Nika

Okay, full disclosure, I fully enjoyed this series. It's fun and you really want to root for the characters, especially in their love lives.

That being said... this is definitely the weakest of the series. You can tell Meyer was in a hurry writing this. (Even with it already being pushed back one release (when Fairest was supposed to come out).) And, like my problems with most books that take a focus around action and military plans, it suffered.

I guess my biggest issue is that Levana should have won and only through her (and her henchmen's) stupidity or through just dumb luck did Cinder and her friends win. They should've died or have gotten caught so many times over. And it got to the point where it was clear none of them were going to die because some of them should have died.

((spoilers))

For example, at one point Levana had Cinder in her prison for over 24 hours. Kill her! She's right there! And if you need to film it, film it! Everything you wanted to accomplish, you could have right there.

Or kill Wolf! String up his pelt as a warning. Why would you want something so feral near you? He almost KILLED you!

And all of Cinder's/friends' plans were ridiculous and stupid and anyone with any real military training could have defeated them in minutes.

Because of this, a lot of the pacing and tension was removed since I wasn't worried about anyone dying. I wasn't worried about whether anyone would end up together. So through the action sequences I more or less skimmed through, making sure I know how Cinder won, reading any dialogue, but other than that I read the happy endings and “awww'd” because I did like the relationships.

(Although, I would definitely not send Winter down to Earth without at least some diplomatic training. Or send her with a real diplomat at first. There's more to diplomacy than just smiling.)

Overall, if you enjoyed the series, you'll want the end. And you'll enjoy it to some degree (I did). It's just very clear that this is the weakest link in the series.

I'm not sure if I should rate this because this is just one of those things that's just not for me. I was a fan of the podcast for an amount of time, but stopped years ago. I had bought the audio book and it was very reminiscent of the podcast, but so much so that I think it was hurt by it. Because it wasn't Cecil telling the story (even tho Cecil Baldwin–the actor who plays the character in the podcast–was the Narrator), but an anonymous narrator.

But it was still narrated very similarly to the podcast, which is done in the style of a radio show and not a novel. So, that's a bit confusing.

This would've been a great opportunity to view Night Vale from another character's eyes.

And not going to lie, this quickly became what I fell asleep to at the end of the day, which is another reason why I feel I can't give it a proper rating. (Tho I did get all the important bits, and don't feel I lost a lot for when I nodded off.)

This was such a good YA romance. I wish this was around when I had been in high school. The representation is fantastic and not shoe-horned in. Every character is flawed but not to the point of caricaturization. The main character makes hard-to-watch mistakes but never to the point of unbelievability. All in all, excellent.

My only qualm is the amount of modern-day pop culture references that are already a bit dated.

I wouldn't read this to children.

3.5/5 I do love Jane Austen, but I always forget how slow her books can read. This was my second read through of Emma and I while I did enjoy it more this time, I'm afraid she is just not my favorite Austen heroine. Unfortunately there are just some things that date Emma in a ways that doesn't seem to date Pride and Prejudice.

Emma comes across as more rude and spoiled and while she is able to admit her faults, her attitude towards Harriet really never comes across as little more than condescending for most of the book.

I much prefer modern adaptions such as Clueless but more so in the YouTube series Emma Approved. I feel like Emma fits better in a more modern setting and not in 1700's England.

A fitting last book for the master that is/was Pratchett. I picked up Tiffany Aching after reading a review from Patrick Rothfuss, an author who I admire and respect, and she quickly made a home in my heart.

Goodbye, Sir Pratchett. You've created amazing world's. And I hope you have your luggage with you.

If you have any interest in Wonder Woman (obviously), comics (again, duh), feminism history, the birth control movement, sex and gender politics, women's history... you should read this book. I can't remember the last time I read something that was able to encapsulate such a complex human being, showing both sides without trying to sway the audience who they really are. Marston (the creator of WW) certainly could be easily idealized or villainized depending on who read this book... And there are details and stories that we'll never know that might've filled in the picture.

Content warning: war, rape, murder, child death.

Not too graphic, but also doesn't shy away from those topics.

All conflict is manufactured from secrets that would've had consequences if they got out but also would've produced conflict regardless.

I hate how to make David a sympathetic character they had to make Norah just as terrible

This is the third in Chambers's “series” but like the other two it's standalone. I will always recommend starting with the first one (Long Way to a Small Angry Planet), but this one my be my favorite so far.

I'm trying to wrap my head how she can keep everything so human in space. You think about science fiction stories and the problems are always new ones, or focussed on what's different, but Chambers chooses to focus on what's the same. What doesn't change when we go into space.

There will always be bored teenagers, parents who struggle to lift their kids as they get bigger, naivety, brashness, braggarts, thoughtfulness, selfishness, life, and death.

I loved learning about the Fleet and its inhabitants. And like most of my favorite fiction, it gives me hope.

Recommended if you want a good (but basic enemies to lovers) romcom.

A solid 4/5.

Now, before I get into it I have to admit that The Hate You Give (Thomas's debut novel last year) is easily one of my favorite books. It's so full of heart and raw and such a product of the times.

Another thing I want to recognize about this book is I am not its primary audience. This might very well mean something more to a black audience than me.

What struck me is that while Bri is not as likable as Starr, she's probably very indicative of what it's like to be a young black woman to certain people.

The critique I am comfortable giving is that I think that the end could've been more towards the middle, so we could've seen Bri push past Supreme and grow more into herself. I felt like ending when it was just beginning was a bit anti-climatic. I also didn't really care for the Malik subplot, I didn't really care.

Where the book does shine (like THUG) is in its familial relationships, specifically Bri and her mom. Her mom is a recovered drug addict and as someone who has lost family to addiction, it was just so amazing to see such a positive example of recovery for the addict and those who love the addict.

It's so easy to forget that there's a human on either side, and I love Jay and everything she does for her children. I'm also happy to see them taking hard but necessary steps to get back on their feet. The seen where Bri goes with Jay to the shelter to get food was so powerful. It is shameful because unfortunately we live in a country where a significant amount of people think that handouts are shameful.

And as a teenager its doubly hard because while trying to find yourself you look to external factors like brand names and where you shop to help try on some different personas. 

Thomas continues to be strong. I'm definitely still a fan. If anything I would read this first, before THUG, but if you had to pick one, THUG all the way. But I'll have a special place in my heart for Bri and Jay.

So first the good things, the representation is awesome and I think that overall the main romance is cute.

But my main issue with this book is that it says it's for YA but it reads like a middlegrade novel. The sentences are over simplistic, the dialogue is stilted and seems overly concerned with being clever, and sometimes it inserts information at random times rather than trying to weave it naturally in.

I don't know why this is McQuiston's lowest rated book. I actually enjoyed this much more than One Last Stop. While I did like OLS, it felt bloated by McQuiston trying to do too much. This one is much more centered on the main character and her own flaws. It combines several romantic tropes, including in book characters reading or referencing books that inspired the book you're reading.

There were funny moments that made me laugh out loud; moments that made me want to hug characters; moments that made me hopeful.

I truly loved this book and hope more people find it.

I think that what maybe might be a barrier for people is that the main character is very flawed, very stupid in smart ways, and it's the same catch-22: people want complicated female characters but can't handle them.

Chloe is sometimes incredibly unlikable, but so are teenagers in general. She's selfish but gets called out for it and (most importantly) makes amends.

I got this because I'm a huge fan of Sarah Andersen from Sarah Scribbles. The sneak peak she posted was enough to get my attention, and while it's not the first time these three characters have been put together, I was definitely willing for something easy and light.

However, it wasn't until after I bought it that I realized it was written by Andy Weir of The Martian fame. Now, The Martian was cute, but I think once people started reading Weir's second book Artemis they learned that his talents really only stemmed for writing one kind of character. And when you can only write one kind of character (a sassy smartass), then it gets a bit old when that's the entire cast of characters.

The art style is cute, but it doesn't save the halted pacing of the comic. There are some good ideas but it's clunky and the dialogue is sometimes almost painful as the characters make thinly veiled pop culture references. If this was a webcomic, I think it would do well enough, but I'm not going to continue reading the series.

I read this book because a friend was telling me about it. He basically described it asa robot gains sentience and is socially awkward, which is an amazing premise. I expressed interest in borrowing it, he happened to have it on him, and shoved it into my hands. A short 144 pages, it was a quick and easy read that had I had a whole day I could have easily finished it within an hour or two.

I would give this a weak 4.5, solid 4 out of 5.

Now, you are not going to be blown away by prose, but it kind of works since the robot is the narrator and it often states how much it doesn't care and so why would it take these overly wordy observations. It had some moments that made me chuckle out loud.

Basically, if you're into science fiction, if you're into funny premises concerning robots, I do recommend this book.