The Bookwhisperer

Bob is a brilliant engineer who just made a fortune selling his company. Then he spends the money to have himself cryogenically frozen after he dies, in hopes of being revived in a time where they can revive him and send him back to the party that is life. Immediately after signing his contract, he gets hit by a car and that's that for Bob.

That is, until he is revived in the future. Sorta. Bob's personally has been transferred into a computer program and he's the property of a religiously fanatical government (which came to power after the people elected a megalomaniac president. This had me wondering if I had chosen the right book to read, so soon after the election). As it turns out, corpsickles have no right in the future. Bob is installed into a space ship and sent out to explore the universe. Which isn't a bad deal, really.

This book was so much fun and full of nerdy goodies. I went through it fast and loved every minute of it. So, yeah...read this book, you!

I loved the cover of this book. You hardly ever see a black cover model. I really like the art deco feel to both the cover and the chapter headings. It's all so very pretty.

I also liked the world that Destiny Soria has built. The story takes place in an alternate Boston in 1919 where society has been divided into the normal folks (the regs) and the feared hemopaths, who can perform magic through art. Practicing hemopathy is strictly illegal. Active hemopaths are hunted and shipped off to Haversham Asylum for afflictions of the blood, where horrible experiments are rumored to take place.

I liked the character of Ada, whose art form is music. Her family background, her race and struggles with discrimination gave her nice depth. Her relationship with Charlie was also very sweet. I was less thrilled about Corinne. She came off as a bit brainless and hubristic, and her character seemed very static throughout the story.

At first, I appreciated the slow build-up, because it does a nice job of introducing you to the characters and the world. Then I got over halfway into the book, and still nothing much was happening. I started feeling like the interesting stuff had already happened before the book started and I was late for the show, basically just watching the aftermath of it all. Eventually, a mystery does develop but it's given less attention than, say, Corinne's family dinners and whether or not she should kiss the guy she may or may not be into. By the time things get going in the last 100 pages or so, I had pretty much lost interest.

How do I hate thee, let me count the ways... (I am trying to not sound like a troll, but I'm still really irritated with this book)

1) This was the first time I actually returned a book to audible.

2) The heroine is completely incapable of setting boundaries with people. Many of those people behave like they have diagnosable personality disorders. Yet, Briddey can't possibly stand up for herself, because she might upset someone.

3) The heroine is a nitwit. At first, I thought her family was just straight up insane and controlling. They're all freaking out because Briddey is getting an EEG with her boyfriend, which is a sort of an implant that will enable them to feel eachother's feelings. Sure, that sounds like a really dumb idea, but it really isn't anyone else's business. Then I get to the part where it's revealed that Briddey has dated her boyfriend for six weeks. Six weeks. Then I realized that her family is probably scared that she's going to be murdered because she's dating some creep who, after dating for less than two months, not only wants to plan a wedding but also want to get brain implants so that he can know what all her feelings are. This is the sort of relationship that is likely to end in a restraining order or a murder. Not saying that the family isn't nuts - because HOLY SMOKES - but some of the crazy might be justified.

In short, I figure that Briddey is a girl with a whole lot of problems. The vast majority of them would be solved if she learned to stand up for herself and demand people treat her like an adult, rather than a child with special needs.

The Others - werecreatures, vampires, elemental and other supernatural creatures - rule the world, and humanity is allowed to exist only because they're considered practical. Anyone who steps out of line, becomes "special meat." Humans stay in their own areas, and The Others rule everything else.

Meg Corbyn is on the run, her enemies hot on her heels. The only place she can think to hide, is The Courtyard, where The Others live. Before she knows it, she has been hired by Simon Wolfgard as the courtyards human liaison. Her kindness and innocent spirit is gaining her the trust of the courtyard residents. But her enemies are still hunting her. Not to mention that she hides a big secret, and The Others might not take kindly to having been lied to.

At first, I didn't really like this book and I thought about just ditching it for something shinier. The irrational rage of Simon Wolfgard got old. Also, I had this as an audiobook and the narrator kept lowering her voice to sound growly and macho for all Simon's lines, but ended up sounding like a hamster with a bad cold. That was driving me batty. She is an excellent narrator otherwise, but that one thing...sweet baby Jesus in forward facing baby seat.

However, I've been ditching so many books this year, so I decided to give this one a chance. I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it. There's a lot of excitement, but also a lot of humor. I ended up listening to certain funny parts more than once. I'm looking forward to reading/hearing (however I decide to gobble it up) the rest of the series.