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And totally on board for whatever she wanted to write.
I actua
So any of you who have been following my blog for any length of time at all already know this--I'm completely mad about anything written by W.R. Gingell. I mean, seriously. If it's got her name on it, I'm there. But usually she writes fairy-tale retellings (sort of) with a more classic fantasy flair (kind of), so when I saw that she was writing an urban fantasy featuring fae and vampires, I was a bit surprised. Intrigued. Bewildered.And totally on board for whatever she wanted to write.
I actually read Between Jobs a few months ago. It came out in late May, and I devoured it within days of release. But I've been saving it to review as art of my Month of Fae Revels, since it technically falls within this category. The main character--whose real name we never learn, but who is sort-of-affectionately known as "Pet" by her three otherworldly roommates--ends up venturing into Between and Behind, which serves as a completely freaky variation on Fairyland. Two of her "roommates" are fae: immortal, powerful, arrogant, dangerous. The other is a vampire. Only he's a Korean vampire who understands but will not speak English, so that makes for some interesting dynamics.
I've honestly never read anything like this book. I'm categorizing it as fae fantasy, but it's not like any of the other books I'm featuring this month. The plot is crazy, all-over-the-place, twisted, and alluring. I was never entirely certain I had my feet under me the whole time I read it . . . all I knew for sure was that I enjoyed every moment!
Pet makes for a dynamic and completely individual heroine. Gingell has a gift for creating fascinating heroines, no two of them alike, and through their unique perspectives we get to observe their equally unique worlds. And there was never a world more unique than Between Jobs!
The story is dark, hilarious, twisted, and just plain fun . . . except when the blood and guts are flying. Then it's still fun but in a peering-between-my-fingers sort of way. I CANNOT wait for book 2, and while I'm waiting, I'm doing everything I can to try to convince my friends to pick up this book and get as addicted as I am to Gingell's writing!
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We get hints of oddities about the house but the incident that starts us off is a murder of the weird guy across the street in a house with way more oddities than Pet's. Showing up to investigate are three "psychos" who have their own versions of odd and end up renting her house (and later buying it for reasons that are obscure). Ghosting around, Pet learns that they are two fae and a vampire and does her best to stay hidden. Which works for a while until it doesn't. At which point, she tap-dances like crazy to convince them that she should stay at the house she is so attached to. Which is where the pet thing comes in. She cooks and cleans and they don't kick her out or turn her in. Later on, they make an explicit deal that when Zero (yeah, whatever) and his friends leave, he'll sign the house over to her, cementing her cooperation.
So let me say at this point and with emphasis that there is nothing sexual or romantic in this story at all, not even a little bit. Which Melissa tells me doesn't make her being their pet any less creepy, but whatever. I liked the dynamic it setup with the obviously much more powerful otherworlders taking a casually neglectful attitude towards her and her doing her best to serve her own needs in the midst of the dangerously powerful dudes occupying her home—kind of like living around waltzing elephants who sometimes bestow gifts but want regular feedings.
The worldbuilding, with behindkind and betweenkind plaguing her hometown, worked well-enough. And the plot was at least interesting. It wasn't a surprise to learn that Pet is maybe more than she seems as it all fits neatly around her parents being cyphers and the house being, possibly, a bit more than it should be. So I enjoyed the internal speculation it setup and was eagerly along for the ride.
Note that I'm not saying her background actually adds up. No kid spends three years hiding in her house without getting even a little bit lax in her leave-no-trace discipline and I'm pretty sure Australia wouldn't have as little record of her existence as indicated just because she was homeschooled or whatever. But that all fits under giving the book its premise so I gave it the starting point. It didn't need any more than that, so I'm good with it.
So this ends up being a satisfying five stars but with that caveat above that I have no idea how that'll translate to others. It's a weird setup with an odd power dynamic that won't sit well with everyone.
A note about Chaste: I'm marking this chaste, but it isn't a romance, there are no romantic or physical relationships. At all. Which is just as well because Pet is six months shy of eighteen and squick doesn't begin to cover how that'd work with these thirty-plus guys.
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So-in this book we have our main h, Pet (thats right Pet), who is a 17 year old living and squatting in the house where her parents were brutally murdered when she was 13. She has been on her own since then by working under the table jobs in hopes of earning enough to eventually buy her parents house outright.
However, her plan of staying hidden and under the radar changes when the guy next door is killed under mysterious
This is such an interesting read, and I had so much fun with the characters!
So-in this book we have our main h, Pet (thats right Pet), who is a 17 year old living and squatting in the house where her parents were brutally murdered when she was 13. She has been on her own since then by working under the table jobs in hopes of earning enough to eventually buy her parents house outright.
However, her plan of staying hidden and under the radar changes when the guy next door is killed under mysterious circumstances too, and with his death-fate brings three mysterious strangers into her life. Or more precisely as she states, her Psychos, who are definitely anything but normal...
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So, I really enjoyed the sort of trippy nature of this book and the unique characters. Mostly I really liked Pet's character, the guys, as well as the background we were getting about the Behind and Between. The descriptions really set my imagination going!
In my head I kind of imagine it as like a more fluid and creepier version of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland what with her being able to pluck objects from Between reality and somehow see what they are/could be.
There is something so adaptable about Pet that I really admire. Also, I'm not constantly thinking 'why isn't she questioning this, or that, or freaking out' its just that fact that she's kind of cooky in her own right, and just goes with everything that makes her really fascinating.
Also, on a side note, I found it kinda interesting that even though she's the main character and were reading in her voice we never really get a description of her.
All I can say is def try this series out if you have KU- I blew through 5 books so quickly because I couldn't put them down! Would recommend!
((oh, but P.S. I wish the author had put translations of what JinYeong is actually saying in the back of the book for those of us that were interested. Its been a while, but I took Korean a few years ago, so even though it was romanized I pretty much got the gist of what he was saying a lot of the times- but even I was a little bit frustrated when I didn't know certain romanized words, and b.c its not in hangul it was hard to look up.
P.P.S- talk to text speech works on your phone if you switch to a Korean keyboard and use Google Translate))
2) Clunky writing.
3) ADD first-person protagonist. Just when you thought something was going to happen, she's talking about something else. No action was ever described without 20 asides and digressions. It's like a puppy, and it's seeing squirrels repeatedly, which makes it frantic and too excited.
4) Not really a cliffhanger, but lots of new ideas and unfinished threads at the end. Yet I don't feel like reading the next one. If I thought the asides and 1) Great worldbuilding, poorly explained.
2) Clunky writing.
3) ADD first-person protagonist. Just when you thought something was going to happen, she's talking about something else. No action was ever described without 20 asides and digressions. It's like a puppy, and it's seeing squirrels repeatedly, which makes it frantic and too excited.
4) Not really a cliffhanger, but lots of new ideas and unfinished threads at the end. Yet I don't feel like reading the next one. If I thought the asides and digressions would stop, I would continue. But I doubt it.
5) The guy that only spoke Korean was annoying because he only spoke Korean.
6) She needs to STOP sticking her tongue out. Stupid. Apparently that's the only way she can express an emotion.
7) I never really did figure out the goals of the 3 guys. Confusing. Point of story obscure.
The thing is, I am interested in this world and the character. I may read more eventually. (Too bad I bought them already after reading this book's beginning only.) We'll see if my mind returns to this book. If it does, I may try the rest. But they better flow better or I will be done.
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"I can only imagine the mess it might cause, and as a whole, the Fae are only inclined to approve of mess when it's their own doing."
Our protagonist, we will call her Pet, is squatting in her parents house. They were murdered seven years ago, and she is avoiding social services and working at a crappy job so she can be paid in cash and stay off the radar.
The story begins when she looks out her window and sees a murder victim. The police
7/1/19 - on sale for $0.99 and free on kindle unlimited"I can only imagine the mess it might cause, and as a whole, the Fae are only inclined to approve of mess when it's their own doing."
Our protagonist, we will call her Pet, is squatting in her parents house. They were murdered seven years ago, and she is avoiding social services and working at a crappy job so she can be paid in cash and stay off the radar.
The story begins when she looks out her window and sees a murder victim. The police come to investigate, and so do three men. Although these men aren't human. There's Zero, a fae, Athelas, a fae and Zero's steward, and JinYeoung, a vampire.
Zero has bought Pet's house to have a base while investigating these murders, because while there has just been one in the human realm, they are similar to murders he's investigating in Behind and Below.
Pet is quickly discovered living in the house, and she is reluctantly allowed to stay.
"She does make a good cup of tea, after all. Let's have her as a pet."
Zero said coolly, "Don't go giving it a name and patting it on the head. Don't get fond of it. It'll die soon enough."
Zero is the leader of the group. He's strong and focused on the investigation. Althelas is clever, he knew pet was in the house all along and kept quiet just to mess with JinYeoung. And JinYeoung can understand English perfectly well, but refuses to respond in anything but Korean. He aggravates Pet and she gives it right back. I love the back and forth, it's clear by context what he's saying, and if it's not clear, Althelas will helpfully translate.
I was really charmed with this story. It has a casual sense of humor. Pet is smart, she's funny and sarcastic, and although she is only a human in the world of fae and vampire, she does hold her own.
There's zero romance in this novel. It's a great start to a unique urban fantasy. It reads a little young, it's more YA than adult urban fantasy. It's also set in Australia, and there's some vernacular I wasn't familiar with but easy to understand in context.
This book is setting the ground work for the series. Why can Pet see things in the Behind and Below? What exactly is Pet? Is she fully human? Why were her parents murdered? But most importantly, who was paying the electric and water for the past seven years? This was bothering me all along, and is actually called out at the end of the book. So not a plot hole or sloppy writing, but maybe a mystery.
Recommend for urban fantasy/fae fans. Free on kindle unlimited.
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When I read books, it's very difficult for me to become attached to characters. I'm a big old baby who cries at the drop of a hat. Doesn't even matter if it's a sad event, I'll cry when it's happy, I cry when I laugh, I cry when something is cute.
I get dehydrated a lot.
So, in the attempts to prevent myself from becoming a shriveled husk there's some things i'm a little more cynical with. Getting too attached to fiction
Hi. We need to talk. Just a lil' ol' heart to heart here. About this story.When I read books, it's very difficult for me to become attached to characters. I'm a big old baby who cries at the drop of a hat. Doesn't even matter if it's a sad event, I'll cry when it's happy, I cry when I laugh, I cry when something is cute.
I get dehydrated a lot.
So, in the attempts to prevent myself from becoming a shriveled husk there's some things i'm a little more cynical with. Getting too attached to fictional characters is one of them.
(Looking at you Game of Thrones)
This was so well written my heart has been completely stolen by this series. I sincerely adore every single character in this book. If they were real people I would want to be their friends, and probably maybe die for them. At least for Pet I would. And Zero. And JinYeong. And Athelas. And...
This is a story about a group of dysfunctional, magical people (and 1 human teenager they found) trying to put two and two together... and maybe become a family along the way.
With a grumpy Fae lord as the 'Mom' of the group, a scholarly/murdery fae servant as the 'uncle whose a bad influence', and a Korean vampire whose the annoying sibling, you really can't go wrong with this book.
I'm a huge, giant baby. And even though I tried not to, I can tell you that I pretty much cried happy tears through the whole thing for the several books that are out at the time of this review.
If you like Australia, Spirited Away, Tokyo Godfathers, Howl's Moving Castle, Undertale, Korean dramas, and a whole lot of love, give this one a go. If you like it, keep going. There are so many amazing characters to meet, mysteries to solve, worlds to explore and maybe just a little dash of romance. maybe.
Cheers!
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I was so enamored by the audio narration. Zehra Jane Naqvi captured me from the first moment until the last. I couldn't stop listening! I loved all the voices; especially JinYeoung, vampire, who will only speak Korean even though he knows English and understands it. This element added something more and special to the story.
Between Jobs is an interesting and unusual story. I liked the concept a
Between Jobs is book one in The City Between series by W. R. Gingell and narrated by Zehra Jane Naqvi.I was so enamored by the audio narration. Zehra Jane Naqvi captured me from the first moment until the last. I couldn't stop listening! I loved all the voices; especially JinYeoung, vampire, who will only speak Korean even though he knows English and understands it. This element added something more and special to the story.
Between Jobs is an interesting and unusual story. I liked the concept and characters introduced to us. Our lead, Pet (can't remember if the author tells us her real name), is a 17-year-old-women living alone in a house that was her's, but isn't. She finds herself waking up one morning to a dead almost decapitated body outside her window and soon she's immersed in the Fae world and a few different mysteries.
I really liked all the characters introduced. Each has a distinct personality and the interactions between Pet and her three psycho's was a lot of fun to watch. It's an odd relationship, but one that works for the supernaturals. It's clear their is something different about Pet, but we don't know what that is. Besides Jenyung who only speaks Korean, we are also introduced to Zero, a Fae, and Athelas another Fae. Zero is the leader of the psychos and we learn some tidbits about him. Athelas sits back and finds humor in the interactions of the others. The dynamics between all is great.
Between Jobs wrapped up well considering some threads and questions are left open. I enjoyed the story enough that I went out and borrowed the next book, Between Shifts, in the series from my library to listen too. I recommend the audio. I don't think I would have liked this book as much had I not listened.
Rated: 3.5 Stars
Ahem. Anyway.
The weird, random story of Between Jobs reminded me of an N.D. Wilson book but with its own unique style.
I feel like I didn't get to know the characters very well since this was largely a mystery novel, but I still ended up liking most of them. Pet was great. Zero was great. Athelas was gre
I don't know why in the world I read this since I don't usually like books like this...but yeah. I did. I read a book with vampires. Of my own free will. Who am I and what have I done with Amelie?Ahem. Anyway.
The weird, random story of Between Jobs reminded me of an N.D. Wilson book but with its own unique style.
I feel like I didn't get to know the characters very well since this was largely a mystery novel, but I still ended up liking most of them. Pet was great. Zero was great. Athelas was great. JinYeong was…annoying. XD It never ceased to amuse me how Pet kept calling those last three "my three psychos."
Throughout the book, I appreciated that Pet wasn't sickeningly dramatic like a lot of YA female protagonists, and she was a delightful main character with her wisecracking personality. However, some of her reactions to things felt a little unrealistic. (For example, she was rather matter-of-fact regarding many of the murder scenes she witnessed. You'd think she'd be way more traumatized after what she witnessed, especially after what she witnessed when she was younger.)
Per the summary for this book, Pet is…well, a pet, and it did weird me out that she (a seventeen-year-old female) lived in a house with three men. And that she referred to them as her "owners."
…somehow this story works. But it's still very, very weird.
I'm also confused. Everything is so random. (My thoughts during the book were something like: "Okay…I'm confused. Haha! So…weird. Still confused. Ha! Weird. This is unapologetically strange." Etc.)
I'm intrigued enough and I enjoyed Between Jobs enough to continue reading this series, though. I've read many positive reviews, and I've heard the books get better, so I'm willing to give it another go. The wit and Australian flavor made this a fairly enjoyable urban fantasy overall…despite the abundance of weirdness.
This book is very, very odd and is definitely not for everyone. (I haven't even fully decided if it's for me yet.) But somehow, it was a flamin' good time.
Content: violence and gore, magic
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But I think I've found my new favorite book series.
Dark but hilarious, with an endearing heroine sassily annoying (and being annoyed by) her three "psychos," Between Jobs is the sort of book I've always wished existed but could never quite find.
I definitely loved it.
It's not often that I can say that I've truly fallen head-over-heels for a book. After all, considering the amount of books I read, I'm rather sparse in handing out those five stars.But I think I've found my new favorite book series.
Dark but hilarious, with an endearing heroine sassily annoying (and being annoyed by) her three "psychos," Between Jobs is the sort of book I've always wished existed but could never quite find.
I definitely loved it.
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First read October 2020; 5 stars.
(Reread July 2021; 5 stars. The foreshadowing!)
First read October 2020; 5 stars.
(Reread July 2021; 5 stars. The foreshadowing!)
Did I just re-read this book only about a month after reading it the first time? Yep. Yep, I did. It's that good. Also, it came out on audiobook, so of course I immediately bought the audiobook and had to listen to it.
The audiobook narrator does a great job with this crazy book. I loved the trace of Australian accent that reminded me of the setting but wasn't so overwhelming that it made the book hard to understand. Well done. Well worth a listen.
Original Review:
Oh. My. Vampir
Did I just re-read this book only about a month after reading it the first time? Yep. Yep, I did. It's that good. Also, it came out on audiobook, so of course I immediately bought the audiobook and had to listen to it.
The audiobook narrator does a great job with this crazy book. I loved the trace of Australian accent that reminded me of the setting but wasn't so overwhelming that it made the book hard to understand. Well done. Well worth a listen.
Original Review:
Oh. My. Vampires. What in Tasmania did I just read?????
I've been hearing about W.R. Gingell's books for a while now and finally picked this one up since it is in Kindle Unlimited. Wow. Just. Wow. I was so blown away.
This book is one of the craziest things I have ever read. The author just has such a zany imagination. I'm in awe.
In some ways, this book shouldn't work. The main character is barely described. We don't even know her name. So much of the backstory and current story and stuff that is happening is never fully explained since Pet doesn't want to think about how her parents died and her fae and vampire owners aren't going to explain things in too much depth to their pet.
Oh, yeah. Did I mention the main character kind of ends up a human pet for two fae and a moody vampire? Honestly, that should be creepy. Or weird. Well, it is weird. But it somehow works in this book. I'm not even sure how it works. Maybe because the main character is just so sarcastic and fully embraces her role as a pet...down to being mischievous and sometimes disobeying just because she thinks she can get away with it.
And the world building in this book. All the layers and craziness. I can't even begin to explain it. Probably because the book doesn't fully explain it, and it somehow makes it all the cooler because it isn't fully explained.
What I also really loved was that this urban fantasy is set in Hobart, Tasmania. Sometimes even international authors set their urban fantasy books in England or the United States, but this Aussie author fully embraces her locale and all the dialect and slang that goes with it. All the slang really added to the book, and I just LOVED it.
There is some blood and violence. Some mild descriptions of a vampire ripping people's throats out, that sort of thing. Mostly blood and sound is described while anything more gory is skimmed over.
...more![Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1587154687p2/31792110.jpg)
To put it bluntly: these books are awesome. Here's a range of things I love about the series...
✔️ Excellent technical writing, flows well and hooks you straight in. I read all SEVEN books in FOUR days.
✔️ Amazing unique plot. 17-year-old 'Pet' has been living alone in her house, secretly, since her parents died. One day three supernatur
⤅ This is going to be a review for the whole series, which I don't usually do but it's a LONG one and I can't be bothered to review every single book individually.To put it bluntly: these books are awesome. Here's a range of things I love about the series...
✔️ Excellent technical writing, flows well and hooks you straight in. I read all SEVEN books in FOUR days.
✔️ Amazing unique plot. 17-year-old 'Pet' has been living alone in her house, secretly, since her parents died. One day three supernatural creatures - a vampire and two fae - move in, and she ends up being adopted as their pet and helping them solve mysteries. The visualisation and world-building is great.
✔️ The characterisation is FABULOUS. All caps. Pet is stubborn, and idealistic, without coming across as irritatingly naive, and her dynamic with all three of her housemates is awesome.
✔️ I LOVE the author's presentation of grey morality. Of course supernatural creatures don't think much of humans! Nor should they. Their journey (that of Zero and Athelas the fae, and JinYeong the Korean vampire) into growing from completely cold-hearted bastards into people who MAYBE have a soft spot for Pet is slow and believable.
✔️ The romance... swoon-worthy. It's a VERY VERY SLOW-BURN romance, like there isn't even the mildest hint of romance until book 5. But I love slow-burn, especially when the payoff is as great as this one. It's with JinYeong, who is pouty, metrosexual, viciously dangerous, and mildly psychopathic but also totally in love with Pet. I am so here for it. Also, she's completely oblivious to him, which is my favourite trope.
✔️ While it's a little frustrating to get seven books into a series and have the main mystery still be unresolved, each book has its own mini-arc and doesn't really end on a cliffhanger.
The only complaint I have - if complaint is the right word - is that JinYeong speaks mostly Korean and it's rarely translated for the reader's benefit, so I had to Google a lot and wasn't always successful in unearthing what he meant. But I mean, in the grand scheme of things, I can forgive that.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
I mean how can this not catch your attention:
Hi. My name is Pet. It's not my real name, but it's the only one you're getting. Things like names are important these days. And it's not so much that I'm Pet. I am a pet. A human pet; I belong to two Behindkind fae and a pouty vampire. It's not weird, I promise—well, it is weird, yeah. But it's not weird weird, you know? Hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll go back to the first day I saw them.
The best fun I have had between two covers in ages! I mean how can this not catch your attention:
Hi. My name is Pet. It's not my real name, but it's the only one you're getting. Things like names are important these days. And it's not so much that I'm Pet. I am a pet. A human pet; I belong to two Behindkind fae and a pouty vampire. It's not weird, I promise—well, it is weird, yeah. But it's not weird weird, you know? Hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll go back to the first day I saw them. When I woke up that morning there was a dead guy hanging outside my window. It's not like I was meant to be living where I was, so it wasn't a personal insult or anything. Just a bit of a shock.
So with my clear bias in mind, I can wholeheartedly say that I LOOVED this book, but why? and without giving anything away lol
1) Pet (17 yr old whose parents were murdered) is great fun, some might say a bit submissive, but somehow she pulls it off with attitude and forever getting into trouble
2) Original world building and storyline
3) A bit of a magical murder mystery, interwoven with the mystery about Pet.
4) The story builds slowly with information given to you in small doses, not full in face on the first page.
5) The Guys/Psychos are still a bit mysterious by the end of the book leaving me dying for the next book.
6) I might be able to speak Korean by the end of the series.
7) Not clear where the relationships are going but knowing my current RH addiction I am gambling on that.
So would I recommend you read this book ..... DUH! of course, especially after all this effort to review it.
I saw RAVING reviews for this book.
I thought I was in for a treat.
I was actually in for a constant cuppa tea and coffee.
- thrilling
- exciting
- page turner worthy
- made me want to keep reading
But everything was certainly annoying or creepy.
This is how much quirk I can handle:
|—————|
This is how quirky this book was:
|—————————————————————|
Zero and A
Alright guys. My Quirky Book of the Year monitor is DONE. And I mean, overheated.I saw RAVING reviews for this book.
I thought I was in for a treat.
I was actually in for a constant cuppa tea and coffee.
- thrilling
- exciting
- page turner worthy
- made me want to keep reading
But everything was certainly annoying or creepy.
This is how much quirk I can handle:
|—————|
This is how quirky this book was:
|—————————————————————|
Zero and Athelas were the only characters I remotely cared for.
But that was really it for me. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to give it a chance.
It's a weird plot that I had no interest in trying to understand.
Idk, will I continue this series? Ehhhhh.
IF SOMEONE CAN VOUCH THAT IT GETS BETTER, maybe.
I'm still trying to figure out Zero, The immature vamp and the old hoot who finds amusement in serious gruesome situations. Will the d Quite a refreshing read. I enjoyed it immensely. Wait, now that I think about it I do not know the name of the h. Throughout the book she was referred to as Pet. 🤔. She's a little bit loose in the head but that's one of her good qualities. She handled herself pretty well for a 17 year old living with three supernatural psychos. Pretty smart mouthed too and clever.
I'm still trying to figure out Zero, The immature vamp and the old hoot who finds amusement in serious gruesome situations. Will the detective 🕵️♀️ become friend or foe? Right now he's a annoying fly. Who will the killer strike next? Is the old beggar really alive and not a changeling? Can't wait to start book 2 to find out. ...more
A couple things about characters and story were… disconnected and repetitive but I think my biggest complaint is that each book was so short.
I love how the author wove everything together but kept each book individual. Which felt… unusual to me because the next book didn't always pick up exactly where it left off (even through
This series is so much fun!! The mysteries/trauma obviously were appropriately somberly handled but Pet cracks me up. There've been several instances I laughed out loud.A couple things about characters and story were… disconnected and repetitive but I think my biggest complaint is that each book was so short.
I love how the author wove everything together but kept each book individual. Which felt… unusual to me because the next book didn't always pick up exactly where it left off (even through cliffhangers!!) but also refreshing. And somehow it didn't overwhelm the story as a whole but fit all the pieces of the puzzle together so well!
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Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
This is not for me. And frankly, I can't recommend it to anybody else. I have friends who already have read it and enjoy it, and that's fine; but I'm not recommending it.
Basicallyyyyyyyyyyyyy . . . it's a story about a human girl who has three supernatural weirdos (2 fae and 1 vampire) living in her house. They call her their 'pet,' although I would say she's more like their 'slave.' Because, get this:
They refer to her as 'it.'
Not 'she.' Not 'they/them' (no
Nope.Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
This is not for me. And frankly, I can't recommend it to anybody else. I have friends who already have read it and enjoy it, and that's fine; but I'm not recommending it.
Basicallyyyyyyyyyyyyy . . . it's a story about a human girl who has three supernatural weirdos (2 fae and 1 vampire) living in her house. They call her their 'pet,' although I would say she's more like their 'slave.' Because, get this:
They refer to her as 'it.'
Not 'she.' Not 'they/them' (nonbinary vampires! hey, I'd be down with that!) Just 'it.' And not just once or twice, either. Literally all. the. time. It's on every page, feels like.
How is this supposed to be frickin' okay?????
Here's the thing. I know what you're thinking [probably]. You're thinking, well, maybe it's not okay, maybe these guys are villains, and maybe that's the whole point of the story, to show them as villains? Because they dehumanize the MC, so they'll, like, get their comeuppance in the end? That's not what happens, though. [I skipped to the last chapter to check.] Throughout the book, and up to the very end, they're portrayed as . . . these . . . Mysterious Cool Semi-Hot Guys With Possible Good Hearts Buried Deep (TM). Like they're people the MC could build an actual relationship with. Like they could be her friends or whatever. Literally at the same time as they're treating her and referring to her as an OBJECT. A THING. Not a PERSONALITY or an INDIVIDUAL.
I ask you:
How do you square those two things?
Answer:
You don't.
(Note: Please don't try to convince me otherwise, and, especially, please don't try to console me by telling me there's no romance between the human girl and any of the guys in the future: I don't CARE about romance, in this case. This goes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy deeper than romance. This is about fundamental human worth and human dignity. Which these three male characters I'm apparently supposed to 'like,' Do Not Recognize . . . and I'm not down for that.)
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Mon avis en français
My English review
After seeing this novel on Kimberly's blog and with her great review, I was curious to read this first volume myself.
I must say that this novel is a little UFO all by itself. We follow Pet, whose name we will never know and whose age is only approximately known. We don't know how she looks, but she's here. I must tell you that for several chapters, I thought it was a boy before I understood that no, it was actually a girl, that's to say!
Pet has been livi
3.5/5Mon avis en français
My English review
After seeing this novel on Kimberly's blog and with her great review, I was curious to read this first volume myself.
I must say that this novel is a little UFO all by itself. We follow Pet, whose name we will never know and whose age is only approximately known. We don't know how she looks, but she's here. I must tell you that for several chapters, I thought it was a boy before I understood that no, it was actually a girl, that's to say!
Pet has been living at her house since her parents were murdered. She was present, but well hidden. Since then, she has lived there alone, hoping to earn enough money to buy it when she came of age. However, her daily life will be disrupted when she finds herself face to face with a dead man through her window. This murder will attract the attention of two faes and a vampire who are working together to find the murderer. But here it is, if Pet observes them from afar and understands that they are not that human, she is less happy to see that they decide to come and live in her house!
It was a very different novel from what I usually read. They really think of Pet as a pet and it's quite funny to see how it's done. However, if the idea is original, I must say that I dropped the story several times because I was missing a little something to make the story more engaging. Apart from that, I found it interesting to discover the author's universe and ideas and I think that Volume 2 could give me a more precise idea of the whole thing.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I'll always have a particularly soft spot for Masque, I think this unique, peculiar, and darkly comedic urban fantasy might be the best thing of hers I've read yet.
First, there's the fun of the Australian setting, which is most evident in Pet's language. Then there are the characters. Pet's "three psychos" are all utterly distinct, memorable, and dangerous in their own unique ways, and their backstories, dimly glimpsed, add much epic to the st
Bravo, Wendee!I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I'll always have a particularly soft spot for Masque, I think this unique, peculiar, and darkly comedic urban fantasy might be the best thing of hers I've read yet.
First, there's the fun of the Australian setting, which is most evident in Pet's language. Then there are the characters. Pet's "three psychos" are all utterly distinct, memorable, and dangerous in their own unique ways, and their backstories, dimly glimpsed, add much epic to the story. Zero is part human and might also be a fae prince; JinYeong was once his friend and now fights by his side to make sure that nobody else kills him; Athelas is the soft-spoken family retainer who might be the most ruthless of them all.
Together, they turn up in Hobart to investigate paranormal crime, and somehow wind up adopting Pet, who is used to being treated like something less than human but has her own sneaky ways of getting what she wants. There's no romance at all in this book, which is an excellent thing for this particular stable of characters, just lots of adventure and plenty of off-kilter humour. I'll definitely be reading this series further!
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"Pet" is a great viewpoint character. She is secretive, resourceful, incredibly brave, mysterious (she doesn't understand her own past), and a talented cook. Her three "psychos" are awesome, with distinct character quirks and flaws, and each relates to Pet in a different way. They are creepy, immensely powerful, enigmatic--whether or not they are "g
I don't believe I've ever read anything quite like BETWEEN JOBS. In fact, I'm sure of it! And now I am totally hooked and can hardly wait for Book 2."Pet" is a great viewpoint character. She is secretive, resourceful, incredibly brave, mysterious (she doesn't understand her own past), and a talented cook. Her three "psychos" are awesome, with distinct character quirks and flaws, and each relates to Pet in a different way. They are creepy, immensely powerful, enigmatic--whether or not they are "good guys" is definitely a question--and a formidable Enforcer team although not always united in their methods.
Plenty of blood and guts fly in this story (not for the faint of heart), yet for the most part the carnage is loosely described and not superfluous. The villain of this series is brutal and malevolently intelligent. Plenty of hints are dropped for continuing drama, yet the team does wrap up one mystery to give this story a satisfying ending.
And Pet's place in their number? She has earned it. Although I suspect her secretive ways are going to catch up with her soon . . .
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Set in Hobart, Tasmania. I loved the Australian setting. The world building unfolded as Pet learned. On the plus side it kept the pace fast and light despite the dark grisly murders and freakishness of the Behind. There is more to be discovered and Gingell succeeded in making me want more.
I
Between Jobs was a cool mix. A murder-mystery involving supernaturals and the worlds of Humans, the Between and the Behind. It offered a unique world and twist on paranormals while mixing in elements of humor.Set in Hobart, Tasmania. I loved the Australian setting. The world building unfolded as Pet learned. On the plus side it kept the pace fast and light despite the dark grisly murders and freakishness of the Behind. There is more to be discovered and Gingell succeeded in making me want more.
I loved the characters. Each has a distinct personality and I enjoyed watching the dynamics that developed as they interacted. Even the Hobart police detective who seems immune to glamour added to the tale. It is clear there is something different about Pet. Zero is the leader of the psychos and we learn some interesting tidbits about him. JinYeoung only speaks Korean but his interaction with Pet is hilarious. Athelas cracks me up. He kind of sits back and finds humor in the interactions of the others, only stepping in when necessary.
Zehra Jane Naqvi narrates and did a splendid job capturing the voices of these characters, particularly our heroine Pet.
The story wrapped up fairly well concerning the books plot, but left lots of threads and questions. I am looking forward to listening to the next novel. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
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I wasn't too fond of the idea of a human being, especially a teenage girl, being a pet. I was surprised at how well that aspect of the book was handled. The three male characters see all humans as lesser, and I see how in future books, they may learn a lesson or two. They are more puzzled than anything by Pet, and
Pet is a great narrator. She's strong and determined on her own, but when she finds herself helping three powerful beings investigating a murder, she becomes a part of something bigger.I wasn't too fond of the idea of a human being, especially a teenage girl, being a pet. I was surprised at how well that aspect of the book was handled. The three male characters see all humans as lesser, and I see how in future books, they may learn a lesson or two. They are more puzzled than anything by Pet, and believe she can help them solve the crime.
I loved how mouthy Pet is, and how she can't be pushed down for long. She has her own way of standing up for herself, or coping with things she can't do anything about.
The weakness of the book is the plot. The story sort of ends without a lot of resolution, and I was confused about what actually happened. Some things were glossed over that needed to be spelled out better.
The strength of the book is Pet, and her relationships, not only to the three men, but to her house! I'm looking forward to the next book.
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I recommend anyone to give this one a try. It's just unique enough with a hint of familiarity.
I couldn't put this book down. Even though I didn't always understand what was going on I was compelled to continue turn to the next page. The author did a wonderful job world building, mixing the mundane with the extraordinary to create something magical.I recommend anyone to give this one a try. It's just unique enough with a hint of familiarity.
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There are three paranormals of varied origin, I was especially intrigued by the Korean one. The pov-character thinks of herself as human, but there are hints we might be dealing with an unreliable narrator here.
The book doesn
WRG doing full on paranormal urban fantasy that is Fae-based in this one. The book length on opening my ebook seemed short to me, but there is a whole lot of development and action put into the story, and I want to find out more about the world and especially the characters.There are three paranormals of varied origin, I was especially intrigued by the Korean one. The pov-character thinks of herself as human, but there are hints we might be dealing with an unreliable narrator here.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but has a lot of threads left to explore, it's more a happy(?)-for now. Let's say the protagonist feels much safer and less alone than at the start of the book. Which, considering the things shown in the book, may not be the case if you put in human standards of those words.
Sidenote: WRG has had some quite horrific scenes in other fantasies, Wolfskin and the murders in Masques come to mind, so be aware that you should have an okay stomach for the aftermath of gruesome murders - although it was nowhere near as horrifying to me as the descriptions of torture in Strange Practice.
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I thought it will be a reverse harem (I hate reverse harem!!!) but it wasn't.
A note to myself... please check if there's any sign of romance before you start reading!!!
What can I tell you? Nada, nothing,zilch.
It was a nice read, liked Pet a lot, she was smart and care free, she knew how to deal with the boys.
I had some issues though. First, some of the plot was complicated and I didn't even get it at the end.
The world outside of this world was very complicated but ev I didn't know what to expect.
I thought it will be a reverse harem (I hate reverse harem!!!) but it wasn't.
A note to myself... please check if there's any sign of romance before you start reading!!!
What can I tell you? Nada, nothing,zilch.
It was a nice read, liked Pet a lot, she was smart and care free, she knew how to deal with the boys.
I had some issues though. First, some of the plot was complicated and I didn't even get it at the end.
The world outside of this world was very complicated but even though we hardly didn't get to experience it.
I had some issues with the guys (stop calling them "my 3 psychos!!! They didn't feel like psychos at all)
They didn't feel Fae to me, especially Althelas but zero also, they haven't demonstrated any Fae behavior and Both acted like old dudes.
My favorite was JinYeoung!!! And I really hoped he will warm up to Pet.
I will consider continuing to book #2 but still not sure because of this no romance situation. ...more
I enjoyed it well enough to be looking forward to the
I enjoyed that more than I expected to. The supe arrogance is a bit over the top and hard to warm up to, but Gingell manages to bring it home and make them interesting characters, if not entirely huggable. The mystery felt a bit all over the map, but I think that had a lot to do with it also being a world building book. Given the fact that there are multiple dimensions in this 'verse I see the potential for a lot of world building. We'll see.I enjoyed it well enough to be looking forward to the next.
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W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never
W.R. Gingell is a Tasmanian author of urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and madcap science fiction who doesn't seem to be able to write a book without a body suddenly turning up. She solemnly swears that all such bodies are strictly fictional in nature.W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
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