As much as I hate to give any bad or lukewarm reviews, I started this blog with the idea in mind that I would review books as I read them (meaning whether it myself just reading something for pleasure, rereading, or even getting a book to review from a reader review program) – and honestly state my opinion of them.
Well, my honest opinion of The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel (who is a Washington resident, which is awesome!)… isn’t great. Actually, I didn’t even finish it.
I know! I know! I hate not finishing a book. But there is always that principle that there are SO many fantastic books (like the one I’ll be reviewing next) out there that to force yourself to keep turning the pages of a book you are finding pretty darn dull is a disservice to yourself and the industry.
Here’s the thing: Aiden is a monk in training in the 10th century. He lives a sheltered life with monks. I’ll admit the setting is rather off-putting. But the author is simply presenting the time period as it was. I guess I just didn’t find it the most entertaining or interesting of locations.
Aiden can hear the “humming of numbers”. A sort of energy scale that every living creature, plant, etc. gives off. He meets a girl named Lana who gives off the highest number he’s ever heard from a human: an eleven.
This, I thought, would be an appealing, subtle fantasy that would maybe have poetic wording or something. But it didn’t really turn out that way – for me, at least. I got to page 88 before setting it aside, and up to that point I really had expected Lana’s eleven to show itself in some way. But she didn’t seem extraordinary in any way to me. There were no hints of special powers or knowledge or even just an extreme humanity or something. Nothing.
And even by the time the Vikings attack (around the time I stopped reading) – I just didn’t care. I didn’t care enough about the characters to care. They fell flat.
BUT – I don’t want to bash the author or the book, really. If it sounded like something you’d be interested in before or after this review still read it!!! I hate it when people say, “Oh, I thought I’d like that but now that I’ve read your review I’ll just pass I guess.” Everybody has a different opinion! I mean, there are people out there who don’t even like Harry Potter (I know, crazy, right?! Lol).
I do intend on giving it another chance in the future. Maybe I’ll find out that it was just a weird mood I was in, or I was missing the entire point or something. Anyway, this was just my honest opinion of the book as I read it and why I put it down.
And if there’s a chance Joni Sensel reads this, I really do want to apologize if I sound too harsh. As someone who wants to write myself – I certainly do not want to bash your work. I think it simply comes down to the book maybe not being my particular cup of tea.
Well, my honest opinion of The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel (who is a Washington resident, which is awesome!)… isn’t great. Actually, I didn’t even finish it.
I know! I know! I hate not finishing a book. But there is always that principle that there are SO many fantastic books (like the one I’ll be reviewing next) out there that to force yourself to keep turning the pages of a book you are finding pretty darn dull is a disservice to yourself and the industry.
Here’s the thing: Aiden is a monk in training in the 10th century. He lives a sheltered life with monks. I’ll admit the setting is rather off-putting. But the author is simply presenting the time period as it was. I guess I just didn’t find it the most entertaining or interesting of locations.
Aiden can hear the “humming of numbers”. A sort of energy scale that every living creature, plant, etc. gives off. He meets a girl named Lana who gives off the highest number he’s ever heard from a human: an eleven.
This, I thought, would be an appealing, subtle fantasy that would maybe have poetic wording or something. But it didn’t really turn out that way – for me, at least. I got to page 88 before setting it aside, and up to that point I really had expected Lana’s eleven to show itself in some way. But she didn’t seem extraordinary in any way to me. There were no hints of special powers or knowledge or even just an extreme humanity or something. Nothing.
And even by the time the Vikings attack (around the time I stopped reading) – I just didn’t care. I didn’t care enough about the characters to care. They fell flat.
BUT – I don’t want to bash the author or the book, really. If it sounded like something you’d be interested in before or after this review still read it!!! I hate it when people say, “Oh, I thought I’d like that but now that I’ve read your review I’ll just pass I guess.” Everybody has a different opinion! I mean, there are people out there who don’t even like Harry Potter (I know, crazy, right?! Lol).
I do intend on giving it another chance in the future. Maybe I’ll find out that it was just a weird mood I was in, or I was missing the entire point or something. Anyway, this was just my honest opinion of the book as I read it and why I put it down.
And if there’s a chance Joni Sensel reads this, I really do want to apologize if I sound too harsh. As someone who wants to write myself – I certainly do not want to bash your work. I think it simply comes down to the book maybe not being my particular cup of tea.
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