Book Faery: DNFs: Other, Harvest Moon, Paranormalcy

A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Friday, December 3, 2010

DNFs: Other, Harvest Moon, Paranormalcy

Reason for the DNF:
The heroine/her voice didn't work for me.

Recommended for...

Those who tend to enjoy heroines who are more nerdy/geeky in nature;
Those who can handle the more casual, conversational tone our heroine has in this story;
Those who enjoy boyfriends who randomly speak poetically.

Blogs that loved this book:

Reason for DNF:
Review of: A Tangled Web by MERCEDES LACKEY

A TANGLED WEB is the reason I wanted to check out HARVEST MOON. I always love a good recreation of the Hades/Persephone relationship and ATW sounded like it would be a cute, fun read.

My first problem with this piece is that it felt too casual. I wasn't buying the mother/daughter relationship between Persephone and Demeter. The former sounded like a brat with ADD, and the latter sounded like one of those psycho mothers you thank the heavens you're not related to.

I did not enjoy Hades acting like such a wimp. He's the God of the Underworld... even if one is going to recreate a story... I don't know, he rubbed off on me the wrong way because he was so timid at the start.

The relationship was cute, but overall, I wasn't feeling very invested (probably because I wasn't buying Persephone and Hades as characters). I would have enjoyed their relationship developing further. Instead of being told about how the two spent a year together, I think the story would have been more interesting following that year and watching the two fall in love. As it is, I'm expected -- as a reader -- to simply accept the fact that the two love each other without ever being shown that love.

One of the primary reasons I wanted to read the text in the first place was to witness that love. Major bummer that I didn't get to.

While I am interested in Norse mythology, I don't know as much about it. I felt like I was thrown into this side of the story without any warning, and there really wasn't as much of an explanation/back story for these characters. Once again, did not feel invested. I hate to say it, but I usually skimmed the scenes that switched to this POV.

Overall: I'm rather reluctant to continue with this anthology, however, I will try to do so at a later date.

Recommended for...

Those who enjoy retellings of the old mythological tales;
Those who don't mind the Olympians you knew and loved having been changed so drastically.

Blogs/Reviews that loved this book:

Mark Timmony - 5 Stars (7/10 on the blog)
The Happy Booker - 4 Stars
Dreams and Speculation - 4 Stars (7/10 on the blog)

Reason for DNF:
I know... I'm in the minority here.

My main problem with this book was the writing style. It felt rushed, choppy, and childish (that's not to say childish books are bad or anything). I also felt no real connection with the heroine 44 pages into the story.

Recommended for...