2.5 Stars to be exact. But I don't round up.
588251
As I read each "chapter", I find that I can see her punchline coming a mile away. Notaro does a great job painting a picture of herself with these stories and I feel like she's sitting there next to me telling me how her visit with Nana went or how she's landed a job to get her mom off her back. But it's like you're listening to the loud girl at school. The one who wants every one to hear her funny story, but we're all kind of bored with her tales by now. Because she tries too hard and she's predictable. I can also tell by the gleam in her eye she thinks she's creating a hilarious set-up, but I know what she's going to say before she says it and. I really wanted to like this book, and I feel bad writing a negative review. Usually I just wouldn't say anything, but I'm compelled to let people know I'm underwhelmed.

It's not something I won't finish reading. But I wouldn't recommend it either. There are a couple of gems, and her subjects are all situations women in their 20s-30s can relate to (being the butch protectress of your hot friend at bars, using public restrooms, trying to get male attention, how to get drunk faster (skip dinner)) but for the most part, Notaro is trying to be really clever, but has taken a long leap past the clever line and landed just shy of annoying and blatant. If you want self-depricating humor and amusing family memoirs, spend your money on David Sedaris instead. It's not from a female perspective, but it's laugh-out-loud entertaining.
4882013
This is a REALLY hard book to rate for me. Why?

Because it is right on the CUSP of greatness, but somehow misses by inches. This story was first published as a serial in four parts, then made into a book and now has been revised and is being reissued.

Let's talk strengths first. First and foremost the author's writing is beautifully polished. Her descriptions of the places and people are interesting and she does a solid job of world building. The plot is consistent, coherent, and interesting.  And speaking of plot, here's the summary. A physically and emotionally damaged Lord Firth is the last of his family to survive an invasion his lands and he is out for vengeance. He believes that the power needs to accomplish his goals is hidden in a structure,  called the Citadel,  built by long dead mages. The problem is that no one has ever entered the Citadel and come back out alive.  He hires two sell swords, Wydrin and Sebastian who are looking to save their friend who is lost in the Citadel, as companions and guides. Unbeknownst to them, however, an ancient evil is waking in the citadel and they are the instruments of its liberation. The good news is, they are the first people to ever escape the Citadel alive. The bad news is that they let loose Armageddon in the process.

Now for weaknesses. The story has one major weakness: it's characters. Unfortunately,  the characters are largely one dimensional and unsympathetic.  Lord Firth, is an unpleasant man who puts his vengeance and his quest for power above the lives of, well... everyone until it is convenient for him to do otherwise. Wydrin for her part only does the right thing because her actions have made her a pariah at home and she has no where else to go. The best "protagonist' in the book is Sebastian, who would sell his very soul to right wrongs, but the lack of consequences for his actions ultimately depreciate his nobility. The result overall is that the most engaging and interesting characters were the eclectically self named reptilian daughters of Sebastian. And they were monsters massacring the populace.

My standards for a 3 star review are that I would read another book by the author based on the book. And I would definitely do that. My standard for a four star review is that I would read a sequel based on that book. Would I read a sequel of this story? Maybe. So I would ideally give this 3.5 stars. But since I cannot do that, I will round up, based on the polish of the author's writing.
2240395
Well, I had all kinds of things to say about this book but I was too lazy to take many notes and a week has passed and now theres nothing much left that stuck with me.

If I had to choose a book that defines a three star read for me this one would be right up there.  Its not awful, it flows nice and stuff, l but its not earth-shatteringly fantastic either and thats a shame.  I wish all books were earth-shatteringly fantastic. I didn't laugh and I didn't cry and I was only vaguely entertained but thats nothing new. If you're stuck in a car, stuck picking up doggie doo in the yard or forced to cook dinner every night of the week, Id say this audiobook is a good way to help keep your mind off of those mind-numbing tasks but if you're anything like me you probably won't remember any of it once you start the next book. Or maybe youll love it and Im an idiot. Who knows.

Heres the gist. The heroine is a writer of YA and also housesits and spends her time peeping into the homes of the neighbors with her binoculars. She says this is to get insight into personalities or some such but Im not buying it. Shes just nosey and Im just jealous because she gets paid for this. Hey, how do I get this gig? Anyway, her peeping backfires when she witnesses a murder and it puts her smack in the middle of some nefarious goings-on having to do with a Faberge egg and a psychotic killer. Dont worry though she also meets the love of her life because of this so its all good.

They have some spark but I never see it. They have some sex but its boring to me. They declare themselves falling in love but Im not feeling it and now I cant even remember any of it. True story.

There are a lot of amazing books out there and there are a lot of crappy ones. This one falls right in the middle.
4344937
2.5 stars (if I'm being generous): well, I'm not entirely sure what to say about this book. It tried to be a lot of things, and ultimately failed to be anything at all. I think what annoyed me the most is that it reminded me of books we would read in English class- where you spend an hour analyzing paragraphs, deciphering the double meaning and symbolism behind every sentence. That's what this book was; nothing was straightforward. Every sentence was supposed to hold a deeper meaning, if you cared enough to find that meaning (which I did not).

On the surface this reads as a commentary on the rich, entitled, spoiled and snobby Sinclair family. The patriarch (the grandfather) of the Sinclairs is the kind of man who hates outsiders, who thinks his family should live up to his standards, should follow his commands- and threatens to disown them from the will if they should fall out of line. He has 3 daughters, who bicker and get drunk and scheme about which of them deserves the most money. The story however belongs to the kids, specifically Cadence, who is the main character- and (as other reviewers have pointed out) is an unreliable narrator. She begins the story with amnesia, as she can't remember the events leading up to a 'traumatic event' one summer. The rest of the story is Cady trying to get people to tell her what happened. We don't find out till the very end of the book what has happened, and that is the twist that many people have been raving about.

Personally, my mind was not blown by this book. Yes, the twist was surprising. Yes, I did not predict it. But I never once felt anything for any of the characters, except maybe Gat (Cady's love interest) as he was an outsider to the family, and I feel like people can relate to that. But again, it is not his story. Once you find out the twist, you realize that everything you read might have had hints leading to this conclusion- but I don't care enough to go back and find those hints.
1455120
I was expecting to like this book a lot more than I did. That cover is gorgeous, and I was so excited for a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, but sadly I felt that it did not live up. (Most people have this issue because they've also read The Wrath and the Dawn, and either felt that it was too similar, or not as good. I haven't yet, if that means anything).

There are no names mentioned in this story, except for Lo-Melkhiin's. While I can understand the point and what the author was trying to do with that, it was a little confusing. However, it did not detract much from the story telling. It is time for Lo-Melkhiin to take a wife from their village, and everyone is sure he is going to take the narrator's sister. So, she takes her place. Our narrator is not as beautiful or graceful or talented as her sister, but she can do one thing: weave stories.

I'm not exactly sure what my problem was with this story. There was nothing specifically big, but just little things that added up. The characters fell flat. If they don't have names, they need to be very distinguished, and I did not feel that. The magical aspect of this story was confusing. I realize our narrator herself doesn't understand what's going on for most of it, but I felt lost and wasn't able to fully enjoy the story.

I did enjoy the parts from our other narrator. Won't say who because spoilers, but I felt that added an interesting dimension to the story. However, for the rest of the story, I felt that it was just flat and anticlimactic. While I did read to know what happened to Lo-Melkhiin, I wasn't excited about any of the other characters. I'm also not sure how I feel about the ending.

A lot of stuff happens in this novel, and although it did keep my attention, and the writing was vivid, I couldn't fully immerse myself in this novel. I think it had a lot of potential, but I don't think it fully lived up to it.
2359064
1. It's not good enough for 4 or 5 stars.
2. It's not bad enough for 1 or 2 stars.
3. I fell asleep while reading it.
4. the list gimmick gets in the way of the story.
5. Three stars means "It's okay", and that's just how I feel about this book.
2895250
I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the complications and character that could arise from the hero, Dominic, being half gypsy.  I really like reading about gypsies in my historical romances.  I like getting a deeper look at their culture and watching a hero (or heroine) move past their own prejudice and come to love someone so different from themselves.

I felt that I didn't really get as much as that as I was hoping to.  Dominic did talk about being torn between two worlds, but I didn't really see it.  He seemed like an average historical romance hero.  Where were the differences that marked him as being raised by gypsies for half of his life?  I just expected some practices to remain to mark him as different.  I eventually felt that he was just reciting lines and didn't really mean it half the time.

I looked up the date the book was published because it had a dated feel to it--not the actual storyline because, hello, historical romance--but the feel of the actual writing.  It reminded me of a lot of the more emotional, melodramatic historical romances I've read in my past.  It was a sweet romance, but it had a muted feel to it, even with the melodrama.

It was angst and turmoil that didn't really suck you in.  It was there, but you were watching it from a distance.  And even with the turmoil it never came off as anything other than sweet.  That's not a criticism, just an explanation for any who are thinking of reading it.

I felt that this was an average romance.  I never really got to know the characters, and their overwrought behavior felt silly instead of emotional at times, but there was nothing extremely unlikeable about it.

I wish I would have gotten to know the hero and heroine better.  I really didn't quite understand their attraction beyond the fact that he's the hero and she's the heroine.  I found Olivia quite frustrating at times.  She'd push Dominic away or let him get insecure but then would wonder why he was acting cold toward her later.  Uh...let me think.  You're playing hot and cold with him, maybe?

All the events felt in keeping with a lot of the older historicals I've read.  It's hard to be critical about it when it all feels so familiar.  I still have quite a few books on my shelves from my earlier days and like to reread them and feel nostalgic.  I think if I had read this back when I had first started reading romance I would have liked it more.  My tastes have grown since then and I've become more demanding of the storylines and characters I read.  I want to really get to know them.

I almost forgot to mention that there's a secondary romance in here with Olivia's sister, Emily.  I appreciate that the author wanted to show her growth in getting over a prejudice, but I felt that it required more time to make her truly likable.  I liked the guy she fell in love with and felt that he was shortchanged by their rushed sideline romance.
2942983
(2.5 stars for the disappointment of it all.)  If I hadn't read Danker's and others' reviews I would have given up on this at 40% and got on with the rest of my life.  But my interest was piqued:  It was going to improve.  Oh, good.  My pre-order $3.79 was not going to waste.

This starts out dismally.  Like one of the worst of the HRs of the 1990s.  Heroine, for irrational reasons, exposes herself to possible ruin at a ball.  Hero saves her from ruin at the hands of one man, only to compromise her stupidly himself.  He "nobly" does the right thing and offers for her.  She of course refuses.

But, yes, this does improve at about 65%.  I like the fact that these two, who have many strikes against their success as a couple, manage to talk reasonably and rationally and come to an understanding of what to expect of each other and their relationship.  I also like that, although there is an apparent irrational lust/love at first sight/kiss, especially on the part of the hero, he manages to control his libido well, and the one and only sexual relations scene in the book is at the behest of the heroine.

In other words, at 65%, the H and h start to become rational, intelligent, thoughtful people who manage to work out their problems and trust issues with realistic conversations.  Some reviewers have described this book as having "sparkling" dialogue.  It didn't sparkle to me as much as it entertained and reassured and let us know that they realize there's more to a relationship than sex.

Oh, one interesting thing I noted in this.  Guhrke takes the opportunity here to work in a paragraph or two that try to justify one action of hero Stuart of the previous book,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/How-to-Lose-a-Duke-in-Ten-Days-An-American-Heiress-in-London/dp/B00G97C51K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days: An American Heiress in London</a>.  Those who read that one may remember some readers' complaint about Stuart's treks to Paris whenever he felt the need for sex during his long stay in Africa.  The implication here in this new book is that the jaunt to Paris was more for a get-together with all his buddies. (Jack, the hero of this book, having a flat in Paris that they all gathered at once a year.) A sort-of exculpatory for the off-hand comments in TEN DAYS about sex and syphilis?

And then there are the muffins.  All right, it was thoughtful of Jack to think of them for a picnic, but so much talk about British vs American muffins makes me think that Guhrke perhaps once upon a time messed up about muffins in one of her other books and is now wanting us to know that she knows the difference between the Old World variety and the New World variety.

But that's neither here nor there.  The book's OK in places but not really very interesting.  Guhrke can write, especially dialogue.  She usually does romantic feelings well (although here not so much).  But this is not her best work.  I don't see myself ever rereading it.  Just thinking about having to read that first two thirds again fills me with dread.
4682994
Every now and again Evangeline writes a book that makes me feel more 'meh' than I would normally expect.  This was one of those books.  It's interesting to see how writers really do become better storytellers as they tell more stories.  When I went back and saw that this story was published 6 years ago, I felt like, "Ah, that explains it!"  This book just isn't as, I don't know...Rich, or something.

That all the characters are supposed to be lesbians is an important detail, and it's barely acknowledged.  There should have been Way more (or ANY) hotness happening there.

The sex between Arianna and Jackson is good and hot, but their relationship isn't fleshed out enough for my taste either.  I felt almost like parts of the book were still in outline form, and not in a good way.

I went back through my (very lengthy) list of Ms. Anderson's books on my Kindle (because, even her meh offerings are better than so many others' best offerings), and my favorite non-Brides story of hers is Picture Perfect.  Or Pledge Slave.  Maybe The Assignment.  Oh heck.  Probably Picture Perfect.  Or Pledge Slave.
63817
I didn't love this book, and I won't be continuing the series.  It wasn't awful, and the writer has potential.  The story line and delivery just didn't work for me.

Taylor isn't the strong female lead that I like to see in stories.  She has moments when she puts her foot down and gets angry, but those moments pass quickly and almost all lead to her giving an apology for getting upset. Her reaction/anger to several situations aren't really over the top and are justified, so I don't see why she should apologize.  In fact, I would have liked to have seen her stay angry and maintain some dignity.  I also found her character to be immature and/or lack common sense, which is off-putting for me. Being naive is one thing, but being stupid with no real sense of self-preservation is another. I couldn't connect with her.

At several points in the book, Case says some version of the following: "I'm sorry. I don't deserve you. I promise this will never happen again. I'll keep you safe." And, yet something happens to Taylor--repeat x3 (at least). Since Taylor never calls him on his empty promises and since he never addresses that they are empty promises, I don't see why this sentiment is repeated. It doesn't contribute to character growth in any way and is, therefore, random.

I didn't care for Case either. I found his big secret predictable. I kept hoping I was wrong--that his secret revel wouldn't be what I thought--but I was right, and as a result, I was disappointed in his character. People like him have to do what they have to do, but some of what he engages in (i.e., his relationship with Rachel, amongst other things) isn't part of that life, and I have higher standards for men like him. Speaking of, I found his whole relationship with Rachel to be disturbing and trashy, and the inclusion of it and his lack of shame (at any point) made me detest his character.  I also hate that sex between him and Taylor is similar to sex between him and Rachel. There's nothing that makes sex with Taylor special, and I don't like that--especially when Rachel points out to Taylor that Case is not making love to Taylor, and Case never states otherwise or corrects Rachel.  What could have made that scene would have been Taylor knowing that he did make love to her and that she was special.  But, no.  The writer felt that we needed to know that sex with Taylor isn't special to Case.

Along those lines, I didn't care for the sex scenes. Dirty sex has its place, but I never felt any emotional connection during sex between the H/h.  And plenty of writers have proven that a connection can exist in the dirtiest of sex scenes.  Even as they cared about each other, it was as if they still kept sex void of feelings--and that's not for me.

The writing itself is choppy.  I wish the writer would have used more contractions, especially in the dialogue. There are frequent grammar errors, but nothing too severe.  The lack of contractions is what killed me the most--as far as the writing itself is concerned. For $0.99, it's fine. But, this book shows that the writer doesn't use an editor (not a good one, anyway). So I'm not likely to buy anything else of hers.

I was torn about whether I wanted to give this 2 or 3 stars. The story was kind of engaging. I finished the book. I acknowledge that some of my issues with the story are based on personal preference within this genre, but the character development and writing just aren't to standard for me. I give the plot a 3, but the writing brings it down to a 2.
986117
I am neurotic. I really want to give this less than three stars but above two-and-a-half. I don't mean to nitpick, but something about this album makes it worthy, and on the other hand doesn't make it worthy. Of course I review this album objectively. Personally I don't care for it much (although I still like it enough to keep it around). If you've seen the way I do other reviews you know I cover all albums by a band in one review (saves tons of time and really there is no need to do otherwise). But concerning this particular band, I have only heard "Salvation" all the way through. I never waste my time reviewing something I hate (pretty much anything on the radio)because the fans of maroon five will be fans no matter what-and that's fine. But I chose to review this band so the potential buyer knows it's not quite worth the hype. I do this because COL have been getting a lot of press (underground of course) in magazines, etc. Now obviously since reading about this band, you know to expect something different, melodic, and experimental (but you also know it's heavy b/c the band has had huge articles/interviews in metal mags). So you know you're not getting some death metal album. My guess is you're thinking Radiohead meets heavy metal. Sounds sweet right? Well, I think in putting the band in this category of something new and experimental (even though Neurosis was doing similar things earlier), they lose some musical credibility. When, listening to COL you expect to hear a lot of soundscapes, effetcs, programming and just overall interesting sound engineering. Maybe something like Incubus's new stuff. But the thing is, Mike Eizenger can pull it off and make it innovative (cuz he's a [...]). They have two guitar players, keyboard player, and a guy who just does like programming/samples and stuff like that. They hardly use any of these members for anything worthwhile. The slow, supposedly innovative, experimental side of their music is extremely simplistic and lethargic in it's approach. It's redundant and abuses its time extension. The heavy side is doom-ladden and repetitive. The production is clear, but the eq and effects makes the guitars and aural soundscapes somewhat dirty and buried under mirk. It's almost is if they tried to make that album I mentioned but fell a bit short. However the heavy parts are catchy and the eq makes it interesting. I find Isis more interesting as something similar musically. Good, but not worth all the new attention.
406731
You can get a similar story for 1/2 to 2/3 less. No real quality difference which makes me wonder why so pricey? BTW this was an accidental purchase, you know that damn one click button. Not worth fighting over though, but I did figure out how to get rid of the one click, which made their chase worth it to me.
4629581
No, I won't add additional words to the star rating I have given above. It is redundant both to ask for such and to give it.
2053086
I like her voice. I think she is somewhat talented. But this disc doesn't show it. Out of the 11 tracks residing here I really liked 5. That was it. The rest of it was OK or forgettable. "Can You Handle It" was my favorite track. It's just a tender track vocally and instrumentally but with a back beat. I like the piano. It's catchy too. "16 @ War" is also really good. The chorus is OK but the rest of the song shines. "The Love We Got", "Slow Motion" and "First Love" are the only other tracks I was feelin'. The rest I couldn't really care less about.

3.5 stars.
184217
Every one of my friends who read 'Matched' before me gave it different rating - so much so that I had no idea if I would like the book or not. I'm glad it turned out that way, because if I had high expectations, this book would have bombed big time. Going in tentative, this novel ended up being a solid okay read. Which is promising for the series if the writing and stakes are increased with each volume.

'Matched' is understated and slow paced. I mean that in a positive light. It reflects the attitudes and landscape around our protagonist: carefully filtered to keep things in an artificial balance. It's unrealistic and unsustainable; and we start to see cracks before the end of the novel.

But the main part of this story revolves around Cassia awakening to the thought that she wants choice. Choice of who she is matched to, choice of her vocation... and that line of thinking is dangerous to their society.

Her biggest dilemma is mixed feelings between two guys: Xander And Ky. I'm loath to call it a love triangle, because it isn't, even though it falls into that category. It just narrowly escaped one of my all time despised YA tropes. Ky surprised me - I had him pegged as the bad guy, the rebel - but he is nothing like that. Just as Xander is not so much the golden boy he is made out to be.

The characters are rich and we take time to get to know them through Cassias perspective. It feels very organic as each of the cast grows and develops.

I found myself wanting more fast paced action and for Cassia to stand up and challenge the system - but it's an easy mistake to make - that would not have worked for this novel, or for Cassia. She hasn't found her feet yet. But it left me excited for where the next two books in this trilogy.

Ally Condie's writing style is effortless. She paints colourful backdrops with a breezy prose with you can get through quickly - which helps because of the slow pacing.

I was a little disappointed in the world building. There wasn't enough information for me to get interested in Cassias plight. It was the relationship that drew me in. Im hoping we get the origins, mythology, and reasons behind this dystopian world better explored in Crossed' before I get too frustrated in the series.

I can't say that the book was predictable, because there wasn't enough resolution for me to sink my teeth into. I still have sooo many unanswered questions. And the last few chapters dropped so many teasers. I'm kind of thinking this isn't a book I' recommend unless your committed to the entire trilogy.
2507952
My rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

***Slightly spoilerish***

 I wanted to love this book, like really REALLY love this book. Dante was a stand out for me in book 1 of the Guardian Archives series and I couldn't wait to see how his story would unfold. Unfortunately, his appeal didn't carry over.

 The intro was stunning. Loved every single word of it. It wasn't Dante though, it featured the prince and his queen and it was perfection. I settled in and couldn't wait to dive further. Then there was reference where Dante viewed another particular character as a 'little sister'. Gut. Punched. Even having finished this installment, I still say a HUGE opportunity was blown here.

 Having said that, it wasn't the cause for my chosen rating. Firstly, I didn't like Dante. For me, his appeal was all but gone at the word go and it never really recovered. His constant gushing was annoying and so syrupy sweet that I needed him to just stop talking. He fell to the background and took Gio with him. I didn't care for her either. Then there was Maddox, who was basically a cartoon. Granted, it's hard to invest in a book where you're not fond of the main couple. Thing is, it didn't really feel like it was their book. Yes, there is a part 2 but if it's Dante's book, I need him to shine throughout. On a side note, barebackin' it with some dude you know zilch about, simply taking his word for it? No. The excessive use of the term 'feed' when it comes to sex was just entirely too much, overkill.

 Speaking of sex, the backstory of the Gods and the descendants was fascinating. I wanted to know more and more and more but omg, the sex was endless. I mean literally at every turn to the point where I had to start skimming. Unfortunately, it helped kill the story for me. The supporting cast, did however, have my full attention. Ki and Thia? YES PLEASE.  Resiayanna and Sabrael? YES PLEASE. Christoff and Jade? YES PLEASE and I have to say, Zaqar and Myrrine were EVERYTHING!!! Alas, there was simply too much going on yet not enough of what really mattered. Not turned off to the point of tossing the series, yet not intrigued enough to jump straight into the next installment. I'll pick up Dante Part 2 sometime down the road.
4269151
2.5 stars

This book had its strengths but it also had some major weaknesses. This review my be a little all over the place, because I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I hope the author takes it has constructive criticism because I do think there was potential.

First, kudos to the author for not shying away from some hard topics. She touched on some things that I had never read about in a novel before, and I applaud her for that.

Next, I thought Neil and Kari's relationship was cute. There relationship was believable for the most part. I can understand why Neil was so taken with Kari when they meet. Once we find out who he is, I think it must have been nice to meet someone who like him not his relationship. However, I thought there age difference was a little hard to swallow. She is 17, and he is 23. Later in life 6 years is not a huge difference, but when one person is 17, it's a ton. Also, I thought their relationship moved to quickly, especially considering what happened the last time Kari moved to quickly with a boy.

This brings me to my next point. The timeline in this book was weird. There would be times when I thought days or weeks had to have passed because of how much happened, but then Kari would say something about it happening early the same day or the day before. The timeline could have been stretched without adding any more events and the story line would have become much more believable.

Also, I spent the whole book under the impression that they were in a city in the Midwest. I know they talked about riding the subway, but they also talked about Chicago, and when Neil was talking about it, it was implied (at least to me) that it was only a few hours away. Add to that the fact that Kari's mom appeared to be a die-hard Bears fan and voila - Midwest. But then they talked about seeing an NYPD car and going through Manhattan and I realized they were in NYC. I was confused by that to say the least.

This book was a prime example of do not write the way you think/talk. I don't care that it was 1st person, the million exclamation points are not necessary. The reader should add their own emotion to the lines as they are reading. It is not necessary to do it for them. On the same note, this book read like an adult trying too hard to sound like a teenager. It read like the author learned how teens talk from watching teen dramas on TV. Not the most realistic.

I thought the plot wrapped up way to neatly and to quickly. All of a sudden, there was a confrontation and it was over. And *spoiler alert* I don't care what he did, your reaction to seeing someone shot is not "At least the f***er is dead." It just isn't. Plus, when Kari finally went to the police. They could have just gotten a search warrant for Eddie's computer, found the file then arrested him for statutory rape and creation of child pornography with the intent to distribute. She was 16 at the time. It would have upheld. Of course, this didn't happened because it didn't go along with the author's plans for the story line, but I think it's what should have happened.

And can I just say that the cover has nothing to do with the book?

Anyway, like I said, I liked the premise, and I liked the characters, but execution needed some serious work. I think sending this book to a professional editor would have taken care of a lot of these issues. They are things that you wouldn't change just doing a reread on your own.