Nichole
Book 1 for #TBRTakedown. This was so good! I loved the plots and the characters. Now I need to get my hands on Skandal.
From the start of this book I was pulled into the world of espionage, spies, and kids with psychic abilities. Lindsay Smith has crafted an amazing world in the 1960s with the events of the Cold War. While this is clearly fiction, there were so many elements that seemed so real to me. Smith clearly did her research on Russian and that time period for this series.
The plot of this series is incredibly deep and while I have no clue where things are headed, I'm perfectly okay with that. I loved not knowing where things were going and what to expect. I did figure out the one big reveal early but I was not overly disappointed in that. I think there were clues there to help you come to that prediction on your own.
As for the characters, I absolutely loved the group of misfit, psychic children. While I absolutely hated Misha and Masha, they were still their own unique characters that had a role to play. As for Sergei, on a purely personal note, I loved the hockey knowledge and obsession he had. As an avid hockey fan who knows how important that sport is in Russia, I loved the tribute to the sport through Sergei. I also loved Yulia and Valentin and the course of their friendship. It was definitely not thrown in your face like other books.
Overall, this was a fascinating read and a great start to what I assume is a fantastic series. I have high hopes that Skandal will live up to this book and I will enjoy it just as must and the story unravels further. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and I cannot wait to see how that is accomplished.
“It turned out that some crooked things looked even worse when straightened. Some tangled knots only made sense once unraveled.”
The world, the characters, the writing, it was all so amazing in this book. I had no idea what to expect going into this book. I had heard a lot of good things about it from people, but went in fairly blind especially with respect to the plot and what it was really about. I basically knew it was a science fiction novel.
And I was so blown away by this book. It was fantastically written with such real, human characters. I really felt everything they were going through and really cared what happened to them. There were so many layers to what was going on with them and how they were coping with finding out everything about their world.
This book unfolds in a very unique way. You are basically placed at a certain point in time with no background and see the events unfold with some flashbacks, but mostly simply following along. I would say the main character is Juliette, because we do follow her the most, but we also follow the events though other characters too, which I loved.
The last thing I want to comment on is the world. I was so fascinated by this idea of 150 story Silos housing people. This whole idea of having to walk up and down stairs to get anywhere was so intriguing. It also raised the question of why there were not elevators! But I think control is the answer. Going back to the Silos, I loved the disparity that they created. It was fascinating to see how where you lived in the Silo affected your station in life and also your career. The culture was designed in this really weird way that was highly unique.
Overall, this was a great read and I'm really glad I took the time to read it. It is 5 “stories” in one but I think reading all five together is important. However the first few stories were not as gripping and action heavy as the last two. And I think some aspects of the last two could be cut to make the book shorter because some plot points did seem to drag on. I also was disappointed with the ending. I feel like there are still a lot of questions that need answering. I know their is a sequel of sorts, but I'm not sure how much of a direct sequel it actually is. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a unique science fiction world and for people who do no mind longer books that can drag in places.
This was a fascinating debut novel by Virginia Boecker. This book has magic, deception, plots, and political intrigue. I loved the world and the characters. I was fascinated by the story and loved finding out all the aspects of the plot as they unfolded.
This is one of those stories where magic is illegal and those with magic are against the King and his Inquisitor. I found this aspect of the story great, especially the idea of the Witch Hunters. The witch hunters are trained by Blackwell to capture and bring in those practicing magic so they are burned at the stake. On the other side of this you have the Reformers, who are against the laws forbidding magic.
The characters in this book were extremely well-developed, even the minor characters. As for the main character, Elizabeth, I loved how she was this cute, seemingly innocent girl, who was actually extremely brave, strong, and not at all innocent. I loved this characterization where she was always proving everyone wrong and taking care of things herself. I also loved the quirkiness of Nicholas and a lot of the other Reformers.
One of the things I really loved about this book, was the fact that the romance was not a large aspect at all. Yes it was there but not throw in our face like many other books and that was refreshing. This book definitely focused on the adventure for Elizabeth and her journey toward helping the Reformers and eventually deciding which side she stood with. The side that taught her everything she knows or the side that saved her when she needed saving.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the next one. This book felt very complete at the end, but there are still many loose end that need to be tied up in future books. My only complaint with the book was that it is supposedly an alternate 16th Century England, but to me felt like it could have been present time. There was little world-building to indicate a past time period. There were many mannerisms and saying that felt much more present day then 16th Century. While this irked me, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole. I just would have preferred a more 16th Century feel.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
We got Allan a Dale in this one and that made everything great. This book was a lot of pain and suffering for both Scar and Robin and I did not appreciate that at all. And it set up the 3rd book to be just as bad, if not worse. I definitely was not prepared for the secret that was revealed and I'm very intrigued to see how it plays out in the next book.
Reread May 2015
This was just as good as I remembered. I absolutely love the story of Robin Hood. It has always resonated with me. I love both the BBC Show and the Disney movie, for me they both showcase the story in different ways. While Scarlet is a Robin Hood retelling, A. C. Gaughen puts her own flair on the story. The cast of characters is roughly the same, however he have Will Scarlet who is actually a girl. When this book begins it is only Robin and his lads that know Scarlet is actually a girl.
First, I want to talk about the writing style. When you first start this book, it can be extremely off-putting because it sounds and looks wrong, but after a bit you get used to it and it is less noticeable. But I applaud A. C. Gaughen's ability to write so flawlessly and consistently in this Old English style. The writing is definitely authentic to the time period of the Crusades. While the writing is a small aspect overall, I loved the detail that went into making it authentic for the time period.
As for the characters, I have a lot of thoughts. For Scarlet, she is definitely an extremely flawed character, there is a lot from her past that she is hiding from everyone. She is ashamed and blames herself for a lot of the outcomes. This hatred causes her to shut down and hide herself from everyone around her, even the ones who love her. While I respected Scarlet's desire to help save and protect the townspeople, her hatred and reasoning for it made her a weaker character in my mind. I also appreciated that she did not let the other guys tell her what to do and constantly protect her.
Robin. Robin is one of those characters that you cannot help but love. He does everything for the people and takes any and all risks to keep them safe. While it was clear he loved Scarlet, I disliked the way he went about it. Calling her a whore and constantly ragging on her about John was really annoying.
John. He was definitely my least favorite character. He was overly flirtatious and totally obnoxious to Scarlet. Luckily the romance (and ridiculous love triangle) were such as small aspect of the book and my dislike of his character did not affect my overall enjoyment of the book.
Much. For me Much and Allan a Dale have always been my favorite outlaws. While we do not get to see Allan a Dale in this book, we do get Much. Much was one of the best “main” characters in this book. He does not have a big role but he is the voice of reason a lot and does give Scarlet someone to talk to and practice with.
Overall, this book was really enjoyable for me. There may be some flaws with the plot overall, but I love the adventure and the story. This book definitely leaves a lot of unanswered questions and I cannot wait to pick up Lady Thief.
First read April 2012
3.5 Stars
While I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, Earth & Sky, the writing was still a weakness for me. The characters gained some depth but it was still flat overall. This book also spanned a wider period of time which I appreciated. The entirety of Earth & Sky focused on basically a week.
I really did enjoy seeing life on Kemya or more specifically on the ship. There were so many new things that Megan Crewe added to the world. And we got to see even more of how much Kemya hates Earth and the Earthlings. I also appreciated how much more depth Skylar got in this book. She went from this very obsessed paranoid girl in the first book to someone willing to do whatever it takes to protect and save Earth. I appreciated her as a character much more in this book than the previous.
This book ended in a way that makes me really anxious to read the final book in the trilogy, but also extremely weary about what the final installment entails. I have a feeling that the third book may be incredibly drawn out to be a full length novel. While the ending was exciting and not what I was expecting, there were many other plot points that were incredibly predictable. I was able to guess pretty early on who the traitor was. I also found it incredibly convenient how easily Skylar learned the new language.
The only other complaint I have is the ridiculous inclusion of a love triangle. I do not think it was necessary at all. There are some books that this works for, but for the majority of them, it does not. For me the love triangle was not compelling at all.
Overall, this was a stronger installment than Earth & Sky, but I still had some issues with some of the plot choices and character development. I love the premise of this book and the overall story, but the writing falls flat for me. That being said when the final book in the trilogy does come out, I will probably read it to see what happens.
FYI, there is a huge trigger warning for this book, abuse, bullying, and rape.
I don't even know what to say about this book. It was beyond infuriating and so real. The writing was beautiful and at the same time hauntingly disturbing. The fact that what Romy went through in this book is something so many people go through everyday is disgusting. This book is accurately named and while I made me so angry and upset to read, at the same time I loved it. This book is important. It showcases something our society typically shies away from. It is important that people see what victims of abuse and bullying, and everything else Romy went through.
This book is told post-trauma in Romy's point of view. We see her hate herself more and more as a result of something that was never her fault. I hated how everyone in the town treated her. It was horrible to read.
One thing that I found interesting about this book is that we never actually meet Kellan. I really liked this choice, because it focused the book solely on Romy's story. It kept the book about her and how she was dealing with it.
This book is adequately named due to the feelings it evoked in me. There were so many times where I was so aggravated at what Romy's was going through and how she did not think she could tell anyone what was going on with her. That upset me so much that she felt that alone that she could not share her life with someone.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through a giveaway
4.5 Stars
So I absolutely loved Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it was not at all what I was expecting, but I loved it nonetheless. It took me awhile to get around to reading the 2nd installment, but once I started reading, I flew right through it. While I still prefer the first book over this one, I loved the pictures in this one. It still amazes me how well the story and the pictures fit together. I also love how creepy some of them are.
In terms of the plot for this book, I really loved all the traveling the children do in this installment, it was great to see different Loops and different ways of hiding. But the best part of this book for me what all the other peculiar children, animals, and people we met. Each one had such a unique personality that I loved seeing and reading about.
The ending of this book was even crueler and a larger cliff hanger than the first. Waiting until September for Library of Souls is going to be hard. I was not at all expecting what happened at the end and it was a huge surprise. I feel like I should have know some aspect of it, but I think all the other things happening in the book kept me from truly figuring it out.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review
Initial Thoughts (5/6/15):
Pretty disappointing for me. I'm intrigued enough to read the next one just because of the way this one ended but I did not enjoy it anywhere near as much as the original trilogy.
Full Review (5/8/15):
“Didn't they know who I was, what they'd trained me for? I was Eadlyn Schreave. No one was more powerful than me. So if they thought I was going down without a fight, they were sadly mistaken.”
I really enjoyed the original Selection Trilogy, I loved the story between Maxon and America and I loved how quick I flew through the books. The writing was fun and I loved the light nature of the books. So when Kiera Cass announced two more books in the series following the next generation, I was really excited. However, while I was really excited, I was also very apprehensive about it because I had a feeling this was one of those, let's make more money out of this series even though it already ended sort of thing.
And I have to say, I was really disappointed in this installment. It felt like Kiera Cass was making drama for no reason other than to take away from the fluffy aspect of the first three books. I found Eadlyn to be annoying (and yes, America was annoying, but Eadlyn was worse). The romance between Eadlyn and the suitors was cute, but I feel like in this book she is so against The Selection as a whole that we do not even get to see her truly try to get to know the guys. I also feel like the main three (not going to give names, because spoilers) are all cliche picks and I do not like that. I definitely have a favorite, but at the same time I do not think picking him is the best move, either.
So while I was disappointed with this book, the plot and some of the characters, I still love the world and idea of The Selection. With how the book ended however, I'm going to be forced to pick up the fifth one.
Overall, I was really disappointed with this book. While I still enjoyed the writing and the premise, I do not think continuing this series was necessary. I may be in the minority by saying this though, and I totally get if you really loved this book, but for me it was a let down after the original trilogy. This book is getting 3 Crowns because while it irked me to no end, it was still enjoyable and I love the world.
“Though I supposed that for Tamlin- for High Fae used to ethereal flawless beauty- it had been a struggle to find a compliment. Faerie bastard”
As one of my most anticipated releases of the year by one of my favorite authors, I could not wait to get this book and as soon as it was delivered, I had to read it right away. I read this book in two sittings and it was two not one because I had class. As for my actual thoughts, the writing and world was amazing as I have come to expect from Sarah J. Maas. Her writing is gorgeous and the worlds she creates are stunning.
This book was definitely for a more mature audience than the Throne of Glass series. This book was darker, had more gore, the romance was more prominent, and the language was more harsh. Even though this was such a dark book, you still had the beauty of the Fae and Prythian. I loved all the instances in this book straight from the story of Beauty and the Beast . Whether it was Feyre cleaning up Tamlin when he was hurt, Tamlin taking her to the “library”, or them dancing, I loved every moment that reminded me of one of my favorite fairy-tales.
The characters in this book were so enjoyable to read. They were so sassy and there was such great banter between them. Whether is was between Lucien and Tamlin, Alis and Feyre, or Feyre and Lucien. And of course Tamlin and Feyre! There were many times I would be giggling at how ridiculous they were with each other. And I loved the sassiness. I really hope that the characters continue to be this way in future books.
While this book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it did have many different new aspects to it as well. I can honestly say it did not end at all the way I was expecting. The ending has me very curious as to where the next two books in the series are going to go. However, I do hope we get to see more of Prythian, especially the other courts.
Since this was a first book in a trilogy, there were a lot of instances of info dump but they did not bother me in the slightest. I also may be incredibly biased since I do not think Sarah J. Maas could write anything that I would not love immediately. That being said, I cannot wait until we get the next book in this trilogy. I cannot wait to read more about Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and even Rhys!
4.5 Stars
“What is blindness? Where there should be a wall, her hands find nothing. Where there should be nothing, a table leg gouges her shin. Cars growl in the streets; leaves whisper in the sky; blood rustles through her inner ears. In the stairwell, in the kitchen, even beside her bed, grown-up voices speak of despair.”
I do not know where to begin with this book. The writing in it is absolutely beautiful. Anthony Doerr's prose is amazingly intertwined within the story. This is one of those books that you need to read slowly, so that you can absorb everything within it. When reading books, I tend to mark favorite passages and quotes and I have so many pages marked in this book. There were so many beautiful passages about all different kinds of things and about life.
The main aspect of this book that made it so great for me was definitely the writing, but I also loved the characters. For the most part we follow Marie-Laure and Werner but even beyond them there are so many different stories unfolding throughout this book. Since this book was told in multiple perspectives, I knew at some point all the stories would become intertwined and we would learn about all the connections between the characters. Anthony Doerr surprised me though with the shear number of different connections that were all encompassed within this book. Even the smallest little details had some connection to the overarching story.
The only reason I am not giving this a full five crowns is due to how slow and long it took me to get into the story. That is not to say that I did not enjoy it, but there is a lot of description and time before the plot really picks up. It takes a very long time to introduce the story. Another aspect that was slightly off-putting was the changing timelines. While the book focused on WWII there were jumps in the chapters all falling somewhere between 1941 and 1945 and at times it was confusing after the year changed. However, even though the book was slow, I had no problem reading it because the writing more than made up for the slow aspect. There were times where I had to tell myself to stop reading so I did not rush and could absorb everything I was reading.
This book also ends in a very different way than what I was expecting. I also appreciated how wide open the ending is. It leaves the reading without all the answers but also has a level of finality to it. For someone who does not typically read historical fiction, this was an amazing book. I really enjoyed this book and I cannot recommend it to everyone enough. The writing alone should be enough to at least make you give this book a chance.
3.5 Stars
“There's a perfect dependability to math. No matter how many times you perform the same operations, the answer's always the same. As the factors expand out in their unshakeable pattern, my heartbeat steadies, the chill ebbs, and the wrong feeling fades away.”
I loved the premise of this book. You have the planet Kemya, where it citizens have basically turned Earth into an experiment. Travelers and Enforcers from Kemya alter the course of history, and they have been doing it for thousands of years. I loved that you had aliens involved in human history and basically controlling its course, but then you have the added ability of time travel.
The main character in this book, Skylar, is has anxiety and is obsessed with the number 3. She is consumed with this idea of wrongness and things not being right in the world. A lot of her mannerisms were annoying and at times she failed to realize the true significance of her actions in the past and how much one little change could effect the entire future. While Skylar was helpful to Win in terms of finding the weapon, she was not a very strong character. I wish she could have been written as a stronger female character. This is not to say she was weak, but there were many times where her characterization irked me.
As for the other main character, we have Win. Win is an alien rebel searching for a weapon to destroy the experiment on Earth. I did not have any major issues with him as a character. I also appreciated that the romance was not obnoxious in this book. There is definitely a connection between Skylar and Win, but this book focused more on their mission and their friendship rather than romantic feelings for each other. I'm sure their relationship will be explored in subsequent books though.
The main reason I'm rating this book the way I am is the writing. The writing was simple, easy to follow and enjoyable. But it fell flat for me, there was nothing spectacular about it and there was nothing that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. While I did appreciate the simplicity of the writing in certain aspects of the book, there were other times when the writing did not fit my vision of the story. For the premise of this book, there was a large lack of true action. Yes, Skylar and Win were on the run from Enforcers and travel both across the world and time, but I did not have a big sense of adventure or action during their travels and “battles.”
Overall, this was an interesting start to the trilogy. I really like this premise, especially with the time travel. I'm also invested in this book enough that I do want to pick up the sequel and see what happens next in this world. However, I was not blow away by this book.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
3.5 Stars
“This was Darian One Sterling. A murderer. And my childhood friend.”
So I know I should not make this connection at all because they are two completely different books, but this book started out with a very Matched feeling to me. And I really disliked that book, however, the writing in this book was much better. I really enjoyed the way the world was laid out and the story that was being told. Desiree conflicting feelings were wonderfully explored.
My big issue with this book was the predictability. I get that it is a dystopian book, so there is a level of predictability which what is going to happen. But I feel like it went beyond that layer of needing to break free from the “perfect” society.
What I really loved about this book was the writing. Shannon Duffy has this way of pulling you into the story and the characters' lives. The writing is what kept me interested and reading as fast as I could to get to the end and see what happened to the characters and world. While some of the plot points were predictable, I still enjoyed the overall story in this book. I appreciated that this book was focused on Desiree finding out the truth for herself. We see her timid, subconscious distrust of The Protectorate morph into this desire to find proof and eventually the need to do something about it.
Like I said, I appreciated the premise of this book. While the whole matching you to your soulmate thing screamed Matched Trilogy at me, I loved the idea of The Protectorate and their “brainwashing” of citizens to keep them in line. The Protectorate is there to take care of everyone's needs. I also thought it was amusing the the past was called the Manic Age, as if things were utter chaos when you got to choose your own job, significant other, number of children, etc. Finally, the whole Dreamscape aspect and the reliance on this machine to sleep and as a way for the Protectorate to subdue individuals, and remove to nightmares was captivating. It is beyond disturbing to think that punishment for noncompliance was basically to have to live in your nightmares, rather than the wonderful dreams you are always used to.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book even if it was predictable. I think I have gotten to the point where I have read so many YA dystopian books that there is not much that could surprise me when it comes to plot points in a dystopian. I also appreciate that this was published a standalone, rather than the typical trilogy. It definitely left things open for a possible sequel, but for the most part things were tied up nicely.
I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
“The measure of friendship is not its physicality but its significance. Good friendships, online or off, urge us toward empathy; they give us comfort and also pull us out of the prisons of our selves.”
I do not really know what to say about this book. I have put off reading it since it came out because I do not like books that are inherently sad. And while this book is sad, I appreciate how it showcased what Esther went through post diagnosis. This book is constructed as entries from Esther's diaries, her parents blogging about her progress, and other entries by people who knew and loved Esther.
This book has a lot of mixed reviews and I think that is mostly due to it not being what you expect. It is a document dump, but it is the truth and it what was really going through their minds throughout this whole process. And yes there were typos and grammar issues, but that is because that was how it was written by Esther. The entries were kept as she initially wrote them.
The biggest thing for me was just how real Esther's thoughts and emotions were. Her entries really showed how hard what she was going through was. It showed how hard it was for her to stay positive and not completely give up. And even when she was sad and wanted to give up she was still a rock and was more concerned about others rather then herself.
This review is all over the place, but I'm struggling with what I want to say. Yes, I'm glad I finally read it, even if it was heartbreaking to read from the perspectives of people who knew her rather than my perspective of knowing a bit about her and her contributions to nerdfighteria. But at the same time how do you review a book about someone's life, especially someone who was taken from this world way too soon.
I've decided that I'm not going to give this book a “rating”. I honestly don't know what to give it. I want to give it five stars for how amazing Esther was as a person, however I feel like I cannot adequately give it a rating that it truly deserves both as a book and as a window into Esther's life. Just know that I am glad I read it.
“A woman haunted the woods behind my house. I used to watch her from my bedroom window. She glowed silver in the moonlight, a pale wraith in a white dress that curled around her ankles and twisted in an ancient wind that didn't touch the pine trees around her.”
This book starts out very eerie and creepy. From there, I continued to be intrigued and into the story enough that I could not wait to finish and see what was really going on in the small town of Asylum. The cover of this book can be slightly misleading, this is a ghost story and it is a lot creepier than the cover would have to believe, but I still think the cover is pretty. This book comes out April 28th and is a great ghost story with great characters.
As for the characters in the book, we mostly follow Amelia, Charlie, and Leah. Amelia is dealing with a lot in her life between seeing ghosts, losing her brother, and her father leaving all in the span of a year. Then you get the mysterious teenage girls dying in the town after Charlie appears. Charlie is the mysterious grandson of the town “witch” who also happens to be Amelia's neighbor. Charlie comes at the beginning of the summer and immediately there is a connection with Amelia. While I found it slightly cliche and predictable, I did like how the relationship between Charlie and Amelia progresses. Charlie is seen as this all-around good guy. The characters in this book were well developed and each one had their own background story that we slowly learned.
I also really enjoyed the writing in this book. Jenny Adams Perinovic has a very unique style that kept me entertained and wanting to read as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen next. I can also say that she is cruel with that ending. Now I'm going to have to wait over a year to find out what happens next.
As for the setting of this story, this was the best part of the book. Asylum is this small town with a lot of history surrounding it. I loved the jokes about a small town that come out at the beginning when Charlie first comes to town. My favorite was definitely: “‘You know what they say about small towns,” I teased. “Low on crime.” “And big on secrets,” he said.” You can also tell that a lot of thought and research went into constructing the world and town of this book.
This book was a great start to what I know is a series, I just do not know how many books we can expect. This was a paranormal mystery. This book had ghosts, mysterious deaths, magic, and secrets that all wove into this story that I really enjoyed.
I received a galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
3.5 Stars
I had to read this book for my American Studies class about The United States since September 11.
This was a really well put together book. I really liked the different perspectives that are shown that all tie into how 9/11 drastically changed the lives of both immigrants and POC in the US. Many of the families that were targeted were just seeking asylum and refugee, searching for the American Dream. This book really showcased that that American Dream was not their reality.
This was a quick read and it really opened my eyes to just how bad the racial profiling was/is post 9/11 in this country. But it also gave me perspective on just how many people are either trying to get into the US or trying to stay due to horrible circumstances in their home countries.
“Also, what the hell does “weird even mean? I've just written it like five times and all of a sudden I'm staring at it and it doesn't even mean anything anymore. I just murdered the word “weird.” Now it's just a bunch of letters. It's like there's all these dead bodies all over the page now.”
I absolutely loved the style of this book. I loved how Greg was talking to you the reader. I also loved the mix of lists, scripts, and “normal” writing. It really added to the uniqueness of this book. For me the best part of this book was the way in which it was written, but also the humor. There were so many lines in this book that had me giggling and laughing to myself. This is definitely not a book I would want to read in public, because I definitely would have gotten some strange looks.
In terms of actual plot, I appreciated that while this is a cancer book it did not focus on the cancer. Instead it was about the weird group that Greg, Earl, and Rachel formed as a result of Rachel's diagnosis. While I found it really improbable how their meeting and friendship came about, I loved the interactions from Greg's point of view on what happened. I loved that Greg didn't care what he said, his only goal was to make Rachel laugh and for a little bit of her day forget about her cancer.
But like I said this was not a cancer book, it wasn't even really about Rachel. We literally learn little to nothing about her by the end of the book. And while Greg admits this toward the end of the book, I would have liked to have learned more about her rather than the focus solely on Greg. This book was about Greg and his coming to “hang out” with Rachel. But these hang outs were mostly just Greg talking and making Rachel laugh. We don't actually learn about what Rachel likes to do and what she is like as a person.
My main issue with this book was the lack of depth of the characters. We have Rachel who is the “dying girl” who we learn little to nothing about even though she is in the title. Then we have Greg who while we know the most about him, I feel like he was a very easy character to dislike. And finally you have Earl, who is just the enigma of a stereotype. The characters in this story were flat and showed little to no growth throughout the book. I think the book would have been better if the characters were more fleshed out and we knew more about them, especially in Rachel's case.
As I said, the humor and writing were the strong aspect of this book and why I gave it such a high rating. While this is a book about a girl with cancer it really is not a “cancer book” and i appreciated that. I'm also really looking forward to the movie!
I really, really love this series. Robert Galbraith (or JKR) has created two amazing characters in this detective series. I absolutely love both Cormoran and Robin. They are a great team and I enjoy how seamlessly they work together.
As for the plot of this one, I love how the story unfolds with it first being a missing person's case and then turning into something so much more. Especially when the contents of Owen's unfinished book are released and everyone becomes a suspect.
For me, this book was stronger than the first. I think the writing is better and Robert has settled into the genre. There were so many aspects of this book that were downright creepy and disturbing, but it was highly enjoyable nonetheless. I cannot wait for more of these books! Hopefully we get a title and a release day soon for the third.
3.5 Stars
“If the scientists here are so great, how come they can't do what we can do? How come they can't make a boy? The Governess once told us they've tried but the results were deformed, or sickly or not right in the head. That's why we're so important. That's what they get for messing with nature.“
I have a lot of mix feelings about this book. To stat off with, the premise is absolutely captivating. You have a society where girls are hunted and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Girls like Aya are prized due to their ability to be bred for males. The society that Simmons has created with the Magnates, Drivers, and the girls is unique and fascinating. At at the same time, it is scary to think of a society where young girls are sold due to their ability to potentially create male heirs.
In this book, we have Aya who grew up in the mountains with a small group of other women on the run. When she is caught and brought to auction, live takes on a whole new meaning in terms of surviving and being free again. This is a story of survival and gaining your freedom. And that is what I liked most about it. This was simply a story about Aya's journey to freedom. It was her on her own with help from Kiran. But for the most part she was a strong independent girl who could take care of herself. The book was also not a full on love story between Aya and Kiran. It was a subtle building of something more without it driving the plot completely.
As for my issues with this book, the big thing was how incredibly slow the plot was. It took me way longer to get through this book due to how long it took to get to the story. The first third or so of the book is just Aya attempting to escape, time and time again. It was annoying and incredibly boring to see her make little to no progress. The last few chapters is where everything really happens and comes together. And I can say I did not see the identity of a certain character coming.
I listened to this book on audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani. I've never been a huge fan of audiobooks and this book was no exception. Many people love audiobooks, but I personally prefer holding a book in my hands to read and enjoy it. That being said, I think Nankani did a good job of sharing the story. I just personally am not an audiobook listener.
Overall, this book was a fascinating premise and I enjoyed Simmons writing. I appreciated the way the story unfolded, I just wish it had not been so slow in the beginning. Plus this is a stand alone which is incredibly rare in the genre of dystopia. I would recommend this book to people who are okay with slow starts but more importantly for someone who wants to dive into a truly corrupt and enthralling world.
I received the audiobook from Recorded Books via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review
“So this was betrayal. It was like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It left your mouth dry and will broken. It sapped your tears and made you hollow.”
I have a very weird relationship with this series. I never know what to think about it. I love the writing and the setting, but the plot, characters, and storyline tend to annoying me. For me the best part of this series is the setting and the beginning of every chapter with the little newspaper snippets and gossip. I find these to be a great touch to the overall book and series as a whole.
As for the characters, they are so annoying to me. Each one makes choices without thinking about the potential repercussions as well as thinking they should always get their way. They are devious and will stop at nothing to get what they want. The only character who doesn't annoying me to no end is Elizabeth, but I even question some of her choices.
I can however say that the end of this book did surprise me. And it also cemented that I will have to pick up the final two books in the series to figure out what happens. Along with the plot, I have to say that this book was so incredibly slow and really nothing happened. We just follow the lives of the different characters to the end. While some choices and actions did come about I still feel like as a whole, I do not know what the message or goal of this series is.
This series is definitely not for everyone. For me, I like it as a mindless read that takes little to no effort to get through. It is one of those fluffy books that you can read when you do not want to have to think about what is going on. It is also very Gossip Girl-esque with the scheming and plotting. So yes I will be picking up the next in the series, but that is largely due to the ending of this one and less to do with my actually enjoyment of the series.
4.5 Stars
“Hatred is like fire. It burns the one who harnesses it. It's also extremely hard to see more helpful truths through its flames.”
While I really enjoyed Falling Kingdoms and Rebel Spring, I loved Gathering Darkness. Each installment in the series has gotten better, but Gathering Darkness was in a league of its own. These characters are so complex with so many different allegiances and underlying reasons for each and every one of their actions. There were many times in this book where I was completely caught off guard with what happened. Morgan Rhodes is not afraid to make difficult choices and take the story in a completely different direction than you are expecting.
We also get to meet new characters including Amara and Felix. Right from the beginning, I was weary of both Amara and her brother Ashur. They come from a foreign country and have a ruthless father, who sounds even worse than Gaius. But from the start, I liked Felix. He was helping Jonas so I had no reason to doubt him. We also get to see even more of Alexius and Lucia using her powers.
The characters Morgan Rhodes has constructed are so amazing and intricate. I love that there are so many facets to each character and they are not black and white. There is so much more to their motivations, actions, thoughts, and feelings and Morgan Rhodes is showing us all these different sides.
I also love that we are starting to read from more and more character's perspectives. It is is adding to the massive world that she has created. A world that I cannot wait to dive into again with A Book of Thieves and Spirits and of course Frozen Tides.
My only true complaint with this series right now is the insane amount of love interests for each character. I feel like it is always changing who loves who and who I should root for. Right now I ship Cleo and Magnus so hard that I do not think I can handle if they do not end up together. While I also love Nic, I feel like he is the brother to Cleo not a love interest (plus other things that occur in this book that I do not want to mention because Spoilers).