Deanna
I had a very hard time getting into this book. I ended up enjoying the story within a story (Cyrah's story), but had to slog through the beginning and the end
This was described to me as “Harry Potter for adults”; while true, I found the Narnia connection much stronger.
It's a solid book and well written. I didn't care much either way about the book or the characters until the last few chapters, which I ended up really enjoying.
I wasn't able to really get into the book until the end. The climax of the story is gripping and tense (once I started the last few chapters, I had to finish it), but the end ultimately felt rushed.
Profoundly weird and quietly engaging. Elements strongly reminded me of Annihilation but mixed with much more humanity, love, and care as we hear Miri reflect on her love for Leah, chronicling their relationship throughout her chapters. Armfield’s story wormed its way through my imagination as she explores love, grief, and horror.
An interesting read over all. I feel conflicted about the character of Evey and her almost blind acceptance of some of V's methods and convictions. I wish that she had been older and more questioning, as I think that could have enhanced the story.
I loved this book so much more than I expected. The writing and storytelling swept me away and made it hard to put the book down. There’s a change of pace and tone in part 3 than felt a bit jarring at first, but gave way to a touching (if perhaps slightly too convenient) end
This was well done, but at times was very hard to read because of the subject matter and I questioned why I was continuing to read it since it was so heavy. In the end, the author resolves the story into something hopeful and kind of beautiful.
A lot of fun. There is a large cast of characters with unwieldy names that was at times hard to keep track of and understand their relationship to one another, even with a list of characters at the beginning of the book. However, Gideon is a hilarious narrator that had me laughing out loud multiple times and the action scenes had my heart pounding.
Norris's writing is charming, witty, and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, but even she couldn't make the deeper dives into grammar interesting for me. I hate grammar, but someone who is interested in or loves grammar would certainly enjoy this book.
Twilight meets The Craft. I'll give it some points for the ending not going how I thought it would, but the protagonist is so secretive and melodramatic that it was hard to feel anything for her.
A fun, quick summer read. Kyra is strong and smart and stands up for her beliefs. Getting to see the dystopian government corruption and the decisions that lead up to it were interesting. And, although it was a small moment, I enjoyed Wells addressing that it is nice to feel protected, but that Kyra doesn't have to be because she is strong enough to do it herself.
Looking forward to Book 2.
A darker, bittersweet fairy tale that I couldn't put down. I love the world Gaiman created.
One of my favorite book series. I love the characters and the world of these books and enjoy re-reading them every few years.
The lesson from this is to check the page count before you request a book of short stories. I only read 19 of the 99 stories in this collection. Bradbury is at his best, for me, when he builds a sense of dread and ends up hitting you in the face at the end. My favorites were “The Night”, “The Million-Year Picnic”, “The Veldt”, and “A Sound of Thunder”. And the award for the most wtf story definitely goes to “The Small Assassin”. That one messed me up.
I first read this book in 7th grade and stayed up most of the night to finish it in one day–I could not put it down. The trilogy is timeless, dealing with subjects that all ages can relate to. Both Lyra and Will are great characters to follow as they have to face very real, deep issues and what it means to grow up and find your truth in a sea of different ideologies. The world Pullman created is amazing and I revisit it every few years.
I devoured this book. It has a message that appeals to all ages (not just teens) and addresses an issue that is at the forefront of our society. Tally is strong and relatable and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Still a fun and quick read, although I think it loses some of the charm and ability to speak to people at different ages that Uglies had. Pretty-speak drove me nuts after awhile.
An interesting concept, but the main character sometimes speaks in a way that seems like it is someone's impression of what a “cool guy” would say instead of just letting the character be cool, which I found distracting.
This was my first Gaiman book and I could not put it down. As a lover of myths, this concept was amazing and such an interesting perspective.
A great retelling of the Cinderella story. Ella is a strong, relatable character. I like to revisit the story every once-in-awhile.