Reading roundup
21. Seanan McGuire, Rosemary and Rue -- I think this is another case where my expectations for the book were too high (mostly thanks to the extreme devotion of Toby's supporters on chickfight), and so I ended up liking it less than I would have than if I'd come to it "cold". I still liked it, and definitely plan to continue reading the series, but it didn't
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It is interesting because I found the narrator of the author's other book also not very likable even though I enjoyed both books in general.
Oh, interesting! Was the other book Feed? (I've heard good things about that one, even though zombies are so not my thing.) You're probably right about the desired protagonist disconnect -- I've definitely had that happen with some authors while still enjoying their books.
In the next book we get a lot more new to Toby characters and less wallowing.
Ooh, yay! That reminds me, I should unfreeze the hold I had on A Local Habitation at the library now that I'm back.
Tybalt is just so fun! I don't mind cliches when they're fun, I guess. I have a hard time seeing him as the ultimate love interest after the first book, but maybe ALH will convince me.
I enjoyed the way the book intentionally mirrors traditional noir with a male detective and a swarm of gorgeous women (which DF does) and gives us am equivalent bevvy of good looking men for Toby to interact with).
Good point! I actually am not crazy about the way gorgeous women seem to be swarming all over Harry in DF (especially in Changes. Especially Molly.) but I wouldn't say no to a bevvy of good-looking fictional guys :P
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Yes. Feed was extremely good, even though I am not into zombies at all. But Georgia is also a similarly off putting choice for a hard nosed, cynical, narrator. She makes less stupid decisions though, so that helps.
Tybalt is just so fun! I don't mind cliches when they're fun, I guess. I have a hard time seeing him as the ultimate love interest after the first book, but maybe ALH will convince me.
It is true. Cliches are cliche for a reason. I will be curious to see what you think after ALH, but I think he he is the endgame love interest because the whole her thinking he hates her when obviously he doesn't is just too clear to me.
Good point! I actually am not crazy about the way gorgeous women seem to be swarming all over Harry in DF (especially in Changes. Especially Molly.) but I wouldn't say no to a bevvy of good-looking fictional guys
Ugh! I hated that too. But at least turnabout is fair play.
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partly because she falls into the "make things difficult for no reason" trap a lot
Yes! exactly! This really bugged me about Toby, because it's the sort of thing that weakens the plot, strains suspension of disbelief, and makes the character look less competent all at once. I'm definitely hoping she grows out of this!
I may have to give Feed a shot. I've heard very intriguing things (and also things that make me reluctant, like the apparent need for lots of tissues at the end...) so I'm tempted.
I can definitely see Tybalt set up as the ultimate love interest for the reason you mention (to go along with the cliche) and he's pretty damn charismatic, far more so than Connor so far, anyway. But I'm not really feeling it yet.
Ugh! I hated that too.
*nods* Especially when nothing in the Harry/Molly interaction to date (after her seduction attempt way back in the beginning) suggested she feels this way, and it undermines a fundamental aspect of their relationship highlighted in this very book, and also when Molly and Thomas have about a million times more actual chemistry (of the UST kind) in their one scene together than Molly and Harry have had in, what has it been? 4 books? 5?
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As I recall, she does do less of it in ALH.
I may have to give Feed a shot. I've heard very intriguing things (and also things that make me reluctant, like the apparent need for lots of tissues at the end...) so I'm tempted.
I loved Feed largely because I am really into the "what if" part of world building and it does a lot of that, teasing out implications and repercussions of things. I would say that ultimately it is not really a book about zombies, they are just a prop.
can definitely see Tybalt set up as the ultimate love interest for the reason you mention (to go along with the cliche) and he's pretty damn charismatic, far more so than Connor so far, anyway. But I'm not really feeling it yet.
Also Toby just feels so overpowered by him, as opposed to Connor who is like a puppy. Tybalt is (to her) unpredictable and a mystery even though to the reader it is fairly obvious that the answer to the mystery is that is is totally into her.
Especially when nothing in the Harry/Molly interaction to date (after her seduction attempt way back in the beginning) suggested she feels this way, and it undermines a fundamental aspect of their relationship highlighted in this very book, and also when Molly and Thomas have about a million times more actual chemistry (of the UST kind) in their one scene together than Molly and Harry have had in, what has it been? 4 books? 5?
All this. All I can think is that he is going the Molly/Thomas route and he wants her to be displacing her feelings for Harry onto his brother. But it still makes no sense with what was in any of the books, especially the last one. And it is icky and lame. And I hate it.
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Also Toby just feels so overpowered by him, as opposed to Connor who is like a puppy
Heh, Connor is very puppylike, both in personality and in the selkie description he gets. I'm actually not a huge fan of overpowered (male) love interests for female protagonists (part of the reason why the vampire romance books bore me, I suspect), but it does make for some fun interaction meanwhile.
All I can think is that he is going the Molly/Thomas route and he wants her to be displacing her feelings for Harry onto his brother. But it still makes no sense with what was in any of the books, especially the last one. And it is icky and lame. And I hate it.
Word to all of the above. And, if he is going the Molly/Thomas route (which I wouldn't be opposed to; I like Justine a lot, but, as another f-lister pointed out, she's been rather scarce lately, which doesn't bode well for her), it's not like Molly needs to be displacing her feelings for Harry in order to be drawn to Thomas. Molly/Thomas is already so logical yet gloriously trainwrecky, and Thomas is gorgeous, tragic, has wrestled with inner darkness just as Molly has, and is a freakin' incubus -- it's not like there are not enough other reasons Molly would fall for him. (I could also -- after reading a couple of fics -- see Molly/Ramirez, as a much fluffier sort of relationship.) But Harry/Molly = WTF and NO and EW.
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Well, it seems likely to me that Toby will end up accruing more power (like Harry has) and that by the time that we get to endgame there won't be that patriarchal and vaguely creepy power differential.
Molly/Thomas is already so logical yet gloriously trainwrecky, and Thomas is gorgeous, tragic, has wrestled with inner darkness just as Molly has, and is a freakin' incubus -- it's not like there are not enough other reasons Molly would fall for him. (I could also -- after reading a couple of fics -- see Molly/Ramirez, as a much fluffier sort of relationship.) But Harry/Molly = WTF and NO and EW.
Agreed. Also I honestly feel like Molly has gotten very little character development to make me want to ship her with anyone.
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