Randi
I personally felt this book had my mind reeling. I usually think of myself as an intelligent person, but I was basically on track with Spensa the whole time. Sure, most of the twists were pretty clear, but the extent of the twist - the angle of descent! - would often grab me. I found myself so caught up in trying to figure some mysteries out that I didn't have time to consider others which I knew were there and just out of reach.
In short, I LOVED IT. It has bred many happy hours of consideration and debate and theorizing with my husband, which in my mind is the mark of a truly good book.
This was enjoyable. Some developments that were a bit too unrealistic, but still a very entertaining and quick read.
Frankly, disappointed in the whole series. Well, that's not entirely true. I liked the first book, so I kept reading. It's been a while now since I've read these, but I very clearly remember the long rants I had at my husband about why I didn't like these books.
I made the mistake of reading a bunch of comments and most everyone else was saying things like “first works problems” and “white girl whining” and none of that got to me, but it did turn my perception to realize that this isn't what I need right now. I know the problem exists, I know I'm not immune, but I don't need more reasons to be angry right now. Right now I need to focus on other things like school and family and home so I can survive this year. I won't if I keep thinking about this while trying to accomplish that.
It was a good ending and a good twist for the story. I liked all the characters and worldbuilding throughout the trilogy. As the end drew closer it did get harder to separate past and present as the same people were always featured, but it didn't take away too much from my suspension of disbelief.
As a Caucasian, I appreciated seeing some struggles and fears I'm not familiar with put so well into words and having the chance to discuss them with my friends and loved ones. As a woman I was able to sigh or groan in solidarity at the ones I am familiar with. As a mother I was - and still am - grateful for the sense of community I gained reading the attempts of a mother struggling to explain the world to her inquisitive son in a way he could understand without creating fear in him. Mira Jacobs, thank you for your book.
So, I was introduced to this book through a podcast. It had been focusing on the addictive and mind altering qualities of caffeine and that's what piqued my interest. It became clear VERY quickly that the book's focus was not that at all, so it's just hitting me in the wrong frame of mind at the moment. I will likely come back to it later.
This was a steamy read, for sure! Predictable, enjoyable, though I'm not sure how a neurotypical man would think he's inherently broken because of his father's unfaithfulness. It was kind of a let down as far as big reveals go. The way it was built up I was expecting something MUCH more scandalous.
Ok, I wanted to love this one. It may have been that the narrator doesn't speak Korean (or at least doesn't sound to me like she does. Who knows? I haven't heard it embedded in English like this in years!), or that it's a middle grade audience when I was assuming higher. All I know is the twists that could have been were not and the things that were supposed to be twists just were not surprising. At all. I really want something like this for an adult audience!
I have a desire to be a poetry person. I'm not sure why. This didn't exactly convert me, but it wasn't a chore to read, either. There were lines that I hope to keep with me forever.
I saw the twist coming but it did NOT depreciate when the big reveal came. Such a fun book! I was 50 pages from the end and begging my friend for the next one. Currently working on that one. Can't wait to see everything play out!
It was really an entertaining read. Very nice as a break from my research every now and then, and also a nice, quick breather from Inkdeath.
So, there were a lot of books in here that I'd never read, and the author wrote about them so wittily and I started thinking to myself that I ought to put a few on hold.
Then she didn't like The Hobbit.
Or Wicked.
She reads Wuthering Heights every year.
I love the former two and loathe the latter, so I was apprehensive about the rest. But, my bookish little heart surged on and even wrote down a few potentials to pick up at the library, despite myself.
It was a good read. I'm glad I did it. I LOVED the “Fancy Bookshelf” letter. She was me and I was she and it was hilarious!
That was a fabulous book. Cringingly real angst over a crush that took me right back to Middle and High School. I love that it's based on an opera. That makes me want to watch it now, and I hope it'll do that for all the young adults who read it and bother to read the end pages.
My kids haven't experienced any close losses in their lives yet, so this was actually great to read with my 7 year old. She asked questions and loved the imagery the words evoked and illustrations displayed. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and educational read.
This was seriously enjoyable. Though, come to the end and I realized I should have read The Trials of Apollo first.
The concept was more interesting than the romance, and unfortunately the former was greatly overshadowed by the latter. I listened on audiobook, so it may have just been the narrator's portrayal but I found the characters to be overdramatic in most instances and suddenly logical in others. It was just a little too much emotional whiplash for me.
It honestly took me having no distractions while driving on a road trip to give this book the attention it deserves. And boy am I glad I did! I blazed through it and the rest of the trilogy in less than a month and now I have nothing to read!
I really enjoyed this one. The separate narratives combined nicely and the fact that there wasn't an exactly neat and tidy ending despite being a younger read was refreshing.