Killer Instinct - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 46%

22.08.24

Did anything actually happen in this story?

The Naturals - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 54%

29.03.24

I thought this was going to be another 'magic school' book but in fact this isn't fantasy - or only in the 'unrealistic wish fulfilment' sense. It's basically a rehearsal for Barnes' later Inheritance Games series - not-so-ordinary girl is put in extraordinary situation, rather tedious boys fight over her, poor pacing and plot development ensues - it's still as fun to read.

The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

48%

01.05.23

I should have paid attention to my own advice after reading the second book in the series. This book was a mess: poorly structured, full of awkward exposition and populated with one-dimensional characters. And how did all the drama of the three books culminate? In a very brief chess tournament. What a let down.

The Hawthorne Legacy - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

53%

24.11.21

Oh, the curse of the sequel. This confused mess wasn't a patch on the first book in the series - sense and logic were forgotten, which is rather ironic for a book about solving puzzles. And the two love interests were so interchangeable that the whole romance angle seemed pointless. I don't think I'll bother with any more - although I might watch the upcoming TV adaptation!

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 64%

01.09.21

A teenage girl unexpectedly inherits a fortune and several hot teenage boys. As wish-fulfilment fantasies go, this one was quite fun, even if I'm a little old to find the 'romance' (such as it was) very convincing. Although the end seemed written entirely to get you to read #2 in the trilogy, I probably will, when it comes out.

Arthur & George - Julian Barnes

08.10.06
52%




The rest of my reading group loved this but I felt it was emotionally detached and rather dull. It was clever, but slightly anachronistic, and there was no spark. It does, however, have the distinction of being both fiction and biography.

Love, etc. - Julian Barnes

59%
13.01.03




Darker and stranger than the first, as carefully constructed and with language just as clever. But it's realy just a string of extended metaphors and nothing in the book inspires you to care enough to bother reflecting on them.

Talking it Over - Julian Barnes

63%
05.01.03




I somehow acquired this years ago (I think I accidentally stole it from an ex-boyfriend's mother) and only read it now because I've somehow acquired the sequel (not from the same source, fortunately). With its self-conscious cleverness, it's hardly a hidden gem, but every sentence and idea does seem to be carefully crafted and planned in advance. The story, such as it is, seems a little outdated these days, and the characters are unconvincing, but the language and construction have to be admired.