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ammbooks's review
2.0
I was excited with the premise of the book. There is some mixing of cultural myths but it’s fiction so i let it go.
jeremybost's review against another edition
3.0
A bit too much romance for my tastes. Plus, you would think a "genius" like Tinker would have invented some sort of protection devices for herself or something, instead of an alarm system to call overworked police...
blumenstadtkind's review against another edition
1.0
definitely not my cup of tea right now...
maybe I´m coming back to this someday.
maybe I´m coming back to this someday.
eosin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A very fun read.
kelsey_delacy's review against another edition
All the crap with her just turning 18 (oh, but looks 16) and having men old enough to know better falling over themselves to "woo" her (or straight up harass her) -- instant ick.
I gave it a chance because I was hoping this was a one-off thing & the world building seemed really interesting, I couldn't stomach it anymore after there was a chapter literally named after lolita.
To a lesser extent, I also felt like a lot of this was insta-love, which bugged me too.
Very disappointing
I gave it a chance because I was hoping this was a one-off thing & the world building seemed really interesting, I couldn't stomach it anymore after there was a chapter literally named after lolita.
To a lesser extent, I also felt like a lot of this was insta-love, which bugged me too.
Very disappointing
marci_travels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I love how Wen Spencer really likes to push the borders of cool plots and unusual magic systems. I enjoyed her book, "A Brother's Price" and was looking forward to sinking into the Tinker series.
But sometimes, when an author pushes so hard to get a new concept of magic, new interactions of magical creatures, and a new twist on a romance that doesn't use every trope, well, sometimes something gets pushed right off the ledge.
It's me, I am convinced it was me. I read the book from cover to cover, but man, the ick factor was there almost immediately. From grandfather's eugenics manipulating to create the perfect grandchildren, the predatory conquests masquerading as a love triangle, and the Japanese mythology used as Chinese bad guys (this book was written in 2003 but I am pretty sure there were research libraries back then.)
And yet, I read it to the end. And maybe that was the point of the book. If our current world is bad, why wouldn't we want to live in Elfhome?
For those who like to read billionaire, age-gap, bad boy romances. According to Amazon analytics - that's a fast growing sub-genre. May be Wen Spencer is ahead of her time, and maybe it's me.
Votes on me.
But sometimes, when an author pushes so hard to get a new concept of magic, new interactions of magical creatures, and a new twist on a romance that doesn't use every trope, well, sometimes something gets pushed right off the ledge.
It's me, I am convinced it was me. I read the book from cover to cover, but man, the ick factor was there almost immediately. From grandfather's eugenics manipulating to create the perfect grandchildren, the predatory conquests masquerading as a love triangle, and the Japanese mythology used as Chinese bad guys (this book was written in 2003 but I am pretty sure there were research libraries back then.)
And yet, I read it to the end. And maybe that was the point of the book. If our current world is bad, why wouldn't we want to live in Elfhome?
For those who like to read billionaire, age-gap, bad boy romances. According to Amazon analytics - that's a fast growing sub-genre. May be Wen Spencer is ahead of her time, and maybe it's me.
Votes on me.
kkxx2's review against another edition
4.0
Objectively this was more of a 2/3 star, but it was enjoyable and quirky.
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
4.0
Tinker was an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy, and the world building and characters were well developed and interesting. I found myself drawn into the world, one where elves, oni, and kitsune have come to earth through another dimension.
What disappointed me was Tinker started as a strong female character, and then ended up in a formulaic romance subplot seen in almost every harlequin novel.
Cool world building, and enjoyable read.
What disappointed me was Tinker started as a strong female character, and then ended up in a formulaic romance subplot seen in almost every harlequin novel.
Cool world building, and enjoyable read.
elusivity's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 STARS
Frivolous good read.
Tinker is an 18-year-old sexy genius of physics & engineering, living in an intersection between fantasy & science fiction, in an alien dimension populated by astoundingly beautiful elves.
Tinker is plucky heroine, very much a vehicle for the reader to vicariously enjoy what it's like to have astounding intellect and luck and adventure, not to mention, saving the day multiple times despite incredible naievete, inexperience, and youth. The elves, etc, were well-conceived in that they'd continuously encountered humanity down the centuries via naturally-formed dimensional gates in caves, thus accounting for the many stories and mythologies all over the world, not to mention the occasional offspring.
Overall, fairly enjoyable. Recommended.
Frivolous good read.
Tinker is an 18-year-old sexy genius of physics & engineering, living in an intersection between fantasy & science fiction, in an alien dimension populated by astoundingly beautiful elves
Spoiler
, who were once human a long time ago, but bioengineered their race to gorgeous immortality via magic millennia ago. Head elf of the area falls in love with her, turns her into an elf. Meanwhile, a similarly immortal race from another dimension, the oni, over-ran and in famine because they do not practice population control, has infiltrated and plots to takeover the elves' planet. She gets kidnapped and forced to make a dimensional gate to oni's dimension so they can formally takeover. She tricks them instead, destroying the gate to the human dimension, in effect, leaving her slice of human world stranded in the elven dimensionTinker is plucky heroine, very much a vehicle for the reader to vicariously enjoy what it's like to have astounding intellect and luck and adventure, not to mention, saving the day multiple times despite incredible naievete, inexperience, and youth. The elves, etc, were well-conceived in that they'd continuously encountered humanity down the centuries via naturally-formed dimensional gates in caves, thus accounting for the many stories and mythologies all over the world, not to mention the occasional offspring.
Overall, fairly enjoyable. Recommended.