the_pale_woman's reviews
482 reviews

I really enjoyed this read. It's a surprisingly solid first book and hints at an ambitiously large story going forward. We get the tale told to us by the only pov Hadian Marlowe as he's writing some type of memoir. It's well done as you continuously get the feeling that he wants to justify his actions or frame the events in a way that makes his point. It's never implied that his accounting of events is unreliable, but the nature of the narrative makes the bias inherent. I can't help but be intrigued by this layer of complexity in the story.

The pacing felt irratic at times. Not necessarily in a bad way. I just got the feeling that the story had completely changed on a few occasions. It ends up going in unexpected directions almost out of nowhere. It doesn't want to be the typical hero origin story, and it accomplished this. 

I'd recommend this book to readers who appreciate complexity, both in world building and in political intrigue. The galaxy is infinitely large, and the Empire of Silence did an exceptional job at populating it with new wonders and beings. This gets me excited for the continuation of the series. 

I expected this to be better than it was. I wouldn't say I'm completely disappointed in it. I just expected it to be better than average. Instead, I found it to be rather boring. It's not a read I would recommend, but it's not a bad book either. Solid meh. 

It's hard not to be impressed by a piece of literature that is as compelling and relevant today as it was 70 yrs ago. Beyond that appreciation, I truly enjoyed this read. This book does have the occasional pacing speed bump and also a few flaws that are products of its time. However, it left me with a score of mind nuggets to chew on, so I'm happy. 

I never connected with this book. I do not think it is a bad book. It did have a few moments. The medical information that this author excels at is there but it does not feel as consequential or central to the story as it was in Cutting for Stone. Medical emergencies just pop up at random.  Plus, the book is a generational story with side POVs tacked on, making connecting with any of the characters really difficult. I found myself not really caring who died or how the whole thing ended so I'm putting it down. I'd still recommend Cutting for Stone by the same author.

The most prevalent thought I had while listening to this was... "that's disgusting". There were numerous scenes that were truly horrifying and also just gross. Mix that pleasant vibe with what I would describe as a mix of lord of the flies and IT, and you will have this book. I liked it. The Troop was a wild read. I might recommend it to you but you would think about me differently afterwards. 

This book had more of the Abercrombie dry wit humor that I was hoping for compared to the first book in this series but I just wasn't feeling it. Not bad. It just isn't what I want to read right now. I was going to throw it back down into the black hole that is my TBR. Instead I'll be honest and admit there is much more to read in the world and life is such that few get second chances. 

I'm not disappointed with the ending of this series. That said, it doesn't stop me from wanting more out of it. I understand there are plans for more co-written books, and so it's left open-ended for that purpose. Despite that fact, I had hoped it would have felt like more of a true conclusion to the story. 

I also found a few of the plot points to be a bit ridiculous. I still enjoyed it, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes a few times. 

Overall, I would say this was a good read. I particularly liked reading this series to see into a new Sanderson world outside the Cosmere. His world building is wildly imaginative. Fun. 

I'd recommend this to YA fans and Sanderson die hards. 

This is my first time reading Sedaris. In the beginning, it reminded me of Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors). It has that same short story memoir vibe. Except with Sedaris, I wasn't that charmed. Don't get me wrong, these are well written and paced anecdotes. I just didn't click with him. Humor wise, there were a few highlights, but most of it barely earned a smile. Although, I may be in the minority on that front. 

This brings me to the next critical element that had me struggling to enjoy this read. I listened to the audio. Narrator by the author to success. However, the version I listened to included "bonus track" live readings. I get that he can read in public (bravo), but the audience's laughing multiple times per sentence is too much. It felt like someone setting a laugh track to punch lines. He obviously feeds off it, too. Like any comedian would. While that's not really a negative thing, I don't know if it's really that deserved. 

At the end of the book, they just tacked on a bunch of random diary entry quips that he read to a crowd. I'm sure a fan might appreciate the extra content, but this book failed to interest or endear me to this character. Therefore, it was lost on me. 

In the end, this book and probably Sedaris are just not for me. If you do like Sedaris, I would definitely recommend Burroughs (previously mentioned). It's been a while since I read his books, but I would consider them better reads. 

I'm not well versed in the murder mystery detective genre, but I thought this was well done. It's a little predictable, but I enjoyed the ride. I found it to be a fun, quick listen. I needed something different from what I had been reading, and this fit that bill. The sci-fi concept was intriguing, and the fact pace kept me interested. However, I wish the plot had been more developed. Particularly the ending. It could have been something better, something more. Regardless, I'd still definitely recommend the read. If you're a big fan of noir, you might really love this. 

I thought this was well done for what it was. This book is very different from Abercrombie's First Law, but it had a charm of its own. It had a similar vibe to the Gobin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Yet less cozy and more action. I wouldn't call it "YA." I thought it was more of a classical fantasy with a young protagonist. The only real "YA" part was the love interest. That felt forced and inconsequential. Other than that I not really sure the YA label works here. 

Overall, I thought this was a fine read. I am interested to know where the next book will go. However, I'm not fully committed to completing this series. I didn't entirely click with it, so I'll just have to see how I feel after book two.