Lindsey Ziegler
My least favorite of Klune's books. This one seemed to be tied a little too closely to Pinocchio.
It took a long time to get into and the action seemed a bit forced.
There was just nothing here. The characters never developed (except in a very telling way, no showing) and the premise is unbelievable.
Very cool premise, but needed a little bit less of the “Handbook” excerpts and more development of the world and characters.
3.5 stars.
Some chapters were exciting and many very interesting, but many had some dull parts
3.5 stars.
The main character was interesting enough, but the time jump really didn't help with her development. And none of the other characters were developed either.
For a short book, boy did this one drag. It felt like we were dropped into the world and nothing was ever explained.
And the back focused on Celeste, the card sharp... who's only doing anything with cards for like a page. She wasn't likeable.
It took a little while to get going, but after that, the characters started to really develop and to carry the story.
I didn't finish this one. It had an interesting premise, but the story got less believable and the characters didn't develop at all.
Plus, the instant love angle was so unbelievable and uncomfortable that I couldn't get over it. And then, Darcy slept with Teagan, because she was going to keep him sober... with sex...
So awkward
Did not finish because, library book. But I did read about 2/3 of it. It was okay, but the woman was so needy and demanded a lot of attention from the audience.
Strong essays, but I wish there were a bit more overarching themes. Also, the 18th chapter should have ended the book.
The characters changed, but we were told this, not shown it. Nothing really changed the whole book
3.5 stars.
The premise seemed a little forced and a lot of the resolutions never happened.
Compelling retellings of the stories though.
DNF
I thought it would be kinda cozy. And that's my fault for judging a book by its cover. Not cozy. Very dark.
It starts with a murder of a rapist and then the protagonist makes him suffer.
Jordan, the main character, was a strange character who jumped between acting like an adult and acting like a kid. A lot of the narration felt like it was definitely coming from an adult's mind, not a kid's, with far more nuance and knowledge than Jordan could have had.
Warm and kind, but also predictable (which knocked off one star). The chapters in the beginning didn't connect much, but the story became clearer about a tenth of the way through.
A little long though.
I expected a lot out of this book. Mostly because Sarah Dessen had written a brief review that was featured on the back. Now, Sarah Dessen has written constantly great novels about teenagers. Novels that feel real and nuanced.
This book has some of that. There are points where you know that people have done that or been there, but as a whole, it feels a little forced.
My biggest criticism of the book is about the main character, Belly. Yep, Belly. The name is almost enough to make me regret reading the whole thing. Belly is whiny and manipulative, which is not attractive and reminds me far too much of Holden Caulfield. I want flawed, likable antagonists. That's it.
2.5 stars
It's a long long book for the amount of plot. Lots and lots of academic stuff, that's not that interesting. And still, the characters weren't fully fleshed out.
And then, of course, the tower came crumbling down, which felt cheap.
2.5 stars.
The last act saved this book from being one star and from being DNF. That's the only point in the book where there was both action and a bit of exposition.
It was strangely written, with the middle part of the book actually being the first chronological book. It felt very much like you jumped into these characters' lives, without being told anything about their prior situations.