loishojmark's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly the only reason I keep reading this series, is the fact that I'm in serious need of some really good, attractive reading material. I have never before read this many books in a series and never awarding any of the books more than three stars. As I said before, I do like that the protagonists aren't clear cut and have many facets, but I wish there was at least one or two persons I could sympathize with or at least find some redeeming qualities in. But at this point I couldn't give the foggiest it the 'black' exploded and all the worlds and characters therein puffed out of existence. Maybe I would actually prefer it...
(maybe that's actually a sign that I should just give up on this and continue my search for a really good story somewhere else. Ahh I miss a really good series... :| )
(maybe that's actually a sign that I should just give up on this and continue my search for a really good story somewhere else. Ahh I miss a really good series... :| )
aileenginny's review
2.0
I think I would appreciate the idea behind the story better if I had read some of the author's other books that take place in the same world. As it was, nothing was explained in a way that I liked, and there was a lot that needed explaining. Towards the end I was hoping Dumbledore would show up and have a talk where everything becomes clear.
pickachu780's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
suzjustsuz's review
3.0
I'm lukewarm on this addition to the series. It had pros and cons.
Pete was the real hero in this book, with Jack taking a pretty far back seat almost to the point of him seeming timid. I didn't mind that so much as Kittredge does a good job of writing Pete as a primary that's just enough of a bitch to not give the appearance of having "bitch" confused with "bad ass." That's a hard balance to strike and many writers fail at it. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Jack's magic chops, but he was still a constant presence so I come down in the middle with it.
The story itself was pretty creepy but the pacing was a bit slower than usual and I have to admit it didn't hold my attention throughout.
I hated the end. I'm sick of authors using the end of one book to set the next book up and creating a little "mini cliff hanger" as bait. I always feel as though the author is trying to play with me when they do that and it doesn't leave me in a receptive of kind mood. Too much of that and I'll be tabling this series until it's over. No, it wasn't a true cliff hanger because the "hanger" was about the next book, not this one, but it left me feeling unsatisfied and fucked with and that's not why I read. I probably would have been thinking 3 to 3.5 stars with out, but with it I'm thinking 2.5 to 3 stars. I'm not sorry I read the book but the end left me wishing I'd devoted the time to something else on my list. Something that wouldn't fuck with me at the end.
ETA: The copy editing on this left a lot to be desired, too. Clunky sentences with things either missing or that seemed to be changed in the middle of writing them but not properly edited. Several times while reading this book I found myself wondering if the copy editor just passed this through without bothering to read it.
Pete was the real hero in this book, with Jack taking a pretty far back seat almost to the point of him seeming timid. I didn't mind that so much as Kittredge does a good job of writing Pete as a primary that's just enough of a bitch to not give the appearance of having "bitch" confused with "bad ass." That's a hard balance to strike and many writers fail at it. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Jack's magic chops, but he was still a constant presence so I come down in the middle with it.
The story itself was pretty creepy but the pacing was a bit slower than usual and I have to admit it didn't hold my attention throughout.
I hated the end. I'm sick of authors using the end of one book to set the next book up and creating a little "mini cliff hanger" as bait. I always feel as though the author is trying to play with me when they do that and it doesn't leave me in a receptive of kind mood. Too much of that and I'll be tabling this series until it's over. No, it wasn't a true cliff hanger because the "hanger" was about the next book, not this one, but it left me feeling unsatisfied and fucked with and that's not why I read. I probably would have been thinking 3 to 3.5 stars with out, but with it I'm thinking 2.5 to 3 stars. I'm not sorry I read the book but the end left me wishing I'd devoted the time to something else on my list. Something that wouldn't fuck with me at the end.
ETA: The copy editing on this left a lot to be desired, too. Clunky sentences with things either missing or that seemed to be changed in the middle of writing them but not properly edited. Several times while reading this book I found myself wondering if the copy editor just passed this through without bothering to read it.
More...