Wayward
The plot fascinated me and kept me glued to the page. The characters improved and were fun to read about, and the writing, although occasionally a little awkward here or there, was pretty good.
The very last chapter... the last couple of pages, really, I wish had been done a little differently since I felt it had been building up to it for a long time, but... Other than that, I truly enjoyed this novel greatly, and I wish that there were a sequel.
When I first finished the book, I definitely wanted to give it a solid four stars and consider adding it to my favorites...
But then I began to think about the book in general and various aspects of the ending in general, and my happy and good opinion of it slowly deflated and sank...
Well, to begin without spoilers, I'll say that the authors writing technique was.. pretty good. I didn't notice any awkwardness, and I usually was fairly caught up in the story. True, the writing possibly could need a little bit of help, just to increase interest, but really, the writing was a plus. It was definitely better than many other books I've read. However, the going was particularly slow in the beginning, and the story didn't really pick up until after 70 or 80 pages.
Now the characters is where it might get into spoiler territory so... I'll start simply and continue with the spoilers afterwards. Beauty was alright, a little boring, but alright. She thought very little of herself by way of appearance as if being beautiful was the only thing that mattered. She was smart and well-read and loved horses, but she still thought she was nearly worthless because she wasn't as beautiful as her sisters.
I have nothing special to say about Beauty's family. They were in the book... They didn't add anything to it, though. Ger was alright, I suppose, but everyone else was pretty boring.
Although the magical beings known as Bessie and Lydia had very few lines in this book, there personalities and magic added a lot of color, and I really enjoyed any scene that had them in it.
The Beast I adored to read about. His kindness and hesitant hope warmed my heart and made me love him right away. I was always disappointed when Beauty was alone. I just wanted more story of her companions and her Beast.
Although I do admit that I sometimes wished I saw just a little more of the beastly side of him, at least at night, rather than the gentle and gentlemanly spirit he constantly was towards Beauty.
Now to get into the my main dislikes with this book and unfortunately, some spoilers. If you're planning on reading the book, you may not wish to read any farther.
Most of my problems are with the ending. So the Beast told Beauty that she could return to her family for a week, for a reason I won't spoil here, and gave her a rose, telling her that at the end of that week, the rose would die to show her that he was dying, for he could not live without her. As sweet as this line at first was, I expected it to be explained in a little more depth later on. Was it that he couldn't live without her because of something to do with his curse? Was it that he couldn't live without her because he was just so madly in love with her that he would waste away if she were gone from him for more than seven days? I have no idea because when she came back to him, and he was near death, it was never explained why.
In fact, the curse in itself was barely explained. When Beauty first arrived at the Beast's castle, she saw an archway depicting some sort of story. In the end, the curse was explained as basically, “They waited for someone to make a folly, and that person was me. Did you see the archway? I was the person in that story.” And that's the only explanation you ever get.
Then there's this part after the Beast turns into a man. Beauty was astounded by his attractiveness and exclaimed that she couldn't marry him because she was so un attractive. Rather than the Beast explaining to her that even if she were ugly, he loved her and wanted to marry her, he simply took her to a mirror where she saw that she had grown into an beautiful woman, at which time she felt alright accepting the Beast's hand.
I mean really?
All those months, and all either of them care about is what the other looks like? Was that not the whole point of Beauty and the Beast, to show that love was beyond whether a person were attractive or not??? Ugh, the more I thought about this scene, the more irritated and flabbergasted I grew.
Finally, in the last 20 pages of the book in which all of this takes place, the Beast warned Beauty that they didn't have much time because all of her family and thousands of other people from who-knows-where were heading towards the castle all happy and shouting and cheering. Why all of these people were suddenly practically at the castle at dawn when the curse was broken just moments ago and it takes at least a few hours to reach the castle through the forest, I don't know. How did they know? How did they get there? Did they really just drop everything and merrily start out into the forest? Who are all of those thousands of people? How-why-when—???
It didn't make any sense at all, and then the book ended instantly, when all of this happened in less than 20 pages.
Overall, I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but the ending was just... messed up, and I was disappointed with it afterwards.
May I just say... wow....
I was thoroughly impressed with this book.
Regina Jeffers took so many characters from Pride and Prejudice, added just a couple more, and then made the most perfect and delicious sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
Where do I even begin?
Ok, the writing style, though not Austen, is actually excellent and fits right in to Austen's world. The language is used effectively; the sentences flow eloquently; the grammar is perfect. Such a beautiful text I have not read but from the classics of literature.
The story itself, set two years after Pride and Prejudice, is such a beautiful Christmas tale that weaves down unexpected alleys and leaves you surprised at times and breathless at others that it will be some time before I manage to recover from the joy of it.
The characters are almost perfect. Everyone has his own unique personality, both Austen's own characters and the few new ones Jeffers added. All of Austen's characters stick pretty closely to the personalities written for them by Austen herself, and it's a delight to read about them. Jeffers managed to let them grow for two years and then pick them up and write them just as you would expect them to be, and what's so amazing about it is that through all of the many eyes Jeffers writes through, none of the personalities get twisted or lost in the mix. They all remain as they should be, and it's a wonder to read.
Elizabeth and Darcy, of course have a large portion of the book, and as you can imagine, they're relationship is a joy to read. However several other relationships develop through this book. Nothing is forced or unexpected or awkward. It's all perfect, fitting, and beautiful. There are so many deliciously sweet moments in the pages of this book that I believe I got a few cavities just reading it...
“I love you, Fitzwilliam Darcy–with all of my heart.”
“And I love you, my dearest Elizabeth. Forever and ever.”
If you are a woman who longs for more from the characters of Pride and Prejudice I highly recommend this book to you.
2.5
This was a cute, stressless read. As must as I would have liked to give it a solid 3 or 4 stars, it was just too simple and shallow for me to grant it such stars. The characters [few as they were on two ship-fulls of sailors and pirates] were fun and vivid, and plot was alright, bouncy and light-hearted. The writing was just ok. I could imagine when the author was sitting at her desk going, “ok, what happens next? What do people do on a boat other than the daily routine... Ummmm... OH I know!” It also irritated me near the end when the author started writing fragments and calling them sentences, such as, “Rushed forward.” For dramatic effect such “sentences” can be allowed sparingly, but she just put them in the wrong places which made the writing awkward instead of intense.
Still, as I said, it was a cute book to read, and I did enjoy it as something casual and light-hearted.
3.5
What can I say? This book was... It was... very intriguing... very original, even with the cliches there was some difference to make it new and cool. There were bizarre creatures, surprising twists, and truly epic characters. I also usually enjoyed the way the book was written.
The way it was written... I felt as if the author was watching everything unfold and then describing it to his readers. This was kind of strange and fun, but at the same time, it could be confusing because he was trying to let the reader come to conclusions and connect some dots himself.
There was this process occasionally of reading something and thinking something important just happened, but you're really not sure what:
Then you'd start to figure it out:
Then it would occur to you, and the author would be sitting there going:
Out of everything, my main complaint is the swearing. There was quite a lot of it, and some hard stuff too. This book would have been equally good without any of it. It's frustrating reading such an interesting book and then coming across all of that. I mean come on, really?
I don't know how many times I've read this book, but it's good every time.
This audio book was done really well as well. His Stephanie voice wasn't great at first, but it improved. I really didn't expect his Bliss and Ghastly voices to be the way they were, and I especially wish he would have changed Ghastly voices since what he does make sound like an old man... But pretty much everyone else's voice was awesome, and I really enjoyed listening to it.
4.5
For anyone who is reading this review, I hope you have already read this book, as well as the previous seven, because there will be some spoilers.
First and foremost, this is the first Skulduggery Pleasant book that I have even considered giving a lower score than five.
Of course it was fantastic. Of course it was witty. Of course it was incredibly all-consuming.
However, Derek Landy seemed, for the first time, to kind of... be lazy about his rules and writing.
For instance, there are several times when Fletcher teleports someone who, as far as I am aware, has never been teleported. For instance, Ajouga, the Bride of Blood Tears, or Bane and O'Callahan, and others.
Another thing, the cloaking spheres? They didn't seem to have a time limit as they are meant to.
Odd.
Lastly, the book was somewhat confusing. I blinked, went “What?,” blinked again and couldn't figure a few things out. When Ravel gives his speech, and the shunter.... somehow... brings an alternate reality's Roarhaven to... well, Roarhaven. What? How? When did they build this? How? Who built it? No one knew about it? How did he shunt it over? I just do not get it. :/
Unfortunately, there were a couple of other scenarios that confused me as well, but I am not going to get into them.
Basically, it was written less strictly and uniformly as usual.
The goods still outweigh the bads, though. The characters are wonderful, stay true to their personalities, and develop. The plotline is brilliant. The ideas fantastic and believable. The fights? Amazing! I was just telling my mom how much I have grown to love the battles, not for the craziness or gore or death, but because no one cares about honor or dignity- only winning, in any way he possibly can. They fight dirty, and I love it.
It was a wonderful book, terrible, sad, but wonderful, which is absolutely to be expected of Derek Landy, and I absolutely enjoyed it.
[And by the way, Derek Landy, I don't hate you as you thought I would. I don't know if you could do anything to make me hate you... Unless you kill off Skulduggery or Saracen. I love Saracen too much. DON'T DO IT!]
I'm sorry. I hate giving books a one, especially a giveaway, but I couldn't bring myself to give it a higher rating. [I do appreciate your sending it to me so quickly, though].
Where do I start? The title- A Thousand Years, but at the beginning of the book the thousand years were over. The title doesn't even fit the story... Ok, ok, fairly irrelevant. Sorry for bringing it up.
The point is..., the writing could use some work. It seemed amateurish and therefore didn't draw me in or keep me interested. The characters in the story were... shallow. One was a lovesick puppy, and the other was a bit of an airhead. Annabell was semi-kidnapped by someone trying to protect her, and she never thought to call her family or even her friend whom she was with when she was kidnapped. Just think... they must be worried sick, but the thought never crossed Annabell's mind.
The plot..., let's see. To be honest, I can't really elaborate on the plot because that would be telling you the whole story, but the plot was...- how shall I say?- unsophisticated, if I put it nicely. Basically, this is a romance story, a very simple romance in which the author poorly added the supernatural.
I'm sorry, but I don't have anything good to say about it. It also contained strong language and sexual scenes, and I wish I would have been warned.
I kind of expected a story similar to The Mortal Instruments by Casandra Clare. Instead it was short, and simple, and... uninteresting. Although- I should let you know- I am not basing this review off a comparison to The Mortal Instruments because I don't even like that series. However..., I would have preferred it to A Thousand Years.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
I did it! I read it in two days so that I could see the movie today. :D It was awesome- the book, the reading of it, and the movie.
The writing was a little amateurish, but the characters were awesome, and I loved the slang. The plot? Fantastic! So very original. I loved it. I definitely want to read the sequels at some point, and I will certainly watch the next movies too. :]
~thumbs up~
3.5
A great dystopian!
This book really captures you from the beginning with an intriguing plot.
It's funny, but one thing I loved about this book were the names! Many are associated with color: Raven, Lily, Violet, Ochre, Hazel, Garnet. Some are associated with character traits, and some are just good names: Mercy, Annabelle, Ash, Cinder, and my personal favorite, Charity.
What was especially impressive was the writing style. Clear and smooth, it draws you in and doesn't want to let you go. Something I extremely admired and appreciated was the fact that there was no swearing at all. It's very rare to find a book without it, and I welcome it when I do.
Some of the characters I liked such as Raven, but others seemed... lacking somehow, Ash, for instance. I didn't really feel like I knew him, and he seemed... -hm, how do I put this in words?- needy? I couldn't get attached to his character at all. It didn't help that this story contained insta-love.
The story was interesting. It was a different kind of plot then I've read before, totally new. Sometimes it reminded me of Hunger Games, like with the city and Violet's family, but there was no... thrilling, what's going to happen next feeling to go with it.
Overall, this story was worth the read, and I enjoyed it. When the sequel comes out, I will definitely read it, and in the meantime, I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dystopian and doesn't mind insta-love.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Wow! What an unusual book. I can honestly say I've never read anything like it....
The Plot
To be honest, I can't say much here because if I did than I would be revealing too much of the story. But, as it says in the synopsis, Aeriel is kidnapped by the Icarus, a dozen winged vampyre who not only drinks women's blood, but takes their very souls [obviously not Biblical, but the makings of an interesting story]. He has thirteen of them, and he needs one more; however, in the meantime, Aeriel must work for his previous thirteen wraith-like victims, a task that requires a certain kind of skill. While she works to make them clothes that won't drag them down, she must deal with the vampyre, dark, cruel, beautiful, and somehow hard to hate.
The Darkangel has a thoroughly unique and fascinating plot.
The Characters
Well now, having referenced the synopsis, I find I cannot tell you about all the characters because I do not want to give a single thing away; therefore, I will focus on the wraiths, Aeriel, and the vampyre himself.
The poor wraiths are women- or rather- were women whose hearts and souls and blood have been stolen from them. This leaves them catatonic, confused, and, unsurprisingly, weak. Aeriel is not confident in herself, but she's kind, and when she's kidnapped and has to deal with the wraiths, she learns patience. When she determines she must kill the vampyre, she's determined, and as the story progresses, she gets stronger, more confident, and a worthy protagonist. Aeriel is a great character, and I felt as if I knew her. The vampyre is wicked, cruel, and magnificent. His harshness is too powerful to be handsome, but there's just something about him...
The Writing
Finally, the subject I was most looking forward to! Captivating is a great word to describe the incredible and unusual writing that went into this book. From start to finish, I was thoroughly awed by Meredith Ann Pierce's capable and bewitching style and artform that possesses and enhances this book, this experience, into something more. It's poetic. It's unusual. It's creative. It's intelligent, highly intelligent. It's like nothing I've read before, and I mean that sincerely. When I think of memorable books, this will be on that list. If you want to read something musical and interesting and nearly astounding, read this.
I would recommend this book to an older teenager, one enjoys classics or books with a depth and quality to the writing. Even a child, however, would enjoy the story.
What a book! The storyline! The plot! The characters! The writing! The humor! The creativity! The history! The awesomeness!!
The main thing I can say negatively about it, is that the ending was too fast! If only it had been drawn out a bit more. :D
This, Love by the Morning Star, was an excellent book.
Ok, now, for those who read the synopsis, I don't believe you can confuse this with being a serious book, but let me tell you right now that it isn't. It's a comedy, a love story perhaps, and it was really done quite marvelously.
Reading the first chapter, I immediately loved two things: the humor, and the writing style. Most of the chapters in this book had me laughing in one way or another, and I haven't had such smoothly humorous story since Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy [my favorite book series ever- so comparing any book to that is saying something]. I wanted to compare the writing style to something, someone, but I don't think there is anyone in the world who writes the way Laura L. Sullivan pulls it off... I'd have to say a mix between... L. A. Meyer and Jane Austen, and amazing combination if you are familiar with both of these authors.
The characters! SUCH characters! They were like real people, and I loved them all! I especially loved, OF COURSE, Hanna, Anna, and Teddy, but everyone in this book [EVERYONE!] has a personality of his own. NO ONE is vanilla. At the end of this review I'll add a quote or two, just so you can see some brilliant examples of this.
The plot! Good heavens! you have never ever seen such a story get so confused! Poor Hannah and Teddy and everyone! Just about everyone thought that someone was somebody other than whoever he was. Expertly and hilariously done, I have never seen a mix up quite like this one.
Such a great story I thoroughly enjoy. Yes, there was some swearing, and Hannah grew up in a cabaret so there were some fairly vague references to things, but obviously, none of that was enough to give this book any less than five stars and promptly add it so my favorites.
Thank you, Goodreads, for giving me an ARC I truly loved.
I recommend this book to all who love comedies, mix ups, love stories, historical fiction, anyone who likes a happy read, and anyone who enjoys excellent books in general. Basically, I recommend this book to everyone.
I'll shall leave you with a few choice quotes to give you an idea of the brilliance of Love by the Morning Star.
“When she walked by the two officers, they didn't recognize her.
“Have you seen the luscious bonbon with the golden braids?”
She grinned up at them with such impish mischief that they almost forgot their quest for the singer. “She is with her lover,” Hannah said. “But she can always handle one or two more.” She winked at them. “Go there, through that door.”
She made her escape while the uniformed hobbledehoys gawked and gaped and finally burst into the dressing room where Franz, the three-hundred-pound juggling strongman, was adjusting his loincloth.
“I ought not do it,” Hannah said aloud to herself as chaos erupted behind her. “I just can't seem to help myself.”
“Anyone watching her would have thought her cold, indifferent, but this was the only way she knew to tackle her deepest troubles, to shoo them aside as if they were a cloud of summer gnats, and deal with the task at hand brusquely and efficiently. Hannah always thought of it as her mother's Englishness, that ability to equalize problems so that a scuffed shoe and an impending disaster were almost equally distasteful, but both were born with aplomb.”
“Yes, Fraulein,' he said to Hannah. ‘How gauche of you to have been born in another county. It is almost a capital offense. Here in this house we believe that one must be severely punished for the happenstance of one's birth.' His face was a jester's mask of mockery, but there was a tightness about his eyes, a tense set to his smile. ‘What a dilemma for the English, though- we agree with Germany on so many things, including the patent inferiority of anyone who is not us. Darling Mum, did it ever occur to you that to the rest of the world, we are foreigners?'
‘The very idea!' Lady Liripip said with a nervous titter.”
“Anna gave her that disjointed look with which so many people regarded Hannah, as if they has fallen too many words behind to ever catch up.”
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
League of Freaks and the Secret Key is an excellent story for young readers. It has superpowers, and a treasure hunt, and bullies, and a strange old woman who seems to know more than she's letting on.
I most enjoyed the plot and the characters in this story.
Each character had a different personality. Ralph was shy, Nancy was dignified, and Shree was like anybody you meet. You could really relate to her.
The plot was pretty much epic. Shree and her family are just moving, and on the way there, Shree acquires an interesting book, a treasure book. Combined with the legend of treasure hidden on campus, what choice did she really have but to look for it? Then she turns into a bee, and meets some other people who have some things in common.
I recommend this book to young readers or parents reading to their children, so long as they like amazing super powers and Indian Jones-esque treasure hunts.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Writer's of the Future contains stories from all across the world, from so many nationalities and so many varieties of stories, but the one common link is that every single author is hugely talented, undiscovered and just waiting to shine.
I very much enjoyed many of the stories and loved the rest. My personal favorite was the first story, Another Range of Mountains by Megan E. O. Reef, but I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for stories from many of the authors.
This book is rich in writing, rich in characters, and rich in ingenuity.
The art! The art is just glorious! I loved seeing the beautiful images for each story, and Andrew Sonea's work was especially outstanding.
Basically, if you like sci-fi and fantasy, this is definitely the book for you. You will enjoy it as much as I did! I hope you do.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
The characters, the plot, the writing, the twists, the imagery- is all excellently done, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Wow!
The one, basically irrelevant downside is that the chapters are... very short, three pages usually, and often in weird places where he could have just kept typing rather than make it into a new chapter. However, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I absolutely loved the story.
Man! I just loved the characters. Hawking! I loved all their relationships, but especially Hawking's. The story was just brilliant, and the setting? It was perfect! Ha, I realize I'm not using much detail, but I just don't want to give anything away! Please, just read this book for yourself and enjoy it :D
3.5
Allies and Assassins is a murder mystery wrapped up in a thriller.
It was very intriguing. The story wound around and twisted up, and I kept being surprised.
What I liked about the story is the characters. It took me a little while to remember who was who, and I had to refer to the Council of Twelve list a few times, but once I got everyone down, I really started to appreciate their personalities. I loved how Justin Somper jumped around from perspective to perspective, giving me a fresh view on things every time he did. One of my favorites was Father Simeon, even though he only got one chapter. Mostly I preferred Jared and Asta's POVs. For some reason, I got really entranced with the book when the story was directed through their eyes. I think all of my favorite chapters were in the Ice Chamber, haha.
I recommend this book to those who like a good mystery in a world without technology. Personally, I will certainly read the sequel[s] when it comes out.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.