Review: Hell & High Water

Hell & High Water by Charlie Cochet
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It's a romance, so the plot is probably not the point here. However, the romance part is also pretty lame, and there is nothing to focus on instead. All the characters demonstrate complete incompetence and lack of professionalism all the time in this book, which probably means the author didn't do her homework. I can't imagine that everyone in a state agency can react and behave like teenagers. And why the "training" only includes gym? Anyway, it all seems pretty improbable even for a naive civilian like me. The confrontation in the society also isn't worked through as it may be, left pretty superficial. All in all, even though I'm a total series addict, I won't be reading the next THIRDS book.

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Review: The Hole Story of the Doughnut

The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm not sure for what age the book was intended, but lacks rapport and rhythm to attract toddlers, has too many details fro pre-K, and is just not very interesting for older kids. Besides, as much as Americans are fond of doughnuts, I don't share the hype. What do you even mean, those fried cakes weren't cooked in the center? Did that cook need to have his hands transplanted into the shoulders? It's really not that hard to fry blobs of dough through. My grandma managed it just fine. But it must have been really hard to come up with dough quite as tasteless.


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Review: Under a Pig Tree: A History of the Noble Fruit

Under a Pig Tree: A History of the Noble Fruit by Margie Palatini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

That is hilarious! Well over the head of a 6-year-old, but still hilarious.

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Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was a bit torn between 3 and 4 stars, but after reading the last chapter, firmly decided on 3. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is full of adventure, and I like adventure and there is not a lot of it in books now. Still, the way the author chose to start the adventure for the heroes is more than a bit presumptuous. Suppose you stole a trinket and some stranger tells you it must be returned to its original owner, in another country. What would you do? I can't really think of a real person, who would actually attempt such a heroic. The rest of action is more or less sensible (to an extent acceptable in fiction), but this beginning wasn't very encouraging. The ending is also perplexing. Our heroes (view spoiler)[are absolutely happy and go together into a sunset, without any money, without a profession (they literally cannot do anything useful), and without much chance to go unnoticed. (hide spoiler)]

That last bit that helped me decide about the rating happened in the last chapter and ruined the atmosphere for me. The author, who seemed to do her homework quite well actually, just had to show her American ignorance at the end. Is there any possibility a young and poorly educated English gentleman of the 18th century would compare the color of the sea with American Robin's eggs? No? How about the good old European Robin? I can't get rid of the picture of a speckled yellowish-brown Aegean Sea.

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Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

That was an interesting experience of reading a movie. I'm not sure what I expected, maybe some revelations, something that didn't make it to the screen, some hidden answers. Instead, the only thing the book did for me was to confirm again that the movie is great and the actors did a really good job showing emotions and meaning beyond words. I hoped to get some clues to answer some of my questions though, and I didn't. Aside from the parting words from Mr Grindelwald, which perplex a lot of people, not only me, I also would like to know what happened to the real Mr Graves :)

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Review: Stormhaven

Stormhaven by Jordan L. Hawk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This installment is far more amusing than the previous one :) At least the author refrained from inviting any aliens. I only wish the characters wouldn't so stubbornly refuse to think and look at facts.

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Review: The Oracle's Queen

The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As much as I tried to stretch the pleasure of reading the last book by Flewelling I haven't read before, I raced through the last quarter of the Oracle's Queen in one night (and then had troubles getting up the next day). It is certainly a worthy completion of the trilogy. Most of the book reads as an epic fantasy with adventures and battles, but the end is both so sad and hopeful, it's heart wrenching. For every one lucky enough to find love and happiness, there are dozens lonely and broken hearts even in the general happily ever after. And even that doesn't matter much, because everything and everyone will be forgotten.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so delighted to have read this! A (really) illustrated edition of the series has been long due and is finally executed beautifully. I'm so looking forward to the third volume filled with Jim Kay's drawings, even though it'll be a while from now. And even though, living where I am now, I will be forced to read the "translated" American edition.

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Review: Threshold

Threshold by Jordan L. Hawk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm. The plot in this installment is limping on all four legs. Really? Aliens? Can we stick with something less vulgar? Anyway, there are exactly two full-size erotic scenes again, well written, just as in Widdershins, and a scatter of "little moments", but that's about all that goes for this book. This book also finally made me to do some historical context query, due to continuing references to bathhouses solely as gay brothels or something to that effect. Educate me! Somebody! According to Wikipedia, the bathhouses brought to Europe by Crusaders quickly turned into brothels, but it was some 300-400 years before the time the book is set in. I didn't find such a reference about American bathhouses. Moreover, it appears that first public bathhouses in the US were build around 1890 (!!?), which means not long before the action in the book took place. Were they build with a questionable reputation to begin with? Sounds weird.


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Review: Chemistry

Chemistry by Weike Wang
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book has so many positive reviews, I feel kinda guilty I'm really glad it's over. There are not so many pages, but every now and then I couldn't help but count how many of them are left. Those short, chopped phrases were making it very hard for me to relate - I can't imagine anyone leaving and breathing thinking in that way. Even witty and funny moments weren't enough to dispel my feeling that I'm reading a transcript. I also can't quite get the idea that a person might need to find themselves that late in life. I had some friends whose parents chose schools for them, or even a university program, but I never actually saw anyone pursuing a PhD on account of parents' wishes. It's a bit too far in terms of child's obedience. But I guess it's ok. People do need to figure out what they actually want, whenever the need strikes them.

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