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3044d39612948e06d8394d92748c36e8

2013-03-30

[[0, "I didn't like this one as much as the previous three."], [0, 'The characters and writing and everything are still very likable, but the situations were more of a problem for me.'], [0, "(This review isn't really a review but a collection of my thoughts."], [0, 'The first books have more of my opinions of the series.'], [0, "A number of my thoughts surround plot points, so I'mma just spoiler all the rest.)"], [1, "Perhaps the main thing is that there isn't as much of a specific goal in this book."], [1, 'I suppose the biggest thing is escaping, but the story neither builds much to it nor ends with it.'], [1, "There's a lot of interaction, some of it with thoughts of escape, but most of it with other topics."], [1, "Then things contrive together to allow the escape, but it's really drawn out - not only over a couple days to leave the house, but also over much longer as they try to leave the country."], [1, 'Perhaps the worst part is that the biggest drama at the end is solved by something that nobody knew could happen, which makes it kinda meh.'], [1, 'So, there was that.'], [1, 'Also, alchemy and slavery were introduced, despite neither being mentioned at all previously.'], [1, 'Not a big thing, though it just made this story feel very disconnected from the previous ones.'], [1, "I realize that Flewelling has an intention of making this more a series of events in Alec and Seregil's lives than a series with overarching plot, but it still would be nice if there was some more consistency in the world between the books."], [1, "One thing I did like was the writing about Alec's death."], [1, "I can't remember what I thought when I read it originally, so this time is colored with the knowledge of what's going to happen, but I just thought the flashes of other people feeling the death was nifty."], [1, 'It did a good job being ominous I thought, without trying too hard.'], [1, 'Just like Stalking Darkness, I think the way Flewelling writes doom/dread is really good.'], [1, 'There was not much Alec/Seregil and too much Ilar.'], [1, "Perhaps it was the intention, but I couldn't stand him at all."], [1, 'Neither while he was being an ass to Seregil or while he was trying to be friendly/seduce Alec.'], [1, "I suppose the way that we did see Seregil's pov at the same time as Alec's so we knew who Khenir/Ilar was made it very difficult to consider him in unbiased light."], [1, "Then again, I remembered that that was the case from the first time I read, so even the time before Seregil revealed him didn't allow me to start to like him."], [1, "Sarah said it once and I have to agree with her, Sebrahn's kinda creepy."], [1, 'Thero is really starting to come around; I rather like him.'], [1, 'More Micum is definitely welcome.'], [1, "The complete lack of Beka is sad, but I suppose she has nothing to do with this story, so it's understandable enough."], [1, "I know it's a stupid thing and I know I've mentioned it before, but I still wish the narration would be more clear as to which language is being spoken."], [1, 'One time it especially stuck out was at the tavern in Viresse.'], [1, 'Does Thero know Plenimaran?'], [1, 'That would be my first guess as to which language makes most sense.'], [1, 'Does Micum know Aurenfaie?'], [1, 'That would seem the most possible one that both Thero and Micum would know, but why would Plenimaran slavers speak Aurenfaie?'], [1, "I can't imagine they'd be speaking Skalan, considering their disgust at the thought of Micum and Thero being Skalan."], [1, 'That instance in particular just really bothered me.'], [1, 'By the way, why do Mycenians and Skalan both speak Skalan but all the other countries/cultures that have been mentioned have their own languages?'], [0, "When I started rereading this book, I thought that this plot was in The White Road and I couldn't remember what happened in this one."], [0, "Now I'm wondering what happens in that one because I can only remember how it ends and I have no recollection of how it takes an entire book to get there."], [0, "I guess I'll find out soon enough."]]

2065091

b7d400adeaeb4c77488a556b143b05b8

I didn't like this one as much as the previous three. The characters and writing and everything are still very likable, but the situations were more of a problem for me. (This review isn't really a review but a collection of my thoughts. The first books have more of my opinions of the series. A number of my thoughts surround plot points, so I'mma just spoiler all the rest.) Perhaps the main thing is that there isn't as much of a specific goal in this book. I suppose the biggest thing is escaping, but the story neither builds much to it nor ends with it. There's a lot of interaction, some of it with thoughts of escape, but most of it with other topics. Then things contrive together to allow the escape, but it's really drawn out - not only over a couple days to leave the house, but also over much longer as they try to leave the country. Perhaps the worst part is that the biggest drama at the end is solved by something that nobody knew could happen, which makes it kinda meh. So, there was that. Also, alchemy and slavery were introduced, despite neither being mentioned at all previously. Not a big thing, though it just made this story feel very disconnected from the previous ones. I realize that Flewelling has an intention of making this more a series of events in Alec and Seregil's lives than a series with overarching plot, but it still would be nice if there was some more consistency in the world between the books. One thing I did like was the writing about Alec's death. I can't remember what I thought when I read it originally, so this time is colored with the knowledge of what's going to happen, but I just thought the flashes of other people feeling the death was nifty. It did a good job being ominous I thought, without trying too hard. Just like Stalking Darkness, I think the way Flewelling writes doom/dread is really good. There was not much Alec/Seregil and too much Ilar. Perhaps it was the intention, but I couldn't stand him at all. Neither while he was being an ass to Seregil or while he was trying to be friendly/seduce Alec. I suppose the way that we did see Seregil's pov at the same time as Alec's so we knew who Khenir/Ilar was made it very difficult to consider him in unbiased light. Then again, I remembered that that was the case from the first time I read, so even the time before Seregil revealed him didn't allow me to start to like him. Sarah said it once and I have to agree with her, Sebrahn's kinda creepy. Thero is really starting to come around; I rather like him. More Micum is definitely welcome. The complete lack of Beka is sad, but I suppose she has nothing to do with this story, so it's understandable enough. I know it's a stupid thing and I know I've mentioned it before, but I still wish the narration would be more clear as to which language is being spoken. One time it especially stuck out was at the tavern in Viresse. Does Thero know Plenimaran? That would be my first guess as to which language makes most sense. Does Micum know Aurenfaie? That would seem the most possible one that both Thero and Micum would know, but why would Plenimaran slavers speak Aurenfaie? I can't imagine they'd be speaking Skalan, considering their disgust at the thought of Micum and Thero being Skalan. That instance in particular just really bothered me. By the way, why do Mycenians and Skalan both speak Skalan but all the other countries/cultures that have been mentioned have their own languages? When I started rereading this book, I thought that this plot was in The White Road and I couldn't remember what happened in this one. Now I'm wondering what happens in that one because I can only remember how it ends and I have no recollection of how it takes an entire book to get there. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

7e4326b3a58d9c63117678603755ae52

2010-03-30

[[0, 'Unlike other recent YA fiction releases about polygamy, this book went all the way.'], [0, "It wasn't just set in a mysterious polygamous religious community, it was set in the FLDS church."], [0, 'It also went all the way in terms of marrying the main character off and making her escape quite difficult (though it seemed to me that that fizzled a little in the end, but maybe in a realistic way).'], [0, 'Quite good, and very well done.'], [0, "I would have liked to see more questioning of Alva Jane's faith--coming to terms with what she's told to believe versus what she actually believes--but then that's what I always want to see."]]

6659606

fc14329f88301c536dabb98531812161

Unlike other recent YA fiction releases about polygamy, this book went all the way. It wasn't just set in a mysterious polygamous religious community, it was set in the FLDS church. It also went all the way in terms of marrying the main character off and making her escape quite difficult (though it seemed to me that that fizzled a little in the end, but maybe in a realistic way). Quite good, and very well done. I would have liked to see more questioning of Alva Jane's faith--coming to terms with what she's told to believe versus what she actually believes--but then that's what I always want to see.

d7e9f13859553eaed9e660c33a8d8aaf

2014-02-25

[[0, 'Prepare for some feels.'], [0, "Do not read spoilers if you don't want to be spoiled."], [0, 'I really liked the book, and I find it better than Clockwork Angel.'], [1, 'I threw the book across the room, because I needed a minute to process Tessa and Jem getting married, and Will getting his heart broken, as well as mine.'], [0, 'Cassandra knows how to mess with your heart strings in this book if you guys are in love with Will.'], [0, "If you're in love with Jem, then you should be super happy around the end of the book."], [0, 'Are you with Will or Jem?'], [0, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to read Clockwork Princess now, because I need to know what is going to go down."]]

10025305

d4af0895fa2cf5b17c357bf134bc1a79

Prepare for some feels. Do not read spoilers if you don't want to be spoiled. I really liked the book, and I find it better than Clockwork Angel. I threw the book across the room, because I needed a minute to process Tessa and Jem getting married, and Will getting his heart broken, as well as mine. Cassandra knows how to mess with your heart strings in this book if you guys are in love with Will. If you're in love with Jem, then you should be super happy around the end of the book. Are you with Will or Jem? If you'll excuse me, I'm going to read Clockwork Princess now, because I need to know what is going to go down.

4fdc338dc1d6c28ab961a0488777c8be

2015-06-26

[[0, 'Sigh...It makes me sad that I am not enjoying this spin-off series.'], [0, "As always I have mixed feelings about Ridley... (it's like Rachel on Friends or Robyn on HIMYM, I don't understand why everyone wants to be with her.)"], [0, "I don't think it's just a siren thing."], [0, 'I am worried that Link is getting dumber and I was so frustrated reading this once the met with up Angelique.'], [1, 'Everything she does reminds you of Sarafine Duchannes... Come on son put two and two together!!'], [1, "So I wasn't surprised when the SD Sample was revealed but I was curious about how Silas got it"], [0, 'But I love Lucille and Sampson.'], [0, 'The haunted house chapter was nothing short of awesome!!'], [0, 'I was glad to see Liv and John Breed in the story.'], [0, 'Plus Liv being feisty with Floyd is great!'], [0, 'Is there more in the series?'], [0, 'Will I read them?'], [0, 'Really not sure.'], [0, 'Link needs to be smarter.']]

22798836

88a5b0a61da8b3fb4945a82c41dbbba3

Sigh...It makes me sad that I am not enjoying this spin-off series. As always I have mixed feelings about Ridley... (it's like Rachel on Friends or Robyn on HIMYM, I don't understand why everyone wants to be with her.) I don't think it's just a siren thing. I am worried that Link is getting dumber and I was so frustrated reading this once the met with up Angelique. Everything she does reminds you of Sarafine Duchannes... Come on son put two and two together!! So I wasn't surprised when the SD Sample was revealed but I was curious about how Silas got it But I love Lucille and Sampson. The haunted house chapter was nothing short of awesome!! I was glad to see Liv and John Breed in the story. Plus Liv being feisty with Floyd is great! Is there more in the series? Will I read them? Really not sure. Link needs to be smarter.

cc5560cfd003147aa3c385aa6f0dc6a4

2016-11-03

[[0, 'I enjoyed this series... I was lucky to read all three books in a row and they kept me turning the pages... I loved the world the author created, the rules of magic, and the parallel universes.'], [0, 'However, the romantic part of the book went the opposite way from where I wanted it to go and I was so disappointed!'], [0, "I'm sure most readers will agree with the author and not with me, but I don't seem to be able to let it go."], [1, "Which only goes to say how well built the characters were... But At the end of book two when Tristan died, I didn't want to believe it."], [1, "I don't know, he just dying like that seemed a bit off."], [1, "When there's a love triangle I prefer a choice be made and not a character just being killed off."], [1, 'It got even worse in this book, where not only Tristan remained dead, but he was also made to be the bad guy so that Lily could get over his death with no remorse.'], [1, 'Eh!'], [1, "I never warmed up to Rowan, don't ask me why I don't know!"], [1, "So Tristan being dead, staying dead, and being made a jerk postmortem didn't seat well with me."]]

23008469

5fbf20150bf23bbbd93afe3cfee53374

I enjoyed this series... I was lucky to read all three books in a row and they kept me turning the pages... I loved the world the author created, the rules of magic, and the parallel universes. However, the romantic part of the book went the opposite way from where I wanted it to go and I was so disappointed! I'm sure most readers will agree with the author and not with me, but I don't seem to be able to let it go. Which only goes to say how well built the characters were... But At the end of book two when Tristan died, I didn't want to believe it. I don't know, he just dying like that seemed a bit off. When there's a love triangle I prefer a choice be made and not a character just being killed off. It got even worse in this book, where not only Tristan remained dead, but he was also made to be the bad guy so that Lily could get over his death with no remorse. Eh! I never warmed up to Rowan, don't ask me why I don't know! So Tristan being dead, staying dead, and being made a jerk postmortem didn't seat well with me.

a0ae3f368238d27f577844589cad7baf

2013-07-20

[[0, "This is billed as Gaiman's first adult book in nearly a decade, which is not, I think, strictly true."], [0, "It's not a children's book because it doesn't seem possible to write it as a children's book, except it's written in a way that is, more than anything else, evocative of Diana Wynne Jones's books for children."], [0, "Partially, this is because Gaiman writes his seven year protagonist as a child and not as an adult's idea of a child."], [0, "He writes like a children's author, at least insofar as he writers a character that is meant to be relatable to children."], [0, "The boy at the heart of this novel feels like a child's idea of a child, not an adult's."], [0, 'This is a good thing.'], [0, 'Additionally, I had this sense while reading the novel that...everything was going to be okay.'], [0, 'Or okay enough.'], [0, 'That the bad things that were happening were the bad things that happen in fairy tales and that, to paraphrase G K Chesterton, can be defeated.'], [0, "I spent the novel trusting Gaiman as an author in a way that I don't usually trust authors when they ostensibly write for adults."], [0, 'Still, content wise, this was not a book that adults would really feel comfortable reading to children.'], [0, '(The fact that it felt more like Coraline than any of his other books says more about the author than the book, I think).'], [0, 'It was a deeply immersive and almost painfully compelling story, one that taps into the part of our psyche that feeds off of fairy tales and memories of childhood.'], [0, 'It feels true, even if not a factual representation of a childhood that happened.'], [0, 'And it was beautiful in the way that stark prose can be beautiful.'], [0, "If you've ever read Diana Wynne Jones's Time of the Ghost, then you will be familiar with this genre where the author mines his or her own childhood to create a sense of the fantastic and a feel for the things we may or may not dare to believe as children."], [0, "If you haven't, I highly recommend that as well."]]

15783514

b2200b16c666cf1fbb09790b478edc59

This is billed as Gaiman's first adult book in nearly a decade, which is not, I think, strictly true. It's not a children's book because it doesn't seem possible to write it as a children's book, except it's written in a way that is, more than anything else, evocative of Diana Wynne Jones's books for children. Partially, this is because Gaiman writes his seven year protagonist as a child and not as an adult's idea of a child. He writes like a children's author, at least insofar as he writers a character that is meant to be relatable to children. The boy at the heart of this novel feels like a child's idea of a child, not an adult's. This is a good thing. Additionally, I had this sense while reading the novel that...everything was going to be okay. Or okay enough. That the bad things that were happening were the bad things that happen in fairy tales and that, to paraphrase G K Chesterton, can be defeated. I spent the novel trusting Gaiman as an author in a way that I don't usually trust authors when they ostensibly write for adults. Still, content wise, this was not a book that adults would really feel comfortable reading to children. (The fact that it felt more like Coraline than any of his other books says more about the author than the book, I think). It was a deeply immersive and almost painfully compelling story, one that taps into the part of our psyche that feeds off of fairy tales and memories of childhood. It feels true, even if not a factual representation of a childhood that happened. And it was beautiful in the way that stark prose can be beautiful. If you've ever read Diana Wynne Jones's Time of the Ghost, then you will be familiar with this genre where the author mines his or her own childhood to create a sense of the fantastic and a feel for the things we may or may not dare to believe as children. If you haven't, I highly recommend that as well.

c4b5fd2c733469fc3e83e86ccfd6ce37

2017-01-07

[[0, 'Wow.. During the first two chapters of this book I thought I was never going to finish it and then Tamlin appeared and I was not able to put it down.'], [0, 'Lucien is by far my favorite, Lucien is too good for this world, too pure.'], [0, 'However, I am also fond of both Tamlin and Rhys.'], [0, 'Actually all of the characters have such depts and backstories, I love each and every one of them.'], [0, 'What an emotional rollercoaster this was.'], [0, 'I have Court of Mist and Fury laying next to me so I can continue right away but I actually think I am going to wait until tomorrow with it to let it all sink and process in my mind because this was one hell of a ride and one I certainly enjoyed a lot.'], [0, 'I am just a little mad about how super easy the riddle was to solve and that it took Feyre forever but considering I loved the rest of the book, I will forgive it.']]

16096824

4be89c2d8e737befe92bb80f1d22aff8

Wow.. During the first two chapters of this book I thought I was never going to finish it and then Tamlin appeared and I was not able to put it down. Lucien is by far my favorite, Lucien is too good for this world, too pure. However, I am also fond of both Tamlin and Rhys. Actually all of the characters have such depts and backstories, I love each and every one of them. What an emotional rollercoaster this was. I have Court of Mist and Fury laying next to me so I can continue right away but I actually think I am going to wait until tomorrow with it to let it all sink and process in my mind because this was one hell of a ride and one I certainly enjoyed a lot. I am just a little mad about how super easy the riddle was to solve and that it took Feyre forever but considering I loved the rest of the book, I will forgive it.

96f335023d9138bcfbf2e4d2f8933f77

2015-03-02

[[0, "I'd heard so many great things about Rainbow Rowell's books and when I got Elanor & Park as a lightening deal thing on Amazon, I was super excited."], [0, 'Of course, Elanor & Park sat on my shelve for a couple months and my excitement died down.'], [0, 'But when I seen Rainbow tweeted about how the movie rights have been sold, I got excited again.'], [0, 'I had really high hopes for this book.'], [0, 'I was not let down.'], [0, "While the characters are flawed, they're still likeable (sometimes annoying) and relatable."], [0, "They're not perfect but they're real."], [0, 'And I really liked that.'], [0, "There's not insta-love and it's not a slow, boring love."], [0, 'It grows over time.'], [0, "There are bumps along the way and sometimes they don't think they can make it work."], [0, "But it's all very believable."], [0, 'The whole book is really emotional and heart-breaking.'], [0, "At times I wanted to cry but then I'd read a couple more pages and I'd laugh out loud."], [0, 'Rainbow Rowell is an amazing writer.'], [0, 'Her style is perfect in every way.'], [0, "And she's the master at dual perspective."]]

15745753

cb7425a9e395b755b981c1faa091ef24

I'd heard so many great things about Rainbow Rowell's books and when I got Elanor & Park as a lightening deal thing on Amazon, I was super excited. Of course, Elanor & Park sat on my shelve for a couple months and my excitement died down. But when I seen Rainbow tweeted about how the movie rights have been sold, I got excited again. I had really high hopes for this book. I was not let down. While the characters are flawed, they're still likeable (sometimes annoying) and relatable. They're not perfect but they're real. And I really liked that. There's not insta-love and it's not a slow, boring love. It grows over time. There are bumps along the way and sometimes they don't think they can make it work. But it's all very believable. The whole book is really emotional and heart-breaking. At times I wanted to cry but then I'd read a couple more pages and I'd laugh out loud. Rainbow Rowell is an amazing writer. Her style is perfect in every way. And she's the master at dual perspective.

b4c284900603fbfde4fa527a7710756e

2013-03-16

[[0, 'Read about this book and others in my "Reading List of Popcorn Dystopia" on Bookkaholic here.'], [0, 'This is in the top 5 read books at the middle school where I worked last year, gaining popularity with boys as well as girls in those grades.'], [0, 'I had a hard time getting interested in it because I suspected it was going to be dumb, but many students urged me to try it.'], [0, 'My first problem with the story was the writing.'], [0, "I found Grant to be writing for children in such a way that he sometimes talked down to his reader which I really didn't like."], [0, 'His characterization was overly obvious and irritating in a sledgehammer kind of way.'], [0, '"I believe that\'s what\'s called gallows humor," Astrid said.'], [0, 'Noticing Sam and Quinn\'s blank looks, she said, "Sorry.'], [0, 'I have this annoying tendency to analyze what people say.'], [0, 'You\'ll either get used to it or decide you can\'t stand me."'], [0, 'What kind of awkward person describes themselves like this?'], [0, "I grew to actually like Astrid's character despite the author's strange attempts to describe her because of her actions and intelligence, but she's pretty black and white just like every other character."], [0, 'The names started to grate on me, Grant giving his characters names like Orc, Chunk, Computer Jack, and the super villain named Caine.'], [0, 'Yes, like Caine and Abel, the first murderer from the bible.'], [0, 'Sigh.'], [1, "And as if you hadn't already guessed Caine turns out to be the main character's twin brother that was separated at birth and raised with an adopted family ."], [0, "The author also uses words that are either out of context, incorrect, or just plain don't exist."], [0, '"with Quinn in the lead and Edillo bunched with Astrid and Little Pete, and Sam woozing along behind."'], [0, 'The word "woozing" is underlined in red as I type it into this window in my browser.'], [0, 'You know why?'], [0, "It doesn't exist."], [0, "Unless you're Shakespeare or Lewis Carroll, I don't take kindly to your word creation, especially in a book intended for kids."], [0, "I feel sorry for the child who used that word in an essay and got points taken off because it's not a real word."], [0, '"A coyote was on her in a flash, knocked her to the ground, and stood over her, teeth bared, growling.'], [0, 'His slavering muzzle was six inches from her throat."'], [0, 'Now, "slavering" is an actual word which means to sell individuals into slavery.'], [0, 'I\'m not sure if the author meant salivating or something similar, but I don\'t appreciate the word being used this way and have the same concern as the word "woozing" above.'], [0, 'So, why did I give the book three stars?'], [0, 'Once the plot got off its feet, it was well done.'], [0, 'I was interested in the story of how the FAYZ came to be and whether the kids had been teleported to another planet or whether it was the adults who had been removed from the town they lived in.'], [0, 'The characters were cartoonish and predictable, but that can serve a purpose and I think it worked well with the action-packed plot.'], [0, "I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than seventh grade because of the graphic violence in the story."], [0, 'There was a scene where a boy had to have his arm amputated from the shoulder and I found myself a little grossed out.'], [0, 'Several scenes include vicious and mean-sprited violence/killings/murder against small children and that also disturbed me.'], [0, 'Warnings aside, there is a good story being told here and I can see why my students enjoyed these books so much.'], [0, "The suspense is there and there's definitely good guys you can root for and the good guys make good, non-violent decisions, making them good role models."]]

2536134

8c8e099eaf858032990eec9e8c252f7f

Read about this book and others in my "Reading List of Popcorn Dystopia" on Bookkaholic here. This is in the top 5 read books at the middle school where I worked last year, gaining popularity with boys as well as girls in those grades. I had a hard time getting interested in it because I suspected it was going to be dumb, but many students urged me to try it. My first problem with the story was the writing. I found Grant to be writing for children in such a way that he sometimes talked down to his reader which I really didn't like. His characterization was overly obvious and irritating in a sledgehammer kind of way. "I believe that's what's called gallows humor," Astrid said. Noticing Sam and Quinn's blank looks, she said, "Sorry. I have this annoying tendency to analyze what people say. You'll either get used to it or decide you can't stand me." What kind of awkward person describes themselves like this? I grew to actually like Astrid's character despite the author's strange attempts to describe her because of her actions and intelligence, but she's pretty black and white just like every other character. The names started to grate on me, Grant giving his characters names like Orc, Chunk, Computer Jack, and the super villain named Caine. Yes, like Caine and Abel, the first murderer from the bible. Sigh. And as if you hadn't already guessed Caine turns out to be the main character's twin brother that was separated at birth and raised with an adopted family . The author also uses words that are either out of context, incorrect, or just plain don't exist. "with Quinn in the lead and Edillo bunched with Astrid and Little Pete, and Sam woozing along behind." The word "woozing" is underlined in red as I type it into this window in my browser. You know why? It doesn't exist. Unless you're Shakespeare or Lewis Carroll, I don't take kindly to your word creation, especially in a book intended for kids. I feel sorry for the child who used that word in an essay and got points taken off because it's not a real word. "A coyote was on her in a flash, knocked her to the ground, and stood over her, teeth bared, growling. His slavering muzzle was six inches from her throat." Now, "slavering" is an actual word which means to sell individuals into slavery. I'm not sure if the author meant salivating or something similar, but I don't appreciate the word being used this way and have the same concern as the word "woozing" above. So, why did I give the book three stars? Once the plot got off its feet, it was well done. I was interested in the story of how the FAYZ came to be and whether the kids had been teleported to another planet or whether it was the adults who had been removed from the town they lived in. The characters were cartoonish and predictable, but that can serve a purpose and I think it worked well with the action-packed plot. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than seventh grade because of the graphic violence in the story. There was a scene where a boy had to have his arm amputated from the shoulder and I found myself a little grossed out. Several scenes include vicious and mean-sprited violence/killings/murder against small children and that also disturbed me. Warnings aside, there is a good story being told here and I can see why my students enjoyed these books so much. The suspense is there and there's definitely good guys you can root for and the good guys make good, non-violent decisions, making them good role models.

c20a4ccba3461dba27d55e31ccbdc888

2017-04-19

[[0, 'This series keeps getting bigger and twistier!'], [0, "It doesn't lie to you, you can trust the main character, and the characters develop logically and extently."], [1, 'I feel sorry for Crawford, he deserved better!']]

31433106

f8d119d390d88efe8143ddc73a012118

This series keeps getting bigger and twistier! It doesn't lie to you, you can trust the main character, and the characters develop logically and extently. I feel sorry for Crawford, he deserved better!

e2fee2457b4185ef4820c8bb4aa49915

2013-08-27

[[0, "It's been a while since a book pushed my buttons like this."], [0, 'I guess it was Catalyst, the last one that made me want to crawl to my knees, literally.'], [0, 'And that is the best feeling, at least when you are reading BDSM.'], [0, "It has to be real, it has to be safe, and it has to be consensual...all that and a bit more you'll get from An Unlocked Heart."], [0, 'The MCs, both are great characters.'], [0, 'I absolutely adored Alex, as a brother, a friend, someone that called to all my motherly instincts.'], [0, 'I wanted to give him all the love, hugs and support his mother was denying him.'], [0, 'I felt so protective of him.'], [0, 'For Leo, I wanted to fall to my knees and just please him.'], [0, 'What an amazing Dom, what a great person.'], [0, 'When you feel like you know the characters, there is no better feeling - for me, than to feel like those characters are real.'], [0, "Leo lost his lover and sub in a tragic accident years ago, he hasn't been the same since."], [0, 'And Alex arrives just in time to bring him back to life.'], [0, 'So here is not just about the BDSM, and the new relationship; it is also about second chances at life and love.'], [0, 'With secondary characters and sub plots that totally rock, this book is a gem.'], [0, 'One thing tho, the mention of that infamous book, OMG!'], [0, 'the first conversation was funny, because these Doms were actually having a laugh at how clueless the author is about the lifestyle, but then it got old.'], [0, "Be prepared for some of the hottest sex scenes I've read in months!"], [0, 'Being a natural sub, all the interactions between Alex and Leo are charged with sexual tension.'], [0, "Alex doesn't understand at first why or what is going on, he can't identify why the need to please Leo is so strong, why it is so easy to relinquish control and leave Leo to make all decisions."], [0, 'His journey of discovery is an interesting one.'], [0, 'And I loved seeing him become the sub Leo always knew he was.'], [0, 'And for Leo it is a journey back to feeling alive, learn to love again, feel that love and cherish it.'], [0, 'Emotions, emotions, emotions...I want more!'], [0, 'Good thing this is part of a series.'], [0, 'Reviewed by Connie']]

18076442

7a8c4c897484befef984160691ac9df4

It's been a while since a book pushed my buttons like this. I guess it was Catalyst, the last one that made me want to crawl to my knees, literally. And that is the best feeling, at least when you are reading BDSM. It has to be real, it has to be safe, and it has to be consensual...all that and a bit more you'll get from An Unlocked Heart. The MCs, both are great characters. I absolutely adored Alex, as a brother, a friend, someone that called to all my motherly instincts. I wanted to give him all the love, hugs and support his mother was denying him. I felt so protective of him. For Leo, I wanted to fall to my knees and just please him. What an amazing Dom, what a great person. When you feel like you know the characters, there is no better feeling - for me, than to feel like those characters are real. Leo lost his lover and sub in a tragic accident years ago, he hasn't been the same since. And Alex arrives just in time to bring him back to life. So here is not just about the BDSM, and the new relationship; it is also about second chances at life and love. With secondary characters and sub plots that totally rock, this book is a gem. One thing tho, the mention of that infamous book, OMG! the first conversation was funny, because these Doms were actually having a laugh at how clueless the author is about the lifestyle, but then it got old. Be prepared for some of the hottest sex scenes I've read in months! Being a natural sub, all the interactions between Alex and Leo are charged with sexual tension. Alex doesn't understand at first why or what is going on, he can't identify why the need to please Leo is so strong, why it is so easy to relinquish control and leave Leo to make all decisions. His journey of discovery is an interesting one. And I loved seeing him become the sub Leo always knew he was. And for Leo it is a journey back to feeling alive, learn to love again, feel that love and cherish it. Emotions, emotions, emotions...I want more! Good thing this is part of a series. Reviewed by Connie

96e96cf938ca0a79c4391d64b55b13b9

2013-09-05

[[0, 'MIXED FEELINGS'], [0, 'Brenna has run away from her abusive husband.'], [0, "So after a long absence she's returning home to her family."], [0, 'Her father is VP of Aces MC.'], [0, 'But even though her father is overjoyed to see her, it also means facing Dragon one of the club members.'], [0, "Something happened between them before she left, and now she's dreading the moment when they meet."], [0, 'I love this particular genre.'], [0, 'The whole motorcycle club, tattooed bad boy riding his Harley really does it for me.'], [0, 'So I was excited to start reading this.'], [0, "Unfortunately there was parts of this story that didn't sit well with me."], [0, 'Plus the characters actions at times had me thinking WTF.'], [0, 'Brenna, whom I initially had sympathy with, but after fully realising what she had done and the consequences of that.'], [0, 'Well she seemed quite selfish.'], [0, 'As for Dragon I loved his gruffness and dominating personality.'], [0, 'Then he had to go and ruin everything.'], [0, 'Why did he have to do what he did?'], [0, "There's never any excuse for that sort of behaviour, ever!"], [0, "The other problem was I wasn't feeling the connection between Brenna and Dragon."], [0, 'They spent a few hours together, for one night in the past, they had never met before.'], [0, 'Yet in the present they carry on as though they had been in a full fledged relationship.'], [0, 'The authors constant use of the phrase " five years ago" was maddening, yes I got it, it all happened five years ago.'], [0, 'This story has a lot of potential.'], [0, 'But fell flat for me in a few areas.']]

17859911

710d7da54b3691b25df8c17407adda70

MIXED FEELINGS Brenna has run away from her abusive husband. So after a long absence she's returning home to her family. Her father is VP of Aces MC. But even though her father is overjoyed to see her, it also means facing Dragon one of the club members. Something happened between them before she left, and now she's dreading the moment when they meet. I love this particular genre. The whole motorcycle club, tattooed bad boy riding his Harley really does it for me. So I was excited to start reading this. Unfortunately there was parts of this story that didn't sit well with me. Plus the characters actions at times had me thinking WTF. Brenna, whom I initially had sympathy with, but after fully realising what she had done and the consequences of that. Well she seemed quite selfish. As for Dragon I loved his gruffness and dominating personality. Then he had to go and ruin everything. Why did he have to do what he did? There's never any excuse for that sort of behaviour, ever! The other problem was I wasn't feeling the connection between Brenna and Dragon. They spent a few hours together, for one night in the past, they had never met before. Yet in the present they carry on as though they had been in a full fledged relationship. The authors constant use of the phrase " five years ago" was maddening, yes I got it, it all happened five years ago. This story has a lot of potential. But fell flat for me in a few areas.

c5ee4f5122d4a282c0d220b34b68093f

2014-12-14

[[0, "Although I didn't hate this book, I didn't entirely enjoy it either."], [0, "I've been reading a lot of dystopian books lately, and it's just reinforcing my belief that they all follow the same formula."], [0, 'Oh, no!'], [0, 'The government is actually bad (shock!).'], [0, "Somehow I manage to love two people at the same time and it's really hard to choose between them (whiiinnneeee)."], [0, 'Breathe had the potential to be great.'], [0, 'In fact, when I first started reading it and the concept of living in domes because that was the only way to survive was introduced I worried a little bit.'], [0, 'I wrote a short-story in undergrad about that.'], [0, 'But as I continued to read, I realized that I liked my concept better.'], [0, 'When I write, I do an outline of my plot, which often goes into more detail on the trickier parts of the story.'], [0, 'When I was reading Breathe, I felt like I was reading the barebones plot outline.'], [0, 'There was something called The Switch, which I was really interested in, but it never went into detail.'], [0, 'It was just used as a vague reasoning for why things were happening / had happened in the novel.'], [0, 'I wanted to learn more about The Switch to see why people were so willing to stay inside their bubble.'], [0, 'Ultimately, I had a hard time with the concept.'], [1, "It may have been because The Switch wasn't explained adequately, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the oxygen was gone and that it was the humans' fault because they cut down all of the trees."], [1, "I mean, I know we're stupid and that deforestation is a REAL problem, but come on: would we really allow all of the trees to be cut down?"], [1, 'It was explained in the book that "Oh, the oceans would supply the oxygen."'], [1, 'My only reaction to that was "Wut."'], [0, '.'], [0, "The author didn't take the time to explain the grittier bits of the story (and the things I was interested in knowing more about)."], [0, "Instead we're given this formulaic Rebel group+caste system+secret=dystopic revolution plotline, and then it's over."], [0, 'Because of this, it fell a little flat for me.'], [1, 'One of the final things that happened in the book when Quinn\'s father helped him escape and even supplied him with extra oxygen tanks, allowing them to have this random father-son moment that was the exact opposite of what Quinn had expected--he\'d spent large chunks of the book thinking "I don\'t think my father would even rescue me if I was found to be lying" / thinking his father may kill him didn\'t seem genuine because throughout the entire book it had been building the opposite way.'], [0, 'Like many dystopic novels, Breathe also had a (sort-of) love triangle.'], [0, 'Bea says several times (to herself) from the get-go that she loves Quinn, but he only sees her as a friend/sister-figure.'], [0, 'Quinn sees this beautiful girl (Alina) and immediately falls in lust with her, while Bea still pines after him.'], [0, "Luckily, the love triangle is figured out rather quickly in the first book, so it's not something that can annoy me in the next book."], [0, 'However, it was figured out so quickly because the characters were so flat.'], [0, "They weren't very dynamic."], [0, "I wasn't really keen on any of them because they weren't interesting enough."], [1, 'Yeah, Quinn kind of renounced his premium status, but it was done to advance the plot.'], [1, "I didn't see enough of a build-up from a privileged boy (which I assume would be hard to give up) to a revolutionary."], [1, 'I wanted to see more of a reason when he announced to the world that the government was bad and keeping them trapped in the domes.'], [1, 'First person is good for that.'], [1, 'Also: why did everyone (most of whom had no idea about any of this) suddenly believe his every word?'], [0, "This book did keep my attention even if I wasn't in love with it, so for that it gets 2 stars."], [0, 'I hope that the next book fills in some of the plot holes and answers some of the questions I have.']]

11544466

4554e8c299ed02a690385c7d21096225

Although I didn't hate this book, I didn't entirely enjoy it either. I've been reading a lot of dystopian books lately, and it's just reinforcing my belief that they all follow the same formula. Oh, no! The government is actually bad (shock!). Somehow I manage to love two people at the same time and it's really hard to choose between them (whiiinnneeee). Breathe had the potential to be great. In fact, when I first started reading it and the concept of living in domes because that was the only way to survive was introduced I worried a little bit. I wrote a short-story in undergrad about that. But as I continued to read, I realized that I liked my concept better. When I write, I do an outline of my plot, which often goes into more detail on the trickier parts of the story. When I was reading Breathe, I felt like I was reading the barebones plot outline. There was something called The Switch, which I was really interested in, but it never went into detail. It was just used as a vague reasoning for why things were happening / had happened in the novel. I wanted to learn more about The Switch to see why people were so willing to stay inside their bubble. Ultimately, I had a hard time with the concept. It may have been because The Switch wasn't explained adequately, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the oxygen was gone and that it was the humans' fault because they cut down all of the trees. I mean, I know we're stupid and that deforestation is a REAL problem, but come on: would we really allow all of the trees to be cut down? It was explained in the book that "Oh, the oceans would supply the oxygen." My only reaction to that was "Wut." . The author didn't take the time to explain the grittier bits of the story (and the things I was interested in knowing more about). Instead we're given this formulaic Rebel group+caste system+secret=dystopic revolution plotline, and then it's over. Because of this, it fell a little flat for me. One of the final things that happened in the book when Quinn's father helped him escape and even supplied him with extra oxygen tanks, allowing them to have this random father-son moment that was the exact opposite of what Quinn had expected--he'd spent large chunks of the book thinking "I don't think my father would even rescue me if I was found to be lying" / thinking his father may kill him didn't seem genuine because throughout the entire book it had been building the opposite way. Like many dystopic novels, Breathe also had a (sort-of) love triangle. Bea says several times (to herself) from the get-go that she loves Quinn, but he only sees her as a friend/sister-figure. Quinn sees this beautiful girl (Alina) and immediately falls in lust with her, while Bea still pines after him. Luckily, the love triangle is figured out rather quickly in the first book, so it's not something that can annoy me in the next book. However, it was figured out so quickly because the characters were so flat. They weren't very dynamic. I wasn't really keen on any of them because they weren't interesting enough. Yeah, Quinn kind of renounced his premium status, but it was done to advance the plot. I didn't see enough of a build-up from a privileged boy (which I assume would be hard to give up) to a revolutionary. I wanted to see more of a reason when he announced to the world that the government was bad and keeping them trapped in the domes. First person is good for that. Also: why did everyone (most of whom had no idea about any of this) suddenly believe his every word? This book did keep my attention even if I wasn't in love with it, so for that it gets 2 stars. I hope that the next book fills in some of the plot holes and answers some of the questions I have.

c1007aea1f43026867f32328dfd55cd5

2015-09-21

[[0, '****ARC VIa Netgalley in exchange for an honest review'], [0, 'Where do I start.'], [0, "I can't fully express my feelings of disappointment with this book without giving anything away."], [0, "Without mentioning specifics, I must clarify that I'm a huge Amy Bartol fan."], [0, 'I have been for years.'], [0, "Reading this book, I couldn't believe it was the same person who wrote the amazing Premonition Series."], [0, "Even under different stars had that great flavor and sense of whimsy that's very Amy."], [0, "This book however, was riddled with nonsensical metaphors, characters acting well, out-of-character, and a plot so tedious, that by the time I reached 80%, I've had enough."], [0, 'Something felt off with this book, and it shows.'], [0, "To me, it read as if the creator of such amazing characters was forced to control them, forcing them to do things they didn't want to do, instead of following and letting the characters lead the way -If that makes sense."], [0, "I'll leave it there."], [0, 'So disappointed.'], [0, 'My heart aches.'], [0, 'Is this the last book in the series?'], [0, "It doesn't matter, because for me, it is."], [0, "Sadly I'm no longer invested in Trey, kricket, or anyone else."], [0, 'And that, for me, is the saddest thing of all.']]

24931971

c4defaebcecd339cad326d52ecb79f4a

****ARC VIa Netgalley in exchange for an honest review Where do I start. I can't fully express my feelings of disappointment with this book without giving anything away. Without mentioning specifics, I must clarify that I'm a huge Amy Bartol fan. I have been for years. Reading this book, I couldn't believe it was the same person who wrote the amazing Premonition Series. Even under different stars had that great flavor and sense of whimsy that's very Amy. This book however, was riddled with nonsensical metaphors, characters acting well, out-of-character, and a plot so tedious, that by the time I reached 80%, I've had enough. Something felt off with this book, and it shows. To me, it read as if the creator of such amazing characters was forced to control them, forcing them to do things they didn't want to do, instead of following and letting the characters lead the way -If that makes sense. I'll leave it there. So disappointed. My heart aches. Is this the last book in the series? It doesn't matter, because for me, it is. Sadly I'm no longer invested in Trey, kricket, or anyone else. And that, for me, is the saddest thing of all.

b066cbd71496cae4e8fbee37c22ffa9c

2016-04-01

[[0, 'I hated this book.'], [0, "I hated every whiny, stupid, deluded, nonsensical, detestable, psychotic (because in Paula Hawkins' version of 2013 London, there are no people who aren't mentally unstable) character."], [0, 'The women are all adulterers, murderers, or alcoholics who only exist (and who only want to exist) to have sex with men and bear children.'], [0, "The result of these two processes lead to them being adulterers, murderers, or alcoholics (except for the barely-there Cathy, who's just a pushover)."], [0, 'Women are only defined physically by one of two traits: blonde or fat.'], [0, 'And the men are all manipulative abusers, either emotional or physical or both.'], [0, 'I hated the writing.'], [0, 'Serious question: are comma splices not a grammatical mistake in the UK?'], [0, 'Because this book is absolutely littered with them, possibly on every single page.'], [0, "No wonder my college composition students don't know that they're improper; they read popular crap like this and think it's acceptable."], [0, "(It's not.)"], [0, 'I hated the pacing.'], [0, 'If I had to read about one more fucking train ride where all Rachel did was drink a can of gin & tonic (Do these really exist?'], [0, 'Why?'], [0, 'Gross.)'], [0, 'and try to remember something, I was going to throw this book from a train.'], [0, 'I hated the switching points of view.'], [0, "Anna's narration is completely unnecessary."], [0, "All we get from it is that she's a terrible person who hates Rachel, and we know that from Rachel's chapters."], [1, "And the only plot advancement from her perspective is finding out Tom has Megan's phone, which could have just as easily been written into Rachel's story in some way; it would have given her some agency, since she somehow cracks the case by conveniently remembering things that happened while she was blackout drunk and not by finding any actual evidence."], [0, "Megan's chapters also feel mostly unnecessary and could have been cut down to only include the day of her disappearance and one or two of her sessions with her therapist."], [0, 'The rest is treading water.'], [0, "But mostly I hated how all of this worked together to create a thoroughly unpleasant reading experience in nearly every way that the masses friggin' love for some God forsaken reason."]]

22557272

c96ec30c714d91299eaa42d3215ce52d

I hated this book. I hated every whiny, stupid, deluded, nonsensical, detestable, psychotic (because in Paula Hawkins' version of 2013 London, there are no people who aren't mentally unstable) character. The women are all adulterers, murderers, or alcoholics who only exist (and who only want to exist) to have sex with men and bear children. The result of these two processes lead to them being adulterers, murderers, or alcoholics (except for the barely-there Cathy, who's just a pushover). Women are only defined physically by one of two traits: blonde or fat. And the men are all manipulative abusers, either emotional or physical or both. I hated the writing. Serious question: are comma splices not a grammatical mistake in the UK? Because this book is absolutely littered with them, possibly on every single page. No wonder my college composition students don't know that they're improper; they read popular crap like this and think it's acceptable. (It's not.) I hated the pacing. If I had to read about one more fucking train ride where all Rachel did was drink a can of gin & tonic (Do these really exist? Why? Gross.) and try to remember something, I was going to throw this book from a train. I hated the switching points of view. Anna's narration is completely unnecessary. All we get from it is that she's a terrible person who hates Rachel, and we know that from Rachel's chapters. And the only plot advancement from her perspective is finding out Tom has Megan's phone, which could have just as easily been written into Rachel's story in some way; it would have given her some agency, since she somehow cracks the case by conveniently remembering things that happened while she was blackout drunk and not by finding any actual evidence. Megan's chapters also feel mostly unnecessary and could have been cut down to only include the day of her disappearance and one or two of her sessions with her therapist. The rest is treading water. But mostly I hated how all of this worked together to create a thoroughly unpleasant reading experience in nearly every way that the masses friggin' love for some God forsaken reason.

3e47bdf35c848e5f8f8a6f3d6b2b53ce

2015-08-17

[[0, 'So many plot holes and unnecessary romance drama.'], [1, 'I know the romance was a pivotal element but to have it all come down to lusting over a boy you met when you were 14 and knew for less than a week - when you think he had something to do with the murder of your family...nope.']]

23281652

ff029fd4f051d95dcd563430145251bb

So many plot holes and unnecessary romance drama. I know the romance was a pivotal element but to have it all come down to lusting over a boy you met when you were 14 and knew for less than a week - when you think he had something to do with the murder of your family...nope.

a9091e712f89280c3012684ec029d2a5

2017-06-14

[[0, 'I rarely read romance series in order.'], [0, 'Also since I like a lot of different authors in this genre, it is even more unusual for me to read two books by the same author right in a row.'], [0, 'However, I just learned that MacLean reviews romances for The Washington Post.'], [0, 'Which reminded me that the second volume of this series was available.'], [0, 'I jumped right on it.'], [0, 'Not disappointed - very happy with my choice.'], [0, 'Another wonderful hot fudge sundae of a book.'], [0, 'Lots of fun without lots of calories.']]

27067875

82010a081809b4faa0bc3e75a7d98e89

I rarely read romance series in order. Also since I like a lot of different authors in this genre, it is even more unusual for me to read two books by the same author right in a row. However, I just learned that MacLean reviews romances for The Washington Post. Which reminded me that the second volume of this series was available. I jumped right on it. Not disappointed - very happy with my choice. Another wonderful hot fudge sundae of a book. Lots of fun without lots of calories.

fc433ef79d2d37c5f827f2d84ca0880a

2017-06-04

[[0, 'Not my favourite from Christina Lauren.'], [0, 'The story had its fun moments.'], [0, 'I actually preferred the side characters.'], [0, 'They had more interesting personalities.'], [0, "Carter and Evie were missing the spark, hot spark, that I love from Christina Lauren's previous(adult) couples."], [0, 'I expected something more between them since their relationship had the competitive rivalry nature to it.'], [0, 'Chloe and Bennett 1000% outshine them there.'], [0, 'Dating You Hating You had its moments.'], [0, "But overall I wasn't rushing to turn the page like I normally am with a Christina Lauren romance."]]

32620304

6d02519dfe643164f060a4ccbe7ead4d

Not my favourite from Christina Lauren. The story had its fun moments. I actually preferred the side characters. They had more interesting personalities. Carter and Evie were missing the spark, hot spark, that I love from Christina Lauren's previous(adult) couples. I expected something more between them since their relationship had the competitive rivalry nature to it. Chloe and Bennett 1000% outshine them there. Dating You Hating You had its moments. But overall I wasn't rushing to turn the page like I normally am with a Christina Lauren romance.

060eaeef3b7c78950842152786b7c62b

2014-04-03

[[0, "Daughter of Smoke & Bone is Laini Taylor's first book in her trilogy of the same name, which comes to a close with the release of Dreams of Gods and Monsters on April 8."], [0, "I read this book back a few months ago, and must admit that if there were any serious faults with it, I can't remember them."], [0, 'DoSB centers around the life of a seventeen-year-old art student named Karou who lives in Prague.'], [0, 'Karou is blue-haired, intelligent, independent and gifted with a bit of magic.'], [0, 'Karou is also an orphan -- raised by four creatures that remain in a realm just removed from our own.'], [0, 'Her job is to collect teeth for the father-figure beastly Brimstone, who is part ram, lion and reptile and doles out wishes to those willing to pay for them.'], [0, "Karou hops all over the world collecting these teeth, popping in and out of doors that take her between Earth and Brimstone's world."], [0, 'While collecting teeth, she comes across the angel Akiva, who is puzzled by his instant recognition to her, a stranger.'], [0, 'From there on out, Akiva and Karou discover the true connection between them.'], [0, 'Once you get past an opening filled with ex-boyfriend fiascoes (you wonder why a girl like Karou would have dated a guy like that), Taylor crafts a technicolor world where the skies are turquoise, the clouds magenta and the raindrops fruit-flavored.'], [0, 'Never have I read a story with a world that felt so unique, and I was burning through the pages to keep up with this fantastic story.'], [0, "Since I said before that I don't really have any issues with this book, I'll touch on a couple of reasons why I loved DoSB and would recommend it to anyone who likes unique characters, settings and surprises."], [0, 'Karou & Zuz: A healthy female relationship'], [0, "Zuzana is Karou's best friend -- a saucy, smart character that does anything to help Karou."], [0, "These two have a great relationship, which sadly isn't portrayed in a lot of books."], [0, "I don't know why it is so hard to create two female characters that not only get along, but have no interest in fighting over the same man."], [0, "We aren't that fickle ladies, why all of the girl hate in books?"], [0, '"So violent.'], [0, 'You want to mug and tase everybody these days."'], [0, '"I do," Zuzana agreed.'], [0, '"I swear I hate more poeple every day.'], [0, 'Everyone annoys me.'], [0, 'If I\'m like this now, what am I going to be like when I\'m old?"'], [0, '"You\'ll be the mean old biddy who fires a BB gun at kids from her balcony."'], [0, '"Nah.'], [0, "BBs just rile 'em up."], [0, 'More like a crossbow.'], [0, 'Or a bazooka."'], [0, 'This writing is solid'], [0, "If I could describe Taylor's prose in one word, it would have to be luscious."], [0, 'It oozes color and sensuality, and just enriches the story so much.'], [0, 'The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century--or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter.'], [0, 'It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.'], [0, 'Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell blue, embellished with Rococo plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform red.'], [0, 'Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper, and Gothic steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels.'], [0, 'The wind carried the memory of magic, revolution, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like creeks.'], [0, 'Thugs wore Motzart wigs and pushed chamber music on street corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet.'], [0, 'The teeth!'], [0, "I'm not going to give anything away, but how did I not see that coming?"], [0, 'You seriously spend the whole book thinking, what do they need the teeth for?'], [0, 'Just marvelous how it all is revealed.'], [0, "In all the world, there was only one place humans could get wishes: Brimstone's shop."], [0, 'And there was only one currency he accepted.'], [0, "It wasn't gold, or riddles, or kindness, or any other fairy-tale nonsense, and no, it wasn't souls, either."], [0, 'It was weirder than any of that.'], [0, 'It was teeth.'], [0, "And that's it."], [0, "I'm not going to talk about the romance, and boy there is some romance, but I think it is all better left to be discovered."], [0, "I don't even want to hint at any of it."], [0, 'Just go read this book for me, okay?'], [0, 'This review also appears on my blog Lovely Literature.']]

8490112

4dbadcbbe0bd2d38b0f73d70bacc0b65

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is Laini Taylor's first book in her trilogy of the same name, which comes to a close with the release of Dreams of Gods and Monsters on April 8. I read this book back a few months ago, and must admit that if there were any serious faults with it, I can't remember them. DoSB centers around the life of a seventeen-year-old art student named Karou who lives in Prague. Karou is blue-haired, intelligent, independent and gifted with a bit of magic. Karou is also an orphan -- raised by four creatures that remain in a realm just removed from our own. Her job is to collect teeth for the father-figure beastly Brimstone, who is part ram, lion and reptile and doles out wishes to those willing to pay for them. Karou hops all over the world collecting these teeth, popping in and out of doors that take her between Earth and Brimstone's world. While collecting teeth, she comes across the angel Akiva, who is puzzled by his instant recognition to her, a stranger. From there on out, Akiva and Karou discover the true connection between them. Once you get past an opening filled with ex-boyfriend fiascoes (you wonder why a girl like Karou would have dated a guy like that), Taylor crafts a technicolor world where the skies are turquoise, the clouds magenta and the raindrops fruit-flavored. Never have I read a story with a world that felt so unique, and I was burning through the pages to keep up with this fantastic story. Since I said before that I don't really have any issues with this book, I'll touch on a couple of reasons why I loved DoSB and would recommend it to anyone who likes unique characters, settings and surprises. Karou & Zuz: A healthy female relationship Zuzana is Karou's best friend -- a saucy, smart character that does anything to help Karou. These two have a great relationship, which sadly isn't portrayed in a lot of books. I don't know why it is so hard to create two female characters that not only get along, but have no interest in fighting over the same man. We aren't that fickle ladies, why all of the girl hate in books? "So violent. You want to mug and tase everybody these days." "I do," Zuzana agreed. "I swear I hate more poeple every day. Everyone annoys me. If I'm like this now, what am I going to be like when I'm old?" "You'll be the mean old biddy who fires a BB gun at kids from her balcony." "Nah. BBs just rile 'em up. More like a crossbow. Or a bazooka." This writing is solid If I could describe Taylor's prose in one word, it would have to be luscious. It oozes color and sensuality, and just enriches the story so much. The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century--or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies. Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell blue, embellished with Rococo plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform red. Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper, and Gothic steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels. The wind carried the memory of magic, revolution, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like creeks. Thugs wore Motzart wigs and pushed chamber music on street corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet. The teeth! I'm not going to give anything away, but how did I not see that coming? You seriously spend the whole book thinking, what do they need the teeth for? Just marvelous how it all is revealed. In all the world, there was only one place humans could get wishes: Brimstone's shop. And there was only one currency he accepted. It wasn't gold, or riddles, or kindness, or any other fairy-tale nonsense, and no, it wasn't souls, either. It was weirder than any of that. It was teeth. And that's it. I'm not going to talk about the romance, and boy there is some romance, but I think it is all better left to be discovered. I don't even want to hint at any of it. Just go read this book for me, okay? This review also appears on my blog Lovely Literature.

e014d0a01ee25f8093bb491d1e7da88b

2013-08-07

[[0, 'Ah, Julie Kagawa, how you torture me.'], [0, 'It all started with the Iron Fey Series and continues in your new series, Blood of Eden.'], [0, 'How can a book change so much in 30 pages?'], [0, 'If one were to use this as an example - heartbreakingly a lot.'], [0, 'Should people read this series?'], [0, 'Yes.'], [0, 'Should they wait to read the second only until after the third has been released?'], [0, 'Most definitely yes.'], [0, 'Happy reading [and crying]']]

17453202

a978c2e6f78ba99cd9be7c1013b720bf

Ah, Julie Kagawa, how you torture me. It all started with the Iron Fey Series and continues in your new series, Blood of Eden. How can a book change so much in 30 pages? If one were to use this as an example - heartbreakingly a lot. Should people read this series? Yes. Should they wait to read the second only until after the third has been released? Most definitely yes. Happy reading [and crying]

395f921b93a177eee8e9c26a118fdb12

2014-01-11

[[0, "While this book had the same comfortable, well-written style as the first two in the trilogy, I have to admit that there is so much going on in these stories, and I was so confused starting Allegiant so long after reading Insurgent, that it didn't even help to read synopses on Wikipedia of the first two books to remember what was going on."], [1, 'Why is Tris so pissed at her brother?'], [0, "Crap, I can't even remember."], [0, "And what's Tris's relationship with everyone besides Four?"], [0, "Good grief, the first two books were such quick, easy reads that I don't even remember many details."], [0, "I'm sure I would have liked this book much more had I read it immediately after the previous two."]]

10616322

0f215f5783b125529dca5ec6219b18e7

While this book had the same comfortable, well-written style as the first two in the trilogy, I have to admit that there is so much going on in these stories, and I was so confused starting Allegiant so long after reading Insurgent, that it didn't even help to read synopses on Wikipedia of the first two books to remember what was going on. Why is Tris so pissed at her brother? Crap, I can't even remember. And what's Tris's relationship with everyone besides Four? Good grief, the first two books were such quick, easy reads that I don't even remember many details. I'm sure I would have liked this book much more had I read it immediately after the previous two.

b3f40625bbfacfd161804d98ca45300f

2017-01-17

[[0, 'I read this in elementary school and remember my feelings vividly.'], [0, 'This was the first book that ever made my cry.'], [0, "Recommend talking to younger children about it, there's an upsetting death."]]

2839

94b94d8768c1b0d9634becd3c007c90d

I read this in elementary school and remember my feelings vividly. This was the first book that ever made my cry. Recommend talking to younger children about it, there's an upsetting death.

953b2b1137a65babedfbb19fd8e24023

2015-11-10

[[0, 'Another good book by Belle Aurora.'], [0, "I still wish her books were a little longer, but it only bothers me when I'm finished."], [0, "While I'm reading I'm so involved with the story that life goes on without me and before I realize it the sun is coming out."], [0, 'Her characters have real problems and feelings and seek to better themselves for their loved ones.'], [0, "The humor is smart and the drama isn't over done."], [0, 'I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a good laugh or a good cry.'], [0, "You'll find them both here."], [0, "Can't wait for book 3!"]]

17730406

071ee0ef8762b43af5cf38502beb4cd3

Another good book by Belle Aurora. I still wish her books were a little longer, but it only bothers me when I'm finished. While I'm reading I'm so involved with the story that life goes on without me and before I realize it the sun is coming out. Her characters have real problems and feelings and seek to better themselves for their loved ones. The humor is smart and the drama isn't over done. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a good laugh or a good cry. You'll find them both here. Can't wait for book 3!

a8ebdba71a2721a600614559a580495d

2014-09-21

[[0, 'Ok, so what the hell was that ending?'], [0, 'This whole time I have an idea of what is going to happen and then the ending just screws everything up.'], [0, 'For me, the ending totally ruined the book.'], [0, 'Let me explain.'], [0, 'The character that really drew me into this series was the Darkling.'], [0, 'He was handsome, devastatingly charming, ridiculously evil and powerful, but many readers, including me, still thought he would be redeemed by the end of the series.'], [0, 'That was not the case.'], [0, 'It was like Leigh ignored all the reviews from fans about how we loved the Darkling and wanted him to come out good and so instead she wrote a cop out for him, Alina, and Mal.'], [0, "Come on Leigh, even Darth Vader was redeemed in the end, but you couldn't redeem everyone's favorite character in this series?"], [0, 'Lame.'], [0, 'Speaking about Alina and Mal.....are you freaking serious?'], [0, 'Their relationship was way too brother/sister bff for me to believe for a second that they were in love.'], [1, 'Yet, they end up together at the end of the book?'], [1, 'Really?'], [1, 'That was definitely writing the easy way out.'], [1, 'No offense to Leigh, but their romance was so not believable.'], [1, 'Just because they slept together should not have meant that they ended up together!'], [1, 'Ugh.'], [0, 'I loved Nikolai a whole lot more in this book.'], [0, 'He goes through some crazy stuff, but still maintains that charming presence.'], [1, "Alina should have chosen Nikolai and ended up as Ravka's queen."], [1, 'Done.'], [1, 'But the worst was when Alina had to lose her power.'], [1, 'Really.'], [1, 'She lost her power so that she could be with Mal forever.'], [1, 'How do you just lose your power like that?'], [1, "I don't understand why Leigh did that, but it really made things worse."], [0, "Alina's band of Grisha and soldiers were great."], [0, 'I loved them all: Genya, David, Tamar, Toyla, Zoya, Adrik, and the rest of them.'], [1, 'But, Alina just left them at the end to live her boring life.'], [1, 'These people that had stood by her side for months, had bled for her, and who lost people they loved.'], [1, 'And she freaking left them.'], [1, 'Ugh.'], [1, 'Alina seriously did not change for 3 books.'], [1, 'She had the worst character development since Bella Swan!'], [1, "I just really can't get over how the ending totally ruined this wonderful series for me."], [1, ': /']]

14061957

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Ok, so what the hell was that ending? This whole time I have an idea of what is going to happen and then the ending just screws everything up. For me, the ending totally ruined the book. Let me explain. The character that really drew me into this series was the Darkling. He was handsome, devastatingly charming, ridiculously evil and powerful, but many readers, including me, still thought he would be redeemed by the end of the series. That was not the case. It was like Leigh ignored all the reviews from fans about how we loved the Darkling and wanted him to come out good and so instead she wrote a cop out for him, Alina, and Mal. Come on Leigh, even Darth Vader was redeemed in the end, but you couldn't redeem everyone's favorite character in this series? Lame. Speaking about Alina and Mal.....are you freaking serious? Their relationship was way too brother/sister bff for me to believe for a second that they were in love. Yet, they end up together at the end of the book? Really? That was definitely writing the easy way out. No offense to Leigh, but their romance was so not believable. Just because they slept together should not have meant that they ended up together! Ugh. I loved Nikolai a whole lot more in this book. He goes through some crazy stuff, but still maintains that charming presence. Alina should have chosen Nikolai and ended up as Ravka's queen. Done. But the worst was when Alina had to lose her power. Really. She lost her power so that she could be with Mal forever. How do you just lose your power like that? I don't understand why Leigh did that, but it really made things worse. Alina's band of Grisha and soldiers were great. I loved them all: Genya, David, Tamar, Toyla, Zoya, Adrik, and the rest of them. But, Alina just left them at the end to live her boring life. These people that had stood by her side for months, had bled for her, and who lost people they loved. And she freaking left them. Ugh. Alina seriously did not change for 3 books. She had the worst character development since Bella Swan! I just really can't get over how the ending totally ruined this wonderful series for me. : /

e029eadd65345bb32ef4d0c902cd66a6

2017-01-08

[[0, 'Very good.'], [0, 'Beautiful artwork (love the low-colour palette), a mysterious adversary, a cool new sidekick.'], [0, "What's not to like?"], [0, 'Not quite Bendis/Maleev Daredevil, but a great start to a new series.']]

27163018

7e48fec67bd7c73174169a95e6502bb4

Very good. Beautiful artwork (love the low-colour palette), a mysterious adversary, a cool new sidekick. What's not to like? Not quite Bendis/Maleev Daredevil, but a great start to a new series.

42e7d4fac31d22ccb6cb5a2efa455623

2013-10-01

[[0, 'A unique setting of dystopia world where love (or deliria) is a vicious disease and an enemy.'], [0, 'And the cure will rid you of it forever.'], [0, 'Curfew, segregation of male and female, chain-bordered country, and ID-checking - these are some of the rules to protect the citizens and to ensure our safety - or so they say.'], [0, "Enter a young girl, haunted by her family's past, and determined to received her cure."], [0, 'To her, love is not an option, it will be her doom.'], [0, 'The cure is her only salvation.'], [0, 'But then she met Alex and fell in love.'], [0, 'A love that might break her and tear her apart from all she knows.'], [0, 'A love that will set her free and bring her back to life.'], [0, 'Now she must decide - to face her scared feelings of deliria and its consequences or to grasp her happiness and draw her own destiny.']]

11614718

51bbc90b9805412f280d623742591d3b

A unique setting of dystopia world where love (or deliria) is a vicious disease and an enemy. And the cure will rid you of it forever. Curfew, segregation of male and female, chain-bordered country, and ID-checking - these are some of the rules to protect the citizens and to ensure our safety - or so they say. Enter a young girl, haunted by her family's past, and determined to received her cure. To her, love is not an option, it will be her doom. The cure is her only salvation. But then she met Alex and fell in love. A love that might break her and tear her apart from all she knows. A love that will set her free and bring her back to life. Now she must decide - to face her scared feelings of deliria and its consequences or to grasp her happiness and draw her own destiny.

880dc69f3de6d55a0623d61dedd49868

2013-02-05

[[0, 'good and boring']]

7930335

fd8fe0fae4fdbea1bf3a1b3e71c4d57d

good and boring

3caa09575598f72fb4e00849377294ca

2016-04-22

[[0, 'Well, okay.'], [0, "I'm not sure how to rate this book so don't pay attention to the rating, just the review."], [0, "I'm going to hide a huge section of my review due to spoilers and trust me, you do not want to read it until you've read the book because this one spoiler will ruin it for you."], [0, 'So, go read the book and come back later to read my review, should you still be interested.'], [0, 'The writing is peculiar, in my opinion.'], [0, "It's not amazing but it has something appealing to it."], [0, 'The way the sentences are cut and some parts repeated to emphasize the point makes it peculiar and sort of pretty.'], [0, "The plot isn't the best but that ending truly surprised me and it was fast-paced."], [0, "I didn't get attached to the characters at all, or to the story for that matters."], [0, "Something was missing, I don't know...something that would make the book lovable."], [0, 'I mean, it is lovable but not the kind of unforgettable love.'], [0, 'I liked the kids and teenagers because they were sort of innocent but the parents and the grandfather were pretty disgusting and very annoying to me.'], [0, "As a final word in this non-spoilers section, I'd say that this book just is...it exists...and I understand the great ratings and reviews but it didn't touch me at all."], [0, "I feel disappointed in myself because I didn't feel shit when everyone else did."], [0, "So well, I guess it's just me."], [0, 'Read the book and see for yourself.'], [0, 'Now for the spoilers section.'], [1, 'I would have never thought they were all dead.'], [1, "I didn't pick up the clues at all even though they were right in front of me."], [1, 'The fact that Cadence always saw them alone and that they would never leave the house.'], [1, 'I would have never imagined something like that happening, nor the fire, the deaths and the reasons why.'], [1, 'So, in that way, I think We Were Liars did amazingly.'], [1, "Even the title is a clue to what happened and I can't believe I missed it."], [1, "I didn't cry though, didn't feel anything like I said before."], [1, 'So, shit happens.'], [1, 'Life goes on.'], [1, "Cadence will live on with the knowledge of what she did and eventually, she'll come to forgive herself if she hasn't already."], [1, "It's sad that it happened to kids, teenagers."], [1, 'But I guess the settings and the whole family are to blame as well, for all the tension they put on those kids.']]

16143347

bbdca7487f549d225f609d7855402b3d

Well, okay. I'm not sure how to rate this book so don't pay attention to the rating, just the review. I'm going to hide a huge section of my review due to spoilers and trust me, you do not want to read it until you've read the book because this one spoiler will ruin it for you. So, go read the book and come back later to read my review, should you still be interested. The writing is peculiar, in my opinion. It's not amazing but it has something appealing to it. The way the sentences are cut and some parts repeated to emphasize the point makes it peculiar and sort of pretty. The plot isn't the best but that ending truly surprised me and it was fast-paced. I didn't get attached to the characters at all, or to the story for that matters. Something was missing, I don't know...something that would make the book lovable. I mean, it is lovable but not the kind of unforgettable love. I liked the kids and teenagers because they were sort of innocent but the parents and the grandfather were pretty disgusting and very annoying to me. As a final word in this non-spoilers section, I'd say that this book just is...it exists...and I understand the great ratings and reviews but it didn't touch me at all. I feel disappointed in myself because I didn't feel shit when everyone else did. So well, I guess it's just me. Read the book and see for yourself. Now for the spoilers section. I would have never thought they were all dead. I didn't pick up the clues at all even though they were right in front of me. The fact that Cadence always saw them alone and that they would never leave the house. I would have never imagined something like that happening, nor the fire, the deaths and the reasons why. So, in that way, I think We Were Liars did amazingly. Even the title is a clue to what happened and I can't believe I missed it. I didn't cry though, didn't feel anything like I said before. So, shit happens. Life goes on. Cadence will live on with the knowledge of what she did and eventually, she'll come to forgive herself if she hasn't already. It's sad that it happened to kids, teenagers. But I guess the settings and the whole family are to blame as well, for all the tension they put on those kids.

ace0b2c081c0af629dc243b55138f8c1

2015-09-02

[[0, '4.5 Stars.'], [0, 'I stayed up so late last night reading this omg.'], [0, 'After Throne of Glass I was really skeptical as to whether I would think this was AMAZING like everyone said it was, but I was really hopeful.'], [0, 'BOY was I surprised.'], [0, "A lot of the issues I had with the first book were resolved, and GAH I'm super excited to continue with the series."], [0, 'From the get go, the drama was turned up ten-fold.'], [0, 'In the last book, I was kind of disappointed because the action was put on the back burner a lot so that there could be more cheesy romance scenes.'], [0, "Don't get me wrong, the romance is still there, but I was so much more open to it because I didn't feel like it was a hindrance to the plot."], [0, 'AND OH MY GOD THE PLOT.'], [0, 'It was really action-packed, mysterious and dark.'], [0, 'Sarah J Maas has a way with creepy scenes, and it definitely scared the shit out of me.'], [0, "They kept you thoroughly intrigued and nervous and I literally couldn't put it down."], [0, 'Also, there were a boat load of plot twists and revelations.'], [0, 'I have to be honest and say that I did see quite a few of these coming (and a lot of people have said the same) but definitely not all, so I was still very excited and invested in the book.'], [1, 'Was it just me, or was Celaena being Aelin SO OBVIOUS?'], [1, "She literally spent like 2 pages going on about how Archer's knowledge of this missing princess Aelin must be a pile of crap and how this other Aelin was an imposter."], [1, 'It also got me a little bit annoyed when it took Chaol so long to figure it out.'], [1, "When he was looking up families that died to try and find out who Celaena was, why didn't he just use the date of the death of her parents???"], [1, "He knew that the day she ran away was the day her parents died so she didn't really need to spell it out to him, did she???"], [1, 'Also Archer being a backstabbing asshole was pretty obvious to me too.'], [1, 'She always commented on how he was sneaky and not dumb af so it made sense to me.'], [1, 'But the Fae thing came as a surprise, I never saw Dorian has a magic guy so I loved that, and OMG I did not expect as much Chaolena in this book as we got, and even the ending OMFG I WILL SHIP CHAOLENA TILL MY DEATH BED .'], [0, "Honestly, the biggest issue I had with the book was that I felt like not all the character's were given enough time to shine."], [0, 'Both Nehemia and Dorian definitely played significant roles in this book, and some of the revelations about these characters were extremely exciting but honestly I felt very "meh" about them.'], [0, "I feel like if they were to be killed off, I wouldn't really care."], [1, 'As much as I love the idea of her character and the strength/values/etc.'], [1, "she represents, I didn't really feel phased when Nehemia died."], [1, "I mean I will miss her, but I definitely didn't feel anything close to what Celaena went through, which made it a bit difficult for me to connect with the book."], [1, 'I feel like the main issue was that the author talked a lot about how Celaena and Nehemia hung out, and how good friends they were, but we only really got maybe 3 scenes of them together.'], [1, 'I liked their friendship, but without you really getting to see them together often, it was hard for me to feel like it was a very close and strong relationship.'], [0, '.'], [0, 'On the other hand, Celaena, Chaol, the King and even Kaltain were characters that really stood out to me.'], [0, "Jesus the king is scary, and I'm so excited (and terrified) to see what happens next."], [0, 'But all of that being said, I loved every second of reading this book.'], [0, 'If was fun, fast and action-packed.'], [0, 'LOVE.'], [0, "If you didn't enjoy the first book, I definitely recommend giving this one a go."]]

17670709

da9292044ee64d94f7c46cc6ad6fd811

4.5 Stars. I stayed up so late last night reading this omg. After Throne of Glass I was really skeptical as to whether I would think this was AMAZING like everyone said it was, but I was really hopeful. BOY was I surprised. A lot of the issues I had with the first book were resolved, and GAH I'm super excited to continue with the series. From the get go, the drama was turned up ten-fold. In the last book, I was kind of disappointed because the action was put on the back burner a lot so that there could be more cheesy romance scenes. Don't get me wrong, the romance is still there, but I was so much more open to it because I didn't feel like it was a hindrance to the plot. AND OH MY GOD THE PLOT. It was really action-packed, mysterious and dark. Sarah J Maas has a way with creepy scenes, and it definitely scared the shit out of me. They kept you thoroughly intrigued and nervous and I literally couldn't put it down. Also, there were a boat load of plot twists and revelations. I have to be honest and say that I did see quite a few of these coming (and a lot of people have said the same) but definitely not all, so I was still very excited and invested in the book. Was it just me, or was Celaena being Aelin SO OBVIOUS? She literally spent like 2 pages going on about how Archer's knowledge of this missing princess Aelin must be a pile of crap and how this other Aelin was an imposter. It also got me a little bit annoyed when it took Chaol so long to figure it out. When he was looking up families that died to try and find out who Celaena was, why didn't he just use the date of the death of her parents??? He knew that the day she ran away was the day her parents died so she didn't really need to spell it out to him, did she??? Also Archer being a backstabbing asshole was pretty obvious to me too. She always commented on how he was sneaky and not dumb af so it made sense to me. But the Fae thing came as a surprise, I never saw Dorian has a magic guy so I loved that, and OMG I did not expect as much Chaolena in this book as we got, and even the ending OMFG I WILL SHIP CHAOLENA TILL MY DEATH BED . Honestly, the biggest issue I had with the book was that I felt like not all the character's were given enough time to shine. Both Nehemia and Dorian definitely played significant roles in this book, and some of the revelations about these characters were extremely exciting but honestly I felt very "meh" about them. I feel like if they were to be killed off, I wouldn't really care. As much as I love the idea of her character and the strength/values/etc. she represents, I didn't really feel phased when Nehemia died. I mean I will miss her, but I definitely didn't feel anything close to what Celaena went through, which made it a bit difficult for me to connect with the book. I feel like the main issue was that the author talked a lot about how Celaena and Nehemia hung out, and how good friends they were, but we only really got maybe 3 scenes of them together. I liked their friendship, but without you really getting to see them together often, it was hard for me to feel like it was a very close and strong relationship. . On the other hand, Celaena, Chaol, the King and even Kaltain were characters that really stood out to me. Jesus the king is scary, and I'm so excited (and terrified) to see what happens next. But all of that being said, I loved every second of reading this book. If was fun, fast and action-packed. LOVE. If you didn't enjoy the first book, I definitely recommend giving this one a go.

8d8e5d2bed5cdd51799fd322a527c8f7

2017-08-17

[[0, 'This was no more than an introduction to the characters.'], [0, 'Kinda hard for me to call it a book.'], [0, "But I'm hooked!"], [0, 'I love the characters, I need more now.']]

6690546

1e145e523355206ac413275cf886169c

This was no more than an introduction to the characters. Kinda hard for me to call it a book. But I'm hooked! I love the characters, I need more now.

e230266a459281a7ed4f17c519bdb20a

2013-03-04

[[0, 'Okay so while I really enjoyed this book, I will say that the end made me feel like they were in a pretty similiar situation as in the end of Shadow Kiss.'], [0, 'Yes, I know some things changed, but to me it still feel like not much was gained in this book.'], [1, 'I was really weirded out about all the time she spent with Dimitri but then again I guess thats to be expected.'], [1, "I am going to be sooooo excited to see her and Adrian as a couple.... I really hope it happens and not to sound too horrible but I was very happy to see Avery's end, I never really liked her very much ."], [0, 'I guess that pretty much covers most of the things I wanted to say soooo... until book 5!']]

5996153

a361f2ba9bee3d322afd86be6c6ac1c8

Okay so while I really enjoyed this book, I will say that the end made me feel like they were in a pretty similiar situation as in the end of Shadow Kiss. Yes, I know some things changed, but to me it still feel like not much was gained in this book. I was really weirded out about all the time she spent with Dimitri but then again I guess thats to be expected. I am going to be sooooo excited to see her and Adrian as a couple.... I really hope it happens and not to sound too horrible but I was very happy to see Avery's end, I never really liked her very much . I guess that pretty much covers most of the things I wanted to say soooo... until book 5!

d5de52d98e0ae1f0c78dd736e5a2792c

2016-06-16

[[0, '1.5 stars.'], [0, 'I started reading this book months ago, and I just today finished it.'], [0, 'It was just so dull to me.'], [0, "At this point, I don't really care about the characters, and I was only reading it because I read the first two and wanted to finish the series."], [0, "I guess I'm a glutton for punishment."], [0, 'Not much happens in Allegiant.'], [0, "Mostly it's just a lot of angsty talking."], [0, "I can't believe they split the movie version in to two parts."], [0, "I mean, there's not enough action in this book to fill one movie, much less two."], [0, 'No wonder part one flopped at the box office.'], [0, 'But hey, Hollywood is greedy and want to milk as much money out of a concept as possible.'], [0, 'Unfortunately, by the end nobody cares.'], [0, 'When I started reading, I was confused as to why Roth suddenly decided to make Tobias a point of view character.'], [0, "Halfway through the book I figured it out, and it's pretty obvious, really."], [1, 'Clearly she did it because she planned to kill off Tris at the end, which I actually thought was a pretty stupid thing to do.'], [0, 'It really served no emotional purpose for me personally.'], [0, "When it happened I just didn't care."], [0, 'And then, after it happens, the epilogue just goes on forever.'], [1, 'Oh, and also, the death of Uriah has zero emotional impact either.'], [1, "He's just a side character and hardly any time is spent on any of the main characters' relationship with him."], [1, 'So, why do we care if he dies?'], [1, "I didn't."], [0, "I don't know, maybe a lot of young people enjoyed this book, but it seemed like a pretty weak ending to a series that wasn't very strong to begin with."]]

17406183

1a3a85d73efc0690fafdbb6d6b89d003

1.5 stars. I started reading this book months ago, and I just today finished it. It was just so dull to me. At this point, I don't really care about the characters, and I was only reading it because I read the first two and wanted to finish the series. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Not much happens in Allegiant. Mostly it's just a lot of angsty talking. I can't believe they split the movie version in to two parts. I mean, there's not enough action in this book to fill one movie, much less two. No wonder part one flopped at the box office. But hey, Hollywood is greedy and want to milk as much money out of a concept as possible. Unfortunately, by the end nobody cares. When I started reading, I was confused as to why Roth suddenly decided to make Tobias a point of view character. Halfway through the book I figured it out, and it's pretty obvious, really. Clearly she did it because she planned to kill off Tris at the end, which I actually thought was a pretty stupid thing to do. It really served no emotional purpose for me personally. When it happened I just didn't care. And then, after it happens, the epilogue just goes on forever. Oh, and also, the death of Uriah has zero emotional impact either. He's just a side character and hardly any time is spent on any of the main characters' relationship with him. So, why do we care if he dies? I didn't. I don't know, maybe a lot of young people enjoyed this book, but it seemed like a pretty weak ending to a series that wasn't very strong to begin with.

b30ec19497d060a68cde4e4e99069e56

2016-05-19

[[0, 'More than anything, I found this book frustrating.'], [0, "I knew that Alice was based on Laura Bush, but I didn't expect it to follow her life so precisely."], [1, 'So it started out as a compelling read, but once Charlie bought the Brewers, any surprise, any nuance, was gone.'], [1, "And the payoff at the end just wasn't enough for me."], [0, '(I had this same problem with The Royal We, which was very closely based on Prince William and Kate Middleton, but at least that book was funny, and had a decent cast of supporting characters.)']]

2807199

b133bbb46f036f38559610e0d6db9267

More than anything, I found this book frustrating. I knew that Alice was based on Laura Bush, but I didn't expect it to follow her life so precisely. So it started out as a compelling read, but once Charlie bought the Brewers, any surprise, any nuance, was gone. And the payoff at the end just wasn't enough for me. (I had this same problem with The Royal We, which was very closely based on Prince William and Kate Middleton, but at least that book was funny, and had a decent cast of supporting characters.)

288dc8c9871098c8a1b680db829275b4

2010-02-16

[[0, 'I really enjoyed this book.'], [0, 'You find out who Jenna Fox is pretty early on in the book and I was wondering where it could go from there.'], [0, 'The rest of the book was just as good, watching her deal with what she learned about herself.']]

1902241

7af075e3385082673f63fe9cb5c3b78d

I really enjoyed this book. You find out who Jenna Fox is pretty early on in the book and I was wondering where it could go from there. The rest of the book was just as good, watching her deal with what she learned about herself.

fb2388fcd48efd1427ff9a7de8445a73

2015-11-02

[[0, 'For a guy who puts Rule of Cool at the forefront of all his works, Brandon Sanderson sure knows how to punch his readers in the gut.'], [0, 'In Shadows of Self, class tensions in Elendel reach its breaking point as Wax is forced to confront his personal demons.'], [0, "It's as painful to read as it sounds, and everything about this book is wonderful."], [1, 'Did I mention this book is painful to read?'], [1, 'Yeah.'], [1, "Part of this is because I hate to see characters I'm attached to suffer."], [1, 'The book ends with Wax (sort of) killing his (psychotic) wife a second time and sinking into depression.'], [1, "While I think things will only get worse from here plot-wise, there's a lot of room for character development."], [1, "He doesn't seem to be at peace with who he is and what he has to do, despite his assertions otherwise."], [1, 'Perhaps his character arc is about finding harmony (hur hur) within himself.'], [1, "I love that respectable, heroic characters like Aradel point out Wax's flaws without diminishing his accomplishments."], [1, 'Sure Wax is effective in solving cases and catching criminals, but he tends to leave behind collateral damage that other people have to clean up.'], [1, 'His refusal to work within the system - no matter how inefficiently bureaucratic it is - is causing strain on the people he should be working with.'], [1, "He's an alpha wolf who sticks to his own pack."], [1, "These things don't make him any less of a hero, but they do make him more human."], [1, 'Paalm is an interesting villain.'], [1, "She's a psycho with major identity issues who's desperately in love with Wax."], [1, "She'd spent most of her life being controlled, first by the Lord Ruler and then by Harmony, and then she falls in love (and becomes obsessed with) Wax."], [1, "MeLaan (who's awesome) says she followed Harmony/Sazed with a zeal the other kandra don't have."], [1, 'I wonder if her centuries of servitude under the Lord Ruler skewed her perception of Harmony and made her obsessive to the point of insanity.'], [1, 'Other notes:'], [1, '-MeLaan is awesome.'], [1, 'Have I said that before?'], [1, "-I'm glad Marasi's character arc this book doesn't involve Wax so much."], [1, "I love them both and like their friendship, but I'm glad I get to see her developing her career and honing her investigative skills without him in the picture (much)."], [1, '-Wow, I actually can relate to Steris.'], [1, "I hope she has a greater role in the next book because she's awkward and hyper-efficient and adorable."], [1, "I actually ship her with Wax, because they'd balance each other."], [1, "She'd ground him, he'd excite her."], [1, 'Fingers crossed she has a bigger role in the next book.'], [1, "-Vin and Elend's tomb."], [1, 'Okay, I made myself sad.'], [1, '-SOONIE PUPS!!'], [1, '-MeLaan is awesome.'], [0, "I can't praise this book enough."], [0, "It's highly recommended, Brandon Sanderson is the best, etc."], [0, 'etc.'], [0, "Now I can't wait for Bands of Mourning."]]

16065004

eabeb546a11f6db67da6197d38c95b43

For a guy who puts Rule of Cool at the forefront of all his works, Brandon Sanderson sure knows how to punch his readers in the gut. In Shadows of Self, class tensions in Elendel reach its breaking point as Wax is forced to confront his personal demons. It's as painful to read as it sounds, and everything about this book is wonderful. Did I mention this book is painful to read? Yeah. Part of this is because I hate to see characters I'm attached to suffer. The book ends with Wax (sort of) killing his (psychotic) wife a second time and sinking into depression. While I think things will only get worse from here plot-wise, there's a lot of room for character development. He doesn't seem to be at peace with who he is and what he has to do, despite his assertions otherwise. Perhaps his character arc is about finding harmony (hur hur) within himself. I love that respectable, heroic characters like Aradel point out Wax's flaws without diminishing his accomplishments. Sure Wax is effective in solving cases and catching criminals, but he tends to leave behind collateral damage that other people have to clean up. His refusal to work within the system - no matter how inefficiently bureaucratic it is - is causing strain on the people he should be working with. He's an alpha wolf who sticks to his own pack. These things don't make him any less of a hero, but they do make him more human. Paalm is an interesting villain. She's a psycho with major identity issues who's desperately in love with Wax. She'd spent most of her life being controlled, first by the Lord Ruler and then by Harmony, and then she falls in love (and becomes obsessed with) Wax. MeLaan (who's awesome) says she followed Harmony/Sazed with a zeal the other kandra don't have. I wonder if her centuries of servitude under the Lord Ruler skewed her perception of Harmony and made her obsessive to the point of insanity. Other notes: -MeLaan is awesome. Have I said that before? -I'm glad Marasi's character arc this book doesn't involve Wax so much. I love them both and like their friendship, but I'm glad I get to see her developing her career and honing her investigative skills without him in the picture (much). -Wow, I actually can relate to Steris. I hope she has a greater role in the next book because she's awkward and hyper-efficient and adorable. I actually ship her with Wax, because they'd balance each other. She'd ground him, he'd excite her. Fingers crossed she has a bigger role in the next book. -Vin and Elend's tomb. Okay, I made myself sad. -SOONIE PUPS!! -MeLaan is awesome. I can't praise this book enough. It's highly recommended, Brandon Sanderson is the best, etc. etc. Now I can't wait for Bands of Mourning.

85faf1dc28991147441add8bac990670

2014-01-04

[[0, "I rather enjoyed this book; in fact, it's my favorite of the series."], [0, 'What really kept me reading was Hana.'], [0, 'I have never liked Lena; she irritates me, putting it mildly.'], [0, 'Hana, however, offers a voice of a cured.'], [0, 'The way she thinks and what she sees made me question what I thought I knew about the cure.'], [0, "The only real exposure we've had to a cured before now was Carol, who on the whole was quite like an emotionless housewife."], [0, "Hana's view shows that cureds have feelings."], [1, "Her husband is a power hungry politician(what a surprise), her mother-in-law acts as a stereotypical suspicious mother-in-law, and Hana herself shows that she still caresby looking after Lena's family."], [0, "The attitude of cureds on the whole makes me question if it really is a 'cure.'"], [0, 'I acknowledge that whatever this cure is, it suppresses lust, hormones, etc.'], [0, 'but is it really working as well as it claims to be?'], [0, 'Sometimes I questioned whether or not the cureds were simply afraid to say that everything the cure promised was not coming true.'], [0, 'I immensely enjoyed this train of thought.'], [0, 'Alex, you are a bastard.'], [0, "I'll admit, I thought your relationship with Lena was BS since book 1, and I was wholeheartedly supporting Julian throughout book 2, but show some class."], [0, 'Ok, Lena fell in love(for lack of a better term) with Julian because she thought you were dead.'], [0, "I don't blame you for being a little resentful since she never even tried to believe that you were still alive, but not even trying to talk it out?"], [0, 'Really?'], [0, 'You two basically have one or two exchanges the entire book.'], [0, 'I expect this from Lena, but you?'], [0, "C'mon, you turn from a bundle of laughs to Mr.Emo in no time flat."], [0, "I tried to like you, but it's impossible to do that until you cut the attitude and man up."], [0, "I'm also disappointed in Julian."], [0, 'You were so fantastic in book 2, and now this.'], [0, 'YOU DO NOTHING.'], [0, 'ABSOLUTELY.'], [0, 'NOTHING.'], [0, 'You had such great potential, all squandered.'], [0, 'I feel so sorry for you Julian, because you were relegated to "Lena\'s other love interest" when you could be doing so much!'], [0, 'Despite this, I still love you.'], [0, "At least you didn't do a total 180 on me."], [0, "Lena's reunion with her mother was excellent."], [0, 'This was the point when I liked her most.'], [0, "Not many questions were answered, but I'm guessing some stuff is contained in Annabel's novella, so I can't blame Oliver for not including it here."], [0, 'Overall, I was satisfied.'], [0, 'Now, the big controversy about this book-the ending.'], [1, "Raven dies right away, I don't care, I wasn't particularly fond of her anyway."], [1, 'Stuff happens, then Hana(her driver, whatever) hits someone.'], [1, 'Could it be?'], [1, 'Of course it is, who else would she hit, Alex?'], [1, "(Although now that I think about it, that probably would've been much more fun for read)"], [1, "Lena's a bitch the whole time, and I admit, Hana isn't exactly the best friend in the world, but oh well."], [1, 'She did act cured, but I personally think some of it was a ruse.'], [1, "After all, they weren't alone in the house, and I wouldn't blame Hana if she thought her husband was spying on her, recording her, etc."], [1, 'She did act more friendly than Lena, and she told Lena where Grace was.'], [1, "You can't seriously still hold a grudge against her now, can you?"], [1, 'Alright, maybe a little.'], [1, 'But still, she sort of tried to revive a piece of your friendship.'], [1, "I really, really, really wish this little meeting was in Hana's POV, but you can't have everything."], [1, 'Then Hana walks away like a badass, house exploding behind her.'], [1, 'Well, I imagine this happening.'], [1, "If the house actually exploded, she'd probably be injured in some way, falling debris and whatnot."], [1, 'But still, she basically condemns her husband to death.'], [1, 'Serves him right, the swine.'], [1, "I like the fact that Lena didn't choose right away."], [1, "Although it's blatantly obvious that it's Alex, it didn't feel rushed."], [1, 'Lena acknowledges that it\'s more complicated than "I-love-you-mostest-I-choose-you-Julian\'s-done-let\'s-kiss-THE END."'], [1, 'She realizes that matters must be sorted out, and I respect her for this.'], [1, 'What will the cureds do to the Invalids, and vice versa?'], [1, 'Who will win this war?'], [1, 'What will happen to the government?'], [1, 'Will America change internationally?'], [1, 'If the uprising in Portland is indeed a win for Invalids, will other countries flock to their aid?'], [1, 'Who knows?'], [1, "I don't, and I hope Oliver doesn't get the idea to write a follow up."], [1, 'One word for that: overkill.'], [0, 'Overall, this book was a bit slow and lackluster at times, but their was a fair amount of good stuff to keep me reading.']]

9593913

75ab39dda172b874568de9bf2d0610cf

I rather enjoyed this book; in fact, it's my favorite of the series. What really kept me reading was Hana. I have never liked Lena; she irritates me, putting it mildly. Hana, however, offers a voice of a cured. The way she thinks and what she sees made me question what I thought I knew about the cure. The only real exposure we've had to a cured before now was Carol, who on the whole was quite like an emotionless housewife. Hana's view shows that cureds have feelings. Her husband is a power hungry politician(what a surprise), her mother-in-law acts as a stereotypical suspicious mother-in-law, and Hana herself shows that she still caresby looking after Lena's family. The attitude of cureds on the whole makes me question if it really is a 'cure.' I acknowledge that whatever this cure is, it suppresses lust, hormones, etc. but is it really working as well as it claims to be? Sometimes I questioned whether or not the cureds were simply afraid to say that everything the cure promised was not coming true. I immensely enjoyed this train of thought. Alex, you are a bastard. I'll admit, I thought your relationship with Lena was BS since book 1, and I was wholeheartedly supporting Julian throughout book 2, but show some class. Ok, Lena fell in love(for lack of a better term) with Julian because she thought you were dead. I don't blame you for being a little resentful since she never even tried to believe that you were still alive, but not even trying to talk it out? Really? You two basically have one or two exchanges the entire book. I expect this from Lena, but you? C'mon, you turn from a bundle of laughs to Mr.Emo in no time flat. I tried to like you, but it's impossible to do that until you cut the attitude and man up. I'm also disappointed in Julian. You were so fantastic in book 2, and now this. YOU DO NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING. You had such great potential, all squandered. I feel so sorry for you Julian, because you were relegated to "Lena's other love interest" when you could be doing so much! Despite this, I still love you. At least you didn't do a total 180 on me. Lena's reunion with her mother was excellent. This was the point when I liked her most. Not many questions were answered, but I'm guessing some stuff is contained in Annabel's novella, so I can't blame Oliver for not including it here. Overall, I was satisfied. Now, the big controversy about this book-the ending. Raven dies right away, I don't care, I wasn't particularly fond of her anyway. Stuff happens, then Hana(her driver, whatever) hits someone. Could it be? Of course it is, who else would she hit, Alex? (Although now that I think about it, that probably would've been much more fun for read) Lena's a bitch the whole time, and I admit, Hana isn't exactly the best friend in the world, but oh well. She did act cured, but I personally think some of it was a ruse. After all, they weren't alone in the house, and I wouldn't blame Hana if she thought her husband was spying on her, recording her, etc. She did act more friendly than Lena, and she told Lena where Grace was. You can't seriously still hold a grudge against her now, can you? Alright, maybe a little. But still, she sort of tried to revive a piece of your friendship. I really, really, really wish this little meeting was in Hana's POV, but you can't have everything. Then Hana walks away like a badass, house exploding behind her. Well, I imagine this happening. If the house actually exploded, she'd probably be injured in some way, falling debris and whatnot. But still, she basically condemns her husband to death. Serves him right, the swine. I like the fact that Lena didn't choose right away. Although it's blatantly obvious that it's Alex, it didn't feel rushed. Lena acknowledges that it's more complicated than "I-love-you-mostest-I-choose-you-Julian's-done-let's-kiss-THE END." She realizes that matters must be sorted out, and I respect her for this. What will the cureds do to the Invalids, and vice versa? Who will win this war? What will happen to the government? Will America change internationally? If the uprising in Portland is indeed a win for Invalids, will other countries flock to their aid? Who knows? I don't, and I hope Oliver doesn't get the idea to write a follow up. One word for that: overkill. Overall, this book was a bit slow and lackluster at times, but their was a fair amount of good stuff to keep me reading.

f61ee006074b388ad77d9ba7623dbe62

2015-10-21

[[0, 'This is not a fantasy, it is the fantasy in many ways.'], [0, 'This book changed my life, so why am I giving it three stars?'], [0, "It's not the best of the three in my opinion, there are some great heights, The Prancing Pony, Rivendell, Weahertop, but it drags in too many places."], [0, 'There is better to come.']]

34

316a51f65e93b43149cb6e519577ad74

This is not a fantasy, it is the fantasy in many ways. This book changed my life, so why am I giving it three stars? It's not the best of the three in my opinion, there are some great heights, The Prancing Pony, Rivendell, Weahertop, but it drags in too many places. There is better to come.

1551139177006d64d99cd5ad692be76b

2017-02-23

[[0, 'I really enjoyed The Philosopher Kings, probably more than The Just City.'], [0, 'Where The Just City felt limited, it was really an exploration of the Republic, The Philosopher Kings is more ambitious.'], [1, "I missed Simmea, how couldn't I?"], [1, 'But Apollo was the most interesting character in The Just City, and the journey he goes on this time is worth missing her.']]

23168762

2f856314bae353a312313e3c1d420ea5

I really enjoyed The Philosopher Kings, probably more than The Just City. Where The Just City felt limited, it was really an exploration of the Republic, The Philosopher Kings is more ambitious. I missed Simmea, how couldn't I? But Apollo was the most interesting character in The Just City, and the journey he goes on this time is worth missing her.

527495740745b66955aa393d4598f937

2015-07-12

[[0, "This is the most beautiful, powerful, passionate book I've ever read."], [0, "I'm crying just because of how much I completely loved it."], [0, "I'd give this book 300,000 stars if I could."], [0, "I'd give it the sun."], [0, 'I posted a full review of the book on my blog!']]

20820994

a375705e45320431576fa77074fc03c3

This is the most beautiful, powerful, passionate book I've ever read. I'm crying just because of how much I completely loved it. I'd give this book 300,000 stars if I could. I'd give it the sun. I posted a full review of the book on my blog!

1cdb634f473f6676940fe42d082ec479

2013-11-25

[[0, 'I highly recommend Deeper by Robin York.'], [0, 'What an amazing read.'], [0, 'And dare I say it, a thought provoking, important read as well.'], [0, 'The story focuses on two main characters, West and Caroline, who meet at their first day of school.'], [0, 'That meeting may or may not be love at first sight, but West certainly makes quite an impact on Caroline.'], [0, "The driver's-side door opened, and a guy got out."], [0, 'I forgot my own name.'], [0, 'He shook his head slowly back and forth, and then he did the worst thing.'], [0, 'He grinned.'], [0, 'It was like a nuclear attack.'], [0, "But that love can't yet happen yet, because Caroline isn't quite ready."], [0, 'She is scared and stuck, frozen in place.'], [0, 'Caroline at the start of the book is a good girl.'], [0, 'She lives for approval.'], [0, 'Breathes for acceptance.'], [0, 'But her ex shatters her good girl persona.'], [0, 'He posts pictures of private moments to several revenge porn sites online and makes Caroline feel shame, fear, embarrassment and guilt.'], [0, "Caroline doesn't know how to escape her nightmare, and seeks out West with whom she always has felt some sort of connection."], [0, "She starts making drive-bys at one of West's many jobs."], [0, 'She parks outside the bakery where he works.'], [0, 'There, in the bakery, while the rest of the world was sleeping, time buckled and we found something outside it.'], [0, 'We became us in that kitchen.'], [0, 'Long before he kissed me, I passed a whole lifetime with West, bathed in yellow light, baptized in lukewarm tap water, consecrated at sunrise when we broke a loaf open and looked.'], [0, 'Their romance blossoms, and becomes deeper a few weeks later during Thanksgiving.'], [1, 'There on her roof, under the stars, West and Caroline kiss.'], [1, 'The kiss is the start of the sexual relationship between Caroline and West.'], [1, 'They start meeting at her dorm room before class on Tuesdays and Thursdays in addition to their bakery rendezvous.'], [1, 'These are a hot 100 minutes of lust and love on a weekly basis.'], [0, 'They set some boundaries, but have hot, steamy fun within those constraints.'], [0, 'Wow, do Caroline and West have amazing chemistry.'], [0, "At winter break, we start to see a bit more of West's life and realize that he might not have it as together as we thought."], [1, "West feels he can't have it all, doesn't deserve to have it all, so tries to make that happen by cutting Caroline out of his life when he returns to school."], [1, "West tries to stay away, but on Valentine's Day, he realizes he doesn't have to."], [1, 'He goes after Caroline and together they share 5 weeks of bliss.'], [1, 'Bliss, and hot, steamy NA sex.'], [1, 'Yowza.'], [0, 'It is at this moment, this abrupt change of face, where the only flaw in the story exists.'], [0, "I don't quite understand the how and why and speed of West's epiphany."], [0, 'Their romance blooms and grows.'], [0, 'As does their sexual relationship.'], [0, 'Yowza.'], [0, 'But sadly life gets in the way.'], [0, 'The story ends on a bittersweet note for Caroline and West.'], [0, "I'm hoping that there is a second novel."], [0, 'But for Caroline herself, the story ends on such an incredibly positive note.'], [0, 'My how she has grown.'], [0, 'She no longer runs and hides.'], [0, 'She no longer lives and breathes for approval and acceptance.'], [0, 'She is strong and brave.'], [0, 'And she tells us all, that we should be brave too:'], [0, 'Live.'], [0, 'Breathe.'], [0, 'Fight.'], [0, 'Be who you are.'], [0, 'Be better.'], [0, 'Be fierce.'], [0, 'Her words serve as a mantra, a battle cry, for everyone.'], [0, 'It is what victims of revenge porn need to hear and believe.'], [0, 'And what all women should know and understand.'], [0, 'That we should take risks and be scared.'], [0, 'And that is why I think Deeper is more important than just a great NA book.'], [0, 'It is so much more.'], [0, 'It is, dare I say, deeper.'], [0, 'Given this arc by netgalley for an honest review.']]

18525821

28b86148cf5daacbfd50ee53f33fc2f1

I highly recommend Deeper by Robin York. What an amazing read. And dare I say it, a thought provoking, important read as well. The story focuses on two main characters, West and Caroline, who meet at their first day of school. That meeting may or may not be love at first sight, but West certainly makes quite an impact on Caroline. The driver's-side door opened, and a guy got out. I forgot my own name. He shook his head slowly back and forth, and then he did the worst thing. He grinned. It was like a nuclear attack. But that love can't yet happen yet, because Caroline isn't quite ready. She is scared and stuck, frozen in place. Caroline at the start of the book is a good girl. She lives for approval. Breathes for acceptance. But her ex shatters her good girl persona. He posts pictures of private moments to several revenge porn sites online and makes Caroline feel shame, fear, embarrassment and guilt. Caroline doesn't know how to escape her nightmare, and seeks out West with whom she always has felt some sort of connection. She starts making drive-bys at one of West's many jobs. She parks outside the bakery where he works. There, in the bakery, while the rest of the world was sleeping, time buckled and we found something outside it. We became us in that kitchen. Long before he kissed me, I passed a whole lifetime with West, bathed in yellow light, baptized in lukewarm tap water, consecrated at sunrise when we broke a loaf open and looked. Their romance blossoms, and becomes deeper a few weeks later during Thanksgiving. There on her roof, under the stars, West and Caroline kiss. The kiss is the start of the sexual relationship between Caroline and West. They start meeting at her dorm room before class on Tuesdays and Thursdays in addition to their bakery rendezvous. These are a hot 100 minutes of lust and love on a weekly basis. They set some boundaries, but have hot, steamy fun within those constraints. Wow, do Caroline and West have amazing chemistry. At winter break, we start to see a bit more of West's life and realize that he might not have it as together as we thought. West feels he can't have it all, doesn't deserve to have it all, so tries to make that happen by cutting Caroline out of his life when he returns to school. West tries to stay away, but on Valentine's Day, he realizes he doesn't have to. He goes after Caroline and together they share 5 weeks of bliss. Bliss, and hot, steamy NA sex. Yowza. It is at this moment, this abrupt change of face, where the only flaw in the story exists. I don't quite understand the how and why and speed of West's epiphany. Their romance blooms and grows. As does their sexual relationship. Yowza. But sadly life gets in the way. The story ends on a bittersweet note for Caroline and West. I'm hoping that there is a second novel. But for Caroline herself, the story ends on such an incredibly positive note. My how she has grown. She no longer runs and hides. She no longer lives and breathes for approval and acceptance. She is strong and brave. And she tells us all, that we should be brave too: Live. Breathe. Fight. Be who you are. Be better. Be fierce. Her words serve as a mantra, a battle cry, for everyone. It is what victims of revenge porn need to hear and believe. And what all women should know and understand. That we should take risks and be scared. And that is why I think Deeper is more important than just a great NA book. It is so much more. It is, dare I say, deeper. Given this arc by netgalley for an honest review.

84054ff6a1cbeb0384d44a4c1906f11b

2013-09-18

[[0, "I had no idea that was even in the cards, but now I'm over the moon."], [0, 'It follows on from my favourite Men of Honour book, so really... is it December yet?']]

17936939

dd7895bb47ef85262fdfd939b163cf34

I had no idea that was even in the cards, but now I'm over the moon. It follows on from my favourite Men of Honour book, so really... is it December yet?

7e7df90b3eb0e7eabe010f4ecd429418

2013-12-26

[[0, '** spoiler alert **'], [0, 'The story is about this irresponsible young man Jerry.'], [0, 'His entire life he was arrogant, spoiled and seemed to have no ambition.'], [0, 'For about a month or so he was living with his parents after his girl kicked him to the curb (which he deserved).'], [0, 'They finally decided to give him an ultimatum to either find a job or be put out on his ass.'], [0, 'Instead of agreeing and showing his appreciation - he snaps, goes on a killing spree, seeking out those he thought have done him wrong in the past and liquidating their assets as he went along.'], [0, 'For such a failure, Jerry is quite smart and sneaky.'], [0, 'He was able to evade them for some time.'], [0, 'Eve and Peabody are always right on his tail but constantly miss him by mere minutes.'], [0, 'With the help of the e-team they finally pin him down.'], [0, 'This one read different from the others.'], [0, 'I think it was because early on we know who the perpetrator is.'], [0, "It didn't follow the normal murder-mystery like the previous books."], [0, "I appreciate it because it gave the story a diff direction however it also wasn't as suspenseful compared to the others."], [0, 'What I love about this one though was FINALLY Eve was offered a promotion.'], [0, 'You know that she deserved this more than anyone.'], [0, 'I would have to say that even if I wanted that badly for her, she made the right decision in the end.'], [0, "The story happens around Thanksgiving and the other aspect of the story that I enjoyed was how it included Roarke's family."], [0, "Just their mere presence in something so monumental in both of the couple's lives was heartwarming."], [0, "As you know, Eve is so friggin' socially awkward, right?"], [0, "(which I also love about her) Sometimes she doesn't know how to react or it could be the fact that she is afraid to show her emotions given her persona - badass LT."], [0, 'In this story she tries to keep those emotions in control when a young girl from her past case gives her a priceless gift.'], [0, 'She mentioned some things that just tore me up inside.'], [0, "For me I thought this book wasn't as great as the rest but I still enjoyed it nonetheless."], [0, 'It still had the suspense, romance, drama and intrique which got me into these books in the first place.'], [0, 'Thirty seven books into the series and I still can not get enough of Eve and Roarke.'], [0, 'liezelsbookblog.net']]

16299341

c969a81ba8175118c709f4aa152d4baf

** spoiler alert ** The story is about this irresponsible young man Jerry. His entire life he was arrogant, spoiled and seemed to have no ambition. For about a month or so he was living with his parents after his girl kicked him to the curb (which he deserved). They finally decided to give him an ultimatum to either find a job or be put out on his ass. Instead of agreeing and showing his appreciation - he snaps, goes on a killing spree, seeking out those he thought have done him wrong in the past and liquidating their assets as he went along. For such a failure, Jerry is quite smart and sneaky. He was able to evade them for some time. Eve and Peabody are always right on his tail but constantly miss him by mere minutes. With the help of the e-team they finally pin him down. This one read different from the others. I think it was because early on we know who the perpetrator is. It didn't follow the normal murder-mystery like the previous books. I appreciate it because it gave the story a diff direction however it also wasn't as suspenseful compared to the others. What I love about this one though was FINALLY Eve was offered a promotion. You know that she deserved this more than anyone. I would have to say that even if I wanted that badly for her, she made the right decision in the end. The story happens around Thanksgiving and the other aspect of the story that I enjoyed was how it included Roarke's family. Just their mere presence in something so monumental in both of the couple's lives was heartwarming. As you know, Eve is so friggin' socially awkward, right? (which I also love about her) Sometimes she doesn't know how to react or it could be the fact that she is afraid to show her emotions given her persona - badass LT. In this story she tries to keep those emotions in control when a young girl from her past case gives her a priceless gift. She mentioned some things that just tore me up inside. For me I thought this book wasn't as great as the rest but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. It still had the suspense, romance, drama and intrique which got me into these books in the first place. Thirty seven books into the series and I still can not get enough of Eve and Roarke. liezelsbookblog.net

a0ab92b43b0fb50b4db042a41c20682a

2013-06-10

[[0, 'I read this one for the book club.'], [0, "It's a retelling of pre-Iliad and Iliad events through the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles' childhood friend and later comrade and lover."], [0, "It's pretty bad when my favorite characters end up being Thetis, Achilles' sea goddess mother, and Chiron, the boys' centaur teacher."], [0, "As for the main love story, it just didn't grab me--just because it's slash fanfiction doesn't mean it's automatically deep."], [0, 'Things that turned me off were the wandering verb tenses (some text is in present tense; some in past tense, with no rhyme or reason), typos (Phoinix/Phoenix), and the presence of threatened and actual rape (although I do think the author kept it to a minimum).'], [0, 'Positives: The political maneuvering between the immortals and mortals, and giving us the sense of just how LONG the siege of Troy dragged on.'], [0, "But overall, it just wasn't my cup of tea."]]

11250317

560689e2778ff1ef87a2a51fa20829d2

I read this one for the book club. It's a retelling of pre-Iliad and Iliad events through the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles' childhood friend and later comrade and lover. It's pretty bad when my favorite characters end up being Thetis, Achilles' sea goddess mother, and Chiron, the boys' centaur teacher. As for the main love story, it just didn't grab me--just because it's slash fanfiction doesn't mean it's automatically deep. Things that turned me off were the wandering verb tenses (some text is in present tense; some in past tense, with no rhyme or reason), typos (Phoinix/Phoenix), and the presence of threatened and actual rape (although I do think the author kept it to a minimum). Positives: The political maneuvering between the immortals and mortals, and giving us the sense of just how LONG the siege of Troy dragged on. But overall, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

46e23d760843b8c9a4108a55cd92413d

2015-04-20

[[0, 'Library copies came in early, so, what can I say.'], [0, 'Grabbed it.'], [0, 'Librarian perk.'], [0, "A year later and Conner is on a school trip to Germany when he discovers that Napoleon had sent an army to take over the Land of Stories and they're due to arrive shortly - he can't get a hold of Alex, so it's up to him to try and get back to help."], [0, 'Unlike the first book, the story shines when in the real world - the trip through Europe was pretty awesome and made me miss Germany.'], [0, 'Lots of action and great storytelling.'], [0, 'Fewer cliches and awkwardness in the writing, which unfortunately makes them stand out more.'], [0, '(Please stop listing out the characters.'], [0, 'Please.)'], [0, "These would make really great movies - they're very visual and the dialogue is pretty fun."], [0, 'I greatly enjoy this series, and have fun talking about it with kids.'], [0, "Still loving Jack and Goldie, loving Mother Goose and her flask and can't wait to see how the cliffhanger gets resolved - that's two sides we've seen to one character so it will be interesting to see how they tie together."], [0, "Here's hoping book four doesn't involve any arrests for the disappearance of children, though."], [0, 'Bree should have brought a mirror piece.']]

20706320

119cb84d803a93f35150f2ccdc78bee2

Library copies came in early, so, what can I say. Grabbed it. Librarian perk. A year later and Conner is on a school trip to Germany when he discovers that Napoleon had sent an army to take over the Land of Stories and they're due to arrive shortly - he can't get a hold of Alex, so it's up to him to try and get back to help. Unlike the first book, the story shines when in the real world - the trip through Europe was pretty awesome and made me miss Germany. Lots of action and great storytelling. Fewer cliches and awkwardness in the writing, which unfortunately makes them stand out more. (Please stop listing out the characters. Please.) These would make really great movies - they're very visual and the dialogue is pretty fun. I greatly enjoy this series, and have fun talking about it with kids. Still loving Jack and Goldie, loving Mother Goose and her flask and can't wait to see how the cliffhanger gets resolved - that's two sides we've seen to one character so it will be interesting to see how they tie together. Here's hoping book four doesn't involve any arrests for the disappearance of children, though. Bree should have brought a mirror piece.

db5db35506a7094c4c2b1f7100cd694c

2012-10-14

[[0, 'I liked the idea for the story line.'], [0, 'Two children, a 12 year old boy Tucker Creed a 6 year old girl'], [0, 'Sylvie Bissenette brought together out of need.'], [0, 'Both had to endure'], [0, 'neglectful drunken parents.'], [0, 'The friendship they shared over 12 years was strong and developed as they aged.'], [0, 'When Sylvie turned 18 everything changed.'], [0, 'The two were violently separated not by choice and would not be reunited until some 16 years later.'], [0, 'Their reunion is filled with multiple hot orgasms and countless memories of how their separation 16 years earlier occurred.'], [0, 'There lies the problem for me, it was just too long.'], [0, "Memories and nightmares don't need to be rehashed for what seemed like half the book."], [0, 'I walked away from reading several times not sure I would finish it.'], [0, 'I did in the end, I did like the story just not the length and the amount of time it took to get to the end.']]

13640229

baf85a800c04152bcf9b99867258ecaf

I liked the idea for the story line. Two children, a 12 year old boy Tucker Creed a 6 year old girl Sylvie Bissenette brought together out of need. Both had to endure neglectful drunken parents. The friendship they shared over 12 years was strong and developed as they aged. When Sylvie turned 18 everything changed. The two were violently separated not by choice and would not be reunited until some 16 years later. Their reunion is filled with multiple hot orgasms and countless memories of how their separation 16 years earlier occurred. There lies the problem for me, it was just too long. Memories and nightmares don't need to be rehashed for what seemed like half the book. I walked away from reading several times not sure I would finish it. I did in the end, I did like the story just not the length and the amount of time it took to get to the end.

6de4cc7fddc0650390827e327b0464b0

2016-05-25

[[0, 'This is a believable...not quite post-apocalyptic, but definitely a very damaged, United States.'], [0, "It's never explicitly stated that climate change is the reason a good third of the country is now underwater, but it's kind of a given."], [0, 'The country is split in half, almost right down the middle - the Republic, consisting of 13 states, and the Colonies, which at this point is just the vaguely referenced enemy of the Republic.'], [0, 'Cities in the Republic are divided into Sectors, and classism is rampant, with the military ruling at the top.'], [0, 'TL;DR: This is a setting I have no trouble believing as the future status of America.'], [0, 'The story has a relatively common YA theme.'], [0, "Strong female protagonist with special skills goes through some experiences that make her question the world she's grown up in, causing her to make important decisions about where she stands in the impending revolution/war/resistance/etc."], [1, 'I do like that, instead of the typical "I come from the underdog side" heroine, June is actually a lauded darling of the brutal military regime, so instead of being on the offensive from the beginning, she has to go through the process of questioning everything she\'s ever believed in and worked for.'], [0, "Marie Lu puts her own spin on that story though, so it doesn't feel like a copy of other popular series with similar plots."]]

9275658

dddc7c0702f32d4193b505a185c093e9

This is a believable...not quite post-apocalyptic, but definitely a very damaged, United States. It's never explicitly stated that climate change is the reason a good third of the country is now underwater, but it's kind of a given. The country is split in half, almost right down the middle - the Republic, consisting of 13 states, and the Colonies, which at this point is just the vaguely referenced enemy of the Republic. Cities in the Republic are divided into Sectors, and classism is rampant, with the military ruling at the top. TL;DR: This is a setting I have no trouble believing as the future status of America. The story has a relatively common YA theme. Strong female protagonist with special skills goes through some experiences that make her question the world she's grown up in, causing her to make important decisions about where she stands in the impending revolution/war/resistance/etc. I do like that, instead of the typical "I come from the underdog side" heroine, June is actually a lauded darling of the brutal military regime, so instead of being on the offensive from the beginning, she has to go through the process of questioning everything she's ever believed in and worked for. Marie Lu puts her own spin on that story though, so it doesn't feel like a copy of other popular series with similar plots.

1b0601904b123e8aaf9514349b8f30b9

2016-12-04

[[0, 'The idea for the book was intriguing so I picked it up.'], [0, 'Strong female detective protagonist, mystery town where people go to disappear.'], [0, 'Confusing murders for her to solve.'], [0, 'The mystery itself was fun and interesting but the way the author wrote the character relationships was a little too romance novel for my tastes.']]

25362841

c094ed77b00b41cdf23e13c577f56578

The idea for the book was intriguing so I picked it up. Strong female detective protagonist, mystery town where people go to disappear. Confusing murders for her to solve. The mystery itself was fun and interesting but the way the author wrote the character relationships was a little too romance novel for my tastes.

a450572e863a15754d12c25c6610955f

2012-07-14

[[0, 'I thought this was a solid, well-done trilogy.'], [0, 'The ending - despite many surprises along the way - seemed as if it was the only one there could have been.'], [0, "And it was inevitable in a way which was 'happy' for Cassel and yet really not any kind of happiness I could feel satisfied with."]]

8884616

71195fbf1227043e0dd532bbbf7e0551

I thought this was a solid, well-done trilogy. The ending - despite many surprises along the way - seemed as if it was the only one there could have been. And it was inevitable in a way which was 'happy' for Cassel and yet really not any kind of happiness I could feel satisfied with.

96f335023d9138bcfbf2e4d2f8933f77

2013-08-09

[[0, 'As a massive fan of the 20s, I truly enjoy this series.'], [0, "It' fun and fast paced with not one, not two, but FOUR kick butt girls who pave their own way."], [0, 'I actually liked Ingenue better then book one.'], [0, 'I loved how Larkin added a new girl to the mix.'], [0, 'Vera was new and exciting and full of life.'], [0, "While Raine wasn't nice and she wasn't a good girl, I really enjoyed reading from her perceptive."], [0, "I actually enjoyed reading from all four of the girl's perceptive."], [0, 'Each was a really strong character.'], [0, "It's hard to pick who is my favorite."], [0, "I've read other YA books that take place in the 20s but this series is the only one that's extremely historically accurate."], [0, 'From the dresses and suits to the songs and singers to the slang, Larkin did her research and got it right.'], [0, 'Overall, if you want an awesome 20s book full of kick butt girls and drama, go get a book from the Flapper series.'], [0, "It'll be worth your time."]]

9711804

78523af0612dcfbe268e23d2e22a054d

As a massive fan of the 20s, I truly enjoy this series. It' fun and fast paced with not one, not two, but FOUR kick butt girls who pave their own way. I actually liked Ingenue better then book one. I loved how Larkin added a new girl to the mix. Vera was new and exciting and full of life. While Raine wasn't nice and she wasn't a good girl, I really enjoyed reading from her perceptive. I actually enjoyed reading from all four of the girl's perceptive. Each was a really strong character. It's hard to pick who is my favorite. I've read other YA books that take place in the 20s but this series is the only one that's extremely historically accurate. From the dresses and suits to the songs and singers to the slang, Larkin did her research and got it right. Overall, if you want an awesome 20s book full of kick butt girls and drama, go get a book from the Flapper series. It'll be worth your time.

6d5f4f0245ee2bd5e14569acf77132e3

2017-06-14

[[0, 'I enjoyed most of this story.'], [0, 'But a few things made me mad - see spoilers.'], [0, 'Jake said half of a sentence which caused a misunderstanding.'], [0, "Victoria didn't tell the whole story to Jake about her pregnancy which caused another misunderstanding."], [0, 'I would give 4 or 5 stars to the story, but the mis-communications brought it down to 3 for me.'], [0, "I don't want to be mad when I read."], [0, 'I read the paperback several years ago and just now did the audiobook.'], [0, 'In my first review of this book I was not angry about two spoilers.'], [0, 'In fact I wrote the following about the second spoiler: " I was impressed with the author coming up with a conflict based on mis-communication, but no one was lying or being vague.'], [0, 'Victoria was honest but Jake didn\'t believe her, and his reasons for not believing her were logical."'], [0, 'I have totally changed my mind.'], [0, "I didn't like that conflict this time."], [0, 'I blame Victoria for not explaining better.'], [0, 'I disagree with myself.'], [1, 'Jake is the only ranch hand who is protecting three women from rape.'], [1, 'He told the women not to leave the house and to trust him.'], [1, 'He needs to leave the ranch for a couple days as part of his plan to take over the ranch.'], [1, "He tells Emma that he is leaving but he doesn't say he'll be back."], [1, 'So the three women now think he is gone forever and they leave in the middle of the night.'], [1, 'Stupid that he let them think the wrong thing.'], [1, 'And of course Victoria is mad for a long time saying "Why didn\'t you tell me you were coming back?"'], [1, 'McLane stuck his finger inside Victoria on their wedding night which broke her hymen.'], [1, 'But he was never able to do the sex act.'], [1, 'He was impotent around her.'], [1, 'So when Jake has sex with Victoria he believes McLane previously had sex with her.'], [1, "He believes her baby is McLane's, not his."], [1, 'Victoria is stupid by not telling the whole story to Jake.'], [1, "She doesn't say how her hymen was broke."], [1, "She doesn't say more details about how McLane tried to have sex but was impotent with her."], [1, "Also Jake didn't know how Victoria could know she was pregnant so early."], [1, "She didn't try to educate him."], [1, 'She just let him believe all the wrong things for several months.'], [1, 'Finally he believes the local whore who tells Jake that McLane admitted impotence with Victoria.'], [1, 'I also did not like that Victoria wanted to kill the breeding stallion Rubio because Rubio accidentally killed someone.'], [1, 'Victoria let him out and shooed him onto the plains.'], [1, 'That was financially stupid.'], [1, 'She could have sold him, not given him to whomever finds him.'], [0, 'AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:'], [0, 'Natalie Ross did a great job.'], [0, 'She is consistently good at narrating.'], [0, 'DATA:'], [0, 'Narrative mode: 3rd person.'], [0, 'Story length: 329 pages.'], [0, 'Swearing language: Jesus Christ used once.'], [0, 'Sexual language: mild.'], [0, 'Number of sex scenes: 9-13.'], [0, 'Setting: 1866 New Mexico cattle ranch.'], [0, 'Copyright: 1990.'], [0, 'Genre: western historical romance.']]

420743

10a2eb4cf5afe0fa3df5e93e90b4fb72

I enjoyed most of this story. But a few things made me mad - see spoilers. Jake said half of a sentence which caused a misunderstanding. Victoria didn't tell the whole story to Jake about her pregnancy which caused another misunderstanding. I would give 4 or 5 stars to the story, but the mis-communications brought it down to 3 for me. I don't want to be mad when I read. I read the paperback several years ago and just now did the audiobook. In my first review of this book I was not angry about two spoilers. In fact I wrote the following about the second spoiler: " I was impressed with the author coming up with a conflict based on mis-communication, but no one was lying or being vague. Victoria was honest but Jake didn't believe her, and his reasons for not believing her were logical." I have totally changed my mind. I didn't like that conflict this time. I blame Victoria for not explaining better. I disagree with myself. Jake is the only ranch hand who is protecting three women from rape. He told the women not to leave the house and to trust him. He needs to leave the ranch for a couple days as part of his plan to take over the ranch. He tells Emma that he is leaving but he doesn't say he'll be back. So the three women now think he is gone forever and they leave in the middle of the night. Stupid that he let them think the wrong thing. And of course Victoria is mad for a long time saying "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" McLane stuck his finger inside Victoria on their wedding night which broke her hymen. But he was never able to do the sex act. He was impotent around her. So when Jake has sex with Victoria he believes McLane previously had sex with her. He believes her baby is McLane's, not his. Victoria is stupid by not telling the whole story to Jake. She doesn't say how her hymen was broke. She doesn't say more details about how McLane tried to have sex but was impotent with her. Also Jake didn't know how Victoria could know she was pregnant so early. She didn't try to educate him. She just let him believe all the wrong things for several months. Finally he believes the local whore who tells Jake that McLane admitted impotence with Victoria. I also did not like that Victoria wanted to kill the breeding stallion Rubio because Rubio accidentally killed someone. Victoria let him out and shooed him onto the plains. That was financially stupid. She could have sold him, not given him to whomever finds him. AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Natalie Ross did a great job. She is consistently good at narrating. DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 329 pages. Swearing language: Jesus Christ used once. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 9-13. Setting: 1866 New Mexico cattle ranch. Copyright: 1990. Genre: western historical romance.

ae05e27b87d3cbd0b0f706b8e3a0aab5

2015-06-01

[[0, 'Absolutely amazing!!!'], [0, 'This book makes me fangirl so much!'], [1, 'I TOTALLY SHIP SYDRIAN!']]

10945140

4768d5db476fef35b969fdb8f9d140eb

Absolutely amazing!!! This book makes me fangirl so much! I TOTALLY SHIP SYDRIAN!

c83badc93e7496747ef65bd1ae524904

2013-04-23

[[0, 'This is erotica done right.'], [0, "You know there'll be a lot of sex and kinky scenes like the voyeurism, but I also loved Ben's struggle with what he had to do to make Mel happy."], [0, 'And I loved Mel.'], [0, 'I loved this part when Ben went all caveman with his thoughts and later with his actions.'], [1, "And it was too fucking bad if she'd fallen in love with Will."], [1, 'She was his.'], [1, "Ben's."], [1, 'They belonged together.'], [1, 'They were explosive together.'], [1, 'He would not lose her to another man.'], [1, "Couldn't lose her to another man."], [0, 'I review paranormal, contemporary (including erotica), new adult and young adult romances.'], [0, 'My 4 to 5 star reads can be found at:'], [0, 'Victoria Paige Books - Reviews']]

13489438

1ec306c748a1bd10bee46ed611d9345b

This is erotica done right. You know there'll be a lot of sex and kinky scenes like the voyeurism, but I also loved Ben's struggle with what he had to do to make Mel happy. And I loved Mel. I loved this part when Ben went all caveman with his thoughts and later with his actions. And it was too fucking bad if she'd fallen in love with Will. She was his. Ben's. They belonged together. They were explosive together. He would not lose her to another man. Couldn't lose her to another man. I review paranormal, contemporary (including erotica), new adult and young adult romances. My 4 to 5 star reads can be found at: Victoria Paige Books - Reviews

1a3c903d5bb5233a13f2e0f84325bdd1

2016-06-07

[[0, "I AM SO TORN OVER THIS BOOK I CAN'T EVEN SEE STRAIGHT."], [0, 'THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE READ THAT MAKES ME HAVE SUCH A STRONG LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH IT.'], [0, 'COMPLETE MENTAL SENTENCE STRUCTURE BUT I CANT THINK STRAIGHT.'], [0, 'I feel like I need to write a review for this before I oscillate again..and then again..and then I keep going circles.'], [0, 'Firstly, I think the author is one clever cookie.'], [0, 'An author canNOT just simply make all the other characters so'], [0, 'WONDERFUL'], [0, 'and then make us'], [0, 'SUFFER'], [0, "by living inside the MC's head."], [0, 'The point WAS to make us realise her mistakes (right along with her) and OTHER COMPLETELY INANE AND IDIOTIC stuff that MISS MIA does.'], [0, 'Because we do them too.'], [0, '(I acknowledge it very grudgingly, FYI)'], [0, 'Will.'], [0, 'Oh WILL So beautifully written.'], [0, 'And the others too, such great secondary characters.'], [0, 'Forever neurotic and eclectic.'], [0, '(I feel like drawing hearts around his name right now, thats how I feel about him) There is always something there in the artistic-y, struggler-y types.'], [0, 'They come straight from somewhere else, and very few are found to be themselves after life has worn them out.'], [0, 'BUT THE AUTHOR HAS TO DRIVE HER POINT HOME BY BRINGING IN ONE LITTLE TOPIC THAT IS THE THEME NOWADAYS : JEALOUSY'], [0, "I don't care if it did or din't drive the characters crazy but it CERTAINLY made me want to pull my hair out."], [0, 'The MUSIC.'], [0, 'It was so brilliant, and beautiful and so cleverly placing little lyrics and incidents.'], [0, 'Other things that I really loved:'], [0, "Kell's (I cant remember the original name but it was awesome), Jackson, the apartment and the frames, THE WRITING, the whole crew, NYC, Blues, notes, small weddings, Pops, FLIGHTS (haha), one-line cryptic sayings, CENTRAL PERK (oops PARK), huge families, and so many other things that I am forgetting but I don't want to."], [0, 'But one thing I will never forget is the PROLOGUE.'], [0, 'Brilliaaaant.'], [0, 'Effing brilliant.'], [0, 'I really really really hate this book, but I really really really love it too.'], [0, '"I felt a sense of peace and satisfaction.'], [0, 'I was finally able to own the mistakes I made."']]

18334246

19a63a6a06e36b5b93aaee5119d6686a

I AM SO TORN OVER THIS BOOK I CAN'T EVEN SEE STRAIGHT. THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE READ THAT MAKES ME HAVE SUCH A STRONG LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH IT. COMPLETE MENTAL SENTENCE STRUCTURE BUT I CANT THINK STRAIGHT. I feel like I need to write a review for this before I oscillate again..and then again..and then I keep going circles. Firstly, I think the author is one clever cookie. An author canNOT just simply make all the other characters so WONDERFUL and then make us SUFFER by living inside the MC's head. The point WAS to make us realise her mistakes (right along with her) and OTHER COMPLETELY INANE AND IDIOTIC stuff that MISS MIA does. Because we do them too. (I acknowledge it very grudgingly, FYI) Will. Oh WILL So beautifully written. And the others too, such great secondary characters. Forever neurotic and eclectic. (I feel like drawing hearts around his name right now, thats how I feel about him) There is always something there in the artistic-y, struggler-y types. They come straight from somewhere else, and very few are found to be themselves after life has worn them out. BUT THE AUTHOR HAS TO DRIVE HER POINT HOME BY BRINGING IN ONE LITTLE TOPIC THAT IS THE THEME NOWADAYS : JEALOUSY I don't care if it did or din't drive the characters crazy but it CERTAINLY made me want to pull my hair out. The MUSIC. It was so brilliant, and beautiful and so cleverly placing little lyrics and incidents. Other things that I really loved: Kell's (I cant remember the original name but it was awesome), Jackson, the apartment and the frames, THE WRITING, the whole crew, NYC, Blues, notes, small weddings, Pops, FLIGHTS (haha), one-line cryptic sayings, CENTRAL PERK (oops PARK), huge families, and so many other things that I am forgetting but I don't want to. But one thing I will never forget is the PROLOGUE. Brilliaaaant. Effing brilliant. I really really really hate this book, but I really really really love it too. "I felt a sense of peace and satisfaction. I was finally able to own the mistakes I made."

7b0c9cf12016d4ca7e165c3ab0fdf497

2012-07-03

[[0, 'not quiet a 4 star, id say more of a 3.8...'], [0, 'It was my first novel with a dystopian world as a setting so it was very intersting!'], [0, 'it hooked me in its very first chapter!'], [0, "Cassie and Xander's relationship seemed a bit flat, lacking but the one with Ky seemed more alive."], [1, "They had a trust and a bond that was built bit by bit while hicking... although, i'm not quiet sure what to make of the couple being subjects of an experiment... i dont know if that affected their love... they had a little thing when they were kids but it wasn't what really pushed them to know eachother.. it's defenetly worth reading."], [0, 'you WILL be hooked enough to want the second volume and to know how it would end.'], [0, "i just hope it isn't a tragedy..."], [1, 'especially since Ky was sent to war and all, it was predictable to those who pay attention to the details.'], [1, 'you would know it a good number of pages before Cassie realises it herself']]

7735333

8accd6bdfab7d62b29d28d182b52fe17

not quiet a 4 star, id say more of a 3.8... It was my first novel with a dystopian world as a setting so it was very intersting! it hooked me in its very first chapter! Cassie and Xander's relationship seemed a bit flat, lacking but the one with Ky seemed more alive. They had a trust and a bond that was built bit by bit while hicking... although, i'm not quiet sure what to make of the couple being subjects of an experiment... i dont know if that affected their love... they had a little thing when they were kids but it wasn't what really pushed them to know eachother.. it's defenetly worth reading. you WILL be hooked enough to want the second volume and to know how it would end. i just hope it isn't a tragedy... especially since Ky was sent to war and all, it was predictable to those who pay attention to the details. you would know it a good number of pages before Cassie realises it herself

7ae994deaec533582e797618bc2bf68a

2014-01-03

[[0, 'With Lover Reborn, Ward partly redeems herself for last book.'], [0, "I can't say she's back to her old level though."], [0, 'To me, the book was a 4 star start and a 2 star finish.'], [0, 'There were lots of okay moments, some very beautiful moments and some seriously contrived, idiotic and redundant moments.'], [0, 'So I ended up with 3 stars.'], [0, "Despite this I think this book came too soon and didn't do justice to Tohr, his needs, and his relationship with neither Wellsie or No'One."], [0, "More on that later, I'm going to start with the good."], [0, 'The fab:'], [0, 'The first 50% of the book.'], [0, 'Honestly: I was pleasantly surprised.'], [0, 'After the disappointment that was Lover Unleashed, I wasn\'t expecting much, so I started reading with a "you better show me what you\'ve got"- attitude.'], [0, 'But my reserve and cynicism slowly but surely changed to interest.'], [0, 'Then engagement.'], [0, 'And then finally I was back to where I was with the old BDB books: holding my breath, ooh-ing and aah-ing and giggling.'], [0, 'Contrary to my expectations: Ward excelled in the low action parts.'], [0, 'The quiet moments, the beautiful scenes of (platonic) intimacy, the gradual change in the feelings of characters... It was all wonderfully done.'], [0, "I never expected for Ward to make Tohr and No'One even remotely interesting but she did more than that: she made it so that -for the first half of the book- I didn't doubt their connection."], [0, 'Those two just worked together.'], [0, 'The way their relationship evolved in the first half of the book: from hostility to truce, to acknowledging their similarities, to tentative companionship, to a true connection... it just made sense.'], [0, "Tohr and No'One together made sense."], [0, 'Without taking anything away from what Tohr had with Wellsie.'], [0, "Tohr's feelings of guilt and remorse, his contradictory thoughts and physical responses... there were some beautiful scenes in there."], [0, 'Lassiter and Qhuinn.'], [0, 'Each time I got to read a POV of one of these boys, I got a smile on my face.'], [0, 'The interesting:'], [0, 'Assail.'], [0, 'Ward dubbed him Tha Shit so my expectations were high.'], [0, "I can't say he met them, but his story line is certainly promising."], [0, 'The Band of Bastards.'], [0, "After the sap out in last book, I was dreading more Xcor and BoB scenes, but turns out they're still interesting and edgy."], [0, "Of course, it's clear that all them bad boys are just darlings inside, but for now I'm resolved to enjoy their moral ambiguity."], [0, "Oh, and I'm really curious about those unnamed cousins!"], [0, 'The missed opportunity:'], [0, "Xhex and No'One's relationship."], [0, "There was one scene of importance between Xhex and No'One."], [0, "And, beautiful as it was, it wasn't enough."], [0, "Not only do I think that one conversation can't rekindle a mother/daughter relationship (especially for two people who have never had a normal relationship in their lives), but the fact is: here we have two strong, smart females, with a difficult past who are going to difficult times and this is what we get?"], [0, 'Such a waste!'], [0, 'The meh:'], [0, 'The second half of the book.'], [0, "There were just too many obvious plot devices (Tohr having to come to talk to No'One while in her needing), inconsistencies (two needings being handled completely differently) and huh-moments (Qhuinn and Xcor fist fighting while fully armed, Payne's magic hand being completely overlooked in heavy medical situations)."], [0, "I know it's little things but it adds up to being very annoying."], [0, "I don't want to feel like my intelligence is insulted while I'm reading a book."], [0, 'The JM/Xhex story line.'], [0, 'I was afraid those two would become for Lover Reborn what V and Jane were for Lover Unleashed: a contrived story line with out of character actions, solely created to add to the drama.'], [0, "Well: it wasn't that bad."], [0, "First of all it was wonderful to be in JM's head again, and the sex was HOT."], [0, 'Furthermore: especially in the beginning, I could relate to both characters; both to their rational and irrational behavior.'], [0, 'But as their story line progressed, the way Xhex and JM handled their problems made no sense at all.'], [0, 'Also: as annoying as the V/Jane, subplot was, at least it weaved into the main plot.'], [0, "It wasn't the case for JM and Xhex."], [0, 'To me, this made that -at a certain point- their story line not only felt silly, but also completely redundant.'], [0, "The second part of the Tohr/No'One story line:"], [0, 'The first half of the love plot was so beautifully done that I was rooting for them despite my initial reservations.'], [0, 'They had an undeniable connection which was based as much on their current dynamics as their shared history together.'], [0, 'I was really curious how this connection would gradually grow into full blown love.'], [0, "Well: it didn't."], [0, "I felt like their relationship made a huge leap, which wasn't founded in the way interacted."], [0, 'Everything which made their connection promising in the first half, was gone in the most part of the second.'], [0, "Tohr and No'One's relationship was based on openness."], [0, 'They talked.'], [0, 'They related.'], [0, "That's what brought them together: they were friends before lovers."], [0, 'That companionship was absent in the last part.'], [0, "I understand the need for drama and angst, but it didn't make the falling in love-part believable."], [0, 'The bad:'], [0, "The premise of the love plot: Wellsie being stuck in the In Between didn't make sense at all."], [0, "Not only did it go against everything Ward has said and published about Wellsie (on her old boards, there used to be a scene of Wellsie talking to Tohr about being in the Fade), but the fact that it was Tohr's task to let her go so she could be at peace goes against the basics of Ward's world."], [0, 'The world in where mated vampires devote their lives to their shellans.'], [0, 'Tohr is mated to Wellsie for 200 years and he is supposed to just get over it within 1,5 years?'], [0, 'Is he not supposed to mourn?'], [0, "Also: why was Wellsie sent to the In Between right off the bat if it's a case of 'prolonged mourning that's not allowed?"], [0, "In that case: Tohr wasn't even allowed a mourning period of a millisecond."], [0, 'The ugly:'], [0, "Layla: It almost feels like revenge to combine the words 'Layla' and 'ugly, because if I hear one more time how unearthly beautiful and perfect she is, I'll break something."], [0, 'This girl must be one of the most annoying characters in PNR history.'], [0, "And no: I'm not just saying that because of her Qhuinn-hang up."], [0, 'She is just poorly characterized.'], [0, 'We are supposed to root for her happiness and feel sorry for her sorrow.'], [0, 'I just want to knock some sense into her.'], [0, "No she isn't naive and she isn't strong."], [0, 'She is self serving, dumb and pig headed.'], [0, 'Her actions in the book spoke volumes.'], [0, "I'm already pissed that she's going to fuck up Xcor's book..."], [1, "The kid: Apparently Layla's stupidity was contagious."], [1, 'The joint decision (because sorry people: however stupid and unfounded, at the end it was that: a joint decision) was made on a whim and had me going QHUINN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?!'], [1, "I'm pissed because I wanted Qhuinn and Blay to start out their relationship with just each other."], [1, 'They had enough problems as it is.'], [1, 'Alas, no such thing.'], [0, 'So all in all, Lover Reborn was an okay book, which had the potential to be much better.'], [0, "But I'm happy to say that Ward has restored some of my faith in her."], [0, 'So she better not mess it up next book (finally: Qhuinn and Blay, baby!']]

13101894

ba662a5fce6bb70e3ab16672221758bf

With Lover Reborn, Ward partly redeems herself for last book. I can't say she's back to her old level though. To me, the book was a 4 star start and a 2 star finish. There were lots of okay moments, some very beautiful moments and some seriously contrived, idiotic and redundant moments. So I ended up with 3 stars. Despite this I think this book came too soon and didn't do justice to Tohr, his needs, and his relationship with neither Wellsie or No'One. More on that later, I'm going to start with the good. The fab: The first 50% of the book. Honestly: I was pleasantly surprised. After the disappointment that was Lover Unleashed, I wasn't expecting much, so I started reading with a "you better show me what you've got"- attitude. But my reserve and cynicism slowly but surely changed to interest. Then engagement. And then finally I was back to where I was with the old BDB books: holding my breath, ooh-ing and aah-ing and giggling. Contrary to my expectations: Ward excelled in the low action parts. The quiet moments, the beautiful scenes of (platonic) intimacy, the gradual change in the feelings of characters... It was all wonderfully done. I never expected for Ward to make Tohr and No'One even remotely interesting but she did more than that: she made it so that -for the first half of the book- I didn't doubt their connection. Those two just worked together. The way their relationship evolved in the first half of the book: from hostility to truce, to acknowledging their similarities, to tentative companionship, to a true connection... it just made sense. Tohr and No'One together made sense. Without taking anything away from what Tohr had with Wellsie. Tohr's feelings of guilt and remorse, his contradictory thoughts and physical responses... there were some beautiful scenes in there. Lassiter and Qhuinn. Each time I got to read a POV of one of these boys, I got a smile on my face. The interesting: Assail. Ward dubbed him Tha Shit so my expectations were high. I can't say he met them, but his story line is certainly promising. The Band of Bastards. After the sap out in last book, I was dreading more Xcor and BoB scenes, but turns out they're still interesting and edgy. Of course, it's clear that all them bad boys are just darlings inside, but for now I'm resolved to enjoy their moral ambiguity. Oh, and I'm really curious about those unnamed cousins! The missed opportunity: Xhex and No'One's relationship. There was one scene of importance between Xhex and No'One. And, beautiful as it was, it wasn't enough. Not only do I think that one conversation can't rekindle a mother/daughter relationship (especially for two people who have never had a normal relationship in their lives), but the fact is: here we have two strong, smart females, with a difficult past who are going to difficult times and this is what we get? Such a waste! The meh: The second half of the book. There were just too many obvious plot devices (Tohr having to come to talk to No'One while in her needing), inconsistencies (two needings being handled completely differently) and huh-moments (Qhuinn and Xcor fist fighting while fully armed, Payne's magic hand being completely overlooked in heavy medical situations). I know it's little things but it adds up to being very annoying. I don't want to feel like my intelligence is insulted while I'm reading a book. The JM/Xhex story line. I was afraid those two would become for Lover Reborn what V and Jane were for Lover Unleashed: a contrived story line with out of character actions, solely created to add to the drama. Well: it wasn't that bad. First of all it was wonderful to be in JM's head again, and the sex was HOT. Furthermore: especially in the beginning, I could relate to both characters; both to their rational and irrational behavior. But as their story line progressed, the way Xhex and JM handled their problems made no sense at all. Also: as annoying as the V/Jane, subplot was, at least it weaved into the main plot. It wasn't the case for JM and Xhex. To me, this made that -at a certain point- their story line not only felt silly, but also completely redundant. The second part of the Tohr/No'One story line: The first half of the love plot was so beautifully done that I was rooting for them despite my initial reservations. They had an undeniable connection which was based as much on their current dynamics as their shared history together. I was really curious how this connection would gradually grow into full blown love. Well: it didn't. I felt like their relationship made a huge leap, which wasn't founded in the way interacted. Everything which made their connection promising in the first half, was gone in the most part of the second. Tohr and No'One's relationship was based on openness. They talked. They related. That's what brought them together: they were friends before lovers. That companionship was absent in the last part. I understand the need for drama and angst, but it didn't make the falling in love-part believable. The bad: The premise of the love plot: Wellsie being stuck in the In Between didn't make sense at all. Not only did it go against everything Ward has said and published about Wellsie (on her old boards, there used to be a scene of Wellsie talking to Tohr about being in the Fade), but the fact that it was Tohr's task to let her go so she could be at peace goes against the basics of Ward's world. The world in where mated vampires devote their lives to their shellans. Tohr is mated to Wellsie for 200 years and he is supposed to just get over it within 1,5 years? Is he not supposed to mourn? Also: why was Wellsie sent to the In Between right off the bat if it's a case of 'prolonged mourning that's not allowed? In that case: Tohr wasn't even allowed a mourning period of a millisecond. The ugly: Layla: It almost feels like revenge to combine the words 'Layla' and 'ugly, because if I hear one more time how unearthly beautiful and perfect she is, I'll break something. This girl must be one of the most annoying characters in PNR history. And no: I'm not just saying that because of her Qhuinn-hang up. She is just poorly characterized. We are supposed to root for her happiness and feel sorry for her sorrow. I just want to knock some sense into her. No she isn't naive and she isn't strong. She is self serving, dumb and pig headed. Her actions in the book spoke volumes. I'm already pissed that she's going to fuck up Xcor's book... The kid: Apparently Layla's stupidity was contagious. The joint decision (because sorry people: however stupid and unfounded, at the end it was that: a joint decision) was made on a whim and had me going QHUINN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?! I'm pissed because I wanted Qhuinn and Blay to start out their relationship with just each other. They had enough problems as it is. Alas, no such thing. So all in all, Lover Reborn was an okay book, which had the potential to be much better. But I'm happy to say that Ward has restored some of my faith in her. So she better not mess it up next book (finally: Qhuinn and Blay, baby!

7ac68d284be15768081bd3e86a1431c9

2017-05-05

[[0, 'CIA Special Agent Seth Lang is not happy to be reassigned to "guard" the new consul general in Munich--especially when the man he meets turns out to be the one he picked up anonymously the weekend before the job was to begin.'], [0, "Still, Rick Fine suits his name, and Seth's more frustrated than ever."], [0, 'Rick Fine isn\'t just a consul--he\'s deep cover CIA tactics, and sure his predecessor was doing some shady, shady things that led to his fatal "accident."'], [0, 'How to prove it as a stranger in a new place?'], [0, 'Make use of all his tactical training--and keep Seth handy.'], [0, "Even if he's guilty for hiding a secret about Seth's past mission."], [0, "It's not long before Rick turns up discrepancies in budgets and humanitarian aid drops seemed inexplicably filled with weapons instead of medicine."], [0, 'But, those powerful people who made the former consul go away are certainly not interested in keeping snoopy Rick Fine alive.'], [0, "Nope, that's Seth's problem."], [0, 'This books takes place over several seriously action-packed days.'], [0, "Seth discovers weaknesses in the security, and Rick uses his deep cover contacts to flush out the perpetrators who're using the consul's office to traffic arms."], [0, 'Thing is, people keep turning up dead, and Seth and Rick might soon be one of them.'], [0, 'Expect steamy sexytimes, shoot-outs, and a raging inferno of more than lust.'], [0, 'Each book in the series keeps me on my toes, and wanting the next book!']]

31869244

ac2d75e93ce421aab0e697199b65fd0e

CIA Special Agent Seth Lang is not happy to be reassigned to "guard" the new consul general in Munich--especially when the man he meets turns out to be the one he picked up anonymously the weekend before the job was to begin. Still, Rick Fine suits his name, and Seth's more frustrated than ever. Rick Fine isn't just a consul--he's deep cover CIA tactics, and sure his predecessor was doing some shady, shady things that led to his fatal "accident." How to prove it as a stranger in a new place? Make use of all his tactical training--and keep Seth handy. Even if he's guilty for hiding a secret about Seth's past mission. It's not long before Rick turns up discrepancies in budgets and humanitarian aid drops seemed inexplicably filled with weapons instead of medicine. But, those powerful people who made the former consul go away are certainly not interested in keeping snoopy Rick Fine alive. Nope, that's Seth's problem. This books takes place over several seriously action-packed days. Seth discovers weaknesses in the security, and Rick uses his deep cover contacts to flush out the perpetrators who're using the consul's office to traffic arms. Thing is, people keep turning up dead, and Seth and Rick might soon be one of them. Expect steamy sexytimes, shoot-outs, and a raging inferno of more than lust. Each book in the series keeps me on my toes, and wanting the next book!

17dded8d892dea708d6240beb1e3a700

2013-04-10

[[0, 'Just like the 1st book, I really enjoyed this one also.'], [0, 'It is more thrilling, funny, hilarious and romantic.'], [0, "Can't wait for Shane's POV"]]

16070072

3af4626f3a1fa082648d7dc0894fed6f

Just like the 1st book, I really enjoyed this one also. It is more thrilling, funny, hilarious and romantic. Can't wait for Shane's POV

a579444cf167fdcc9587c8e05985228f

2014-11-18

[[0, 'Me gusto este libro!'], [0, 'Super romantico, ademas!'], [0, 'Quien no querria despertarse y encontrarse casada con una estrella de rock despues de una noche loca en las vegas?'], [0, 'Me gusta mucho el personaje de Ev, es una chica lista y divertida que no deja de decir lo que piensa a pesar de las consecuencias, ademas es independiente y no se deja asombrar por el mundo de David.'], [0, 'David es todo un misterio al principio pero poco a poco vamos conociendo un poco mas de el.'], [0, 'Mi personaje favoritos fue sin dudas Mal, por lo que estoy agradecida que el proximo libro sea sobre su historia de amor.'], [1, 'Hubieron muchas partes divertidas en este libro, mas que nada al principio en casa de Mal en Los Angeles cuando Ella espia como Mal y David hablan sobre ella y de la nada Mal le dice a David que ella esta escuchando y queda colorada como un tomate'], [1, 'Mi parte favorita fue la reconciliacion, despues de un mes entero sin verse, me gusto la actitud de ella al no querer volver con David al minuto, sino querer hacerlo esperar unos dias, me parecio muy bien ya que se hacia valer como mujer (valla que pensamiento mas feminista)'], [0, 'El final fue muy lindo y como siempre, me encanta creer en los felices para siempre.'], [0, 'A leer el proximo cuanto antes!'], [0, 'I loved this book!'], [0, 'also, super romantic!'], [0, "does anyone besides me want to wake up and find out you're married with a rock star after a crazy nigth in Vegas?"], [0, 'cause I totally want!'], [0, "I like Ev's character, she is a smart, funny girl who always says what she's thinking no matter the consecuences, also she is independent and she doesn't ger shocked with David's world."], [0, 'David is a mistery at the begining but step by step we get to know him a littlw more about him.'], [0, "Mi favourtite character was Mal, totally, that's why Im thankful the next book it's about him and his love story."], [1, "There were so many funny moments in this book, most in thebegining in Mal's house when Mal and David are talking about her and suddenly Mal tolds David she is listening all hidden"], [1, 'My favourite part was the reconsiliation after the whole month without seeing eachother, I love her atitud to not to get back with David the minute their met, but making hin wait a few days, that make her worth like the woman she is (Oh my God what a feminist thougth)'], [0, 'The end is very cute and, as always, I love to belive in the happily ever after.'], [0, 'To read the second book as soon as posible!']]

17983690

f001b0c2ccaac77f7c3ff317e78c7d39

Me gusto este libro! Super romantico, ademas! Quien no querria despertarse y encontrarse casada con una estrella de rock despues de una noche loca en las vegas? Me gusta mucho el personaje de Ev, es una chica lista y divertida que no deja de decir lo que piensa a pesar de las consecuencias, ademas es independiente y no se deja asombrar por el mundo de David. David es todo un misterio al principio pero poco a poco vamos conociendo un poco mas de el. Mi personaje favoritos fue sin dudas Mal, por lo que estoy agradecida que el proximo libro sea sobre su historia de amor. Hubieron muchas partes divertidas en este libro, mas que nada al principio en casa de Mal en Los Angeles cuando Ella espia como Mal y David hablan sobre ella y de la nada Mal le dice a David que ella esta escuchando y queda colorada como un tomate Mi parte favorita fue la reconciliacion, despues de un mes entero sin verse, me gusto la actitud de ella al no querer volver con David al minuto, sino querer hacerlo esperar unos dias, me parecio muy bien ya que se hacia valer como mujer (valla que pensamiento mas feminista) El final fue muy lindo y como siempre, me encanta creer en los felices para siempre. A leer el proximo cuanto antes! I loved this book! also, super romantic! does anyone besides me want to wake up and find out you're married with a rock star after a crazy nigth in Vegas? cause I totally want! I like Ev's character, she is a smart, funny girl who always says what she's thinking no matter the consecuences, also she is independent and she doesn't ger shocked with David's world. David is a mistery at the begining but step by step we get to know him a littlw more about him. Mi favourtite character was Mal, totally, that's why Im thankful the next book it's about him and his love story. There were so many funny moments in this book, most in thebegining in Mal's house when Mal and David are talking about her and suddenly Mal tolds David she is listening all hidden My favourite part was the reconsiliation after the whole month without seeing eachother, I love her atitud to not to get back with David the minute their met, but making hin wait a few days, that make her worth like the woman she is (Oh my God what a feminist thougth) The end is very cute and, as always, I love to belive in the happily ever after. To read the second book as soon as posible!

3c2f8fbd9232d36ff4834c2100b54933

2014-06-03

[[0, 'As soon as I had read the first page of this book, I knew it was going to be good.'], [0, 'The writing was incredible.'], [0, 'Funny and witty and just generally everything I want when I read a book.'], [0, 'But it had its serious moments too.'], [0, 'And those were the part that killed me.'], [0, 'Augustus Waters was perfect.'], [0, "He would be my new book boyfriend if it weren't for the end and that's saying something."], [0, 'Dimitri Belikov has been my book boyfriend for about 4 years now.'], [0, 'The book was so beautifully written and I am in awe.'], [0, 'Yes, it was sad, and yes, it was about a pretty morbid topic.'], [0, 'But this was a love story better than Romeo & Juliet.'], [0, "You, John Green, know the way to a girl's heart."]]

11870085

12be456e6674dc7a23d93d19fcb17c9d

As soon as I had read the first page of this book, I knew it was going to be good. The writing was incredible. Funny and witty and just generally everything I want when I read a book. But it had its serious moments too. And those were the part that killed me. Augustus Waters was perfect. He would be my new book boyfriend if it weren't for the end and that's saying something. Dimitri Belikov has been my book boyfriend for about 4 years now. The book was so beautifully written and I am in awe. Yes, it was sad, and yes, it was about a pretty morbid topic. But this was a love story better than Romeo & Juliet. You, John Green, know the way to a girl's heart.

acd14219d595af972aaebff7dd264806

2015-10-29

[[0, 'I felt great when I finished reading this book.'], [0, 'The last few chapters are wonderful all by themselves.'], [0, 'Rebecca Stead has the knack.']]

13262061

784449f1a4a1b2bf6ffe7fbbc9fc5b12

I felt great when I finished reading this book. The last few chapters are wonderful all by themselves. Rebecca Stead has the knack.

958097d3f6a5ef81835d1a3891d64b4f

2013-08-09

[[0, 'Great book as usual from IA.'], [0, 'Great characters, story, world, action.'], [0, "I couldn't put the book down, stayed up till the wee hours for this one."], [0, 'I only think there were two small flaws.'], [1, 'I get what Curran did, in a way, but he went too far lying to Kate.'], [1, 'The things he did hurt her, but he felt he had a good reason.'], [1, "However, he could have said trust me, I have a good reason for this, but I can't tell you yet."], [1, 'When Kate asked if this was a plan of his he lied and said "no".'], [1, "I just can't figure a reason to do that, and Curran should have recognized his mistake and apologized for it when they had their confrontation."], [1, "This doesn't bother me as much as it does some people but I felt it was off."], [1, "The other small problem didn't bother me too much either."], [1, "I don't think the ending was too convenient due to the shepherd and Christopher though some people do."], [1, "The shepherd didn't save them in the castle, he actually made things worse."], [1, 'He just seemed to want to get rid of Hugh and destroy the place.'], [1, 'Then he left, ignoring the people still trapped and fighting.'], [1, "So that wasn't convenient at all."], [1, 'At least he came back with a cart for Kate and Curran.'], [1, 'Now the finding the panacea poisoned followed by Christopher knowing how to make it was done too quickly making it seem a bit convenient.'], [1, 'I did suspect for a while that Roland was behind the manufacturing of the panacea and that magic was involved, and therefore Kate would somehow learn to make it too.'], [1, "The how I didn't suspect."], [1, 'Christopher makes sense to me, and I have a feeling he will continue to be relevant.'], [1, "He cared for Hugh's books and wanted the knowledge."], [1, 'So that could be how he learned about the panacea with Hugh possibly not knowing he had this knowledge.'], [1, 'I think the wrap up, the transition from devastation to success, was a bit rushed so it felt convenient.']]

11544421

d3a1c429f82ea628d62515214d64a11e

Great book as usual from IA. Great characters, story, world, action. I couldn't put the book down, stayed up till the wee hours for this one. I only think there were two small flaws. I get what Curran did, in a way, but he went too far lying to Kate. The things he did hurt her, but he felt he had a good reason. However, he could have said trust me, I have a good reason for this, but I can't tell you yet. When Kate asked if this was a plan of his he lied and said "no". I just can't figure a reason to do that, and Curran should have recognized his mistake and apologized for it when they had their confrontation. This doesn't bother me as much as it does some people but I felt it was off. The other small problem didn't bother me too much either. I don't think the ending was too convenient due to the shepherd and Christopher though some people do. The shepherd didn't save them in the castle, he actually made things worse. He just seemed to want to get rid of Hugh and destroy the place. Then he left, ignoring the people still trapped and fighting. So that wasn't convenient at all. At least he came back with a cart for Kate and Curran. Now the finding the panacea poisoned followed by Christopher knowing how to make it was done too quickly making it seem a bit convenient. I did suspect for a while that Roland was behind the manufacturing of the panacea and that magic was involved, and therefore Kate would somehow learn to make it too. The how I didn't suspect. Christopher makes sense to me, and I have a feeling he will continue to be relevant. He cared for Hugh's books and wanted the knowledge. So that could be how he learned about the panacea with Hugh possibly not knowing he had this knowledge. I think the wrap up, the transition from devastation to success, was a bit rushed so it felt convenient.

e0e7c5393a2804aebd3ff8ee6ccda68b

2012-07-19

[[0, "Ugh, this book was going to get 3 stars despite it's many faults because I liked how snarky and cynical the main character is."], [0, 'But then, I got to the end.'], [0, "And I can't stand how this book ended!"], [0, "It's so anticlimactic."], [1, 'I mean, tough, independent Bianca had to wait for a boy to tell her to quite being dumb and go get her man!'], [1, 'That just seemed so out of character for this book and for Bianca.'], [0, 'My other problems with this book?'], [0, "While I do think that Keplinger did a good job with Bianca's narrative voice and a fair job with Wesley's arrogant, cocky voice, I was less than impressed with some of the secondary characters."], [0, "B's bubbly friend Jessica reads cartoonish and childish."], [0, 'Her father was just painful to read and fell totally flat to me.'], [0, "And then there's Bianca's perfect, nerdy crush Toby."], [0, 'Ick.'], [0, 'Their dialogues were stilted and grated on my nerves.'], [0, "I really don't like to bash books on Goodreads because I don't want to be mean spirited."], [0, 'And I started out reading this book with the best intentions, expecting a teen romance rather than some literary masterpiece.'], [0, 'But a positive reading experience for me depends on the characters feeling real and relatable.'], [0, "And I just couldn't get past the many cringes that I had reading this book."], [0, "That said, Keplinger was eighteen when she wrote this book, and that's a hell of a lot more than what I was doing at eighteen."], [0, 'Also, I did like that Bianca was a little feminist and that Wesley has some positive things to say about having a healthy sexual appetite as a teen.'], [0, 'So seriously, total props to her.'], [0, 'Kody Keplinger is freaking 19 years old!!'], [0, 'Grrr..']]

6931356

8dffda8a4b0d92fbce73ba0894d494f9

Ugh, this book was going to get 3 stars despite it's many faults because I liked how snarky and cynical the main character is. But then, I got to the end. And I can't stand how this book ended! It's so anticlimactic. I mean, tough, independent Bianca had to wait for a boy to tell her to quite being dumb and go get her man! That just seemed so out of character for this book and for Bianca. My other problems with this book? While I do think that Keplinger did a good job with Bianca's narrative voice and a fair job with Wesley's arrogant, cocky voice, I was less than impressed with some of the secondary characters. B's bubbly friend Jessica reads cartoonish and childish. Her father was just painful to read and fell totally flat to me. And then there's Bianca's perfect, nerdy crush Toby. Ick. Their dialogues were stilted and grated on my nerves. I really don't like to bash books on Goodreads because I don't want to be mean spirited. And I started out reading this book with the best intentions, expecting a teen romance rather than some literary masterpiece. But a positive reading experience for me depends on the characters feeling real and relatable. And I just couldn't get past the many cringes that I had reading this book. That said, Keplinger was eighteen when she wrote this book, and that's a hell of a lot more than what I was doing at eighteen. Also, I did like that Bianca was a little feminist and that Wesley has some positive things to say about having a healthy sexual appetite as a teen. So seriously, total props to her. Kody Keplinger is freaking 19 years old!! Grrr..

72256c964486efe75b008e875c661715

2013-02-28

[[0, "I'm pretty sure that this could have been added onto the last book more succinctly."]]

13573795

4649b4ed8797c7d5256123840ef90c17

I'm pretty sure that this could have been added onto the last book more succinctly.

f90676c8e2dcb79a856920ef077d7453

2013-03-11

[[0, 'NOPE...did not work for me!!'], [0, 'Oh boy this book right here...*sigh*.'], [0, 'First of all when I read a book trying to imitate my beloved Thoughtless, the book BETTER be on point.'], [0, 'This book...Noooo.. This felt like a fake *ss Thoughtless with a sprinkle of Beautiful Disaster or maybe even the other way around...'], [0, 'This story was about a girl name....what was her name?'], [0, '?...oh yeah Chloe (literally had to go look that up lol) going away to college with her BFF Logan.'], [0, 'Of course Chloe has a tragic past...typical neglect/abandonment issues from her wicked alcoholic mother.'], [0, 'She meets Drake, supposed "bad boy" man whore.'], [0, 'Saw his man whore ways but never really got the whole "bad boy" thing.'], [0, 'Yes he was in a band so maybe that is what made him a "bad boy"??!'], [0, 'IDK.'], [0, 'He was also supposedly hot as was her BFF Logan..never really felt that.'], [0, 'So the story progresses with her falling for Drake and at the same time her BFF Logan is finally confessing his love for her that she never knew.'], [0, 'Yeah right!'], [0, 'She never saw it..smh.'], [0, 'So the dilema is setup...who should she pick??'], [0, "For me, I couldn't really care less who she was going to choose...I didn't feel any chemistry or love between any of these characters."], [0, 'I couldn\'t understand Drakes "love" for Chloe after their short and flat dialogues and few interactions.'], [0, 'Idk...just never felt it.'], [0, 'Maybe Logan I could understand more because he grew up with her and was her "protector".'], [0, 'But even he I was not really feeling...'], [0, 'Gosh I REALLY wanted to love this book!'], [0, 'I love a good love triangle!'], [0, 'Those are my favorites because of the emotional angst and drama that can occur.'], [0, 'This book was just flat and bland.'], [0, 'I felt no connections to any of the characters and they were just all one dimensional beings.'], [0, 'The dialogue was just boring and felt fake.'], [0, 'I felt like I was told the story, instead of actually feeling it or feeling like I was in these characters heads!!'], [0, 'The whole book was a bunch of cliches and I just got bored and found myself rolling eyes way too much.'], [0, 'Even the sex was boring!'], [0, 'Ughh...short and quick.'], [0, 'Overall this book had a good storyline, I just felt it could have been much better written and developed.'], [0, 'Sorry!'], [0, 'I really do hate to be negative but I have to keep it real.'], [0, 'This could have been a great Thoughtless/Beautiful Disaster imitation (since that is what I feel the author was going for, but failed) if the amount of depth written in those books was present in this one...just did not live up to those which left me completely annoyed and irritated...*sigh*'], [0, '**2 stars']]

17214221

a9c0b4288276d2bbaacb686edf737f24

NOPE...did not work for me!! Oh boy this book right here...*sigh*. First of all when I read a book trying to imitate my beloved Thoughtless, the book BETTER be on point. This book...Noooo.. This felt like a fake *ss Thoughtless with a sprinkle of Beautiful Disaster or maybe even the other way around... This story was about a girl name....what was her name? ?...oh yeah Chloe (literally had to go look that up lol) going away to college with her BFF Logan. Of course Chloe has a tragic past...typical neglect/abandonment issues from her wicked alcoholic mother. She meets Drake, supposed "bad boy" man whore. Saw his man whore ways but never really got the whole "bad boy" thing. Yes he was in a band so maybe that is what made him a "bad boy"??! IDK. He was also supposedly hot as was her BFF Logan..never really felt that. So the story progresses with her falling for Drake and at the same time her BFF Logan is finally confessing his love for her that she never knew. Yeah right! She never saw it..smh. So the dilema is setup...who should she pick?? For me, I couldn't really care less who she was going to choose...I didn't feel any chemistry or love between any of these characters. I couldn't understand Drakes "love" for Chloe after their short and flat dialogues and few interactions. Idk...just never felt it. Maybe Logan I could understand more because he grew up with her and was her "protector". But even he I was not really feeling... Gosh I REALLY wanted to love this book! I love a good love triangle! Those are my favorites because of the emotional angst and drama that can occur. This book was just flat and bland. I felt no connections to any of the characters and they were just all one dimensional beings. The dialogue was just boring and felt fake. I felt like I was told the story, instead of actually feeling it or feeling like I was in these characters heads!! The whole book was a bunch of cliches and I just got bored and found myself rolling eyes way too much. Even the sex was boring! Ughh...short and quick. Overall this book had a good storyline, I just felt it could have been much better written and developed. Sorry! I really do hate to be negative but I have to keep it real. This could have been a great Thoughtless/Beautiful Disaster imitation (since that is what I feel the author was going for, but failed) if the amount of depth written in those books was present in this one...just did not live up to those which left me completely annoyed and irritated...*sigh* **2 stars

f4d95e562e14658c1e9b20f3f6f548f2

2014-07-18

[[0, '"So you keep your ocean, I\'ll take the Lake"'], [0, 'Layken and Will have stood the test of time.'], [0, 'They have overcome scenarios that no one would even want to be in but their love has come out the other side stronger than ever.'], [0, 'Now on their honeymoon, Lake wants to know everything about Will, about his past and about theirs.'], [0, "Although Will would prefer not to rehash these painful memories, he cant resist his wife's pleas and so he begins to tell the story, his side of the story from his parents death to the very part of their marriage."], [0, 'Will reveals intimate thoughts and feelings, retelling good and bad parts and sharing confessions that Lake never knew from the time they both first met.'], [0, 'So join Will and fall back in love with his versions of events.'], [0, "I'd like to first start off and say, if you haven't read Slammed and Point of Retreat yet...HOLY CRAP get to Amazon, 1-Click or order the book and get this series in your life right now."], [0, 'You will love every single character in this book; they will evoke all sorts of emotions from you, from tears, to laughter, to smiles to anger, you name it, this book has it.'], [0, 'But it also makes you fall in love.'], [0, 'Fall in love with the journey that all the characters go through - In both books now.'], [0, 'You see that love and family and friendship can survive anything when you have each other to get you through painful and also happy scenarios.'], [0, 'Colleen Hoover is a god and This Girl is the perfect book to end the Slammed series.'], [0, "It isn't just a rehash of Slammed and P.O.R in his point of view, oh no."], [0, "We get the scenes which we loved and disliked (disliked in a good way because they were so sad to read) and we also get to see Lake's reactions in the present time when Will finishes his versions of events as well as a special epilogue!"], [0, "Normally I would sum up what happens in the book, but if you read my reviews of Slammed and P.O.R then you will get the jist of what This Girl is about, but there are new events, events that weren't in Slammed because it was Layken's POV, events that will tear at your heart, make you catch your breath, make you cry; just have that pounding in your heart for Will."], [0, 'There are new slams, and by god are they powerful.'], [0, 'They captured my attention, had me sitting up straight.'], [0, "They conveyed so much depth; you couldn't help but reread them."], [0, 'This Girl had me hooked.'], [0, 'I was going to wait to read it, but my fingers kept hovering over the title until I clicked on it.'], [0, "I couldn't have cared less if I had a load of ARC's to read; This Girl had to be read."], [0, 'I had to love Will even more, I had to know his versions of events, and I had to see how their story ended.'], [0, "It didn't take me long to read because I couldn't put it down."], [0, "Throughout the book, from Will's POV, you really see how much pain he has gone through."], [0, 'From losing his parents, to having to give up the girl he loves - Lake.'], [0, 'You can see how much he loves Layken from the beginning.'], [0, 'From the very first moment he set eyes on her.'], [0, 'He was completely hooked and it killed him so much to find out she was his student.'], [0, 'Killed him that he has to try and stay away from her even though all he wanted to do was be with her; to have found this girl, to have fallen in love and not be able to be with her.'], [0, 'God the emotion you feel coming from Will and Lake in these scenes really hit you.'], [0, "You feel the pain and heartbreak and the anger from both of them that they can't be together, that they have to try and stay away, act like they don't know one another."], [0, 'My heart was hurting so much.'], [0, 'Throughout the stories, you will see every emotion pour not just from Will, but from yourself as well.'], [0, 'Will bears his heart and soul into this book, and when telling Lake - from losing his family, to the Slam poetry, this all comes from his heart.'], [0, 'You will melt, you will sigh, you will want to give him a massive hug.'], [0, 'Seriously, you will be a wreck reading his POV.'], [0, 'What I also loved was how close Gavin and Will are.'], [0, "You never really see their friendship until Will and Layken are 'figured' out and are together, but it was brilliant to see that Gavin and Will were close."], [0, "BFF's ;) ."], [0, "We never really got to see anyone be on Will's side, to talk to him and keep him in line."], [0, 'Tell him what he is doing wrong.'], [0, "I really like Gavin and he was there from the very start when Will took Lake on the first date and he's there until the very end too!"], [0, 'Now, what I loved was the epilogue.'], [0, "I was laughing at Gavin's reaction, crying at Kel - the sweetest little man even - or should I say teenager?"], [0, 'And crying at Will and Lake.'], [0, 'It was the perfect way to end the Slammed series and it was so nice to see everyone get their happily ever after.'], [0, 'They all truly deserved it after all the things that had been through and to be together, still so close and so happy; it was the greatest ending that could have been - especially with the last slam poem at the end.'], [0, 'Oh.'], [0, 'Floods.'], [0, 'Of.'], [0, 'Tears!'], [0, "I don't really want to say a lot about This Girl, but I beg you to read this series."], [0, 'You get added bonus scenes in This Girl, you get to see Will and Lake on their honeymoon, being all cute and you get to see them in the future, in the epilogue.'], [0, 'I cannot express how much I love this series.'], [0, 'How much emotion has gone through me with these books and how much I will cherish these characters and their journeys.'], [0, "It's butterflying amazing."], [0, '"You want to know my sweet?"'], [0, 'I ask her.'], [0, 'She nods.'], [0, 'I kiss her on the forehead.'], [0, '"You.'], [0, 'Always you."']]

15784909

7dd7cbd7e1b6c24c46bf704cf0194d99

"So you keep your ocean, I'll take the Lake" Layken and Will have stood the test of time. They have overcome scenarios that no one would even want to be in but their love has come out the other side stronger than ever. Now on their honeymoon, Lake wants to know everything about Will, about his past and about theirs. Although Will would prefer not to rehash these painful memories, he cant resist his wife's pleas and so he begins to tell the story, his side of the story from his parents death to the very part of their marriage. Will reveals intimate thoughts and feelings, retelling good and bad parts and sharing confessions that Lake never knew from the time they both first met. So join Will and fall back in love with his versions of events. I'd like to first start off and say, if you haven't read Slammed and Point of Retreat yet...HOLY CRAP get to Amazon, 1-Click or order the book and get this series in your life right now. You will love every single character in this book; they will evoke all sorts of emotions from you, from tears, to laughter, to smiles to anger, you name it, this book has it. But it also makes you fall in love. Fall in love with the journey that all the characters go through - In both books now. You see that love and family and friendship can survive anything when you have each other to get you through painful and also happy scenarios. Colleen Hoover is a god and This Girl is the perfect book to end the Slammed series. It isn't just a rehash of Slammed and P.O.R in his point of view, oh no. We get the scenes which we loved and disliked (disliked in a good way because they were so sad to read) and we also get to see Lake's reactions in the present time when Will finishes his versions of events as well as a special epilogue! Normally I would sum up what happens in the book, but if you read my reviews of Slammed and P.O.R then you will get the jist of what This Girl is about, but there are new events, events that weren't in Slammed because it was Layken's POV, events that will tear at your heart, make you catch your breath, make you cry; just have that pounding in your heart for Will. There are new slams, and by god are they powerful. They captured my attention, had me sitting up straight. They conveyed so much depth; you couldn't help but reread them. This Girl had me hooked. I was going to wait to read it, but my fingers kept hovering over the title until I clicked on it. I couldn't have cared less if I had a load of ARC's to read; This Girl had to be read. I had to love Will even more, I had to know his versions of events, and I had to see how their story ended. It didn't take me long to read because I couldn't put it down. Throughout the book, from Will's POV, you really see how much pain he has gone through. From losing his parents, to having to give up the girl he loves - Lake. You can see how much he loves Layken from the beginning. From the very first moment he set eyes on her. He was completely hooked and it killed him so much to find out she was his student. Killed him that he has to try and stay away from her even though all he wanted to do was be with her; to have found this girl, to have fallen in love and not be able to be with her. God the emotion you feel coming from Will and Lake in these scenes really hit you. You feel the pain and heartbreak and the anger from both of them that they can't be together, that they have to try and stay away, act like they don't know one another. My heart was hurting so much. Throughout the stories, you will see every emotion pour not just from Will, but from yourself as well. Will bears his heart and soul into this book, and when telling Lake - from losing his family, to the Slam poetry, this all comes from his heart. You will melt, you will sigh, you will want to give him a massive hug. Seriously, you will be a wreck reading his POV. What I also loved was how close Gavin and Will are. You never really see their friendship until Will and Layken are 'figured' out and are together, but it was brilliant to see that Gavin and Will were close. BFF's ;) . We never really got to see anyone be on Will's side, to talk to him and keep him in line. Tell him what he is doing wrong. I really like Gavin and he was there from the very start when Will took Lake on the first date and he's there until the very end too! Now, what I loved was the epilogue. I was laughing at Gavin's reaction, crying at Kel - the sweetest little man even - or should I say teenager? And crying at Will and Lake. It was the perfect way to end the Slammed series and it was so nice to see everyone get their happily ever after. They all truly deserved it after all the things that had been through and to be together, still so close and so happy; it was the greatest ending that could have been - especially with the last slam poem at the end. Oh. Floods. Of. Tears! I don't really want to say a lot about This Girl, but I beg you to read this series. You get added bonus scenes in This Girl, you get to see Will and Lake on their honeymoon, being all cute and you get to see them in the future, in the epilogue. I cannot express how much I love this series. How much emotion has gone through me with these books and how much I will cherish these characters and their journeys. It's butterflying amazing. "You want to know my sweet?" I ask her. She nods. I kiss her on the forehead. "You. Always you."

75c752f564f33d58f15c94c4e4932315

2012-07-19

[[0, 'The Newsflesh Trilogy is one of the most exciting series that I have read in a really long time.'], [0, 'It has been a while since I stumbled upon a series that was consistently good throughout all three volumes.'], [0, "Similar to its' predecessors, Blackout is filled with conspiracy and the drive to find the truth and get it out to the public."], [1, 'I was not expecting Georgia to come back to life.'], [1, 'The entire clone angle was intereting and a great plot driver.'], [1, 'I was personally surprised at the revelation of the relationship between Shawn and George though.'], [1, "It wasn't surprise towards the fact that they were in relationship, it was more surprise towards myself for finding that it was pretty probable."], [1, 'After all, they had been extrememly close during the trilogy.'], [1, 'It could have been written off as sibling bonds, but take into account that they are not really related by blood and that muddles it a bit.'], [1, 'I am also kinda sad that Becks kicked the bucket.'], [1, 'She was a badass.'], [0, 'So, in the end I am sad to see this series end.'], [0, 'It was a great and thrilling run.']]

11806716

b4a8d34116fe6890f3939d5b02b9e8cc

The Newsflesh Trilogy is one of the most exciting series that I have read in a really long time. It has been a while since I stumbled upon a series that was consistently good throughout all three volumes. Similar to its' predecessors, Blackout is filled with conspiracy and the drive to find the truth and get it out to the public. I was not expecting Georgia to come back to life. The entire clone angle was intereting and a great plot driver. I was personally surprised at the revelation of the relationship between Shawn and George though. It wasn't surprise towards the fact that they were in relationship, it was more surprise towards myself for finding that it was pretty probable. After all, they had been extrememly close during the trilogy. It could have been written off as sibling bonds, but take into account that they are not really related by blood and that muddles it a bit. I am also kinda sad that Becks kicked the bucket. She was a badass. So, in the end I am sad to see this series end. It was a great and thrilling run.

60d5ca7b9c479e339e7233e48b061651

2016-09-11

[[0, 'This would have been four stars but the ending really let me down.'], [0, 'I was rooting for Shepherd and Claire.'], [0, "The rebellion plot escalated and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and then the end that wasn't happened."], [0, 'I was left feeling vexed and confused.'], [0, "The whole rebellion thing and how it ended up is also a mystery to me and I'll leave it unsolved."], [0, "I didn't understand it in the beginning and the unsatisfactory ending doesn't make me want to try."], [1, "I was a bit angry that Claire was gang-raped and lost her child but I guess she could've got through it with Shepherd's patient love."], [1, 'But, Shepherd ran into problems because while he could stay steps ahead of Claire, he had no such luck against Svana.'], [1, "I honestly continue to blame his upbringing for his deficiencies and I cling to that so I don't rage."], [1, "Shepherd, is he or isn't he dead?"], [1, "Claire, is she or isn't she dead?"], [1, 'Why were these things left so ambiguous?'], [1, 'I saw on this page that the author plans to set another book in this confusing world and give a glimpse of what is happening in Tholos.'], [1, 'I really hope that some clarity is given to circumstances of Shepherd and Claire.'], [1, "I'm glad that at least Svana is a confirmed kill and it appears that Jules is also."], [1, 'Corday became annoying at the end.'], [1, "It's like he willfully would not understand the power of the pair-bond."], [1, 'How he could possible think that Claire would suffer the touch of another man after she lost the two most important males in her life was beyond me.'], [0, 'I enjoyed the series as a whole.'], [0, 'I might keep on the lookout for any future books from the author with fingers crossed that she lays to rest the mystery of Shepherd and Claire.']]

30515634

34e07e0d0fb15870be9235efbebf51a9

This would have been four stars but the ending really let me down. I was rooting for Shepherd and Claire. The rebellion plot escalated and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and then the end that wasn't happened. I was left feeling vexed and confused. The whole rebellion thing and how it ended up is also a mystery to me and I'll leave it unsolved. I didn't understand it in the beginning and the unsatisfactory ending doesn't make me want to try. I was a bit angry that Claire was gang-raped and lost her child but I guess she could've got through it with Shepherd's patient love. But, Shepherd ran into problems because while he could stay steps ahead of Claire, he had no such luck against Svana. I honestly continue to blame his upbringing for his deficiencies and I cling to that so I don't rage. Shepherd, is he or isn't he dead? Claire, is she or isn't she dead? Why were these things left so ambiguous? I saw on this page that the author plans to set another book in this confusing world and give a glimpse of what is happening in Tholos. I really hope that some clarity is given to circumstances of Shepherd and Claire. I'm glad that at least Svana is a confirmed kill and it appears that Jules is also. Corday became annoying at the end. It's like he willfully would not understand the power of the pair-bond. How he could possible think that Claire would suffer the touch of another man after she lost the two most important males in her life was beyond me. I enjoyed the series as a whole. I might keep on the lookout for any future books from the author with fingers crossed that she lays to rest the mystery of Shepherd and Claire.

9d99d1c0336449e5513e2b5a4a8703fc

2015-08-15

[[0, "Is there a way to link to an entire block of tweets, 'cause I think I've said all I have to say..."], [0, "ETA: I decided that I couldn't bring myself to rehash everything I'd already said about this book, so instead, this happened."], [0, "So there's that."]]

10866624

b6dec188322c113523496b1d4961b60f

Is there a way to link to an entire block of tweets, 'cause I think I've said all I have to say... ETA: I decided that I couldn't bring myself to rehash everything I'd already said about this book, so instead, this happened. So there's that.

1c845473e18c23f917126cb29bc8d243

2017-03-29

[[0, 'THAT COVER THO.'], [0, 'SO BEAUTIFUL'], [0, "Oh god, I'm getting what I wanted."], [0, "I'm gonna see Raisa."], [0, 'OH NO.'], [0, 'UGHHHHHH'], [0, 'EDIT: I JUST REALIZED THEY CHANGED THE COVER TO SOME THRONE OF GLASS IMITATION.'], [0, 'NOT EVERY YA FANTASY COVER HAS TO RESEMBLE TOG.'], [0, 'THE FIRST ONE WAS PRETTIER AND MATCHED ALL OF HER OTHER BOOKS.'], [0, '*breathes deeply* I will be buying the UK paperback, which still has the pretty cover.']]

30253091

b115ef2af36156ed0190db19d0387936

THAT COVER THO. SO BEAUTIFUL Oh god, I'm getting what I wanted. I'm gonna see Raisa. OH NO. UGHHHHHH EDIT: I JUST REALIZED THEY CHANGED THE COVER TO SOME THRONE OF GLASS IMITATION. NOT EVERY YA FANTASY COVER HAS TO RESEMBLE TOG. THE FIRST ONE WAS PRETTIER AND MATCHED ALL OF HER OTHER BOOKS. *breathes deeply* I will be buying the UK paperback, which still has the pretty cover.

b11fb9f8b16ed8c8021fcc2a193a6016

2014-04-14

[[0, 'After reading the synopsis, you would think that this book was a romance between Aileen and Blake Stephens.'], [0, "I was expecting a romance between the two, but it just wasn't there for me."], [0, "After reading the book, I can't say I blame Aileen or Blake for falling in love with each other."], [0, "There was never any feelings between Tara and Blake as it was an arranged marriage so I found it didn't bother me as much when they got together."], [0, "That's not to say that their love story was anything to really write home about."], [0, 'While Blake and Aileen do eventually get a HEA, I felt like the relationship fell flat and was a little forced.'], [0, 'I would have liked to see more.'], [0, 'The main issue that I had with the book was that the story seemed to be more about Lady Tara, then about Aileen.'], [0, 'Tara was more center stage with her manipulations and selfishness.'], [0, "I really didn't like her character at all."], [0, 'I was hoping she would redeem herself in the end and was pleased to see that she did do the right thing.'], [0, "But, I still didn't feel too badly for her that she lost out in the end."], [0, 'She kind of deserved it.'], [0, "So I won't say this is a bad book."], [0, 'I just ended up being an OK read for me.']]

18052946

59819950f5e31e4cfe364b46b921cae8

After reading the synopsis, you would think that this book was a romance between Aileen and Blake Stephens. I was expecting a romance between the two, but it just wasn't there for me. After reading the book, I can't say I blame Aileen or Blake for falling in love with each other. There was never any feelings between Tara and Blake as it was an arranged marriage so I found it didn't bother me as much when they got together. That's not to say that their love story was anything to really write home about. While Blake and Aileen do eventually get a HEA, I felt like the relationship fell flat and was a little forced. I would have liked to see more. The main issue that I had with the book was that the story seemed to be more about Lady Tara, then about Aileen. Tara was more center stage with her manipulations and selfishness. I really didn't like her character at all. I was hoping she would redeem herself in the end and was pleased to see that she did do the right thing. But, I still didn't feel too badly for her that she lost out in the end. She kind of deserved it. So I won't say this is a bad book. I just ended up being an OK read for me.

3b04376ca0212f430d7c53864effae63

2016-08-16

[[0, 'One of those rare books that I just could not find anything to feel good about... Sure the plot was o-kay, but the characters, dialogues and magical realism just sounds a bit too cheesy.'], [0, 'On The Other Side is a poorly executed mash up between The Notebook and For One More Day.'], [0, 'And you can imagine my frustration when I realised this.'], [1, "I could not believe how heartless (ha) Evie is towards her husband whom she's been married for over 50 years."], [1, "I understand when she got caught up with Vincent, but come on, can't you give Jim some credit to how happy you became over the years?"], [1, 'I have yet to meet a relationship like Evie and Jim.'], [1, 'And everything sounds quite childish in this book.'], [1, "Evie's 52 and 47 year old children sound like teenagers, bickering all the time (and where the heck are their spouse & children??)"], [1, 'Evie and Vincent had some cheesy dialogues during that first encounter.'], [1, 'I really cringed at the thought of them saying those words at the age of 27 and 28 respectively.'], [1, 'And the time period surrounding this book was very weird.'], [1, "It sounds like Evie's conservative parents are from pre-WWII but Eddie had a phone and Vincent was wearing tights."], [1, 'Ah well..'], [0, 'Anyway, the magical realism part took me off guard.'], [0, 'I knew it had paranormal elements but I never expected some of the things to happen in the book when it did.'], [0, 'It caught me off guard and not in the good way I suppose.'], [0, "Give this a go if you don't mind cheesy plots, bland characters that pop in and out without consistency, mild LGBT references and such."], [0, 'This was totally a cover buy for me (it is gorgeous by the way) but unfortunately the story did not match the cover in my opinion.'], [0, 'sigh']]

25744542

fae787a514841a0e075e69227112ae8d

One of those rare books that I just could not find anything to feel good about... Sure the plot was o-kay, but the characters, dialogues and magical realism just sounds a bit too cheesy. On The Other Side is a poorly executed mash up between The Notebook and For One More Day. And you can imagine my frustration when I realised this. I could not believe how heartless (ha) Evie is towards her husband whom she's been married for over 50 years. I understand when she got caught up with Vincent, but come on, can't you give Jim some credit to how happy you became over the years? I have yet to meet a relationship like Evie and Jim. And everything sounds quite childish in this book. Evie's 52 and 47 year old children sound like teenagers, bickering all the time (and where the heck are their spouse & children??) Evie and Vincent had some cheesy dialogues during that first encounter. I really cringed at the thought of them saying those words at the age of 27 and 28 respectively. And the time period surrounding this book was very weird. It sounds like Evie's conservative parents are from pre-WWII but Eddie had a phone and Vincent was wearing tights. Ah well.. Anyway, the magical realism part took me off guard. I knew it had paranormal elements but I never expected some of the things to happen in the book when it did. It caught me off guard and not in the good way I suppose. Give this a go if you don't mind cheesy plots, bland characters that pop in and out without consistency, mild LGBT references and such. This was totally a cover buy for me (it is gorgeous by the way) but unfortunately the story did not match the cover in my opinion. sigh

4f2c80b2cff3cbf9382c70edf4bea86b

2016-07-24

[[0, 'I read the 1st book in 2 days, 2nd book in 1 week two years ago.'], [0, 'Then I read other books of him.'], [0, 'I think that is why this time it took more days to finish, and I had difficulties to concentrate.'], [0, 'The version I read has summaries of 1st two books at the end, unfortunately I found out after I finished.'], [0, 'If you are not reading consecutively, it would be good to read summaries first.']]

6547259

c58db3d18f02d26f843b368b9d3cff61

I read the 1st book in 2 days, 2nd book in 1 week two years ago. Then I read other books of him. I think that is why this time it took more days to finish, and I had difficulties to concentrate. The version I read has summaries of 1st two books at the end, unfortunately I found out after I finished. If you are not reading consecutively, it would be good to read summaries first.

408ff136fcc3d643a89be80e572cc5f6

2016-03-18

[[0, 'Beyond the Night: 5.5 stars.'], [0, 'This story totally blew me away.'], [0, 'It finally ties up some loose threads from ITA.'], [0, 'I loved the newish characters, especially Lucas & Sam.'], [0, 'What about the old gang?'], [0, 'I had not realized how much I loved them until they reappeared in this story.'], [0, 'Vida is her usual kickass self (go, girl!'], [0, "), Chubs is still Chubs and Liam...I didn't think possible I could love him even more but I WAS SO WRONG."], [0, 'What about Ruby?'], [0, 'I like this Ruby at peace with herself a lot, like a lot (who would have guessed...) and I adored every second of when she went total Orange- badassness!!'], [0, "(*I'm cheering from the side lines*)."], [0, "Overall, I loved and loved and loved this coming together of the new trio and the old gang----it was, God---I don't have the words---too many feels!"], [0, 'Go and read it!'], [0, "Once you do, I'm sure you'll understand."], [0, 'I really want the spin-off set in some future after the TDM trilogy, Alexandra Bracken mentioned a while ago on Tumblr---I needed it yesterday.'], [0, 'Merged review:'], [0, 'Overall rating of the book: 5 super-full stars.'], [0, "This novella are a gem of a story, they tie-in with the trilogy in ways I wasn't expecting and left me totally amazed."], [0, 'They add even more depth and layers to the TMI trilogy and just make it even better--pretty amazing, uh?'], [0, '"Beyond the night" is not just awesome, it also ties-up some loose threads that were left hanging at the end of ITA---oh yes, finally!'], [0, 'In Time: 4.5 stars.'], [0, 'A very insightful story, stab-in-the-heart fashion.'], [1, 'We finally get to know Gabe and appreciate him just in time to see him die, thank you very much *cries* .'], [0, 'Yes, I did have a fan-girl moment at the mention of Liam.'], [0, 'Spark rise: 5 painful and heartbroken stars.'], [0, "I'm running out of tears."], [0, 'No words will do honour to the beauty of this story and to Sam & Lucas.'], [0, 'Beyond the Night: 5.5 stars.'], [0, 'This story totally blew me away.'], [0, 'It finally ties up some loose threads from ITA.'], [0, 'I loved the newish characters, especially Lucas & Sam.'], [0, 'What about the old gang?'], [0, 'I had not realized how much I loved them until they reappeared in this story.'], [0, 'Vida is her usual kick-ass self (go, girl!'], [0, "), Chubs is still Chubs and Liam...I didn't think possible I could love him even more but I WAS SO WRONG."], [0, 'What about Ruby?'], [0, 'I like this Ruby at peace with herself a lot, like a lot (who would have guessed...) and I adored every second of when she went total Orange-bad-assness!!'], [0, "(*I'm cheering from the side lines*)."], [0, "Overall, I loved and loved and loved this coming together of the new trio and the old gang----it was, God---I don't have the words---too many feels!"], [0, 'Go and read it!'], [0, "Once you do, I'm sure you'll understand."], [0, 'I really want the spin-off set in some future after the TDM trilogy, Alexandra Bracken mentioned a while ago on Tumblr---I needed it yesterday, actually.']]

25453426

d9b7d525a046b70c71cbbc6e9dc0b2cf

Beyond the Night: 5.5 stars. This story totally blew me away. It finally ties up some loose threads from ITA. I loved the newish characters, especially Lucas & Sam. What about the old gang? I had not realized how much I loved them until they reappeared in this story. Vida is her usual kickass self (go, girl! ), Chubs is still Chubs and Liam...I didn't think possible I could love him even more but I WAS SO WRONG. What about Ruby? I like this Ruby at peace with herself a lot, like a lot (who would have guessed...) and I adored every second of when she went total Orange- badassness!! (*I'm cheering from the side lines*). Overall, I loved and loved and loved this coming together of the new trio and the old gang----it was, God---I don't have the words---too many feels! Go and read it! Once you do, I'm sure you'll understand. I really want the spin-off set in some future after the TDM trilogy, Alexandra Bracken mentioned a while ago on Tumblr---I needed it yesterday. Merged review: Overall rating of the book: 5 super-full stars. This novella are a gem of a story, they tie-in with the trilogy in ways I wasn't expecting and left me totally amazed. They add even more depth and layers to the TMI trilogy and just make it even better--pretty amazing, uh? "Beyond the night" is not just awesome, it also ties-up some loose threads that were left hanging at the end of ITA---oh yes, finally! In Time: 4.5 stars. A very insightful story, stab-in-the-heart fashion. We finally get to know Gabe and appreciate him just in time to see him die, thank you very much *cries* . Yes, I did have a fan-girl moment at the mention of Liam. Spark rise: 5 painful and heartbroken stars. I'm running out of tears. No words will do honour to the beauty of this story and to Sam & Lucas. Beyond the Night: 5.5 stars. This story totally blew me away. It finally ties up some loose threads from ITA. I loved the newish characters, especially Lucas & Sam. What about the old gang? I had not realized how much I loved them until they reappeared in this story. Vida is her usual kick-ass self (go, girl! ), Chubs is still Chubs and Liam...I didn't think possible I could love him even more but I WAS SO WRONG. What about Ruby? I like this Ruby at peace with herself a lot, like a lot (who would have guessed...) and I adored every second of when she went total Orange-bad-assness!! (*I'm cheering from the side lines*). Overall, I loved and loved and loved this coming together of the new trio and the old gang----it was, God---I don't have the words---too many feels! Go and read it! Once you do, I'm sure you'll understand. I really want the spin-off set in some future after the TDM trilogy, Alexandra Bracken mentioned a while ago on Tumblr---I needed it yesterday, actually.

55475556ab32863fed66cb94a404af71

2015-12-19

[[0, 'A great book by a brilliant mind.'], [0, 'Hurston was the only black woman of her era who made money with her writing.'], [0, 'This story has great feminist and anti-racist themes.']]

37415

9099a7ad88f7b96912d7b6426934a230

A great book by a brilliant mind. Hurston was the only black woman of her era who made money with her writing. This story has great feminist and anti-racist themes.

880dc69f3de6d55a0623d61dedd49868

2016-05-28

[[0, "Okay, I'm definitely getting bored."], [0, '(And having a series marathon is so not a good idea.)']]

12958034

ac9bfbd0527b85a0b64f2716c249c3a7

Okay, I'm definitely getting bored. (And having a series marathon is so not a good idea.)

d34a5890085b48fd3535cd4e8bea301a

2014-06-30

[[0, "The Kite Runner is a tale of Amir and Hassan, who grew up together in Kabul and are each other's first memory."], [0, 'Overcoming the prejudices of class, their friendship grows through the years.'], [0, 'But little do they know, that an event will occur changing the courses of their lives forever.'], [0, 'Now, more than a decade later, Amir who now lives in America makes a trip back to Afghanistan, battered under the Taliban regime, to wash away the dirt that a small act in childhood has slain all over his life.'], [0, 'This is a tale of love, loss, courage, redemption, forgiveness and above all humanity.'], [0, 'I remember the time I first lay eyes on The Kite Runner, it was a couple of years ago, and my mother was reading it.'], [0, 'I wish I had picked this book up before, I might have been a different person now.'], [0, 'Maybe a better one.'], [0, 'Because the tale of the Sultans shred my heart in pieces, mended it and then proceeded to shred it again.'], [0, 'And in the process I realized I had changed.'], [0, 'It has been such a long time that a book has made me teary eyed that it shocked me.'], [0, 'I was swept in their lives, their innocence and their friendship right from the start.'], [0, 'Oh how I hate Khaled Hosseini for making the reader so attached to the kids and then tearing apart their lives one page at a time.'], [0, "The book should have depressed me and yet it didn't."], [0, 'Every time something tragic happened, I still hoped for a happy ending.'], [0, 'I wonder why and the only reasonable explanation I can find is that every word and sentence in the book is laced with hope.'], [0, 'By narrating the tale through Amir, a flawed man, who was torn by the brunt of his past actions, everything that happens only draws the reader deeper in their lives.'], [0, 'I gasped when something good happened and when tragedy struck.'], [0, 'I smiled when the characters had an endearing moments but mostly I sobbed everytime someone said "For you, a thousand times over".'], [0, 'This is a story that speaks to you.'], [0, 'It has nestled in my heart and there it will always hold a dear place.'], [0, 'The end was perfect.'], [0, 'It somehow set the tone of the novel just right.'], [0, 'I have two words for this magical story.'], [0, 'Blown away']]

12532265

1b356fc3699c9c05e52205a3322f428c

The Kite Runner is a tale of Amir and Hassan, who grew up together in Kabul and are each other's first memory. Overcoming the prejudices of class, their friendship grows through the years. But little do they know, that an event will occur changing the courses of their lives forever. Now, more than a decade later, Amir who now lives in America makes a trip back to Afghanistan, battered under the Taliban regime, to wash away the dirt that a small act in childhood has slain all over his life. This is a tale of love, loss, courage, redemption, forgiveness and above all humanity. I remember the time I first lay eyes on The Kite Runner, it was a couple of years ago, and my mother was reading it. I wish I had picked this book up before, I might have been a different person now. Maybe a better one. Because the tale of the Sultans shred my heart in pieces, mended it and then proceeded to shred it again. And in the process I realized I had changed. It has been such a long time that a book has made me teary eyed that it shocked me. I was swept in their lives, their innocence and their friendship right from the start. Oh how I hate Khaled Hosseini for making the reader so attached to the kids and then tearing apart their lives one page at a time. The book should have depressed me and yet it didn't. Every time something tragic happened, I still hoped for a happy ending. I wonder why and the only reasonable explanation I can find is that every word and sentence in the book is laced with hope. By narrating the tale through Amir, a flawed man, who was torn by the brunt of his past actions, everything that happens only draws the reader deeper in their lives. I gasped when something good happened and when tragedy struck. I smiled when the characters had an endearing moments but mostly I sobbed everytime someone said "For you, a thousand times over". This is a story that speaks to you. It has nestled in my heart and there it will always hold a dear place. The end was perfect. It somehow set the tone of the novel just right. I have two words for this magical story. Blown away

0fc8afff3e4e68201bd952cb005f6084

2016-04-19

[[0, '2nd Review (August 21, 2015)'], [0, 'Ok.'], [0, "In anticipation for the 5th Mistborn book coming out in October, I've decided to reread the whole series."], [0, 'This book was SO much better the second time through.'], [0, "Maybe it's because I've been writing my own fantasy novel, and have a much greater appreciation for what Sanderson did here."], [0, 'I look at my first review and shudder.'], [0, "It doesn't even seem like I reread the same book, based on my review."], [0, 'The book has very few flaws.'], [0, 'The world building is perfect, and what I thought was repetitive and needless the first go around in fact proved to be essential to the story.'], [0, 'The characters... I love them.'], [0, 'They feel real.'], [0, 'Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed... so good.'], [0, 'The pacing is spot on.'], [0, 'The reveals are given at just the right moment.'], [0, "The bad guy... yeah, he's bad."], [0, 'Really bad.'], [0, 'And his minions are creepy enough to make you want to scream in fright.'], [0, "I don't have to explain why the magic system is awesome."], [0, 'Both magic systems, I should say.'], [0, 'Allomancy and Feruchemy.'], [0, "In all honesty, if you haven't taken the opportunity to read this book/series, do yourself a favor and get on it."], [0, 'Now.'], [0, '1st Review (July 4, 2013)'], [0, 'The first 2/3rds of this book was slow and repetitive.'], [0, 'Vin, the main character, begins her training in Allomancy (the cool magic system Sanderson came up with), but spends a large portion of the book playing political games at balls.'], [0, 'Over and over again.'], [0, 'In fact, when she went to the final ball in the story, I had just about had it... But that is when the story took off.'], [0, 'The final 200 pages or so went by so fast!'], [0, 'They were amazing, and the redeeming quality in them is what made me make this a 5 star rating instead of a 3 to 4.'], [0, 'This book is the first part of a trilogy, but I felt like there was good completion involved.'], [0, 'This book could be read as a standalone novel for someone not wanting to dive head-first into a series.'], [0, 'I plan on reading the rest of the series.']]

68428

22213aec3a47fefa35f58c5b7d5032fc

2nd Review (August 21, 2015) Ok. In anticipation for the 5th Mistborn book coming out in October, I've decided to reread the whole series. This book was SO much better the second time through. Maybe it's because I've been writing my own fantasy novel, and have a much greater appreciation for what Sanderson did here. I look at my first review and shudder. It doesn't even seem like I reread the same book, based on my review. The book has very few flaws. The world building is perfect, and what I thought was repetitive and needless the first go around in fact proved to be essential to the story. The characters... I love them. They feel real. Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed... so good. The pacing is spot on. The reveals are given at just the right moment. The bad guy... yeah, he's bad. Really bad. And his minions are creepy enough to make you want to scream in fright. I don't have to explain why the magic system is awesome. Both magic systems, I should say. Allomancy and Feruchemy. In all honesty, if you haven't taken the opportunity to read this book/series, do yourself a favor and get on it. Now. 1st Review (July 4, 2013) The first 2/3rds of this book was slow and repetitive. Vin, the main character, begins her training in Allomancy (the cool magic system Sanderson came up with), but spends a large portion of the book playing political games at balls. Over and over again. In fact, when she went to the final ball in the story, I had just about had it... But that is when the story took off. The final 200 pages or so went by so fast! They were amazing, and the redeeming quality in them is what made me make this a 5 star rating instead of a 3 to 4. This book is the first part of a trilogy, but I felt like there was good completion involved. This book could be read as a standalone novel for someone not wanting to dive head-first into a series. I plan on reading the rest of the series.

5f550cc8d90df1759eda1496621187d8

2017-06-05

[[1, 'A sad tale of love, where the lovers do not understand their own motives, or, if they do, they fail to listen to them.'], [1, 'The young woman should have married the man she loved rather than the one who came from England.'], [1, 'The man treats marriage as a box to check on his life menu.'], [1, 'The locals are watching helplessly as this marriage inevitably hits the rocks.'], [0, 'Some really beautiful writing in here.']]

25622780

191e0efa7802eea52816569a265dbf04

A sad tale of love, where the lovers do not understand their own motives, or, if they do, they fail to listen to them. The young woman should have married the man she loved rather than the one who came from England. The man treats marriage as a box to check on his life menu. The locals are watching helplessly as this marriage inevitably hits the rocks. Some really beautiful writing in here.

0bbf628a7b8d7a0899673d069e0f96e3

2012-09-07

[[0, 'Normally ... I follow the C.S.'], [0, "Lewis school of thought that says that if a book is good, it's good for all time, even if it was written for kids or teenagers and one has aged out of this demographic group."], [0, "I don't automatically turn up my nose at YA books because they are YA books, or whatever, and I'm not embarrassed for people to know that I read them."], [0, "And don't get me wrong, I'm not embarrassed that I read this one."], [0, "I was just ... left with the feeling that it wasn't written for people who are much older than the protagonists, who are just finishing high school."], [0, 'If I had caught it around that time I think I would have loved it.'], [0, 'But as it was, I can\'t help feeling that it was like a "how to lose your virginity happily and comfortably" manual.'], [0, "On the one hand, yeah, this is an important rite of passage even if you aren't focused on virginity as purity."], [0, "On the other ... it doesn't always hurt and sometimes it annoys me when authors focus on this."], [0, "The scenes that dealt with this gave me an uncomfortable feeling, like I was reading someone's diary without their consent or something."], [0, "Other things that bothered me: I wasn't really convinced by the dystopic trappings, or the secret agent-esque sneaking around."], [0, 'And the chosen one vibe was a little strong.'], [1, "Also also, there never was an explanation for why the main character's father was romantically involved with the main character's aunt and mother ."], [0, 'Or if there was, I missed it.'], [0, 'I admit to skimming at times.']]

10552965

dd97be89b60a9cb8406d4566a560897b

Normally ... I follow the C.S. Lewis school of thought that says that if a book is good, it's good for all time, even if it was written for kids or teenagers and one has aged out of this demographic group. I don't automatically turn up my nose at YA books because they are YA books, or whatever, and I'm not embarrassed for people to know that I read them. And don't get me wrong, I'm not embarrassed that I read this one. I was just ... left with the feeling that it wasn't written for people who are much older than the protagonists, who are just finishing high school. If I had caught it around that time I think I would have loved it. But as it was, I can't help feeling that it was like a "how to lose your virginity happily and comfortably" manual. On the one hand, yeah, this is an important rite of passage even if you aren't focused on virginity as purity. On the other ... it doesn't always hurt and sometimes it annoys me when authors focus on this. The scenes that dealt with this gave me an uncomfortable feeling, like I was reading someone's diary without their consent or something. Other things that bothered me: I wasn't really convinced by the dystopic trappings, or the secret agent-esque sneaking around. And the chosen one vibe was a little strong. Also also, there never was an explanation for why the main character's father was romantically involved with the main character's aunt and mother . Or if there was, I missed it. I admit to skimming at times.

2e3cdafcce05852bab945f628d450be5

2015-05-01

[[0, 'Plot: Katniss has survived The Hunger Games, but now the Capitol wants revenge.'], [0, 'Let me be honest: I enjoyed Catching Fire more on the second read.'], [0, 'When I read it for the first time, if I remember correctly, I had a problem with the pacing, particularly the slow start.'], [0, 'But now that I am older, and now that my patience gauge (think: health gauge from video games) has increased, the beginning, and the middle, and the ending, much like the first book, are all well-paced.'], [0, 'What I most enjoyed about Catching Fire is how Katniss feels...real.'], [0, 'I mean, she is real - in a sense - but she is strong and independent but is clearly flawed, too.'], [0, 'In Catching Fire, I noticed all the signs - the signs that showed how much the previous year had an impact on her.'], [0, 'Clearly, she has Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder, not unusual if you were in her situation.'], [1, '(In the movie, she even hallucinates one of the tributes that she killed.)'], [0, 'But she always remained strong.'], [0, 'Determined.'], [0, 'Suzanne Collins has written another wonderful book - one that she handles deftly, that she explores the affects of The Hunger Games, not only in the way she portrays Katniss (and her fellow victors), but in more ways - like the Capitol wanting revenge for the "act of defiance" that would lead to an uprising.'], [0, '(I have to rewrite this; for me, writing a review is a process.'], [0, 'I will probably always come back to reviews and change things.)']]

12042324

58551d56873528124877c3834843889b

Plot: Katniss has survived The Hunger Games, but now the Capitol wants revenge. Let me be honest: I enjoyed Catching Fire more on the second read. When I read it for the first time, if I remember correctly, I had a problem with the pacing, particularly the slow start. But now that I am older, and now that my patience gauge (think: health gauge from video games) has increased, the beginning, and the middle, and the ending, much like the first book, are all well-paced. What I most enjoyed about Catching Fire is how Katniss feels...real. I mean, she is real - in a sense - but she is strong and independent but is clearly flawed, too. In Catching Fire, I noticed all the signs - the signs that showed how much the previous year had an impact on her. Clearly, she has Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder, not unusual if you were in her situation. (In the movie, she even hallucinates one of the tributes that she killed.) But she always remained strong. Determined. Suzanne Collins has written another wonderful book - one that she handles deftly, that she explores the affects of The Hunger Games, not only in the way she portrays Katniss (and her fellow victors), but in more ways - like the Capitol wanting revenge for the "act of defiance" that would lead to an uprising. (I have to rewrite this; for me, writing a review is a process. I will probably always come back to reviews and change things.)

149e637227db4608c17e9bd64c088d50

2014-03-02

[[0, 'The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie'], [0, 'never fails to disappoint me.'], [0, 'My second read of this book and I still enjoyed as much as I did the first time.']]

5981872

0be9336edd9213632b67ac79e89d2e33

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie never fails to disappoint me. My second read of this book and I still enjoyed as much as I did the first time.

7341ffeac1f1dc0bfc96b101bd445dce

2016-01-29

[[0, 'I read many of the Sherlock stories as a teenager and am now revisiting them.'], [0, 'I am reading them in an annotated version, one which gives explanations of the times, English phrases, the difference between broughams, hansoms and landaus, etc.'], [0, "It's an interesting read as well as a fascinating quick one."], [0, 'All the elements are there, Watson and his piquant observations of the even more-piquant Holmes, his strengths, his eccentricities, his ability to uniquely deduce the most minute of characteristics of a person at first meeting.'], [0, 'There are errors here and there, though, as that annotated version points out - and wow, do Holmesian scholars pour over every word, every nuance, every tiny historical and geographical detail!'], [0, '- but the story was well worth it.'], [0, 'I simply love the language, dialogue, settings themselves.'], [1, "This story involves a king being blackmailed by a vengeful woman, and the woman is Irene Adler, whom Holmes ever-after refers to as 'the woman.'"], [1, "This is supposedly the only tale in which Holmes does not win and is outwitted by someone else - and she's a woman!"], [1, 'Holmes takes on the case to help the king and gain back the photograph and using subterfuge, an array of disguises and his keen intellect almost succeeds.'], [0, 'A great story, worth reading on a gloomy night with a glass of wine and a roaring fire.']]

1848444

2842bdd187467345e248aee9ddb0398d

I read many of the Sherlock stories as a teenager and am now revisiting them. I am reading them in an annotated version, one which gives explanations of the times, English phrases, the difference between broughams, hansoms and landaus, etc. It's an interesting read as well as a fascinating quick one. All the elements are there, Watson and his piquant observations of the even more-piquant Holmes, his strengths, his eccentricities, his ability to uniquely deduce the most minute of characteristics of a person at first meeting. There are errors here and there, though, as that annotated version points out - and wow, do Holmesian scholars pour over every word, every nuance, every tiny historical and geographical detail! - but the story was well worth it. I simply love the language, dialogue, settings themselves. This story involves a king being blackmailed by a vengeful woman, and the woman is Irene Adler, whom Holmes ever-after refers to as 'the woman.' This is supposedly the only tale in which Holmes does not win and is outwitted by someone else - and she's a woman! Holmes takes on the case to help the king and gain back the photograph and using subterfuge, an array of disguises and his keen intellect almost succeeds. A great story, worth reading on a gloomy night with a glass of wine and a roaring fire.

ff3f54967e2f79f3ddaf225a80b980c5

2016-05-19

[[0, '*4.5 stars*'], [0, "While I didn't love this book quite as much as Since You've Been Gone, I did still really enjoy it!"], [0, 'Some notes:'], [0, '-Morgan Matson has a way of making her characters seem so real.'], [0, 'The way she wrote some things, I wondered if she had experienced them herself.'], [0, "That's how realistic it was."], [0, '-The setting of this book was super nice.'], [0, 'I loved how well it was explained -- I could picture it perfectly.'], [0, 'It seemed like a beautiful place to spend the summer.'], [0, "-I also loved that this book took place in Pennsylvania, since that's where I live!"], [0, "I don't read a lot of books that take place in PA so it's always awesome when I come across one!"], [0, '-Towards the end of the book, things got so sad.'], [0, "I'm not one to cry a lot at books, but I definitely needed some tissues with this one!"], [1, "The part where I first lost it at was when Taylor's retired Navy grandfather falls apart when he sees how sick his son is!"], [1, 'That was so heartbreaking.'], [1, 'Also, when Taylor takes her father outside to see the stars the night before he dies and tells him that she loves him.'], [1, 'Wow, pass the Kleenex please!']]

11071466

3e04079e91d50058ec8a0fdb2ff31380

*4.5 stars* While I didn't love this book quite as much as Since You've Been Gone, I did still really enjoy it! Some notes: -Morgan Matson has a way of making her characters seem so real. The way she wrote some things, I wondered if she had experienced them herself. That's how realistic it was. -The setting of this book was super nice. I loved how well it was explained -- I could picture it perfectly. It seemed like a beautiful place to spend the summer. -I also loved that this book took place in Pennsylvania, since that's where I live! I don't read a lot of books that take place in PA so it's always awesome when I come across one! -Towards the end of the book, things got so sad. I'm not one to cry a lot at books, but I definitely needed some tissues with this one! The part where I first lost it at was when Taylor's retired Navy grandfather falls apart when he sees how sick his son is! That was so heartbreaking. Also, when Taylor takes her father outside to see the stars the night before he dies and tells him that she loves him. Wow, pass the Kleenex please!

ffb72f9c157638ddc3a7c65d4f7a7209

2012-11-13

[[0, 'I enjoyed this book as i have all of this series so far, was nice to see v find someone.'], [0, 'Story was well written as always, with sub stories here and there.'], [0, "Wasn't so keen on ending, I like HAppy ever afters, but this is vampire world."], [0, 'One bonus of the book is not so much about the lessers.']]

304027

6df10e42e9a31716ed912bd754b5fb19

I enjoyed this book as i have all of this series so far, was nice to see v find someone. Story was well written as always, with sub stories here and there. Wasn't so keen on ending, I like HAppy ever afters, but this is vampire world. One bonus of the book is not so much about the lessers.

8da7b10881d74bc29a07f81be5a4dc8e

2017-10-04

[[0, 'STORY: 4 stars'], [0, 'PERFORMANCE: 5 stars'], [0, 'OVERALL: 4.5 stars'], [0, 'STORY'], [0, 'Now that Sela has shared her secret with Beck (which I feel she should have happened a loooong time ago), things get exciting!'], [0, "Not only do we finally get to hear a more detailed account about what happened to Sela on the horrific 16th birthday that changed her life forever, but they finally do something about it (there's less talk and more action in this installment)!"], [0, "Ending with yet another cliffhanger, the story remains unfinished - I can't wait to find out how this all ends!"], [0, 'PERFORMANCE'], [0, 'I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christian Fox and Lucy Rivers.'], [0, 'Both narrators proved to be excellent at their craft, delivering believable, error-free performances.']]

27774345

6bb20641c1b3fd96c1e5431fa85b348b

STORY: 4 stars PERFORMANCE: 5 stars OVERALL: 4.5 stars STORY Now that Sela has shared her secret with Beck (which I feel she should have happened a loooong time ago), things get exciting! Not only do we finally get to hear a more detailed account about what happened to Sela on the horrific 16th birthday that changed her life forever, but they finally do something about it (there's less talk and more action in this installment)! Ending with yet another cliffhanger, the story remains unfinished - I can't wait to find out how this all ends! PERFORMANCE I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christian Fox and Lucy Rivers. Both narrators proved to be excellent at their craft, delivering believable, error-free performances.

88141558d064660f8186759439102e71

2014-01-04

[[0, 'RE-READ 04.01.14'], [0, 'Still freaking amazing as the first time.'], [0, 'I think I loved it even more this time.'], [0, 'WOW!'], [0, 'This book was amazing!'], [0, "I've been putting this book off for months now and I'm so happy I finally read it!"], [0, 'Such a well executed seque!'], [0, 'The old and the new characters were amazing and so interesting to read about.'], [0, "There wasn't a single character that was boring or too flat for me."], [0, 'Such an amazing book!']]

13406423

cb010ac5acf495c77fc3f061cdeda0c4

RE-READ 04.01.14 Still freaking amazing as the first time. I think I loved it even more this time. WOW! This book was amazing! I've been putting this book off for months now and I'm so happy I finally read it! Such a well executed seque! The old and the new characters were amazing and so interesting to read about. There wasn't a single character that was boring or too flat for me. Such an amazing book!

597c9d7a690c3c990101f84d165ec05f

2013-04-15

[[0, 'Honestly, I finally read this because I saw the paperback cover and I was like, what?'], [0, "That's the same book?"], [0, 'That looks awesome!'], [0, "I'd say the book falls between expectations from the two covers."], [0, "I'd heard that this was a Cinderella re-telling, but other than the ball where Celaena dances with the prince all night, I didn't see it at all."], [0, 'I read this book straight through, mostly waiting for Celaena and Choal to kiss.'], [1, "Spoiler Alert they don't ."], [0, 'I rolled my eyes through pretty much every interaction with lame-o Prince Dorian.'], [0, 'What a deeb.'], [0, 'I was really really worried about this love triangle, to be honest.'], [0, "We don't quite get a resolution in this book, but it's going where I'd like it, so that's enough."], [0, 'The court intrigue and danger in the castle and guarded quarters reminded me of Fire in a lot of ways, but Celaena is not mature like Fire is, and the book is not as good.']]

7896527

467964f40163b637f06a49699ff83d1e

Honestly, I finally read this because I saw the paperback cover and I was like, what? That's the same book? That looks awesome! I'd say the book falls between expectations from the two covers. I'd heard that this was a Cinderella re-telling, but other than the ball where Celaena dances with the prince all night, I didn't see it at all. I read this book straight through, mostly waiting for Celaena and Choal to kiss. Spoiler Alert they don't . I rolled my eyes through pretty much every interaction with lame-o Prince Dorian. What a deeb. I was really really worried about this love triangle, to be honest. We don't quite get a resolution in this book, but it's going where I'd like it, so that's enough. The court intrigue and danger in the castle and guarded quarters reminded me of Fire in a lot of ways, but Celaena is not mature like Fire is, and the book is not as good.

76f1fecf62d8dbe56fe42b638d3afa4b

2016-05-04

[[0, 'I enjoyed this book a lot, but it was definitely not without fault.'], [0, 'I understand the book deal was for only 2 books, and it wrapped up pretty ok in this final book, but honestly this series would have jumped from just a good one to an extraordinary one if there had been a third book to better expand the plot.'], [0, 'The first half of the book was well written and well paced in my opinion, but because the book was short and had to tie up all the loose ends and come to a satisfying conclusion, in retrospect, the first part was far too lengthy with a whole lot of nothing going on.'], [0, "Had there been a third book, the beginning would have been totally perfect, but since there was such limited pages to finish her story, that space would have been better served further expanding on the ending of the book so that some of those last few scenes wouldn't have felt so rushed."], [1, 'In my opinion, if this book had ended with Shahrzad being kidnapped and Khalid on his way to rescue her , then those last scenes could have been done over the course of another 300 pages rather than the 60 some pages it was allowed.'], [0, 'I also would have liked to see Artan get some more characterization, since he was seemingly really integral to the story even though he was allowed maybe 5 full pages of interaction and description.'], [0, 'All that being said, I was still pleased with this final product, and Ahdieh did pretty well with the constrictions she was given.'], [0, "While I would have LIKED another book and the series would have benefitted, it also wasn't too heavily affected by the lack of one, which is a pretty solid feat in my opinion."], [0, 'Actual rating 4.5/5 stars']]

23308084

c57912c4310613a11b3dcba41ae8db44

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it was definitely not without fault. I understand the book deal was for only 2 books, and it wrapped up pretty ok in this final book, but honestly this series would have jumped from just a good one to an extraordinary one if there had been a third book to better expand the plot. The first half of the book was well written and well paced in my opinion, but because the book was short and had to tie up all the loose ends and come to a satisfying conclusion, in retrospect, the first part was far too lengthy with a whole lot of nothing going on. Had there been a third book, the beginning would have been totally perfect, but since there was such limited pages to finish her story, that space would have been better served further expanding on the ending of the book so that some of those last few scenes wouldn't have felt so rushed. In my opinion, if this book had ended with Shahrzad being kidnapped and Khalid on his way to rescue her , then those last scenes could have been done over the course of another 300 pages rather than the 60 some pages it was allowed. I also would have liked to see Artan get some more characterization, since he was seemingly really integral to the story even though he was allowed maybe 5 full pages of interaction and description. All that being said, I was still pleased with this final product, and Ahdieh did pretty well with the constrictions she was given. While I would have LIKED another book and the series would have benefitted, it also wasn't too heavily affected by the lack of one, which is a pretty solid feat in my opinion. Actual rating 4.5/5 stars

acd609aa6c71ec76d65d78d80a26c923

2016-07-31

[[0, 'I have wanted to read this book for such a long time!'], [0, 'I have watched the film many times before and it is perhaps one of my favourite films, and then I saw the book in Waterstones and decided that one day I would have that book!'], [0, 'And I got it for Christmas this year, and proceeded to read it in a morning.'], [0, "If I had not known that this is meant to be Susanna Kaysen's true memoir, I might have been slightly disappointed, or more than slightly, but because of that fact, I was not."], [1, 'It turns out that she was not so close with Lisa as they depicted in the film, and that Susanna also did not actually escape at any time.'], [1, 'The whole time she was in the hospital, Susanna actually behaved a lot better than she did in the film.'], [0, 'These were a couple of things that almost would have disappointed me.'], [0, 'There was less humorous incidents in the book than there was in the film, though there were some that were not in the film, so I guess they balance each other out.'], [1, 'On the other hand, there are many other things that you do find out in the book that, in my opinion make the book better than the film, for example the fate of a couple of the characters are shown; Lisa was one of the characters that I did enjoy the most, both book and film, and I am glad that she managed to get out.'], [1, "I am also glad that Susanna did not actually see Daisy's dead body, and that nobody said the terrible things they said to Daisy's face."]]

475267

74f08b54d20e7f871bbc703d18082b90

I have wanted to read this book for such a long time! I have watched the film many times before and it is perhaps one of my favourite films, and then I saw the book in Waterstones and decided that one day I would have that book! And I got it for Christmas this year, and proceeded to read it in a morning. If I had not known that this is meant to be Susanna Kaysen's true memoir, I might have been slightly disappointed, or more than slightly, but because of that fact, I was not. It turns out that she was not so close with Lisa as they depicted in the film, and that Susanna also did not actually escape at any time. The whole time she was in the hospital, Susanna actually behaved a lot better than she did in the film. These were a couple of things that almost would have disappointed me. There was less humorous incidents in the book than there was in the film, though there were some that were not in the film, so I guess they balance each other out. On the other hand, there are many other things that you do find out in the book that, in my opinion make the book better than the film, for example the fate of a couple of the characters are shown; Lisa was one of the characters that I did enjoy the most, both book and film, and I am glad that she managed to get out. I am also glad that Susanna did not actually see Daisy's dead body, and that nobody said the terrible things they said to Daisy's face.

f9bdd434c7f1913c9ce6fca30e0363fd

2017-05-11

[[0, 'Cute book.'], [0, 'Really it was.'], [0, 'But, - yes, there is a but - it was waaaay too long and boring.'], [0, 'It started out pretty interesting with Chace Keaton (35) being all cold and barky, but still sexy and mysterious alpha male.'], [0, 'But then things got all cute and lovey-dovey.'], [0, 'Faye Goodknight (29) was all shy and cute in the beginning, but still had some pretty strong backbone in her, which made her a likable character.'], [0, 'Together they were good, but again, too lovey-dovey for my taste, specially for how long the book was with not much happening.'], [0, "Overall, it's a good read though it was too long, too little happened, cheesy but cute."], [0, '"Faye, honey, breathe."'], [0, 'Quick basic facts:'], [0, 'Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance'], [0, 'Series: - Series, Book Four'], [0, 'Love triangle?'], [1, '- No'], [0, 'Cheating?'], [1, '- No.'], [0, 'HEA?'], [1, '- Yes.'], [0, 'Favorite character?'], [0, '- Chace Keaton'], [0, 'Would I read more by this author/or of series?'], [0, '- Yes.'], [0, 'Would I recommend this book/series?'], [0, '- Yes.'], [0, 'Will I read this again in the future?'], [0, '- No.'], [0, 'Rating - 2.5 stars.']]

20494223

4a789e538132386cee07a0c9ae8e1338

Cute book. Really it was. But, - yes, there is a but - it was waaaay too long and boring. It started out pretty interesting with Chace Keaton (35) being all cold and barky, but still sexy and mysterious alpha male. But then things got all cute and lovey-dovey. Faye Goodknight (29) was all shy and cute in the beginning, but still had some pretty strong backbone in her, which made her a likable character. Together they were good, but again, too lovey-dovey for my taste, specially for how long the book was with not much happening. Overall, it's a good read though it was too long, too little happened, cheesy but cute. "Faye, honey, breathe." Quick basic facts: Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance Series: - Series, Book Four Love triangle? - No Cheating? - No. HEA? - Yes. Favorite character? - Chace Keaton Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes. Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes. Will I read this again in the future? - No. Rating - 2.5 stars.

a17a7d4385bbb058b23fda480abcbc59

2016-02-06

[[0, 'Simply put, I love this book.'], [0, "It's very realistic and honest."], [0, "It's not a book that will change your life or something that will bend the YA Contemporary genre."], [0, "But it's something that will tug at your heartstrings and for me, that's something."], [0, 'It takes a good writer to write about a complex character that will make the readers feel something.'], [0, "It's not very easy to construct a flawed character and then expect her to be likeable."], [0, "It's how"], [0, 'Mercedes was.'], [0, "She's very open about her sexuality , often times aloof with the things around her and had a knack for pushing people away."], [0, "But even though she's all that, I found myself loving her character."], [0, 'This book might not be your cup of tea because it tackles a lot of sensitive issues but still, these are'], [0, 'also the very same issues that almost all of teenagers experience today.'], [0, 'I totally recommend this to anyone wanting'], [0, 'to read a contemporary with depth, angst and sense.'], [0, 'Happy Reading!'], [0, 'xoxoxo,'], [0, '-Mai.']]

23480844

a4de54bf929bebe39c1134fd33213778

Simply put, I love this book. It's very realistic and honest. It's not a book that will change your life or something that will bend the YA Contemporary genre. But it's something that will tug at your heartstrings and for me, that's something. It takes a good writer to write about a complex character that will make the readers feel something. It's not very easy to construct a flawed character and then expect her to be likeable. It's how Mercedes was. She's very open about her sexuality , often times aloof with the things around her and had a knack for pushing people away. But even though she's all that, I found myself loving her character. This book might not be your cup of tea because it tackles a lot of sensitive issues but still, these are also the very same issues that almost all of teenagers experience today. I totally recommend this to anyone wanting to read a contemporary with depth, angst and sense. Happy Reading! xoxoxo, -Mai.

0b174a10a58c566cda3982255f849ba8

2013-06-11

[[0, 'Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.'], [0, 'A smart and funny novel, with a smart, capable, adult woman protagonist.'], [0, 'The excerpts of the eponymous travel guide are great.'], [0, 'Mur toys with monster coterie conventions in fresh and interesting ways.'], [0, 'I only had one question left unanswered, which may be answered in the next book in the series.'], [1, 'WHY is the city interested in Zoe?'], [1, 'Is her name significant?']]

15790895

43e5538904768ddb611a835c7aa90982

Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun. A smart and funny novel, with a smart, capable, adult woman protagonist. The excerpts of the eponymous travel guide are great. Mur toys with monster coterie conventions in fresh and interesting ways. I only had one question left unanswered, which may be answered in the next book in the series. WHY is the city interested in Zoe? Is her name significant?

1b168bdcb38d2afd9cbfd7acd8a90f75

2017-07-03

[[0, "If you haven't read the previous books, well, you're missing out."], [0, "This is an epic conclusion to this trilogy so if you don't want a spoiler I suggest you stop reading this now."], [0, "A year after Alec became a vampire, he's still trying to wrap his head around his numerous powers."], [0, 'His control over them is tenuous at best yet he learns something new everyday that he uses them.'], [0, 'With Egypt and Mongolia behind them they wish for a breath of fresh air.'], [0, 'But of course, with Alec being the key, there are repercussions.'], [0, 'Out of nowhere an ancient group called the Zoan - a half lycan, half dragon thing has escaped time and are looking for the Key that will unlock them from their stasis.'], [0, 'Once again Cronin and Alec must battle the unknown in order to save themselves and the human race.']]

26107909

264357bdef1930b16964ce13cdb32584

If you haven't read the previous books, well, you're missing out. This is an epic conclusion to this trilogy so if you don't want a spoiler I suggest you stop reading this now. A year after Alec became a vampire, he's still trying to wrap his head around his numerous powers. His control over them is tenuous at best yet he learns something new everyday that he uses them. With Egypt and Mongolia behind them they wish for a breath of fresh air. But of course, with Alec being the key, there are repercussions. Out of nowhere an ancient group called the Zoan - a half lycan, half dragon thing has escaped time and are looking for the Key that will unlock them from their stasis. Once again Cronin and Alec must battle the unknown in order to save themselves and the human race.

f5be702495e5385d07df3b0e00787092

2016-03-26

[[0, 'My friend Felina mentioned she was reading this book in one of the groups, and that it was weird but she was enjoying it.'], [0, "I read the blurb and decided to give it a go - even though neither of us were familiar with the podcast it's based on."], [0, "At first I wasn't sure it was quite my thing, but as the story with Jackie progressed I got more invested."], [0, "I wasn't as keen on the Diane and Josh bits at first, but I liked the way they were brought together."], [0, "The random weirdness is probably more my hubby's thing than mine, but there were definitely some amusing and/or poignant bits - some of which I've captured in my status updates."], [0, '(As to the weirdness, I thought of comparing this with China Mieville at one point - but the weirdness in this felt like it served the story more than his books sometimes manage.'], [0, 'Well, it was either that or the lack or pretension and the fact that it was often humorous.)'], [0, 'I thought it was interesting how the story explored relationships of people - the way we never really know what other people are thinking, or going through.'], [0, "The way we project our own thoughts and feelings onto others, and the things we never say that maybe we ought to, or say that we oughtn't."], [0, 'It had a lot of insight, really, for what it was.'], [0, 'Anyway -'], [0, "It's kind of a weird book to explain."], [0, "It's a weird, quirky town and people living through really strange shit as if it was totally normal - because, for them, it is."], [0, "But it's also a story about people being people and relationships and I liked how it all came together in the end."]]

23129410

ce72e191f12c8beedd1d71f9487d1d24

My friend Felina mentioned she was reading this book in one of the groups, and that it was weird but she was enjoying it. I read the blurb and decided to give it a go - even though neither of us were familiar with the podcast it's based on. At first I wasn't sure it was quite my thing, but as the story with Jackie progressed I got more invested. I wasn't as keen on the Diane and Josh bits at first, but I liked the way they were brought together. The random weirdness is probably more my hubby's thing than mine, but there were definitely some amusing and/or poignant bits - some of which I've captured in my status updates. (As to the weirdness, I thought of comparing this with China Mieville at one point - but the weirdness in this felt like it served the story more than his books sometimes manage. Well, it was either that or the lack or pretension and the fact that it was often humorous.) I thought it was interesting how the story explored relationships of people - the way we never really know what other people are thinking, or going through. The way we project our own thoughts and feelings onto others, and the things we never say that maybe we ought to, or say that we oughtn't. It had a lot of insight, really, for what it was. Anyway - It's kind of a weird book to explain. It's a weird, quirky town and people living through really strange shit as if it was totally normal - because, for them, it is. But it's also a story about people being people and relationships and I liked how it all came together in the end.

b57590cb97fa914a0b20ea45b6c1036a

2017-05-21

[[0, 'Not a typical mystery novel.'], [0, 'However it has a lot of emotions in it.'], [1, 'The ending was sad and I felt bad for Raymond, who was afraid of losing everything he worked hard for; the name, the farm.'], [1, 'He would rather die than facing such humiliation .'], [0, "It doesn't have the thrill and the twists you seek in the mystery genre, but it has a good story."]]

311190

58ff0178720668769b6db433f5971174

Not a typical mystery novel. However it has a lot of emotions in it. The ending was sad and I felt bad for Raymond, who was afraid of losing everything he worked hard for; the name, the farm. He would rather die than facing such humiliation . It doesn't have the thrill and the twists you seek in the mystery genre, but it has a good story.

a182639c249753096874760638f04e66

2017-08-01

[[0, '4.5 stars'], [0, 'Lots of swearing, forgive me...'], [0, 'I really really wanted to give this one a 5 stars.'], [0, 'However, there were some Unforgivable Acts.'], [0, 'Namely, the fact that Roxie was fucking TSTL like the entire time.'], [0, 'That last gunfight scene?????'], [1, 'Like girl why were you even born, who does that willingly and purposefully becomes a hostage, like who the fuck do you think you are .'], [0, 'Also, Hank.'], [0, 'I mean, who the fuck chooses Hank over Henry??'], [0, 'Hank is a terrible name (no offense to anyone named Hank).'], [0, 'Like it does not sound badass at all.'], [0, "Putting the last name Nightingale on something doesn't mean it's a cool name."], [0, 'That all being said, this was a hilarious fckn book.'], [0, 'I loved it.'], [0, "I loved Roxie's parents, I loved Hank, I loved Tex and Jet and Daisy, and yeah, I even loved Roxie."], [0, "And then the fucking last chapter happened and I can't fucking wait for Jules and Vance's book."], [0, "Kill me now I'm so excited."]]

9799572

07a6844574e5f919c77ee83bb2cd819b

4.5 stars Lots of swearing, forgive me... I really really wanted to give this one a 5 stars. However, there were some Unforgivable Acts. Namely, the fact that Roxie was fucking TSTL like the entire time. That last gunfight scene????? Like girl why were you even born, who does that willingly and purposefully becomes a hostage, like who the fuck do you think you are . Also, Hank. I mean, who the fuck chooses Hank over Henry?? Hank is a terrible name (no offense to anyone named Hank). Like it does not sound badass at all. Putting the last name Nightingale on something doesn't mean it's a cool name. That all being said, this was a hilarious fckn book. I loved it. I loved Roxie's parents, I loved Hank, I loved Tex and Jet and Daisy, and yeah, I even loved Roxie. And then the fucking last chapter happened and I can't fucking wait for Jules and Vance's book. Kill me now I'm so excited.

eee2b5f92a89ce35248e8899e233fc3d

2011-01-25

[[0, 'Very complex characters.'], [0, 'This book won "Best Book" for 2010 in our book club.']]

3591262

81991a20ba3ed06046bd2003b4b3526b

Very complex characters. This book won "Best Book" for 2010 in our book club.

b7fdf6806df9aeeaf1fc96676076518e

2017-08-14

[[0, 'Received a copy of this through NetGalley.'], [0, 'I FINALLY finished this.'], [0, 'It felt like forever.'], [0, "Which is sad, because I was actually really interested in the story at first, and it wasn't exactly slow, but I just found it hard to stay sucked in I guess."], [0, 'I did like the characters, but I wanted a little more from them.'], [0, 'Especially Callan.'], [0, "And yeah, I don't know."], [0, "I think the story just didn't go where I wanted it to."], [1, 'Not that I minded the peaceful ending - that was nice and all - but I guess I was hoping for a little more action or something.'], [0, 'Overall, I guess I liked it?'], [0, "But I don't think I'll remember in a few weeks."]]

30981910

4ce7cafd229ce993e1ee00aaae38e03e

Received a copy of this through NetGalley. I FINALLY finished this. It felt like forever. Which is sad, because I was actually really interested in the story at first, and it wasn't exactly slow, but I just found it hard to stay sucked in I guess. I did like the characters, but I wanted a little more from them. Especially Callan. And yeah, I don't know. I think the story just didn't go where I wanted it to. Not that I minded the peaceful ending - that was nice and all - but I guess I was hoping for a little more action or something. Overall, I guess I liked it? But I don't think I'll remember in a few weeks.

5a7355dd76fb7649912b783dffe604e1

2010-07-20

[[0, 'A great mix of contemporary and historical ficiton.'], [0, 'Well written and very interesting to me.'], [0, "I enjoyed the fairy tale style that was used to tell the mother's story."], [0, 'It did wrap up a little to quickly and a little to neatly but overall a good book.'], [0, 'Content: This is an adult book.'], [0, 'Language throughout including about a half dozen uses of the F word.'], [0, 'Also some sexual content although most of it is not graphic.'], [0, 'http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....']]

6668467

3fcdab9a130f12ba07a95ae20fc1a78e

A great mix of contemporary and historical ficiton. Well written and very interesting to me. I enjoyed the fairy tale style that was used to tell the mother's story. It did wrap up a little to quickly and a little to neatly but overall a good book. Content: This is an adult book. Language throughout including about a half dozen uses of the F word. Also some sexual content although most of it is not graphic. http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....

8009b00f5153c508a6173d06b4facc67

2013-02-04

[[0, "The concept and story line aren't bad, I just couldn't get into it."], [0, 'Might have something to do with the fact no quotation marks are used.'], [0, '.. might try finishing at a later time.']]

2526

03ed74ed58496ee2515058c3918cb01f

The concept and story line aren't bad, I just couldn't get into it. Might have something to do with the fact no quotation marks are used. .. might try finishing at a later time.