Scan barcode
mezarale's review against another edition
3.0
It was the literary equivalent of junk food but fun to read.
raerni's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It’s silly, light reading, and yet totally fun. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different cryptids and found myself laughing at Verity’s sense of humor.
mellomorissa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
schism's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
everybody's review against another edition
3.0
I'm gonna be honest here. I've seen this book constantly in my recommendations but because of the atypical cover combined with the title, I avoided it for over a year.
Yesterday I actually checked out the genre list and reviews and decided to finally give it a try.
It wasn't as good as I hoped but it was far better than I expected considering the appearance.
The action scenes were purely written to be stylish without much consideration for consistency or logic. One example that particularly stood out to me was a gun being reloaded but before there was a chance of it being fired again the MC picked it up and an ammo check resulted in 3 bullets left. I mean, yea, it could be that the person reloaded a mag with 3 bullets but come on. But the problem is broader than just details like that. The battles are more in line with an action game than a real fight. For example, the MC fighting 8 enemies at once but they all wait for her to finish styling on one of them before the next one attacks, and so on, and lots of other similar issues.
The plot was a little all over the place with quite a few story threads and hints that just lead nowhere.
I somewhat enjoy unconventional tension arcs in books because I got fed up reading the same "proper" arc-focused story structure over and over again. It's not that you can predict what exactly will happen in books like that but you get a feeling for what kind of thing will happen when and that kind of spoils some of the enjoyment of being surprised.
The story makes use of a lot of dated and shallow clichées but maybe that can be at least somewhat excused by the release date of 2012? I have no clue about the timeline of the UF genre development.
The heroine sadly is quite useless despite her fighting prowess and is mostly just accidentally dragged into the plot resolution without much active contribution. I've read much worse offenders in that regard but it still took away some of my appreciation for her character.
The author doesn't seem very interested in telling a story but rather uses the story as a tool to set up cool scenes she wanted to write. I feel it should be more the other way around.
Don't get me wrong, the plot actually is pretty decent but the way it is implemented didn't present it in the best light.
All in all, it's an average read which I rounded up as I think it would be unfair to rate it the same as some of the crap I have among my 2-star ratings.
I will try out the next book but I predict I will probably drop it early on, scratch that, after reading the blurb of the second book I decided to not continue.
Yesterday I actually checked out the genre list and reviews and decided to finally give it a try.
It wasn't as good as I hoped but it was far better than I expected considering the appearance.
The action scenes were purely written to be stylish without much consideration for consistency or logic. One example that particularly stood out to me was a gun being reloaded but before there was a chance of it being fired again the MC picked it up and an ammo check resulted in 3 bullets left. I mean, yea, it could be that the person reloaded a mag with 3 bullets but come on. But the problem is broader than just details like that. The battles are more in line with an action game than a real fight. For example, the MC fighting 8 enemies at once but they all wait for her to finish styling on one of them before the next one attacks, and so on, and lots of other similar issues.
The plot was a little all over the place with quite a few story threads and hints that just lead nowhere.
I somewhat enjoy unconventional tension arcs in books because I got fed up reading the same "proper" arc-focused story structure over and over again. It's not that you can predict what exactly will happen in books like that but you get a feeling for what kind of thing will happen when and that kind of spoils some of the enjoyment of being surprised.
The story makes use of a lot of dated and shallow clichées but maybe that can be at least somewhat excused by the release date of 2012? I have no clue about the timeline of the UF genre development.
The heroine sadly is quite useless despite her fighting prowess and is mostly just accidentally dragged into the plot resolution without much active contribution. I've read much worse offenders in that regard but it still took away some of my appreciation for her character.
The author doesn't seem very interested in telling a story but rather uses the story as a tool to set up cool scenes she wanted to write. I feel it should be more the other way around.
Don't get me wrong, the plot actually is pretty decent but the way it is implemented didn't present it in the best light.
All in all, it's an average read which I rounded up as I think it would be unfair to rate it the same as some of the crap I have among my 2-star ratings.
I will try out the next book but I predict I will probably drop it early on, scratch that, after reading the blurb of the second book I decided to not continue.
odin45mp's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun urban fantasy. I would compare it favorably to the first Dresden Files novel: it has some rough patches but the characters and dialogue carry the day, and leave me wanting more.
tomasthanes's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book.
On first thought, it reminded me a lot of the Anita Black books by Laurell K. Hamilton where humans inhabit a world filled with non-humans (cryptids in this book) however Anita Black, while by vocation a necromancer, functionally she's a detective working with the local police department. Verity Price is is a cryptozoologist, a scientist. In Anita's world, the humans are aware of vampires and lycanthropes and interact at their peril; in Verity's world, the humans for the most part are unaware of the cryptids living among them unless they're members of the Price family or the Covenant of St. George.
I like the character development of Verity, Dominic, and Sarah (who is such a cuckoo). I liked Verity's struggle to prove her compassion for the cryptids of New York City; it will take a life time for her to prove that she's trustworthy (or at least a couple more books).
Verity's life growing up was instructive and made me glad for the family I grew up in as opposed to the Price family.
I quadrupled my knowledge of ballroom dancing (which was non-existent before reading this novel) but I like how the author pointed out that the strength, dexterity, balance, and movement of dancing was similar to that of martial arts. I'm convinced.
The Aeslin mice were a comic element that succeeded far more than Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks.
The romantic entanglements of Verity and Dominic and William and Candy seemed very plausible.
I'm glad that we're setup for a sequel.
On first thought, it reminded me a lot of the Anita Black books by Laurell K. Hamilton where humans inhabit a world filled with non-humans (cryptids in this book) however Anita Black, while by vocation a necromancer, functionally she's a detective working with the local police department. Verity Price is is a cryptozoologist, a scientist. In Anita's world, the humans are aware of vampires and lycanthropes and interact at their peril; in Verity's world, the humans for the most part are unaware of the cryptids living among them unless they're members of the Price family or the Covenant of St. George.
I like the character development of Verity, Dominic, and Sarah (who is such a cuckoo). I liked Verity's struggle to prove her compassion for the cryptids of New York City; it will take a life time for her to prove that she's trustworthy (or at least a couple more books).
Verity's life growing up was instructive and made me glad for the family I grew up in as opposed to the Price family.
I quadrupled my knowledge of ballroom dancing (which was non-existent before reading this novel) but I like how the author pointed out that the strength, dexterity, balance, and movement of dancing was similar to that of martial arts. I'm convinced.
The Aeslin mice were a comic element that succeeded far more than Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks.
The romantic entanglements of Verity and Dominic and William and Candy seemed very plausible.
I'm glad that we're setup for a sequel.
breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
a lot different from the octocber daye novels, but still pretty good. while the other series is more serious, this one is hilarious and good adventure. i can't wait to read the next in the series.