598 replies to this topic

[Mara=^.^=]

I just read The Lost Planet by Rachel Searles and Dreamwood by Heather Mackey. The first book was fast-paced and exciting, if a little simple (the intended audience is middle schoolers). Unfortunately it ended without revealing the solutions to many of its own mysteries - guess I'll have to go pick up the sequel Dreamwood was super inventive and had some great character development, even if it did end a little bit abruptly. It was nice to read a couple of kids' books again

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

Here you go. And for good measure, here's the sequel. I've started it, but haven't gotten that far yet. Really need to sit down and let myself get swept in.

 

LINK

 

It takes up a lot of space on my Dropbox, though, so I'm going to take it down Friday night. Anybody who wants the files has to get them before then.

 

What the HELL is all that bizarre background noise that starts up around 2 hours and 50 minutes in? Like, strange music and blooping and screaming and bubble sound effects...wtf? It sounds like someone is playing a video game in the background. I can barely hear Cassie speaking.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

I...don't have the slightest idea. I didn't test-listen to the mp3s, to be honest.

[Mara=^.^=]

It is SO weird. Is this something you pirated? I think someone may have recorded the audio in an environment where other sounds also got recorded. LOUDLY.

 

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

No. I own the original files. I used a converter program I pirated, though. Hm...guess all those other audiobooks I converted with it probably have this same problem somewhere.

[Mara=^.^=]

It sounds like a goofy cell phone game. Lots of blips and clown laughs and coin sounds.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

Yeah, I have no idea what any of that is. I'll have to find some other way to do this.

[Mara=^.^=]

It's creating this really surreal atmosphere, though. She's talking about her father being murdered right before her eyes, and there's all this comical bleeping and blooping playing over it.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

So...after about 30 minutes, it stopped. FINALLY.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

Aaaaand it started again at 6:30:30. WTFFFF this is so weird

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

I can't tell you what that is. At this point, it might be faster to just pirate it directly. Clearly I did something wrong in the conversion process. 

[Mara=^.^=]

It's just so inexplicable...it's triggered my inner Scooby-Doo gang. I want to solve the mystery so badly

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

I think I solved the problem. I thought that the program was just converting the filetype, but it was actually playing and recording the file at the same time, which I was unaware of because I had my sound off. That bubble-popping and music you hear is me playing Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook.

[Mara=^.^=]

lol. Guess that explains it.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished the Ascendance Trilogy (The False Prince, The Runaway King, and The Shadow Throne) by Jennifer Nielsen. At first glance it has a lot in common with other YA fantasy adventure novels, especially in terms of setting, themes, and overall tone. What distinguishes it from the pack is the main character. He's a thief, a rogue, and a liar...who also happens to be a king. He's insanely reckless, always walking the knife's edge between brilliance and complete and utter ruin. The coolest thing about him, though, is that he lies to and withholds information from the reader. Even though the story is told in 1st person, he rarely reveals the full picture, making him a compellingly unreliable narrator. It was jarring at first, but once I accepted that even his thoughts could be deceptive, it became a fun game of trying to figure out what was real and what was only partially real. Really upped the suspense

 

If I had one critique of the series, it's that the cast is overwhelmingly male. There are so few women in the story - I mean, there are one or two who stand out as core characters, but numerically speaking, it's a total sausage-fest.

 

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson. There's a lot to admire about this book: the fairy-tale atmosphere, the deep love between the step-sister co-protagonists, and the lovely descriptions of day-to-day life in Ancient India - a sort of sleepy, hazy world, like something from a half-remembered dream. Unfortunately, the book suffers from slow pacing and a weirdly rushed final act. The ending is jarringly anticlimactic and fails to answer many of the central questions posed by the narrative. What's worse, the reader never finds out what happens to any of the supporting characters, which is a serious flaw in a book that stresses the importance of community and the greater good. In my opinion, Toads and Diamonds needs another two chapters (minimum) to make the conclusion passable.

Because it's a fairy tale retelling, I get the sense that there's supposed to be some sort of overarching "moral"...but the author seems reluctant to commit to a single message. A couple of themes pop up now and again in the text - sisterly affection, religious tolerance, finding one's purpose in life - but none of these ideas are adequately developed. Overall, I think what the book lacks most is focus. A meandering plot can be interesting in the right hands, but pulling it off requires a strong unifying theme and/or protagonists who practically jump off the page. Toads and Diamonds just can't seem to find its center, which is unfortunate because I think it has the makings of a really great novel.

 

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

Been reading through the Little House Books. Man, they are so strange. The culture/ way of living was just so different it's staggering. Totally interesting of course.

[SweeneyxxTodd]

Just finished Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. 5/5 stars. I love it so much. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes fantasy, elemental magic powers, and YA dystopia. I'll write a review sometime tomorrow probably and put it in my reading challenge topic, if anybody wants an in-depth explanation of why they should read it.

[Katia11]

this was on my maybe list, now it's on my must read  

[Mara=^.^=]

My latest reads:

 

1) Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis: Really inventive and well-written. Unlike any other YA novel I've read.

 

2) Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher: Wasted premise. No likeable characters. The protagonist made the dumbest fucking choices.

 

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =