Debbie's Spurts
Just an avid reader. Mostly SF/Fantasy, some hobbies, paranormal, urban fantasy and lighter, fluffier things.
Currently reading
Review of "Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)" by Kristin Cashore
This reader's personal opinion, ©2012, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers*
Riveting storytelling start to finish. Enthralled all the way. Worthy successor to Graceling. This is very much Bitterblue's tale and not dependent on reappearance (as delighted as I was to have them back) of favorite characters like Po and Katsa.
So why not 5 stars? Well, lots of puzzles with hundreds and hundreds of pages invested in with zero progression. (575+ pages total) Rather blech on the ending — not one of the horrid cliffhangers to sell next book and I am not a reader having to have the super happy ending with all questions answered — which just did not resolve enough and was dissatisfying after such a l-o-n-g road getting there.
Still one of my favorite series and will read anything forthcoming from author.
Average rating for this book on goodreads was particularly useless. I don't think I've run across another book on goodreads that has more star ratings from people trying to offset someone else's star ratings since Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey and Mortal Instruments books were unreleased. I personally think that is ridiculous even knowing some were 5-starring in support of author and how eager they were and others 1-starring to offset the unfair 5-stars -- puhLease use star ratings however you want but, seriously, rating 1-star to offset someone else's 5-star or vice versa isn't using the ratings to express your opinion of the book, interest in book, a personal use of the stars or any other organizational use for the star ratings. That's just data manipulation and is even against goodreads TOS.
My reading progress updates from goodreads:
| 05/02/2012 | 1.0% | "Oh my, too many preorders downloaded at once. Dying to read this one too!" | ||
| 05/06/2012 | 12.0% | "Rationing a chapter at a time just in case as engrossing as "Graceling" -- have a lot of library books to get thru" | ||
| 05/06/2012 | 3.0% | "Already into the Bitterblue character; some oddly creepy moments" | ||
| 05/07/2012 | 42.0% | "I think I am almost to the point of liking as much as Graceling -- except for all the stuff currently being obscured" | ||
| 05/07/2012 | 75.0% | "Very good, engrossing but all the mysteries at beginning not only unresolved (except what was being printed on the presses) but zero progress made. The lack of progress, at this time, only point stopping me from liking as much as "Graceling."" | ||
| 05/07/2012 | 76.0% | "Well, old lady eyes failing so turning in. Engrossing but l-o-n-g at 545 pages or so." | ||
| 05/07/2012 | 77.0% | "Unbelievable how many reviews and ratings on this book came from people who have not read...do not trust the average rating for that alone." | ||
| 09/20/2013 | marked as: | my-shelf-category-i | ||
| 09/20/2013 | marked as: | i-rd | ||
| 10/20/2013 | marked as: | read | ||
| 10/21/2013 | marked as: | to-read | ||
| 11/04/2013 | marked as: | shelved-as-read-avoid-or-to-read | ||
| 11/04/2013 | marked as: | shelved-for-one-reason-or-another | ||
| 12/16/2013 | marked as: | books-to-delete-after-move | ||
*©2012. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher to reprint/quote in whole or in part. Copyrightholder posted on booklikes, BookRabbit, Leafmarks, The Reading Room and may have cross-posted to other book sites. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.
Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:
★★★★★ = All Time Favorite
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Meh. Okay.
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking. (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." Or author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)
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