Interesting, but not compelling.
589357
Gilded Cage is a dystopian novel aimed at adults but with a decidedly YA feel.  The author's innovative world building is some of the most interesting I have read, yet I was never able to connect with this novel in a meaningful way.  The fast pace, interesting plot elements, and varied cast of characters should have made this a page turner, but I found myself not caring much about the characters and not all that eager to read the next chapter.

An alternative England run by a race of people with magical abilities is a fascinating if tried and true idea, but when you add in the slave days, a law that forces the rest of the population to serve as slaves for 10 years, you get a premise with loads of opportunity for drama, action, and unexpected surprises.  There's plenty of all of these things, but the drama is made very undramatic by characters with voices that never seem to rise above dispassionate observation.  I never bought into any of these people and felt that the entire story was rather devoid of emotion.

The Gilded Cage was an interesting read, but not all that compelling.
1299599
A friend recommended this to me based on our mutual interest in post WWI England.  This detective novel takes place during this period so it is interesting on that basis.  Unfortunately the plot is not very compelling - in the course of solving one possible murder Ian Rutledge stumbles on a rather convoluted set of crimes that are marginally related to the first crime.  The second set of crimes are not solved in a very satisfying way, leaving the reader puzzled as to the function of a femme fatale at the center of this second set of crimes.
960677
It was interesting at parts, but I felt like some of the book strayed from the topic.  I lost interest at some parts and picked it back up later.  There are some interesting facts.  Not a page turner by any means.
1024780
The stories told are interesting, but they don't grab you.  Certainly, the author captures a very interesting medical condition, but I found myself becoming bored after reading a few of the stories.  The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat was just one story and frankly, anti-climactic for me after having heard about the story for many years, but not having read it.
3483049
Interesting story, historically nicely done and worth the read for that. However, the writing never really pulled me in. Though a compelling story, the writing lacked emotional impact; the character development seemed clinical, rather than accurately insightful or emotional. It felt like the author was following a formula to relay a fascinating and important story.
4750995
I found this book sometimes interesting. Sometimes it was too trivial and sometimes unfulfilling. Sometimes of course it was interesting.
1432181
An okay, light read. Interesting enough, but not really that original or compelling.
2528084
An interesting read, but not a compelling one. The super-human powers that rule the two factions are fascinating, and could have been a great examination of how non-human intellects interact with humans, and how intelligences without the ability to directly manipulate the world can still have huge effects by offering humans things they want in exchange... but it was never explored in much detail. The world itself is beautifully rendered, with great locations and extremely cool chaotic environs in the non-Made section of the world, where reality is still somewhat fluid and objects can change when you aren't looking - and which doesn't seem to make much difference to anything, aside from making a great backdrop. Liv is slowly stripped down to her constituent parts over the course of her journey, which is a neat concept but doesn't have as much impact as it should. She doesn't actually do a single thing of any importance until literally the very last scene of the book. The book feels unsatisfying because the protagonists are passive, rarely initiating anything themselves - merely reacting to this neat world. While it works well as a mood piece, those sorts of works are usually written as short stories for good reason. It doesn't quite work at novel length.
3636071
A Shadow in Summer was well-written and entertaining enough, with reasonably good characterization and natural-sounding dialog. Abraham's world is interesting - possibly the best part of the book. He obviously put a lot of work and thought into creating it. Economics is not usually my favorite subject, but it is a fascinating aspect here, along with the languages and customs. (If you're an anthropology or sociology buff, or just like books with intricate world-building, this could be right up your alley!) I bought it based on an Amazon recommendation (clinched by a George R R Martin review), and they really weren't that far off. It just happens I wasn't hooked. I'm not sure why, unless it was my lukewarm response to the characters and the slightly stilted narrative. It's quite possible that I might come back to it, when I don't have anything more pressing on my reading list.
234337
Somewhat interesting. I guess the story of a movie cast that all loved one another isn't very compelling reading. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad this wasn't a hate-filled rant, and I did enjoy the read.
3225832
It wasn't terrible,  just not all that engaging. Partway through the book, I wondered why I was still reading it. I already purchased the second one, so I will probably read that one too. Maybe second one will be better?
4626500
Not overwhelmingly dense, but also not a quick read.
844986
Not the greatest.  Still trying to get thru book as it does not really grab my attention.  Interesting story, just not a book that really pulls you into the content.
546855
I found this book interesting, but not very compelling.  The story revolves around a painting and the attempts by the art police and a somewhat bumbling academic to trace its provenance as a heretofore undiscovered Raphael portrait.  The author deserves credit for the byzantine flow of the very creative plot as well as his authoritative description of the art world.  And some of the dialog is entertaining. But Pears comes up short in other departments.  For instance, his characters are not very well developed.  He could have done a much better job of describing one of the world's most fascinating cities -- Rome.  As another reviewer here has pointed out, the book lacked romance. And the plot was perhaps TOO creative and complicated. However, other reviewers have noted that since writing this book, Pears has matured as an author and I will look forward to reading his subsequent works.  I guess one must start somewhere and Pears at least shows he has the chops to write an intricate thriller.  I hope my future reviews of his work will have more stars.
1708604
This was ... interesting.  The story wasn't bad by any means, but it was similar to several things I've read and just didn't have enough to make it really stand out.
4696851
Interesting but very slow moving, somewhat anticlimactic. Overall Interesting.
2562699
This book was a fascinating look at 19th century history with interesting characters. However, it didn't have a particularly strong Christian message--I'm pretty sure there were more swear words than mentions of God. None of the characters had sincere, life-impacting faith, except perhaps the Mormons, but even they were generally depicted as greedy hypocrites. The author had clearly done in-depth research on the historical period, but that didn't always translate into compelling storytelling. Sometimes descriptions just felt like a recitation of facts. Some conflicts jumped too quickly to resolution without invoking drama or suspense for the reader. The story ended abruptly, with an epilogue tacked on to reveal what happened to the characters.