made a reader like his own Andromeda proud. However, I remember a suggestion I heard about writing, which was essentially "research, research, research, then throw away your research notebook and just write." Here, it feels like Frank is constantly referring to his research notes on a sentence by sentence basis (or is just an amazingly knowledgeable occult expert). Ultimately, it becomes near inaccessible, no matter how pedestrian he tries to make the concepts, and at best, you better hang on for the ride.

Unfortunately, many of the important plot points in the book hinge on the meaning of a tarot card, or interpretation of a synch, and the world is just too closed to be as amazed by their significance as Andromeda is. I really wanted to be as blown away by some of the occult turns as she was.

As I said in the beginning, this kills me, because without question the best parts of this book are the elements of actual real life events. Not the paragraphs of occult interpretation, or memories of past events; but the actual forward-moving story. Andromeda at school, Andromeda interacting with kids at a "tea party," at home with her parents, with boys, and dealing with a bicycle in a tree. These are the moments that shine, and fully convey Frank's wit and expertise at conveying high school life. It was a fight to get to the end, and it really shouldn't have been.

I would love to see Andromeda resurrected in future stories that continue her story.

Finally, I have to give the designer credit - without question, BEST book cover I've seen this year.
3844187
I wanted to love this so much. It doesn't fit me at all.
2559060
This product is a great idea.  Really great.  Sadly, in execution I'd say 'not so much'.

The buds do not stay in my ears properly, partly because they're heavy.  The connection to my iPhone is 'iffy' and drops for no apparent reason.

And the battery life is lousy.  They needed recharging after an hour, which is pretty much one walk around the block.

I wanted to love them.  It's such a wonderful idea.  Really REALLY wanted to love them.  Maybe after a few design iterations I will.  But this one is, sadly, not ready for prime time.
4924778
I've encountered a problem. John is such an awesome guy, and he went through all of the trouble to mail his book from England! But I am not a huge fan of it- which disappointed me.

I really wanted to like it. Here are my problems with it. The chapter headings are confusing because it is just a magnifying glass, no number- just the image. The characters fall into moments where they don't speak like kids and the context isn't necessarily age appropriate to what the cover suggests.

That being said, I loved the idea of story. I'm a big fan of ice cream. I also wanted to see the kids actually work on the case for longer than like five minutes, which is what it felt like. They didn't really follow any leads or get the feel for being a real PI, just sort of jumped in with both feet and there you have it.

This book wasn't for me, but it might be for someone else. So give it a shot.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
2573223
I really wanted to like this.  I wanted to like it so much.  There were just 3 things I really wanted from this watch:  Selectable watch face, notification for txt messages, & notification for phone calls.  Other features would have been nice, but if all it could do was those 3 things I'd have been thrilled.  Well, it can't do any of them well, or even reliably.

Text & Phone notifications - These work 1 time.  Then I had to re-pair if I wanted them to work again.  It was still paired, as other functions continued to work, but notifications wouldn't.

Select watch face - This should be a slam dunk.  How could it not be?  Really, it's an AMOLED display tied to Android OS, how can you get this wrong?  Here's how:  Let the user select a watch design, but only make it visible when the watch is "awake".  When the watch is "dim" or "asleep" it defaults to a different display.  Turn off the sleep mode, or at least extend it?  Nope.  It's 5 seconds.  Enjoy your selected watch design for 5 seconds, 'cause then it's gone.  Pitiful.  I don't care whether that's the fault of Android Wear or Huawei's implementation of it, it's pitiful.  Only good in this whole experience is Amazon made it relatively easy to return it.

Oh, it gets 2 stars because it does actually work & tell time.  Doesn't justify the expense, or my time & frustration tho'.
2079459
Wanted to really like this, read good reviews on 6speedonline, it's possible my car is just too noisy and the noise cancellation just can't keep up.  The phone calls through the stereo were disappointing and streaming music through the FM modulator only gave me OK results.  No matter the station I chose, I still got radio static.  For the purposes of the rating, I didn't rate it as low as I could since, I am not 100% sure that my noisy car isn't partly to blame  :)