Krysteena
I loved this book! Seraphina is such a refreshing narrator and I was instantly drawn to her character. The world building and character development are top notch here. The dragons are very cool and original–and the plot was interesting. I guess my only complaint with this novel is the pacing. It starts off great, but then begins to drag during the middle. But honestly, it's not as bad as I'm making it sound and I hardly noticed because the characters were so engaging. I'm very excited to read the rest of this series–Book #2: [b:Shadow Scale 16085457 Shadow Scale (Seraphina, #2) Rachel Hartman https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405355942s/16085457.jpg 21451371] should be out in March and I'm planning to pre-order it (that's how much I loved this book!). I cannot wait to see how Seraphina matures and learn more about this world (the saints are interesting and the politics are intriguing).5 out of 5 stars!!
Surprisingly, I didn't hate this novel. I picked it up because it was chosen as the book for the month for my comic book club and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a bit cheesy, but seeing all the Marvel superheroes come together was kinda cool. Dr. Strange is awesome =)
Thanos, on the other hand, is one crazy dude and this story revolves around him. I have to admit, I felt a little cheated at the end because this was basically just a story of Thanos finding his true self Overall, it was an average read. The art was also average. A few of the layouts were pretty cool, but I didn't love the transitions. Sometimes the scene would change without any visual clues, which had me backtracking a bit once I figured out the setting and context of the dialogue. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
I really wanted to love this book, and I did at first, but I was let down in the end. Lilith is such a cool character and a part of me wants to find out what happens to her, but damn that ending. I felt the same way while reading the Pern series–can't they just get rid of that thread!?! It's frustrating, and not in a good way. Maybe I'm just too used to neat endings, but I honestly don't think that's it...Tigana ended in a cliff hanger (and there is no sequel to that book, but I still loved it!) I guess I just felt cheated while reading Dawn. For me, this story was built up to have this resolution, and then there isn't any! I don't know... maybe I'll pick this series back up in a few years, but for now it's just not my cup of tea. That being said, the storytelling is top notch and I thought it was very original (plus, I was really missing the whole science fiction because I've been reading a lot of fantasy). So overall, not a bad read.
3 out of 5 stars
I am not a huge fan of short stories, but when they're done right then it's hard not to love them. This book in particular was a good collection of tales told from a female Filipino-American point of view. For that reason alone, I love it. It was great to see our voice being put out there, and the author does a great job representing different generations.
As a whole, I think the collection was lacking. I wish there was more pride woven throughout the stories. It was quite a depressing read, and some of the stories could have been replaced with something lighter and more hopeful. Personally, I could not relate to a lot of the stories; however, I can see what the author was doing and appreciate her work.
My favorite story from this group was Filming Sausages. It was written so well, and it very relatable to all women of any culture. It made me feel very uncomfortable and angry at the same time. 5 out of 5 for that short story.
Overall, I would rate this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Wow. I am really behind in my Sword and Laser reads! This is partly due to my schedule, but also because it has been damn hard to get my hands on a copy of the book these past few months. The Martian, in particular, had a huge wait list at my local library. However, I finally made it to the top of that list, and it was well worth the wait.
At first I was ambivalent about this book. I don't typically like the diary type of style, which is how this book starts off. I think that type of narration is very limiting and can become really repetitive. However, this book is not solely comprised of log entries–there are chapters where the point of view changes and those were the parts that really stood out to me.
I love astronaut stories, and this one was really well written. The stakes are high, there are many suspenseful and emotionally charged scenes, and Mark Whatney is a great narrator–I love his sense of humor.
4.5 out of 5 stars!
Okay, so I LOVED the My Little Pony TV series growing up–I even had one of those MLP figures with the long manes that you could braid and style. Anyways, I decided to pick up this new series out of nostalgia and curiosity. Loved it! These ponies are still as cool and cute as I remember. The story was well-written and had a lot of humor. Such a fun and colorful read. Definitely recommend this one!
I love this author! And I seriously cannot get enough of her novels!!Like her Inheritance Trilogy, this Dreamblood series is set in a very non-traditional fantasy world, which is one of the many reasons I love her books. It so refreshing to see multiple cultures, multiple races, multiple religions with in the fantasy genre–you can bet that the setting is not your typical medieval Europe. Her characters are complex and her magic system is unique. This is the fourth book I've read by N.K. Jemisin, and I feel like her writing is just getting stronger with each novel. I am eager to pick up the next book in this series [b:The Shadowed Sun 11774295 The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood, #2) N.K. Jemisin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331143933s/11774295.jpg 14757897].5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.
This was an incredible children's book. I recommend it to every parent, and those of us childless adults who happen to have a soft spot for children's books (like me).
The illustrations are beautiful, a bit whimsical, and very, very cute. I love the character designs and the page layouts. As an added bonus, the story is really well-written and engaging. It is told in the first person POV and the prose aren't like a typical children's book. It is not that one-syllable-word, five-word-per-sentence type of story, which makes me love this story even more.
Here, check it out for yourself:
See what I mean? Beautiful.
I seriously want to purchase a copy for each of my nieces and nephews–it was that good.
Bottom line: I love this book! An instant classic for me! 5 out of 5 stars =)
Beautiful story filled with simple yet elegant prose. Aristotle is wonderful narrator. I recommend this to those who enjoyed [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower 22628 The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363910637s/22628.jpg 2236198]4.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up this time).
3.5 out of 5 stars from me (I rounded up this time).
This was a really fun and fast read. I loved all of the female characters in this story, which is why I rounded up. The faceless, a group of religious female assassins (hard to explain, but believe me, they are badass), were probably my favorite part of this novel. And Kayla was just awesome. She dies at the end, which is one of the reasons I decided not to go on with the series =/
I mainly took off points because of all of the violence–there was just so much death and almost all of the problems were resolved with bloodshed. Plus, I just felt like the book needed a tighter focus. The plot was kind of all over the place because there are a lot of characters and subplots and power players within the novel–it just need, IDK a better outline. Some of the character deaths seemed to have been added as a way to kill off characters before the big showdown during the Kensgold.
Overall, an entertaining story–very different from the novels I usually pick up. Recommend to people who like assassins and just want to read a book with a bunch of well-written fight scenes.
Okay, so I went on a small comic book binge the other day, picking up titles that I've been wanting to get my hands on for a while now. And this was definitely something that's been on my radar. I had fairly high expectations for Black Science because the artwork here is fucking beautiful. I mean, take a look at this:
The coloring is just stunning, especially when you see it in print...unfortunately, the story was a little bit lacking for me. It wasn't bad, and there were definitely really great moments in the comic, but there were other moments where I was just like, “What the fuck?”. Plus, I really did not like the main character, Grant. And it's not like you need to like the protagonist in order to enjoy a story, but this guy is a douche.
Still, I am interested in picking up the next volume, if only for the artwork.
3.5 stars out of 5.
OMG, I LOVED THIS!!! It was light, it was fun, it was exciting...I mean, there is SCIENCE in here! And the characters are so cool–what's not to love?!
I'm not much of a physicist, so I'm not sure if the science is sound, but who CARES! (I know I didn't–and that's how I know I really enjoyed this read).
Pick this up if you enjoy comics–the art is fantastic and the story is fresh. Trust me.
This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it me think about death and the scars that we leave behind... In short, I really really liked this book. However, I did not LOVE it and I am not entirely sure why. It was well written and there are so many quotes that I've electronically highlighted...but I'm sitting here, writing this review, reflecting upon the novel and I just can't seem to pin-point exactly why I'm not in love with this novel... Honestly, I thought that this would go directly into my “Favorites” list, but maybe my expectations were too high.
There were definitely times in this novel where I felt that the characters were too flat. But I think that was just John Greene's straightforward writing style (note: this was the first novel I've read by him, so this may not be very accurate opinion; however, I'm a fan of his youtube channel so I'm familiar with some of his work).
A scene that stuck out to me was that conversation between Hazel and her parents towards the end of the novel, where Hazel's mother reveals the fact that she has been working toward a Master's degree all this time. This scene really struck a cord with me (I cried like a crazy person) and not just because Hazel gets the closure she is looking for, but also because, at that moment, I realized that these were not just foil characters--they are her parents.
If you are looking for a short and sad read, then check this book out.
Solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of Batman or Superman origin stories because their beginnings have been told WAY too many times (reason for reading this novel: book club book of the month). That being said, this origin story wasn't the worst, and it definitely was not the best.
Mediocre. That's how I would describe this entire novel–both art and story. I think Geoff Johns's attempt to stick out of the crowd by changing a few of the characters around (Alfred in particular) was admirable, but it just didn't work for me. There was no mystery to this, which is where I feel Batman stories thrive, and there was no in-depth character growth, which is what I expect from any origin story.
3 out of five stars.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I can see how this novel helped to inspire Nolan's Batman Trilogy (note: I'm not sure if this directly inspired Nolan's movies, but I definitely was reminded of The Dark Knight while reading this novel).
The artwork was refreshing. It had this gritty, non-polished look to it. And I loved the renditions of infamous Batman Baddies like the Scarecrow and Joker. What I didn't love about the art was the depiction of “ordinary” civilians. Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Gordon, Harvey Dent...they all kind of fell flat for me. It took me a while to recognize them; however, those narration bubbles really helped me out.
4 out of 5 stars from me. Took off points for some of the art as well as the pacing of the novel.
Wow, I really loved this book!! It has this mixture of war, religion, romance, and (of course) an awesome female lead. The tone was extremely different from the first novel, and I actually liked it better than [b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (Chalion, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322571773s/61886.jpg 1129349]. For some reason, Bujold always seems to surprise me. I pick up these books expecting to hate them, but end up pleasantly surprised. The only drawback to this novel was that everything wraps up nicely in the end, maybe too nicely... This was the same problem I had with The Curse of Chalion, but I have to admit that I appreciate the level of storytelling that she presents in both of these novels. 5 out of 5!
I wasn't really impressed with this one. It was a bit over the top for me, and I kind of just wanted it to end. That being said, I really enjoyed the world building–it was innovative and I think this would make a very interesting movie.
I do not plan to read the rest of this series. Great concept and the book had it's moments for me, but overall it was lacking in execution.
I really wanted to love this book and I think that's where the downfall started for me. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but this story fell short of expectations...maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the prose, or maybe it was just the length of the novel. I don't know... but at one point the story just plateaued for me and I just wanted the book to end.
One thing that really disappointed me was the fact that we never get to fully understand why Claire gets to travel back in time... Was it magic that led Claire through the stone? Was it genetics? Was it some sort of time warp thing? In addition to this, the author does not explain how Claire's actions and choices effect what happens during her own time (has this happened already, or is she actively changing the timeline?). Exploring these questions are one of the reasons time travel books are so interesting to me. The book is told from Claire's POV and since she doesn't know how or why she became lost in time, nor how her actions will effect the future, then we shouldn't; however, I felt cheated as a reader. After 500+ pages of reading, there is nothing but romance and more romance. The only time travel descriptions we get is the odd sensations Claire experiences when she touches the rocks on Craig na Dun, and a half-assed explanation from one of the monks about how all our actions effect the future, etc...(side note: I actually digged this conversation Claire has with Brother WhatsHisName. I think it really helped heal her, but it did nothing to assuage my curiosity about the whole time-traveling aspect of this book).
That being said, the overall book was interesting and I didn't hate it. There were definitely parts that I really enjoyed reading and I am still really excited for the STARZ TV series to come out. I think Diana Gabaldon does a great job with dialogue and really defines each of her characters. Will I be picking up the rest of the books in this series? Nope, I'll be content with just watching how the rest of this story unfolds on screen.
3 out of 5 stars.
Also, check out the trailer while you're at it: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/57817-outlander-starz-first-look-trailer
I loved it just as much as the first in this series. Great plot, great world building, interesting characters...all around entertaining book. I like that we got to view the other side of this feud, and that we got to see this world from a commoner's perspective. In The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Itempas is the antagonist, but in this book he becomes a very relatable character. Admittedly, I often found myself frustrated with him (and in the last book, I could not care less about the guy), but throughout this novel, I began to understand him. And now, I'm rooting for him. Like Yeine, I hope that the rift between Itempas and Nahadoth will mend...Anyways, I'm really excited to pick up the last, and final, book in this trilogy [b:The Kingdom of Gods 7923006 The Kingdom of Gods (The Inheritance Trilogy, #3) N.K. Jemisin https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1313690257s/7923006.jpg 11228805]. Five out of Five!!Oh, and I have to say, the covers for these novels are stunning. Love the artwork!
What can I say about this book?... It's a classic. It's something I would like to reread. It's something I wish I read in high school. Offred is such an engaging and interesting narrator. Her voice is what really captured me throughout the book. Seriously, there are so many discussions that can be sparked from this book, so I'll just leave you with this quote from Valerie Martin's introduction to the Everyman's Library edition of this novel. It pretty much sums up a lot of my thoughts about The Handmaid's Tale:
“It is not an exculpatory tone; the thin light it sheds will not illuminate much. It won't tell us why people were so cruel and unjust then, but it can remind us of the way we would, the way we do, on any given day, explain our participation in the injustices we accept and perpetuate. It is what we do.
...Offred's voice speaks clearly, and this is what it says: History will catch up with us, it isn't dead any more than we are, it lives in and upon us, parasitically, like the bacteria in our intestines, without which we would die. If you want to see the future, keep looking steadily behind you, because the future, no matter how much we may pretend we don't know it, is history.”
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.