Mix and Match
1. Dearest mother, calling me at 6:40am to wish me a happy birthday is nuts. I had no idea what day it was when I groggily answered the phone, because I figured if you were calling me so early, something must be wrong. Also, you woke up my cats.
2. The Fantasy Bath fall scents are up! I am buying the 2lb bulk size of Cinderella, and Belladonna looks delish.
3. Jason gave me a big squishy bathrobe for my birthday. It's a light green color that makes me crave mint chocolate chip ice cream. I feel sort of like a fashionable abominable snowman. But I'm squishy like a marshmallow!
4. So, I finally got around to reading the copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, which tamnonlinear lent me. Premise: generations after the zombie apocalypse, an enclave of survivors lives within a fenced village. Mary, the protagonist, wants out because her mother told her stories of the ocean when she was little.
Okay, so. First of all, I liked the first half way better than the second. I am a sucker for worldbuilding, and everything starts out great. Very much like The Village started out-- creepy and atmospheric. Unfortunately, I feel like the world is left half-developed-- I wanted to know more about The Sisterhood and other towns and WHY there were fast zombies, rather than just accepting that they exist. Because otherwise, Gabrielle pretty much is just a plot device. Though I did like the way in which Mary empathized with her. In any case, too much was left as "this is the way it is" rather than exploring how it came to be that way, which felt a bit like a cop-out.
I thought the relationships were interesting but a little drawn out and repetitive, like they were having the same conversations over and over again. I ended up enjoying the book quite a lot even though I didn't particularly like Mary-- she is reckless, she endangers herself and others, she's selfish. Of course, she's also one to tempt death if a loved one is in peril. But overall, I wanted her to use her head more. I did like that she freaked out and started empathizing with the undead-- that was fresh and horrifying. I didn't like the conceit of the baby-- that felt too Dawn of the Dead remake to me.
The horror and suspense is top-notch. Several times I flipped to the end of the chapter just to make sure a character made it out okay, because I am a wuss like that. The descriptions of the constant moaning and the pervasive feeling of being caged in were extremely effective.
I hated the ending. Yes, she saw the ocean. But what about the survivors still in the forest? What about Jed? It really highlighted for me just how selfish Mary is. Which is not to say that I think she should have given up her dream of the ocean, just that she should have thought out her escape plan in a way that wouldn't endanger so many others. All in all, it felt very unfinished-- and now I see that the author is planning two sequels, so hopefully some of my complaints will be addressed.
The book was good, though not nearly as good as I had expected. A good way to pass an evening, though.
5. No word on Mim's family. We're quasi attached now but will still let her go to the right family. She is freakin' DARLING, though. The three kitties are all getting along well and snugglecuddling in harmony. Also, look at how she sleeps:
6. Sylvan leaves in another Etsy treasury! ETA: Here's another!
7. BPAL reviews:
Pomona:: Started out with a very punchy sweetened nuts note, like hazelnut. Of which I'm not so much of a fan. Luckily, that died off really quickly and gave way to a warm, delicious scent of apples and pomegranate with some spicy mulberry in the background. Delicious. Moderate throw. However, it only lasted about 2 hrs.
Mircalla:: Mostly red musk and clove. After wearing it for about an hour, there's not a whole lot of vanilla or patchouli in there. It's dryer than I expected it to be after first sniff. I don't like it as much as Mme. Moriarity or Snake Oil for his reason and will probably swap it.
2. The Fantasy Bath fall scents are up! I am buying the 2lb bulk size of Cinderella, and Belladonna looks delish.
3. Jason gave me a big squishy bathrobe for my birthday. It's a light green color that makes me crave mint chocolate chip ice cream. I feel sort of like a fashionable abominable snowman. But I'm squishy like a marshmallow!
4. So, I finally got around to reading the copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, which tamnonlinear lent me. Premise: generations after the zombie apocalypse, an enclave of survivors lives within a fenced village. Mary, the protagonist, wants out because her mother told her stories of the ocean when she was little.
Okay, so. First of all, I liked the first half way better than the second. I am a sucker for worldbuilding, and everything starts out great. Very much like The Village started out-- creepy and atmospheric. Unfortunately, I feel like the world is left half-developed-- I wanted to know more about The Sisterhood and other towns and WHY there were fast zombies, rather than just accepting that they exist. Because otherwise, Gabrielle pretty much is just a plot device. Though I did like the way in which Mary empathized with her. In any case, too much was left as "this is the way it is" rather than exploring how it came to be that way, which felt a bit like a cop-out.
I thought the relationships were interesting but a little drawn out and repetitive, like they were having the same conversations over and over again. I ended up enjoying the book quite a lot even though I didn't particularly like Mary-- she is reckless, she endangers herself and others, she's selfish. Of course, she's also one to tempt death if a loved one is in peril. But overall, I wanted her to use her head more. I did like that she freaked out and started empathizing with the undead-- that was fresh and horrifying. I didn't like the conceit of the baby-- that felt too Dawn of the Dead remake to me.
The horror and suspense is top-notch. Several times I flipped to the end of the chapter just to make sure a character made it out okay, because I am a wuss like that. The descriptions of the constant moaning and the pervasive feeling of being caged in were extremely effective.
I hated the ending. Yes, she saw the ocean. But what about the survivors still in the forest? What about Jed? It really highlighted for me just how selfish Mary is. Which is not to say that I think she should have given up her dream of the ocean, just that she should have thought out her escape plan in a way that wouldn't endanger so many others. All in all, it felt very unfinished-- and now I see that the author is planning two sequels, so hopefully some of my complaints will be addressed.
The book was good, though not nearly as good as I had expected. A good way to pass an evening, though.
5. No word on Mim's family. We're quasi attached now but will still let her go to the right family. She is freakin' DARLING, though. The three kitties are all getting along well and snugglecuddling in harmony. Also, look at how she sleeps:
6. Sylvan leaves in another Etsy treasury! ETA: Here's another!
7. BPAL reviews:
Pomona:: Started out with a very punchy sweetened nuts note, like hazelnut. Of which I'm not so much of a fan. Luckily, that died off really quickly and gave way to a warm, delicious scent of apples and pomegranate with some spicy mulberry in the background. Delicious. Moderate throw. However, it only lasted about 2 hrs.
Mircalla:: Mostly red musk and clove. After wearing it for about an hour, there's not a whole lot of vanilla or patchouli in there. It's dryer than I expected it to be after first sniff. I don't like it as much as Mme. Moriarity or Snake Oil for his reason and will probably swap it.