EM

Not your typical Scalzi

Reviewed: 03-27-25

I own everything John Scalzi has published. I cannot say how much I adore his writing and how many times I have re-listened to his books. This book, however, perhaps because it is so different from his typical writing style, never caught me up in the story. I found myself frequently rewinding because I simply tuned out. Perhaps the fault is mine since, as noted, this book is a foray into another writing style. I applaud his expanding his story writing repertoire. I can't imagine how difficult that must be. But this is not a book I will listen to again.

Based on the title I was expecting his usual keen sense of humor and well developed plot line. This book is not that. A crisis of life-threatening proportion is the springboard for looking at various individuals' and social groups' reactions to that event. As a result it is more a series of serious short stories or vignettes rather than the typical progression you find in his other novels. His sense of humor shines through here and there, but is noticeably in short supply in this particular novel.

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1 person found this helpful

Struggled to finish due to narrator and plot

Reviewed: 03-25-25

This book has thousands of very positive reviews. So take my differing opinion with a grain of salt.

Made the mistake of purchasing this based on thousands of positive reviews. The voices of the main characters are fine. However there are many characters and the narrator created differences between the voices through clumsy technique. For example example a couple characters were made to sound as though they were cognitively limited or hard of hearing. Other characters were given excessively gravelly voices. Bottom line, it just didn't work for me.

Then we come to the plot. The basic plot line was interesting but I found it poorly executed in that it unfolded extremely slowly, mostly predictably and the bulk of the characters were simply not engaging or interesting.

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Not bad, but too many cringe worthy moments

Reviewed: 03-11-25

I like well written romances. Unfortunately, despite numerous rave reviews about this book, which is the reason I took a chance and purchased it, the writing is quite uneven. Characters and dialogue are done well in parts but as the book progresses and the romance begins it turns cheesy and predictable. Additionally, if you're going to write about profiling or attempt to describe personality traits please do better research. That was painful.

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Interesting world build, decent character development but what continue the series

Reviewed: 03-01-25

OK read. My mind definitely started wandering as the story progressed. I think the failure of the book to hold my interest was due to the fact that when problems arose the protagonist was offered up solutions at the right time and moment with little effort. Narrator is terrific. Really does a good job.

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Well written Celtic mythology

Reviewed: 01-11-25

Narrator was great. World build was very well done. Storyline was engaging although more and more predictable as it neared the end, but, for me, this did not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of this book

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Another five star book by this author

Reviewed: 01-07-25

This book continues to delight as much as her first one. Her Jane Austin references are highly amusing and very well done, as are more contemporary references woven into the story. Another triumph for this author. Highly recommend

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OK for a light read

Reviewed: 01-07-25

The author incorporates historical figures around her storyline regarding alchemy. Overall the story progresses at an acceptable rate. Minor criticisms include explaining to the reader what the descriptions in her story had already clearly depicted. On a couple of occasions she violated the rules of the world she had created. Overall mildly entertaining book that I let run in the background as I did other things. Doesn't require intense focus or attention.

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Outrageously entertaining! Highly recommend

Reviewed: 12-07-24

Witty and wonderful. Deft juxtaposition of British decorum and rapscallion behavior. Laugh out loud moments interspersed with literary quotes. Need I say more?

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Really good on every level

Reviewed: 11-23-24

Engaging storyline, great display of technology, interesting world building. Plenty of action. Just all around enjoyable

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Shrill, naive protagonist, So-so narrator

Reviewed: 11-21-24

Purchased this book with the expectation that the story would be rich with cultural and religious themes and at least adequately written. The book weaves both topics throughout the story, but does so in a manner that failed to engage my interest. The protagonist has been described by other reviewers as "whiny," I found her to be shrill and, although having led a sheltered life, overly naïve even for a person with that background. This book feels like it's written for teens rather than adults. The narrator does an adequate job most of the time but has difficulty with some of the male voices. As she strives to express emotion, she often softens her voice and drops its volume so low that the monologue is impossible to hear without raising the volume significantly. Something I simply wasn't willing to fiddle with through the course of the book.

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