It's not you, Green's Hill, it's me. I love Amy's angsty stuff, I love Amy's funny stuff, but these Green's Hill books (this is the second I've read) mostly kinda make me wanna barf. Well, that's overstating it a bit, but in any case they and I are just not quite simpatico. I don't know if they are too sappy, or too sugary, or too smug, or too oh-so-sincere....hmmmm, I think perhaps sugary and oh-so-sincere come the closest I can think of right now...but in any case, they tend to set my teeth on edge.I know, I know, these are very popular and highly rated. It's just me.But maybe it's not *all* me. There's also the problems with this being very much NOT a standalone. Even though it's called #1 in a series, it leans very heavily on Lane's other Little Goddess books. Lots of stuff that happens in those other books is mentioned in passing in this one, and most of it is very incompletely explained, so the reader is never quite totally involved in what's going on HERE and never really gets the chance to completely focus on THIS story. And the fly-by characters -- lots of side characters that slip in and out of the story, whom we can never really connect with. And the constant telling instead of showing, again with lots of bits and pieces from other books and lots of "Charlie did this" and "Whim did that" summaries instead of giving us up close and personal scenes of what the two MCs were up to. Sooo....not *all* me after all.2.4 stars, rounding down to 2. I originally had this rated at 3, 'cause there *is* still some very nice prose in there, but I just can't justify it. I would probably like this much better if I had read all the Little Goddess books previously, but I just can't justify having the "first" book in a series depending so heavily on previous books that supposedly belonged to a *different* series. I bought this book after loving "Truth in the Dark." The premise sounded fine, but I quickly found myself both bored and unengaged with the characters and their problems. It probably didn't help that I hadn't read any other books from this 'verse, but the most offputting part for me was the focus on many minor characters. With intense editing this book could be good, but I do not recommend this version.
What do You think about Litha's Constant Whim (2010)?
Love Amy Lane and the stories from this world!
—mawiyah
