Ageless Pages Reviews

Another great addition to the Kearsley bibliography.

Overall, this was pretty decent. Some areas were great (the father/daughter angle), some were good (decent writing, evocative), but some were decidedly weak (the flashbacks!). A mixed bag but one that is so worth a read.

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The Cutting Room Floor is a weird book. It swings between so many ideas and plot avenues that it seems to possess a bit of an identity crisis. This is a book that can't decide if it wants to be a murder mystery, a romance, or an "Issue" novel. In just over 330 pages, The Cutting Room Floor repeatedly flits between the murder "mystery", the "romance", and Riley's struggle with her sexuality; it's always trying to tackle each angle and in doing so, fails to create any kind of real or lasting impression. To sum it up as succinctly as possible, this book was an interesting premise, met with lackluster execution.

If the author had picked just one, or maybe even two, themes to go with, The Cutting Room Floor would have been much better off. Nothing - from characters to plot to the multiple themes - is really developed. None of the plotlines get the focus or attention needed to create a reasonable plot structure. The characters are tropes, or one dimensional or impossible to care about. The only interesting character is Dez, and that's because he rapidly emerges as a controlling, manipulative, creepy jerk. The main attribute used for Riley is how much she lets her sexuality define her throughout the novel.  While the murder of her favorite teacher is supposedly the focus of the plot, much more of Riley's inner moologue is devoted to examining who she wants to date, or what gender she is attracted to. Which would be fine, and good, but then why is there a murder mystery involved in the first place? Why ignore it to watch Riley wrestle with her impulses? It all feels too thrown together, too all over the place and The Cutting Room Floor needs some serious editing.

A book about a confused high school girl wrestling with being homosexual, or even bisexual, would have been welcomed. A straightforward murder mystery about a beloved but aloof teacher would have been interesting. A YA romance about two best friends who become more than that through adversity/working together closely/etc/ would have been done before, but had possibility. Klehr, in trying to throw all of them together, detracts from everything that might have recommended her novel. Her characters suffer from lack of dimension, her plot(s) are all over the place, the writing is passable, and the few bright spots are lost in the overwhelming amount of superfluous angles. The murder mystery is abandoned for 80% of the book after it is introduced. How it is concluded, and how it coincides with the plot about Riley's love life is both just too convenient and too little too late.

This is a frustrating read, but it's not the most horrible thing I've read. It's not completely boring, and nor is it reminiscent of anything else I've come across. There is some originality - the narrative-as-script for example - work really well within the frame of the story. There is potential here, but there's too much being juggled for any real involvement on the part of the audience. It falls flat, there are some pretty large plotholes, and the characters are a wash. But for all that, a little more restraint, a little more editing, and there would've been more to enjoy about The Cutting Room Floor. I am just disappointed, and think that readers searching for a genuine whodunit or a psychological thriller will find themselves disappointed as well.

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I did end up liking this, but I can also admit that I am a leeeetle bit disappointed. This falls prey to the "quest" sort of plot that pops up so often in fantasy.... and that doesn't really make for the most compelling read.Review to come.

Holy shit, that ending was EPIC. This would be a 4.5/5 but I had to take stars away for unnecessary relationship drama and tomfoolery. I am just glad I have the next two ordered and on their way already. And if I love triangle comes up (my senses are tingling), I am gonna be pissed.

It could've been much better, but it also could have been so much worse. Onto my ARC of the 5th.Also: there's going to be a sixth book? This series refuses to die/go away.

Must acquire physical copy! Loveloveloved 92% of this. My second Patrick Ness, and he just continues to impress me with his many, many talents.

Read This Review & More Like It On Ageless Pages Reviews!"I both dreaded and feared to reach so high. It only meant I had further to fall."The Secret History, ARC p.254Stephanie Thornton proves that not all debut novels have to feel and read like debuts. The Secret History is a dense, detailed, atmospheric, and just an endlessly fascinating look at one of history's forgotten women. In a time where a woman was property, with little to no power of her own, this pleb-turned-patrician created her own opportunities and seized power for herself and her husband. Thornton ably recreates Theodora's tumultuous life from early age, steeped in poverty, to her triumphant, if troubled, reign as Augusta of the Byzantine Empire. Though this passionate and intelligent Empress has been largely overlooked by most historians and historical fiction writers, and even though I already knew her life story before reading The Secret History, this is a book that makes reading this unlikely pauper-to-princess tale firsthand utterly compelling.This is a book that takes many harsh turns over the course of its 450 pages; there is rape, abuse, torture, prostitution, and endless extramarital affairs. However this is not a salacious novel - whatever Theodora had to do to survive, she did. Though she was many things - intelligent, stubborn, secretive, pragmatic, quick-tempered, brave, arrogant - above all, she was a survivor. Cast into poverty by her father's death and her abandonment by her political faction, Theodora and her sister Comito become actresses to help their mother and younger sister live. Her life may not always be easy to read about (from the clinical, cold loss of her virginity, to her abuse and abandonment in a foreign port at only 16) but Thornton builds from these desperate situations to recreate a version of the woman who was smart and wanted much more than to be a pawn of the men in her life and bed. From those who loved and supported her to those her saw her as no more than an up-jumped whore, you could not deny that Theodora was always a woman to be reckoned with.Theodora as the main character and first person narrator is the best part of The Secret History. Through her observant eyes, the reader gets a vivid look at life in different stations during Constantinople under the reign of three different Emperors (Anastasius, Justin, and her husband Justinian). From poverty to notoriety to infamy, Theodora could not be ignored by her society as she made her way toward Justinian and eventually the throne. She is captivating and compelling, even when she is at her worst or when she makes the wrong decision. The characterization of Theodora evolves deftly throughout the narrative; from the beginning it is obvious that Thornton has a passion for crafting well-defined and multi-dimensional characters. Her Theodora is smart and strong-willed, but she is far from perfect and thus much more interesting to read about.There is an abundance of well-defined characters in the book. The secondary characters of Antonina and Justinian especially reap the benefits of Thornton's strong characterization. The relationships the Theodora forges with each are complicated - Anotinia evolves from a one-note antagonist to a close friend and helpful supporter. Stephanie Thornton takes extra time and detail to craft a faithful but interesting representation of the Emperor Justinian. Of all the things shown about this ambitious man, his love for Theodora is paramount and The Secret History subtly takes care to show how his regard for his wife both helps and hurts his goals as Emperor. Their relationship goes through phases of struggle and accord, but through it all, Thornton shows Theodora to be the equal of her imperial husband in every way. Even when they find themselves at odds, the relationship between them is complex and engaging to read about.Politics play a huge part in the life of Theodora and in the main plot of the novel. Weaving in historical events - the Nika riots, the general Belisarius's threat to her/Justinian's reign, etc. - within the narrative frame, the author recreates political intrigue with personal struggle equally well. A huge strength of The Secret History is that the story is just as compelling when it focuses on the machinations and schemes of those factions that surround the Augustus and his Augusta. The details and aims for opposing factions can make for a bit of drier reading, but the author doesn't linger overlong on ancient political agendas. And though Theodora is remembered for her support of Miaphysite Christianity, religion is also not a huge aspect of the novel.Stephanie Thornton skillfully interweaves fact with fiction, supposition with authorial discretion, all to the benefit of the novel. As the immensely readable author's note says, Thornton takes history into her own hands to fashion a better narrative for her readers. Certain characters have liberties taken with their actions and history, but it fosters more conflict for Theodora to contend with as the novel winds to a close. New reasons are created for actions not explained historically, and the decisions Thornton makes allow for a more cohesive view of Theodora and Justinian's lives.The first in a series about some of history's "forgotten women", The Secret History is impressive. It's a great launching point for such a series and under this author's talented vision, I have complete faith the sequels (about Hatshepsut, and Genghis Khan's wife and daughters) will be just as detailed and engrossing. A full 5/5 stars, for while minor issues pop up (pacing), this is one of the best historical fiction novels I've had the pleasure to read. Ever. Readers will be entertained by this interesting, complicated, powerful woman who seized the opportunities that came her way, regardless of how society thought she should behave. Theodora is a fascinating woman and Stephanie Thornton's version is a well-rendered and thoughtful depiction of both her and her remarkable life.

No.I think that says it best.

 

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This was coasting along; a decent, if shallow, alternative history steampunk.... until that non-ending reared its head to frustrate me. Her Ladyship's Curse has an intriguing enough premise - a supernatural steampunk story set in "Toriana" (Provincial Union of Victoriana), a version of the United States where the Revolutionary War failed - but execution was shallow if serviceable. For the most part... but I will get to that in just a minute.

I wanted more from the worldbuilding early on. The idea at the heart of the novel  is a good one - far too few steampunk novels turn their focus outside of Great Britain - but the author failed to provide enough detail to flesh out her alternative history. The book is decent if far from stellar at several things: plot, pacing, writing, and creativity. However, the author's clear lack of detail works against Her Ladyship's Curse. The mystery element is pretty weak, but since Kit is a dry, amusing protagonist I was content to ride along with her and see where it all ended up.

And then, after two hundred pages of nondescript writing and very little characterization -which I was more than willing to look past because the novel was engaging enough - we get to that "ending." And I am being generous with that description. The last chapter is utterly frustrating. The cliffhanger resolves NOTHING. There is NO resolution to the main plot, just a clear ploy to buy book two. UGH. It was a cheap way to end a novel - regardless of how short the book may be. There are no answers, just an interlude THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT that just.. terminates. It's over, and it's far from a good stopping point.

I can't say I will pick up His Lordship Possessed because of how terribly Her Ladyship's Curse ended. There are plenty of supernatural steampunk mysteries already published to keep me busy, and at least they are concerned with satisfactorily wrapping up plots before attempting to solicit more money from their readers. What had been a shaky 3-star read quickly downgraded into a 2/5 and just convinced me to never pick up this series again.

This is a cheap buy for $2.99 for ebooks, but how much enjoyment others will derive from it...  I cannot predict.

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This book is not for me. I had inklings that it wasn't going to work early on - the narrative starts very slowly, andthe characters are uniformly either awful or bland. I'm not a huge horror reader - especially outside of the YA genre for it. Adult horror is often not for me, and The Troop is a perfect example of why. The comparisons to The Lord of the Flies have merit, as I was beginning to really see with the five boys..... before The Troop went too far off the rails for me to follow.

For the first ninety pages, I was just plain bored.. and then in the middle of "The Infestation" (aka around page 160-170) I was really, really grossed out. It turns out that this was just not the type of book for me. I can handle some varieties of horror fine. Gorey zombie novels? Sure. Hand them over. Creepy psychological stories with stalking and murder and general unpleasantness? Give them to me. But just plain gross-out medical experiments consisting of <SPOILER> awful, extended animal testing </SPOILER> are not something I can read and keep going.

Once the recorded animal testing segment was introduced, I was out of there. The scene is very graphic, and extremely disturbing. The scenes on the island had been becoming more and more out of hand as the situation devolves and the contagion spreads, but were far from the level of depravity shown in the mixed media with Dr. Edgerton and Dr. Erikson. This is totally a personal issue; I think more seasoned horror readers will feel squeamish but will be able to continue reading. However, I can't.

The author seems to be trying to show how far humanity will go for science, or to capitalize on a dangerous, unethical scheme. I'm not sure how well he carries either theme off (or even if those emerge as core themes), because 46% was as far in as I could make myself read. I'll just get someone made of sterner stuff to fill me in on the details later. Much, much later.

3.5A thrill ride of a historical adventure.Review to come as part of the blog tour 7/18!

Decent, if bit bogged down by expositionary dialogue. This was an interesting interpretation of the succession crisis in 1553, and one with more than a few unexpected twists. A solid start to a historical fiction mystery series, I am eager to see what happens for the fictional Brendan in the next installment.

One of the most adorable things I have ever read. Kasie West just continues to knock them out of the park.

This book. This book right here. This is really original and excellently executed epic fantasy. A step up from an already impressive first novel, Elliott's second Spiritwalker book doesn't disappoint.