Martha
Not only does it have at least one love triangle (quadrangle?), the reasons for the final choice are not clear.
Okay, so it isn't actually horror. But it is pretty spooky, and not the book I should have been reading when I couldn't sleep at night! Nonetheless, I felt the friendship between the two children and I cried for their fears.
I didn't actually finish the book. It's full of wonderful quotes that scintillate like diamonds, set in a boring necklace.
The finale managed to hold true to the first two books in both tone and content. The ending was believable, the characters were enjoyable, and while there will apparently be a following series, enough ends are tied up here to be quite satisfying.
In other words, I liked it. (A 3-star score from me is still quite good. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a miser in ratings.) If you liked the first two books, I feel confident you will like this one as well. If you haven't read the first two books, what are you waiting for?
I did have to read the gruesomely macabre parts in small sessions, which slowed me down considerably at one point in the book, but readers with stronger stomachs should be fine.
I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but was given no compensation for my review. My opinions, as always, are my own.
First story: Fine, right up until the unbelievable about-face. You just can't say “Yes. Yes, because it's right. Yes, because I want to make you happy. Yes, because you don't really mean it. Oh, you're leaving, well, I was just trying to make you happy, so no, even though I just finished telling you yes even after you told me no.”
Second story: Fine. I would say it's a bit fast, but my own courtship just might have been unusually speedy, so I guess I can't throw stones....
Third story: I liked.
Fourth story: I liked.
Okay, I have to admit that I didn't actually read the whole thing. I got past the blood-grown tiger-man & decided it wasn't for me. I did cheat & read the ending, though....
Disappointingly, this one, even though Jesus is an adult (big change from the last book!), still spends more time on Jesus's friends and only a little time on him. Still well researched.
“Oh, that's an international magazine with a picture of you on the cover. With a runaway European prince. In your underwear.... I guess you must like him more than I thought. Let me think of a way to facilitate your reunion.”
Noooooo, Mom! Reality would go more like this....
“That's an international magazine with a picture of you in your underwear on the cover! With an equally almost-naked man! I don't care if he's a European prince, you are never seeing him again!”
The ghost didn't work for me. There were other problems as well. It seemed a little too random, for instance.
Spooky, with creepily appealing characters, witty dialogue & commentary, and a knack for making hindsight 20/10.
I regret that I must agree with many of the other reviewers-what was the point of this book?
The best part was Yates, and he's, well, dead....
2017 update. After reading the reviews for book 6, I've decided to give up on the series. Sadness.
Now THIS is what YA romance should be like! (No, this isn't really a romance; it's a story of the Spanish Flu epidemic, when more people died than in the Black Plague.) Quick attraction, but not insta-love. Real characters, not cardboard cutouts. Time to develop friendship & love, because duh, love at first sight isn't really love (it's just infatuation). Real conflicts, not just “my family doesn't like him.” Decent (I mean “good,” not “well-written”) characters, not bad boys and rebellious girls. And this is all on top of a fascinating historical event, good writing, and interesting characters.
I almost gave up on this book several times, but each time it just managed to save itself. I liked the supporting characters better than Suzume, especially Otieno, who doesn't know how to give up.