3.0 out of 5 stars Witch Or Demon, Rachel Continues To Be... Rachel.
And Continues To Need A Slap Upside Her Head..
October 6, 2012 By E. Nolan - See all my reviews
I'm afraid to say this is not one of the better Rachel Morgan books.
At her best, Rachel is a compelling, if flawed, heroine, and at her
worst is an irritating menace to those around her.
First, let me make two points semi-unrelated to the plot of the book.
1) We get an in-story-famous "Humans Only" terrorist movement in
this book, and it comes out of nowhere. Like "shunning", it was
never mentioned until it became a plot point. Ideally, both should
have been mentioned in passing in previous books. This way, it feels
like Harrison just made up a new menace out of thin air (which makes
sense, since that's what she did).
2) Daryl. Once again, as with Pierce, Harrison has apparently
introduced a major character in some short story somewhere off the
main series of novels. That's bad enough, but for those of us (like
me..) who missed it, the first we hear of Daryl is that Ivy, Glenn
and Daryl are now menage-a-trois of lovers. Fair enough, I suppose,
but it wasn't until more than halfway through the book that "Daryl"
was established as a woman. Now, I can see it working either way
with Ivy, but it had certainly caused me to re-evaluate what I
thought I knew about Glenn up until that point. Kind of an important
detail!
SOME SPOILERS SURELY FOLLOW
Now, one of the main themes of the book was that "The Hero must
accept her own true self to prevail", and that's classic enough,
but great-guns, Rachel's own true self is annoying. Rachel is
apparently unable to have a normal conversation without pregnant
pauses, endless internal debates over what to let slip, and an
apparent unwillingness to get to the point until it is past time
for the other part to leave. It's just exhausting every time she
starts to talk.
Her choices get harder and harder to defend as well, especially
given her new-found determination to accept help from friends. At
a key point during the climax of the book, she refuses to reach out
to Glenn, who is in the process of realizing his agency has been
infiltrated from the top by the terrorists. By doing so, she probably
could have cemented her place with the FIB *and* saved Ivy's
relationship with her lovers. Instead she, unforgivably, beats her
bodyguard senseless (an action that's not even deemed worth following
up on in the coda) and gives her trust to an untrustworty man who
betrays her. Way to go Rachel!
Other minuses: The roles of Jenks & Ivy continue to shrink.
Plusses: No Pierce -- ------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
> 3.0 out of 5 stars Witch Or Demon, Rachel Continues To Be... Rachel.
> And Continues To Need A Slap Upside Her Head..
> October 6, 2012 By E. Nolan - See all my reviews
> I'm afraid to say this is not one of the better Rachel Morgan books.
> At her best, Rachel is a compelling, if flawed, heroine, and at her
> worst is an irritating menace to those around her.
> First, let me make two points semi-unrelated to the plot of the book.
> 1) We get an in-story-famous "Humans Only" terrorist movement in
> this book, and it comes out of nowhere. Like "shunning", it was
> never mentioned until it became a plot point. Ideally, both should
> have been mentioned in passing in previous books. This way, it feels
> like Harrison just made up a new menace out of thin air (which makes
> sense, since that's what she did).
> 2) Daryl. Once again, as with Pierce, Harrison has apparently
> introduced a major character in some short story somewhere off the
> main series of novels. That's bad enough, but for those of us (like
> me..) who missed it, the first we hear of Daryl is that Ivy, Glenn
> and Daryl are now menage-a-trois of lovers. Fair enough, I suppose,
> but it wasn't until more than halfway through the book that "Daryl"
> was established as a woman. Now, I can see it working either way
> with Ivy, but it had certainly caused me to re-evaluate what I
> thought I knew about Glenn up until that point. Kind of an important
> detail!
> SOME SPOILERS SURELY FOLLOW
> Now, one of the main themes of the book was that "The Hero must
> accept her own true self to prevail", and that's classic enough,
> but great-guns, Rachel's own true self is annoying. Rachel is
> apparently unable to have a normal conversation without pregnant
> pauses, endless internal debates over what to let slip, and an
> apparent unwillingness to get to the point until it is past time
> for the other part to leave. It's just exhausting every time she
> starts to talk.
> Her choices get harder and harder to defend as well, especially
> given her new-found determination to accept help from friends. At
> a key point during the climax of the book, she refuses to reach out
> to Glenn, who is in the process of realizing his agency has been
> infiltrated from the top by the terrorists. By doing so, she probably
> could have cemented her place with the FIB *and* saved Ivy's
> relationship with her lovers. Instead she, unforgivably, beats her
> bodyguard senseless (an action that's not even deemed worth following
> up on in the coda) and gives her trust to an untrustworty man who
> betrays her. Way to go Rachel!
> Other minuses: The roles of Jenks & Ivy continue to shrink.
>> 3.0 out of 5 stars Witch Or Demon, Rachel Continues To Be... Rachel.
>> And Continues To Need A Slap Upside Her Head..
>> October 6, 2012 By E. Nolan - See all my reviews
>> I'm afraid to say this is not one of the better Rachel Morgan books.
>> At her best, Rachel is a compelling, if flawed, heroine, and at her
>> worst is an irritating menace to those around her.
>> First, let me make two points semi-unrelated to the plot of the book.
>> 1) We get an in-story-famous "Humans Only" terrorist movement in
>> this book, and it comes out of nowhere. Like "shunning", it was
>> never mentioned until it became a plot point. Ideally, both should
>> have been mentioned in passing in previous books. This way, it feels
>> like Harrison just made up a new menace out of thin air (which makes
>> sense, since that's what she did).
>> 2) Daryl. Once again, as with Pierce, Harrison has apparently
>> introduced a major character in some short story somewhere off the
>> main series of novels. That's bad enough, but for those of us (like
>> me..) who missed it, the first we hear of Daryl is that Ivy, Glenn
>> and Daryl are now menage-a-trois of lovers. Fair enough, I suppose,
>> but it wasn't until more than halfway through the book that "Daryl"
>> was established as a woman. Now, I can see it working either way
>> with Ivy, but it had certainly caused me to re-evaluate what I
>> thought I knew about Glenn up until that point. Kind of an important
>> detail!
>> SOME SPOILERS SURELY FOLLOW
>> Now, one of the main themes of the book was that "The Hero must
>> accept her own true self to prevail", and that's classic enough,
>> but great-guns, Rachel's own true self is annoying. Rachel is
>> apparently unable to have a normal conversation without pregnant
>> pauses, endless internal debates over what to let slip, and an
>> apparent unwillingness to get to the point until it is past time
>> for the other part to leave. It's just exhausting every time she
>> starts to talk.
>> Her choices get harder and harder to defend as well, especially
>> given her new-found determination to accept help from friends. At
>> a key point during the climax of the book, she refuses to reach out
>> to Glenn, who is in the process of realizing his agency has been
>> infiltrated from the top by the terrorists. By doing so, she probably
>> could have cemented her place with the FIB *and* saved Ivy's
>> relationship with her lovers. Instead she, unforgivably, beats her
>> bodyguard senseless (an action that's not even deemed worth following
>> up on in the coda) and gives her trust to an untrustworty man who
>> betrays her. Way to go Rachel!
>> Other minuses: The roles of Jenks & Ivy continue to shrink.
>> Plusses: No Pierce
>Sweet! This was in my SBR but the wife stole it.
>Lynn
Suicide Before Reading?
-- ------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
> In article <k4v0a4$l1...@dont-email.me>, Lynn McGuire <l...@winsim.com> wrote:
>> On 10/6/2012 4:20 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>> My amazon review:
>>> =======
>>> 3.0 out of 5 stars Witch Or Demon, Rachel Continues To Be... Rachel.
>>> And Continues To Need A Slap Upside Her Head..
>>> October 6, 2012 By E. Nolan - See all my reviews
>>> I'm afraid to say this is not one of the better Rachel Morgan books.
>>> At her best, Rachel is a compelling, if flawed, heroine, and at her
>>> worst is an irritating menace to those around her.
>>> First, let me make two points semi-unrelated to the plot of the book.
>>> 1) We get an in-story-famous "Humans Only" terrorist movement in
>>> this book, and it comes out of nowhere. Like "shunning", it was
>>> never mentioned until it became a plot point. Ideally, both should
>>> have been mentioned in passing in previous books. This way, it feels
>>> like Harrison just made up a new menace out of thin air (which makes
>>> sense, since that's what she did).
>>> 2) Daryl. Once again, as with Pierce, Harrison has apparently
>>> introduced a major character in some short story somewhere off the
>>> main series of novels. That's bad enough, but for those of us (like
>>> me..) who missed it, the first we hear of Daryl is that Ivy, Glenn
>>> and Daryl are now menage-a-trois of lovers. Fair enough, I suppose,
>>> but it wasn't until more than halfway through the book that "Daryl"
>>> was established as a woman. Now, I can see it working either way
>>> with Ivy, but it had certainly caused me to re-evaluate what I
>>> thought I knew about Glenn up until that point. Kind of an important
>>> detail!
>>> SOME SPOILERS SURELY FOLLOW
>>> Now, one of the main themes of the book was that "The Hero must
>>> accept her own true self to prevail", and that's classic enough,
>>> but great-guns, Rachel's own true self is annoying. Rachel is
>>> apparently unable to have a normal conversation without pregnant
>>> pauses, endless internal debates over what to let slip, and an
>>> apparent unwillingness to get to the point until it is past time
>>> for the other part to leave. It's just exhausting every time she
>>> starts to talk.
>>> Her choices get harder and harder to defend as well, especially
>>> given her new-found determination to accept help from friends. At
>>> a key point during the climax of the book, she refuses to reach out
>>> to Glenn, who is in the process of realizing his agency has been
>>> infiltrated from the top by the terrorists. By doing so, she probably
>>> could have cemented her place with the FIB *and* saved Ivy's
>>> relationship with her lovers. Instead she, unforgivably, beats her
>>> bodyguard senseless (an action that's not even deemed worth following
>>> up on in the coda) and gives her trust to an untrustworty man who
>>> betrays her. Way to go Rachel!
>>> Other minuses: The roles of Jenks & Ivy continue to shrink.
>>> Plusses: No Pierce
>> Sweet! This was in my SBR but the wife stole it.
>> Lynn
> Suicide Before Reading?
Strategic Book Reserve. Which is in eight piles
at the moment and approaching 300 books. The
wife is not happy and is threatening to tip it
over on me during the middle of the night (it is
on and next to my nightstand). Of course, one
out-flung hand during the middle of the night
and one or two stacks may come down.
