It worries me that I sense a pattern here, and it’s only book 2. Open with adventure, something bad happens, but not too bad. Second, bigger, adventure during which Max suffers a personal crisis, probably involving Leon. Third major adventure during which crisis one is either solved or rendered unimportant. End on quasi-hopeful/positive note with promise of more trouble next time. I don’t have a problem with the plot or the pacing in A Symphony of Echoes, but I worry that when a general pattern […]
There’s certainly a lot of damned things that happen
If there’s one thing that can be said about this book, it’s that it lives up to its title. The premise is fascinating: An institute of historical research called St Mary’s, associated with the (also fictional) University of Thirsk in northern England, is not the stuffy old institution it appears to be but actually conducts its historical research in the most contemporary way possible–they go back in time and observe the events firsthand. The main character, Dr Madeleine Maxwell, called Max, is recruited by St […]
Dr Who Meets The Rook with Game of Thrones-level Dysfunction
I picked up Just One Damned Thing After Another because I had been considering it and because I had a coupon for a local bookstore, and I don’t say no to those often. I usually don’t like first person narrative and I still don’t, but there was enough story and character here to over-ride that instinct. This story can’t quite decide if it wants to be action-adventure, character driven, sci-fi, or romance-drama. While it’s not a total success, overall the blend works pretty well. The problem […]
Time Travel and DINOSAURS
I am in a reading slump. I feel like I hit my double cannonball and then a wall. I keep starting books and putting them down after about a chapter or two. And the few that I have finished are ones I haven’t really wanted to write a review for. However, this was a gift from Lauri for the Cannonball Book Exchange and I would feel like a heel if I didn’t write a review saying just how much I liked this book. And I […]