jess
Cute story for the kiddos. Nearly all the leading roles are female, there is danger, magic, neat animals, and a quest.
The end gets us ready to read the next book.
I did not enjoy this book. I read the first one also - Blade of Secrets. my primary frustration is that the POV character has constant anxious thoughts and has to learn and relearn the same stuff. The subplots are the same as the full plot. The repetition and the annoying tone of the POV character's headspace did not work for me.
However, I'll give this book praise for talking about sex and relationships positively (there is no sex in the book), including clear statements about consent, equal partnership, changing your mind, and protecting both parties.
What a wild a crazy story.
This is a lighthearted very post hoc story of Jesus' young life - from about age 6 to the end. The point of view of a friend, who is a little bit of a trouble maker, keeps it light. There is some in your face humor, but there are also some real gems. The plot is well done. There is always a reason for the next action that is inevitable for the characters.
The author takes an equal opportunity approach to a somewhat accurate but comic book version of described religions and cultures. It would be easy to be offended if the reader cannot let the book be a work of fiction.
In some places, this book goes over the top in the in-your-faceness for me, but I think the author hit the mark he was aiming for.
The narrator does a seamless switch across many characters to keep you in the moment. Well narrated.
This is a fairly large book with entries for lots of mythological people, things, and places from stories. It is as described. Somehow, I was hoping for more. I browsed to my favorite characters to read the entries, and I read many of the other entries. I really enjoy myths and mythology, and I want to have a reason for this book, but I did not get additional value from it. I would have liked to see more mappings of “families/trees” (there is one) and more actual maps of places (real and imagined).
When we seek out a reference text, it is often because we want more. Perhaps if each entry included a bibliography of where to find more information (or acknowledgement that this is all we know) or if it included a short list of stories where the people/thing/place is in context.
If you read thus book, you step into a very long series. I think some of the substitutes are better than others, but you will come to love the characters. As a huge Tolkien fan, I don't understand the comparison. Sure, Jordan creates another world, with fantastic creatures, but the mythology is far different than that of Tolkien.
I loved that Maria read the book in her own voice.
The book is her story but also a story of immigration in the United States.
I love how she sets the scenes of people, the events of the day, her own thoughts and motivations, and she doesn't shy away from uncomfortable feels. Very real.
This was my choice for the Book Riot 2021 Read Harder challenge: a memoir by a latinx author. I'm glad for the challenge because I don't know if I would have found this book otherwise.
Masha draws a powerful connection between historical autocracies and events playing out in near real time/recent history in the United States.
With her background and focus, the narrative is compelling.
I would have liked more clarity on the examples, perhaps with timelines. However, the narrative as given is worth a read. It is incredibly quick to read.
Interesting future dramatic sci-fi adventure. What is the difference between magic and science? What makes us human? What is culture?
This series was fun and intriguing. Some character development...some worldbuilding. Lots of room is left for the reader to imagine and fan fiction writers to fill in. There are hundreds of years of history with complex political and moral challenges. Without giving out any spoilers it is hard to say what happens - only that Kelsey does find a way to avoid destruction of her kingdom as she knows it. Her method was a bit of a surprise, and the ending is one I did not expect.
Not all neat and tidy, the series tells a good story - where you can get lost in the promise of a better world.
I liked this third book so much better than the second. There is more action, more positivity, more excitement. And, the heroine isn't too helpless...well. We kinda know what's coming, but we don't really know. Well done. Endings are hard.
Less gratuitous sex than first book. Still hard to understand cultural references. At times, I thought there were issues with the plot, but the author surprised me.
The short bios in this book are interesting historically and also philosophically. I enjoyed how accessible the writers made the material.
This book set me off in search of more information about these people, and I enjoyed that as well.
Treatment of each person was not consistent, and that frustrated me a bit.
This is a great story with a passionate cast of characters. Follett has a gift for writing from the perspective of characters you just cannot like - he does it so masterfully.
I had to go back and read some history alongside and after this book because that is the way with historical fiction. There are quite a few adult scenes in the story. I heartily recommend it's for all who are not concerned by that.
I'd recommend this book to all readers at this lexile, there is so much to enjoy in this story - action, adventure, selfless action, and, of course, diabolical genius.
Read the previous books in the series first...it is not required, but it will definitely improve understanding.
I listened to this book.
This one is powerful - a thought experiment on what it is like to live in a different way, under different rules. It's a quick and easy ‘read' that also allows the reader to get outside themselves in so many games of ‘what if'.
I'll be honest, when I started this book, I was immediately put off by the main character being a football player - I thought I'd never be able to relate to the POV character because football seemed to be so important. But, that was just the first few minutes. We get into his world, and it becomes real human territory of uncertain relationships, messy real life.
What makes this story stand out is how much the reader feels the shock of what the POV character is experiencing - Shusterman doesn't tell us what is happening so much as let us fall into the experience of what is happening. I think it was well done-especially for reluctant YA readers who may relate to the actual POV character but not the other identities.
I like the world and the variety of characters and the pacing...really everything except for the all-powerful-yet-carried-away-by-romance-and-the-whims-of-men-female-heroine.
This second book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy starts with new hope and ends with the disaster you see coming. I don't know how anyone could read this one and not dive right into the third book.
The writing is good - doing exactly what I ask from a book - transporting me to another world full of different opportunities and challenges.
Smack in the middle of the series. It's a complicated bit of time, history, and magic. Great if you read the first one..probably rubbish without it. I can't wait to see how/if Kelsey fixes this mess in the next book.
Excellent little resource to help walk you through the exercise of making a path between ‘here and now' and ‘where you want to be.' At times dramatic or fantastical, Sher reminds readers that thinking outside current circumstances is the only way to make big changes. Happy Wishing...and Planning.
A fantastic quick read about flavor. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of animal studies and research into the combination of nutrition and flavor. I found the research narratives, and their interaction compelling...the stories about obesity less so. However, it makes sense that the book would be rooted in what might be an epidemic of overeating.
The footnotes and Appendix are nice as well. This is a great companion to other popular food books, like Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma.
If you like food that tastes good or are interested in the science behind feed and nutrition, you'll probably like this one.
You are not worthy. Being born so late in time, you missed the opportunity to grow up with puritanical values. You must search inside yourself, but that is not where the answer is.
Wow. I struggled with this book. The snippets into great lives were interesting - people like Francis Perkins, President Eisenhower, George Marshall, “George Eliot”. The rest of the book, although expected due to the title and intended goals, felt preachy to me.
The book ends on a note of joy, that one may find it in a life of duty and self control. However, none of the portrayed lives show any semblance of joy. Moreover, they were described again and again as choosing some service or other over joy. I'm not suggesting that we all live moment to moment with a short sighted approach, letting loose with our lust and gluttony. Rather, I'm saying that the content of the book does not align with the closing argument and that I think the heroic portrayal of people who do not seem outwardly happy for that end is not reasonable.
This book. Wow. The conversations that it can open up.
Okay. I did not like the romance part of this book. I never enjoy reading romance novels; that's just me. However, the book uses the romance and discomfort as just part of the overall story. The bigger story is about relationships. We have relationships with those we love/like, our friends, our family, our extended family, etc. Each of these relationships can and will be both messy and beautiful. We can make them better by communicating; when we are not saying what we are thinking or telling people when they hurt us or help us, both members of a relationship fall into traps of assumption, imagination, and expectation.
The story shows, in a tender way, how much better relationships can be when we take the time and courage to be honest and open. Good book.
Good pacing, relatable characters, and a world just a little different from our own. Readers who loved following Percy Jackson or Septimus Heap will enjoy Joel's trials and success in The Rithmatist.
Joel has a lot going for him, but he isn't at the top of the pack in his school or community-the same thing for Joel, who lives at a private high school/college hybrid. He is talented and smart, almost every other person seems to adore Joel. He lacks a certain something that makes him feel excluded in this super friendly world that's just starting to feel a little less friendly and safe. Can Joel overcome his insecurity and be a hero anyways?
Adults or older readers who are familiar with Sanderson's work in the mainstream fantasy genre (Mistborn, Stormlight Archive) may expect more than this youth story supplies.
What an exciting sequel.
I did not expect some of the things that Hank set out in the world in this book.
There are layers upon layers of how my mind was interpreting this book after I would set it down. Still now, writing this review months later, I can feel it. The characters grapple with big, big life questions in different ways. While we may not, yet, have Carl influencing our world, we do have the power to change our own stories. Yes, those stories are now influenced by the lightning-fast pace of communication and potential for massive communication for good or ill, but they are our stories nonetheless.
I don't think this book would make sense without reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.
These books are very on brand for Hank Green - a little technology and science, a little quirky, and a whole lot of optimism.