If you go into this book expecting something like Delirium, I'm afraid you're probably going to be disappointed in one aspect of the book or another. If you go into this book expecting something like Delirium, I'm afraid you're probably going to be disappointed in one aspect of the book or another. Going from Delirium to Panic, Oliver makes the transition from dystopian to contemporary as well as series to standalone, and as a result I feel that there's quite a different writing style and tone to this book compared to Delirium. I guess that also stems from the fact that this book is based on fear rather than love. (By the way, for some reason a lot of people seem to have shelved Panic as a dystopian on GR, but I'm pretty sure that it's a contemporary. Maybe those people haven't actually read the book and assume that it's a dystopian because Delirium was a dystopian. Seriously though, look at the blurb. IT CLEARLY ISN'T A DYSTOPIAN, PEOPLE.)
Contrary to what it looks like in the blurb, rather than two main characters, there's more so four overall. Only Heather and Dodge actually get points of view, but there are two other characters, Natalie and Bishop, who are just as important to the story. And while it also seems like Heather and Dodge are the main couple, very early on in the book, it becomes obvious that the pairings are actually Heather x Bishop and Natalie x Dodge. Some comments about these ships: Natalie x Dodge Natalie was probably my least favourite protagonist. There was just something inherently unlikeable about her character (for me). She was shallow and temperamental and -_- Dodge, also, wasn't a particularly solid character. Basically, his motives for entering Panic centre around revenge, and I feel like his character is almost just defined by this revenge. Accordingly, the romance between Natalie and Dodge wasn't too interesting for me. I mean, the romance itself wasn't badly done; I just didn't care enough about the two characters to really enjoy it.
Bishop x Heather Probably the only person of the four who I actually really liked was Bishop. Initially, at least. Later on in the book there's a somewhat predictable curveball which sort of twisted his character a bit, but when you learn the motivations behind his choices, I suppose they're acceptable. Heather was also not a bad character, and the majority of the book is focused on her journey to face her fears. Seriously, these two had the sweetest relationship- with a very natural evolution from best friends to more-than-friends. I didn't even need to ship these two; the ship sailed itself.
In terms of the actual game of Panic, I did have some issues about the background of the game. Mostly the fact that a lot of things seemed to go unexplained, particularly about the judges. In the game, there are some people who are chosen to moderate the events and arrange the challenges. Who chooses these people? How are they chosen? How are they paid? Where does the prize money come from?? SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. The actual games, however, were pretty good. Enough action and mystery and thrills to keep me reading on.
Overall, ignoring the unanswered questions, Panic was quite a realistic contemporary, and I'd recommend it to people who like their mysteries with a touch of romance and action.
....okay. I cried. Strange and Ever After was one of only nine books ever to make me cTo see review with gifs, visit my blog, Looking for the Panacea.
....okay. I cried. Strange and Ever After was one of only nine books ever to make me cry. I WAS HIT IN THE FREAKING FEELS.
I find that Strange and Ever After, and actually this series in general, has a very nice balance of romance and action and character development and world building while also managing to make you feel a whole spectrum of emotions. Feels, frustration, swoons, anger, joy. This series makes you feel them all.
Our main character Eleanor goes through such major changes in this series. In Strange and Ever After, she is no longer the naive, uncertain girl from the first book. She discovers cruelty, and darkness, and the strange and lovely pull of magic. She experiences loss on so many levels, and it's through this loss and those changes that she finds the strength and the independence to make her own choices. And of course, it's this strength that she uses for revenge. Perhaps the strength is actually slightly misguided, because she becomes very one-minded and obsessive about this revenge.
While the romance was incredibly frustrating on so many levels, I do think it was also a very well developed, realistic one. It's not just sunshine and rainbows; Eleanor and Daniel do face a lot of problems, which end up being solved through discussion (and not just through kissing and hoping the problems go away).
Oh, Oliver. How I love you. Often I find it's the well developed secondary characters that can take a series up that extra notch, and that's certainly the case in Strange and Ever After. Oliver is just fantastic. I would argue that his developmental arc is just as interesting as Eleanor's or Daniel's. (If you don't know who Oliver is, I'd rather not introduce him properly, because it could be taken as a spoiler.)
Okay, time for some major spoilers because I need to get the feels out.
(view spoiler)[I think this is the first book boyfriend I've had die on me. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?! I honestly thought that Eleanor would be able to save him in that final scene, but no. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM SOOZ?! WHY?! T.T
Also, damn, I feel weird because halfway through the book I started shipping Eleanor with both Daniel AND Oliver. WHAT IS THIS. haha. I do think that the relationship between Eleanor and Oliver was more of a platonic one though. Maybe... In any case, I felt weird shipping it lol, though ship it I did. (hide spoiler)]
Aaaaand I've said nothing about the actual plot. Because this a review for the third and final book in the series, I feel that it's best that I leave that out. You definitely want to experience it for yourselves. (By which I mean go buy yourselves copies of the books in this series. Do ittttttt.)
Ratings Overall: 10/10 Plot: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Romance: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Cover: 5/5 Why yes, this book is basically perfect....more
Cancer would take away plenty. My hair, my body, my life. What I'd never realised though, was that there was one privilege to dying: the right to liveCancer would take away plenty. My hair, my body, my life. What I'd never realised though, was that there was one privilege to dying: the right to live without consequence.
While I'd still definitely say that it's a good book overall, I feel like Side Effects May Vary perhaps didn't meet my expectations, which, granted, were sky high. I just feel like on the whole, it wasn't quite the poignant, powerful book I expected it to be. I mean, the blurb says that Alice has done "irreparable damage" to people around her, and while the things she did were bad, they weren't as horrible as I thought they might have been. And therefore, the repercussions didn't seem like they'd be too bad. Really, the only thing that I really didn't like was the way Alice treated Harvey. Other than that, I mean, sure, the things Alice did were kind of bad, but I wouldn't say that they were absolutely terrible.
I had some problems with the first 100 pages or so, but things definitely picked up as I read on. I think initially, the book doesn't quite have that "grab" factor and I found my mind wandering a fair bit- as the plot settles though, I went speeding through the second half.
Side Effects May Vary is told in dual point of view (Alice and Harvey) and in two different timelines: then and now. I'm not sure whether it was just me, but for some reason, at times I found all of these different perspectives a bit confusing. Maybe because it jumps so quickly between them, or maybe I just wasn't concentrating hard enough on the book, but I found it confusing. There were a fair few time skips within each timeline, so that also added to the confuzzlement. And I feel like we didn't quite get enough time in one time period before we were whisked away to the other- it made connecting to the characters a bit difficult.
On that cold night in January it all slipped into place for me and she became my everything and my everyone. My music, my sun, my words, my hope, my logic, my confusion, my flaw. I was thirteen years old, and she was all these things to me. And I was her friend.
The main focus of this book is probably on Alice and Harvey's relationship, and I'd say that the quote above pretty much summarises this relationship perfectly. Alice seriously doesn't deserve someone like Harvey. Part of me wanted them to end up together for Harvey's sake, but I feel like a bigger part of me didn't. Basically, I did not ship them. I suppose Alice does redeem herself by the end of the book, which obviously we are all expecting, but I still felt like perhaps Harvey let things slide a bit too easily. Also, let's be honest, Harvey was a bit of a doormat. Perhaps a justified doormat, but a doormat nonetheless.
While this review sounds a bit negative haha, I did enjoy the book overall. Maybe it didn't quite meet my expectations, but it was definitely still a decent read.
*Quotations taken from the ARC and may not be the same in the final copy*...more
Much like many of Kelley Armstrong's other YA novels, Sea of Shadows is a very quick and fun read with a relatively simple storyline. While I must admMuch like many of Kelley Armstrong's other YA novels, Sea of Shadows is a very quick and fun read with a relatively simple storyline. While I must admit that it didn't really seem to be anything fresh or overly engaging, it was definitely still an interesting read that I'd probably recommend to people who don't tend to read high fantasy novels.
The romances were pretty bland. I mean, I gotta be honest, I still shipped both of them, but it didn't feel like there was that much relationship development before, BAM, romance. It was fairly obvious from the start where the romance was going to go (seriously, if you can't see it, you need to get your eyes checked haha) with each of the twins paired off the Gavril (a resident/guard of the village) and Ronan (one of the criminals exiled to the village). I think another reason why I found the romances bland was that the love interests just weren't that great to read about. Gavril was so boring, and made things difficult to ship. Ronan was marginally more interesting, but still seemed to be one of those stereotypical semi-bad boy types. Meh.
The horror aspect of the plot was probably the best aspect. Armstrong definitely knows how to ramp up the tension, and from the very start of the book, you're thrown into this dangerous world where the action happens at a very fast pace and the suspense keeps you on your toes. And okay, the twist at the end was pretty unexpected. So kudos to Armstrong for that one.
I'm a bit iffy about the genre of this book. It does mostly fall under high fantasy rather than paranormal fantasy (as a lot of people appear to have shelved it) due to the imaginary setting, but there was, quite unfortunately, a definite lack of world building. I probably would have rated this book much higher had the world building been of the standard that I expect in a YA high fantasy, but alas, it was not to be. It doesn't really seem like it'll be explored in the next books either. Sigh.
The book does end on a cliffhanger, but it's not an "OH MY GOD I MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT" cliffhanger. It's more of a "okay. I'll read the next book eventually" cliffhanger. Maybe that was just me though. I must admit I don't feel particularly invested in this series. I would have liked to have certain aspects of the plot explored further, and I can only hope that these explorations will occur in the sequel.
p.s. every time I saw the name Moria all I could hear was THE MINES OF MORIA in Gimli's accent haha
There are no words to the music, and that makes me sad. Every song deserves lyrics. Deserves a story to tell.
I want to start this review by addressingThere are no words to the music, and that makes me sad. Every song deserves lyrics. Deserves a story to tell.
I want to start this review by addressing our male lead. Bodee is a rather interesting name. And it suits a rather interesting character. One of the main reasons I had wanted to read this book was that the blurb says that the book contains a "quiet and awkward boy next door". I feel like, in YA, there are too many bad boys and just confident love interests in general. It's actually fairly rare to find a quiet and/or awkward male lead. And wow, Bodee was an excellent one. I suppose recently, there have been a gradual increase in the number of more interesting love interests- and I have to say, this is I change I wholeheartedly support.
This morning the secret has claws. And it's climbing the walls of my stomach, twisting my gut, quivering and rolling and burning. Red-hot acid in the back of my throat. Ready to explode. And I have to stop it before it spews all over my life.
I suppose, in a way, Alexi's secret was fairly obvious, and at times it seemed a bit silly to have her talk about her "biggest secret" because it was so obvious to the reader. At the same time, it was completely acceptable, because to all the other characters in the book (except Bodee) it was indeed a secret. I guess that's the privilege of being able to see inside her mind as a reader.
There was only one major issue I had with this book- and this was how the main conflict was resolved. I feel like the "villain" of the novel got off a little bit too easily. On one hand, I did understand why it was that he got off somewhat easily, but just on a very fundamental level, I disliked how the issue was kind of swept under the rug in a way (sorry, it's difficult to talk about without spoilers). I did recently read an interview with the author where she said that she didn't want to deal with this issue because the book was more so about Alexi's journey, and I suppose that's understandable. Also, oh my god, Alexi's sister was seriously the most annoying character. Sweet Jesus, get over yourself. She was so self centred and arrogant and BLEURGH.
Faking Normal is definitely a very unique read. I do agree with the bolded statement in the blurb- Courtney C. Stevens blew me away with this thoughtful, realistic, compelling debut. She's certainly been etched onto my list of authors to watch out for.
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Rather amazing. Review to come closer to the release date!...more
Salvage was quite the pleasant surprise! With incredible world building, awesome characters and an engaging plot, this book is certainly one that all Salvage was quite the pleasant surprise! With incredible world building, awesome characters and an engaging plot, this book is certainly one that all sci-fi fans should be looking out for.
If we start off with the flaws, I do have to admit, some bits were just a littttttle bit too convenient for my liking. For example, our protagonist Ava is sentenced to death (not a spoiler, in the blurb), but is conveniently rescued by a random charitable ship captain. She arrives on Earth and is conveniently helped by a charitable local. She goes to work and is conveniently told by a random charitable worker about a place where what she is looking for could be found (how's that for non-spoilery ambiguity haha). CONVENIENCE EVERYWHERE.
I guess the only really big problem I had with the book was that the conclusion felt very rushed and incomplete. Well, clearly, it wasn't THAT big a problem since I still gave the book 5 stars, but I think the ending was probably what barred be from also giving it an incredible. The ending was just so...open. I want more, dammit. AND this is a standalone, so I know I'm not going to get more. Why :( Gimme more. Or give me a spin-off or something haha. This world is too well built to waste.
Which brings me to my next point: the world building is quite amazing. Especially the language- I feel like the way each population spoke (shipbound people, people in Mumbai, people in the Gyre) was well thought out and it did seem as if they could be actual ways that people would speak in the future. Also very well done was the development of the cultures. The environment of the Parastrata was incredibly interesting to read about- it's sort of reverted into a medieval style caste system/women-can-go-nowhere-but-the-kitchens type of society, and man, I really wish we could've spent a bit more time on the ship before Ava fled to Earth.
Well, basically, if you like sci-fi books, get Salvage. If you like reading about interesting cultures, get this book. I didn't really talk about the characters, but they're quite well developed too- especially the main character Ava, so...if you like excellent character development, get this book. Don't know what else I can say haha.
Rule one. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong I have to say I really can't agree with the above rule. You know why? IT'S SO WRONG THAT THE AUTHOR OF THISRule one. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong I have to say I really can't agree with the above rule. You know why? IT'S SO WRONG THAT THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK IS FREAKING ONLY EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. Holy guacamole, what an achievement! Makes me wonder what the hell I've done with my life haha. While overall, I think this book was perhaps a bit shaky, I do have to say that it's not a terrible debut- despite its flaws I did enjoy it.
It was quite interesting reading from the point of view of a character with a very skewed view on morality. I don't think I've read too many books where the main character is the "villain" (not too many YAs where that's the case, anyway), and it was definitely strange seeing Kit's insight into how seriously she takes her role as a serial killer, and how she justifies all the murders. And hoooly crap, there was no holding back on the gore of the killings. They were pretty dang gruesome.
I have got to say that the biggest flaw of this book is that a lot of aspects of the book are supremely unbelievable. To list a few of these unrealistic things: - High school students write letters to an assassin asking them to, shall we say, "take care of" classmates (also while paying a hefty fee). Some of the reasons for the asking of the kills were pretty ridiculous as well. Along the lines of "she broke my heart and deserves to die" blah blah blah. Actually, even some of the reasons of the adults for asking for kills seemed pretty superficial... - The letters and money are left in a bathroom stall for Kit to collect at her leisure. IS THERE NO CLEANER AT THIS BATHROOM?! ARE THERE NO PEOPLE WHO ARE TEMPTED TO STEAL THE MONEY?! - The police are completely incompetent. They can't even pick up on something worked out by a high school girl. Also, with regards to the point above, WHY THE EFF HAVEN'T THE POLICE DISCOVERED THE DROP-OFF POINT FOR THE LETTERS. WHY ARE THEY NOT STAKING IT OUT. WTF, POLICE. - The person in charge of the investigation of the Perfect Killer allows a random high school girl to help with the investigations, even allowing her access to the crime scenes. She ain't no Sherlock Holmes, bro. - The "Perfect Killer". It's ridiculous that in ALL the kills made, Kit wouldn't have left behind ANYTHING at all. The few kills we saw seemed pretty sloppy. In one case she "forgot to leave herself an escape route". In another, she made a kill in a place that wasn't particularly secure and nearly got herself seen by a police officer. That doesn't seem particularly "perfect" to me... - The fact that Kit said that she kept the levels of her kills so that she wouldn't catch international attention, but surely with several kills a week, that'd be enough for the locals to bring in some big guns. Basically, I just had serious problems with suspension of disbelief.
I was actually thinking of rating the book four stars until the ending. The ending is seriously anticlimactic and, quite honestly, a complete disappointment. Although I do have to admit that I wouldn't be able to come up with a better ending. From the very start of the book, I really had no idea where the book was going. I couldn't really see how the author would tie everything up at the end- and lo and behold, everything wasn't tied up -_-
Well, as I said at the start, I think I did enjoy the book overall, despite it being completely and ridiculously unbelievable. I would say that I'd recommend it to younger readers, as I feel that people who haven't had too much exposure to the YA genre might have more ease with accepting the unrealistic aspects. But, of course, the gore. So...not quite sure who I'd recommend it to. I suppose you should just give it a try if it sounds interesting to you.
True to its title, from the blurb, this book did indeed promise to be an amazing, "complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens sheddTrue to its title, from the blurb, this book did indeed promise to be an amazing, "complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love." But was it actually amazing? In some aspects, it certainly was quite good- the romance was cute, the characters well developed, the "villain" creepy and weird and just what the heck was with that kid. However, while reading the book I felt that it wasn't particularly powerful or thought provoking like a lot of "amazing" contemporaries out there. That being said, it was still certainly a very entertaining and enjoyable read and most definitely worth a read.
It hadn't felt good or cleansing or like any of that psychobabble parents and teachers feed you about how the truth shall set you free. It felt like shit.
There were actually quite a few good moral issues touched on in the book- including trust, deception, whether passive participation in a crime is morally wrong- those sorts of things. However, the reason I say it wasn't as powerful as otherwise would have been expected was probably because the issues somehow didn't seem quite so realistic. I mean, it was entertaining enough to read, but difficult to apply to my own life. So I think this was really more of a personal thing, and perhaps others reading this book will find it very thought provoking.
Common sense told me things were progressing way, way too fast, but my heart was enjoying the ride too much. In over my head? More like drowning and loving it.
The romance in the book was certainly a very speedy one- but in the context of the book, it wasn't overly annoying, or what I would describe an "instalove". I suppose the romance was accelerated by the fact that Wren had literally saved Grayson's life- I guess that sort of debt is hard to forget. The interactions between Wren and Grayson were often quite hilarious and snarky, but towards the end of the novel I feel that the quality of the novel dropped slightly- there was just too much drama. I wanted to see some more normal scenes- like dates or conversations or whatever without some sort of unfortunate event occurring.
"Are you stalking me or something?" "Ha...Well, I'd rather think of it as strategically putting myself in your path so we can be friends...But if you want to call is stalking, okay."
A cute and enjoyable read, I'd recommend reading this if you like books with an intriguing and relateable main character and a sweet romance....more
House of Ivy and Sorrow really wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting a Gothic, gritty tale of magic and mystery, and instead what I got seemed House of Ivy and Sorrow really wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting a Gothic, gritty tale of magic and mystery, and instead what I got seemed to be more of a high school drama. Which I suppose, isn't necessarily a bad thing- just not the thing that I expected.
A surprising amount of focus is given to the romance. Which was perhaps not the best thing in terms of my enjoyment of the book. I feel like the romance sort of took over the story, overshadowing the darker elements of the plot. The romance itself was okay. Nothing revolutionary. A bit bland. You know the type. I guess I did like the love interest, Winn, but I didn't think he was particularly swoon-worthy or anything.
In terms of the romance though, something that annoyed me a fair bit was that Jo seemed to think that EVERYONE in the town was SUPER interested in everything she did with Winn. I mean, sure, okay. You're a pretty girl dating the "hottest guy in town", but that doesn't mean that everyone is going to be staring at you when you go out to eat. Or that all the other girls in the restaurant are grinding their teeth in jealousy. Get over yourself, girl. Also, what's wrong with the waitress going "you two are such a cute couple"? Is that seriously THAT obnoxious? I THINK NOT.
Okay, this wasn't something that major, but "for the love"?! Do people say that?! Wouldn't you say "for the love of god" or even "for the love of all that's holy"? Whipple would just have the characters saying things like "For the love, I'll just do it!" in what I assume should be an exasperated tone, but just...no. FINISH THE DAMNED PHRASE. I don't even know why this annoyed me so much lol.
The overall tone of the book seemed very much like it was directed at the younger end of the YA range. It was also very predictable- but I suppose this didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book too much, because I wasn't expecting to be surprised. And da heck?! The ending was so anticlimactic! Things were so easily solved. I swear, the "climax" was about a paragraph long. If you were skim reading, you could have easily missed it.
I give this book 4 stars not because I thought it was a particularly well crafted book, but because I did actually enjoy it. Despite the flaws, it was a fairly entertaining read- my advice: just don't read into things too much.
OH. MY. GOSH. This book. THIS BOOK. A fusion of Greek mythology and fairy tale retelling- seriously, what's not to like?I was raised to marry a monster
OH. MY. GOSH. This book. THIS BOOK. A fusion of Greek mythology and fairy tale retelling- seriously, what's not to like? With beautiful, lyrical writing and incredibly complex characters and MYTHOLOGY, this debut has certainly put Rosamund Hodge on my list of authors to watch out for.
Cruel Beauty appears to be pitched as "Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast", but I'm not really sure how credible this claim is. There are certainly some aspects of it that take from the original fairy tale, but it really isn't much like Graceling at all. Maybe they just said that because the protagonist is a semi-assassin? I must say that Nyx isn't quite as badass as the protagonist from Graceling, but is flawed and multi-dimensional in quite an intriguing way. While she could get slightly annoying at times, it was quite interesting to see how she dealt with being having to be the sacrifice to appease the "Gentle Lord". Also rather interesting was the Nyx/Astraia dynamic. Astraia is Nyx' twin sister, and I suppose Nyx is quite resentful of the fact that she's the one to be sacrificed, whereas Astraia is able to live on. At first, Astraia definitely seems like a bit of a smiling airhead, but you do find out that there is perhaps a darkness behind the smile.
She smiles because she is safe. She is safe because I am going to die.
Warning: there is a love triangle. But it perhaps isn't a conventional one. On the one hand we have Shade, Ignifex's slave/prisoner/whatever which was a bit instalovey, but I feel that was okay, because Nyx was expecting to die quite soon. I guess all sorts of decisions would be skewed if you're expecting to die in the next couple of days. I don't know, I feel like I never really shipped these two. I couldn't really see a proper connection- it was all just a bit bland.
Of course, on the other hand, we have Ignifex himself, who I LOVED. (Although I must admit, the title of "Gentle Lord" was just weird.)
If he had been human, I might have taken him for a gentleman. But his eyes had crimson irises, with cat-slit pupils.
Even though the red eyes with cat pupils seems a bit weird/creepy. I loved the interactions between Ignifex and Nyx. Their first meeting literally had me laughing out loud (which I actually don't too often when reading books, to be quite honest. I mean, a lot of smiling, but not much actual laughing out loud.) What Nyx did was just so delightfully unexpected, and I think I just burst out laughing from complete shock. I don't want to spoil what she did, but just know that my reaction was HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
The world building. *twirls* FLIPPING AWESOME. I guess in general, not much world building was done for the world outside of the castle, but the backstory about the castle and just the general background lore was GAHHHHHH SO GOOD! And the twist on the Greek mythology- I really love my mythology and to see it so deftly manipulated by Hodge practically had me squealing with delight.
The plot was slightly predictable- but I feel that this didn't take away from the story at all. It's quite character oriented, so while the plot was perhaps a bit shaky (and the ending was every so slightly disappointing- in the sense that I wanted more), overall, I'd definitely recommend reading this book.
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OMG THIS BOOK. SO SO GOOD!! It's kind of like Of Beast and Beauty. But not. IT'S EVEN BETTER :D :D I mean, yeah, it was predictable, but ERMAHGERD THE WRITING WAS SO BEAUTIFUL ASDLKAJSHKDJHW! Review coming closer to the release date :)...more
*MAJOR spoilers for The Madman's Daughter. You have been warned*
The air in my crumbling attic chamber smelled of roses and formaldehyde. I really *MAJOR spoilers for The Madman's Daughter. You have been warned*
The air in my crumbling attic chamber smelled of roses and formaldehyde. I really like how the first lines in both The Madman's Daughter and Her Dark Curiosity quite nicely set the mood for the rest of the book: creeeeeeepy. In this sequel, we see the return of one of the island's beasts, one who begins targeting the people of London, leaving the calling card of a flower dipped in blood (contrary to what the blurb says). I think on the whole, people who enjoyed The Madman's Daughter will probably enjoy Her Dark Curiosity.
Let me make this very clear: THE ROMANCE WAS TERRIBLE. The very epitome of terribly done love triangle. (Very minor spoilers for Her Dark Curiosity until end of paragraph; it's kind of obvious from the blurb though. Warning you just in case.) While I don't think I particularly like or dislike Edward (mostly I just feel pity for him, what with the beast trapped inside him and all), what I did really dislike was how Juliet treated him. She was just so moody and she changed her mind as to whether she loved him or not so many freaking times and it was like STOP BEING SO INDECISIVE ALSDJFASDF! I mean, really, let's be honest, we all know she's not going to end up with Edward. The series so far has definitely pushed her with Montgomery, and despite him sending her away on a boat to "save her" or whatever, anyone who knows the genre of YA to a certain degree will just be waiting in this book until Montgomery shows up at some point. And when he does, LET THE BATTLE FOR JULIET'S HEART BEGIN!
So if you want to go into this book expecting a nice romance (although wtf why the heck would you go into this book expecting that? The blurb is clearly really dark) turn away! If you go into this book expecting a (somewhat) creepy mystery/thriller then you'll get what you expect. While not as creepy as the first book, Sheperd does manage to skilfully build the underlying tension needed in a thriller. I still wouldn't necessary call either book a "horror book" though. Despite the threat of a rampaging beast, the book remains decidedly not scary.
And what an ending! Major twist, refusal to reveal one of the characters' supposed secrets, dropping the hint that the next book will be based on another creepy classic (you can find out what it is by reading the book haha). That ending has most definitely confirmed that I will be reading the next book in the series....more
Warning: anyone wanting to read this book shouldn't read the blurb. IT'S SO FREAKING SPOILERY. It literally completely ruins this one major plot twistWarning: anyone wanting to read this book shouldn't read the blurb. IT'S SO FREAKING SPOILERY. It literally completely ruins this one major plot twist (which does happen fairly early on, so I suppose it isn't that bad, but still). Thankfully I have this weird policy of not reading blurbs for sequels of books so I wasn't spoilered, but seriously, who the heck wrote that synopsis? Not on, people. Not on. Also, I seriously thought this series was going to be a trilogy, the way things were headed, but everything is very nicely wrapped up in two books. Well played, Tintera.
Surprisingly, Rebel is actually told from two points of view- Callum and Wren. The dual perspectives were done pretty well. I had no idea that the sequel would be dual POV, because I'm pretty sure that Reboot was only from Wren's perspective. So when I opened to Chapter 1: Callum, I was like WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?! And I have to be honest, I'm always slightly nervous when there's a POV split in a series, because that often means that the two characters are going to be separated somehow (and the POV split is therefore necessary to tell the whole story). I'll let you find out for yourself whether that actually does happen mwahaha.
The non-spoilery part of the blurb states that Reboot is "full of riveting action and steamy love scenes" but I'd probably agree with only the first part. There was definitely a lot of fast-paced action throughout the entire novel- no places to catch your breath because there was almost constant battles and break-ins and whatnot. In terms of the "steamy love scenes", if there's one really small nitpicky flaw that I would pick out for Rebel, it would be that the romance is a little bit over the top. Pretty much every scene where Callum and Wren appear together, they're holding hands/Callum squeezes Wren's hand/kissing/hugging etc etc. I mean, it was cute the first couple of times, but then it happened EVERY FREAKING TIME and I was all "Get a room!" I wouldn't necessarily call it "steamy" per se, though.
Well, in any case, I really do recommend giving this duology a go. It's very action-packed and there's a shippable romance and the conclusion is very satisfying. And omg look at that cover. LOOK AT IT. I love how they did the highlighting of 178 again. GAH THE TWO COVERS LOOK SO GOOD TOGETHER *FLAIL*. At the very least, the books will look excellent on your shelf ;)
p.s. anyone know whether it's Rebel as in the verb or Rebel the noun? I don't know which way to pronounce it when I tell people about the book haha
I have no idea what that thing on the cover is supposed to be, but omg it's pretty. And the main reason I wanted to read this book, to be honest (don'I have no idea what that thing on the cover is supposed to be, but omg it's pretty. And the main reason I wanted to read this book, to be honest (don't judge a book by its cover? lol). However, judging the book by its cover actually turned out to be in my favour, because Avalon was one excellent read.
I feel like some of the minor characters were a bit flat, but to be honest, I'm not a big character reader (I more so look at plot and writing and such) so I wasn't bothered too much by it. That being said, I did appreciate the camaraderie between Jeth and the rest of the crew members- they weren't so much a crew as a family ( #awww #cliche). And Jeth himself wasn't a bad character- he's one of those thieves who are thieves for a reason. One of those thieves that still have an intact moral compass. I do rather like reading about that sort of character- they're so interesting in their imperfection. Plus, male YA protagonist! Win.
A lot of people complain about the romance in this book- that it feels out of place and inappropriate. I actually didn't feel the same. While it perhaps wasn't completely necessary, I don't think it really distracted the reader from the main plot at all. I feel like the amount of focus put on the romance was the amount that was needed. I do have to say it was instalovey, but thankfully not excessively so.
In terms of the main plot- MAJOR BOMBSHELL 2/3 OF THE WAY THROUGH. There were actually quite a few twists and turns throughout, making for a fairly unpredictable read. I quite liked how things didn't always go according to plan, and how things weren't always in Jeth's favour. The action scenes were well written, with the reader left second guessing what was going to happen.
The sci-fi aspect of the book is very intriguing. As a massive sci-fi fan, I was hoping that this wouldn't be another These Broken Stars (where, while the book is good, it's not really focused on sci-fi), and it definitely didn't disappoint. A lot of interesting technologies were brought up- for example, the mystery of the metatech, a technology that allows fast travel through space. The mystery of how it was developed and where it came from was one that helped drive the pace and plot.
Even with the emergence of more and more sci-fi young adult books, Avalon is certainly one that stands out from the crowd. Those looking for excellent world building, fast-paced action and an intriguing mystery should definitely pick up a copy....more
I feel like Megan Shepherd is an author that really divides people. There are always good aspects and bad aspects of her books, and the balance of thoI feel like Megan Shepherd is an author that really divides people. There are always good aspects and bad aspects of her books, and the balance of those is sometimes almost 50/50. I think that's mostly the case in The Cage. The world building and romance are poorly done, but the plot and writing are interesting enough to keep you engaged.
The world building was frankly really bad. I never really got a good idea about the alien captors or the world they lived in. Even their choices seemed silly, with the human captives being chosen as they "embodied the perfect human characteristics"- strength, intelligence, beauty, integrity. To be honest, I really feel that the aliens could have chosen better candidates for these traits, as none of the characters really seemed to embody their traits that well. Plus, you know, on a purely scientific level, why not just abduct babies at birth? Then it would be so much easier to actually have them cooperate, and do all the tests and things needed. I suppose you wouldn't be able to see whether they had those perfect human characteristics then, though.
The romance was pretty bad as well. I honestly never understood it from either side. In terms of Cora feeling an attraction towards Cassian, I mean I guess it's fair enough on a visceral level considering he has "the most beautiful face she's ever seen" or whatever (which she annoyingly said at least twenty times throughout the novel). But considering that he's one of the members of the team of aliens that's taken her from her home and keeps her in a zoo cage where they do all sorts of experiments on her and basically control her entire life...I don't know, I guess I just don't see why you'd love someone who does that to you. To be honest, I would have much preferred it if the book didn't contain this crappy romance, and had the aliens just being the enslaving race. But this is a YA novel, so what the heck did I expect.
Still, despite all these flaws, I do think the book had a couple of positives that meant that I enjoyed it somewhat overall. The first is the writing itself. Shepherd's writing was quite descriptive, in terms of portraying the setting of the "Cage" (although to be honest that didn't really help with the world building overall). It's definitely written in a way that keeps you turning the pages- it's an easy style to get into and there's enough mystery that you want to read faster so you can find out what happens.
Of course, the premise itself is also actually a pretty intriguing idea. I haven't read too many human zoo type scifi novels, and while perhaps the execution of this one wasn't as great, it was a creative idea all the same. Maybe give it a read if you don't mind poor romance and world building.
What do I think about the plot? Meh. What do I think about the characters? Meh. What do I think about the romance? Meh. What do I think about the writingWhat do I think about the plot? Meh. What do I think about the characters? Meh. What do I think about the romance? Meh. What do I think about the writing? Meh. What do I think of the book overall? Yep, you guessed it. Meh.
After the End is honestly just a very mediocre book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to read such a book, but I found that there weren't really any engaging aspects. The actual story seems really unrealistic and convenient, the romance was pretty crappy and despite there being two POV characters, the chapters were annoyingly short.
Everything was ridiculously convenient. For example, at the start of the book, Miles is attempting to find Juneau in Seattle. Lo and behold, just as he's about to give up on the search, there she is. Right in front of him. WTF. Later on, Juneau gets a series of hints about where she has to go to find the rest of her clan, and she works out these clues so easily. One person coincidentally mentions a place and Juneau goes "ah, of course! It's there!" Miles throws a book of maps down on the floor and it coincidentally opens to the page which has the town Juneau needs to go to. One look at it, and she's like "of course!" YEAH NO.
ALSO WHY THE EFF ARE THE CHAPTERS SO SHORT. I'm okay with short chapters if there's only one point of view. I am NOT okay with short chapters if there's switching between multiple points of view. Dammit, I want to spend adequate time with each character before changing to the other. Some chapters were literally half a page long. THAT IS NOT OKAY. Another issue I had with the dual POV: the narrative voices sounded exactly the same. WHY?!
Some positives that I'm not really going to expand on because there's not really anything to expand on - Juneau's link with the "Yara" i.e. the paranormal fantasy aspect of the novel was quite well done, although I'm not particularly convinced about the "scientific" background of the origins of her powers - The premise is pretty awesome- how Juneau thinks that she lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but actually no. There has been no WWIII. - *struggletown trying to think of more positives* Okay, clearly, this is a book that I didn't particularly enjoy. Probably won't even be reading the sequel because I'm rather uninterested in the characters and the story.
Man...I am so sad this series is over. I really don't want to let go of all the characters so soon. Perry and Aria, Roar, Cinder...there were just so Man...I am so sad this series is over. I really don't want to let go of all the characters so soon. Perry and Aria, Roar, Cinder...there were just so many fantastic characters and relationships. And while admittedly the world building was slightly shaky, on the whole, the world Rossi created was certainly one I'd love to keep reading about. Rossi did a brilliant job of tying up all the loose ends in the story. I truly don't think many fans will be disappointed by Into the Still Blue- action, romance, friendship- this book has it all, making for a very satisfying conclusion.
I feel like most people would say that the highlight of this series isn't actually the action and the plot in general, but the characters and how they develop. And I'm no different. While, of course, I did want to see whether the characters are able to reach the "Still Blue", I was actually more interested in the various relationships.
I have to say, the whole Roar vs Perry thing was so frustrating. I mean, we all saw how close they were in previous books, and I just wanted them to reconcile already. While I definitely did understand why their friendship fell apart (going for no major spoilers here), it was still rather upsetting to see such a fantastic relationship crumble.
On the other hand, Perry and Aria. Seriously. I LOVE these two. They're so supportive of each other and I find it very satisfying that whenever there are problems in their relationship, they actually talk it out rather than leave the other person hanging with misunderstandings. You know what else I like? NO CRAPPY LOVE TRIANGLE. Sure, I don't mind a love triangle when it's done well, but I do have to say I prefer no love triangle at all. So, good on you Veronica! Especially when you could have made Roar and Aria one side of the triangle- but decided to leave their relationship to be a platonic one. I think those two have to have one of the best male/female friendships I've ever read in YA.
I have to say that I was slightly confused about the ending. I was confused as to what exactly happens to this one character (ugh can't talk about it because spoilers). I suppose it was a tad rushed as well. These weren't really major issues though- the rest of the book was certainly enough for me to overlook those small flaws.
Just as captivating as the previous books, Into the Still Blue was a bittersweet ending to a truly fantastic series.
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Slightly sad that the series is now over. I don't want to let go of these characters so soon...
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