Nichole

This was a pretty big letdown. I really loved Serpent & Dove but this book suffered from second book syndrome. There was a lot of it that just dragged along and was filler. And everything would lead up to an event and then be anti-climatic. The ending is crazy as always and I will definitley read the next book but this one was just not at the same level as the first book.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 5
Writing: 7
Plot: 3
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 6
Enjoyment: 5

This book had potential but it was poorly executed and in some places trying to hard. The character did not seem fleshed out enough for me and I made it hard for me to relate and understand their growing relationship.

This is an extremely loved book. I knew going into it, I was getting an epic survival story. But I have to say it was even more that that. This book was filled with humor, snarkiness, science, and adventure and I loved every minute of it. I really wanted to see the movie for this, but I knew I had to read the book before I could see the movie. So of course I waited until the day before to start the book. It ended up not being a problem because I flew through the book and there was a never a doubt that I would not finish it before the movie.

I do not know how accurate all the science actually is, but it was believable and made sense to me. I loved how well explained all the choices were. We got to see Mark's stream of consciousness through the log of why he was making certain choices and his trial and error process until he got it right.

My favorite part of this book was how often I would laugh or giggle. I loved how sarcastic and snarky Mark was and it really added to the whole idea of being stranded on Mars and coping and surviving. I truly believe the book would have been much different had Mark not had the personality he did.

I do not think there was ever a dull moment in this book. We were constantly moving onward and toward bigger and greater challenges. I think the pacing of this book was incredibly well done and I applaud Andy Weir for making a book that mainly focuses on one guy alone on Mars so fascinating. We did have some scenes from others perspectives which added to the story but they were all necessary and helped break up the solo-Mark time.

I definitely recommend you read this book and then go see the movie because both are fantastic!

I received a copy of this book through BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review

3.5 Stars
Everyone absolutely loves this book and is always talking about the amazing characters and the writing. As such, I went into this book with extremely high expectations. I honestly think this slightly dampened my enjoyment. I still really enjoyed this book, but I was slightly disappointed. I was expecting a thrilling amazingly written story with so many details and plot intricacies . In many ways this book lived up to that. But I also found the plot to drag in the middle and I definitely did not enjoy the middle 1/3 of the book as much as the first and last third. However, I am still highly invested in this series and eager to pick up the second book.

By far the strongest part of this book is its characters. These characters are unique and each on has their own peculiarities that add to the story. I absolutely loved the snarky, sassiness to the characters. The Raven Boys (Gansey, Adam, Noah, and Ronan) are this tight-nit group that Blue just easily fits into. The friendship between this group is one of my favorite aspects of this book. They each have their issues that they are dealing with, but still somehow come together over the quest of ley lines and their meaning. The other cast of characters that added to this unique group was the aunts and family of Blue. They were so quirky and constantly predicting things and giving “advice” and I loved it. I think if I had to actually deal with it like Blue does, I would absolutely hate it, but I loved reading about it.

As for my “issue” with this book and I use that word loosely. This book definitely dragged as I have said. But luckily it did pick back up. I think the main reason I struggled with this book is solely do to it being overhyped for me. I have not had this issue before, but I think it did play a role in my ability to fall in love with this book the way others have. That being said, I did still thoroughly enjoy the book and cannot wait to continue.

Finally, this book left me with so many questions. There is so much more I want to know. Whether it is more about Blue's fate, the ley lines, the Raven King, or even more about the Raven Boys.

2020 Re-read
I actually enjoyed this book so much more this time around. I think I went into it with way less expectations and as a result I enjoyed it more. It also helped that I was reading it with a group of awesome ACOBAF people. I cannot wait to continue to read the rest of the series this month.

Vampire Academy is one of those series that everyone talks about. It is always compared to Twilight and other vampire series. I have been told by multiple people how much better Vampire Academy is. So I decided I would finally get around to reading the first in the series. I went into it with high hopes that it would be good, if not great story. And I have to admit that while I didn't love Twilight, I was a part of the craze surrounding it when it first came out. I went to the midnight releases and discussed the series with others. So back to Vampire Academy, I was really looking forward to this book and the characters within. I have to say though that I'm slightly disappointed.

While I enjoyed Rose's narrative and the story that was being told. I really struggled with continuing to read. I think I just couldn't get myself fully absorbed in the narrative to binge read this book like I do with many others.

That is not to say that this is a bad book, I just don't think it is as compelling of a story for me. I love the mystery surrounding the Moroi and dhampirs. And I have to say I did not see the twist coming. I was pleasantly surprised by who was behind the attacks on Lissa.

The interactions with Dimitri were as expected for a YA novel. They left you wanting more between them, but at the same time you loved every moment they were together.

I thought the ending was a bit rushed with two major attacks happening in the last 30 pages or so. But I guess that allowed for a semblance of a conclusion before the next book.

Overall, this book did not live up to the hype for me. I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to. I definitely am not dying to read Frostbite, but I may in the future.