When I went through NetGalley and I saw this book it instantly pulled my curiosity so when I was approved for the advanced reader's cPromising Yet Odd
When I went through NetGalley and I saw this book it instantly pulled my curiosity so when I was approved for the advanced reader's copy of this book I was thrilled. While it had major promise for me it fell a little flat. Mother and daughter, Cassie, and Alex respectively, took part in a scientific memory transfer with Alex being the recipient of her mother’s memories. The memory that was transferred involved Cassie’s life when she was the same age as Alex presently, 21. This was also the time period in which Cassie was pregnant with Alex. At first, Alex thinks this is her mother's way of making a quick buck, but when the memory transfer begins to work and Alex gets bits and pieces of the memories, she has always been curious about them set off on an adventure. As they continue their journey and the memories continue to pass from mother to daughter you as a reader get this underlining fear that creeps in because you do not know what to believe who is telling the truth and who is not. I am hoping that this book is part of a series because with the way that this ended, I am for sure in need of knowing what happens next.
Merged review:
Promising Yet Odd
When I went through NetGalley and I saw this book it instantly pulled my curiosity so when I was approved for the advanced reader's copy of this book I was thrilled. While it had major promise for me it fell a little flat. Mother and daughter, Cassie, and Alex respectively, took part in a scientific memory transfer with Alex being the recipient of her mother’s memories. The memory that was transferred involved Cassie’s life when she was the same age as Alex presently, 21. This was also the time period in which Cassie was pregnant with Alex. At first, Alex thinks this is her mother's way of making a quick buck, but when the memory transfer begins to work and Alex gets bits and pieces of the memories, she has always been curious about them set off on an adventure. As they continue their journey and the memories continue to pass from mother to daughter you as a reader get this underlining fear that creeps in because you do not know what to believe who is telling the truth and who is not. I am hoping that this book is part of a series because with the way that this ended, I am for sure in need of knowing what happens next....more
I was eagerly anticipating reading The Midnight Library, so I decided to start with this book first. However, I'm really hoping it's better because thI was eagerly anticipating reading The Midnight Library, so I decided to start with this book first. However, I'm really hoping it's better because this one left me feeling disappointed. How can a 500-year-old individual, who has had experiences with Shakespeare and Captain Cook, be so uninteresting? The premise of people aging slower, roughly 15 years to every one year for normies, intrigued me, and this story revolves around Tom, one such extraordinary individual. Despite such a promising setup and a relatively realistic journey through time, reading this book felt like an excruciating task.
Let's begin with the positives: the book provided a fascinating glimpse into various eras as the narrative hopped through different times. The writing style had its moments of philosophical depth, although it might have been a bit excessive for my taste. If you enjoy a book that dances around the concept and implications of extended life, this might appeal to you.
Now, let's explore the negatives: the conversations between characters lacked authenticity, feeling stilted and devoid of a natural flow. The biggest issue lies with Tom and the overall story; both turned out to be rather mundane. Perhaps the intention was to portray Tom as an ordinary individual, but this approach drained much of the story's excitement. Most of Tom's narrative seemed to dwell on the downsides of his long life, making it obvious that he hasn't truly been living since the tragedies of his youth. Unfortunately, this drained the vibrancy from much of the tale. Additionally, the big climax left me scratching my head; parts of it were apparent, yet it didn't fit well, and it failed to capture my interest. Furthermore, there was a lack of focus on romantic elements, leaving any chemistry to happen off the page, which made the ending triumph feel rather underwhelming.
Overall, I struggled to get through this book. It was decent, but the disappointment was significant. I believe some of this disappointment was intentional, perhaps to force introspection on what makes living worthwhile and to address themes of grief and living on in memory. Nonetheless, the book came across as somewhat lackluster. ...more
This was a late addition to my NetGalley request. When I read the synopsis, I was intrigued enough to want to see how this story will develop. I love This was a late addition to my NetGalley request. When I read the synopsis, I was intrigued enough to want to see how this story will develop. I love a good mystery. That said, don't expect a typical mystery or thriller; this one dances to the beat of its own drum. The story takes place in the not-too-far distant future. Characters wear arm-wrapping "sheaths" that, I suppose, replace the cell phones, GPS trackers, and such that we know and love; SocialHub has replaced Facebook, Instagram and all the other popular online gathering places we know and the COVID-19 pandemic is a thing of the past. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are explored well in this novel and at times it left me intrigued and at times I was confused. the story surrounds a mid-twenties woman named Linda, although it's not her real name. She's better known as Clone Girl - a child created by a mother who lost her beloved daughter years earlier and ever since has been trying to create an exact replacement. For a dozen years, Linda lived in secret, held behind walls at a remote Washington location, and for the most part left to forage for herself. One day, something bad happens and she runs away - managing to scale the wall and escape. Suddenly, she's in a whole new world - one filled with people who may or may not have her best interests at heart. She tries to live in seclusion, but keeping her location secret is difficult in this time of enhanced social media.
Then, Linda gets an unwanted knock on her door by a rather kooky-looking young woman named Anvi and her dog Nibbler. Her neibor in the new apartment building she is living in Even though Anvi doesn't seem to have an ulterior motive, Linda is reluctant to strike up any kind of friendship because she trusts no one and doesn’t know the first thing about being a friend. This was a bit of a departure for me because I have a hard time finding my footing with science fiction novels and even though I am new to the genre I found this well written and easy to follow which I was grateful for.
Where the novel falls slightly short for me and why it is getting a three-star review from me is because I had a very hard time connecting with Linda as a character. I was able to follow the tech-talk in the book I wanted to know the mystery behind the “Clone Girl” but I could not get myself to like Linda. I would be interested to see what comes next if this will be a series or if the writer will create a new magical story for us to unfold.
Female submission by sadistic, narcissistic males. Doesn’t sound very original? Well think again. This story is that, yes, but it’s also so much more.Female submission by sadistic, narcissistic males. Doesn’t sound very original? Well think again. This story is that, yes, but it’s also so much more. I’m not sure if it’s considered YA but it seems much too dark for that qualification in my opinion. What I love is that the witches in this book are real! Finally, a story about truly creepy, powerful, shaking in your shoe’s witches! Lately any title with the word “witch” ends up being ok. I did Finish the second book in the A Discovery of Witches series but, that’s more time travel and magical. This is more a chill you to the bones kind of read. The Year of the Witching is set in a fictional puritanical society similar to that of Salem, where women are persecuted for witchcraft and other crimes that the men of cloth get away with scot-free. Bethel is a society based in hypocrisy and its history is riddled with untruths. I appreciated how Alexis Anderson told a feminist story in which the main character, Immanuelle, is a strong female who is dedicated to changing Bethel for the better by protecting the vulnerable and punishing those who abuse their power behind the Church.
There were some positively spooky scenes set in the Darkwood and the witches were both frightening and captivating. Yet, towards the middle of the book, the story began to slow for me a bit. For one, I wanted more interactions with the witches and more magic. I felt the story stalled a bit until we reached the climax. I also felt the relationship between Ezra and Immanuelle was more of a friendship and I could never buy their romance. Their relationship needed to be more developed and I would have loved to delve more into the relationship between Vera and Immanuelle as well. Overall, this was a good debut, there were just certain elements I wanted more of that I hope to get more of in a second book maybe? ...more
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