kleines_alien

Highly addictive

Like every book, written by D.I. Jolly that I have read so far, “Counting Sheep” is a real page-turner. The intriguing story is packed with plot twists and led by a complex, straight forward main character, who fascinates the reader immediately. After the first page I had totally bought the idea. After the second one I was already part of the world and by the end of page three I got up and made myself a tea. This was going to be a little longer reading session than I had planned.

I really love how the author plays with stereotypes. You’ve got the young girl who is in desperate need of attention, the busy, successful family dad and the cool and caring best friend. But they all have their quirks and flaws and stupid, stubborn ideas. So when a character isn’t part of a scene it doesn‘t feel like they left the story. You know that they’re somewhere out there, doing their best to keep up with their lives and the plot. :D

As I was reading it felt like the main character was all over the place, but so was the story and so were my feelings. The quicker the events happened towards the end the more I was frustrated about having no clue what was going on anymore. But all in a good way. In the way of watching an old crime drama and you can feel the big reveal coming up and you can sense the plot twist, but you can’t make out what it would be. That kind of feeling. Exciting and dramatic.

It’s a thrilling story that made me angrily throw away the book and hug it really tightly, while crying quietly. I highly recommend reading it if you’re a fan of well written characters, complex relationships and sci-fi story settings.

Bait Part 2 is as addictive as Part 1.

So addictive, I read through it in one go and didn’t realize where the time had gone. But by the End I was angry with myself because it meant I had to let go of the characters, once again. And it’s hard, cause as in every other book, written by this author, you can’t just love or hate a certain character. You are living with them, until you get an idea of what kind of person they really are inside and this makes it incredibly difficult to just let go of them. I was impressed with how D.I. Jolly managed to create a whole world for every person involved, without needing a good 800+ pages. The characters have depths is all I am trying to say and therefore you care for them.

When it comes to the story I found that Part 2 was way more straight forward compared to the first bit. But that’s alright, since you actually have all the backstory you need to understand why things are happening, so things don’t feel forced. Part 2 is more balanced as well when it comes to the issues of trust, revenge and mercy between the characters, which I quite enjoyed. Things are just not as black and white as other fantasy-romance novels taught you.

As much as I’d love to know more about everyone involved and how things will work out for Frankie, Bastian and Amber I felt like the book didn’t need the - more or less - open ending. I was satisfied with how everything played out for the characters and felt a bit teased by the author, when he gave enough input for a Part 3 only on the last page. But hey, who said this book will do good for the reader :D
It's been an overall great reading experience and I for sure recommend reading Bait if you love a good mix between fantasy-action and romance-drama.

Caution: high risk for addiction

I've always said, a book is good when after a couple of years, you don't remember if you read a book or watched a movie. And I experienced this a few times in the past with great books. But with Mostly Human I had those feelings while reading.

I laughed, I cried, like really cried so hard my boyfriend came running because he thought something super bad had happened. And I couldn't wait to start book 2 as soon as book 1 was finished. Not just because of the story, but because I wanted to spend more time with the characters.

Ok now for spoilers! - You've been warned.

So, when Alex goes back to the farm for his retreat. I felt like I came back to the farm with him and, I stood there at the entrance and I looked over at the paddock and I was like, "Yeah, I'm going to see the dogs again, going to have a lit holiday on the farm." And I was so happy to see all the characters again. It was as if I was there. I had pictures of how rooms might look, and a whole map of Syn Island in my head. I was also super sad when I read that Alex had bought Annabel a new house, because my first thought was " Oh no! What about their childhood home? What about the last step of the stairs where teenagers used to have giggly phone calls?" I felt really nostalgic, because I didn't want to give up that part of their lives. I really felt like I was a part of the story. I've read some of the authors other books and I love the way he portrays the inner aspect of the characters and what's going on in their minds. You feel like you are making decisions with them, and for them and not only watching them while they're doing their thing.
Also, I think the characters themselves are really cool. It's not these stereotypical one-sided, one view characters. Like you don't have just the super angry dad or the conservative grandma. No, you have a strict dad who's a lawyer, but also who is caring and loving and super funny with his over-the-top sense of humour. So, you can connect to the characters and you can see their bad sides, but you can also understand them too.

Seriously though, spoilers!

In the end, when Alex stands at the docks covered in blood, I was like "F**k. Alex is going to leave!" And I didn't want him to. But I felt like there was no other option. Because of what had happened and what might happen next. And so, I really like the ending because it shows his character arc, his personality, and the way he makes decisions. I thought it was fitting. Alex made similar decisions before, when he was a teenager not knowing what to do. And I felt like it was an unusual decision but, this time, it really felt like Alex made a decision, for himself, on purpose.

More than a love story

"Bait" caught me in a fascinating way: The internal world of the characters is presented so tangibly that you feel as if you yourself are making the decisions Amber and Bastian make. This makes it especially exciting to continue reading and see where the story is heading. I've laughed my head off as well as cried multiple rivers.
But Caution: Once you start reading, there's no way of stopping!