Crystal

After reading Hail Mary recently, I was craving Andy Weirs work so decided to listen to the audiobook for The Martian. I'd seen the movie before but had not read the book. As always it did not disappoint! If you've been living under a rock and have never seen the movie or heard of the book. Please go check it out. It's an incredible story of one mans fight for survival on Mars. He is clever, whitty, and wicked smart. That's all i'll say, just go read the book! You won't regret it!

To my knowledge this will be the last book of this series, and the story is tied up rather nicely in the end. While I enjoyed the book, it's not one that makes me want to run through the streets telling everyone they need to read it.

If you're in need of a sort of cleansing read, something to fill the void after finishing one of those epic jaw-dropoing reads, then I would recommend this series. The characters are likeable, although a little whiny at times, you will find yourself hoping everything works out for them in the end. That they beat the odds so to speak and conquer their own fears.

This book is a mystery, and historical fiction all rolled up into one with vivid female characters. It time jumps between past and present, and keeps you guessing about the events that lead to two dead bodies. I was convinced several times that l'd worked out who they were and who killed them multiple times, and in the end was mostly incorrect! Love the relationship between X and Nora, and enjoyed getting to know each character throughout the book. Truly a fantastic read (or listen).

This book is enjoyable, I think if I had chosen to read a physical book rather than listen to audio it might have taken though just because it feels like a slow start. However, Rosario Dawson did a great job with the narration, she really got comfortable and starts to shine after the first chapter. It's not my top Andy Weir book, but still worth the listen.

I will note that I had just read Project Hail Mary, and The Martian back to back before this. Had that not been the case, maybe I wouldn't have been so hard on it.

I confess that I chose to listen to this book because I was interested in watching the movie on Netflix but wanted to read the book first. I did enjoy it, it's just not something I would read again, or run around recommending to everyone I meet.

The format uses letters written between the author and the rest of the characters to tell the story. That style can get difficult to follow on occasion, but the audio book did have different voice actors narrating so that helped a lot.

The part that kept me listening was knowing what happened to Elizabeth, and finding out if the love interest for Juliet ever actually gets off the ground.

Spoilers ahead.

Now that I've watched the movie. The book is much better. They rush the timeline of course as they typically do in a movie adaptation. But the thing that floored me the most was that they had Juliet accept the marriage proposal from snotty what's his face instead of telling him no. I really really felt that was a core piece of who Juliet was and I am so mad they changed that in the movie.

If you've read the previous books in this series then you should already know that this book will be great, with twists and turns that you won't necessarily see coming. An epic love story that will break your heart and reforge it again, and again. If you have not read the previous books in this series... Go do that first.

Spoilers after this point.

I was tearing up in the final chapters, reading all that Maeve had done, all that she had set into motion for centuries. The soul crushing pain that inflicted on Aelin and then her refusal to break from the physical pain. It was heartbreaking. Then to see all that she had accomplished, every life-debt and favor she had called in come to light right after being taken... I was close to tears. Rowan better find her and break her away from Maeve's grip. While I don't necessarily want Dorian to die, if it comes to it, l'd rather he forge the lock...is that an unpopular opinion?

This is a cute summer read. It has modern day references to pop culture which was a refreshing change from my normal reads. Be aware that the characters are dealing with grief and the author uses them to explore that from many different perspectives.

Despite the heavy topic, it's still a cute fun read in my opinion. If you have a beach or lake trip planned soon, I would recommend this book for your vacation reading material. Perfect for that setting.

This book broke my heart.

This author moved back and forth within the timeline of events. Using her various code names and real name to let the reader know where you are in the storyline as well as dates. The book is based on a very real woman, and in the end the Author tells you more about her and what parts of the book were fact, sped up in the timeline for the purposes of the book, or added in for the sake of the book. She also gives the name of her biography so that you may learn more about her real life and impact on the war.

I enjoyed The Frozen River more, that's not to say this book wasn't good it was just not one of my top rated.

Get ready for an intense ride of emotions. This book touches on abandonment, revenge, emotional and physical torture in war times, and even school age bullying. All while tackling ancient myths of shamans who can bring down the into themselves to fight for their people.

There are many twists and turns, and you find yourself hoping that the characters find hope, or that some other forces come to save the day and prevent the need for the great sacrifices they seem destined to make.