half the group enjoyed it and half did not finish it
579818
Did not finish it, was a book club selection, half the group enjoyed it and half did not finish it.
655200
I hated the first few chapters. I almost didn't want to finish reading it which is really bad cause you want to lure the reader into the book in the beginning.  After forcing myself past those first few chapters,it ended up being an alright read.  Fun to pass time, the wording was kinda cool because it was written the way people do think and talk. I thought the middle was the most interesting, to see how the characters interacted but near the end where the big "event" happens to make them doubt each other was dumb and it went downhill from there.
316746
Ugh....everyone in my book group loved it...I had to work hard to finish it...
3088410
MARY MY WIFE SAID IT WAS VERY GOOD - BUT HALF WAY THRU THE STORY - YOU GET PRETTY TIRED OF BEING WITH A DISFUNCTIONAL FAMILY.
1512570
The book wasn't entirely my cup of tea. I didn't dislike it and I did finish it after all, but that was mostly because I was hoping there really would be some kind of big bang at the end. The writing wasn't particularly inspiring for me and a lot of times I feel the author shouldve remembered the good old rule of Show, Dont Tell.

It took me a bit to get used to the narrative style (spoilers ahead):

'I wonder what Raj has in his lunch. Vitamin D, omega-3s, fermented tea leaves, he says, still scribbling.

I wonder if Kat Potente has been summoned. She shakes her head. Not yet, she says.

Now Im wondering what it would be like if we ran the whole country like this. Thats totally what Raj wants to do! Kat laughs.'

And more variations of the same. It makes reading more difficult because whenever I arrived at the speech parts that answered the narrator, I had to go back and reread the sentence before to grasp the whole conversation.

I also don't think its a suitable book for people with little to no computer and/or typography knowledge. Maybe they can skip over the parts that they don't understand, but there was a lot of talk about Google and a lot of talk about fonts and serifs and sans serifs and I wouldnt recommend the book to anyone who doesnt understand the differences. Or maybe I would because I felt like those parts were really over the top and didn't really help making the book a singular work. Half the time it felt like a lot of scenes weren't written with the entire story in mind and they feel like pieces to a puzzle where the connecting edges have been cut off; it makes a pretty image as a whole but you can see the little cuts and holes.

That said, I did enjoy a lot of the characters. Penumbra is delightful and just wonderful to read about and Edgar, Neel, Mat and the mysterious novices are ridiculously interesting as well. Those characters really made the book worth my time.
553276
I really like the idea of having multiple authors collaborating to create one cohesive story. I'm sure it's been done before but this was my first experience with it. You are able to digest various writing styles and creative angles while telling one narrative. The problem, for me, arises when you mix more polished authors (maybe it's more appropriate to say writers whom I prefer) with lesser ones. What resulted was a roller coaster reading experience and not in a good way. Some chapters seemed to drag on forever while others were page turners. As a result, it took me a lot longer than usual to finish it. I probably won't continue reading the the remaining books in this series.
3276138
I enjoyed the story and the humor for about half of the book but it didn't hold me long enough to finish it.
2087106
Book club - a few Members really liked It - the majority quit reading the Book before the end OF Part One.
  Decided that We no longer Love fantasy?
3143295
When reading this to a small group of children, some of them enjoyed this, others thought it just silly and a couple thought it to be on the lame side. So a very mixed reaction.

Those that liked it got a kick out of Mr Archimedes trying to figure out what was happening with the bath water. One child kept laughing because the man is naked (and if you do not want your children seeing a naked cartoon guy avoid this book) and sent the kids on some giggle fits. Others were bored with the repetition. The really little kids (age 3-4) seem to be most likely to enjoy but by age 5-6 they lose interest.

What I didn't like was there are a lot of accusations flying around about who is responsible for the bath water but when the answer is found no apology or anything. This could have been a great opportunity to teach kids that when the accuse or say something that isn't true and later learn they were wrong, they should be able to admit that and apologize to those they wronged. So a perfect lesson opportunity lost. And in this day and age, being sure to teach children about manners, responsibility and respect seem crucial.
1434659
Like I said, the first half was awesome, learning about some interesting characters and their struggle to live with an unusual but sometimes debilitating talent.  The main character's relationship with each other is a key element to the story and in the first half of the book the reader gets treated to an amazing account of their personal feelings, their conflicts, and also the immensely strong bond that holds them together.  Then it all goes in the crapper.

We find out that these two people aren't as dedicated to each other as we thought and are willing to jump ship and walk away at a moment's notice.  Also, what we thought was a one-in-a-trillion rare gift of psychic ability is as common as cancer, only not as benign.  The psychic abilities of the characters do not make them better people; it makes them worse, much worse.  It makes them hate each other, it makes them lie and cheat, it makes them behave so badly that by the end of the book we feel sorry for the supposed "bad guy" (a textbook 2-dimensional character) and can't wait for him to kill the good guys in some drawn-out and excruciating manner.  And the one "normal" good guy is so weak-willed, so easily controlled by everyone, so completely unable to do ANYTHING right, that I found myself waiting to see who tied his shoes for him, because he certainly doesn't have the brains or coordination to do it himself.

I almost put the book down with only 5% to go, but I slogged through it, hoping some redeeming quality might show up in our two heroes.  Nope, they remain people that I have no interest in reading about.
4712630
I started this book quite happy and content. I enjoyed the hero and heroine's meeting, and the premise was intriguing. The first half of the book, I toodled along quite smoothly.  I wasn't emotionally attached to the characters or their happily ever after, but they were interesting and multi faceted. The second half of the book just didn't sell the relationship for me. The exploration of BDSM was less than exciting, the scenarios seemed inserted into the story rather than woven into the plot. Though it wasn't badly plotted, there was too much dialogue description (repetitive too) - He replied, she stated, she cried, he growled, etc. I think the shorter length may have hampered my enjoyment.
*I received my copy through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
103046
It's in part my fault I was too busy to read very much through the holiday season; normally it doesn't take me so long to finish a book. The first half didn't really grab my interest enough. For those of you that may have the same problem, stick with it because it's more entertaining when Grandma and Intus are introduced.
636067
I picked up a graphic novel adaptation of this several months ago.
The problem with that adaptation was that it was really only the first half of the book, and just when some action started, then the book ended.

So I had to get the book, because I wanted to know what happened.

And I read and enjoyed the book There is a quest to a mysterious world, and there is an interesting if maybe two-dimensional cast of characters. The problem for me was that it didn't really get going for me until about page 200 of my edition. You could chalk that up to me having read a good bit of it already in graphic form, but the reality is that there is a lot of exposition done through a sort of were getting the band back together sport of way. I suppose when this was written it was more like a magnificient seven sort of way, but I digress.

So it does get going, there is some loss of characters you grow to like, and then it ends.

Not in a satisfying way, but one that seems like it was set up for sequels. The problem was that though the book was good in itself, Im not sure if it was good enough to make me want to read more in the world. At least the exposition is out of the way.
110914
We had some fun with this.  People had a hard time getting started just thinking of a song so it was off to a slow start both times that we played it. We've played it twice with a group of about 8 and never used the board.  We couldn't get anyone to really commit to who blurted out a song fastest so ditched it both times.  It is a fun idea for a half hour or so.  It would be more fun with a Catch Phrase type of timer with suggested words or the ability to add your own words.  We still had fun and got participation from all.
1578046
The first half or so of the novel were appealing, the stage well set, but it went on too long and did not encourage one to read the full saga.
2037329
This book could have been half as long and it would not have been so painful to finish.
610181
Not bad, but not great.  A middle of the road game for us.  Not a game for longevity, that's for sure.  Once you get going, it gets better, but about 50% of our group didn't really like it.  Everyone has to be pretty creative, or it can be boring.  Would recommend if you have a lot of open minded/ creative people in your group.