Setting Great - Story So-So
927905
Like other reviewers, I loved the setting for the story.  Drew is a prince among rugby players, but Hannah hems and haws her way through the entire story and there is no real antagonistic element keeping Hannah from living "happily ever after", which makes for a rather dull read.  Got 3 stars for the New Zealand setting and kiwi slang.
2577292
Very well written, though there's a few bumpy or slow spots in the pacing, particularly towards the beginning. Some of the exposition felt out of order, and there were a few areas I had to reread multiple times, to put them in logical context.

I have to question the author's decision to set it in 1975. I found it a bit jarring, as comparatively few aspects of the worldbuilding actually utilized the setting. Every so often, I'd forget about it, and stumble over some detail that makes better sense in that setting than it does to someone who grew up in the late 80s/90s. The descriptions and worldbuilding just didn't feel immersive enough to make that setting add anything to the story.

The story has some very vivid twists and imagery. I enjoyed myself a lot. I wish there's been a little more depth to the two main characters, as nearly every memory that was presented had to do with the main thrust of the story, and while they were well written, it didn't leave me feeling I knew them as people. They worked well in the story, and I empathized with them. But I wish they'd been a bit more thoroughly fleshed out as people.

It's very well written, pretty well edited (though I flagged a few errors), and there's some original and absurd twists to the story that make it one of the more solid urban fantasies I've read.
1019736
The most important component of this story is the setting, Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania. I've been there a few times, and as such I can strongly say that Katchur did a great job describing the mood and mentality of the place (which are both really important to understanding the story). The Poconos is an odd place. It's very laid back, and the same families coming year after year. When you're in the Poconos, everything is timeless. This being said, it really plays a part in understanding the actions and motivations of the characters in this book.

I honestly wasn't much a fan of any of the characters. Each has their own vices and flaws, yet none of the characters are very interesting. Jo and Kevin are horrible parents, and that really irritated me. But once again, the setting is the Poconos, and I've seen firsthand that everything is laid back so while it annoyed me to no end to see these poor parenting skills, it's authentic to the story.

The story is written in 3rd person with alternating POVs. It helped round out the story, and I loved the deep inner thoughts and dialogue we were shown. The writing was mediocre, but sometimes I felt the writing was awkward in parts or just unrealistic. One of the POVs is a 12 year old girl, and her actions and thoughts were not very authentic to that age. Also some scenes felt like unnecessary filler.

This book has some charm through the pull and lure of the Poconos that Katchur so wonderfully depicts. The mystery was what really holds your attention. We're all anxious to figure out what happened all those years ago. It was artfully spread throughout the book with suspicions and clues and tidbits of information until all is revealed. That being said, the denouement was really underwhelming and could have been improved.

Overall I liked the setting and the mystery, but the characters and the writing both annoyed me.
2235238
Okay, so I'm done with the trilogy, and my feelings remain mixed. What I loved about this was the setting, which was so radically different from the usual euro-centric fantasy fare. We have an island ravaged by the effects of colonisation. We have people whose cultures are being slowly eroded. We have intrigue. We have disasters related to a magical volcano that offers powers to certain people who can link to their spirit kye and shift into bird forms. Some of these "changers" also have further talents. All this blends quite nicely into a complex world with some interesting developments all round.

But.

But.

While books 1 and 2 maintained a decent pace, I felt as if book 3 was essentially just an extended epilogue. Even though there was conflict related to the primary antagonist in the previous two books, it didn't have the same tension. In fact, I felt the dealing with the antagonist in the previous two books felt too easily resolved.

I *did* enjoy reading because I was invested in the characters themselves, but I felt as if the stakes weren't quite high enough. We have quite a few threads happening, and a large cast of characters, but I felt as if there should have been a bit more punch to the ending. Not that it was bad, and I must add that the resolutions were satisfying because I wanted to see where the characters ended up.

The Changers of Chandris is an accessible fantasy trilogy with an m/m theme (which is refreshing in itself). It has a lot going for it overall, however misses the mark just ever so slightly with its (figuratively) moustache-twirling antagonists who revel in revealing their evil plots and the slacking off of the narrative tension by book three. All that considered, I still enjoyed it, and the story does have a lot going for it, even if some of the plot arcs could have been better executed.
1296546
I wanted to love this book. The story takes place in the Pacific Northwest. 20 years prior, a devastating (fictional) earthquake has destroyed much of the area, including the titular island. The protagonist, Lucie, lost her father on Marrow Island in a terrible fire in the aftermath of the earthquake. Two decades later, she receives a letter from her childhood best friend (and apparently first lover) urging her to visit the island. Coincidently, her mother recently signed over the deed to her childhood cottage on a neighboring island at the same time.

When Lucie arrives at her old home, she quickly discovers that her reclusive neighbor seems to be missing, which she promptly reports to the local sheriff. He is as skeptical of her story as the reader is. This plot point is the first of many that, upon reflection after finishing the novel, give me pause in recommending this book. It's a very weak set-up. It's just not terribly convincing because we really know almost nothing about any of the characters.

And that is the downfall of what could have been a really great novel. The character development is severely lacking and it left me wondering why I cared about any of the people I was reading about. Even Lucie, despite her first-person narration, is still a fairly nebulous character at the end.

Anyway, most of the plot centers around Marrow Island and the "colony" that has set up there in an effort to restore the island from a toxic wasteland to a functional, habitable place. This part of the story is very interesting. The way the colony does this is pretty fascinating.

This was a quick read for me, and I actually really enjoyed it as I was reading. But I was so disappointed after the fact. The ending is very abrupt and not satisfying. Although I appreciate an ending that is not neatly tied up, this one feels too much like the author didn't really know how to wrap things up, so she just stopped writing. I don't understand Lucie's motivations, let alone any of the other characters, because they are all so vague and not fleshed-out.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
3660390
I have mixed feelings about Susanna Calkins' A Murder at Rosamund's Gate. While I enjoyed the story both for its creativity and originality, there were aspects of it that didn't quite live up to my expectations. Please don't misunderstand, Calkins displays a wonderful imagination as well as a keen eye for intriguing subject matter within these pages, I simply feel she has room to grow as a storyteller.

 Personally I like more complex characters than I found here. The cast of A Murder of Rosamund's Gate is interesting enough, but they come off a little flat and static. It isn't something I think will bother the casual reader, but think those with more particular tastes might have difficulty with such simple, cookie-cutter characterizations.

 The other thing that rubbed at me was the exceedingly casual relationship between the Magistrate's family and their servants. The familiarity they exhibit towards one another just didn't feel authentic to me and proved a significant distraction. I realize this is something of a necessity for the sake of the story, but I can't say I found it appealing.

Since we are on the subject I want to address the issue some readers seem to be having with the modern terminology Calkins uses throughout A Murder at Rosamund's Gate. I love historic fiction and understand why it is ruffling feathers, but I think there is a difference between authors who make this error in ignorance as opposed to those who make an intentional decision for the benefit of their readers. Though I did mark the language during my reading, I find I am inclined to overlook it as Calkins took the time to explain herself in her notes - something I believe speaks to the personal love she has for the history that inspired her work, her professionalism and the respect she has for her audience.

Now what did I like about this book? I felt the mystery itself well-imagined and not entirely obvious which is quite an achievement for any author let alone one with only a single title to her name. I also felt the horrors of the Great Plague appropriately depicted as were the scenes that took place inside Newgate prison. No fluffy, vague, tiptoeing here and morbid as it sounds I will always appreciate conformity to historic fact over gentler fallacies.

Would I recommend Calkins' work? Certainly especially to those who enjoyed or think they might enjoy God Save the King or The Emperor's Conspiracy. Will I read her again? I fully intend to, rumor has it she already has a sequel in the works. I'm not above admitting it has a few hiccups, but still Calkins impressed me and I am most interested to see where she will go next.
595859
I found the setting for this novel very interesting from the beginning: a dystopian story of teenagers struggling to survive in Australia. Events occur mainly around the city of Melbourne, but there was not enough description of places in and around Melbourne in order to distinguish the desolation of it from any other place in the world. As a citizen of the UK it would have added something extra to the tale, having never visited Australia.
A (nuclear?) war has wiped out most of the human population from Earth and the survivors are grouped into communities that forage in ruined cities for essential resources, such as metals. The main protagonist is Ethan who leads one of the foraging groups. Ethan has special powers, which, we are led to understand, have come about through genetic mutation. Since mutations within the population are meant to be obliterated by those in authority he has to conceal them even though his powers help him survive all kinds of situations. There are predatory mutants outside the communities who wear human bones as armour and who attack regularly, and are a constant threat to anyone leaving the protective walls of the communities.
I liked the general plot and the main characters of Ethan and Nanako, with their love story providing a sweet side issue to contrast with the tension between the foraging team and the Custodians. The Custodians are the autocratic, pseudo-militaristic police force that appear to behave with impunity. Unfortunately, I did not care very much about any of the characters apart from Ethans younger sister, who was sick, and the long-suffering but feisty Nanako. This was because either they were too thinly drawn or, like Ethan, their dialogue was too unrealistic. This is a novel aimed at young adults and there were too many times when the teenage Ethan spoke like a very staid fifty-year old.
The themes of his super powers, the evil Skel, and the source of authority for the Custodians could have been developed in greater detail. However, I thought the story had pace and demanded that you turned the page for more. I realise that this was the first book in a series but it ended too abruptly for my liking, and the lack of essential detail in the interesting areas described previously was unsatisfying to this reader.
3875913
Without actually spoiling anything, I can imagine the premise of the book is clear; order turning into chaos. The use of children as the characters of this book both does a good job highlighting the premise of the story  due to the simple nature of children, but also holds the story back by ultimately lacking any real depth. With the exception of the protagonist and perhaps Simon, most of the characters serve only as an embodiment of the various ways children are usually represented in books and other media. Also, early in the book I grew frustrated with what I thought were excessive descriptions of the island itself; it made me wish the story moved along, which I would usually take to be a bad sign. As this book didn't really need a lot of world  building, I felt the earlier part could've been condensed to help make it feel less of a chore to pick up; thankfully, once it got good it stayed that way all the way to the end. Lord of the flies was, as I've mentioned, a beautifully written illustration of humans descending into savagery, but it did not leave me asking myself too many questions or thinking about the characters once I've set the book aside.
4425270
Interesting setting and story though the history seems rather shallow or spotty if you are familiar with the time.
2241791
The Good
There was a history to the world and its people that was enticing. The people keep looking for a lost heir that will bring back a time of peace and understanding among them. Its not necessarily a new theme, but one Ive always enjoyed, and I liked the spin on it here.

The Bad
The story moved really fast, which is good, but I felt like some of the descriptions lacked because of it. It was also easy to predict some of the relationships and occurrences between the characters. I would have liked to see more details into the fantastical creatures within the story, especially with the fairies and the wolf.

The Rating
Overall, I liked the story and the premise. It didn't feel like a stand-alone though, but rather the beginning of a series. I feel like there was more to the book. I would like to see more of this world.
493993
3.75 out of 5 stars

Imagine being at the edge of the world when the apocalypse breaks out.  Thats what happened to the researchers and doctors on Antartica when they happen to accidentally bring to life an age-old organism that is bound to taking over.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the setting.  I love when a book is set somewhere that feels out of the ordinary.  An outbreak among researchers in Antartica is something that no one would know about unless they either brought it home with them or they all died and never made it back.  That fascinates me and I thought that the setting of the book really played a character, too.

The characters weren't explained too well and that made loving or losing them a little easier.  I was a little worried since Bird didn't go into a ton of detail about anyone that we were going to have a horror-like story where no one makes it out alive.

If I could change anything about the book I would just spend a little more time introducing some of the characters and giving the reader a reason to like them (and in turn, root for them to make it.)  The only character that I found myself rooting for was the Russian and it was because he gave a lot more of his backstory than any other character.

The organism/infection/disease was pretty good and reminded me a bit of The Genius Plague that I just finished.  I cant really get into much detail about it without ruining the story but it felt unique compared to most zombie-like stories.

Overall, I thought that Erebus had a nice plot but was missing some character development.  A solid 3.5 to 4 book that I did enjoy reading.
1149230
This is such a strong setting, with remarkably high stakes for each character, that it's pretty hard to go wrong. That said, the use of multiple third-person viewpoints means you will meet many characters very quickly. Perhaps this is the reason I didn't feel truly connected to any of them? Also, I listened to the audiobook: the narration pace was brisk, so maybe that didn't help. ...But, I still felt there was a bit too much "telling", not "showing". The beginning in particular seemed like Afghanistan 101, although I do appreciate that may be inevitable when trying to bring the reader up to speed with such unfamiliar surroundings. I can certainly sympathize with the author's need to explain certain facts and acronyms.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the story, mostly agreed with the choices each character made, and found the majority of their outcomes satisfying.

Interestingly, this novel was previously known as A Cup of Friendship. I suspect a canny publishing professional realized that the compelling setting of Kabul, rather than the strength of the writing, would propel this book to success.
1682017
There's much to like about this story. The premise is captivating, and Owen does a great job of using tactile, olfactory and audio images to show readers what's happening. She does a great job of setting up obstacles for the characters, especially Brock. However, about halfway through, the story drags. Usually I can read a romance novel in a day or two. Not so with this one. I put it down often because the story lacked plot points to keep me turning pages.
2945043
As a fellow author, I find that the world building, character development, and pacing are often what makes or breaks a story for me.  Once in a while I'll run into one that defies this, and unfortunately this is one of those times.  This wound up being a 3.5 star read for me, which I've rounded up to a full 4.

World Building

The world building in this book was serviceable, though a bit on the thin side. Instead of a rich tapestry for the tale to unfold on, it felt like a stage that used projected images onto a cloth backdrop. A few pieces stood out in more detail, almost taking on a feeling of stage props, yet everything still remained a bit flat for my tastes.

Character Development

Not exactly sure if the characters made it to fully developed or not. They were definitely more than cardboard cutouts, but there was still something that felt like it was missing. It doesn't help that the beloved fairy tale characters (and Roy manages to pull them all in, even many of the Mother Goose ones) have been built up over the years by mega corporations to be such happy-go-lucky, nothing-can-hurt me pieces of fluff. The characters you meet are anything but fluff. They are gritty, strong willed, independent, and in many cases - resourceful. The protagonists have an understandable mission in life. One that is so glaringly obvious it's almost a caricature of hopelessness. The antagonists, meanwhile, take on the looming shadow of what the world fears without explaining why. (This does come out before the end of the book, but it takes a long, long time.)

The mix of which of recognizable fairy tale characters across the battle lines is also a bit startling. Especially when their recognizable traits from the familiar stories are used to show them in a vastly different light. I think that's where the missing piece comes into play - the question about why these characters wound up on such a different path from what we've come to know them on.

Pacing

The pacing in the story was a bit erratic, but not enough to make me want to put the book down. A few places lagged a bit much, and others felt a bit rushed. However, when taken as a whole, the pacing was reminiscent of the original fairy tale or fable the character originated from. As the story built to it's peak, the pacing smoothed out a touch - matching the events, rather than the origin of the characters. This presented an intriguing dichotomy and helped keep me reading until the end.
4218964
This book has a wonderful setting. Instead of vague powers, like many other books with magical people, the Grisha's powers are defined well enough. You understand the limits. Sort of. I actually really liked the setting, which is the only reason this book gets 3 stars. It's one of those YA books with a mean pretty girl who exists for no reason other than to be mean and pretty. It has the main character, Alina, fall in love with one person, her childhood friend (okay, that bit was fine) but then she falls in love with some really old person who looks like he's 20? And he kisses her? What? Instead of an interesting love triangle where the main char loves the other 2 in different ways and it's all very confusing, it's one of those clear and obvious choices. It's also cleared up quite neatly, when one turns out to be evil. I really hated Alina as well. The other series by this author, the 6 of crows book, was amazing. I rooted for the characters and freaked out whenever their plans failed. In this one I just sighed because I could see how the problems could be resolved. Honestly, I wished that instead of running away Alina had just stuck with the Darkling. Killed some people. Anything other than this stupid, not -> hot story I've read a thousand times. I'm a young adult. I don't have a lifetime of books under my belt, but I still felt like this author was just parroting the same book I've trudged through. Just go read Six of Crows; same setting, 100x better. No stupid, unrealistic romance or unrealistic character development.
2136074
Interesting dilemma.  Great setting, a part of the world you hear little about.  Good handling of psychological distress.  At one point I felt momentum of story was stalled, but perhaps necessary to get the psychological pain across.  Good resolution.
656778
The setting for this story--small town in isolated area, frigid weather, tons of snow--make for a creepy atmosphere, and I really enjoyed the scenes of the characters in these life-threatening conditions. However, overall, the contrivances of characters displaying vital photos and being on hand to tape crucial scenes was a bit too "convenient" for this mystery writer's tastes. - Author of [...]