First Impression Friday

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First Impression Friday | The Outcast

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Welcome to another First Impression Friday. In case this is your first time, here’s the rundown:

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.
• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?
• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

Enough about rules! Let’s talk about The Outcast by Taran Matharu!

This one’s an ARC provided to me by the wonderful people at Raincoast Books. When I read the book’s description, I either couldn’t tell it was a prequel, or I completely ignored the fact. Either way, this is a prequel to the Summoner series. 

Now, I haven’t read any of the Summoner books, but, The Outcast is being advertised as a great intro into The Summoner series. So I guess that makes me the right audience for this book.

I’m about 3 chapters in and while the premise still has me excited, I’m feeling a little unfulfilled on the pace and writing. Everything seems a little simplified, too straight forward, and kind of anti-climatic. Like the dude’s connection with the dog-demon: There was no real discovery. No development. It was just there, like it always had been.

Makes me think maybe I’m not the right audience for this book and that maybe it’s better if I’ve read the Summoner series. Shrug. Not a lot I can do about it now. Hopefully, it’ll improve.  

Prediction: 3 stars

Other People’s Impressions:

Literary Weaponry

Book Are Only the Beginning

Adventures Through Wonderland

The Secret Library

Bionic Bookworm

Modern Witch’s Bookshelf

Once Upon A Spine

Life Should Be Lit

Fun fact about this post: May is over! Happy June, everyone!
AllFirst Impression FridayMemes

First Impression Friday – The Graveyard Book

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Welcome to another First Impression Friday. In case this is your first time, here’s the rundown:

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.
• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?
• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about The Graveyard Book!

This is one of those books that I didn’t bother reading the synopsis for. Fellow blogger Kiersten talks so highly about it. Plus, it’s Neil Gaiman. What else could I possibly need to know?

I’m a few chapters in, and I’m loving it. I was a little disappointed with myself for not seeing that this was a Jungle Book retelling right off the bat. Maybe I should have read the synopsis after all.

But since figuring that out, it’s upped my enjoyment of it as I try to figure out which characters are Baloo, Bagheera, King Louie, etc.

My prediction: 5 stars!

Fun fact about this post: I’m pretty sure this is considered a children’s book and I don’t really care!
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First Impression Friday – Ruthless Magic

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Welcome to another First Impression Friday. In case this is your first time, here’s the rundown:

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.
• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?
• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

Now that the rules are out of the way, time to break them! I’m only breaking them a little, mainly due to a lack of reading time over the past week. Instead of the book I just started reading, I’m going to talk about a book of which I haven’t read a single word! Also, because of how quickly I decided I wanted to read it.

Most of us are familiar with NetGalley, right? If you’ve been living under a rock (or a George RR Martin book) it’s a website where book reviewers of all kinds can sign up and request digital ARCs. I overdosed on this site at the end of last year. Got approved for WAY more books than I thought I would, and I’m still trying to get out from under the pile. So I said no more digital ARCs until I’m done with all the current ones. Another rule broken…

NetGalley doesn’t just allow you to browse books, they also email you occasionally and say, “HEY! LOOK AT THIS BOOK! WANT TO READ IT?!?!?!”

I got one of these emails for a book called Ruthless Magic. Okay, fine. Decent title, I was intrigued, but not to dying to know more. Then, there’s this tagline in bold font: HARRY POTTER MEETS HUNGER GAMES! Okay, now I’m dying.

I didn’t read any more of that email. I was too busy clicking everything that looked like a download button, which resulted in several viruses, making a few agreements with Nigerian princes, voting on a survey claiming I heard “Yanni”, and a request for the book. And I’m happy to say I was promptly approved.

My prediction: No idea. I’m REALLY looking forward to it, though. Should be starting in the next day or so.

Fun fact about this post: I STILL haven’t read what the book is about. Harry Potter meets Hunger Games. All I needed to hear
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First Impression Friday – All The Light We Cannot See

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Welcome to another First Impression Friday. This is one of those new fan-dangled books you read with your ears! Fancy pants! In case this is your first time reading a FIF post, here’s the rundown:

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.
• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?
• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

From Goodreads:

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

I generally don’t read historical fiction, but I’ve heard so many good things about this book, I just couldn’t ignore it any longer.

The first few pages pulled me right in, showing me some characters and few interesting things about those characters, and then slowly giving out the additional info I’m looking for. 

The character names are kind of odd and I’m having a bit of an issue keeping everyone straight, but that’s pretty common for me when I’m starting something new.

I’m predicting a 4-star read on this one.

Fun fact about this post: The only time I don’t have trouble keeping characters straight right away is when there’s only a handful and they all have very plain, yet very different, names like Ed, Joe, Harry, and Alice. Anything else, I’m going to need a few chapters.
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First Impression Friday – The Crossing

Posted on by J.W. Martin

First Impression Friday

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?

• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

Twins Virginia and Tommy Matthews have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five, surviving a merciless foster care system by relying on each other. Twelve years later, the world begins to collapse around them as a deadly contagion steadily wipes out entire populations and a devastating world war rages on. When Tommy is drafted for the war, the twins are faced with a choice: stay and accept their fate of almost certain death, or run. Virginia and Tommy flee into the dark night.

Armed with only a pistol and their fierce will to survive, the twins set forth in search of a new beginning. Encountering a colorful cast of characters along the way, Tommy and Virginia must navigate the dangers and wonders of this changed world as they try to outrun the demons of their past.

I’m optimistic. I’m less than 5% into the book, and I’ve already found myself making note of a few quotes. Really deep stuff, poetic almost (though I don’t know if I can use that term as I don’t really get poetry.)

The world that’s been built so far is pretty cool. Can’t say much about the characters yet. I really have just started, after all.

Even so, I’m going to say a 3.5 to 4 out of 5. 

 

Fun fact about this post: This is just one out of a PILE of digital ARCs I’ve been working my through since 2018 started!
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First Impression Friday – Gemina

Posted on by J.W. Martin

First Impression Friday

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?

• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

This week’s entry is kind of a cheat. Based on Illuminae, and on the hype, I had pretty much decided before reading page one that this was going to be a 4.5/5-star finish. 

PS The following paragraph might seem spoilery, but I assure you it’s not (especially since I’m the last person on the internet to read Gemina)

The only thing that threw me at the beginning, is that it doesn’t continue with Kady and Ezra. Not to fear, though, I quickly realized that the reason was because Gemini takes place on jump station Heimdall, and I’m more than confident that Kady and Ezra will show up soon enough. 

My prediction: 5 stars!

Fun fact about this post: I’m almost done the book as you read this, but I wrote the post when I was around page 50.
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First Impression Friday – Macbeth

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

 

First Impression Friday

I had so much fun with First Impression Friday last week that I decided to do it again! A few people even joined in last week, which was AWESOME! So a big shout out to Kiersten @ Once Upon a Spine, leetharose @ Life Should be Lit, and Cozy Pages!

If you missed it last week, here’s what First Impression Friday is all about (and please join in the fun!):

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end. 

• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?

• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the First Impression Fridays out there!

My VERY first impression was, “uh, oh. There’s going to be a lot of info dumping in this book.” But a few pages later, it turned into action and intrigue!

I can also tell you that the sheer length of this one initially intimidated me.

After a few chapters, I was fully in. And despite the fact that it’s a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, I find myself wondering what’s going to happen and surprised by things I should have known was coming based on the events of the original Macbeth. 

I’m predicting a 4.5-star review on this one!

Fun fact about this post: I haven’t read Macbeth since high school!
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A Brand New Blog Meme! First Impression Friday

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Hi, everyone! I had this idea for a meme that I’d like to try, so buckle your seatbelts and hang on to your socks, cause this is going to blow you away! 

Fine. It’s not that exciting. Hell, it barely rivals a gentle breeze. Anyway…

First Impression Friday

First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther.

Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end. 

Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?

I think what will really make this meme a lot of fun, is linking back to it from your review to say, “Look at how wrong I was!” OR “See? I knew it all along!”

So on this, the very first FIF, I’d like to talk about a little book called School for Psychics.

From the first page of the first chapter, I’ve been hooked. The writing flows so easily, the characters I’ve met so far feel very real, and I’m extremely invested in where the story is going and what’s going to happen to Teddy.

I predict a 4 out of 5 or higher!

Will I be let down? Will it exceed these already high expectations? I can’t wait to find out.

Feel free to join in on this meme if it interests you. If you do, link it back to me so I can read it, too!

Fun fact about this post: It’s my very first attempt at a meme and I’m worried it will fail miserably!!