Lili V
Solid. That's the first word that comes to mind.
Also. This is one of the rare series in which I am so invested in the characters (though their psychology is not as fleshed out as I would like) that it inspires a patience in me I would not lend to a lot of newer novels. I have such a soft spot for anything Holmes or Holmes-adjacent that I had to approach this fantastical dark whimsy with an open mind.
It's slow and laborious because there's so much blatant research thrown in your face via the Baring-Gould memoirs and library at large, that you must have patience and possibly a love for mystery rather than a passing flirtation to slow down and enjoy it for what it is.
Re-read 6/13/19
Still phenomenal. This has the make-up of a slower set-up book but there's so many sub-plots going on in the background that I couldn't help but truly admire the author's ability to interweave the complexities of each one to work into the narrative. The reader isn't able to see the complete picture but discovers small revelations here and there that eventually lead to an unveiling of one character's motives and see how Breq is able to predict to a certain extent their intent or future actions.
Read 8/3/15
This series is absolutely fantastic! Breq is an amazing MC and I love reading about how calculating and caring she is. The one big difference I noticed going into this installment is how the writing was more fluid and I was able to picture the settings more easily. I think if I went back to reread the first one I would be able to understand the terms better. But overall, I think the writing in this one was much better in terms of settings. I love the new characters that were introduced (and weren't the ones that were completely insane), like Mercy of Kalr's crew, Tisarwat, Basnaaid, etc. I could tell that they are going to be more prominent as the series continues as is the Athoek station itself.
*Spoilers ahead*I loved Tisarwat and Breq's teasing tone with her. I hope that Tisarwat can make peace with herself and become more integral to the story. And that ending with Basnaaid was phenomenal. It was exactly what I wanted to happen because I could tell how Athoek and Mercy of Kalr were going to be the current resting place for Breq and crew. So it was fundamental that Breq explains her history.
Probably the sweetest low-stakes fantasy romance I've ever read (also the smut was great! ;)
Really hilarious and addictive read! Trying not to freak out too much over the hangover. Loved the reverse harem because that is SUCH a guilty pleasure of mine in books, manga, and anime. Can't wait to read Liar, book 2!
Enjoyed this love story. There wasn't anything extraordinary about it but the storytelling was compelling and the tragedy very real. The latter half kind of dragged for me but the epilogue made of for it.
This is my favorite by far because of everything that gets revealed. Pretty much just because so much does get revealed. Jane and Beast sort of become one, and Jane finally hooks up with Bruiser. And she almost killed Leo which was awesome. I wish she had gone after one of the city vamps as well as Satan's Three, because after what we learned about Leo's secrets and Bethany's crazy ideas, they gots to go.
Next book will probably be about the EuroVamps and I'm not sure how that's going to go down but the author always has a few tricks and twists up her sleeve. And I love most of them. ;)
So for every 5 stars that I give to a book there has to be something special about it; something that really stood out and captured my attention. For this installment in the series, it had to be the build-up, the suspense, and the action. We got a little taste of what Sang is capable of in terms of working on assignments and participating in rescue missions. The antagonists in this book were pretty easy to predict but the method in which they operated wasn't. Volto as a villain–while very misinformed about the Academy–knows enough to be clever and dangerous. He also did a very good job letting his drop of doubt fester not only in Sang's mind, but also in the readers. From what I've read about how the boys talk about the Academy and how they operate, I was fully able to trust in their explanations. The thing is, that's all we've gotten so far: explanations. There is no proof behind their claims that the Academy's ultimate goal is good; and that opens up a whole new line of questioning. That's what I really like about the author's writing: she can fully immerse you into the suspicions and the doubt.
Overall this installment was very thrilling because of the action scenes and the Academy epilogue was nothing less than expected. I can't wait to read who will be the next one of the boys to confess.
Had to read another one of Zapata's books after reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. Had the same issue with too much unnecessary boring details and skim read the majority of the book. I didn't like Dex and Iris in this one as much as I liked Vanessa and Aiden in the last one. I enjoyed the biker setting and the related drama was very believable but Vanessa was a bit too childish for the independent background that the author wrote for her. There were just some things about her history that just didn't match up with her personality. Consequently, I didn't think the relationship between she and Dex was believable partly due to her immaturity. I also didn't think it was believable because their relationship seemed like it was primarily based on sexual tension. There was no root to their connection, nothing to ground them as possible love interests.
In comparison to the last book, there was more attention paid to the drama that was going on with Ris's dad than the relationship between the two main characters. While the plot was somewhat intriguing, I wish it had focused primarily on creating a tenable connection between Dex and Iris.
June 26, 2009
Read the first time.
May 6, 2015
I just finished rereading this on Scribd and I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I still stand by my four star rating and want to keep reading the rest of the series. I think I stopped on the third book but want to continue on this time.
CONTAINS SPOILERS
In this first book, Mira is the keeper of Savannah but is soon called away to travel with a mysterious vampire hunter to find out more about the new activity with the naturi. A fairy elflike race that has different clans but a common goal of annihilating the human and nightwalker species. The triad must be reformed but in Mira's pursuit, she soon learns that more about the night five hundred years ago when she was saved from 2 weeks of naturi torture. Being nothing more than a weapon was not what she signed up for.
I always forget that the writing in this series is some of the best I've come across in UF until I come back to it. The writing was four stars but the plot was three stars. There were a lot going on in this one and the writing deserves major kudos for providing enough backstory to keep me interested but not overloaded, especially since there were so many side characters. (I mean, is this the first book that came with a glossary??)
I will continue on with this series because I do want to see how more of the loose threads are tied together but I can see this continuing on for quite a while with all the world-building. The author's creativity only expanded in this book and the world has become so grand that it was difficult to keep track of the sub-plots.
So I've finished the first trilogy in the Forever Evermore series and I think that's where I'm going to stop for now.
I didn't initially want to read this installment of the series because of the ending of the previous book but I really wanted to know that the characters would get back together and how that would play out. I was not disappointed. I was sad to see the old versions of the characters transform into the cold hard shells they had to become in order to deal with their war setting but I concede that it was a genuine response. I liked how the plot played out and I was always enjoy some badass-ness in any character I read about so that was definitely enjoyable. As the ending to the trilogy I think it did a great job of wrapping up loose ends and providing a glimpse of the future our favorite four.
I did enjoy this installment a bit more than the last one, so I'd rate this a 3.5 read.
The author is one of the only that I enjoy reading tropes that I usually avoid in YA or any fiction. I loath miscommunication with a passion, and yet I love when an author is able to manipulate secrets in their books from start to finish. They masterfully craft their story to keeping the reader intrigued in the characters lives from the beginning of the book when the ‘secret' is introduced and doesn't really bring it up again (even though the reader knows it's going to be a significant development within the characters' lives) until the very end.
A nice, solid Sherlock-inspired story. I loved the addition of the supernatural to the story line because it didn't detract from the core mystery-solving romp. I love all Sherlock adaptations and now I can add a new one to the list. Jackaby lives up to the Sherlock arrogance with the secret heart underneath it all. And Abigail Rook was nicely developed and had a backstory that I would like to explore even further because she's an intriguing character.
The plot of this installment was exciting to read and I can't wait to start the sequel.
16% in and the two MCs still haven't met. From the little that I got through, it could have been paired down to at least half the length and I don't feel like listening to a book on 2x just to make it easier to get through the boring bits.
Also the description of the dead woman was a bit too gratuitous for me.
Only two things I disagree with in the entire drama that is Payton's life, just two. One: the most obvious would have to be how long she holds the grudge against her parents for keeping her father's disease quiet for six months. One thing I'm secure of myself about is that when I hold a grudge, 1) the grudge-ee is aware of my feelings, 2) I will most likely not be the first to realize the situation could have been handled better, and 3) forget about apologizing. (You'd best be on your knees by then.) That is why, when Payton Gritas finds out that her parents lied to her, I was like “Yeah! Right there with you, sister.” However, that factor seemed to automatically matter so much more than her father's initial diagnosis. Now, Payton does care–don't think she doesn't just because she's giving her parents the silent treatment for a while. What I have a problem dealing with is how LONG she maintains that “while” and inevitably–going psychological here–displaces that anger-with-underlying-fear to her friends. Besides the fact that she confronts herself in the end and gives herself a HUGE mental slap, I have to say that the girl is on an emotional roller coaster. I accepted this, especially when I read the conflicting hurdles that stand in her way on her path to, shall we say, self-discovery.
Now that I've ranted about her inability to deal, my second tickle I have is minor but felt worthy of being mentioned. I did not like the very last page, the very last scene written about Sean and Payton. This may just be a fan-girl thing, but it is noteworthy indeed; it just did not satisfy my additive need of reading about complex but horny teenagers. Some juice would have been nice!
Exceptionally, to the more exciting and hilarious quotes in this book. I had the best time reading Payton's entries in her “Payton's Focusing Exercise” journal , and the fact that she referred to Sean's head as a dome just about killed me. Some great traits of Payton are the activities she gave up on when the Truth came out. I found that totally understandable, and ended up really loving the way Leavitt wrote Payton as an avoids-hard-topics/her-feelings kind of girl because in the end it just made her all the more of a stronger character for it. As for her best friend Jac, who plays an important role in the book in general, needs to encode privacy into her vocabulary. Some may find her outgoing attitude just this side of sane, but I found it down right irritating; her never-ending variety of nicknames for Payton drove me just a tad over the edge. However, I do believe this was mostly because we only got brief glimpses of how Jac's background taints her forthright temperament. In fact, I would have liked to have read more about Sean home life as well. I have to admit that Leavitt did a phenomenal in describing him as person, likes/dislikes, accomplishments, his view of the world, etc. As for his parents, or previous years of schooling–that were mostly spent with Payton, by the way–would have been enjoyable to read as well.
Overall, I must conclude that Leavitt has an admirable style of writing and I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of her debut, Princess for Hire, soon. (Especially since the sequel, The Royal Treatment, is due out early May.)
Grade: B-
Besides the side tangents and being too horny to function, this was great. (Or maybe because of those things.)
This was a skim read for the most part. After thinking about this one I really started to dislike it more and more. So much gaslighting. So much manipulative behavior. Maybe it's partly because I skim read it, but truly I don't blame the FMC getting the fuck out of dodge after living a life where she didn't have a moment of peace. And she was kept in the dark about very important parts of her traumatic past, then blamed for it (??).
So then, (1) why on God's green earth would she want to come back, (2) why should she feel shame for MOVING ON after the guy she loved (and broke her heart) didn't come looking for her, and (3) why TF did the MMC think it was ok to treat her like shit when she was just as hurt, if not more so, after everything? Like what's with the lack of acknowledgement of her feelings and only highlighting his pain??? She legit asks him “Why do you think it's ok to treat me this way?”
It's like the author knows the MMC is a piece of shit but thinks by glossing over all of his flaws, they should still somehow start having kids yesterday. Not mention how much her dad is an ABSOLUTE POS, yet he can be “redeemed” because he decided he should finally express his love after he's dead? And then the plot of it all wipes ALL of that away. So stupid.
Yep, this is a 1 star.
Legacy of the Clockwork Key is a fantastic introduction to a new magical and inventive series, but it is also a wondrous introduction to the genre of Steampunk for young adult readers.
Meg has just lost both her parents to a devastating fire that claimed their home and their fortune. She's left with nothing but is mysteriously taken in by a Lord Rathford who claims to have known her parents and is willing to give her a place to stay, but as a housemaid. Meg was not expecting the unusual and maddening condition the lord insists on keeping his house in, a moment frozen in time. All she has left to keep her sane is a pocket watch that was found in the remains of her family's ruin. Or what she believes to be a pocket watch.
Enter Will, the handsome Scottish tinker Lord Rathford keeps on hand. Meg soon finds that her momento is a master key that can unlock, not only many of her grandfather's inventive mechanisms, but also a secret society where men are judged solely on their vast creativity and ability to manipulate gears and cogs to make unbelievable creations.
It was the combination of plot, characters and writing that really captivated me and left me wanting every time I had to put the book down. The characters were so seamlessly introduced and so individually motivated, it made them so authentic and real; the protagonist especially. Margaret “Meg” Whitlock had her own flaws that were clearly evident and made all the more endearing because of her naive curiosity and fearless determination. She had her own arc of development in the book as did other main characters. Will is first seen just as the muscle as he's “dragged” along for the ride, but soon he's just as willing to protect Meg during the more dangerous parts of their adventure. He easily criticizes Meg for her selfishness but he also has some evident flaws as well. Flaws that he faces and helps him realize that his lack of title isn't as important as he believes it to be. Oliver and Lucinda were two of my favorite characters for their constant tension and shared history together.
The plot was unimaginably creative because in my wildest dreams I could not have come up with some of the fantastic and terrifying adventures Meg and her crew go through. The action as well as the lapses in between are the best parts in the book by far. It's impossible to predict the wild challenges that are set out for the cast of characters.
The writing is what makes the book stand out from others I've read that take place in late 18th century England. The descriptive setting as well as the appropriate English phrases placed in the servants' kitchen with Meg and Mrs. Pratt, as well as in the moors looking down at the remains of Heverdon castle.
All these components make up the incredible and original book of Legacy of the Clockwork Key. The ending was nicely wrapped up and left enough room for more mysteries to be solved and delved into in the sequel, which I will pick up as soon as it's released.
Grade: A
Cute coming out story. I liked the diverse representation in the cast of characters especially considering the irl diversity of the setting where the story took place, a town right outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
Just like everyone else has mentioned, after a certain point, you can figure out who Blue is but it doesn't detract from the story because there's more to Simon's tale than Blue which is something I wish the reviews would mention because it was one of the things I liked the most. The story really focuses on Simon's coming out journey and how coming out should be something every student in high school experiences. To paraphrase, there should not a default–an assumption that coming out should be for every sexuality but heterosexual. This book highlights that fact, that the journey of accepting your own sexuality is a big deal, for everyone.
Very, very good read. I love this series for a variety of reasons and one of them is the monologues. There may be too many at times but when one of the characters goes off on a tangent about their reasons for their actions (in this instance, George the All-knowing manipulator) it captures my attention every single time. Another example would be when the spiritual leaders from the Holy Anocracy and the otrokars were explaining to Dina what desperation could do to a person, especially a soldier. Each of these monologues were absolutely, fantastically written.
I loved the development of the characters because it was real and raw. It showed what a nonsensical war could do to a community and its people.
The one of the reasons this is not five stars is because I found some of the description of scenery and wildlife a bit superfluous. It was too much at times, and would distract from the plot of the novel. It would detract some of the magnificence of the characters and the overall plot in general.
The other reason is Dina. I enjoyed her character for the majority of the novel but there were times that I wished she expressed her opinions, if not out loud, then at least so the reader knows what's she's thinking and feeling. She is supposed to be a neutral party to her guests but it really muted her character and I feel like I didn't get enough of how she was feeling to really empathize with any of her actions.
Overall, I love this series and hope the authors continue it for a long while because I don't think there's a limit to how many stories can be told about Gertrude Hunt and its innkeeper. Or the vast universe that it's a part of.
Living a dull life, Maddie is all but eager to get away from her know-nothing town in New Jersey; and from the devastating attack that haunts her, even though her attackers are dead. When she finds out about her dormant abilities, she slowly gets adjusted to the idea of being able to read everybody's thoughts; and even project some of her own. However, the latter seems to be an unconscious, distressing ability during her nightmares and the flashbacks to the attack. Who but the ultimately unique telekinetic would be able to calm Maddie's minder mind? After Maddie and Trevor form a bond that's rare, even among the G-positives–the people with the cool powers–they're connection is put to the test as the book builds up to it's major action scene. (And I say major because there's more than one action scene in Minder!)
Unprepared but nervously excited were just a few of the stirrings in me when I started reading Minder, and now all I can say is...I wish I'd heard about it sooner. Starting from the top and working my way to the end I had nothing but smiles and laughs for the feisty Maddie and her adorable Trevor; not to mention the other G-positives. See, that's what really did me in on this one. Since I have a psychology class, I could actually follow what the genetic aspects of the powers that the G-positives have in their system. I could even understand the terminology. That's when I thought that I would really enjoy this book. What some other YA novels try to grasp in their heroine protagonists can't hold their flame to Maddie's wild fiery. She's, I guess you could say, someone to be reckoned with if you know what I mean; not only does that quality make her realistic but also that's she's a genuinely protective person.
Minder's also had an unsubtle approach to some volatile scenes. I admired Kaynak's forthrightness when it came to some imagery that involved detailed morbid graphics. I really hope to read more of that around this genre. With this book specifically I only had minor disappointments–like the G-positives could have had more of an intricate background story and the relationship between Maddie and Dr. Williamson as a parental figure further explored–but overall I was fairly stunned and satisfied with this book; and I cannot possibly wait to get my hands on the sequel, Adversary.
Grade: B+/A-
As a whole I really liked the story, though it was longer than I expected and had a lot of typical bad-boy, innocent-girl tropes. I was expecting Ember to have a bit more backbone from what I read in the synopsis, I didn't think this would be your run-of-the-mill “girl tries to fix boy” storyline. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the writing because the story did keep me hooked throughout the second half but I wish there was more substance to the relationship between the main two love interests. I didn't really understand what Ember saw in Trace besides the savior act he pulled when they first met. She even thought and was warned multiple times about the playboy he was, and at that point he didn't really have any redeeming qualities that stood out. (Even his “knight in shining armor” moment wasn't too shiny considering the bartender would have stepped in even if he hadn't.)
I usually love the characters the most when it comes to reading romances–and the secondary characters were pretty great–but Ember and Trace were a bit too one-dimensional for me to invest any attachment to them. Their romantic moments were sweet but that's about it. Even their sex scene were lackluster, and I usually like those no matter what romance I'm reading. Ultimately they seemed to lack the chemistry of a romantic couple; I think they would have been better off as friends. In fact, plot-wise, Ember could have been there and helped Trace with his tragic past as a friend and literally nothing in the book would be different. She could have loved and supported him as just a friend and the story would still have the same storyline and the same ending, they just wouldn't be romantically involved.