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justjonsbooks's reviews
180 reviews
Stranger Things: Rebel Robin by A.R. Capetta
3.0
So I actually listened to the Netflix companion podcast for this on Spotify, not the actual novel. I’m not sure how similar they are but as the podcast isn’t listed on Goodreads I’ve used this to mark it in anyways. I never really planned to listen to this, I just saw it on Spotify after finishing my previous audiobook/podcast and thought I’d go in blind and see what it’s like.
I’m not really sure how I felt about it in the end. I like her character in the show and since it’s the same actress performing for this podcast; her vibe is exactly as you’d expect it to be. It was interesting and easy to listen to for the most part and bonus points for the Frankenstein discussion in episode 2.
But.. I found her relationship with this teacher to be a little weird? Maybe it was because their relationship is the main part of this show so they’re the only main speakers across the episodes, which feels a little strange when they keep meeting and talking an unnatural amount. Or maybe it’s the fact you can’t see them acting so some actions or conversations come across as a bit odd… Like I couldn’t figure out if things were becoming stalkery on either side, or if they were just gonna drop everything and make out! Yuck! There were a few moments that made me cringe thinking this student / teacher relationship is very sus. I’m not sure if that was what they intended to do, at first I thought probably not since the convos they had usually ended up being wholesome, but then they started adding the mystery around him which got me thinking and then at the end there was another character who pointed out to her how it looked and the weirdness of it all, so I know I wasn’t just imagining it.
Anyway, I was also left a little disappointed with the overall story, I thought there would be more to it. As mentioned they started to build some mystery and conflict and I thought things were going to get interesting like the TV show but in the end it really was just high school stuff. No monsters or murderers or secret government conspiracies, no real adventure.
I’m not really sure how I felt about it in the end. I like her character in the show and since it’s the same actress performing for this podcast; her vibe is exactly as you’d expect it to be. It was interesting and easy to listen to for the most part and bonus points for the Frankenstein discussion in episode 2.
But.. I found her relationship with this teacher to be a little weird? Maybe it was because their relationship is the main part of this show so they’re the only main speakers across the episodes, which feels a little strange when they keep meeting and talking an unnatural amount. Or maybe it’s the fact you can’t see them acting so some actions or conversations come across as a bit odd… Like I couldn’t figure out if things were becoming stalkery on either side, or if they were just gonna drop everything and make out! Yuck! There were a few moments that made me cringe thinking this student / teacher relationship is very sus. I’m not sure if that was what they intended to do, at first I thought probably not since the convos they had usually ended up being wholesome, but then they started adding the mystery around him which got me thinking and then at the end there was another character who pointed out to her how it looked and the weirdness of it all, so I know I wasn’t just imagining it.
Anyway, I was also left a little disappointed with the overall story, I thought there would be more to it. As mentioned they started to build some mystery and conflict and I thought things were going to get interesting like the TV show but in the end it really was just high school stuff. No monsters or murderers or secret government conspiracies, no real adventure.
I guess it just didn’t go the way I was expecting it to but that aside I suppose I could check out the proper novel some day to explore her character further, since the reviews here for it are pretty positive. We’ll see!
God of War: The Official Novelization by J.M. Barlog
4.0
It has been a while since I’ve played God of War and so I thought this audiobook would be a cool way to quickly refresh my mind of the story before the next release. (I even listened to some of it while clearing up the map in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which I thought was a pretty decent unintentional fit)
The narrator being the same voice actor as Mimir from the game was brilliant as he has a recognisable style and accent that fits the world so well. Although, my first thought was that it’s a shame they didn’t have the other voice actors to do their parts too, because despite the narrators best efforts, his Kratos voice is obviously not as perfect as the original and at times his Atreus voice was close to being annoying (but that might have just been because of the character too).
I later noticed that the majority of the story-telling was plot, dialogue and the characters’ thoughts while a lot of the combat scenes are summarised very quickly. This is fine for us who already know what the combat is like and remember the key moments of gameplay, but I can see it being disappointing for those who have not played the games. I think this is the main reason why I’m not rating it 5 stars because you do miss out on what is arguably the best part of the game.
Nonetheless the story here is still as terrific as I remembered. Seeing how Kratos’ relationship with his son develops… The weight that is lifted when he finally reveals the truth about himself… The ending reveals which still gives me goosebumps… I even gave a small applaud of excitement after the epilogue despite already knowing what it would be.
So was it worth me listening to? Absolutely! I can’t wait to return to these characters in Ragnarok and I’m so excited to see what is to come!
So was it worth me listening to? Absolutely! I can’t wait to return to these characters in Ragnarok and I’m so excited to see what is to come!
(Now to go play as Kratos in Fortnite in the meantime…)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #4 by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz
4.0
Enjoyed the training sequence and the flashback to Japan had some beautiful artwork. Master Splinter was a badass. Another touching death scene. Extra abilities!? Ooo…
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
5.0
Game of Thronnnesss! I feel bad for taking so long to finish this, it had been sat beside my bed for months as I must have read about 5 other books during the break that I took from it. I think I was initially intimidated by the size of it and everything that I knew was to come in the series as well as this book, but it ended up being a joy to read once I got into it.
It was also easier to read than I expected. Despite the level of detail and the fact that some chapters took 20 minutes to finish, I rarely felt like the writer was waffling or over-complicating things. Unlike the books I’ve read recently such as The Lord of The Rings, where I was very critical of the writer focusing on things that didn’t really matter and The Witcher books, which plot wise can be a bit all over the place at times and conversations can be unnecessarily long. This book however felt like every word was placed there for a reason and even the chapters for characters that I didn’t think I would like too much still managed to bring new elements to the story.
It also continued to excite and shock me despite already roughly knowing what was going to happen from watching the TV show. Ultimately, It was everything that I had hoped it would be so there’s no way I could give it anything other than 5 stars. Now let’s see how long it will take me to build up the courage to start the next one though...
It was also easier to read than I expected. Despite the level of detail and the fact that some chapters took 20 minutes to finish, I rarely felt like the writer was waffling or over-complicating things. Unlike the books I’ve read recently such as The Lord of The Rings, where I was very critical of the writer focusing on things that didn’t really matter and The Witcher books, which plot wise can be a bit all over the place at times and conversations can be unnecessarily long. This book however felt like every word was placed there for a reason and even the chapters for characters that I didn’t think I would like too much still managed to bring new elements to the story.
It also continued to excite and shock me despite already roughly knowing what was going to happen from watching the TV show. Ultimately, It was everything that I had hoped it would be so there’s no way I could give it anything other than 5 stars. Now let’s see how long it will take me to build up the courage to start the next one though...
Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason by Cavan Scott, George Mann
3.0
Been on a bit of a Sherlock spree; Moriarty, Cthulhu and I recently watched Enola Holmes 2 as well. I also really enjoy these full audio productions, they’re immersive like a movie and easy to follow with your imagination, plus the voice acting for Sherlock and Watson was awesome.
This story was quite enjoyable and engaging despite there being a fair bit of filler and a lot of flashbacks.
Actually seeing the queen and her relationship with the Munshi was nice, one of my favourite scenes was when they read the letters together.
I thought the reveal with the maid was very interesting as she was one of my initial suspects from the start, not only because she was acting a little suspicious but also because of the name of the story and the fact that she sings… either I’m too smart or they led us on on purpose, but nonetheless it felt like a decent little story within the story.
It was a surprise (or probably not so much of one) to see Moriarty. For some reason I just wasn’t expecting him to be in it. It was however interesting to figure out whether he really has changed for the better or not… This reminded me of a Batman Comic I read where the Joker actually turns good. I find it a great way to learn more and see a different side of the character. It also obviously reminded me of the Moriarty audiobook I read not too long ago where he is also originally a good man.
I absolutely hated the guy who started the riots and then killing his own comrades. He was a nutter and his whole thing was stupid.
As for the ending, well surprise surprise the true villain turned out to be the exact person you’d expect it to be, which honesty I thought was a shame. It did try to do a Sherlock style twist but it wasn’t anything too creative or memorable. The fact that said person died at the end was a little surprise though.
3 stars is what I thought it would end up being before going into it so I’m okay with giving it that overall.
This story was quite enjoyable and engaging despite there being a fair bit of filler and a lot of flashbacks.
Actually seeing the queen and her relationship with the Munshi was nice, one of my favourite scenes was when they read the letters together.
I thought the reveal with the maid was very interesting as she was one of my initial suspects from the start, not only because she was acting a little suspicious but also because of the name of the story and the fact that she sings… either I’m too smart or they led us on on purpose, but nonetheless it felt like a decent little story within the story.
It was a surprise (or probably not so much of one) to see Moriarty. For some reason I just wasn’t expecting him to be in it. It was however interesting to figure out whether he really has changed for the better or not… This reminded me of a Batman Comic I read where the Joker actually turns good. I find it a great way to learn more and see a different side of the character. It also obviously reminded me of the Moriarty audiobook I read not too long ago where he is also originally a good man.
I absolutely hated the guy who started the riots and then killing his own comrades. He was a nutter and his whole thing was stupid.
As for the ending, well surprise surprise the true villain turned out to be the exact person you’d expect it to be, which honesty I thought was a shame. It did try to do a Sherlock style twist but it wasn’t anything too creative or memorable. The fact that said person died at the end was a little surprise though.
3 stars is what I thought it would end up being before going into it so I’m okay with giving it that overall.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
4.0
Omg that last story was my favourite!!
If I ever get round to it I’d like to do a nice review and maybe even mini reviews for each of the stories!
If I ever get round to it I’d like to do a nice review and maybe even mini reviews for each of the stories!
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
3.0
— • 3.5 • —
Nearly everyone would die, then things would get interesting!’
Maybe 3 stars is harsh because this was really good! The weird and worrying questions were definitely the funniest and my favourite parts. Some of them I wish he had actually answered properly though because as disturbing as they were, I was pretty interested in a few of them! I also loved the answer to ‘What would happen if the sun went out?’ where he lists stupidly funny benefits instead of the obvious ‘the end of the world’.
The reason I haven’t rated it higher for now is because while it was fun to listen to in the moment, I found it hard to absorb much of the information being said. This is probably down to me doing other things while listening to the audiobook, but some answers hurt my head and I found myself zoning out either because I simply wasn’t interested in the subject or because it was about something so absurd that there was no reason for my brain to hold the information. Especially since there were so many different random questions and scenarios, upon writing this review only a week later I sadly can’t recollect many of them.
Perhaps it was simply an information overload for me which made it lose some charm. Something like this would probably have been better to read a few chapters at a time so I could think them over and have fun discussions about them with friends and family. Some could also make for excellent YouTube videos!
Nearly everyone would die, then things would get interesting!’
Maybe 3 stars is harsh because this was really good! The weird and worrying questions were definitely the funniest and my favourite parts. Some of them I wish he had actually answered properly though because as disturbing as they were, I was pretty interested in a few of them! I also loved the answer to ‘What would happen if the sun went out?’ where he lists stupidly funny benefits instead of the obvious ‘the end of the world’.
The reason I haven’t rated it higher for now is because while it was fun to listen to in the moment, I found it hard to absorb much of the information being said. This is probably down to me doing other things while listening to the audiobook, but some answers hurt my head and I found myself zoning out either because I simply wasn’t interested in the subject or because it was about something so absurd that there was no reason for my brain to hold the information. Especially since there were so many different random questions and scenarios, upon writing this review only a week later I sadly can’t recollect many of them.
Perhaps it was simply an information overload for me which made it lose some charm. Something like this would probably have been better to read a few chapters at a time so I could think them over and have fun discussions about them with friends and family. Some could also make for excellent YouTube videos!