Ywa

“It was so easy to disown what you couldn't recognize, to keep yourself apart from things that were foreign and unsettling. The only person you can be sure to control, always, is yourself. Which is a lot to be sure of, but at the same time, not enough.”

Normally you'd expect the romance to take center stage in contemporaries like those written by Sarah Dessen, but I have to say, this element in her books is almost always sweet but highly underwhelming, it takes a backseat to character development, friendships and complicated family matters, and I truly appreciate this. Auden and Eli as a couple left me pretty cold, but I loved their personal growth and their relationships with the supporting cast.

This book pulled a 180 on the “If I Stay” story. I think it is so much better than it's predecessor. I was actually invested in the characters and just I couldn't put it down. I wasn't happy about what happened to Adam, how messed up he became, but somehow I understood him and his agony. And I felt the bitterness of it all. Reading this was a cathartic experience. The only thing that prevented me from completely loving this book was the ending. I think the damage between of the two of them is irreparable and that they should have gone their separate ways. Because Mia was incredibly selfish and incapable of genuine love. Even from the other book I felt that Adam loved her so much more that she loved him. If this had been a real story, they would've broken up again after a few months.

“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”

I understand why it's a classic. Its theme is nerve-wrecking and thought provoking.

However, the writing style it's not one of my absolute favorites. It was a bit too flowery for my taste and that prevented me from being 100% engrossed in the book.

Still, the only significant problem I had with it was the length. It was much to concise. I needed a more time with the characters in order to get a fell for them, especially with Guy. Everything happened so quickly that I'm afraid I couldn't get connect to him as much as I would've liked to. I couldn't help comparing this to Orwell's 1984 (which I found completely engrossing) and this one came out a little behind.

Nevertheless, still I'm so happy I finally read it.

Come on, admit it, Pooky Bear," I said to the sword. "You love your new look. All the other swords will be jelaous.

It was a good sequel, I enjoyed it. But compared to the first book I was in no rush to finish this even though it's only 314 pages long. I flew right through the first one.

Maybe I was just not in the right mood for it. I really tough the writing was good, I like Susan Ee's writing style. I also like Penryn as the heroine, the action and the general direction of the plot. I also like the other characters, there's nothing in particular that bother me, I was entertained, but just not very invested in it. I felt something was missing. Not sure what. However I will happily read the third book when it comes out.

“Everything, in the end, comes down to timing. One second, one minute, one hour could make all the difference.”

Probably my least favorite out of Dessen's books, the characters were not quite as endearing or interesting to me this time. She especially missed the mark with the love interest, I didn't like Dexter at all. This is most likely why it took me so long to finish it. Nonetheless, it had her usual enjoyable writing style so I can't bring myself to give it a lower rating.

“There's a Spanish proverb,” he said, “that's always fascinated me. “Take what you want and pay for it, says God.” “I don't believe in God,” Daniel said, “but that principle seems, to me, to have a divinity of its own; a kind of blazing purity. What could be simpler, or more crucial? You can have anything you want, as long as you accept that there is a price and that you will have to pay it.”I've been following this series on audio. The narrator for “The Likeness” was excellent, just as the one for the first book. I'm sure this added a lot to my enjoyment, but there's still something very special about Tana French's writing that pulls me in.

I love her characters. I wasn't invested in the story because of the mystery itself, but because of the characters. I loved Cassie Maddox and Frank. I loved even Daniel. I enjoyed being inside their minds, hearing their interactions, their “rants”. And the rest of the ensemble complemented them perfectly. At times I would catch myself drifting into the story as if they were all real.

The book was not quite perfect, plot-wise I wasn't completely sold on the doppelgänger angle, but it worked well enough for the story and, like I said, the characters are truly well done.

“Give me your heart,” I said.He tilted his head, leaned forward, watching my eyes the entire time to make sure it was okay, and kissed me lightly on the lips. "You already have it.”

What a beautiful conclusion to this trilogy. I wasn't expecting it to be so overwhelming Brushing off tears. The ending was so incredibly sad and I absolutely hate it and love it at the same time because it broke my heart, yet I know that this it what had to happen. It was the right way to end. This world, this story, these characters really got to me. Now I wish it hadn't ended.

P.S. I am ignorant to any flaws this this book (or this trilogy) may have (and I know they're many). The characters and the story struck a chord in my heart so I am blind to anything that can yank me away from the cloud I'm on after reading this.

The moment our lips met, I knew with pure and piercing certainty that I would have waited for him forever.

This book had a lot of potential yet it was wasted. Alina annoyed me from the beginning. I couldn't stand her obsession with her puppy love for Mal nor her “ugly duckling” syndrome. Instead of being curious about her amazing recently-discovered-power she kept moping over how plain she was and how blindingly beautiful all the Grishas were. Who cares that you look scrawny and plain? You are the Sun Summoner for God's sake! Such a waste... What is it with this ridiculous fixation with absolute beauty in YA? I can be genuinely and immensely attracted to someone who doesn't fit in the “perfect beauty” category. And, obviously, also 90% of the people on this planet can.

Moving on. To the Darkling. I don't see what's so great about him either. I admit, he's one of the reasons I finally picked this up. I kept hearing how amazing her was. But he's barely in the book. Most of the plot consisted in Alina drooling over or envying people more attractive than her and gushing over the luxuries in Little Palace. And then in complaining about how she wasn't a Grisha, how she was so useless, how she couldn't do this, she couldn't do that. Yawn. But I guess I can see why the Darkling could've been a gripping character.

Then the romance. Can I say icky? So Alina, this mass of mush, after being ignored by Mal falls head over heels with the Darkling after 2-3 conversations. So much that he has his hand up her skirt after the second kiss. And then, 2 seconds later she finds out he's evil and runs away. And who helps her get away? No one other than Mal. And she falls head over heel with him, once more, leading to the lamest love triangle I've read in a very long time. I have no patience for this for this.

The rest: little action, weak mythology and world building, underdeveloped characters. But it could'be been good, the general idea of this book was quite nice.

I'm not going to bother with the next books because I couldn't resist the temptation and I've read a spoilery review of book number there. Not even close to deserving the effort. So the love triangle ends up being a love square. What the actual f.? Alina loses her power after all that struggle to control it and use it for the good and she ends up with Mal. *Facepalm* Then the Darkling dies without even redeeming himself.

This was a re-read for me and I'm terribly confused. I cannot believe I enjoyed this book so much the first time. Is it even the same book?

So many things bothered me this time around. Jacqueline is so aggravating and so hard to sympathize with, despite the horrible thing that happened to her. Her reactions don't make any sense, for the most part of the book. Not even remotely realistic. The only good thing about her was that later on she took on that self-defense class and that she convinced that girl to press charges.

I couldn't connect to Lucas' character either. I don't understand why he's so swoon worthy. I feel sorry for his tragic past and I think he did an amazing thing when he saved Jacqueline from Buck, but I don't see what's so great about being “the object of his affection”. Their romance was so..so incredibly superficial, dull and dry. No thanks.

first read in June 2012

The trick is to find that one person who can give it back as good as they can take it.

It was mostly fun. The will they won't they part was fun but of course, afterwards it became the typical cheese factory. (I might have also been sick of the no. of times the psychical perfection of the main leads was brought up. Honestly, when are we going to move of from this trend?

"Screw the oath." I lean in until I feel her breath against my face, then I stop. I don't want to rush her. "You've done enough for them. You're protecting me. Who cares about the rest?""I do." She closes her eyes,and her jaw quivers. "I swore to get you safely through this-and I will. And then you'll return with the Gales and meet your betrothed.""They can take their betrothal and shove it. I want you."

I was kind of intrigued by the synopsis, but, to be honest, it was the cover that sucked me in. I didn't have high expectations because lately I've been reading a lot of popular YA books that were immensely disappointing. So I no longer think “This is going to be awesome!” just because it has high ratings or that it's highly recommended in the Booktube community. But still, I can't stop myself from continuing with the popular YA books experiment, because there's this idea in my head that what if this will actually be one of the great ones.

Let's take “Let the Sky Fall” for example. 3.92 is a pretty good rating, most of the people seemed to have really liked it. But I, personally, didn't.

First of all, some part of the characters' inner monologues were so disturbing at times that I wanted to reach through the book and smack the hell out of those characters.


Second of all, the plot was BORING. The pacing was so slow that I raided my fridge so many times looking for snacks that my stomach hurts. This is one of the signs when I'm not enjoying a book. A constant need to chew on something. On the other hand, when I'm really into it, I completely forget to eat, even if it takes me an entire day to finish it.

I liked the idea of Windwalkers and a war between them, but I hated the execution. After one particular chapter I was like, “Oh, this might actually get interesting.” I was wrong. I mean Sylphs mythology with all the Northerly, Easterly, Southerly, and Westerly winds was quite nice. If they had been integrated into a complex story with an suspensful conflict and likable characters then this book would be receiving a much different rating. But, unfortunately, I couldn't give a fluff about what was going on. Well, actually not much did on until the last 10% of the book and even then, the book still sucked.

Let's see the characters. Vane was so aggravating. He had multiple personalities. On one hand he was a sleazy creeper that kept obsessing about how Audra looked in her “skimpy dress” or “skimpy tank top”. Seriously, he sounded like a 50 year old man ogling an under age stripper and treating her like a piece of meat. Really disturbing and infuriating. On the other hand, he was very understanding when she revealedshe was to blame for the death of his parents.

Audra had multiple personalizes too. She was either this whinny, wounded, hungry bird or an “amazon” with a stupid hero complex.

And then there's the romance. Ick. Insta-love at it's worst. No. Just No.

The writing was off-putting for the most part of the book. The dialogue between the characters annoying and juvenile.

To wrap this up, please see below a tiny collection of my most “favorite” quotes (to be read bits of schizo inner dialogue).Btw, I stopped highlighting at about halfway throughout the book or else I would have never gotten to the end. My brain hurts and I just want take a pill and forget I ever read this.


Audra:

My stomach rumbles at the sight, shooting needles through my abdomen. Another side effect of the water. The longer we go without eating, the more our stomachs shrink. It's a painful process—and why most guardians end up giving in at least once a year to stop the hunger pains. Not me. And after ten years, my stomach had all but shrunk away. Now the water's revived my appetite, and the craving burns so intense, even the gruesome carcass or the rotting dates on the floor tempt me.

And now I'll protect the innocent people in these arid cities from the Stormers.

A flame of anger sparks, but I snuff it out. I deserve every hardship, every discomfort, and then some. My life doesn't matter. It might as well have ended that day in the storm. But I did survive. And earned my father's gift—though I'll always feel like I stole it.

Nothing but sculpted, tanned muscle and long, graceful limbs. Not to mention a face with chiseled, symmetrical features and the most stunning blue eyes I've ever seen.

Hot dream girl is real—check. Though her hair is back in a tight braid like it was at Yard House and she has her stuffy jacket and pants on again—all of which makes her look a lot less hot and a lot more intimidating. I much prefer that tiny dress she wore last night.

He laughs.I'm not the one who looked hot and bothered earlier.

My mind wanders back to her skimpy dress, remembering the way it clung in all the right places. It should be a crime to cover a body like hers with that thick, bulky uniform she had on today. In fact, if I ever become king Windwalker, my first act as ruler will be to institute a new wardrobe for the guardians and make Audra's dress even tinier. That might be worth the life-changing responsibility. Honestly, being with Audra makes the whole living-in-sylph-land-forever idea sound not so bad. I might be able to deal with it if I finally get to taste those full lips of hers. Undo that tight braid and run my hand through her silky hair as I move closer. Pressing every inch of her body against mine as she tangles her arms around me and slides her hands down my back, pulling me even closer. I have to go puke now.I risk a glance at her—and, oh man, she's hot. Lots of hair has escaped her braid, falling around her flushed face, and her jacket's gone, her black tank even tighter and tinier than I remember. I'm not sure “hot” is a strong enough word. “Smokin' hot” might be more accurate *Creeper alert!!!She sighs. Then pulls her hand away and starts undoing buttons. My heart beats double-time. I know she has a skimpy black tank on under there—but that isn't what makes the action so sexy. Well, okay, it helps. But it's way hotter watching her do something she wants to do for a change. *This was not actually a sexy scence. I think this was when she finally decided to eat a burger. LOL. What is that deal with skimpy this and skimpy that? Does Shannon Messenger have a fetish with girls with petite frames wearing tight clothes?Wave of nausea*

Insurgent, he says. Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as a belligerent.

It was an adequate sequel. Intriguing plot. Pretty action-packed and suspenseful. The romance still irks me. I'm excited about reading the conclusion to the trilogy.

Aaron Warner Anderson, chief commander and regent of Sector 45, son of the supreme commander of The Reestablishment.He has a soft spot for fashion.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It's like it wasn't even set in the same universe as the previous books. Why? Because, first of all, Juliette is a completely different person. She stopped crying/trembling/gasping/complaining and seemed to have grown a pair, sometime in between these last two books. Basically unrecognizable.

What I liked the most about her is how she dealt with Adam. She was assertive and honest. She didn't let him manipulate her into getting back with him. And she didn't accept or justify his insults. She really didn't deserve his awful words and his hate even though she hurt his feelings. I also appreciated the fact that she admitted to herself she jumped the gun when she thought she loved Adam. And even though it was a really tense situation she didn't dramatize over it. Which is a first for her. So she cured herself and transformed into this fairly well adjusted person overnight. Not quite realistic, right? Well reality and the Shatter Me books do not really get along.

Then Warner turns out to be prince charming while we get confirmation that Adam is a total jackass. Sure I would've preferred if she didn't tell Warner she loves him so quickly, but I've forgiven her because they have this insane chemistry. Their romance got me giggling like a school girl. I was definitely rooting for them by page 60. I know, embarrassing, right? But what can ya do in the sight of tru lurv?

Everything else was just meh. The action was pretty much lacking, the fight-back plan was lame, the ending so rushed and unsatisfactory. But the book mostly focused on getting together J & W which was fine by me because that was the only part I really enjoyed. I mean I hated the fact that Warner kept calling her “love” but, overall good stuff.

It was a little hard to get into this book, but I'm glad I stuck with it as I ended up enjoying it. I found the plot gripping and quite different from what I've read this past year. The world building was equally “zan”.

What I did not love was how incredibly flawed and annoying Jarra was. Yes, annoying, despite the fact that she was “amaz” at EVERYTHING.

On occasion, she was alright, and I could sympathize with her, but her self-deprecating and the constant use of the word “ape” made me cringe. The book would have been so much more enjoyable without that word screaming at me once at every few pages. Its usage was completely unnecessary. The opposition handicapped-norm provided plenty of conflict. It would've been more relatable if the off-world people frowned upon those with immunity deficiency just because they were stuck on Earth and they could never leave it and travel to the colonies, instead of despising them and calling them neanderthals and dumb apes that smell bad. Seriously, this part did not make any sense to me and I felt that it was used just to force the drama which was not even that obvious, except in Jarra's head. The way she saw the world in black and white was really frustrating. And she was pretty hypocritical too because she was constantly judging the “exos”.

Character development lost a lot of territory to world-building. The world building was great, but the characters were kind of neglected. Fian is a pansy, it's hard to understand why Jarra would fall for him. He doesn't grow at all throughout the book. Then Jarra never apologizes to the rest of the people for lying to them so blatantly. She also deals with the loss of her parents and her entire abandonment issues much too quickly. She loses her mind for a few weeks, then she just snaps out of it and she's cured? It doesn't really work that way!

She doesn't seem to mature at all by the end of the book. She is „Earth Girl” extraordinaire, she's talked about in the “newzzies” and nobody holds her lies against her. Not one soul. But, at the same time, she relishes the attention and can't be be bothered to do anything redeemable. But somehow, overall , this book was not that bad.

Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.

I enjoyed the book, it definitely kept me interested, but I didn't experience the same amazement as a lot of the people on Goodreads.

Having read 62% of book last night, I replied to Oana that I really loved some of the concepts in it. I though they were quite ingenious, compared to most YA literature. I could have easily adored this book just from the feeling of the first few pages.

I found the take on cyborgs and technology refreshing and I had no complaints about the writing. I liked the fact that the science fiction parts are entwined with fantasy. But I was not a fan of the chemistry between Kai and Cinder or should I say the lack of it. I thought the whole deal was very insta-lovey,and a very bad, bad one for its kind. I know that in fairy tales the “insta” is always present, but I wish Cinder would have detached itself from “Cinderella” regarding this aspect. Since the author decided to go with Cinder being a greasy mechanic, I would assume the most logical thing would have been to get them together more often, to have a chance to talk and discover each other.

By the end of the book I found a few more things that ate away at me. I thought that everything happened in such a short amount of time. The characters needed to be more fleshed out. I needed more time to know about Cinder's life with her family, with the work as a mechanic. How did she end up in this field anyways? I needed more depictions of the “New Beijing” life. More details about the Lunars. More about their special ability.

I also needed to understand why on Earth was the prince so attracted to her after talking for like 3 minutes on three occasions. And I was kind of annoyed at times with both Cinder's and the prince's immaturity. They both kept making such weird, silly, rash decisions. Could you please pause for a moment and think it over, OK? I liked that Kai stood up to the Queen, but he could learn a thing or two about diplomacy. And Cinder kept “forgetting” to fix Kai's android that it made it so unrealistic. If the prince tells you to fix the android, you fix it!

And then I just can't figure out why on Earth wouldn't the doctor just tell her she might be you know what and you know who. It was so frickin' obvious. I saw that coming from the first mention of you know who. He just kept telling her, stay away from the queen. Well maybe, just maybe she would have listed to you if you would have told her the whole truth.

And the ballroom scene was so sad and just pity worthy. Was that kiss supposed to be romantic, cause it looked kinda pathetic to me. I really wanted Cinder to be this ballsy heroine, but for a cyborg and a mechanic she was all gooey inside so many times. Please, YA heroines, can you please fall in love and remain kick-ass and maintain your instinct of self-preservation at the same time? Pretty please?

I'm confused. And disappointed. There's so much love for this book and so much hype around it that I guess I was kinda expecting to be blown away. Especially because Cinder was so full of potential, it does have some really cool ideas and I could really see this as a great novel, with some adjustments. But I'm not sorry I read it.

P.S. And I really did not get why she needed to rebuild a car running on fossil fuel to be able to get out of the Commonwealth? Especially not after the doctor sent her money. And I'm also not happy that there is no mention as to why the “cyborgs” had to belong to other humans, like androids. Why, why, why?

“The thing about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the thing that was so profound to me that summer—and yet also, like most things, so very simple—was how few choices I had and how often I had to do the thing I least wanted to do. How there was no escape or denial. No numbing it down with a martini or covering it up with a roll in the hay.”

I very much enjoyed listening to this memoir. The writing is wonderful: honest, evocative and immersive.