Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Perhaps this is a better book in written form but it's audio version is horrible. It's a 10 disc book and I listened to the first 6. The entire first disc (a little over an hour) is nothing but Todd whining. Most of the second disc (another hour) was mostly dedicated to his stupid decisions, his incapability to form an independent thought and his temper. Oh, and I then endured an entire section of a book where the primary female character refuses to speak. It. Was. Terrible.

I'll be honest, the local dialect was annoyingly filled with 'ain't's and double negatives. Again, maybe in written form you can adapt but in audio it was a constant stream of bad language. And don't even get me started on "effing." Either get up the nerve to actually swear or leave it alone but to make every tenth word be "effing" was annoying. It's not a word. It's a pronunciation of an abbreviation for people that don't want to use real words. F---ing converted to "effing."

This book has 8,114 ratings and over a 4 point average so I tried to stick it out, convinced that I would eventually get to something that made it worthy of reading. Never happened. I quit and never finished it.



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Review: The Death Cure

The Death Cure by James Dashner

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Really?? It's really going to end like this??? I feel cheated. I have loved this trilogy and have waited excitedly for book three. The first, with the Gladers, was amazing. The second, with the Scorch was crazy exciting. And then there is this...no enemy except WICKED?

More lies but enough truths. And I can't even begin to describe how irritated I am that I read three books and never learned anything. I want to know how the trials began and how average kids became involved. I want to know how on earth reactions to WICKED-made monsters would even remotely lead to a cure. I want to know what the point of a Griever was. Or the maze. Or two groups. Or cities for the afflicted.

**spoilers after this point**

And what did I learn? Nothing except Rat Man's real name, which is completely meaningless. Oh, and that WICKED was involved in the disease. Not exactly a surprise.

All of those Gladers get their memories back and we get nothing. No details, no emotions, no memories, no information on how they were selected. We're left with a hero that spent more time arguing and debating and a sidekick with serious temper problems.

Honestly, I think Dashner wrote two great books and hadn't figured out the answers to the questions he created. Maybe writer's block and a deadline created this story?



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Review: Just One Wish

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



In reading through the other reviews, I'm wondering if there is an alternate version out there that is good. The book I read featured an obnoxious and foolhardy girl that needed a therapist. Instead, this teenager arranges to follow a whim to grant a wish and the book is the story of her irresponsible and stupid attempt. I was curious to see the outcome of the surgery so I read/skimmed until the end. Otherwise, I would have given up when she bought snakes to fake an animal handling job.



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Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I'm one of those 'the book is always better than the movie' zealots. And with absolutely abysmal movie versions, it shouldn't be hard to exceed the very low standards...but it didn't.

I hated this book. Forget the house, all I need to scare myself is to hear Eleanor quote Shakespeare again. Seriously. It made me want to stab myself in the eye.

Terrible book.



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Review: She's So Dead to Us

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Wow. There is so much I dislike about this book that I'm not sure where to start.

Let's see... Maybe the bullying that Ally is apparently too stupid to recognize? Or believe? And that Jake is too stupid to stop? Or the fact the book is filled with with F*** (sorry...not sure what GoodReads policy is on swearing and don't want to get booted!) from characters that don't even say h*** or d*** or even b****? And I can't forget about the supporting characters - a girl that stalks the popular crowd, writes down their conversations and memorizes meaningless details about them; a girl that is so over the top crazy and obsessed that a movie version of her would be pulling out a machete at prom and end up as the unsuspected serial killer; the kids in school that are invented so that the author can insert texts rather than give the actual characters any depth; or the mom that moves back to a town but can't see her daughter's shunning even though she works at the school?

No. I think what really did me in was the ending. Or, actually, the non-ending. Big party. Huge scene. Dramatic announcement. Turn the page and see acknowledgments. We finally get to a part of the story worth reading and it's not there. Reading this was a complete waste of my time.

GoodReads recommendations, you let me down!!



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Review: His Robot Girlfriend

His Robot Girlfriend by Wesley Allison

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Meh. So this guy is lonely and buys a robot. His plan is to have it cook, clean and have sex with him. Like generations of humanity but this is in the near future.

He designs her to have a model's beauty, a cheerleader's body and the personality of a mug. "She" makes herself into exactly what he wants in a robot.

Honestly, I kept reading anyways. Not sure why but I didn't give up until he detailed the thousands and thousands of dollars spent on mini dresses, thongs and 5 inch heels. Page after dreadful page. And how a robot that can do everything can't manage to understand a budget is beyond me.

I think I made it through 60% of the book before I quit reading. At that point, he was irritated that strip clubs discriminated against robots. And, imagine this...so did casinos. *roll eyes* I have read too many decent robot stories and I kept thinking it would get better...but it didn't.



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Review: Rumpel, a retelling of the Brothers Grimm Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpel, a retelling of the Brothers Grimm Rumpelstiltskin by Eileen Cruz Coleman

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I don't think I've been this lost in a book since Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Or my college calculus textbook. It just doesn't make sense. I can't figure out a plot and haven't recognized one since the first page. Perhaps it's a formatting issue since it's an eBook? I'm a huge fan of fairy tales being re-invented and updated and Rumpelstiltskin is a great option but this just didn't work for me.



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Review: Manner of Death

Manner of Death by Stephen White

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



After the funeral of a former colleague, a man is approached by former FBI agents that want to warn him that his life might be in danger. Their reasoning? In the past 2 decades his old team has seen a few deaths. One was a murder (drive-by, bad part of time, gang-suggestive shooting) and the rest were the type of accidents that just happen. These deaths have occurred over YEARS and are not suspicious...but these former agents are convinced that a serial killer is targeting this random group of interns and doctors. It was so implausible, yet an entire book was written about it. I simply couldn't stand it and quit reading.



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Review: One Fifth Avenue

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I checked this out by mistake, to be honest. I've read The Devil Wears Prada and Lipstick Jungle and incorrectly thought this was by the author of Devil/Prada, not Lipstick Jungle. I started to read it and simply couldn't find enough interest to keep reading. I finally gave up and only realized when I looked up the author that I was blaming the wrong person.

I'm not a huge fan of chick lit but there are definitely stand-out authors in the field. I can read the vapid, easy to follow Sophie Kinsellas and enjoy the teen version with Sarah Dessen and I greatly enjoy them both. This book isn't chick lit, in my opinion. It was a waste of my time, however.



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Review: Home Safe

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Wow. I had no idea that Elizabeth Berg could write a book I would dislike this much. I forced myself to read a third of the book, convincing myself it would get better. It did not. Helen is so needy and self-absorbed that I wouldn't be able to tolerate her as a real person. Everything was so drawn out and tedious that it was all I could do to not flip the book, skimming paragraphs here and there.

I'm an Elizabeth Berg fan and I hated this book.



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Review: Toxin

Toxin by Robin Cook

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



This was not a medical thriller. Instead, it was a commentary on the USDA that involved an angry, violent, out of control and unlikeable surgeon. I simply quit reading when Dr. Reggis stormed into the meat processing plant. I'm a reader who, in real life, has enough concerns about the meat industry to buy locally raised, locally butchered meat from people I know. Even with that ideological slant in Cook's direction I was not able to finish this book. Usually when I give up on a book I will skip ahead and read the last chapter just to find out how it ended...not this book, though. I disliked this book so much that I have no curiosity about the end. I am just assuming the end would be as annoying as the beginning and middle and wrote it off.



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Review: Airman

Airman by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I enjoy most Eoin Colfer works and thought this would be another great story. I really tried to like the book, especially because it had a sense of steampunk and ballooning in it, but gave up at the halfway point. I simply couldn't make myself read further and I'm not sure why. I simply couldn't get engaged in the story, perhaps.



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Review: Midnight Angels: A Novel

Midnight Angels: A Novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I had high expectations of this book. It sounded like it might be the art history version of Indiana Jones or The Librarian...but it wasn't. Implausible situations, unlikeable characters, unrealistic reactions to situations...and bad guys that simply can't understand the concept of 'kill the targets instead of chatting with them.' I tried to like this book but finally gave up and quit reading it after Edwards and Raven had a completely ludicrous conversation where they talked about killing each other but walked away instead.



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Review: The Folk Remedy Encyclopedia: Olive Oil, Vinegar, Honey and 1,001 Other Home Remedies

The Folk Remedy Encyclopedia: Olive Oil, Vinegar, Honey and 1,001 Other Home Remedies by FC&A Medical Publishing

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I had expected information on herbal treatments, poultices, uses for honey, etc. Instead, the book is focused on 20-30 health issues (ranging from dementia to constipation) and ways to treat them. 90% of the treatments amount to exercise, eat right and take vitamins.



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Review: The Trickster

The Trickster by Muriel Gray

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I tried to like this book but eventually I couldn't even stand to read it. When I reached the halfway point and still hadn't been scared or thrilled (or even interested) by the book, I quit. I read the last few pages to see if it ended predictably...and it did.

The most interesting character was the truck driver frozen in his truck. Unfortunately, he was killed off rather quickly.



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Review: Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I really enjoy Maguire's work. This book, however, did feel like a Maguire to me. I started this book several times and never made it through more than two chapters in a sitting. I wasn't drawn into the story and the characters simply didn't interest me. I finally realized I wasn't going to like it and gave up. I'll read more of his writing and hope to find something as enjoyable as Wicked or Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.



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