#but i found her presence in the story to be weird and underdeveloped. she felt out of place and her introduction felt clumsy

[gobstoppr]

and btw im in my hater arc rn. as time goes on the more i find a lot of 'fandom' stuff insufferable (i like art n stuff. just the way that fandom refits every media to fit a single mold and set of boring archetypes is exhausting.)

i just get really easily annoyed lately. and have been unfollowing people on a whim a lot. its not personal i promise

[kittypryde-queerpride]

Desire and Decorum

 Main Character: 6/10

I think MC in Book 1 was fleshed out, had a backstory that mattered, and had personality- this all fell away as the series progressed. Let me explain: She had her own interests that were shown; like her being good at sewing due to her mother’s work and felt casual with the servants within the home due to her humble upbringings. Her family was important to her; her father and mother were important plot points and driving forces throughout the entire book. She also struggled to fit in at court and had significant problems adjusting to her new way of life.  Then, as the novel progressed, she simply became a lady of court: she fit in perfectly without us (for the most part) choosing diamond options for her and her family was only mentioned briefly for emotionless scenes that often cost diamonds to get. It had so much potential, and I was unbelievably disappointed as her entire character boiled down to following the plot and being mildly stressed with everyone around her.

Love Interests: 4/10

Ernest Sinclaire: One of the only Lis in this book with a unique voice and it was all lost in Book 2. His troubles were fairly prominent and consistent throughout the book, which I appreciated. He made a good friend or love interest, whichever one you pursued, and I appreciated his presence. I wish he kept his same intensity and withdrawn nature from Book 1, because he seemed to lose it quickly as the books went on and I lost interest.

Annabelle Parsons: Super pretty, super cool! I felt like a better person every time I spoke with her. It was interesting to have her as an ally with other women, but I didn’t feel like her storylines were ever fleshed out- we could marry her without backlash or consequence from her father and society. Once married, there was no storyline or conflict left with her. Disappointing.

Prince Hamid: Fantastic first impression! I felt like we saw him pretty rarely, though, and he didn’t really stand out for the rest of the books. I did like his story line of deciding whether or not to come home and dealing with his family and responsibility vs. following his dreams, but it was never really fleshed out without diamond options.

Luke Harper: Does anyone else ever not like an LI but then get mad when someone else tries to date them? (That’s an @ for Miss Cordelia, btw.) I thought of him as a good friend, not a love interest. His rise to success is awesome and well deserved, of course! I appreciated all the chances to hang with horses when I spoke with him.

Here’s the thing: I don’t have a lot to say about any of these LIs because they focused so hard on making them polite and speak similarly that they never really had unique voices. I wasn’t able to effectively differentiate, they all were just fish-out-of-water types like me and were dealing with their tragic pasts. They’re nice, sure, and I liked how protective and ride or die they were for MC, but they really did not stand out.

 Villain(s): 4/10

Henrietta Foredale: Sometimes, bad guys are just bad to be bad, and we love them for it. This villain told us exactly what she wanted from the moment we met her and played no games. It was fantastic. She was like a really elegant chess master. That’s all there was to it, and that’s okay! Getting to be her ally for a while was really cool as well, and I thought it was a ton of fun to slowly reach an understanding with her!

Harry Foredale: I actually enjoyed him? Which surprised me. The option to recruit him as a stronger ally and develop the sibling relationship despite him still being against MC was very fun. I wish we had been able to confront him about hating us sooner, but I think the ultimate conclusion was fairly satisfying. Him being just as trapped in the situation as MC was also pretty compelling.

Gideon Payne: Really underdeveloped and confusing. Why was he briefly French and mustached? I could not tell you. No real stakes or understanding of his character or backstory without diamonds, and just a weird last-ditch addition to the last stretch of the books.

Felicity Holloway: Catty and fun! Completely undeveloped, though- could have been a really good enemies-to-friends situation. Would’ve liked to become her ally. She kept showing up but having no impact after Book 1 and I just found it confusing.

Percival Richards: I hated him. He was very sexist and misogynistic, and you know what? The rape-y undertones and constant harassment are not things I want to deal with in these books. They’re meant to be escapism. I understand it’s good for drama and continued storylines, but the moment we were forcibly engaged I lost a lot of interest in the series- it was just awful, to be honest.

Way too many players and not enough character writing or development. Steady progression downhill after Book 1, with the exception of Henrietta. Not much else to say. Undeveloped is the key word here.

 Dynamics: 6/10

They started really strong and then squandered the writing, in my opinion. The MC’s ability to gain support from Miss Sutton and Mr. Marlcaster fell apart as the books went on and those relationships became significantly less prominent- which was a shame, since I thought they were really strong! The LIs became increasingly bland and blended together, and the side characters like Miss Daly and the Dowager Countess became gimmick-y and exceedingly dull. There were shining moments in Book 1, however, that really carried it through- the MC and her father, her and her friends, that brief moment in Book 2 where she visits her old village and wonders which world she really fits into now that she’s changed so much? All very good.

 Plot: 3/10

Oh my god. Oh My God! OH MY GOD!!! What on earth even was this plot past Book 1! The writing was tight and had a clear plot, then suddenly we’re replaying the same beats, same villains, random storylines? So much in this book felt like it lacked purpose and direction, and there were so many filler chapters. Book 2 hurt my soul to read, and Book 3 was a challenge to read even for diamonds. At least those books had highlights and a lot of redeemable qualities- the winter special made my brain feel like quicksand. (It’s important to note that the books weren’t awful and I really admire PB writers for trying to jump into this time period! All the drama was fairly fun and conflicts were interesting!)

 Total Score: 23/50

Fun at first, but dear God how it drags on.

[kbrown78]

Monthly Wrap Up: September

Looking back, September wasn't a great month. Granted I did read 9 books and 3 of those books were over 500 pages, but most of these books I didn't enjoy. There were a couple highlights and two of the books that I did read were non fiction, both I thought were fairly good. I will also say real quick that I tried to start the last book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, but I gave up on it because it was the exact same story I had to endure in the second book and I wasn't going to deal with 800 pages of that.

The Defiant Heir by Melisa Caruso: This is the second book in the Swords an Fire trilogy, and I thought it was even better than the first, and I gave the first one 5 stars. First it does build off of what was established in the previous book, with the worlds and the characters. The main conflict is Amalia trying to prevent an internal war while also trying to solve what happened to the missing Falcons. This series is exactly what I want to read, with an amazing intellectual character who knows how to use her smarts to achieve her goals and is someone who tries to do right thing. The relationships are all astounding, female friendships in particular, and I like that Amalia's mother is an active presence who cares about her daughter but lets her do her own thing. The romance is great too, despite the fact that there is a love triangle. The villain is despicably evil, but he's not mustache twirling and while he did have a sad past, that fact isn't even remotely treated as an excuse for his horrible actions. The plot keeps me invested and keeps adding new twists that add to the story. The world is fantastic, with each location feeling well developed and distinct from each other. Seriously the only complaint I have about this series is that it isn't longer. The Defiant Heir received 5 out 5 stars.

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore: This book was such a disappointment. When I first read the Graceling trilogy, I hated the other two books, and I think that clouded my judgement and made me rate Bitterblue much higher. I do ultimately think Bitterblue is the best book in the series, but after rereading it I realize that it's not nearly as good as I originally thought it was. It's going to be hard to do this review without giving away spoilers, but I'll try. A brief synopsis is that Queen Bitterblue is working to help her kingdom recover and there are those that are trying to stop her. So Bitterblue makes an effort to be a good ruler and do the right thing in difficult situations. She's also book smart, which I usually like that type of character, but she did some really stupid things and was also quite bratty at times. There are two potential love interests, and I didn't really like either of them. One was just brooding, which I never like in a love interest, the other one was a bit boring. The weakest aspect of this book is definitely the plot. There's a sub plot about rebellion in the other kingdoms, but it was pretty irrelevant to the overall plot, and I just wasn't interested in any of the characters involved. This is the part where it's impossible to talk about the book with out spoilers, but I will say this. The struggle's that the kingdom is facing were well written and did a good job of exploring various themes of ruling and recovery. However, the big plot twist at the end that helps resolve their issues is so unrealistic that it causes the entire story to just collapse. The best aspects of this book were some of the themes explored and the art work because there are some beautiful interior designs. I would still say this book is the best out of the three, but looking back it isn't nearly as good as I remember it (although I do in part blame the reading slump I was in after finishing Defiant Heir, but only partly). Bitterblue received 2 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar promt “book with your favorite color in the title”.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence: I went into this book with high expectations, and while it did live up to a few, it also disappointed me. The basic summary is this girl gets taken in by a convent of assassin nuns, where she spends her years training. Sounds like a pretty cool synopsis, but every time I hope a book is going to be similar to Harry Potter, with the schooling, it never lives up to that expectation. First I liked the protagonist, Nona. It was nice to have a female character who was a badass fighter, but she wasn't cold. She cares deeply about her friends and friendship and protecting those she cares about are important to her. That's not a type of character I see often. With that established, I do think some of the friendships were well done, like Hessa's, Arabella's and Clera's, because of how much they differ but at the same time feeling like it wasn't forced. Some of the nuns were interesting, but they didn't quite feel fully fleshed out, and one nun I hated because of how mean she was and I'm sick of seeing that kind of adult in fiction. The world building was so weird, and I honestly didn't like it because it felt very underdeveloped and made little sense. The story is Nona's story, but there times when I felt like it didn't focus on her and those were usually my least favorite parts because I was just invested in Nona, not in anything that was happening in the outside world or with any other character. Because of that there were some parts I honestly just skimmed through. I mentioned the Harry Potter thing, and what I meant by that is Nona has classes that she needs to take, and while they are mentioned, I didn't get much of sense of her learning. It was more like she suddenly had these skills, which I blame on both the lack of detail on what she did learn, and the poor pacing of this story, with those parts just being rushed through at a rate I couldn't even discern. So while I liked parts of the story, I definitely didn't love it was much as I thought I would and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with rest of the series. Red Sister received 3 out 5 stars from me.  

The Silk Roads: A New  History of World by Peter Frankopan: I was originally going to be reading this book over the entire year, but I decided to just finish it up as some as possible. I didn't tag this book and I won't be doing a full review of it because it is historical nonfiction. Now the premise of the book intrigued me, exploring world history through the Silk Road, and I also though the cover was pretty. The first half of the book really intrigued because I like learning about ancient history, and it was very detailed and I was fascinated by what I was learning. My impression, however, had been that this book would primarily focus on ancient times, but this was not the case. I could have done with history that was all pre-1700s, but the last third of the book focused on history from the 1800s to modern times, and while I tried to pay attention because there was a lot that was relevant to today's world, I just couldn't focus as much as I had in the previous sections. That's not to say it wasn't as well written or well researched as the previous parts, I just wasn't interested anymore. So this book received 3.5 out 5 stars,  but that's only because it's a case of “it's not you, it's me,” and I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves history.  

You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero: This was the other nonfiction I read this month, and this was just a real quick self help book. I do think overall it did a good job at identifying ways to improve but I do admit I started skimming through the extra text just to get to the bullet points. So helpful but maybe not presented in the most efficient way. You Are A Badass received 3 out 5 stars.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins: Oh man, I was looking forward to this book, but it epicly failed. I read a sample of it and was really intrigued. It felt very mysterious, I didn't know exactly what was going on and I got the distinct impression that these characters weren't entirely human. Then I read the rest of the book and I didn't connect with any of the characters, I found the writing style to be increasing irritating, the story made no sense to me because I didn't understand what was happening and I didn't understand the sense of urgency, and I got increasingly sexist vibes from the story. All I can make sense of is that “Father” was gone missing from the Library and there's a lot of death and resurrection. I can't do a full review of this story because I DNFed it 50% through, I just couldn't take it anymore. I initially chose this one as my pick for the PopSugar promt “book set in a library”  and needless to say this book received 1 out 5 stars because I couldn't even force myself to finish it.  

Circle of Magic: Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce: I hoped that I would enjoy this one. I've been looking forward to reading it for awhile. But lately I've really been struggling with YA, and even for a YA book I found this one to be bad. First, there's no plot. Literaly two major events happen in the book and that's it everything else was filler. What I remember of almost all my favorite reads as a child (with the exception being East) is that they got into the action and the plot fast, so I can definitely say that even as child I wouldn't have liked this book. I thought all the characters were pretty flat. I wasn't expecting to get everyone's perspective, I thought there would just be Sandry's perspective, since the book is literally called “Sandy's Book,” and I don't think adding in the extra perspectives helped the story in any way. I also got the impression that the children were acting overly immature but also the audience was expected to be immature. There was one scene where three of the character don't know what the word “kid” means, and it really irritated me. I won't be doing a full review for this one too, because I did tag it, but I didn't take any notes because of how overly simple this story was. I have the next 3 books and maybe they'll get better, but I'm in no rush. Sandry's Book received 1.5 out 5 stars.  

The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: So I mentioned in the previous entry that I have been struggling with YA, particularly YA fantasy. This book, thank goodness, is a very pleasant exception to that. I really liked reading this book the first time through, and second read through, while there were a few things I disliked, I actually enjoyed the story even more. It's always pitched as Hades/ Persphone with Indian folklore, and both parts are so well done. I loved the romance, I loved the story, I loved the characters (most of them). The writing style is gorgeous, it's so flowery and atmospheric. I could see the vivid colors, I could taste the jewel fruit. I love Chokshi's books, and I cannot wait to get to her short stories that are set in the same world. Star Touched Queen received 5 out 5 stars.  

Sabriel by Garth Nix: And so we return to the YA slump. I shouldn't be too hard on this book though. There were some very interesting aspects of it, and the first half of the book was good. Sabriel was competent character who was trained to deal with death, and Mogget was this eerie figure that I kind of liked but was also kid of afraid of. I loved the focus on death, and how death is it's own world. The magic system was really cool to, with different marks and the bells. I thought the pacing of the first half was decent too, fast but not rushed. Things took a turn, however, when the love interest was introduced. It was so obvious this guy was the love interest, and the relationship felt so forced and there was insta-love, which I hate. After Touchstone was introduced, the pacing was so much more rushed, there was a lot of telling instead of showing, and there was also quite a bit Deus Ex Machina. Things really fell apart in the second half, and it turns out this was because the first book was going to be treated more as a prequel instead of a first book. Sabriel received 3 out 5 stars.

[furederiko]

We'll be heralding the arrival of the Space Rebellions tomorrow morning. But before we do that, here's a quick review of Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger as whole...

Yeah, this was supposed to go up not long after the final episode's weekly review, but well... I got a little sidetracked by my health *sigh*. It's basically under the weather (which has been unexplainably REALLY cold recently), that's why it took me a while to finish one. Don't worry though, because this post will be brief. Okay it's not.... Ahahaha. XD

Let's just get one thing out of the way: Zyuohger is just another good example, of the flaws of a long running show. The downside of having a whole-year worth of air time. The need to explore stories in around 50 episodes is indeed a challenge on its own. And frankly, I don't think the writers of this show succeeded in their task. There were great stories that focused on wonderful morale messages, but there were also episodes that felt like merely repeating the annual tropes, and even went below average standards. To put it simple, it's an uneven show. The beginning of the episode wasn't as memorable and a little on-the-nose. Which was the reason why I only gave it a 7,2. That's a stark difference to the 8,4 score of the finale. But the contrast also proved something! The show gradually built itself to become something interesting. Offering a vast amount of potentials, especially due to the cultural, and racial differences of its members. The main reason why I've decided to continue watching, despite my initial reluctance.

It's quite unfortunate, that this positive progression began to falter again halfway through. I believe this show lost its momentum when the writers decided to axe Bunglay, who was easily the most interesting and challenging antagonist the show had. If it's up to me, I think this character should've stayed to the end. I've said that I appreciate the surprise they wrote to Dethgaliens Master Genis in the end, but in many ways, Bunglay was indeed a much worthy and better 'scumbag' than Genis to be called a final boss. His obsession to Yamato Kazakiri would've worked better to explore our Red's damaged relationship with his father. Not to mention, his quest for Cube Whale, could've been linked nicely to the reveal of Immortal Azald. Instead, the show ditched him, and went even south when they gave Kubar a demise that was too early and underwhelming. Yes, the cunning and treachearous antagonist who initially rose up to be an excellent replacement to Bunglay. A villain that hid his own agenda, and never hesitated to use sleazy tricks to meet his goal, wo went off in a very unceremonious way. Thus all the build-ups, those numerous episodes spent to explore him, suddenly became pointless. No matter how praiseworthy her devotion for Genis, Naria suffered from weak writing as well. She's a character who showed promise, the potential to be deliver the 'surprise' that audience needed. But the show just treated her poorly and made her a one dimensional blank character instead. As for why Genis failed as a strong big boss? That's due to the show's habit to tell, and not show. Many times we only heard how scary Genis was, particularly from the Team Players. But it wasn't until the finale that we saw first hand how evil he could be. Something that should've been done much early on, and even better, throughout the whole run. Yeah, I get that everything was meant to lead to that big surprise in the end. But at least, audience needed actual proof that he's a sinister being instead of the overly optimistic boss depicted all the time.

The core storyline about connection between people, particularly those who are different, was admirable. It touched upon issues of discrimination, equality, and many sensitive ones that resonated strongly to the real life current condition of the world. I also appreciated how pieces of the puzzle that were seeded from very early on, became connected, and (mostly) paid off in the third arc. Problem is, even if it's a strong and delicate one, this main plot was considerably thin. And worse, the show loved to drag audience from one plot point to another, without utilizing it to explore minor subplots. The result? The Zyumans practically didn't have any significant character developments. At least, not that I could remember. This mirrored the similar negative trait of "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger", because the writings never fully explored these character's potentials. Which was too bad, since each one of them were completely different races that easily shouted 'blank canvas'. Each species could've played out more distinctly with one another, and that weren't even touched. In general, their presence felt like nothing but supporting characters for Yamato, because from start to finish, they remained who they were. And speaking of Yamato, while he did have one, it was somewhat rushed as the show's approaching the end game. A fact that annoyed me, because of how ill-timed it was. The only one who had clear character growth, was none other than Misao Mondo. This additional character grew from an awkward and meek guy, to a more confident, mature, and stronger in the end. Even moreso than Yamato, and he's not even the core cast!

This was quite disappointing, because if there's one thing that the season definitely shine, it's in the cast. Eventhough they were NOT perfect, everyone's easily likeable. Despite his 'blandness', Yamato was one of the better Reds we have in the recent years. Sure, many people were calling him the 'Jesus of the Group'. But when compared to the lousy and gratingly annoying Takaharu of previous season, the mature and nurturing Yamato obviously came on top. The other members in Ninninger were better than its Red, but I'd gladly choose the other Zyuohgers in their place. Amu was a character with the strongest and most interesting personality. Her presence was important because she's crucial to drive Yamato's plot. With that reason, I think she was the best character we got in the show. Even when he seemed standoff-ish, Tusk was the likeable smart one. His story with Misao was a great touch, and a pairing I didn't expect would be a gem. Sela was the tough girl of the group, but she's also the one who was sensitive and caring. If there's one member that I found to be annoying, it's Leo. But even I have to admit that he used to be my favorite character early on. Right until the writers dumped some bad traits on him. Seriously, he morphed from super fun, to super annoying, so it was nice that he got a little redemption near the end. These characters were not only easy on the eyes, they were fun to be with. That includes Yamato's uncle Mario Mori, Bard who became the seventh member albeit too briefly, and also the wise gorilla zyuman Larry. All three who were severely underused. My point is, what a waste of potentials indeed.

In general, it became obvious and clear that the show just didn't reach nor exercise its full potential. This somehow felt like a deliberate decision from the writers too, as many of the episodes felt more like... intended fillers. It's a good proof that the number of episodes was simply too long for the core plot. I honestly can't help but wonder, if this show would've been much stronger as a 25 episodes series? I mean, this flaw was even more apparent during the third arc. Aside from Yamato, whose substory came out way too late, the show suddenly pushed aside other character's development and focused more on action, and became a by-the-number trope showcase. If it's up to me, the whole plot from episode 1-48 that involved Genis would've been concised into the first half, while the second half would fully focus on repairing the rift between Earth and Zyuland. Dealing with discrimination and injustice that's happening in both world, while introducing a whole new enemy. A stronger and more powerful threat that threatened both worlds!

Of course, that doesn't mean that I dislike the ending that we got. I wouldn't give it a high score if I do, right? Yes, I know I did whine a lot during the final 5 episodes. But I don't regret that, because it made me appreciate the ending even more. Albeit somehow feeling like a cheat, it was still a brilliant conclusion. It caught me off guard, because I was completely ready to see a 'bad ending'. What kind? One that ended with goodbyes. Where the show's dream to create a unity between Earth and Zyuland, remained just the way it was. A dream. That the 'happy' ending would still be miles away from happening, since our heroes never actually accomplished this goal. Thankfully, we all know that's not the case, as we get a truly sweet, joyful, and satisfying closure instead. In fact, I personally think that the epilogue accomplished much more than what the entire 3rd arc offered! For real.

In the end, despite leaning to 'good', my response to Zyuohger is mixed at best. There's a massive potential and promise the show could've explored, but opted not to. The show is plagued by occasional weak writing, weird decisions, and more importantly, bad timings. There's a shadow of a much better and stronger show that could've been, but in the end, that's not the case. Not saying that it's a bad season, because many times it was plain fun and entertaining. Particularly that 2-episodes crossover with "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger" that helped established both teams to exist in the same continuity. Zyuohger just didn't feel as 'complete' as it could've been, unlike several previous seasons that managed to successfully nailed their story elements with wonders. Interestingly, at the same time, thanks to being somewhat underdeveloped, I certainly want to see these guys again. You know why? Because the way the show ended just opened up an entire possibility for a whole new season! Where humans and zyumans struggle to coexist in the same universe. One which unfortunately, we won't be seeing. At least not until these character 'return'...

Yep, of course we haven't seen the last of this team. Customary to their tradition, TOEI has already announced a special V-Cinema that will be released on June 28. Jugding from the official plot of "Kaettekita Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger O-inochi Choudai! Chikyuu Ouja Ketteisen", I'm crossing my fingers that this IS the continuity I want to see. The show wasted the chance to explore the barriers between different races, and moreso, skipped the actual daily lives of the four Zyuman Zyuohgers in Zyuland with their family. So I hope this special sequel will deal with that unused plot. It won't be their Swan Song though. Some, if not all members would undoubtedly participate in the upcoming "Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Chou Super Hero Taisen" movie. And just like last month, they most definitely will have a crossover movie too early next year. That Versus movie will be their final official (as in, not in guest-star capacity) foray in the Super Sentai franchise. And it might be an interesting one, since the next season takes place in a distant future. That's like, a completely different world and timeline, right? Here's hoping that means we'll be getting bigger and better adventures for the Zyuohgers soon!

Overall Score: 7,84 out of 10 NOTE: Overall score was accumulated from my Weekly Review scores. You can view a graph of those reviews to find out which episodes were the highlights and also the series lows.

[kittypryde-bipride]

Desire and Decorum

 Main Character: 6/10

I think MC in Book 1 was fleshed out, had a backstory that mattered, and had personality- this all fell away as the series progressed. Let me explain: She had her own interests that were shown; like her being good at sewing due to her mother’s work and felt casual with the servants within the home due to her humble upbringings. Her family was important to her; her father and mother were important plot points and driving forces throughout the entire book. She also struggled to fit in at court and had significant problems adjusting to her new way of life.  Then, as the novel progressed, she simply became a lady of court: she fit in perfectly without us (for the most part) choosing diamond options for her and her family was only mentioned briefly for emotionless scenes that often cost diamonds to get. It had so much potential, and I was unbelievably disappointed as her entire character boiled down to following the plot and being mildly stressed with everyone around her.

Love Interests: 4/10

Ernest Sinclaire: One of the only Lis in this book with a unique voice and it was all lost in Book 2. His troubles were fairly prominent and consistent throughout the book, which I appreciated. He made a good friend or love interest, whichever one you pursued, and I appreciated his presence. I wish he kept his same intensity and withdrawn nature from Book 1, because he seemed to lose it quickly as the books went on and I lost interest.

Annabelle Parsons: Super pretty, super cool! I felt like a better person every time I spoke with her. It was interesting to have her as an ally with other women, but I didn’t feel like her storylines were ever fleshed out- we could marry her without backlash or consequence from her father and society. Once married, there was no storyline or conflict left with her. Disappointing.

Prince Hamid: Fantastic first impression! I felt like we saw him pretty rarely, though, and he didn’t really stand out for the rest of the books. I did like his story line of deciding whether or not to come home and dealing with his family and responsibility vs. following his dreams, but it was never really fleshed out without diamond options.

Luke Harper: Does anyone else ever not like an LI but then get mad when someone else tries to date them? (That’s an @ for Miss Cordelia, btw.) I thought of him as a good friend, not a love interest. His rise to success is awesome and well deserved, of course! I appreciated all the chances to hang with horses when I spoke with him.

Here’s the thing: I don’t have a lot to say about any of these LIs because they focused so hard on making them polite and speak similarly that they never really had unique voices. I wasn’t able to effectively differentiate, they all were just fish-out-of-water types like me and were dealing with their tragic pasts. They’re nice, sure, and I liked how protective and ride or die they were for MC, but they really did not stand out.

 Villain(s): 4/10

Henrietta Foredale: Sometimes, bad guys are just bad to be bad, and we love them for it. This villain told us exactly what she wanted from the moment we met her and played no games. It was fantastic. She was like a really elegant chess master. That’s all there was to it, and that’s okay! Getting to be her ally for a while was really cool as well, and I thought it was a ton of fun to slowly reach an understanding with her!

Harry Foredale: I actually enjoyed him? Which surprised me. The option to recruit him as a stronger ally and develop the sibling relationship despite him still being against MC was very fun. I wish we had been able to confront him about hating us sooner, but I think the ultimate conclusion was fairly satisfying. Him being just as trapped in the situation as MC was also pretty compelling.

Gideon Payne: Really underdeveloped and confusing. Why was he briefly French and mustached? I could not tell you. No real stakes or understanding of his character or backstory without diamonds, and just a weird last-ditch addition to the last stretch of the books.

Felicity Holloway: Catty and fun! Completely undeveloped, though- could have been a really good enemies-to-friends situation. Would’ve liked to become her ally. She kept showing up but having no impact after Book 1 and I just found it confusing.

Percival Richards: I hated him. He was very sexist and misogynistic, and you know what? The rape-y undertones and constant harassment are not things I want to deal with in these books. They’re meant to be escapism. I understand it’s good for drama and continued storylines, but the moment we were forcibly engaged I lost a lot of interest in the series- it was just awful, to be honest.

Way too many players and not enough character writing or development. Steady progression downhill after Book 1, with the exception of Henrietta. Not much else to say. Undeveloped is the key word here.

 Dynamics: 6/10

They started really strong and then squandered the writing, in my opinion. The MC’s ability to gain support from Miss Sutton and Mr. Marlcaster fell apart as the books went on and those relationships became significantly less prominent- which was a shame, since I thought they were really strong! The LIs became increasingly bland and blended together, and the side characters like Miss Daly and the Dowager Countess became gimmick-y and exceedingly dull. There were shining moments in Book 1, however, that really carried it through- the MC and her father, her and her friends, that brief moment in Book 2 where she visits her old village and wonders which world she really fits into now that she’s changed so much? All very good.

 Plot: 3/10

Oh my god. Oh My God! OH MY GOD!!! What on earth even was this plot past Book 1! The writing was tight and had a clear plot, then suddenly we’re replaying the same beats, same villains, random storylines? So much in this book felt like it lacked purpose and direction, and there were so many filler chapters. Book 2 hurt my soul to read, and Book 3 was a challenge to read even for diamonds. At least those books had highlights and a lot of redeemable qualities- the winter special made my brain feel like quicksand. (It’s important to note that the books weren’t awful and I really admire PB writers for trying to jump into this time period! All the drama was fairly fun and conflicts were interesting!)

 Total Score: 23/50

Fun at first, but dear God how it drags on.

[graceivers]

Review #28 - Neanderthal Seeks Human

Neanderthal Seeks Human Author: Penny Reid Genre: Billionaires & CEOs, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Workplace Romance Rating: ★★★½ Recommendation: it’s a toss-up; once was enough Summary: Janie Morris seemingly just wants job security and some stability in her social life to avoid her reclusive tendencies. Quinn Sullivan apparently gives her all of those things.

Female Lead: Ugh, Janie Morris. This woman… I mean, on one hand, she’s obviously very smart and independent and is pretty good at keeping her priorities straight. On the other hand, I want to shake this girl at her sheer stupidity sometimes. How can someone who graduated summa cum laude with a double major be so oblivious? How can someone who grew up in abnormal circumstances in regards to her family seem so naive? Some of her insecurities and fears, yeah, I get and understand where they come from. My problem was that Reid ended up making Janie the ‘meek and insecure when actually hot and independent’ type of girl.

And then, can we talk about this wholly and extensively unnecessary writing style that culminated in Janie’s point of view? I mean, Jesus, her thought process just went on and on and wouldn’t stop. There’s stream of consciousness and then there’s just doing too much. There was an overload of her thoughts, and given that the whole book except for the epilogue was written in Janie’s perspective, it got to a point where I didn’t know if I wanted to continue. Seriously, extended metaphors, analogies, unnecessary and lengthy descriptions everywhere! Half the time I felt like this style of writing and thought process made the character almost immature. Most of the time I was just plain annoyed. It was like Reid decided to write a really long book by way of making unnecessary descriptions and justifying this choice as being character revealing. No. It just dragged the book on and on and made me like Janie less, not because she has a unique voice but rather because she didn’t know when to stop and open her eyes and see—quite the contradiction for someone who refused to have a cellphone because she believed people lacked that quality.

But wait, there’s also the whole thing with this character about labels and definitions. I mean, okay, yes, sometimes labels makes things clearer, but this girl needs a freaking label for everything. Janie labels everyone without even knowing them. SHE JUDGES EVERYONE. There are some people who deserve it like her sister, Jem, but for her to box everyone into one of four quadrants so she feels safer and better about herself was quite frankly disappointing and distasteful. Yes, Janie is entitled to her opinion and perspective on people and life, but the way it was written it was as if Janie had everyone and everything all figured out. If you wanted me to root for this female protagonist, that is certainly not the way to do it. Male Lead: Quinn Sullivan? I still don’t know what to make of this guy. Honestly, I think he’s kind of underdeveloped and stale. I think Reid made him super hot in hopes that his physical appearance would overshadow his not so great qualities. He’s not a complete jerk, but he honestly isn’t all that better than Janie’s ex-boyfriend aside from the fact that he didn’t cheat on her. Were there some moments where he was flirty and sweet that I enjoyed? Yes. Were there also moments of Quinn Sullivan where I thought ‘dude, what game are you playing at?’ Yes.

I think what bothered me most was that Quinn was actually that billionaire/CEO character when I  had hoped (and believed) him to be someone/thing else. In that case, I can fully admit that I just wasn’t invested and into Quinn, and that’s my problem to deal with and not due to Reid’s writing or otherwise. In the beginning, I so fully wanted to get invested in this character and learn more about him and what makes him the person he is. But then when I got the answers, I felt unsatisfied. I just never got around to genuinely liking and caring for this character. I honestly do think a part of that is because through Janie’s POV (and ergo Reid’s writing), the swarm of unnecessary metaphors and descriptions and unique thought process hindered me from connecting with the character. Or, like I said before, maybe this dude just didn’t work for me, and I wasn’t blinded by his good looks to let him off the hook. Plot & Writing: Neanderthal Seeks Human took me way too long to finish, and at this point, I’ve come to the conclusion that that means something. For someone who is usually a quick reader, all I can surmise from all the books that take me way longer than necessary to read are two things: the book drags on and/or I’m not a fan but continue to read in hopes that it will get better, which it usually does not. This book is the epitome of both.

The main issue I had with it, again, was the writing style. I talked about it above, so I won’t go into too much more about that. I will emphasize that Janie’s perspective is certainly unique. It’s different, and perhaps that may be refreshing to read. However, it was not my cup of tea and unfortunately made the book all the more sluggish to complete when it felt like Reid looked for every flowery synonym and phrase possible to extend the length of her novel. I will also say that I think I saw a couple of typos…? Given that this wasn’t self-published or whatever and I read the free copy available on the iBooks store, uh, typos shouldn’t happen? Yeah.

I did feel that the relationship between Janie and Quinn progressed at a generally natural rate. I didn’t think it was rushed, especially considering Janie’s persistent reluctance to engage with Quinn before and even after she found out he was her boss. Did their relationship borderline on instalove? Maybe, but that was the least of my problems with the book, really. I mean, they got to know each other basically and kind of dated at which point their relationship progressed to a more physical level. That’s… pretty straightforward in terms of how people usually think of how relationships should be formed. I had less of an issue with the relationship as a whole and more of an issue with the way Janie ran from basically every slightly uncomfortable situation with Quinn but was willing to keep her ex-boyfriend in her life after he cheated on her with her sister. Yeah.

And finally, let’s discuss that end. I genuinely thought after finishing 80% of the book that it would just have some nice, unique, Janie-styled fairy tale ending and their relationship would progress to a solid point. But no! Reid decides to get strangely creative and throw in the most random conflict into the story at the end. I mean, were there hints of it peppered throughout the rest of the book? Yeah, sure, I’ll give her that. Was that climax surprising to me? Yes, it was. Did I enjoy it? No, not really. My face was permanently stuck in a expression of confusion reading the last couple of chapters because I honestly didn’t get it. Why was that scene and conflict incorporated at all? I felt as if Reid wanted to throw in some kind of dramatic moment in there for no good reason, and hey, let’s put everyone in a potentially life-threatening situation, why not! No. I thought it was so painfully out of place. And worse, Reid tried to make it comedic to keep in line with Janie’s POV and the rest of the book, and that just made the whole scene all the more cringeworthy. It didn’t work for me at all, which subsequently ended the book on the oddest low note. Secondary Characters & Plots: What I really appreciated was the fact that Janie had a group of supportive girlfriends she could honestly and openly talk to. Given that she’s basically severed all ties to her biological family, I loved that Janie still had supportive people in her life that she trusted and felt comfortable around. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like any of them…? Well, we didn’t really get a sense of these other girls save for maybe Elizabeth, but even so, there were a bit bland and in the background, which is I guess perfect for their role as secondary characters but not nearly enough for me to be invested and pick up their individual books in the series.

The ex-boyfriend, Jon, I don’t know what I can say about this dude that will definitively express how I feel about him. Just know this. The whole time he was trying to explain to Janie why he cheated on her? WRONG. Dead wrong. The most illogical excuse ever and complete bullshit—excuse my language—I have ever heard/read in my entire life.

Janie’s sister, Jem, was weird. Reid played up her role and existence way more than necessary. The character was actually kind of entertaining given how crazy she was, but other than that, yeah, her presence was rather unnecessary, which lead to the entirely unnecessary secondary plot that encompassed the last couple of chapters of the book. Unnecessary, I tell you. UNNECESSARY. Favorite Part(s): Um… When Janie and Quinn were messing around in the limo towards the end? I honestly can’t pinpoint one, and that’s not because there are too many to choose from… Final Thoughts: I’m going to chalk it up to this: Neanderthal Seeks Human just wasn’t for me. I personally didn’t enjoy the style of writing (I said before that I’m usually not a fan of romantic comedy); I really wasn’t all that into either character in the central relationship; I didn’t like a lot of the choices Reid made for the story. So it’s safe to say I probably won’t read the sequel or the other books in the series focusing on the other girls. I can see how other people may find this appealing; it is in fact a unique twist to the typical billionaire/CEO and workplace romance story. But again, it just didn’t work for me. My recommendation then? Read at your own risk.