Skip to main content

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
Loch is a escaped convict who is trying desperately to finish one last job. She picks up a very capable, but very motley crew.

Category:
YA fiction

Why I chose this book:
Recommended by Amazon

My personal opinion:
When I first started reading, I felt like I had accidentally picked up the third book in a series. The characters meshed like they knew each other, the populations (mythical and humanoid) had names that were gibberish, with no context or relation to reach other. And there were language fragments thrown around with essentially no translation. So I checked, to make SURE this was the first novel in the series. It was, so I kept reading, and was still lost. So I checked again! It's really, truly the beginning of the series, but it feels like we're missing a whole novel of back-story. It feels like the story started mid-stream, around a campfire, but the story is a familiar one, so the teller is skipping a ton of parts so she can get to the action. I still feel lost, and I'm 37% through the book. If that's a trigger for you, then do not read this book! But if you don't mind faking it for a while, to see if it ever clears up, then give it a shot. I'm patient.
I finally got to the end, and most of the confusion was cleared up. But it continued to be confusing until at least halfway through the story. I do recommend it, because it's clean, but it will not be added to my favorites list.

Warnings
Language: not really
Violence: frequent, but not graphic
"Adult" situations: descriptions of strong attraction, many mentions of virginity
Death: Some, but none traumatic

Movie rating equivalent:
PG-13

Protagonist description:
Loch is powerful and capable, almost flawless

Point of view of story:
Third person, focused mostly on Loch

Book length:
Medium-long

Story flow:
Confusing

Grammar and spelling issues:
None

Character connection (no spoilers):
Not really

For series:
Independent or integral:
Assuming integral

Series review as a whole:
Okay, so far

If you only have time for one, read:
Start at the beginning

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

By
Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Vin relies on her fighting skills, and a little extra "luck" to survive in the thief's world. Then comes Kelsier, a master thief and planner, showing her that what she calls luck is really much more. Kelsier and his crew plan to use a variety of special powers to free an entire population of slaves, including themselves, from tyranny. But, as always, there's far more to the story. Category Science Fiction or Fantasy Why I chose this book Rated highly on the library site My personal opinion (the review) Definitely the best story I've read in the past year. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Special abilities, fighting, romance, social justice - this has it all. And not a single bad word or uncomfortable situation. Warnings Language: None Violence: frequent, some mildly graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Some, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

By
Summary: Two mice make a teeter totter. Soon a frog comes along and wants to join. Can the mice balance all the friends who want to play with them? Attention Span/reading level: 3-6 years old, usually 5 or less words on a page Good uses for book in teaching: Balance, science Favorite part:      Child: When the frog joins in     Mine: That the mice keep playing at the end  Least favorite part: None:   W arnings/negative feedback: None.  Review: This is a really simple but fun way to introduce the idea of balancing and weight to kids. It's fun to show them how it must be equal on each side to balance. Showing that size can affect weight is shown on the page where all the animals are on one side with the big bird on the other. This could be a fun activity to replicate with toys if doing a science lesson at home. 
Post a Comment
Read more