Nichole
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review
As an avid hockey fan, this book was a great in-depth recap of the Colorado Avalanche's 2013-2014 season. This book is completely different from my typical read, but as a hockey fan it was engrossing. I just want to preface this review by saying, I am not at all an Avs fan, they are a divisional rival to my beloved Hawks. However, I really enjoyed learning more about the franchise and how they came to be the team I know today and the team I remember last season.
As a fan, I remember being mystified by how the Avs went from literally the bottom of the standings to the top in a single season. This book was an insider's perspective of that drastic change and rise in the standings.
The book consisted of three parts, the introduction which showcased how bad the Avs were, the Regular Season, and the Playoffs. These parts were filled with stories and chapters pertaining to players and each game. I really liked how each game was broken up into a section with a brief summary of the game and explanation of anything else that was going on.
The best part of this book for me however was the sections about the various players on the team. As a fan of the sport, I really liked the tidbits about their lives and their connections to the Avs growing up. The writing style of this book was also perfect, it was informative, but also had a witty side that kept me entertained. I really enjoyed the sections from Terry and Adrian's Notebook. Those were great insights into the events.
Overall, this was a really informative, in-depth book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I believe this book would only interest hockey fans, or more broadly sports fans. This book is a very focused look at a single season of hockey under the coaching of Patrick Roy and I'm not sure that would interest readers who are not a fan of the sport.
I was sent a galley of this book by EntangledTeen in exchange for an honest review
“When a person is naive enough to believe things are starting to look up, that's exactly when they begin falling down. And that very moment was when I learned about Code B.”
This book comes Feb. 3rd and I was lucky enough to get a galley in order to review it early. This book is your typical YA contemporary and it was exactly what I needed after reading a lot of fantasy and dystopian books recently.
The main character in this book is Alexis. After shoplifting at SmartMart, she is forced to work there over the summer. There she meets other workers such as Ruthie, Bessie, Roxanne, and of course Noah. Noah is a manager in training and also happens to be someone she knows from school. This book is the story of Alexis's summer working at SmartMart.
I really enjoyed this book for multiple reasons. I loved the quirky side characters who worked at SmartMart along with Alexis. They were all so unique and really added to the craziness which was working there. On top of that you had the customers, whether they were just rude or extreme couponers, they added another layer of hilarity to the story. While this book was your typical contemporary, which I do not always enjoy, this book was a good mix of romance, plot, and humor. Barnes also added a few touchy subjects such as bullying, abusive parents, and deteriorating health in relatives. While these were subtle, they added to the overall realness of the book.
One complaint I have with this book is the relationship between Bryce, Court, and Alexis. I understand why we needed the hostility between Alexis's friends and Noah, but it seemed unrealistic that someone like Alexis could be friends with people so unlike her. Even when it came to the shoplifting, Alexis was adamantly against it, but somehow Court was able to convince her.
Overall, this book was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fluffy feel good read.
“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it opens with a pretty gruesome suicide, the rest of the book takes you on a journey to solve Evan's last question. Evan's death leaves our main character, Max, to figure out the clues Evan left him to expose the coverup. This is a story of cover-ups, conspiracy theories, and hacking.
I really enjoyed the pace of this book. Max, Penny, and Risse were on the run trying to fit the pieces together. The three of them working together were able to solve the puzzle and expose the corruption. This book had a lot of technical computer jargon, but Myers did a really good job of explaining what it meant. I'm no expert on computers or hacking, but it all seemed accurate (and believable) to me.
I flew through this book, part of that was because I read it during #RYBSAT, but it was mostly because of how much I enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down, I wanted to figure out all the clues and answer the question Evan poses in the first chapter.
I think this is one of those books you should go into without knowing much about. Honestly, simply watching the book trailer should suffice to grab your attention and convince you to pick up this book.
“And everyday since then, Bedlam City and the people in it have managed to break her heart all over again. She's learned this world is a beast, a bully that keeps on kicking you long after you're down. In Bedlam, you either learn to take a beating, or you find a way to fight back.”
This is one of those books that confuses me when it comes to the ratings on Goodreads. This book is rated extremely low (3.37), with many 1 star ratings. I went into this book apprehensive and expecting the worst. I was presently surprised to find a reimagined Batman-esque book. This book was not amazing, nor was it as horrible as others have said. Yes, this book was extremely similar to Batman and Gotham City, but it was unique with a female protagonist. The book had very little world building but this did not bother me much since it so closely resembled Gotham. I can see why others have been bothered by the lack of world building, Kahaney was attempting to make a crime ridden city in Bedlam and used many aspects of Gotham and Batman to achieve this. This lessened the originality of her story.
Anthem was annoying yes, but she is your stereotypical rich kid who gains “powers” and becomes a vigilante. Along with the superpowers, Anthem was also a ballerina initially. I found her annoying at times and hated the way she treated her friends and family throughout the book. Anthem is surrounded by other characters such as her parents, her ex-boyfriend, Will, her best friend, Zahra, and her new boyfriend, Gavin. There was quite a bit of insta-love between Gavin and Anthem, but they aren't with each other long enough before he is kidnapped for it to really bother me.
As for the believability aspect of this book, I think the superhero vibe this book gave off helped me connect with the story and believe that it was possible for Anthem to have this new heart that saved her and also gave her new powers.
The best part of this book was definitely the prologue, I honestly loved it. I even used the end of it as the quote at the beginning of the review. It was very superhero-esque and reminded me of the intros to shows such as Arrow and The Flash, where the character is explaining who they are and what they do.
I struggled with what rating to give this book and decided a 3.5. This was done mostly because this book was enjoyable, but not amazing. I enjoyed the ease of reading it and how fast I was able to get through it. And as I've said, I enjoyed the superhero aspect of this book even if our protagonist left much to be desired.
I'm going to be completely honest and just say that the only reason I bought this book was the cover. It is gorgeous and the little cut outs with words and the raindrop shaped words under the dust jacket are awesome. It is a simplistic but beautiful cover.
As for the actual book, it was not at all what I was thinking when I picked it up. I knew it was about killer rain and that it clearly would be a story of survival, but I did not know much else. This book is told in an extremely informal first person viewpoint in a diary style. This choice makes sense later in the book, but it was completely different from other books that I have read recently. And that is not to say it was bad, it was just different.
The plot of this book focuses on Ruby attempting to survival the rain and the destruction of society. Once her family is gone, she embarks on an adventure to find her dad. While that plot may seem straight forward, it really was not that way for the majority of this book. There were many times where I did not know where this book was going.
As a character Ruby was incredibly annoying, she reminded me of those stereotypical “popular” girls that everyone dislikes. She was constantly worried about her appearance rather than the fact that everyone was dying. I found it very unrealistic that she was able to survive throughout this book when it seemed that almost no one else did.
Read for Round 4 of RYBSAT
Finally, I'm not sure at all about that ending. I have no idea if there are plans for a second book or not (I would assume so based on the non-ending), but who knows. However, this book came full circle to the point that you could argue Ruby accomplished absolutely nothing throughout this book. This was a disappointing read for me. I was so excited when I saw it at the store and the premise was promising, but overall, it lacked aspects that could have made it an enjoyable book.
Absolutely amazing, potentially better than the first one. This one was completely action packed without the slow introduction and world building that Red Rising had. This trilogy is already one of my favorites. I cannot wait to read Morning Star and I need it know. This book ended in a cruel way that makes the wait even harder.
“Death isn't empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom, Darrow. Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, of death. I say we break those chains. Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society.”
I don't even know where to begin with this book. It was just beyond compelling. It was such a unique setting for a dystopian. You have the main setting of Mars in the future where humans have colonized various planets. Plus you have this caste like system based on colors with Gold being the top and Reds at the bottom. Darrow, of course, is at the bottom, a Red, who drills for helium to help society. Beyond this caste system, you have the fact that Darrow and the other Reds have been lied to about the progress made colonizing the planets and moons.
Not only was the setting and premise of the book great, the writing was astounding. Even with all the jargon and world building, Pierce Brown wrote in an enthralling way that had me continuously turning the page to see what would happen to Darrow and those around him. Within the first 50 pages, Brown shocks us and ups the ante of Darrow's fight. I just really enjoyed the writing style and never wanted to put this book down (even when I had to go to work).
Once Darrow is on the surface of Mars, he meets a cast of characters who we have been groomed by Darrow's experiences to despise, but I couldn't help but love them and their personalities. Each one was different and had their own woes and struggles even if they were Golds and at the top of society.
Now that I have finished Red Rising, I want to start Golden Son right away. This trilogy has the potential to be amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens to Darrow and his companions in the final two books in this trilogy. This book was a great start to a trilogy that I assume will only get better as we move forward.
“I was having dinner with Zombie Carl the other night. You know, steak, rare, and a bottle of vintage type A. He told me all his secrets, but too bad for you I promised him I wouldn't tell. In exchange I asked him to gather his best undead buddies and stalk me through my friend's yard.”
I have heard a lot of people talk about this trilogy both good and bad things. I got all three books for Christmas, so i plan on reading them as soon as possible. They all have gorgeous covers and this one has a green theme under the dust jacket.
This book is not a fairy-tale retelling, and it has very little to do with Alice in Wonderland (save the title and Ali's name). I think it is important that people realize this before reading the book and being disappointed. This was an easy enjoyable read that when I had time to read, I flew through. The cast of characters in this book is great. Between Cole and Justin, Kat and Frosty, Nana and Pops, and the rest of the zombie slayer gang, there are so many different personalities that we get to experience.
This book answered a lot of questions about the zombies and slayers but also raised a lot of questions about the hazmats are up to and what Ali is actually capable of. I'm looking forward to seeing where Gena Showalter goes with the rest of this trilogy.
As for the zombies, I really liked Gena's spin on them and how they worked. These were more ghost like than your typical zombie and that made for some interesting choices in terms of how one defeats them. The romance in this book was also well done. It was a good progression and it is clear there are going to be problems in Cole and Ali's future.
“Insurgent, he says. Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as a belligerent.”
This book was really slow for me and it took me a really long time to start enjoying it. I really loved Divergent, but waited a really long time to read this book. I think waiting so long and hearing so many other people's thoughts on this series really effected how I perceived this book as I read it.
This book did not stand up at all to Divergent for me. There are so many questions about what everything means. After this book the “villain” is gone and we are left with this huge reveal about what is beyond the fence. This book definitely set up the final book in the series. And now I want to know more about the fence and why it was put up.
I have to say that the last 150 pages were the best part of this book. I also was not expecting the series to go in the way it has, which I like. I'm going to be finishing the series because I'm curious to know what happens and how it all comes to a close. But this was not a strong sequel for me.
“So things do not happen by coincidence, and everything that is, is really a collision of paths. And so luck, which I also do not believe in in the way that most people do, is merely a chain of certain reckless collisions.”
Andrew Smith is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw this book at the used bookstore, I had to have it. This book is a YA western, coming-of-age story about Troy and his friends living in a rural setting near ranches and farms. This setting was fairly foreign to me, but I still enjoyed the laid back aspect of the characters lives.
The book focuses on Troy, Tommy, and Gabe and their battles with town bad-boy Chase. They boys basically band together against Chase. The rivalry heats up pretty quickly when shots are fired. This all leads to one final battle where lives will be lost. While the rivalry is the main part of this book, Troy is also dealing with the death of his mother and his new relationship with Luz.
This book did not have the humor and wittiness that I am accustomed to with Andrew Smith's other novels, mainly 100 Sideways Miles and Winger, but it still had that same style that I adore. The plot of this book was extremely slow to start and it took a good third or more to get into the book. But once the action picked up, I flew through the last 150 pages of this book.
While this book was not what I was expecting, it was still enjoyable. Since it is Andrew Smith's fist novel, you can really see how far his writing has come in his more recent works.
“I wanted a heaven. And I grew up striving for that world– an eternal world- that would wash away my temporary misery.”
This is an interesting graphic novel in the sense that it is autobiographical. It is the coming-of-age story of Craig Thompson. The novel depicts Craig's home life with his religious parents, brother, and first love Raina. The story focuses on the desolate conditions of Craig's life. Between his parents and school, Craig's life leaves much to be desired. Craig finds solace in Raina though and the two become extremely close. This story is not a happily ever after, instead it is the story of Craig's life and how he distances himself from his faith and his family.
I really liked how this novel unfolded. It began with Craig's childhood and sharing a bed with his brother. Then we when to summer camp and meeting Raina. The story was told with Craig as a teen with “flashbacks” to his childhood and other events in his life. I loved how Craig's childhood was woven into his teenage years and spending time with Raina.
For a graphic novel this novel has won a lot of awards, and it was also the first graphic novel I have read. And I'm not going to lie, the main reason I read this novel was because it is the Booksplosion Book of the Month for December. However, I'm glad I read it. From what I have gathered, this novel is very unique in the realm of graphic novels, it also happens to be quite long at over 600 pages.
The illustrations in this novel were completely black and white, but I think that fit the tone of the novel well. This novel is also definitely for more mature audiences between the content and the illustrations. However, I still really got a sense of the difficulty of Craig's life and what he had to overcome. This was a really fast read for me. I definitely will be picking up more graphic novels in the future.
This book took me a long time to get through, but it was well worth it. The world Samantha Shannon has created is so unique and well-thought out. I really enjoyed learning all about the different clairvoyants and how the Rephaim fit in with it all.
The beginning of this book is quite the information dump with new terminology and a lot of background on the Scion and London. But once Paige is settled in at Sheol I, the plot thickens as she learns more about Warden and the Bone Seasons and what it means to be clairvoyant.
I think this book did a good job setting up the series and the fight against the Rephaim and Scion. I cannot wait to read the Mime Order and learn more about this world.
I really enjoyed the progression of Paige and Warden's relationship throughout the book. Samantha Shannon did an incredible job of detailing their lives in Sheol I.
Book two of the #xmasbooktubeathon complete.
This book was a bit of a disappointment. I'm not really sure what I was expecting but it was not what I read. This book was confusing at times with the timeline and the characters seemed incredibly flat to me. I wanted to really love this book with the math and the wonderful descriptions of prime numbers. Those parts of the book were great.
But when it came down to it, I don't know what the point of this book was. Alice and Mattia were cute together but their lives went different ways. And the end was just so open, it was frustrating. I have not idea what comes of Alice and Mattia and their relationship.
Book 1 for the #xmasbooktubeathon complete.
Ascend, the third book in this series did not disappoint. I really enjoy Amanda Hocking's writing style. I'm not sure what it is but I am captivated by it and it is never unsatisfying. I think Hocking did a good job tying up this trilogy without it seeming forced or too simple. Wendy had to face her father and was able to defeat him and protect her family. One thing that bothered me just from a practical standpoint was the lack of true casualties. While I understand they have healers, it would have been more realistic to have more casualties.
I'm very happy with how this book went and it was another quick read for me. While these books are not amazing, they are incredible enjoyable and that is why I have given them such high ratings. This is a solid trilogy about trolls. And the trolls alone was enough to entice me when reading this series. The writing style was an added bonus.
This is a short review but since it is the last book in the trilogy I do not want to spoil anything for anyone.
I don't know how to write a review about this book that is coherent and not just gushing. This book was perfect in so many ways. It encapsulated the idea of fandoms and the person who is the fangirl. Characters within the book were just like those encountered in real life. Both the fangirls and other people who don't quite get it.
There are many people I meet in college who don't understand what HP means to me and what it was like growing up with that story, both the actual books and the community and fandom around the series. That series has shaped my life in so many ways and Rainbow Rowell translated that feeling into Cath and her story.
This book is definitely for a very specific audience who can relate to Cath and can understand what she is going through. Throughout this book, I would read things Cath would say or do and see myself in Cath. I think that is why this book was so amazing to me. I saw myself in Cath and could really understand how going to college affected her.
This book is actually a collection of novellas that are prequels to the Throne of Glass Series. Each one contains some event that shaped Celaena into the assassin we see in the series. These novellas were amazing and I really enjoyed all the background we got.
Each novella showed a lot of the choices Celaena makes that contradict the stereotypical assassin persona. These novellas helped show that what Celaena does in Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire is not completely out of character and she has done similar things in the past. Personally I wish I had read this book before reading Heir of Fire because it would have augmented a few of the things Celaena goes through with Rowan if I had already read the Assassin's blade.
From the other books in the series, I did not think I would like Sam, but reading this book really made me understand why Sam and Celaena were good for each other. They dealt with the struggles of being an Assassin together and supported each other through that. Along with this came the heartbreak of just how devastated Celaena must be at the beginning of the Throne of Glass with being in the camp plus Sam's death. The slow build up of Celaena realize just how much she cares about Sam was wonderfully done.
Each of these stories were a great window into Celaena's life prior to Endovier and how they have shaped the events that take place in the other books. Arobynn is incredibly cruel and I absolutely do not understand how Celaena survived all that time with him. The Silent Master definitely taught her a lot and was a far better Master.
That last page killed me. So sad, but she is using Sam's death and her imprisonment to motivate her to survive and get her revenge. This book also made me crave more Celaena and I also miss Chaol and Dorian. I don't like that I have to wait until Fall 2015.
I definitely enjoyed the second book in this trilogy more than the first. In this particular book we got to dive into more backstory on the trolls. I definitely enjoyed learning more about Wendy's background and the Vittra. Again, Amanda Hocking's writing did not disappoint. This book kept me intrigued and motivated to finish to see how the story would end.
One thing I have to say is how much I despise Finn. In Switched he did not bother me, but in Torn he was horrible. I get wanting to protect Wendy but it was just so horrible. And that fact that Wendy still cares enough about Finn to still want something with him absolutely disgusts me. There is absolutely nothing okay with how he treats her and she deserves better. Now Loki and Tove are great guys, even if they both have their “flaws” (flaws is used loosely since the issue with Tove is not a flaw, it is just a reason they can't work). Loki is great because he is so straightforward and he definitely truly cares about the Wendy and wants her happiness rather than following duty like Tove and Finn.
Either way, I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion to this trilogy and seeing what Wendy ends up doing. I have a few theories about how it all ends up and I hope I right.
I received this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.
First, I just want to explain this book. It is the story of Neil Patrick Harris's life. However it is a twist on the typical autobiography. When you get to the end of the chapter, there is a footnote that gives you between 1 and 3 choices of where you can take the story next. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover. Rather it is meant to be read multiple times, choosing different stories to tell.
This book was so unique and I loved it. I don't tend to read non-fiction, let alone autobiographies, but this book was just as entertaining as what I typically read. Between choosing how the story would end, plus the second person POV, it was great. I also loved the “guest” writers like Kelly Rippa and Barney Stinson. I loved how it was written as if you were experiencing Neil Patrick Harris's life. I decided for this first time reading that I would go with always choosing the happier option or most entertaining one.
Some of the endings throughout the book are hilarious. Especially the Joss Whedon one! This book was full of fun, quirky lines that had me giggling to myself and getting weird looks. But it was worth it. This was a fun light read that I really enjoyed diving into. Neil Patrick Harris's humor and shows are great and this book really showcased that. I also really loved the drawings and pictures throughout the book.
I think this is one of those books that you have to have the physical book for. Between the pictures and the drawings, and even the little footnotes, I don't think an ebook format would work well. Even the idea of flipping through the book following into the next story would not translate well in a ebook format.
On a side note, the back blurb is great. It just added to how much I enjoyed this book!
This book was action packed from the beginning. Within the first chapter alone, Kenzie is almost killed in an accident. From there the list is released and you learn she is number 5. After that girls on the list start dying in freak accidents. It is Kenzie and Levi that start to piece together what is actually going on with he list and the deaths.
There was not a moment of this book that was dull or slow, it pulled you right in with the mystery. While the writing in this book wasn't perfect and the characters at time were pretty one dimensional, the plot and mystery kept me hooked. However the main issue I had with this book was just how far-fetched it was. The book was insanely entertaining, but at the same time so ridiculous. The premise was well explained but completely unbelievable, no society would have allowed a school to continue making a list of the hottest girls in 11th grade for 30 years. That just isn't plausible.
I absolutely loved all the Latin references throughout the book and how that added to the mystery of what was going on. Kenzie had to use her knowledge of the language to outsmart those out to get her and the other girls on the list.
The ending of this one was a little abrupt, but fit with the pace of the book as a whole. I also liked that the book ended somewhat openly about what Kenzie and her team were going to do moving forward.
Overall, this was an enjoyable quick read. Was it brilliant no, but it was horrible either. I mostly had an issue with the lack of “real” characters and the plausibility of the plot.
I don't know what it is but I absolutely love Amanda Hocking's writing. Her books just have a way of entertaining me. This book was very unique in the whole troll thing. While the Trylle are not actual trolls in the sense of what we consider trolls, they are still technically trolls and that was great for me.
I really enjoyed Wendy as a character. She was definitely different than other Trylle and I think a lot of that had to do with her upbringing in a more modest household with Matt and Maggie. Finn was also great and he clearly will do anything to keep Wendy safe even if that means leaving her.
Wendy's mom (both moms really) are the exact opposite of what you would want in a world you don't fit into. Willi and Tove sound like they are going to be great friends to Wendy going forward in this trilogy.
This was a great introduction into the land of trolls and I can't want to see how the events of Switched unfold in Torn.
3.5/5 Stars
This was a weird read for me. I really struggled to get into. Granted once I did, I could not put it down and read the last 200 pages in one sitting. The basic plot is that Audra and Vane are thrown together after Raiden and his Stormers learn where Vane has been hiding for the last 10 years. And it is Audra's duty to protect Vane.
This book is about Vane coming into his windwalking powers, specifically those of being a sylph. The beginning of this book is very obscure in how you come to understand the lore behind sylph, for the most part you learn through what Vane is learning, but you also learn that there is more going on then what Audra is telling Vane. At times that was frustrating for me, but I understand why Shannon Messenger needed to keep us in the dark and leave us guessing.
After about 100 pages of this book, it became much more interesting and it began to pull me into the story of Vane and Audra. However, the beginning was quite slow and unappealing at times. The relationship between Audra and Vane was strange. Vane has been helplessly in love with Audra ever since he was 7 and she “saved” him. He has been dreaming about her for years. But as they train together that is definitely when their relationship starts developing further. While they grow closer, it becomes more apparent that Audra is keeping things from Vane in the hopes of keeping him motivated with respect to his training.
After finishing the book and digesting it, the beginning was lacking. But I'm glad I stuck with it (not that there was ever really a doubt, I finish almost every book I start). Vane and Audra are special and have both gone through very traumatic childhoods. I really liked the progression of their relationship in this book. The rest of this trilogy will be interesting to see what Audra and Vane do next.
I've been reading a lot of paranormal/fantasy lately, so I decided to return to contemporary for this one. Andrew Smith is a new author for me. But I'm so obsessed with Winger. It is by far my favorite contemporary book with If I Stay close but still in a semi-distant second place. As for the actual book, the cover of 100 Sideways Miles is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the beauty that is the back of the dust jacket. It is also a fairly short novel being under 300 pages. So a short read for me. This book did not disappoint at all. It was just as I expected full of Andrew Smith's wit and humor. Finn as a character was great. He is a 16/17 year old, epileptic, with heterochromatic eyes (one blue and one green). He has a scar shaped like this : : on his back after the falling horse accident. Finn's dad also has a book that is strangely very similar to Finn's life. This is a large part of the identity crisis that Finn goes through. He is not sure if he is really there or just stuck in a book. Finn is also very literal and bases everything off of atoms coming together and how much the Earth moved in the time elapsed. I really enjoyed the recurring mentions of atoms and these distances that were literally on every page. On top of this, Finn had also survived a traumatic event of being hit by a dead horse. This accident took his mom away and also broke his back leading to his epilepsy. The first part of this book is very introduction heavy. It is just over a hundred pages introducing us to Finn, Cade, and Julia. Not much else happens in terms of plot and development. Well, I guess Finn has his first kiss and falls in love. But there is not much else happening. It is in the second part that everything starts to change and happen. Cade and Julia fall in love and then she leaves. The third part consists of Cade and Finn going on their road trip to Oklahoma. This book did not have too much of a plot, it was more about Finn growing to accept himself and who he was post horse falling from the sky incident. This book while not was I was expected in terms of plot it was everything I wanted in an Andrew Smith book. Having now read two Andrew Smith books I think I can safely say he is one of my favorite writers, plus he has a way of ending his stories. Winger has one of my favorite last pages of all time and this book had just as memorable of an ending. 100 Sideways Miles is a fantastic book that really captivated me with its wit and seemingly pointless details that all connected to form this book.
Let me start off by saying, I have only read the first too books in the Legend Trilogy, and while I don't hate them, I don't really love them either. I love Marie Lu's writing style though. The Young Elites grabbed my attention right away. Magic has always been a weakness for me and the idea of the fever, markings, and the Elites was really intriguing to me.
I think Marie Lu did a great job of introducing the world and the stakes with the Inquisitors and the Daggers. I loved the little snippets of information at the beginning of every chapter. Though small, it really added to the world and my understanding. It is also interesting the time period that this book takes place in. We are basically in Juno of 1361. This added lords and servants to the fantasy element of the book.
This book was told with very interesting POVs. Basically we had Adelina's first person and then third person with Teren, Enzo, and Raffaele. At times I wanted more from Enzo and Raffaele since we mostly saw things from Adelina's perspective. But having Teren's side was great because we saw the “bad” side and what they were up to. The storyline between Teren and Giulietta showed just how complex this world and the malfettos were.
I found it slightly predictable what Teren's secrets were, but I see why they were important. i also think he is going to have a large part to play later in the trilogy. This book was a great start to the trilogy and I can't wait to see where it is going. This book definitely exceeded by expectations and for me was better than The Legend Trilogy.
That ending was so not fair. Between the introduction of a brand new character that was clearly involved from the beginning to the result of the battle. Completely unfair, especially because now I have to wait.
Solid 4.5/5 Stars.
I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book, but it definitely wasn't want I got. The premise was very unique. I loved the idea of Atlantia and the world above and the whole choice between staying below or going above, however I felt like we were thrown in this world with little to not thought or explanation.
The world building in the book was plain bad. I did not get a sense of what Atlantia was truly like, yes the Divide was clearly explained, but the actual workings of Atlantia and what it was like living there was extremely lacking. I don't think we ever even got a full description of Atlantia. I just feel like it was expected I already understood the world when I started the book.
While the world was way under developed, the characters were a struggle too. We barely knew Bay but she was clearly very important to Rio. The entirety of the plot is Rio trying to be reunited with Bay and figure out why she left in the first place. Then you had the side plot of Atlantia falling apart. But the characters seemed dry and I was not at all emotionally invested in them. I did appreciate however, that the romance was not a huge part of this book. True and Rio were cute together and I like them working together to figure out why Bay and Fen left, but their relationship wasn't the central part of the book.
This book had a lot of potential with the idea. But it completely fell short. The world was underdeveloped and the lack of explanation really hindered my enjoyment. I was unable to grasp Atlantia as a place and even the sirens were poorly explained. I'm still not really sure what exactly they are capable of. The ending also seemed rushed and then the book ended quite abruptly without really explaining the consequences of Rio choices in the Above.
2.5/ 5 Stars and only because of the potential.
