Blake

I wasn't so sure about this one until I got about halfway through it. I was having difficulty seeing past the characters ages and felt like maybe Ender in particular was just a little too conveniently genius y'know? “Oh of course he understands this while nobody else does, he's the main character after all and only gets bullied for being so smart and perfect.”

Once I hit 50% though, something clicked and I could kind of resonate with the kid. Sure he didn't struggle in class but he struggled in practically every other factor imaginable. Constantly pushed, stressed, moved around and away from any friends he finally managed to make and into the arms of some new bully. Suffering from isolation, from nightmares and dark thoughts of becoming just like his brother, always being younger and weaker than everyone else and looked down on, he actually went through a lot more than I initially gave him credit for.

The last quarter of this book wouldn't let me put it down and I was thrilled with how everything turned out. Incredibly satisfying ending in my mind and will really sit with me even after I read several other stories. Originally I thought of putting this one down or finishing it just to give it over star but I'm so so glad I sat it out, this is probably one of my favorite reads now!

Pages ‘n Pines Grading Scale:

5 - Amazing
4 - Really liked it
3 - Liked it
2 - Okay
1 - Didn't like

Honestly? Better than the first one! SecUnit is back baby! This time it's joined by ART (maybe even more loveable than SecUnit?) and eventually meets up with a new set of clients. The highlight of this novella is the relationship (don't call it that) ART and SecUnit develop, quickly Cementing ART as a fan favorite character.

Another equally important part of this story is the tender, protective moments SecUnit shares with his clients. It basically becomes they're “mom” for a while, helping them out on their mission while taking care of it's own business in the downtime.

Another really short and enjoyable read, I won't spoil anything for you so that you can experience what I'm talking about for myself. Just know that if you liked the first book, you'll like this one even more!

Pages ‘n Pines Grading Scale:

5 - Amazing
4 - Really liked it
3 - Liked it
2 - Okay
1 - Didn't like

My words fail me when I try to describe this book, but I'll try my best in spite of it. I have never in my life read a book in one sitting. Never. It was unheard of. Between how busy I am, my ADHD riddled attention span, and so many other factors of life, I was sure I'd never be one of those people who devour stories in one meal, like so many here and on booktube.

Well I was wrong. It's funny, really. I nearly put this one down, intimidated by the flowery prose and my own doubts. “I can't read this! This is basically poetry, I won't have a clue what's going on for the whole novel! Nobody understands poetry!” I told myself. I had heard too many good things about this story to give up only a few pages in and so I forced myself to push through, just read the first chapter.

I made it through the first chapter alright, then the next, and the next, and the next. I kept reading “one more chapter” chasing my next through the pages until I found several hours had passed.

This is truly one of- no is, my favorite book of all time to date. As you'll see through many reviews for this one, it's incredibly difficult to describe and appreciate parts of the story without giving crucial bits of it away. You really do have to just read it for yourself. I know that's not particularly helpful but if I don't say that the alternative is a wildly inaccurate TLDR like: lesbian spy vs spy with time hopping and victorian love letters? Doesn't quite do it justice, as you'll see if you read it too.

TLDR of this whole thing: read this book, of for nothing else, for its beautiful beautiful prose. I've never been a fan of flowery writing if for no other reason than doubting my own ability to understand it but this changed my mind. I loved every second of this read. To play off of the often repeated hunger themes in the book, I craved this story. I wanted more, wanted to be greedy. I couldn't stop myself once I started gourging on the delicious writing between the book covers. Read this if you want your heart to ache for the two main characters and their longing for one another while they cat and mouse through every page.

I have so much more to say about this but don't know how to put it into words. Unfortunately I'm not nearly as skilled with language as the authors so I think I'll call it here and hope, perhaps, that I've helped you decide to give this book a shot even if only a little bit.

This is how we win.