Kyle
I am not a fan of The Darkest Powers Trilogy. I hated the poor plotting, was fairly annoyed by all the characters until the last book, hated how cliche and forced the love triangle felt, and just generally didn't care for the story. What I did love was how the writing flowed rather well, and for the last two anyway, I was able to read them a couple hours a piece ([b:The Awakening 5391115 The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) Kelley Armstrong http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267415929s/5391115.jpg 4115339] took me a little over 4 hours). I knew I would like this one. I saved it along with several other books in my Awesome Streak Pile. It had the golden Seal of Approval from all the people I check reviews from to make sure I'm not walking into a hot mess. I knew it had flaws like the previous trilogy, but that it was still far superior. Maya is a fifteen year old girl, turning sixteen in a few days, and lives in Salmon Creek, a small medical research town on Vancouver Island, with a population of 200. The town is owned by the St. Cloud Corporation, and everybody there was hired to live there and work. Maya's father is basically the park ranger, and Maya herself takes in injured animals, fixes them up, and either releases them back into the wild or gives them to people who can take better care of them if needed. So, when Rafael “Rafe” Martinez moves into town with his older sister Annie, and a mysterious reporter arrives in town, Maya begins to unravel the mystery surrounding not only her town, but also the possibility of murder involved in her best friend Serena's death. Now, let's talk characters. I loved Maya. She wasn't nessecairily kick-ass, in the sense that she was being MacKayla Lane and pulling out a spear and stabbing paranormal creatures left and right. She's not Rose Hathway, which is basically a younger version of Mac (but less girly). She's not even Karou, who isn't exactly a ferocious warrior, but still can fight. No, Maya is a pretty average girl, but she's strong in her own, emotional way (nope, not an uncontrollable sobbing moment to be found here), doesn't let herself be pushed around, and generally WANTS to be her own person.Her love interest Rafe is actually fairly likeable. Now, I may be the only person who thought this, but at first I pictured him as Christian Slater, when he played J.D. Don't know why, sometimes I picture the weirdest people as certain characters. However, unlike that psycopath, Rafe is actually genuinely a good person, and his back story is rather interesting. He also has a personality. Her best friend, Daniel Bianchi, kind of failed to impress me. I liked him, but maybe the over-the-top protectiveness was too much? He didn't seem to have a personality, at least not one to leave an impact on me.The setting is extremely refreshing, as is the mythology involving the new paranormal creatures introduced. Now, we must move into spoiler territory. If you haven't read this and plan on doing so, don't read ahead. SPOILERSNow, the plot. I'm not too sure what that was. There's a couple different things going on. The thing with the skin walkers, and these scientists that reactivated the skin walker gene. Serena and the reporter's death. The circumstances surrounding Maya's adoption. Why is Rafe exactly being pursued? I believe it goes deeper than stealing some money, but whatever.The book has no resolution. There's the forest fire that was clearly set by an organization that Maya's twin (could be her father, but I believe it to be the twin) is involved in. Then, the book ends, and I HAVE read the first line of the second book, and it reads like the EXACT next line that would be in the book. Perhaps Kelley write the two books, and then her editors told her to cut it off right there?IMO, Kelley has serious plotting issues, and if what I hear is correct, The Calling is no different. I find it ironic really that the people who made me excited for this have made me nervous about the sequel. XD
Final third of the book is when it really started dragging for me. I'll admit, I did appreciate the realistic future that was envisioned, and I liked the writing, and the story was decent to, and there was talk of the past, and the moral questions of murder but it WAS rather boring at times (a lot actually once I got past the beginning) and I had difficulty feeling anything for the characters.
Telling the story of Nailer, a “ship breaker”, who is somebody that scavenges for shipwrecked ships for oil, copper wiring, anything that can be sold, Paolo Bacigalupi weaves together a plausible dystopian tale about a boy's journey from being the underdog nobody would give a second glance to, to ultimately becoming the savoir of one of the most powerful people in the world.
I read this simply because A) I got it for $3.99, B) I wanted to read The Drowned Cities, and when my book OCD kicks in, I cannot read a series out of order, even if I can without being confused and C) I've been wanting to read it for more than a year. I think I got everything I expected to get from it, but not what I fully wanted from it. It satisfied me, but not to the level that I wanted it to.
The future that Bacigalupi paints for our people is not in any way unbelieveable. Nope, no Matched, Wither, Delirium, or any of the other over-the-top dystopians painted in the past year or so, but a future that we're possibly heading for as I type these words. Polar bears have gone extinct, seals are few and far between, cities have gone underwater, New Orleans has turned into an apocalyptic version of Venice, with roads now made of water and flooded mansions and buildings, and we have Category-6 “City Killer” hurricanes.
Now, ask yourselves this, is this future completely impossible? I mean, polar ice caps are melting, polar bears and penguins and many other Arctic animals ARE going extinct, and get this: at least 0.4-8mm of the sea level rises every year. Now, at this point in time the sea level isn't too bad, but imagine 100 years from now, when this book apparently takes place. Then, we're looking at 40-800mm more water rising. Now, I'm sure my very brief scan of the Internet in terms of water level rising may not be accurate (I mean, 40-800 is a very wide range), but I do know for a fact the water level is rising.
So, in terms of realism, this book is absolutely fantastic. In other accords, the writing is solid, the plot is interesting, and the first 20% actually really entertained me.
So, what went wrong? Well, after about 50%, when the plot REALLY took off, and they went off to New Orleans, and the corporate war took off, I began to loose interest. Now, that sounds like the most interesting part, right? Well, wrong. I mean, to a lot of people, they'll be entertained. For whatever reason though, my enjoyment lessened. Not a whole lot, because like I said, it was still rather interesting, but I just wasn't able to get as into it as I did when I first started.
I wasn't able to get into the characters either. We have Nailer, the MC, Nita Patel, Pima, Sadna, Richard Lopez, who is the douchebag asshole father of Nailer, Tool, Captain Candless, Reynolds, and a whole cast of characters, none of whom I connected with nor became invested in, and cared if they lived or died. Well, maybe not completely. I did like Pima, and her mother Sadna, and Tool was INTERESTING, but not somebody I truly cared about, and Captain Candless and Reynolds are the same.
None of them are people I will remember a week from now. Their personalities, their stories, are not ones that impacted my life, nor were ones that held my interest. When they came into the story, I was fine with them. When they left, my mood stayed the same. They didn't leave any impact on me.
And so, it is with a heavy heart that I am rewarding Ship Breaker with a solid 3 stars. I kind of expected it, but I do hear from everyone I trust that the newly released companion novel is stronger than this one, so I'm not in any way deterred from jumping on that one ASAP.
Also, whenever Nailer called Nita a swank (futuristic slang for fancy/rich) I always read it as skank. Anybody else experience quick bursts of outrage, only to go back and see he said swank? A problem throughout the whole thing, but a problem that I caused, so I didn't deduct anything for that. Just an interesting question is all.
I'm not a big contemporary reader. I know lots of people who only read that, and it's their comfort zone in terms of reading. I can't really say I have a “comfort zone”, however this genre hasn't dissapointed me as much as the ones I read most often, which I believe to be PNR/UF, sci-fi/dystopia. Maybe it's because I limit myself to only the raw and gritty kind. Nope, [b:Anna and the French Kiss 6936382 Anna and the French Kiss Stephanie Perkins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267522241s/6936382.jpg 7168450] and I will probably never cross literary paths. So, imagine my surprise when I come across [b:This Is Not a Test 12043771 This Is Not a Test Courtney Summers http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1314375864s/12043771.jpg 17010494], with it's dark, edgy cover, and alluring promise of the zombie apocalypse. I only knew [a:Courtney Summers 1487748 Courtney Summers http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1324454937p2/1487748.jpg] for her contemporary novels that looked girly, and not for me. Well, then I used my brain, checked out the descriptions of her other books, and realized they seemed anything but nice. Then, my mind was further blown by the glowing reviews from trusted friends. Then, my mission was set: I needed to read all by this author before [b:This Is Not a Test 12043771 This Is Not a Test Courtney Summers http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1314375864s/12043771.jpg 17010494] came out. So far, I just need to read one more, and mission accomplished.Eddie Reeves is grieving over the suicide of her legendary phtographer father, after he jumped off a building a month ago. Her mother has not changed clothes since the funeral, and her mother's friend (who Eddie despises, and vice versa) Beth comes to keep her mother going. Yet Eddie is haunted by the question of why. Why, when he had a wife that loved him? Why, when he had a taste of fame? Most importantly, why when he had the daughter that loved him more than anything? Then, while investigating the site of his suicide once again (she does so every night), she meets Culler Evans, who it turns out was one of the rare students her father had, and he has found something that her father left behind in the building: his calling card on a door. Soon, more clues begin popping up, and to solve the question of why, Eddie and Culler embark on a journey to unravel the suicide of their idol.Eddie and her mother's grief is so real, so palpable, that the book was making me depressed. The book even haunted my dreams afterward (well, it was a combination of this and my least favorite book, [b:Born at Midnight 8705784 Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) C.C. Hunter http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317791418s/8705784.jpg 13578604], but it influenced the feelings inside of it), which is very rare for me. Courtney Summers knows how to write, and she knows how to write human emotion, and delve into how humans would react to situations.The mystery kind of dissapointed me, but I won't tell you, because I won't be spoiling anything. It's not that it was bad, but it's just . . . I can't say. If you've read the book, you know the outcome of the clues, and I expected it to be completely different, yet at the same time, I loved that she chose that direction. The characters feel fully realized, and real. They're not the most likeable people, which I find is the trend with her characters (similar to that of [a:Sara Zarr 19093 Sara Zarr http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1302718823p2/19093.jpg], who I saw Tatiana compare her to, and I totally see why), is not to really make them likeable, but I still loved and cared for them anyway. Just something to know before going in.I loved the book. I loved [b:Cracked Up to Be 3521484 Cracked Up to Be Courtney Summers http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316728526s/3521484.jpg 3563198]. I love Courtney Summers.Go read it.
One of those books that makes you glad to be alive. The best dystopian since [b:Mockingjay 7260188 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1294615552s/7260188.jpg 8812783] (since I don't consider Chaos Walking, Gone, or Blood Red Road to be dystopian, just sci-fi/post apocalyptic - well, maybe Chaos Walking has dystopain undertones, but you get what I'm saying.Thank you everyone who wrote reviews that made me want to read this.
4.5Wanted to give it 5 stars so bad, yet alas, I can't! There just seemed to be this gap in logic on Duncan's part after the climax occured, and I suppose he has some reasoning for it, but I just don't get it. Won't discuss it yet for the sake of spoilers, but I'll get more into that when I expand my thoughts. After thinking thoughtfully about thoughtsThere is only one tiny little paragraph with spoilers. Everything else is SPOILER-FREE.Now that I've had time to think about the roller coaster ride [b:Acceleration 393715 Acceleration Graham McNamee http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320425514s/393715.jpg 383274] took me on, I still feel similarly about what happens. I would highly reccomend it to just about anybody looking for something fast-paced, interesting, well written, rather original, on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of read that can even be humourous! Not [b:Deadly Cool 10429033 Deadly Cool (Deadly Cool, #1) Gemma Halliday http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305923021s/10429033.jpg 15333446] kind of comedy (the murder is being taken more seriously in this book). Just the fact that the awesome characters have personality!So, we follow our seventeen year old protagonist Duncan, who is working a summer job at the Toronto Transit Lost & Found, and when looking for a lost book to read, he stumbles across a diary containing the messed up psyche of a man who sets fires to buildings, and tortures animals, and later documents said atrocities. Then, Duncan comes across his later entries, where Duncan finds that he's stalking a woman on the train when he's heading home, and that he may be planning on killing her. Taking matters into his own hands along with his sidekick Vinny, they plan on figuring out who wrote the diary, and save the woman's life. Now, said mystery above is well thought out, with great little facts about serial killers when le gasp our heroes use their brains and go the library! I loved learning more about the psyche of serial killers, so that alone was a plus. However, I also found my one complaint in this book during the mystery.SPOILERS So, when Duncan finally stops our possible killer from killing the women he was stalking by almost dying and getting hit by a train, Duncan is in the hospital, recovering from his injuries. Then, he decides to keep the journal information between himself, Wayne, and Vinny. Um, I (kind of) get why you're not telling the police, but how about the women being stalked? If I had been the infatuation of a potential serial killer, I would've liked to know. END OF SPOILERS*Everything else however, is fantastic. The plot is fast-paced and engaging, the characters are all vivid and 3-D, mystery is well paced and UNPREDICTABLE (a reoccuring problem I find in many YA mysteries - these killers are way too obvious), I couldn't put it down, and the entertainment value is so high! With [b:Blood Red Road 9917938 Blood Red Road (Dust Lands, #1) Moira Young http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293651959s/9917938.jpg 14692536], I gave it 5 stars, but not in the sense that it's amazing and life altering. It's amazing in terms of entertainment value, plotting, and interesting characters but it's not powerful or moving like THG. BBR is the equivalent to Acceleration to me, however I do like BBR more. Seriously, go out and get this book. There's an e-book, your library and or bookstore - give it some love! Since it's a MUCH older book (October of 2003 - about 8 1/2 years ago!), it clearly doesn't get as much attention as it deserves.
You can get Mara for FREE if your a Amazon Kindle customer for a few more days (the sale just started today)! After that, it'll go back to its original price of $0.99, which is still an amazing deal.What in the world? Well, if that isn't a mindfuck, I don't know what is. And yes Richard, coming from me, that is a VERY good thing.The one thing I can see anybody truly getting turned off by the story is the grammar mistakes (which aren't a lot, just a few here and there). Still, and the author says this himself before the book starts, you might hate it, or not understand it. In my opinion, it his best work. [b:Mara 13612011 Mara Richard Denney http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335063640s/13612011.jpg 19170035][b:Mara 13612011 Mara Richard Denney http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335063640s/13612011.jpg 19170035]
This book is made on pure win. Whoever reads this, whether you hate everything, or love everything, read this book. It's wonderful. I don't think I've ever cried so much during one book. Hell, I was even crying when the book ended so predictably wonderful! If you have any kind of soul, I can picture you at least somewhat enjoying this wonderful piece of literature.Maybe not the shining, screaming 5 stars I gave it, but a 4, maybe even a 3. There are some reasons why this book, and the other novel I read by Zarr, [b:Story of a Girl 33906 Story of a Girl Sara Zarr http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168471691s/33906.jpg 2420507], are not for everyone. The characters are rather unlikeable in the beginning (not horrible, just not likeable). The topics handled in the book are typically not stuff that people enjoy reading, either because it makes them uncomfortable (a girl being labeled a slut for having sex at 13, and one of her books is about loosing faith), or it's overdone (pregnancy, grief - plenty of books out there). Yet because [a:Sara Zarr 19093 Sara Zarr http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1302718823p2/19093.jpg] has this special gift called talent, she's able to take something completely overdone, and make it original and heartbreaking, no matter how many times you've seen it. The premise of this novel was actually rather interesting to me. Seventeen year old Jill MacSweeny lost her father almost a year ago in a car accident, and so her grieving mother Robin agrees to have an open adoption with eighteen year old Amanda “Mandy” Kalinowski (I hope I didn't spell that wrong), who is about seven months pregnant (Mandy first says she has a month left to go, then they find out they have another two months). Sure, the topics of grief and pregnancy are overdone (five of Ellen Hopkins's books have some kind of pregnancy in them), but this one is special. The characters are rather interesting. Jill lashes out at everyone - her mom, her friends, boyfriend, Mandy - as she deals with her grief, while Mandy is a really in your face, kind of obnoxious person (she writes about five letters to a guy named Alex Pena who she had just met on the train two days ago, and he respons one time to tell her to leave him alone).Yet they're different people when you finish the novel. When you learn the circumstances of Mandy's pregnancy (you don't get an outright confession until the end, but the clues are very obvious as to the dilemma Mandy faces) you'll feel your heart breaking in two (one of the moments where I started sobbing anyway).Now, after mentioning the sobbing, let's talk about it. They're are plenty of books that I've teared up (that's where “Induced Tears” shelf comes in), but only this and [b:Triangles 10843755 Triangles Ellen Hopkins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313893537s/10843755.jpg 15709019] have left me sobbing my evil black heart out. The cry-worthy moments?-The graveyard scene-Mandy's story-The birth scene (from labor to the actual birth)-The ending-When the baby-shower shopping happened and they realize a sad thought-Random scenes of grief and sadnessThe way how Zarr writes is captivating and heartbreaking, and I truly felt there, felt all these emotions and went through these experiences. She also creates incredibly well fleshed side characters, such as Ravi, Dylan, Robin (Jill's mom). Ultimately, one of my most highly reccomended titles of not just this year, but of all-time. Zarr, you are now one of my favorites.
This is a seriously draining series. How in the world can Michael Grant expect me to wait a whole year waiting to find out what happens to Diana?!
HOW COULD HE DO THAT TO DIANA IN THE FIRST PLACE?!
Thoughts to come later. I need to lay down.
Okay, scratch that, there's no way in hell I can't not write a review NOW. So, if you haven't read the first four books in this series (Gone, Hunger, Lies, and Plague) I'd suggest not reading this review, because it may contain potential spoilers - wait, it WILL have spoilers for PLAGUE. I will NOT be spoiling this book however.
So, to summarize this book. Four months after the events of Plague, the kids of the FAYZ are still surviving, even though their worlds were turned upside down a year ago. Our favorite nun Astrid has basically banished herself from the rest of society, and lives alone in the woods, where she has become this hardened warrior, who carries a shotgun and survives alone. King Caine rules Perdido Beach with an iron fist, while Sam and those who left with him for Lake Taramonto are living rather peacefully. One day, Astrid notices something while camping near the FAYZ wall: it's turning black. Rapidly, the stain spreads, and it becomes clear that this stain will block out all light in the FAYZ and throw everything into darkness. Also, the Gaiaphage/Darkness is schemeing once again, and this time has set it's sights on Diana and Caine's unborn child.
Also, we get a couple of spread out chapters OUTSIDE of the FAYZ wall, telling the story of Connie Temple, the mother of Sam and Caine. No, not a background story, but a parralell story, set during the events of FEAR.
So, I loved this book. It made me angry, it made me sad, I even almost cried at one point, I was happy to be with some favorite characters, and I wanted TO THROW THE FREAKIN BOOK ACROSS THE ROOM. That ending is just . . . it's no. If you know me in real life, you'll know my two favorite fictional characters in all of history are Caine Soren and Diana Ladris. So, when they were hooking up throughout the last book, I was a very happy camper. When Diana got pregnant? Um, okay, I'll go along with this, but you better not pull a Breaking Dawn, Mr. Gant.
Well, something horrible happens to Diana. I don't know how she's going to turn out when this series ends, but I fear for her.
I've honestly not been able to enjoy Lies and Plague OR Fear as much because those two were put on the backburner after HUNGER, which is my favorite still in the series, but it does tie with FEAR. Diana does appear more towards the end, don't fret fellow Diana lovers, but Caine is kept exclusively on the backburner until the last 30 or so pages.
So, if you've read the book, you know the last thing Diana does, and what her situation is, and where she runs off to, and WHO. So aside, from some minor qualms regarding the direction that my favorite characters' storylines went, I was very happy, and ectastic that BZRK wasn't an indication of the quality of FEAR.
The plot was fast, it was action-packed, there were twists, heartbreak, some death, anguish, ANSWERS. Yes, we do get a better feel of how the Darkness and the FAYZ wall are connected, and we also find out what happens to kids when they poof! Michael Grant has also confirmed that in Light, the last book, we'll finally get solid answers on the wall!
When Astrid killed Little Pete, I was shocked, and it deeply hurt me, on a very personal level. I myself have an autistic sibling, and so her going, “Oh, sex is evil, but killing my five year old autistic sibling is good!” just made me want to punch her in the face. Well, Astrid transforms completely in this book. She's stronger, she's ditched the religious crap, and she's not a know it all! I'll never forget what she did, but we get progress.
I loved reading about every single character. There were some I could've done without (Sanjit. . .) but overall I loved all the storylines, and what they added to the story.
The writing is crisp, smart, and fast, and that's what I've always loved about it.
The story keeps a creep factor (MAJOR creep factor for Diana) that makes you want to just turn away, but you can't help but gawk.
I was extremely emotionally invested in everything that was occuring.
Point being: I loved this book. I love this series.
My ordering from favorite to least favorite:
1. Hunger/Fear
2. Gone
3. Plague
4. Lies
P.S. I didn't want to believe it, but it turns out what we are forced to believe about Computer Jack may be true. I need to go cry.
3.5One of those books that you can't help saying “Aw, well isn't that sweet” when you finsih it and genuinely mean it. Still had plenty of issues with it. However, compared to the first two, especially the second novel [b:The Awakening 5391115 The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) Kelley Armstrong http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267415929s/5391115.jpg 4115339], this one was pretty good, and better than some recently published paranormal novels.Not going to do a full review, just list my biggest complaint with this book. While it did have me saying “Aw” and having a slight smile on my face, that ending isn't a good one, since this is the last book in the trilogy. Hopefully, when I start the Darkness Rising trilogy (I'll be reading [b:The Gathering 7896345 The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1) Kelley Armstrong http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277820938s/7896345.jpg 11137563] after I finish TWO MORE books) the story arc will be wrapped up.I mean, what was accomplished that ends the story? They're still in a pretty similar situation to the beginning of the book. They're still on the run from the Cabals, and the Edison Group. Nothing was really wrapped up, and there's still many questions left unanswered: is Rae really safe? Is the EG still going to keep up with their DNA modification? Compared to some series finale books, this one doesn't feel conclusive. It probably was left that way, since I know that Chloe and Co. are meant to make an appearance sometime in the DR trilogy. Now, the one thing that I actually really liked about this book: the romance. It's nothing perfect by any means, and it's not that deep and personal and life changing, but it's sweet, innocent, and feckin' HEALTHY. Chloe voices her opinions about how Derek should treat her, and he LISTENS. Not only that, but it's not the kind of relationship riddled with more angst than plot, and it's definitely not the “Now my life is forever complete and I'll never need anything else in my life again” kind of romance. All that I really have to say.
1.5
Just going to list my issues.
The one thing I liked: the writing. It's better than others, but it's nothing spectacular.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE (aka HATED)
-This book has no climax. It has plenty of build-up (basically the whole 294 pages), but no climax or falling action. They're about to do something, and then Jacinda spends the last two sentences saying how her life is better than at the end of the first book because she has somebody and the two boys who keep lusting after her.
-Jacinda. ‘Nuff said
-Will and Cassian are both assholes, and occasionally treat Jacinda like dirt
-The “love” story needs to be called a “lust” story. This “connection” that Jacinda insists she has with Will is nonexistent.
-It's boring
-Nothing happens
-I hated everybody else
-Corbin is a creepy stalker
Not going to lie, really dissapointing. I think I really went in expecting far too much from this. Not going to do a normal review, just bullet what I liked, and what I didn't like, and leave it at that. WHAT I LIKED:-Loved the setting - reminded me a lot of [b:Blood Red Road 9917938 Blood Red Road (Dust Lands, #1) Moira Young http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293651959s/9917938.jpg 14692536]-The premise of it all-The action sequences (which were very spread out unfortunately)-Roland's relationship with Jake (not after what he did however at the end)-The identity of the man in black-King's writingWHAT I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT:-Roland's character-It didn't hold my attention-I was bored a lot of the time-I outright didn't like it for the first 20 or so pages-At times it felt like it was really drawn out, and I just wanted the story to move on-There wasn't that much meat to the story in my opinion, ESPECIALLY in the first half, and parts of the later half - WAY too many flashbacksNow, I will read the sequel, but I definitely won't be as excited for it as I was this one.
*SPOILERS FOR [b:Faefever 2702704 Faefever (Fever, #3) Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320544757s/2702704.jpg 2728068] *After I've had time to breathe, and the first 40 pages of the next book, I can now digest the overwhelming angst the cliffhanger left me with enough to write a review. After the (rather startling) ending of [b:Faefever 2702704 Faefever (Fever, #3) Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320544757s/2702704.jpg 2728068], MacKayla Lane has been forever changed. She has become Pri-ya after being gang-raped by the three Unseelie Princes, under orders from the Lord Master, Darroc. However, after a brief intermission from the point of view of Dani, a sidhe-seer that lives at the abbey with Rowenna, Mac is rescued by said teenager, and is later taken away by Jericho Barrons 99.9% of Fever fans swoon where he then has her undergo his unique form of therapy. Mac then prevails against the odds, and comes out a completely changed (and rather pissed off) person.The first 50 pages (or the entirety of Part I for that matter) are completely different from the other books. The prologue is driven by sheer, desperate lust, and then the first two chapters are Dani's voice, which is vastly different from Mac's. Just by bringing that up, THANK YOU [a:Karen Marie Moning 48206 Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1235014339p2/48206.jpg] for being able to write a (partially) dual-perspective narrative, that sounds like two different people! That alone has me excited for [b:Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel 12444166 Iced A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever World, #1) Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333022535s/12444166.jpg 17427104], by being able to open up that book knowing it'll be a unique experience separate from this series in terms of voice.Mac has undergone immense development (which continued into [b:Shadowfever 7304203 Shadowfever (Fever, #5) Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320474645s/7304203.jpg 6967072]), and is now a cold, hardened warrior. She's more determined than ever to avenge her sister, Alina's murder, and protect those she loves. Of course, I love the family dedication, and I love the relationship she has with Dani, and the . . . fling she had going on with Barrons. Still feel okay with Barrons. I can imagine the first 50 pages being some people's favorite scenes ever, and were probably very jealous of Mac, but I'm still frustrated because I want to know more about his past. We do get some glimpses, so don't fret if you are reading the series for the first time like me! Still, I do hope the remaining 550 pages of the final book are dedicated to answering some serious questions. Like the other three books, this one is incredibly addictive, and I finished it in a matter of hours. The plot is fast-paced, interesting, and complex, the Fae mythology continues to expand and deepen, the atmosphere is fantastic, the setting is great (hence why it is now in my post-apocalyptic shelf - I do love me some paranormal apocalypses) and this is so far, the best urban fantasy series I've had the pleasure to come across in the adult genre. One of the many reasons I am very saddened by the fact that the series is almost over is the difficulty I will surely come across trying to find a series that partially can exceed my rather simple expectations and still entertain me immensely such as this series. If what I hear is correct, it will not be easy.
So I guess it's true: the urban fantasy genre really doesn't get better than [a:Karen Marie Moning 48206 Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1235014339p2/48206.jpg]. Just this year, I became a huge fan of the genre when I picked up a book that just about every fan of the genre was screaming to the heavens about: [b:Darkfever 112750 Darkfever (Fever, #1) Karen Marie Moning http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320533920s/112750.jpg 108558]. Not even so much the actual book, but Jericho Barrons (but the book itself was praised heavily, don't forget). I myself loved it, and have since read two more in the series (and plan on getting my hands on the last two possibly tomorrow!) Then, just yesterday, I finished [a:Richelle Mead 137902 Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1270374609p2/137902.jpg]'s [b:Succubus Blues 235718 Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, #1) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1315976722s/235718.jpg 228316], and I enjoyed it enough, but mainly for it being light and fun like (most) of her other works. So, I turned on my Kindle immediately after finishing the latter, expecting another enjoyable UF novel, despite hearing that most novels in this genre are garbage, formulatic, and just not worth your time, at least in recent years. [b:The Shadow Reader 10765906 The Shadow Reader (McKenzie Lewis, #1) Sandy Williams http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316820446s/10765906.jpg 15677347] is a decent book, it was worth my time, but I didn't get much from it. It was pretty standard. We had our main character, McKenzie Lewis, who could see the fae, and was used as a weapon for King Atroth, to track down rebels in a civil war. We had a love triangle going on between Kyol, the king's swordsman that McKenzie has loved since she was sixteen (she's now twenty-six, so she's been waiting for quite some time), and Aren, a rebel fae who kidnaps her in the first two chapters of the novel, and brings her to a rebel hideout, where he teaches her the language of the Fae, and some startling (and possibly true) new sides to this war, bringing in the shades of gray that McKenzie was so blind to until this point. 1. The WritingIt's one of the things I love about this genre. It's simple, yet not too simple that it seems juvenile, but it flows pretty well, and it held my attention. It moves at a fairly brisk pace, but not too fast that anything seems rushed. I enjoyed reading McKenzie's voice, and I felt that the writing had enough personality to it. Still, nothing extraordinary, like [a:Laini Taylor 324620 Laini Taylor http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1224474224p2/324620.jpg], but decent. 2. The Love TriangleAnnoying. It felt very obvious who McKenzie was going to choose at the end of the novel. The most frustrating part of it was when McKenzie would be thinking about if Aren really loved her when they'd be discussing war strategy. When is that EVER a good time to decide if some guy loves you when you keep insisting that you don't have feelings for him? The fact that so much time was dedictaed to just the wonderings of “Does he love me?” or the “Does he not?” is lost on me. 3. The “Kick-Ass” HeroineUm, I don't know how McKenzie gets this title. Semi-intelligent I guess, but even that is questionable. She never stands up for herself, such as when Aren CUTS HER NECK (I know Barrons is rough around the edges, but he would never do that - he only tried to give Mac ONE tattoo). The most she ever does is say, “No! I will never help you!” Anybody can do that. Doesn't make her a kick-ass, independent heroine that I look for in UF. MacKayla Lane (Fever series) is not the strongest character I've ever read. She's pretty good with a spear to kill Unseelie, but I've read stronger (Katniss Everdeen, Saba, Rose Hathaway). However, in the strength department, she makes up for it by being smart, and never letting Barrons push her around, even when it was clear he could break her with his bare hands. McKenzie is flat, umemorable, and a damsel in distress. That cover is very decieving. Not once does McKenzie ever weild a sword, or any weapon. The strongest she is was when she'd be tracking the shadows, and that's not some sign of being strong.4. Aren & KyolKyol = Honorable, boring, overdone, and it was obvious he would get the raw end of the deal.Aren = Asshole, douche, possessive, abusive, prick.5. Overall ThoughtsIt was simply okay. It won't stand out in my mind. It had a predictable love triangle. A heroine trying to be smart and strong, but was really just weak and needed her two hot fae guys to protect her.I'll read [b:The Shattered Dark 13182968 The Shattered Dark (McKenzie Lewis, #2) Sandy Williams http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337199429s/13182968.jpg 18363417], but not NEARLY with the same amount of excitement that I came to with this one.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS FOR THIS BOOK Yeah, ignore the first warning I put up about spoilers for other books in the series. Just this one.2.5When I originally finished [b:Last Sacrifice 6527740 Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319850978s/6527740.jpg 13385418], I gave it four stars right off the bat. I liked it, there wasn't anything I could think of that I hated, and it was rather addictive. However, as the night progressed and I had time to sleep on my thoughts, I found that it wasn't really worthy of a 4 star rating for me. So, then I adjusted it to a 3.5, and I still wasn't satisfied. So recently, I decided that I may not have hated too many things about it, there wasn't enough that I liked even for a 3.So, in this final installment of the [b:Vampire Academy 345627 Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331231240s/345627.jpg 335933] series, Rose is put on trial for the assassination of Queen Tatiana, after her stake is found in her chest. Lissa, Christian, Abe, Dimitri (who is also in custody for when he tried to defend Rose when the guardians arrived) break her out during the funeral by setting off some explosions and whatnot, and Rose and Dimitri go on the run, with Sydney driving the get away car. Meanwhile, as the mystery unravels as to who the killer is, Lissa begins to cause political scandal by vying for the spot as Queen of the Moroi world. So, one of my main complaints, which I normally have with many series finales: it ended on way too big of a Happily Ever After IMO, for Rose Hathaway of all people. Rose's actions in [b:Spirit Bound 6479259 Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291168967s/6479259.jpg 6670482] and [b:Last Sacrifice 6527740 Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319850978s/6527740.jpg 13385418] have turned me off from her character almost entirely. I still respect and love her witty humor and kick-ass attitude, but I cannot tolerate how [a:Richelle Mead 137902 Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1270374609p2/137902.jpg] chose to have Rose end the love triangle between Dimitri, Adrian, and Rose. Infidelity is not a good character trait in a character that many teenage girls look up to.Dimitri was still doing the whole “I cannot love you, for I have hurt you.” Completely annoying, and was just thrown in there clearly for the angst. Any feelings Rose had towards Adrian, especially when she said she loved him and would spend the rest of her life with him felt forced, and unsincere. Loving him was easier it seemed for the author to portray than being IN love with him, which I suppose was the point.Also, I'm not happy with who they chose to be the murderer. I mean, sure, it added up, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. And OF COURSE they had to play the whole “And then she'd be out of the way so I can get him to be ALL MINE!” The crazy jealous bitch card doesn't work for me.There was enough action I suppose, but not too much, at least not enough for me considering the book is 594 pages. I was happy that Sydney was in the book. She is one of my favorite characters in the series (unpopular opinion, I know) and I'm glad that she's been in these last three books at least once. Definitely has me excited to see what she does in her spin-off series.Lissa has become my favorite character in this whole series. I personally have loved her since the beginning, and I feel like she has become a strong and independent woman as the series progresses, and I feel upset that she gets the raw end of the deal with a life she doesn't want. In fact, this entire book, I think Lissa's trials were the most interesting part.Too bad that this series went so damn downhill.Seriously, stop after [b:Blood Promise 5996153 Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301497306s/5996153.jpg 6651007], because that's when my enjoyment was lost. In terms of which book I enjoyed the most, this is my list from favorite to least favorite.1. [b:Shadow Kiss 2802316 Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, #3) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331982358s/2802316.jpg 6651006]2. [b:Blood Promise 5996153 Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301497306s/5996153.jpg 6651007]3. [b:Vampire Academy 345627 Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331231240s/345627.jpg 335933]4. [b:Frostbite 2282133 Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331231545s/2282133.jpg 6651004]5. [b:Spirit Bound 6479259 Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291168967s/6479259.jpg 6670482]6. [b:Last Sacrifice 6527740 Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) Richelle Mead http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319850978s/6527740.jpg 13385418]
Well that's one way to end a book.
I went into this one pretty much knowing that I was going to love it.
After having a marathon of non-stop horrible books (with two good books, but mainly just plain bad or okay) I knew it was about time I read something that I knew would at least entertain me.
So, in this installment, Mac continues to live at Barrons Books & Baubles while continuing to search for the Sinsar Dubh (or The Book) and being Jericoh Barrons personal OOP (Objects of Power) Detector. However, she is soon caught between a triangle of alliance between Barrons, V'lane, the Death-by-Sex fey who is trying to get Mac to help him find The Book for the Seelie queen, and Mac herself. At the same time, she is still working on finding and killing the Lord Master to avenge Alina's murder.
Really, the books have a pretty similar plot, so that summary is actually rather generic.
Not to say that the book is the exact same thing over and over, because they're not. The ending of this book is completely different from the first two installments, especially the cliffhanger ending!
Mac herself is a great heroine. She's not the smartest girl ever, and she acknowledges that, instead of making up excuses for when she's being, well, stupid (those moments are very rare though, but since she is human she makes mistakes). She's tough as well, and isn't afraid to kick Unseelie ass. You can sympathize with her, and throughout all three installments I've been able to feel her grief over the death of her sister Alina. The ending of this book truly has me scared as to what is going to happen to her in the next two books, which is always a good sign!
Now, we go to Jericho Barrons. Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. You can really irritate me. He is one of the most mysterious, enigmatic, and secretive characters I've ever come across. Some of his interactions with Mac still frustrate me, but I've come to accept that that is simply who Barrons is. Then, the thing that irks me most. The secrets, that he so refuses to give. This guy clearly does not know the meaning of the word answer. Still, I can't help but enjoy his character!
The third part of our triangle, V'lane, has always been a character I've wanted to see more. He's made brief appearances in the two previous installments, and let's face it, his scenes with Mac were hot (which I guess was the point since he does kill people by having sex with them). Once again, I did enjoy what he did for the book, and also, ANSWERS. This guy clearly is vastly different than Jericho in this department. Kind of just want him and Mac to hook up one time at least. IMO it would be very . . . interesting.
Thanks to V'lane, the mythology in this book is fleshed out and even more interesting! We finally have reasons for the wall that is slowly crumbling, information on how the Unseelie came to be, and we even found out about the infamous Book.
The last 30-35 pages of this book were just excellent! One of the most exciting climaxes I've had the pleasure of coming across in a book. Rather haunting as well, but you need to read the book to understand why. To give a feeling, this is the excerpt from Mac's journal you get on the first page of Part Three: Dawn:
“Turned out I was wrong.
It wasn't the dark I should have been afraid of, at all.”
Now I must find a way to get the fourth book (and fifth book I've been told since the cliffhanger is supposedly even more insane) ASAP.
Honestly, I can't say I was too surprised by the ending. I've seen plenty of “OMG WTF WAS THAT?!” reviews on the ending.Now, don't get me wrong, it's one helluva cliffhanger for a stand alone(?)and it's not really a BAD cliffhanger. But. . . .It's been done before.If you haven't seen the movie “Changeling” starring Angelina Joelie, and you've read Dead to You, then go watch it and you'll get what I mean. The whole idea of that with the changeling (no it's not about faeries, but a boy who was kidnapped) and how it was executed was a little too similar to Dead to You. Plus, I saw that coming from a mile away to be honest.So, aside from that semi-iffy ending, I still really enjoyed this! It's the only solid four star book to get on my “2012 Favorites” shelf. I'm definitely in the minority with McMann's books. I've read practically all of her work besides her middle grade novel The Unwanteds, and after seeing Kelly Leigh and Richard Denney's low ratings, I don't think I want to.To truly enjoy a McMann novel, at least her YA ones, you need to:1. Be tolerable with present tense (I know some people who absolutely hate it) 2. Be okay with kind of out-there endings3. Be okay with choppy sentences, which are really only in her Dream Catcher Trilogy ([b:Wake 1661957 Wake (Dream Catcher, #1) Lisa McMann http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293806190s/1661957.jpg 1656772], [b:Fade 3657138 Fade (Dream Catcher, #2) Lisa McMann http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293805966s/3657138.jpg 3700340], and [b:Gone 7124095 Gone (Dream Catcher, #3) Lisa McMann http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269866682s/7124095.jpg 6474015].The premise of this book is entirely interesting and fairly original. Sixteen year old Ethan De Wilde was kidnapped when he was only seven in front of his then four-year-old brother Blake. After being abandoned by the woman that originally kidnapped him in a group home in Nebraska, he has traveled back home, with no memory of his life before being kidnapped, nor the actual kidnapping itself.This book was wholely addictive. With the exception of [b:Gone 7124095 Gone (Dream Catcher, #3) Lisa McMann http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269866682s/7124095.jpg 6474015] I've always devoured her books in a matter of hours. This one was no exception. The characters are equally compelling. Despite his douche bag-ness througout the majority of the book, Blake, now Ethan's thirteen year old brother, was one of the characters that broke my heart in the end. Seriously, that last scene, when Ethan sees Gracie's face (she is the kid his parents had after Ethan had been gone for about three years) I was so damn depressed. Ethan's mom as well.Then Ethan himself. Ethan is broken, frustrated, and completely realistic. His character just truly jumps right off the page, and when you finally learn the truth at the end of the book, you're heart will break for him as well as everybody in that scene.The romance in the book was pretty decent. Since the book is only 243 pages it doesn't have the most time to develop, and doesn't really even come into play until the final half of the book. Overall, Dead to You was great! Seriously though, that ending both had me rolling my eyes and gasping.
Really dissapointed in this one.
Too many glossed over scenes (Rose's exam, the fight with our favorite Strigoi, etc.), the climax happens far too early (around the 290 page mark), and Rose really got on my nerves, using Adrian, then going back to Adrian, and Dimitri got on my nerves with the whole, “I can't be with you because I've hurt you!”
Listen dude, she doesn't care! Drop the angst and get over it!
The ending does leave me hopeful for Last Sacrifice, so we'll see how that turns out.
