Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Spectacle by Rachel Vincent starting February 15, 2018.

If I don't read this before then, I'm in...

Loved this because.......wait for it.............it was darker than the first book, surprise!

Scott wrote: "Loved this because.......wait for it.............it was darker than the first book, surprise!"

sold.

I'm gonna start a few days early again, sorry guys! Trying to keep ahead of my schedule, or else I'll definitely fall behind, haha.

About 45% in. Sorry the page count on the ebook version I'm reading isn't accurate to goodreads,
so I'm guesstimating.

(view spoiler)[I was pretty disappointed when the menagerie was captured so early on in this book. I had high hopes for their plan! But I suppose the nature of the story is threat, and it couldn't go on long being happy.
Those collars the spectacle uses are horrible! When they made it so she couldn't talk! Urgh. I can only imagine how claustrophobic and just scary that must feel.
Nothing too rough or dark has happened to anyone yet, but I guess there's potential for some engagements to be nasty.
I don't really see how they can get out of this one with the collars.... Although at least Delilah can still fury!! (hide spoiler)]

Siobhan wrote: "I'm gonna start a few days early again, sorry guys! Trying to keep ahead of my schedule, or else I'll definitely fall behind, haha."

J'accuse!!!

Siobhan wrote: "About 45% in. Sorry the page count on the ebook version I'm reading isn't accurate to goodreads,
so I'm guesstimating.

I was pretty disappointed when the menagerie was captured so early on in thi..."

I clicked your spoiler, even tho I shouldn't have... (view spoiler)[I knew this was going to happen, from everything I read about this book last summer... didn't want to ruin anyone's happy feelings when they finished Menagerie, tho, so I kept quiet... know this was coming was what surprised me about the ending of the first book...

If this was a TV show, it would have ended on the cliffhanger of Delilah and company being rounded up for the Spectacle... (hide spoiler)]

Finally started... about 25% in...

This book sure didn't ease us back in with a happy menagerie... (view spoiler)[the child molestation in the prologue... then right into menagerie stress and the takeover...

Them collars are borderline magic... remind me of the fae-made collars in Shifters Unbound...

And then hardened adult Tabitha from the prologue shows up... this was an interesting scene... be interesting if anyone ever believes Delilah's blood tests...

And there's surely more yet to come... we've barely scratched the surface of the Savage Spectacle... that's a good/bad thing... by the time Delilah fully understands her new situations, the books are half over and building toward an escape... lets Vincent highlight the atrocities without bludgeoning us over the head with the details over and over, I guess... (hide spoiler)]

I'm going to be late to this buddy read. Hopefully sometime next week.

50% now: It's crazy how much more horrible this book feels in print than Westworld did on HBO, considering how similar the plots are...

(view spoiler)[ I like how many more perspectives we seem to be getting in this one, including Vandecamp... I don't really care much that Gallagher is back... but it was nice to have Eryx show up... I was worried they were going to have to fight to the death in the arena...

The Fury's justice of the handler who had to strip didn't feel like enough... maybe I'm becoming bloodthirsty...

I get the feeling from the blurb of the next book that (view spoiler)[ Delilah is going to expose the dirty underbelly of the Spectacle to the world... grtting a bunch of wealthy people in trouble... (hide spoiler)] but I don't know how she's going to accomplish it... (hide spoiler)]

80% now: (view spoiler)[ Because Part 1 was all rainbows and butterflies, we get thrown into part 2 with amnesia and a mystery baby...

I AM kinda starting to agree with Siobhan about not knowing how they're going to escape... I feel like it's going to be a rush job revolving around Delilah unlocking her memories... (hide spoiler)]

Finished: That ending was stupid: (view spoiler)[ I expected a plan... that was a lucky sequence of events... no security codes or biometrics keeping the collars locked and functional... then the help of the senator's wife... (hide spoiler)]

I hope the finale is better...

Iain wrote: "50% now: It's crazy how much more horrible this book feels in print than Westworld did on HBO, considering how similar the plots are...

"

(view spoiler)[I thought his punishment wasn't harsh enough too! Doesn't seem like something a fury would do. We must both be blood thirsty!

I too am concerned that Eryx is going to be pitted against Gallagher. :( (hide spoiler)]

Iain wrote: "80% now: ..."

I'm not sure on exact percentage, but I have about 70 pages left. Maybe about 85-90%.

(view spoiler)[this feels a bit stupid to me. She woke up and figured out two months were gone. She manages to find out that she asked for her own memory to be erased, but still wants to find out exactly what she forgot. Is she going to get her memory erased again? Is this gonna be a stupid vicious circle for the rest of the book? 😂

So Tabitha believes Delilah's human and wants her baby... But it might be Gallagher's. Crazy stuff.

Really don't see where this is going! (hide spoiler)]

Not finding hope in your comment 'that ending was stupid'! 😂

I'm hoping to start this weekend. Dragon Hunters is taking me 1000 days to finish, but this one's next on the linup!

Iain wrote: "Finished: That ending was stupid: [spoilers removed]

I hope the finale is better..."

Totally agree. 3 stars from me (view spoiler)[ for complete lack of plot, just stumbling from one coincidence to the next. The whole pregnancy and memory loss thing just felt incidental, didn't even really matter. And trying to escape with no plan of what to do or where to go felt stupid. Very very lucky. (hide spoiler)]

I started last night, and have to say it's more of a mixed bag of emotions for me. Through about 15% (view spoiler)[I kind of don't like where the story went. There wasn't enough time spent on the road as a "free" carnival (a plot point I was actually excited to explore). But I did like the twist on how they were found out.

So at first I was bristling that the story felt like a repeat, but then some of the elements started winning me over.... until the character started making stupid impulse decisions again. She always seems to give up her power and play her cards before the situation even comes close to desperate. Drives me crazy! She just got done saying how her only advantage is that the dude doesn't know what she is. Then she trades it immediately when she sees her man. He wasn't even in critical condition. Then the whole thing with trying to get through the door on impulse when I think she should've saved that theory until she may have actually been able to make a break for it.

Sigh, my #1 pet peeve in any story is a stupid main character (harsh... maybe I should say illogical instead). I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for the first book, but she's making it difficult here.

Despite that, I'm still surprisingly enjoying the book haha. It has enough good elements to keep me reading. (hide spoiler)]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I started last night, and have to say it's more of a mixed bag of emotions for me. Through about 15% I..."

I'm with you on this one! (view spoiler)[I don't even think stupid is unfair! But definitely illogical. I too was being all generous with the benefit of the doubt... But no. Haha. Nothing is thought through as far as I can tell.

It is still a good, fun book though. Well as fun as a book about people being held captive can be... :) (hide spoiler)]

i Just strated it and I have to say that the first scene was a punch

I'm going to pull out of this buddy read. Hope you all enjoy it though. I'll read at a later date. I picked it up, but wasn't feeling it.

Siobhan wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I started last night, and have to say it's more of a mixed bag of emotions for me. Through about 15% I..."

I'm with you on this one! I don't even think stupid is unfair! But de..."

Agreed, I'm definitely having fun reading it despite that (it does feel weird calling it "fun" lol).

Gelisvb wrote: "i Just strated it and I have to say that the first scene was a punch"

Total punch. How far are you now? I think I'm in the last 75%.

at 75% (view spoiler)[ I have to say I was pretty certain I knew who the person was who did the thing to her early on (I'm being vague because the chapters are annoyingly not labeled), so it kind of sucked all the anticipation and drama out of it for me. However, discovering HOW it went down was a surprise.

I remember Scott saying this one was darker. Conceptually, I agree, but from a sensory standpoint, I'm not FEELING the same gnarly feeling in my gut as I did with Menagerie. I think it's because the awful things in that book were really slowed down and highlighted, allowing me to get completely invested, whereas in this one all the bad things are kind of shooting by without real focus. Because of this, I actually had a more difficult time reading the content in the first one. This may be a big factor in my rating of the second one. I also miss everyone else's experiences through those brief POVs.

Like I said though, still enjoying it for the most part. (hide spoiler)]

Angela wrote: "I'm going to pull out of this buddy read. Hope you all enjoy it though. I'll read at a later date. I picked it up, but wasn't feeling it."

No worries :)

Definitely... the first book was new... this one hits a lot of the same beats, just MORE... but just because it's more, doesn't mean it hits the same way a second time... except for the prologue... that hit pretty hard...

Niki Hawkes wrote: "at 75% ..."

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Niki.

Yeah, the prologue was bomb. Scared me, even. In some ways, it's good she doesn't dwell because I'm not sure I'm in the mood to really be affected. But I do wish I felt a little more at this point.

Siobhan wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "at 75% ..."

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Niki."

We seem to have a lot of the same thoughts on this series. :)

Siobhan wrote: "About 45% in. Sorry the page count on the ebook version I'm reading isn't accurate to goodreads,


(view spoiler)[my biggest disappointment was also how fast they got recaptured. I really wanted that plot point explored. (hide spoiler)]

Iain wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "About 45% in. Sorry the page

(view spoiler)[ Thanks for not popping my bubble. I actually should sit down and write what I was hoping to read because that would'v been a killer book! (hide spoiler)].

Just read all of your end of book spoilers... couldn't agree more. Let's hope it's just middle book syndrome.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Just read all of your end of book spoilers... couldn't agree more. Let's hope it's just middle book syndrome."

Yeah... sounds like the 3rd book is what we wanted the 2nd book to be... (view spoiler)[ road trip saving Cryptid family members... and somehow Delilah is going to save everybody... dunno how, tho... (hide spoiler)]

Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Just read all of your end of book spoilers... couldn't agree more. Let's hope it's just middle book syndrome."

Yeah... sounds like the 3rd book is what we wanted the 2nd book t..."

sweet! It's a shame it's not already out.

dropping this one. not enough time and i need to pick and choose. i rated the last book 3 stars on re-read of the end part, and i'm unhappy with some of the stuff i accidentally gleaned about this book so...

I'm in the vast minority liking this one so much more than the first.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I remember Scott saying this one was darker. Conceptually, I agree, but from a sensory standpoint, I'm not FEELING the same gnarly feeling in my gut as I did with Menagerie. "

I felt the things in this book were crueler and more dehumanizing especially after they had a sniff of freedom in book one.

Scott wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I remember Scott saying this one was darker. Conceptually, I agree, but from a sensory standpoint, I'm not FEELING the same gnarly feeling in my gut as I did with Menagerie. "

..."

In stark contrast to what I usually say, I really wanted it to dig in to the awful things that were happening a bit more. She kind of breezed over everything so fast, it didn't allow things to sink in and have a strong impact on me. Whereas the minute mistreatments in the first book (view spoiler)[specifically the harassment and torture (mild torture) of the young werewolf (hide spoiler)] were really drawn out and poignant. The things were definitely darker, but the delivery made them seem less awful than the stuff in the first one. Maybe my summary could read better as "darker, but not written as immersively?"

I just finished the first and after the comments here I’m going to wait for the third book before picking this one up. I’m so bummed the second was not the story I thought it would be - the Cryptid run menagerie saving family members & perhaps swaying public opinions

Yeah we were all a bit gutted too, but I suppose it needed that extra obstacle/conflict to get us through to book 3. I'm still hoping for a happy ish ending! XD