bigbear73's review against another edition
5.0
Book reviews can be difficult for me. Many times, especially if its a book I really enjoy, I don't feel like I'm paying the book proper respect. After awhile, many of them sound the same to my ears, and I ended up backing off of how many I write for that reason.
That being said, reading is my happy place, an escape, a way to spend time with heroes and villains, to be somewhere else for a little bit. The more of an escape, or the more lovable the characters, the more I love the book.
Well, this is the second time now that I've felt like I've actually spent time in Metropolis. Lois Lane: Fallout was fantastic, and Double Down takes it up another step. I fell into the story like that warm blanket you keep in your reading chair, and was back following Lois around, becoming more enamored with her courage, impressed with her intuition, and getting heartburn at her recklessness.
Gwenda has hit a grand slam with this series, as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who appreciates a good mystery should read both of these, and if you're a fan of Superman's universe, you should just buy them and put them in your library.
That being said, reading is my happy place, an escape, a way to spend time with heroes and villains, to be somewhere else for a little bit. The more of an escape, or the more lovable the characters, the more I love the book.
Well, this is the second time now that I've felt like I've actually spent time in Metropolis. Lois Lane: Fallout was fantastic, and Double Down takes it up another step. I fell into the story like that warm blanket you keep in your reading chair, and was back following Lois around, becoming more enamored with her courage, impressed with her intuition, and getting heartburn at her recklessness.
Gwenda has hit a grand slam with this series, as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who appreciates a good mystery should read both of these, and if you're a fan of Superman's universe, you should just buy them and put them in your library.
everthereader's review against another edition
4.0
Review Posted On: Marvelous Eden of Books
Spoiler Free Review:
After reading a bunch of sad historical fiction, I needed a break, so I went for some suspenseful contemporary/sci-fi. I read the first book in the Lois Lane series at the very beginning of the school year and thought it was super cool, so I was interested to see if my tastes and opinions had changed now that it's the end of the year. My thoughts have changed quite a bit, I've noticed some flaws that I didn't pay attention to before. I did really enjoy this story for the most part, despite the issues I had with it.
The writing style is pretty reminiscent to a few series I read in elementary school, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes and The Gilda Joyce series. It was a lot less juvenile but Lois's perspective and personality is similar to the characters I read as a kid. This book is also a lot more darker than the first one. It goes into deeper conflicts and issues. I liked the idea of the smaller problems which all connect to the bigger conflict. There were some slow parts, but there was a ton of very suspenseful scenes that had me at the edge of my seat. The plot also leaned a lot more on the sci-fi side. The whole story revolves around an experiment and this lab, it didn't bother me as much since I love sci-fi, but if you're looking for a more contemporary story, you will not find it in this book.
One of my biggest issues was how unrealistic the situation felt at times. Lois is only 16 years old and the situations she was in was very unrealistic. Even if the series is a reimagining of Lois Lane, it would make more sense if she was older. I also thought a lot of the things that came in the way of Lois solving the mystery, such as school was solved very quickly to keep the plot moving.
Lois Lane is an awesome character and she definitely does stay true to herself. She's clever, sassy and inquisitive. I also really loved Devin, he was the calm and cool dude. Of course, SmallvilleGuy is adorable. I loved the conversations Lois and SmallvilleGuy had. But the rest of the characters really fell flat for me. I didn't realize this in the first book, but the other characters, James and Maddy, they are really cut and dry. I felt like I've read characters like the, before and didn't feel like anything new. As for the romance, it was a little more prominent in this book, one of the things I appreciated in Lois Lane: Fallout was the lack of romance. I did not like any of the romantic elements in this book. It felt really cheesy and out of place. I was glad to see it did not play a huge role.
The ending fell a little flat for me as well. I was hoping for a little more and the big reveal I thought would happen didn't happen. For now, there are only two books confirmed which is pretty disappointing. I'm hoping there will be a third book since I do have a lot of questions about SmallvilleGuy. Overall, I did have a lot of fun reading this book. This series is a lot of fun and if there is a sequel, I will definitely be picking it up.
Rating: 3.75/5
Waiting on Wednesday: http://themarvelousedenofbooks.blogspot.com/2016/04/waiting-on-wednesday3-double-down-lois.html
Spoiler Free Review:
After reading a bunch of sad historical fiction, I needed a break, so I went for some suspenseful contemporary/sci-fi. I read the first book in the Lois Lane series at the very beginning of the school year and thought it was super cool, so I was interested to see if my tastes and opinions had changed now that it's the end of the year. My thoughts have changed quite a bit, I've noticed some flaws that I didn't pay attention to before. I did really enjoy this story for the most part, despite the issues I had with it.
The writing style is pretty reminiscent to a few series I read in elementary school, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes and The Gilda Joyce series. It was a lot less juvenile but Lois's perspective and personality is similar to the characters I read as a kid. This book is also a lot more darker than the first one. It goes into deeper conflicts and issues. I liked the idea of the smaller problems which all connect to the bigger conflict. There were some slow parts, but there was a ton of very suspenseful scenes that had me at the edge of my seat. The plot also leaned a lot more on the sci-fi side. The whole story revolves around an experiment and this lab, it didn't bother me as much since I love sci-fi, but if you're looking for a more contemporary story, you will not find it in this book.
One of my biggest issues was how unrealistic the situation felt at times. Lois is only 16 years old and the situations she was in was very unrealistic. Even if the series is a reimagining of Lois Lane, it would make more sense if she was older. I also thought a lot of the things that came in the way of Lois solving the mystery, such as school was solved very quickly to keep the plot moving.
Lois Lane is an awesome character and she definitely does stay true to herself. She's clever, sassy and inquisitive. I also really loved Devin, he was the calm and cool dude. Of course, SmallvilleGuy is adorable. I loved the conversations Lois and SmallvilleGuy had. But the rest of the characters really fell flat for me. I didn't realize this in the first book, but the other characters, James and Maddy, they are really cut and dry. I felt like I've read characters like the, before and didn't feel like anything new. As for the romance, it was a little more prominent in this book, one of the things I appreciated in Lois Lane: Fallout was the lack of romance. I did not like any of the romantic elements in this book. It felt really cheesy and out of place. I was glad to see it did not play a huge role.
The ending fell a little flat for me as well. I was hoping for a little more and the big reveal I thought would happen didn't happen. For now, there are only two books confirmed which is pretty disappointing. I'm hoping there will be a third book since I do have a lot of questions about SmallvilleGuy. Overall, I did have a lot of fun reading this book. This series is a lot of fun and if there is a sequel, I will definitely be picking it up.
Rating: 3.75/5
Waiting on Wednesday: http://themarvelousedenofbooks.blogspot.com/2016/04/waiting-on-wednesday3-double-down-lois.html
amouria's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book, I really did, but it took me forever to read. I enjoyed the first book but found this one less engaging. The series is cheesy and usually that’s not a deal-breaker for me but Double Down was a bit much with the other issues I had with it as well. To begin, I am not a fan of first person narrative and that was always something I struggled with as I read the book. It felt redundant to include inner exposition on the characters and plot when I would have rather read the story for what it was from a third person POV. The assumptions and repetitive detailing of character reactions was a bit too much for me (ex: James’ reaction to Dante every time he appears and Lois’ attention to it was repetitive as I deduced early on that he was jealous).
Secondly, her version of teenage Lois and Clark—I like them but it still felt incomplete and I wanted more than meeting in a VR game or instant messaging. I was hoping for more in the second book since they were already IMing each other in the first one. Plus, I am not entirely comfortable that the depth of their relationship is explored through these interactions when they are both teenagers.
Another thing is that there are three characters with a name that begins with “D” and whenever I picked up reading the book, I’d have to take a few seconds to differentiate them. Sometimes this happened with the twins too. Not necessarily a critique of the writing but I think the book would have benefited from using more different letter names.
Some positives: I love the relationship between Lois and Lucy. I am happy to for a version where Ella is alive. I am glad that Lois has friends at school, outside of Clark. Though I am not thrilled about the book’s plot, I like the science fiction theme to it—cloning is a cool concept. All that being said, read the book if you’re a Lois Lane fan. There isn’t enough dedicated to the First Lady of DC comics so I’ll take what I can get! It’s great that young adults have these Lois Lane books.
Secondly, her version of teenage Lois and Clark—I like them but it still felt incomplete and I wanted more than meeting in a VR game or instant messaging. I was hoping for more in the second book since they were already IMing each other in the first one. Plus, I am not entirely comfortable that the depth of their relationship is explored through these interactions when they are both teenagers.
Another thing is that there are three characters with a name that begins with “D” and whenever I picked up reading the book, I’d have to take a few seconds to differentiate them. Sometimes this happened with the twins too. Not necessarily a critique of the writing but I think the book would have benefited from using more different letter names.
Some positives: I love the relationship between Lois and Lucy. I am happy to for a version where Ella is alive. I am glad that Lois has friends at school, outside of Clark. Though I am not thrilled about the book’s plot, I like the science fiction theme to it—cloning is a cool concept. All that being said, read the book if you’re a Lois Lane fan. There isn’t enough dedicated to the First Lady of DC comics so I’ll take what I can get! It’s great that young adults have these Lois Lane books.
alairuiz's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐
Al fiiiin, me tardé tanto en terminarlo solo por distraída.
Al fiiiin, me tardé tanto en terminarlo solo por distraída.
jcarvajal23's review against another edition
3.0
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
Another great story about the fierce Lois Lane that I enjoyed from start to finish. I really enjoy Bond's writing style and voice. Lois is such a relateable, spunky, and endearing character that you can't help but love. I didn't like this story as much as the first one, but the relationship between Lois and Smallville Guy becomes more intriguing. I can't wait to see where it leads to in the next one!
Another great story about the fierce Lois Lane that I enjoyed from start to finish. I really enjoy Bond's writing style and voice. Lois is such a relateable, spunky, and endearing character that you can't help but love. I didn't like this story as much as the first one, but the relationship between Lois and Smallville Guy becomes more intriguing. I can't wait to see where it leads to in the next one!
sc104906's review against another edition
4.0
Lois Lane is at it again. Lane's new (best) friend Maddy's twin sister is having blackouts where she feels like she is living as someone else. Lane and other Daily Scoopers work to get to the bottom of the mystery. Lois brings in some pretty awesome gadgets and super sleuthing skills. Her relationship with SmallvilleGuy becomes closer, maybe with a meetup in the near future!?
Things become way more dangerous this time around and you just hope that perhaps there is a superhero around to save the day. I don't typically get into the Superman brand, but I really like this series. It is fun, witty and fast-paced. I like the characters and the sleuthing that happens is funny and interesting.
Things become way more dangerous this time around and you just hope that perhaps there is a superhero around to save the day. I don't typically get into the Superman brand, but I really like this series. It is fun, witty and fast-paced. I like the characters and the sleuthing that happens is funny and interesting.
tehani's review against another edition
4.0
I’m on board to find out where Bond takes Lois and SmallvilleGuy in this iteration, and I’ll happily pick up the next book. Much longer review here.
kaleyb25's review against another edition
4.0
Great sequel! We get to know the characters more, and Lois turns more into a hero as the story thickens. The ending made me so happy, and SmallvilleGuy continues to warm my heart. I needed a fun read so this was a great pick me up. So excited to read the finale!
Side-note about the plot: Their were two cases this time around; the first being the one Lois solves, the second hinted throughout series (and more prevalent in this one) but will most likely be main focus in final book. When two mysteries are in the same story I tend to prefer one over the other, so it took me some time for the plot to pick up. But once it did I was engaged for the rest of it.
Side-note about the plot: Their were two cases this time around; the first being the one Lois solves, the second hinted throughout series (and more prevalent in this one) but will most likely be main focus in final book. When two mysteries are in the same story I tend to prefer one over the other, so it took me some time for the plot to pick up. But once it did I was engaged for the rest of it.
iggyebab's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first book so much. This one was not as good, in my opinion.