Disapointing and with an awfull narrator

Let me preface this by stating that I absolutely love all of Lawrence other books.

This one felt like it was written by an entirely different author. Far less attention to detail, glaring holes in the plot and characters that felt flat and underdeveloped.

Not a series I'll return to.

8 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Cool Ideas, bu Lackluster Execution

Lawrence has a lot of fun ideas with time travel and infinite potential timelines, but the story played out more like if Stranger Things spent a third of a season with the kids sitting around playing D and D. Pretty slow for such a short book. The climax was fun, but felt rushed.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Excellent 6+ hours of entertainment

One Word Kill was an excellent story by Mark Lawrence. It was on the shorter side at about 200 pages or 6 hours and 45 minutes on audible but this meant there was never a dull moment. I’m used to reading Lawrence’s fantasy books and it was nice to see that he’s able to produce good content in other genres as well.

I see this get compared to Stranger Things quite a bit and I think that’s fair. It takes place in the 80’s, there’s a nerdy D&D group and there’s one girl in the group but I think this is where the similarities end. Although this takes place in the 80s it doesn’t rely on the nostalgia factor as much as Stranger Things does, it’s just the setting for the story. It’s hard to give other reasons why this book is different without spoiling anything but I think I can say it’s more straight SciFi than supernatural (at least so far) without giving too much away.

Another difference from Stranger things was the setting. This takes place in England instead of the U.S. I honestly didn’t realize that Lawrence grew up in the U.K. until I read this book. The slang and jargon seemed so similar to what I hear teens using in other English shows so I had to go look at his biography to see that he grew up there. Getting to see teens in 80’s England was interesting as I haven’t really seen content (besides in the actual 80s) produced in this setting.

I do have a few nitpicks. The main character has cancer. This isn’t really an issue but there’s a lot of talk about it and chemotherapy. If someone has cancer or has family or friends who do this might be a bit of a downer. The only other thing is that this book is pretty short and paying full price or an audible credit for such a short book seems a little steep. The nice thing though is that this is free on Kindle Unlimited and if you have that you can also get the audio book for $1.99 which is well worth it. I was also going to say I don’t see why Lawrence didn’t make this trilogy one book but I’ve already started book two and, although short, these really do seem like full complete arcs of a trilogy.

Overall a fantastic 6+ hours of entertainment and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Mathew Frow was an excellent narrator for this book especially since it’s set in England. His narration was spot on and was one of the reasons I had to go look and see if Lawrence was from the U.K.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Boring like the sound of Booooooooooooooooooooooo

I tried. I really did. Honestly it's not all that bad I guess.
Like a somber Hardy Boy or a soggy french fry.
Ya, It has ketchup on it, but, why am I eating this?

deep breath- exasperated sigh....

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

One Word Review - Ridiculous

In my opinion this story was ridiculous. I did not like the book. Publisher says: "Ready Player One meets Stranger Things in this thrilling new novel." I did not feel that way about this book.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

I was taken in by a title

I was very disappointed with the opening story. it was somehow immortalizing a subject matter that I was not expecting. I will not give details because ever listener has to find if this topic story and reader works for you because it did not for me. Not a thriller, not a mystery. What?!!

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Making Math Sexy Again

YUGE thanks to the publisher and author for an advanced reading copy of Holy Sister (Book of the Ancestor #3) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

What can I really say that is going to make you read this book? You either enjoy Lawrence’s books or you OMFG THIS MAN CAN DO NO WRONG. SERIOUSLY, WHEN DOES HIS NEXT BOOK COME OUT BECAUSE I AM GOING TO PREORDER IT RIGHT NOW – LOVE his books. I can safely say that I am in the latter because I know that every time I open up one of his novels, I am in for a treat that has beautifully crafted prose, entrancingly expansive yet claustrophobic world-building, a unique and impressive magic system, and characters that not only kick ass and take names, but do so with flair.

Holy Sister nips at the heels of Grey Sister, and since it has been a year since we last journeyed round the ice with Nona, Mark has kindly given us a bit of a recap at the beginning. It is always a nice touch when authors do this as not all of us have time to re-read the first 2+ books in a series to remember exactly all that has happened.

We are given two (2) timelines this time around: the first being the present where Nona is in Holy Class and has to make the difficult decision of which order she will become; the second being three (3) years in the past and taking place moments after the ending of Grey Sister. Mark expertly crafts both of these timelines together to make for seamless transitions between chapters. The end of each chapter feels like its own mini cliffhanger, only to be satisfied immediately within the next few words.

While the author has a knack for writing well thought out and descriptive fight scenes, his ability to build up a battle for the ages in just a few short chapters is simply stunning. But what I am really chuffed about, and have to agree with my co-reviewer Griffin on, is the creation of the ship-hearts and the artificial moon. The entirety of the planet warring over control of these ancient items in order to negate the fast-paced movement of the ice and ensure their survival.

Guys and gals… I really cannot say more about how Mark’s writing has affected me since I first began reading his works. Anytime his name is attached to something, I have to have it. I may not be the first to read or review it, heck, probably not even the first to talk about it, but I know that I can bite into his writing, chew slowly to savor the words as they gush out, and know that I will be pleasantly full by the time it is over.

This trilogy, like the Broken Empire (and when I finally get to reading it, more than likely The Red Queen’s War), will be one I come back to over and over again. I can imagine there are so many things I have missed, but just the prose alone is enough to have me clamoring for more.

Loved it!

Amasing story and great narration.
Made me feel like a part of the story somehow and even made time travel seem logical.

Not a litrpg if you are wondering

I got this thinking it was a Litrpg book. It is not. It was entertaining though I probably won't continue the series.

slow start

I struggled with the first part of this box. I was not even going to finish it but I kept on listening. It did pick up and was interesting. Rather predictable but fun. I wish it had been more detailed.