ebbiebooks's reviews
464 reviews

The main thing I liked was the intro, as it helps the reader try to hold the idea that a world without prison can exist, even if it's something hard to envision. 

Otherwise, I would say that if you know a bit about the prison industrial complex and its abolition movement, you might not learn that much. For me, it added some historical context concerning the USA situation, and how it branched out outside this country as well. 

But other than that, I wish it went a little deeper. Could be because the book is short. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high as well as I found myself waiting for a quote to hit hard and it never really got there.

All in all, it's a good intro on the subject.

Great volume with the end of Yi City and the little part at the inn afterward, with the head ribbon drunk shenanigans.

Liked the little added bit of the disciples being so thorn about the "blind" ghost girl.

I like the idea of an adventure set in an abandonned space ship, though there's some of the backstory of said ship that I had trouble understanding, at it seems it's crew was human but it isn't really explain who are those humans and where they came from.

I also felt there seem to lack a conclusion to this "dungeon". It doesn't necessarily needs one, so maybe that's a me issue. Or maybe I wasn't super attentive when I read the hook, but if I remember correctly, the party just "happens" to find the spaceship, they were not sent there by someone or for a specific reason.

I don't intend to run this adventure, so I didn't bother much to try and understand the key system and other space item and transporter that helped go to deeper level. I did enjoy how there's a whole ecosystem inside the ship. I also like the "in-between" level where the party could explore more mechanical spaces and such. I do wish there was a little more stuff on those level though.

Made me want to go check how mindflayer evolved from 1E + gave me a better understanding of vegepygmy, which is neat.

I'm sad it's over, and the ending was lackluster and very vague, BUT I fully enjoy the ride. I was happy to get back in the universe and all the weirdness. 

I know a lot of people were put off by how everything is left unsaid all the time, and how everything is confusing, and I understand. The series and this book is just not for you. From book 1, we know detective work and other extra curricular activities in those places are full of politics so obscure no one can voice any of it clearly unless they want to wind up dead. And I'm going to miss these kind of layers upon layers of what feels like a bizarro land cake of mysteries and secret services shenanigans. I'm absolutely looking for another series with the same vibes. There's something somehow refreshing about mystery and crime set with a fucked up political regime in the background. Also, one could say each culture has it's own way of communicating and conducting business, and I find that fascinating.

While detective like Poirot, Bosch or Columbo all have their own style and their own little issues with the world around them, Inspectof O and his nephew are not even on the same planet it seems like. It's a completely different code of conduct, language (in a metaphorical way), world understanding, etc. Every person they meet is both a foe and an ally, and a secret third thing in between. You almost cannot even trust your own self. Everything is up in the air all the time and they have to juggle with knives that have no handle; what ever you do, one thing is sure; you gonna get stabbed. And since I'm so far remove from this kind of miasmatic universe, that is still presented in somewhat of a lighthearted way nonetheless, I find a good deal of escapism in this series.

Now this book wasn't perfect, and it wasn't even one the best of the series etheir. I miss Inspector O POV in the last book, but the dual POV here could have been handle better. I also think there were parts towards 3/5 or 4/5 of the book that dragged a little. I've already talked about the ending, but my issue is also partially because I don't feel like it's a good ending for the series. There's still stuff that could have been expanded or that felt like they needed a nice bow on it, which we didn't get. I know the series doesn't really gave out that many bows, but still. We do have some kind of closure on Inspector O seemingly taking a real retirement tho. That being said, I like the whole "noodle-dumpling" mystery, even if I don't feel like it was resolve at the end. How just the mention of dumplings became kind of dangerous, something so banal becoming a source of tension (with a hint of wtf and hilarity). I'm still unsure about the machine tho: who ordered it and to do what exactly. We do have answers, but it's somehow not super clear as to what the real purpose and results. It mostly feels like Inspector O and Major Bing don't have to handle it anymore so it doesn't concern them, "hoping for the best, tee-hee".

Anyway, on to the next fucked up little detective world!

It was alright. I just don't have much to say about it. Still will be looking other books from this author tho, as there were some things, bits and ideas that were well done or had potential.
Not super into the ending.

It was fine, though it felt short. I was a bit confused as to where I was at in the story because I've watch a bit of the anime a while back and I read the first volume more than a year ago I think. I'm just about to catch up to where I left the anime off, so I hope next volume will be more enjoyable for me.

One of the thing I don't like a whole lot in the mangaka style is that there's too many small comment written up for background characters in a lot of the panels. And it rarely adds to the story. Maybe it gets better as we progress in the story and it gets into more tense stuff. It seems to show up more in the light-hearted parts.

Had the most difficult time of this year to finish this book. It makes me reconsider if I keep up with the series or not, as even though there's been some danmei I haven't vibe with, this one is also very rarely keeping my interest enough so that I don't fall asleep while reading it.

I don't like the characters, which is usually not a good sign as I usually need to have some kind of feelings towards them. Here it's just very meh. I guess Gu Yun is alright, but he's also a bit hard to follow and I feel like his investment in Chang Geng is wishy-washy. Their whole relationship is also uncomfy, way more than the usual master/disciple thing. At least in the previous volume, there were some flashbacks to fill us in about Gu Yun's past, but this book is just some war, some very dry politics and some almost-war stuff. I'm not a war girly from the start, but l usually I'm happy to have some court politics shenanigans. Here, I really don't care for it. The way it doesn't connect all that much with the "love" story also makes me lose interest over it a lot.

The steampunk stuff is also taking a bit of a backseat now that the "novelty" of it all has settled. Violet gold is the main ressource and there can be flying soldier and flying ships? Oh ok, what's new? It somehow doesn't affect the world that much, like replacing it with there equivalent would make that much of a difference.

I'm overall a little bored and kinda annoyed at how much this book made me struggle. 16 days to get through it?!??! I refuse. In any case, the next volume, if I find the courage, is going to sit on my TBR for a while, out of spite. There were maybe 2 times were I was more into what was happening, but I don't know if it was because of the story or because I was just more awake and able to stay that way at the time...

Another banger, which made me cry, laugh, and reflect on how to further implement my "goblin/unserious" mode this year. 
The stick punishment has been placed in my back pocket as a good example for a silly vengeance.

This is a good one, coming after the last two books of the series that were a bit lacking for me.

For once, the twist and reversal do not feel like a rug has been pulled out of your feet, and so the conclusion feels more earned that in previous book.

I don't think this one is used much in the tv shows yet, however if you're familiar with both iterations of the series, you might find that the books, and particularly this one, have flaws in the way the relationship of Haller and other recurring characters are at times not developped enough, or some loops are closed rapidly here and there, just so it's not just court stuff with an interchangeable lawyer MC. The tv shows do it better on that front. The very end of the book had me side-eyeing the author a little tbh.

The danger factor of this case was higher than others, threats against Haller's team and long lasting consequences if he couldn't put everything out in the open during the trial were definitely upping the stakes.

I can't remember if I read this one before, but if so, I didn't remember much. Either way, the "twist" isn't why this story work, so it didn't really matter. That being said, I'm pretty sure the next Connelly I read will be completely unknown territory, hopefully we get out of the Bosch downward slope and things get interesting again on his side of the universe.

I mean, this series is top tier, but I would say this volume is transitional a bit, so it doesn't get a "full mark".
I love revisiting this story slowly, in a printed format. I haven't finish it on webtoon and so I'm going to continue on that format till the end.
The part where Hera has the flash of what happened and say something like "who did that to you" had me in a chokehold.