Kristin

It took me quite a while to finish this book. I wanted to read it because I know it's an important contribution to American literature and all that and is also featured somewhat extensively in my favorite book of 2013, [b:Eleanor & Park 15745753 Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1341952742s/15745753.jpg 17225055]. [Sidebar: go read Eleanor & Park right now.]I eventually got into the comic book format but it did take me a while to get used to. I mostly had trouble keeping the characters straight...I'm not good with faces, especially illustrated ones. There were chapters and plotlines that enthralled me, but then the chapter would end and I would be whisked away to another set of characters and have to remember exactly who they all were. Nearly everybody has two identities (obviously, superheroes) so that is easier said than done I think.All that being said, I did enjoy the story. I have the movie out from the library and intend to watch it, though I heard it's much different. Recommended to people who miss the 80s and those who are interested in comic books and need a place to start.

This is an odd book to have received such widespread public acclaim. For one thing, it is about 250 pages too long. The story I thought the book was about, that is the story from the synopsis on the back cover, does not begin until about 100 pages in and has a satisfying ending with 100 pages still to go. That story is a good and compelling one, if a little frustrating. Readers who think they're going to be given a chance to solve the mystery alongside the protagonists will be disappointed. The clues are unavailable to the reader as they mainly involve decades-old photo albums. That said, the mystery is interesting enough to keep me curious and wanting to read into the wee hours.
Another thing that surprised me about this book is how unabashedly violent it is (though on second thought, that could be something that attracts it to the American public, warmongers that we are). Murder, physical and sexual assault, and animal cruelty abound. I like a good crime novel as much as the next girl, but this was a bit more explicit than most of what I've read before. I think it was the animal cruelty that was the worst. Steer clear of this book, PETA.
Other complaints: -There are too many characters to keep track of with names too similar to each other. (Berger and Birger? Was that necessary, Larsson?) I'll attribute that to my limited knowledge of Swedish names, since before I read this book the only name Swedish name I knew was Astrid as in Lindgren.
-There's far too much in the way of business dealings for my taste. I just found myself not caring about this part of the book and it drags on for pages and pages.
All in all, I'm glad to have read this book. I'll probably read the next in the series at some point because I like to finish what I start and even though I have a lot of complaints about this book I did enjoy it. The translation from Swedish to English is smooth and did not pose any problems. The main story and parts of the business/journalism stuff were good.
Recommended for business majors (maybe they'll find the finance parts more interesting than I did) and lovers of crime novels.

Nate Foster's journey from a small town outside of Pittsburgh to New York City is a wonderful bit of escapism, if not totally realistic. The charm of this series is not in its believability, however, but in its heart and charm. Nate is a charming and extremely likable kid with aspirations to appear on Broadway. His accounts of auditions, theatre people, and surviving the streets of New York are a fantastic insight into how the world of Broadway looks to a novice. As a fan of Broadway myself, I found a lot to relate to in Nate's travels and experienced not a small amount of jealousy. The author, Tim Federle, has appeared on Broadway and the specific stories definitely ring true.

I hate to give half stars because I feel like that's a slippery slope, but seriously this is more like 3.5. A pretty classic dystopian scenario with a romance undercurrent. Much of a dystopian plot points were very similar to the background of [b:The Giver 3636 The Giver (The Giver, #1) Lois Lowry http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448651s/3636.jpg 2543234] but it really didn't bother me too much because I think it's still a very interesting concept to explore and it held my interest. The casual descriptions of Society were more enjoyable than the romance part for me because I generally don't like angsty who-should-I-pick ramblings (I don't want to be Team Peeta or Team Jacob or Team Anything except Team USA). I also thought the characters were pretty well developed and showed growth throughout the book, especially Cassia.Read if you enjoyed The Giver but won't be overly offended by some pretty bold rip-offs.

I ended up totally loving this series. I didn't think I'd enjoy Bitterblue as much but I got really into it, especially the ending. I want to buy and reread the whole series. Soon.