thistlechaser | 2018 books: The Storm Dog, Not Your Sidekick. Book #1 of 2018: Fallout

The Storm Dog by Holly Webb
Traditional or self-published: Traditional (Probably. Their site won't load, but they have a Submissions Guidelines page listed on Google.)
Rating: Okay (Hated-Disliked-Okay-Liked-Loved)

The website I often get books from has one section for adult reader books and a second section for everything else -- YA down to picture books for babies. That's why I keep ending up with these books aimed at readers even younger than YA. Sometimes they work out for me, but most often they do not.

The Storm Dog was written for readers aged 6-8. It was a cute story about a girl traveling on her own to see her grandmother, but it was way way too basic for me. Not a sight against the book, as I'm quite a bit out of the 6-8 age range. Young readers would likely enjoy this book. I gave up on it at the 20% mark.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Traditional or self-published: Traditional
Rating: Okay (Hated-Disliked-Okay-Liked-Loved)

hamsterwoman's description of the book really summed things up for me: ridiculous worldbuilding, cardboard villains, Tubmlrishly earnest attempts at all the representation ever. She game me a heads up that the story was full of comic book logic, and thus plot holes big enough to drive a truck through.

Probably because I knew all that ahead of time, I was able to cope with the story somewhat better than I otherwise would have. I enjoyed the writing. I liked the idea of a version of the world where some people have superpowers. The "Tubmlrishly earnest attempts at all the representation ever" was a serious, serious turnoff for me though. Representation is good! But having one main character of every kind of sexuality just so you can have representation is the opposite of good...

But even with all that, I could have stuck with the book to the end if it had not been for the logic in it (or lack thereof). For example, Main Character had a crush on Other Girl. The two worked in a department together. There were only "three" people working there, the two of them and someone who was always in a costume. OTHER GIRL AND THE COSTUMED PERSON WERE NEVER SEEN AT THE SAME TIME. OTHER GIRL WOULD STEP OUT OF THE ROOM, COSTUMED PERSON ARRIVED, MAIN CHARACTER WENT TO LOOK FOR OTHER GIRL AND COULD NOT FIND HER ANYWHERE IN THE BUILDING, AND NEVER EVER EVER PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER. A&^(^&*^%$%JF@$_FR#*HFC

This book made me do something I've never done before: I slammed my Kindle shut. Kindles cannot be slammed! The cover just kind of flips closed, but boy did I flip it angrily!

My review makes it sound like I hated the book. I didn't. I was kind of sad to stop it where I did (46% point). It's just the comic book logic made it impossible for me to enjoy it -- it was like no one recognizing Clark Kent is Superman JUST BECAUSE HE WAS WEARING GLASSES. (I want to flail at my keyboard more just typing that sentence.)

hamsterwoman had her love of the characters to carry her through the rest, but I was indifferent about them, so no reason for force myself to continue.

Partial book credits:
Point reached in these books: 20% +46% = 66%
Previous abandoned book total: 22%
New total: 88%

Fallout by Todd Strasser
Traditional or self-published: Traditional
Rating: Hated (Hated-Disliked-Okay-Liked-Loved)

What a messed up year for books this is. I've not finished multiple books that I gave a positive review to, but this first book I finished? I hated it.

Oh how I hated it.

Pat of the issue wasn't the book's fault: Who wants to read about a nuclear war happening while Trump is tweeting that his launch button is bigger than North Korea's is?

But much of my issues with it were the book's fault. What a joyless, frustrating, unpleasant story this was. It was the second oldest book on my Kindle, so I had long since forgotten what it was about. Based on the title, I figured it might be YA dystopian. Nope.

Set in 1962, a nuclear war happens. A man had planned ahead and made a shelter for his family, but before he could get everyone down there, neighbors showed up as well. His shelter had enough supplies for four people, but with the neighbors they had over a dozen people.

The book had alternating chapters, some leading up to the blast, the others after the blast.

It was just so very unpleasant reading about a dozen people trapped in a fallout shelter, short on food, water, no toilet, one of them badly injured. Two weeks of that... The adults (oh my god, so unpleasant), were fighting endlessly. The intelligent man was the most unpleasant of them all (which annoyed me).

Why did I keep reading it? Why did I finish it? I wanted to know how the author would end it. Would the people get out? What would they find? What would they do after?

But ugh, even the ending was annoying. Spoiler: They got out, but the book ended right there. And, after two weeks in the shelter, they ate the food that had survived the blast. Yes they were starving, but then what was the point of the whole thing? They suffered for two weeks, then were going to die from eating the radiated food.

Ugh. I was so angry about having read this book, I couldn't sleep after I finished it.

Currently reading: The Martian The also the second oldest book on my Kindle (once I was done with Fallout). Finally a good book! I only just started it, and haven't seen the movie, but it seems really good. YAY!