Natália
So, this was ok if you enjoy YA mystery novels in boarding schools and a touch of something PLL-esque. But I found that the answer was kinda obvious from almost the beginning of the novel and every time something happened it only lead right into the directions it was pointed at from the start - which, in a mystery/thriller novel, where the thrill is to try to discover what happens and be surprised at the plot twists, it's not a very good thing. It took most of my enjoyment of the story and the characters, though relatable, were very simplistic and without a very good development (except for one character, who I really enjoyed the arc, despite being a secondary one). The ending got me a bit nervous and it had that good tension a book like this needs, but, again, everything that happened was spelled out from the beginning. I'm a little disappointed because of this, but if you don't mind it and likes to know how the story will unfurl even though you already guessed everything, it's a nice read.
"I will not belong to anyone but myself."
I was a bit afraid going into this book because I didn't like Four's POV in the last book in the trilogy, but I was pleasantly surprised because Roth seems to have grasped Four's voice. This doesn't add much to the main series, but I enjoyed getting some background on Tobias, what he went through with his father, why he decided to leave Abnegation for Dauntless, how his initiation was, who he was friends with and how everything tied up to the Divergent trilogy as a whole. But that sums the first two short stories, my favorites, because I found the last two a bit slow and the last one per say was basically a summed up Divergent in Four's perspective...so, completely unnecessary. Still, I enjoyed finishing up in this world with this book
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
This was such a dark, gritty story! I absolutely loved every minute of it. The whole X-Men vibe and the revenge aspect made everything more interesting. I especially enjoyed the back and forth between past and present and the countdown to the final showdown between Eli and Victor, as well as the alternating POV. Schwab's writing is amazing, as always, I love the dark vibe all her books have and she always develops her characters and her stories so well - I'm always immersed in her books and this one was no different. I enjoyed the twists and by the end, I just couldn't put the book down until it was over. I managed to read a snippet into the next novel and was very curious as to where Schwab will go with the story, especially after where it left. BUT from the prologue, I was hooked! I can't wait to get my hands on it and continue on in this world!
“Everyone is a little crazy. The only difference between us and them is that they hide it better.”
Well, I wasn't expecting this. I remembered that the first book in this trilogy was a little chilling and had this suspenseful vibe and a bit of a terror feel to it, but there were times I just couldn't read this at night. It had me anxious for Mara and her family and sad because no one believes her and she's suffering so much! When I thought things would be ok, another big turn came and left me reeling. It was one of the things I enjoyed in this second installment - the pacing was super fast and there was a lot happening, and the author managed to introduce a new mystery inside the one we're already dealing with, and I believe it will be the bigger plot of the final novel. There were also some plot twists I didn't see coming at all that turned the story to a direction I was not anticipating but that made complete sense and had me very interested to see where it's going. The ending was a roller-coaster of emotions and I couldn't help but reach for the next novel right away.
But there were a couple of things that I didn't love as much, Noah & Mara's relationship is one. Yes, they are cute and I like how Noah believes and supports Mara through everything and sometimes he's the only thread holding her together, but the drama between them, especially the kissing/making up thing, is getting kinda old. I also don't particularly like all that intensity between them, it feels like too much for a couple of teenagers, despite all they've been through. The other thing that bothered me a lot in the novel was how the entire subject of mental health was dealt with, especially by Mara and the people who were at Horizons with her. Yes, in the end, some of it made sense, but it felt like she and the others were making fun or belittling treatments that actually work and save lives just because they are teenagers and are supposed to hate everything and find everything boring and stupid. And people who had actual mental health issues were being...kind of made fun of? Or called crazy and weird? That didn't sit well with me at all, so I had to take a star out of the rating.
I still enjoyed this a lot, maybe more than the first book, and I'm really curious to see how the ending will unfold. I don't know if I'll read Noah's books, mainly because I've been told they are not as good and they mess with the story that is well-wrapped after the third installment. I don't know, maybe I'll read just the first one to see how do I feel about it, who knows.
“It was too lonely to be heaven, and there wouldn't be stars in hell.”
I went into this book without knowing what to expect - it was on my Kindle for so long I didn't remember much of the synopsis. I found the overall premise to be interesting, the whole revenant thing and monsters living among us, but it didn't deliver what it promised. There was little to no sense of danger to the main character (who was ok but lacked a bit of personality and spark to me), and the big things of the book were resolved without much effort. There was this underlying mystery through the novel, but it was not as interesting and honestly, it led to a very lukewarm ending. So, I have to say I'm disappointed. The writing is very fluid, but this was by no means a page-turner and overall it was a “meh to ok” book.
“In other words, being born with a certain ability does not mean we are obliged to use it, and in rare cases, we are obliged not to."
This was a very interesting, Grimm fairytales-like book. I enjoyed most of the tales, and I thought it was a good expansion of this world, especially with the first of the Ymbrynes story. It was also a reminder that people fear and distrust who is different, and therefore are often violent and cruel, instead of embracing it, and it's clear through all the tales - which makes most of them really sad. Even though the Miss Peregrine series is not a favorite of mine, I'm happy to have some closure on it (no, I won't be reading the new series) and this was the perfect book to do it.
“It's always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.”
Definitely a strong contender for my favorite book of 2019! Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is so fluid and so vivid! She wrote interesting, complex characters, so realistic and fleshed out I found myself forgetting that Evelyn wasn't a real person at times. And I wished more than once that her movies, the iconic green dress, all of it were real because I felt like I knew her, like she was really this iconic, mysterious movie star whose life and romances captured the world. The author managed to capture the old Hollywood feel, and the book is atmospheric and transports you into it - I just wanted to keep going till the end. It was also my first audiobook experience and I really enjoyed, it's well narrated and I like some of the different voices.
Though there were a few twists that I saw coming, I was already loving the story so much I didn't mind. I can't wait to dive into other Taylor Jenkins Reid's books!
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
Well, this was disappointing. I came into this book knowing just the general lines of the story because of how famous it is, and I have watched /read next to none of the adaptations, so it was all fresh. Sadly, reading it alongside a retelling such as “The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein”, it only served to highlight everything I disliked about the original work.
The writing was surprisingly fluid, but the fact that Victor was the narrator was the main factor for why I disliked this. He is the WORST character and even worst as narrator - he's whiny and victimizes himself too much, trying to put the blame of his actions in everyone and everything except himself. The monster, despite all he did, was the victim in this story and I felt for him a lot, especially when he tells his story. I would've wanted my revenge as well if I suffered what he did.
The author said in the preface of the book that she wanted the readers to feel the terror that she felt in her nightmare when she came up with the idea for Frankenstein, but I didn't feel scared at all while reading - all I felt was anger and annoyance. As much as I admire Mary Shelley for what she's done at the time, this was another gothic classic that didn't work for me.
“Language was a vast, complicated tapestry. The key to communication was finding a common thread.”
Oh, how I missed Spindle Cove and it's strong, amazing women and overall charming residents! And although I loved to be back, I was left a little disappointed by this little tale. Violet is an amazing protagonist, she overcame a lot and grew into a strong-willed, determined, confident girl and she owned this - but her romantic pair, Christian, is an asshole, through and through. After what he did to Violet, he should grovel at her feet the whole of the 112 pages of this, and he seems to win her back so completely effortless while trying to do the exact same thing as before, it's maddening! I just couldn't understand his reasons for doing what he did and couldn't get past it to enjoy the romance. Also, this novella is full of the bad clichés of the genre, with real cringy-worth melodramatic speeches and the most ‘bleh' hot scene of all of Tessa's books. I don't know if it was because I wasn't so engaged in the couple, but I just couldn't get into it. In the end, I was left with the impression that Violet deserved better.
“Unchecked anger is a dangerous place from which to draw your magic. It's difficult to control. It can consume you totally, transform you into something else. Someone you don't recognize.”
This was my least favorite of the short stories volume because it felt like almost none of it complemented the main story or added anything to it. Polychrome's story was my absolute favorite and though it added little to the main plot, it served to expand the universe and Poly is a very interesting and fun character to follow. I wish she would've been better utilized in the novels, I felt like we've seen too little of her.
The second story, while it could've been interesting since it focused on the Order on its early stages, had two major problems: the main character of the story, who was a whiny, annoying thing, and Nox, who was his usual entitled and brooding (not in a good way) self. There were some hints about some possible plotlines later on, and we might see the MC from this story again, but apart from that, this was really expendable.
The third and last short started out really interesting - we see Mombi first realizing that something was going on with Oz, how she came to take care of Ozma and how Ozma was hidden all these years. But the second part had the same issue than the previous novel did - an annoying MC. And while it did explain some things we saw in book two, there were a lot more left unanswered and it was just an ok prequel. As I said, all in all, none of these added much into the main novels and though some of them were interesting and had bits that made me understand some characters better, I could've done without it.
"Sometimes the darkness lives inside you, and sometimes it wins."
Well, I wasn't expecting this at all when I started reading this novella. But honestly, I enjoyed getting the POV of someone who grew up outside a camp, who hasn't got any powers and it's living with the consequences of the aftermath of the sickness and the economic collapse. It expands the universe, paints a picture of the other side of things and adds complexity to the main story. Gabe is a very interesting and likable character - he's trying to get away, make a life for himself, escape the traumas from his past, but he's still got too much humanity to hunt for kids and he ends up making a mess of things...and encountering our bb Zu along the way! She was my favorite character, by far, in the first main novel, and I wondered what happened to her after what happened there, so it was nice to follow her for a while and see what became of her character. The dynamic between her and Gabe are amazing and I really wanted more of them (more so than Ruby and Liam, btw). There were a couple of scenes that broke my heart and a nice, heartwarming tie to the main series (or at least one of its characters). THAT ENDING THOUGH. ALEXANDRA, WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT. I'm hoping there will be more later on in the series because I can't accept this. YOU JUST CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I was a bit on the fence about reading the rest of the series, but now I just have to, thanks to this little gem here.
"Declan was tired of managing secrets. There was nothing brilliant about dreaming for the one left awake."
Well, I wasn't expecting this, but the dynamic between the Lynch family from Declan's perspective was really interesting - after The Dream Thieves and the discovery of Ronan's secrets, this snippet explains a lot about their weird relationship and I can now understand Declan's character more. I mean, he's the only ‘normal' one in the family, so having to grow up and managed all the dreaming stuff must have been hard sometimes. THE ENDING THOUGH. Maggie is a cliffhanger master and she knows the perfect way to leave us floored with just a sentence.
Another little Christmas drabble in the Raven Boys universe centered around Gansey. This was a bit longer than the last one, and I think more satisfying in a sense that you see that everything was kinda gearing up to the events of the books. I also love Stiefvater's writing, so I'm enjoying these little snippets.
Well, this was just a short snippet of a holiday piece, barely two pages long...but the personality of all the women of 300 Fox Way still shines through, even though they barely have lines. Persephone's everything, and letting everything look back was chilling and so so Persephone! I love this family and a tiny Christmas piece is enough to see them again. Too bad it was just so short.
“Your past is forever part of you, just as it is a part of me. And I loved that person, just as I love you.”
THIS IS THE SOFT DAYxJUNE CONTENT I WANTED IN MY LIFE. Such a sweet, adorable scene to fulfill our shipper's heart after that epilogue! I wanted more, 5 pages are way too short, but I have a feeling we'll have more of them in Rebel (I hope).
This was a very interesting insight into Quinn & Willow's character, especially Quinn's. We know from the first novel that they were cast out of their village because of something they did and that it was this dark secret, but here we get to see who, why, how and what the consequences were for them as characters. We also get to see a bit of Jared and how they came to meet. I felt for them, and I was glad for them to escape the horrible condition they were in, but it's sad that they were punished for it. I'm curious to see what will become of them in the next installments and what their plot will be.
“It was easer to rage than to despair.”
I found I enjoyed this book much more than I did “And I Darken”, mainly because the plot didn't drag in the middle, being a standalone book - the events were fast-paced and kept me interested throughout. What I love about Kiersten's writing is that she always write strong, complex female characters and though Elizabeth was not exactly the bastion for morale and good, I felt for her during the book and could understand some of her attitudes. I read this novel while reading the original work and it was interesting to see the parallels between them, as well as how the story changed depending on the POV. The ending is also more satisfying and more surprising, with some good plot twists and a darker tone. I didn't give it 5 full stars mainly because the final confrontations were a bit weak and too convenient and I was honestly wanting more after all the build-up. But overall, I really really enjoyed this and can say that I liked this one far better than the original Frankenstein (sorry, Shelley!) - and Victor is despicable in both.
"I love how you still think if you tell me to do something, I'll just check my brain at the door and do it."
I've loved my previous experience with C.J Redwine's writing, and it doesn't disappoint again. I like how fluid and intense her writing is, how she's unafraid of hurting the MCs and impacting the reader. The dystopic world she created here is interesting, but I think it has some holes in it that I hope will be better explained in the next installments because I felt during the whole novel that I was missing something and there were some confusing bits. I enjoyed how she went off the road I thought she would take, but that being said there weren't many surprises or shocking plot twists that blew me away - every ‘surprise' was pretty predictable and the main characters should've seen them coming as well.
I like our main characters, especially Logan - he's rational, smart, inventive and an overall just guy and a good leader, though I want to see him grown into this role more in the next novels. Rachel is very strong-willed, smart and capable, but sometimes her naivete, her inexperience, and impulsiveness got on my nerves a bit. The chemistry between them was good and I like their dynamic together, mainly because how complimentary they are of each other and how they balance each other out, but the romantic aspect was obvious and at times unnecessary - it took a bit from the main plot.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'm curious to see where the story is going and what will happen with these characters.
“For Balanquans, Ariniel's star is the wayfarers' star—the star that always brings you home, no matter how lost you are. The only thing a wanderer can count on.”
This was such a good surprise! Though I enjoyed The Glittering Court and was curious about Mira's adventures since that first novel, I wasn't expecting much from Richelle Mead. But this was way more interesting and compelling than the previous installment - much because Mira is way more interesting as a protagonist than Adelaide. There was this adventure/vigilante feel to this book that had me immersed in it and we get to see more of the Sirminican's culture, Mira's very complicated past, and Mead manages to expand a bit of the universe she created. Although this follows basically the same story as the previous one, the change in perspective and the main thread (that will eventually and surprisingly connect with the happenings of The Glittering Court) gave it a fresh feel.
Mira and Grant's relationship is just the kind I love, and they have such chemistry it's impossible not to root for them, though Grant has some issues that irritated me a little and at the end, I was kinda thinking that Mira would be better off alone. I enjoyed seeing what was going on behind the curtains of Cedric's trial and the plot that connected to the ending of the first novel. I also loved Mira's friendship with Adelaide and Tamsin and the love they have for each other, but I was glad that this book didn't take place in the Glittering Court as much - only enough to tie with some main events from the previous novel and to further some of Mira's plotlines and development of character. This also had way more plot twists than the previous one, and I thought the ending was stronger.
After finishing this one, I can't help but be excited about the final novel and Tamsin's story - out of the three, she is the more mysterious one, seems to be the more complex character and her involvement with the Icori and the time she spent after the shipwreck have been picking my interest since the first book. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
“What's more frightening? The known or the unknown?”
I...don't know how I feel about this ending. It was sweet and there were good answers for a lot of questions, but at the same time, A LOT was left out. Janan, the promised big evil of the trilogy wasn't that impressive as a villain and honestly, I was more afraid with his minions, who blindly followed his every world and were so afraid of losing their status quo that murder became justifiable to eliminate those who thought differently, than of his 10 pages appearance. There was a lot at stake here and I liked that there were losses and consequences, so the sense of danger was very present, as it should be in the conclusion of a series.
Ana's development during the books was just so amazing! She really grows and learns from her mistakes and we see her embodies the leadership placed on her, even if she didn't want it in the first place. She's brave and determined and is willing to sacrifice herself for her people. She's compassionated and empathic and that goes a long way for her. But I love that she's still flawed - she is insecure sometimes, and she does make mistakes because she's ‘new' and untried, but, as I said, she learns from all this and comes out stronger and more capable. I hate that people, as much as they claim to be her friends and that they believe her, still don't believe or trust her instincts or her ideas and get mad at her for things that are beyond her (ahem, Stef).
I also was a little irritated with the romance. I knew from book one how heavy on this aspect it was, but it never bothered me before because it didn't take much from the main plot and it was well developed and helped the main character's evolution. But here the whole thing took an ‘unnecessary drama' aspect and while the author tried to build up the moment between the main couple and take their relationship to the next level in several ocasions, when she finally did it was in the worst possible moment and it was kinda cringy. And then there's Sam. His character is just completely useless - he serves absolutely no purpose except being Ana's romantic interest, a source of jealousy and drama between two female characters and setbacks for Ana. And that is it. Since the second volume, he's been getting on my nerves and I couldn't see his purpose within the plot, and though it's hinted here that he has something with him that can be the answer, it is never shown or used.
Overall the ending was a little confusing and the resolution was...ok, kinda, but it didn't explain much and there wasn't a big plot twist to keep things interesting. The epilogue was sweet, but that was it. I liked Meadows writing, it's fluid and there's a certain poetic aspect to it, but this series in particular lacked a proper world development, lacked answers and a strong ending. I do hope her later books are better, with a more developed writing.
“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
Another interesting read about notorious women who were serial killers and how they often were left undetected for a long time or are not as ‘famous' as male serial killers like Jack The Reaper or Ted Bundy because the society finds it hard to fathom that women can do evil things like these or have the guts to do so. The author did a really great researching job and brought these women to life.
"No fim, talvez sejamos todos realmente monstros, não?"
This was an interesting book that explores different mythologies and scary tales that fills our imagination. This edition is beautiful and full of illustrations, and it was my mindless read - I often read a couple of chapters about a creature when I wasn't in the mood to read anything else or needed a break.
“Wasn't that what religions did? Squint at one another and declare, 'My unprovable belief is better than your unprovable belief. Suck it.'”
What an ending! Although I had complete faith in Laini Taylor's writing and was expecting this last book to be amazing, I couldn't even begin to guess the direction this story was taking and the emotional roller-coaster she would put me through during the novel. In this fast-paced, action-packed, heart-wrenching last installment, she manages to tie up all the loose ends, gives us readers a satisfactory, if kinda bittersweet ending to all our favorite characters, while managing to introduce new pieces and characters and makes us care for them just as much. Her writing is as beautiful and lyric as ever, but that was actually one point that bothered me here - she uses a lot of metaphors to describe almost everything and that stretched out some things somewhat unnecessarily and it was over descriptive at times. But honestly, while that bugged me at times while reading, I can't say it was something that took from my utter love from this book and this trilogy.
Mik and Zuze are still my favorites, I love how they fit in so well here and they take every strange thing in stride while being brave and cute and funny and overall amazing. Liraz surprised me here, we were shown a side of her character I wasn't expecting and I utterly loved. Karou and Akiva made me sigh, made me despair and hope and cry and I love their story to pieces. It is really a love story for the ages. There aren't as many plot twists here or at least surprising ones, but, as I said, I was taken by surprise by the direction the story went and how everything tied up to something we didn't even realize existed before.
This whole trilogy became a favorite from the first book and I can't be happier with how it wrapped up, and obviously I can't wait to read more from Laini Taylor!