Review: Semi funny Rabbit
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2014
What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (no spoilers)1. What type of book is it: action, drama, etc? Unlike the previous book in this series, this book focuses in plot development.  Thus, this installment is a fantasy adventure book with a strong dark humor edge. A lot of the hilarity from the previous book is lost as seriousness takes its place. It is no longer a simple `laugh' book. The jokes become very coarse, relying on crudeness instead of the liberating humor of the previous installment.2. What is the story about, in general? This book suffers from a strong `mid series' problem. It is a stage book for a future installment. Though the book is about Waldo and his adventures, he doesn't really do much in this installment. Instead, the book focuses a lot on Lilith who conducts a few simple but interesting plots. Don't get me wrong, Waldo goes through a series of scrapes and events, but at the end of the book there is no real forward momentum and no goals are achieved.3. What/Who is the target audience? Young adult males and maybe those with odd senses of humor.4. Is there character development? Somewhat. Waldo has a particular role, and he evolves ... vaguely ... within the role.  Everyone else is pretty much exactly as previously written. The new characters have certain comedic qualities that are offset by their savagery. The only exploration of characters comes from the evolving relationship between Waldo and Alice. Melissa is completely irrelevant in this volume.5. Are the characters likable? I found every character rather entertaining. Most are somewhat likable.6. Does the story keep its pacing? With certain trepidation, I say yes. Nothing was really accomplished in this book, but the characters did provide humor to offset some of the very gruesome scenes. I did browse a few times, but not much.7. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Nope. Since the story is meant to be a joke book, regardless of it achieving that goal or not, there is no reason to disbelieve. The book is meant to be `over the top' not tame and logical.8. Is the book worth the asking price? Since the book is rather short, $3 is a good price for it.In conclusion: A fantasy joke book that isn't as funny as the previous one because it decides to push for a serious plot within all the humor. It doesn't quite work out, but the book is still somewhat funny. Waldo's plot doesn't move a lot, except for the bit relating to Lilith.  Melissa, who was so interesting before, is completely inconsequential. Character development is focused on Waldo's and Alice's relationship but fails to find the good balance between development and humor that existed in the previous book. A lot of the jokes felt flat and the reliance on sex jokes became somewhat uncomfortable. The good pacing, and those scenes that do re-capture Waldos' clueless humor, provide most of the real entertainment. It is still a moderately entertaining read.3.3 stars