Jessica
4.5
Wow. This book was a brilliant way to end my year.
The only complaint I have is how dumb Piper was. She just seemed kind of slow at times. She doesn't think before acting sometimes, which grated my nerves.
However, that doesn't mean I completely despise Piper. After all, she's kind of a bad-ass. Those fight scenes...wow. Go girl powerPiper. With the odds stacked against her, she still emerged victorious.
And then there was the discreet love triangle.
Usually, love triangles just agitate me. And I know, I know. Lots of people hate love triangles, as evident from the burning hatred portrayed in people's reviews. I'm sorry if this aggravates someone, but I found the subtle love triangle pretty adorable. Or maybe the correct word is hot...hmmmm. Anyways, this book definitely contained my desired quota of drama.
The action? Everywhere. It kept my right on the edge of my seat for the whole half day I was awake. A half day was also how long it took for me to finish this book. Yeah, it was that good. Ash and Lyre are the epitome of mouth-watering amazingness all rolled up into hot messes of personalities. They make me want to fangirl and fawn over every one of their adorable reactions, every strange comment, and every noted look.
I'll cut myself short and get right to my thoughts about...the ending. That ending was...it...why...WHY ANNETTE MARIE?
WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR READERS? I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Ok, maybe I do understand (to get readers to get the next book). BUT STILL. WHY???? WHYYYYYYYYYYY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE IT AT A HAPPY ENDING. NONONONONO I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO LOGIC AND REASON THAT THE ENDING WOULD MOST LIKELY BE THE MAIN CONFLICT OF THE NEXT BOOK. NO. Just no.
So...I finally finished it. But I thought it was, you know, FINISHED. For some odd reason, I thought this series was a trilogy. So when I got to like the last 5% of the book, I was like, “What's going on? It's highly unlikely Desni Dantone's going to leave a permanent cliff-hanger for us to assume that everything turned out fine in the end.” But that's not why I gave this book a 4-star.
I've got mixed feelings about this book. I felt like the first 10% was kind of...unexciting, I guess would be the most accurate term. Maybe that's because most of the events were set on the island where a big number of Kala stayed. Maybe it's because (I'm so sorry to all you other fans) Nathan and Kris just don't excite me anymore. NO, I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T SHIP THEM. It's just that, it's not really a ship anymore. It's just canon. It's meant to be. There's no doubt. So although Ms. Dantone tries to jerk my heart around with all these other people honing in on this couple, I'm just not getting them feels.
A few of the parts also confused me, such as whenever they talked about the demigods and their relationship with everyone. Kris's powers also confused me. It rubbed me the wrong way how, in the beginning, Kris's powers basically sucked. But by the last 10% of the book, she just wrecked everybody and came off as a bad-ass. It also bothered me how they kept going on about how Callie wasn't going to survive for very long in her condition, but she's been "sick" for the entirety of this book, and is going to continue to be so in the next book. And that ending... I'm just unsatisfied with the way Dantone transitioned things, though the plot was, of course, pretty much amazing.
It wasn't difficult to finish this book but it did leave me yearning for more.
Ugh reluctant to wade into the crap Drake's ex will undoubtedly stir up.
-me before reading the book
EDIT:
Alright, so there weren't that many instances where I wanted to animate Jessica and smack her silly. However, the mystery this time around wasn't all that hard to figure out...Noelle literally walks into one of the murderers twice. It's basically a rule for authors to select the most innocent-seeming/uninvolved character out of them all to be the culprit. So really, there was no other suspect for the readers.
WARNING: Nonna is even more infuriating than usual. At least, for the characters. I was kind of ticked off by her too.
But really, I'm much too eager to find the next book to wrack my brains coming up with a more sophisticated book review.
This novella was highly enjoyable. A light and easy read about Cassie's sixteenth birthday, though the story really begins the day before her birthday. Jared, Cassie's older brother's best friend, finds out about Cass' inner turmoil over never having been kissed. Cassie wants what most of us girls crave for in our first kiss: for it to be real, passionate, swoon-worthy, etc. So Jared arranges a present for Cassie; he dares the guys at school to give her sixteen kisses for her birthday. We experience a wide range in types of kisses with Cassie (though I am personally weary about where each of those boy's lips had been).
This is probably the only novella where I'm not agonizing over how soon it ended. This by no means implies that I thought it was terrible. I just think Kelly Oram wrapped everything up nicely. Though I am curious about what happens with Selena and Ben afterwards...Maybe that's a novella for another day?
Just a quick note for the record since I can't wait to start on the next book. I absolutely loved this book. The only thing that was annoying was the chronic and stupid misunderstanding between Taylor and Victor in, I don't know, a majority of the ending. Other than that, fabulous. 1000%. I'd also like to make a note that I finished this book before realizing that this was the SECOND book in the series. However, I understood things perfectly well. So yeah. Just a sidenote...I'M COMING RUBY SHADOWS.
Obviously, I absolutely adored this book. Nikolas's thoughts and worries were a tad redundant, though that is to be expected since he's a bonded male with a one-track mind: to protect Sara. Just goes to show how much he loves her. In fact, all the short scenes never before seen in previous three books surely make up for any unenlightening repeats. And that epilogue...mmmm.
HOWEVER. The ending of this book means NO MORE SARA AND NIKOLAS. NO MORE ROLAND AND PETER. NO MORE REMY. NO MORE REASON LEFT TO LIVE.
Sure, there are plenty of other books in the bookstores, publishing establishments, and in the minds of upcoming authors. However, this book and this series will forever have a special place in my heart.
4.5 stars
I feel like I should've hated this book. I mean, the crux of the conflict was just one little misunderstanding that turned into more misunderstandings, which turned into full-blown PTA-
parents-spurning odd things happening. And it could've all been resolved with one mature, straightforward conversation. Obviously, given my rating, I basically want to hug this book and leave it under my pillow so that its awesomeness may saturate in my brain via osmosis.
This book is the king (queen?) of funny. It was ridiculous without being completely annoying to the point you just want to deck someone with your Kindle. It went into some fairly relatable problems that unmarried parents go through, from hellion children to relationship miscommunication cliches 101. Definitely a nice fun short read.
I mean...no matter what happens at this point, can you honestly expect me to give anything other than 5 stars?
Writing was fairly tame; some pizzazz in the lexicon would also be greatly appreciated. Plot-wise, it was alright. There were a few surprises that I didn't anticipate. However, (I hate to sound like a prick for complaining about this but) I wish there were a bit more variety in Gabe and Jennifer's relationship. I'm not saying that I want more leeching banshees to stick to Gabe and whatnot. I just got tired of how they seemed to come together for some sex, contentment, and gratitude at the end of more than a few chapters. Those actions, in themselves, are definitely not bad things. But describing that same scene in a different way would be nice after it's been repeated about five times.
Although, having Maryann Jordan dangle a tantalizing love-triangle prospect in a future book certainly got my engine revving. Maybe there's hope yet...
People often flippantly say, “The plot thickens,” but after reading this, I'm beyond that. I'm just speechless. Things are getting real, folks.
Cute story. Would've preferred a longer novel without the insta-love to really cement how their relationship grew to be so meaningful to each other. And more words would've added some depth to the not one, but two, dangers that strike at Hope.Was peeved about the excessive comments to mark pauses. But a cute, short story all the same.
The flow was sometimes questionable and there were some things that went unresolved with regard to the investigation (e.g., why didn't anyone think to check to see whether Nathaniel's saliva matched the saliva on the bite marks on Ms. Flowers?), but this was pretty solid. It kept me on the edge of my seat (finished in one sitting). It stirred intense emotions within me (Yumi, you're a nugget but Dimitri deserves to retire early and live in a golden penthouse). And it was fun going through a teen's life whose IQ is greater than my own. (The new vocabulary I learned was rewarding enough.) I'd recommend people give this a try and look forward to the rest of the Lovelace series.
Wasn't really feeling this one. I still enjoyed the mystery that crops up in all of Suzanne Wright's books. Potential duplicity from every corner...and it ended up coming from every corner except the shunned bimbo. How vaguely refreshing.
But some things didn't really make sense to me. For instance, the descendants, apparently, would have been shunned by the other demon breeds for needing to drink blood occasionally. But...there are vampires in this universe and it doesn't seem like there's lots of strife between the two species, given that Knox-Sam-Jared crossover from way back when.
Additionally, the significance behind Raini's oh-so-dangerous-and-secret power was dropped in a weird place. Yes, it is nontrivial and yes, there was a very big and important reason why she should hide it and avoid drawing attention to herself. But continually saying it's secret and powerful in the first half of the book really ain't ramming it home for me. They felt like empty words and caused more frustration than eager curiosity.
As for the MCs, I didn't hate them. But Raini was so understated (since she had to avoid drawing attention...maybe) and Maddox...Wright described his eyes as “vacant” a few times in the beginning. And I've got to say, having a man with no spark in him whatsoever does nothing for me. He only seemed to light up around Raini past...at least 20% of the book. The first part, yay. I'm all for that. But the moment that clicks is usually a lot earlier in the story. So the first part of the book was very “gray”, as Wright wrote, with Raini and Maddox dancing around each other. It didn't feel like there was much tension so I wasn't really invested in their relationship. I just didn't sense the same passion that usually permeates Suzanne Wright's stories.
I like Suzanne Wright. And I finished this book within a day, as usual. And these were some difficult characters to write and make interesting when there's reasons for their “blah”. So now I'll revive myself by rereading another one of her books.
Started off with a bang then kind of tapered off as conflicts were resolved (some resolved without the characters really doing anything...). But it was still a compelling read, enough for me to stay up to finish. Seems like the start of something big.
Absolutely delightful. Haven't read a novel for a while now; Bewicched was a delightful reintroduction to this form of media.
It was nice being in Arwyn's head, even when she was being churlish. She comes off as a bit compassionless and mean sometimes, but there are very compelling and self-preserving reasons for that. I won't get into the details, but it was gripping to see her world expand, her prickliness smooth out, and the intent behind her actions change as her resolution to keep her bubble undisturbed diminished.
I could go on about how the way the story unfolded kept me on the edge of my seat as well as how excited I was when certain characters showed up; their meeting was wonderfully done. 10/10. I can't wait to see them more! And of course, I haven't forgotten the hints at future characters and their cool gifts to be more thoroughly revealed (hopefully!).
The only complaint I had was regarding the mystery around...well, one of the antagonists. The MC's first impression of the mastermind is usually a big flag. Not to mention, the mastermind was spewing some blatantly flowery bullshit for the whole novel...so maybe it actually wasn't much of a mystery. Then there was the hint from one of the victims that...no one wanted to dive into for some reason. But there were signs that this whole evil plot is bigger than anyone thinks so I have no doubt that more startling reveals are on their way.
I absolutely loved Seana Kelly's way of writing in her Sam Quinn series and thoroughly appreciated how it was her writing style that welcomed me back into this pocket of fiction. Definitely a series I'd recommend!
Loved it. Bunch of surprise visits from some beloved members of the Guild Codex world that I deeply appreciated; I've missed them. Can't wait for the next book!