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familiar_diversions's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a lot of elements that might attract readers: a magical streetcar, a zombie child, a multitude of fae creatures, references to Welsh mythology, and a bit of f/f romance. While many of those elements interested me at first, I found Last Car to Annwn Station to be so-so overall.
I felt like I spent a lot of this book waiting for things to happen. Through “Chrysandra”'s wall writings, I knew what was going on with her – mostly, she was trapped in one spot, trying to survive, watching the real Chrysandra rot, and waiting for an opportunity to either get help or attack her captors. I tended to prefer the scenes with Mae and Jill most when something more than information-gathering was going on – when they were being attacked by the hounds of the Wild Hunt, looking around or breaking into the Arnesons' home, or entering Annwn. Unfortunately, large portions of the book tended to bore me. There were too many scenes of people sitting or standing around, debating what to do.
The development of Mae and Jill's relationship seemed a little awkward. I found myself thinking that they would have made better, more natural friends than lovers. For a good chunk of the book, Mae was somewhat interested in Jill but wasn't really sure if those feelings were mutual. She didn't see how they could be, since she thought of herself as plain and Jill as gorgeous. Their first kissing scene was, in my opinion, badly timed – Jill was bandaged up quite a bit, and I kept wondering when Mae would accidentally hurt her. Their relationship did get to a point where it felt more natural, but the progression to that point could have been smoother.
The fantasy elements were a bit bland. This was not a book that reveled in complex magical systems or even descriptions of various faerie cultures and creatures. I'm still not really sure how an old Minneapolis streetcar fits in with Welsh mythology and, although I know that there were several fae creatures that looked different from each other, I couldn't tell you much about them besides that. The one thing that probably got the most attention was Annwn itself. Oh, and Death.
I was a little surprised at the book's horror elements, coming in the form of a rotting, zombified Chrysandra. There were several times I thought I'd gotten used to her and found myself sighing at yet another one of “Chrysandra”'s reminders that the real Chrysandra was rotting...and then something would happen that horrified me anew. I actually found myself more interested in Chrysandra and how she was getting on than I was in any of the fae creatures.
The last 20 pages or so really picked up the pace and grabbed my interest to the point where I stayed up a bit later than I had planned. I would have preferred it, though, if the book had wrapped up with something other than one of “Chrysandra”'s diary entries.
This wasn't a bad book. I worried about Chrysandra and her double, and I liked that the f/f elements were tastefully done (never once did it feel like Mae and Jill were putting on a show for male readers). I wondered how and if Mae and Jill would manage to save themselves and protect Chrysandra. However, the book didn't really have anything to it that grabbed me or would prompt me to reread it.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I felt like I spent a lot of this book waiting for things to happen. Through “Chrysandra”'s wall writings, I knew what was going on with her – mostly, she was trapped in one spot, trying to survive, watching the real Chrysandra rot, and waiting for an opportunity to either get help or attack her captors. I tended to prefer the scenes with Mae and Jill most when something more than information-gathering was going on – when they were being attacked by the hounds of the Wild Hunt, looking around or breaking into the Arnesons' home, or entering Annwn. Unfortunately, large portions of the book tended to bore me. There were too many scenes of people sitting or standing around, debating what to do.
The development of Mae and Jill's relationship seemed a little awkward. I found myself thinking that they would have made better, more natural friends than lovers. For a good chunk of the book, Mae was somewhat interested in Jill but wasn't really sure if those feelings were mutual. She didn't see how they could be, since she thought of herself as plain and Jill as gorgeous. Their first kissing scene was, in my opinion, badly timed – Jill was bandaged up quite a bit, and I kept wondering when Mae would accidentally hurt her. Their relationship did get to a point where it felt more natural, but the progression to that point could have been smoother.
The fantasy elements were a bit bland. This was not a book that reveled in complex magical systems or even descriptions of various faerie cultures and creatures. I'm still not really sure how an old Minneapolis streetcar fits in with Welsh mythology and, although I know that there were several fae creatures that looked different from each other, I couldn't tell you much about them besides that. The one thing that probably got the most attention was Annwn itself. Oh, and Death.
I was a little surprised at the book's horror elements, coming in the form of a rotting, zombified Chrysandra. There were several times I thought I'd gotten used to her and found myself sighing at yet another one of “Chrysandra”'s reminders that the real Chrysandra was rotting...and then something would happen that horrified me anew. I actually found myself more interested in Chrysandra and how she was getting on than I was in any of the fae creatures.
The last 20 pages or so really picked up the pace and grabbed my interest to the point where I stayed up a bit later than I had planned. I would have preferred it, though, if the book had wrapped up with something other than one of “Chrysandra”'s diary entries.
This wasn't a bad book. I worried about Chrysandra and her double, and I liked that the f/f elements were tastefully done (never once did it feel like Mae and Jill were putting on a show for male readers). I wondered how and if Mae and Jill would manage to save themselves and protect Chrysandra. However, the book didn't really have anything to it that grabbed me or would prompt me to reread it.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
4.0
In the interests of full disclosure, Michael Merriam is a friend of mine. But he knows that my reviewing hat also has a honey badger on the brim, and I don't hand out stars willy-nilly-milly-vanilly. So if I gush a bit, it's because Merriam has written exactly the kind of book I like, not because I know him.
So...urban fantasy--check. Set in my hometown and its environs--check. Queer female protagonists, one of whom is explicitly bisexual--check. Alternate transportation--check. One less faerie, and we could subtitle this That Book Michael Merriam Wrote Just for Eli.
Not that I minded the inclusion of the fae; just that it's not where I usually lean. In fact, one of my favorite things about Last Car is that characters from our realm move in and out of the fae realm, making the supernatural elements absolutely integral, instead of feeling chucked on because urban fantasy is "in" now.
The book's not perfect (but then, what book is?). A lot of the Mae/Jill banter that was supposed to be flirtatious felt strained to me; Merriam sometimes gives us too much step-by-step detail about what characters are doing; and I would've preferred a resolution that involved less hacking and slashing. But this is a fun and fast-paced read with some interesting characters and a plot that's layered enough to hold readers' interest without bogging down in needless complication.
Well done.
So...urban fantasy--check. Set in my hometown and its environs--check. Queer female protagonists, one of whom is explicitly bisexual--check. Alternate transportation--check. One less faerie, and we could subtitle this That Book Michael Merriam Wrote Just for Eli.
Not that I minded the inclusion of the fae; just that it's not where I usually lean. In fact, one of my favorite things about Last Car is that characters from our realm move in and out of the fae realm, making the supernatural elements absolutely integral, instead of feeling chucked on because urban fantasy is "in" now.
The book's not perfect (but then, what book is?). A lot of the Mae/Jill banter that was supposed to be flirtatious felt strained to me; Merriam sometimes gives us too much step-by-step detail about what characters are doing; and I would've preferred a resolution that involved less hacking and slashing. But this is a fun and fast-paced read with some interesting characters and a plot that's layered enough to hold readers' interest without bogging down in needless complication.
Well done.
curlygirl71's review against another edition
4.0
A great read I don't normally read sci fi but I enjoyed this book.
ashlanswain's review against another edition
4.0
Last Car to Annwyn Station had some standard urban fantasy elements--fae, the supernatural hiding in plain sight--and some less-standard pieces like the main character's entry into the fray (child services) and several twists and turns along the way. I thought the writing was a bit uneven or repetitive in spots, and I'd have loved to learn a bit more about the various fae courts and characters that were introduced. Though it made sense to hear about things from Mae and Jill's perspective as outsiders, I sometimes had trouble following who was angry at whom, or who owed fealty where.
Still, those were minor issues for me. Mae and Jill's relationship grew naturally over the arc of the story, and was sweet to follow. I liked the setting, and would love to read more in it, especially in the aftermath of fae politics at the end. But I think the book's biggest strength was that the author was willing to take chances with the plot, and hand out permanent consequences.Mae dies and gets hung on a tree in the afterlife, even though she gets better. Jill loses an eye, gets magic-vision, and straight-up kills some dudes. The girl Mae wanted to save is already dead by the time the book starts, and her rotting corpse is a supporting character. Through the whole book, the encroaching ice and snow bind what's happening in the mortal and fae worlds. I read a lot of stories where the basic theme is "all-knowing supernatural pairs with fresh innocent mortal, hijinks ensue" (not knocking that, it's a good frame). Last Car to Annwyn Station played on those stereotypes without embracing them, and came with a bittersweet message: death wins in the end, but heroism is still worth it.
Still, those were minor issues for me. Mae and Jill's relationship grew naturally over the arc of the story, and was sweet to follow. I liked the setting, and would love to read more in it, especially in the aftermath of fae politics at the end. But I think the book's biggest strength was that the author was willing to take chances with the plot, and hand out permanent consequences.
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