bellesmith's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I truly did enjoy my time with this book (if I hadn't, I wouldn't have finished it). It was a nice, light, fast paced read that offers some nice escapism. Every 20 pages or so I found myself saying "That's not how that works" and I was reading on a e-reader -- I'm not talking about the dragon stuff, just the normal function of what is meant to be a mostly normal world threw me off FREQUENTLY.
I'm up in the air about whether or not I'll read the next one, but I would ultimately recommend anyone interested in this read at least the first 10% of the book. If you're having fun, you'll probably enjoy it.
I'm up in the air about whether or not I'll read the next one, but I would ultimately recommend anyone interested in this read at least the first 10% of the book. If you're having fun, you'll probably enjoy it.
allyens's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
frogggirl2's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I read a lot of quality self pub fantasy novels (SPFBO and otherwise) and this is not one of those. This book has all of the basic failures that you would attribute to someone learning to write fiction.
*A lot of this book feels like it's the daily world of the author and it's in there because it's part of that day to day as opposed to advancing the plot. A lot of unnecessary scenes and a lot of talking about people's emotions and background - all telling not showing.
*This book gets off to completely the wrong start for any sort of scifi adventure. Laboriously establishing the ins and outs of these basic characters and their average, generic lives does not set the book up for where it wants to go.
*The characters are all stereotypes: the farm boy nerd who can't talk to girls, the oblivious girl nerd that everybody wants, the slutty drunk girl who parties too much, etc. The book uses racial stereotypes in terms of the Japanese and Indian characters, which is off putting when paired with the overall lack of characterization.
*So much of this doesn't follow; they establish that the other guy in the room is somebody they hate and he can hear them talking, so, the main male character proceeds to tell deep dark secrets of his past which he explicitly states in the scene that he doesn't want anyone to know. It just doesn't make any sense as a scene. They hate the Japanese scientist for no stated reason and that lasts one scene and then suddenly they like him.
*Suddenly, the book remembers it wants to be sci-fi fantasy, so the next few pages are 100% info dumping. Any science is jarringly dropped into the story in chunks of info dumps throughout the book.
*Just way too many TV and movie references - trite, juvenile and uninteresting. Cheers, really? Anachronistic. Harry Potter? Played out.
*Cliches abound, i.e. pinch me, "tomato, to-mato," "hey is for horses" (the last two used back to back).
*Unexplained, random time jumps. Jack does not associate with his abusive father so why suddenly are his mother and father flying in to see him? This is not believable. The book skips getting us the scientific discovery and goes straight to media attention. What is shown and what is skipped is bizarre in this book. The plot of the book ends and there's still another 93 pages left.
*There is no world in which this initial press conference would occur. The parts of this book that are supposed to be set in the real, academic world are completely unbelievable and inaccurate.
*The author gets the details wrong - all you need is Google to find that, yes, the US does have an extradition treaty with Japan. In addition to all the laws they break throughout the book, Kamala gets the doctors to violate HIPAA with no qualms and for no reason.
*How the parental relationships resolve is very hokey and unrealistic and all the dialog in these portions is particularly forced. There is a lot of clunky, stilted dialog throughout this book.
The premise is cool but the actual book is a dreadful mess - it's not well written, characterized, paced, plotted or anything else. I know people are inclined to be more lenient with self pub books in terms of reviews, but, don't be fooled, this book is legitimately subpar.
*A lot of this book feels like it's the daily world of the author and it's in there because it's part of that day to day as opposed to advancing the plot. A lot of unnecessary scenes and a lot of talking about people's emotions and background - all telling not showing.
*This book gets off to completely the wrong start for any sort of scifi adventure. Laboriously establishing the ins and outs of these basic characters and their average, generic lives does not set the book up for where it wants to go.
*The characters are all stereotypes: the farm boy nerd who can't talk to girls, the oblivious girl nerd that everybody wants, the slutty drunk girl who parties too much, etc. The book uses racial stereotypes in terms of the Japanese and Indian characters, which is off putting when paired with the overall lack of characterization.
*So much of this doesn't follow; they establish that the other guy in the room is somebody they hate and he can hear them talking, so, the main male character proceeds to tell deep dark secrets of his past which he explicitly states in the scene that he doesn't want anyone to know. It just doesn't make any sense as a scene. They hate the Japanese scientist for no stated reason and that lasts one scene and then suddenly they like him.
*Suddenly, the book remembers it wants to be sci-fi fantasy, so the next few pages are 100% info dumping. Any science is jarringly dropped into the story in chunks of info dumps throughout the book.
*Just way too many TV and movie references - trite, juvenile and uninteresting. Cheers, really? Anachronistic. Harry Potter? Played out.
*Cliches abound, i.e. pinch me, "tomato, to-mato," "hey is for horses" (the last two used back to back).
*Unexplained, random time jumps. Jack does not associate with his abusive father so why suddenly are his mother and father flying in to see him? This is not believable. The book skips getting us the scientific discovery and goes straight to media attention. What is shown and what is skipped is bizarre in this book. The plot of the book ends and there's still another 93 pages left.
*There is no world in which this initial press conference would occur. The parts of this book that are supposed to be set in the real, academic world are completely unbelievable and inaccurate.
*The author gets the details wrong - all you need is Google to find that, yes, the US does have an extradition treaty with Japan. In addition to all the laws they break throughout the book, Kamala gets the doctors to violate HIPAA with no qualms and for no reason.
*How the parental relationships resolve is very hokey and unrealistic and all the dialog in these portions is particularly forced. There is a lot of clunky, stilted dialog throughout this book.
The premise is cool but the actual book is a dreadful mess - it's not well written, characterized, paced, plotted or anything else. I know people are inclined to be more lenient with self pub books in terms of reviews, but, don't be fooled, this book is legitimately subpar.
sumayyah_t's review
4.0
Dragons Are Real
Drs. Kamala Anjali and Rhett "Jack" Jackson are neck-deep in genetic experiments to bring back the dragons that were hunted to extinction. Pete is born, just barely, after the others of her clutch were murdered by sabotage. A theft, A kidnapping, A fire, and one plane ride to Tokyo, Japan later, and Kamala and Jack find themselves facing down yakuza and fighting for their lives. Also, romance, because saving a dragon isn't exciting enough, is it?
Drs. Kamala Anjali and Rhett "Jack" Jackson are neck-deep in genetic experiments to bring back the dragons that were hunted to extinction. Pete is born, just barely, after the others of her clutch were murdered by sabotage. A theft, A kidnapping, A fire, and one plane ride to Tokyo, Japan later, and Kamala and Jack find themselves facing down yakuza and fighting for their lives. Also, romance, because saving a dragon isn't exciting enough, is it?
jamedi's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
The review
Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Of Cinder and Bone is the first book of the homonym serie of books, written by Kyoko M. It starts from the premise of a world where dragons were a reality and currently, they are extinct; honestly, this was my main hook to pick this book and I can say it worked perfectly.
We are brought into the story of Jack (I negate to call him Rett, sorry) and Kamala, two brilliant scientists whose proposal is trying to bring back a dragon using technology. The whole process and the frustration after the failures are vividly painted, and in general, there’s something I want to bring the focus on: we are on a sci-fi story, but the characters are really well written, and for me, the trio formed between Jack, Kamala and Faye is marvelous.
Apart from that, I find the way they deal with the trauma after the dragon is stolen and how they have to confront the adversities a real strength of the book. I don’t want to spoil the book outside of some details, but the main characters feel real. Not superheroes or a supermen, just normal humans.
Plotwise, this book is really fast. All the time things are happening, and there aren’t many moments to rest, which is something I personally thanked. From the start to the end, the full plot will go without a pause. For a 400 pages book, it felt really short.
I recommend this book for the fans of Jurassic Park, as it is heavily inspired by this film, and for people who love sci-fi which is situated in the near future/ a near world. Solid book in definitive.
You can find a full detailed review here: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/of-cinder-and-bone-of-cinder-and-bone-1-by-kyoko-m/
And a Q&A with the author here: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/some-thoughts-with-kyoko-m/
Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Of Cinder and Bone is the first book of the homonym serie of books, written by Kyoko M. It starts from the premise of a world where dragons were a reality and currently, they are extinct; honestly, this was my main hook to pick this book and I can say it worked perfectly.
We are brought into the story of Jack (I negate to call him Rett, sorry) and Kamala, two brilliant scientists whose proposal is trying to bring back a dragon using technology. The whole process and the frustration after the failures are vividly painted, and in general, there’s something I want to bring the focus on: we are on a sci-fi story, but the characters are really well written, and for me, the trio formed between Jack, Kamala and Faye is marvelous.
Apart from that, I find the way they deal with the trauma after the dragon is stolen and how they have to confront the adversities a real strength of the book. I don’t want to spoil the book outside of some details, but the main characters feel real. Not superheroes or a supermen, just normal humans.
Plotwise, this book is really fast. All the time things are happening, and there aren’t many moments to rest, which is something I personally thanked. From the start to the end, the full plot will go without a pause. For a 400 pages book, it felt really short.
I recommend this book for the fans of Jurassic Park, as it is heavily inspired by this film, and for people who love sci-fi which is situated in the near future/ a near world. Solid book in definitive.
You can find a full detailed review here: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/of-cinder-and-bone-of-cinder-and-bone-1-by-kyoko-m/
And a Q&A with the author here: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/some-thoughts-with-kyoko-m/
brokebybooks's review
4.0
Of Cinder & Bone opens with Jack and Kamala in the lab working on making a hybrid – dragon DNA spliced with a komodo dragon. They’ve been working together for a year and the deadline is rapidly approaching. I love it when contemporary fantasy brings the science and melds it well with magic.
Not only are they colleagues but close friends. It’s awesome to see. They’ve got great banter. Jack is secretly in love with Kamala but isn’t a creepy jerk about it. Eventually, he lets that cat out of the bag, but you’ll have to read to find out what happens.
Kamala’s BFF and roommate Faye is an interesting supporting character. She’s a fellow grad student in a completely different field. Her and Jack have a teasing, grudgingly friends relationship. Faye enjoys baiting him and Jack can’t help but rise to the occasion.
They have an interesting dynamic going on. With the events after coming home from Japan, it’s going to get even better to watch. Bring the popcorn.
I wondered why they picked dragons of all things to “bring back” instead of known real animals. It seemed especially fishy given their activist goals of righting the wrongs of extinct animals and rebuilding the natural state of affairs humans fucked up.
Soon enough it becomes clear that dragons were real and hunted to extinction. This is the only different between our world and that Of Cinder & Bone. Thus far anyways.
It’s not until the very end though that Jack divulges the deep personal reasons for wanting to make dragons a contemporary animal. I had an automatic “aw” moment when he spilled the beans but then thought Bigfoot would be a better choice for that reasoning. Now it’s hard to take him seriously for it. Sorry Jack :/
Once they get to Japan, it’s very urban romance with lots of action, violence, kidnapping, and they’re running nonstop. Pete the New Dragon is a wonderful dragon and had me reacting stronger than when a dog is involved. LEAVE HER ALONE DAMNIT. Thankfully, Jack and Kamala are good people and treat her right. Now, if only they can get her back…
After getting back to the USA, you’ll notice there’s still many pages to go. Every reader knows this dread. It continues to wrap up the characters and loose ends. So far so good, but then the TO BE CONTINUED…knocks the damn wind out of you and you realize there wasn’t enough pages. The author, Kyoko M., starts her notes at the end begging for forgiveness and I’ll have to allow it. For now. Because I need the next one.
Not only are they colleagues but close friends. It’s awesome to see. They’ve got great banter. Jack is secretly in love with Kamala but isn’t a creepy jerk about it. Eventually, he lets that cat out of the bag, but you’ll have to read to find out what happens.
Kamala’s BFF and roommate Faye is an interesting supporting character. She’s a fellow grad student in a completely different field. Her and Jack have a teasing, grudgingly friends relationship. Faye enjoys baiting him and Jack can’t help but rise to the occasion.
They have an interesting dynamic going on. With the events after coming home from Japan, it’s going to get even better to watch. Bring the popcorn.
I wondered why they picked dragons of all things to “bring back” instead of known real animals. It seemed especially fishy given their activist goals of righting the wrongs of extinct animals and rebuilding the natural state of affairs humans fucked up.
Soon enough it becomes clear that dragons were real and hunted to extinction. This is the only different between our world and that Of Cinder & Bone. Thus far anyways.
It’s not until the very end though that Jack divulges the deep personal reasons for wanting to make dragons a contemporary animal. I had an automatic “aw” moment when he spilled the beans but then thought Bigfoot would be a better choice for that reasoning. Now it’s hard to take him seriously for it. Sorry Jack :/
Once they get to Japan, it’s very urban romance with lots of action, violence, kidnapping, and they’re running nonstop. Pete the New Dragon is a wonderful dragon and had me reacting stronger than when a dog is involved. LEAVE HER ALONE DAMNIT. Thankfully, Jack and Kamala are good people and treat her right. Now, if only they can get her back…
After getting back to the USA, you’ll notice there’s still many pages to go. Every reader knows this dread. It continues to wrap up the characters and loose ends. So far so good, but then the TO BE CONTINUED…knocks the damn wind out of you and you realize there wasn’t enough pages. The author, Kyoko M., starts her notes at the end begging for forgiveness and I’ll have to allow it. For now. Because I need the next one.
bay_bay's review
4.0
This book was amazing. A lot better than I thought it would be. I don't really read stuff with dragons in it so it was a nice surprise.
thistle_and_verse's review
2.0
I'm not sure how a book with this premise could bore me so much. I got a third of the way in and couldn't finish it. I was hoping for more science elements, but the book mostly focuses on the relationships between Rhett and the other characters. Rhett perplexes me. He doesn't seem to be particularly interesting or charismatic, but it seems like every single female character he meets wants to have sex with him.
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