LRRC Week 12
Well, the world continues to be weird, huh? At least I'm properly working from home now, that's nice. And my contract job ends this week, so soon I'll have much more time to read! And will be doing so! Inside!!!
(Maybe I should drag a chair onto the fire escape?)
#23: ROGUE PROTOCOL by Martha Wells
I love the Murderbot books a lot, and this is definitely a Murderbot book. I know, I'm a little behind. I'm bad about reading series close to each other - I read All Systems Red much closer to when it came out.
Anyway, though I love Murderbot and its adventures, particularly as it's forced to adopt random humans, by book 3 I am beginning to find it a little formulaic? Though this story did deliver everything it usually is meant to. I'm excited for the next book, where it seems like the story will move forward a little bit more.
All in all: very good robot book!
#24: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
CW (if you read the book) for abuse, bullying, violence, weird grey zone sexual assault
Oh boy am I conflicted about this one, possibly because it was hyped quite a bit to me before I actually read it, which is always dangerous.
I found the first 2/3rds of this book to be frustrating and kind of boring and also kind of frustrating, in that I thought lots of the plot developments were kind of silly and that the characters didn't really act like real people. The last third of the book, however, did kick ass, and that's raised my opinion of it significantly.
There's a lot of complex relationships in this book, and I'm usually pretty here for that. And, for the most part, I was. Some of them are dealt with much better than others, for example; the complicated emotions the main character has towards her adopted dad, who murdered her birth parents, is great. The weird and complicated relationship she has with her twin sister is...less great.
Also, okay, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: hiding things from your audience in first-person narrative. I'm sure I've seen this somewhere else recently but I cannot recall where, but it is always frustrating. YMMV, but if a book is in first person, I kind of expect that I will be involved in the main character's thought process. Otherwise, why is it in first person?
Anyway, aside from all those criticisms (and others - hoo boy some of the romance in this), I did come away having had a pretty good time, and wanting to know what happens next, so take that as you will!
NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA
#25: The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco
#26: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells