Megan

Dealing with Dragons was fun but predictable for an adult. I think I would have given it 5 stars when I was a kid, as Cimorene was the heroine I wanted and needed in the early 90s. I was that “tomboy” who wanted to see a princess who acted like me!

I listened to the audiobook but would recommend reading it instead. I'll give that a try when I pick up the second book in the series.

Similar to the first book, somewhere deep down buried underneath the supremely awful writing is an attempted story about loss and heartache (at least for the first half of the book). I still think the way Meyer shows the passage of time was clever and sad. The logic, as before, is nonexistent. There is next level abusive behavior coming from two sides now. Sadly, the likable version of Jacob (who is not without unlikable qualities), disappears all too soon. Bella is a horrible person to pretty much everyone around her, knowingly using them throughout the whole book. The only reason to read this book is the conversation Bella overhears between Alice and Charlie. On the other hand, the whole “he permanently disfigured her face when he got angry, but he couldn't help himself and feels reeeeally bad, don't you see how much he loves her?” is enough reason to burn the book and never speak of it again.

Stephen King wanted us to hate both these characters, right? Well I did, which is totally fine, but I also felt guilty about it because Annie is obviously seriously mentally ill. I'm not sure I'd even consider her competent to stand trial for her crimes. She's delusional and needs help.

I was annoyed by the comparison of CPR to rape. A few men have tried to explain to me what King meant by the comparison... I know what he meant. I don't need anyone to explain it to me. The comparison was inappropriate.

I didn't find Misery to be frightening in the least. It was just slightly gory and a sad depiction of unmanaged serious mental illness. I had to make myself pick the book up so I could finish it because it was almost boring at times. I did not care in the slightest about the book the main character was writing. The inclusion of so much text of the fictional story within the fictional story was mind-numbing.

King should not use the n-word in his books, ever. It was completely unnecessary and, again, inappropriate. Annie didn't need to say the n-word for the reader to know she's racist, unlikable, untrustworthy, and deranged. Trust me, we already knew.

Finally, I found King's writing to be really repetitive. He'd find a phrase or word he liked and beat it to death for a chapter or two, sometimes bringing it back for a cameo or two later on.

This was my first time reading a Stephen King book as an adult. As a high schooler, I wasn't a fan of Four Past Midnight and didn't get the intense love for The Long Walk among dystopian fans. Based on this recent read, I still don't get the collective obsession readers around the world have for his books. I still plan to read The Stand (my dad's all time favorite book) and The Green Mile since they're on my shelves, so I'm hoping they'll change my mind a little bit.