2.5 starsOverall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I thought it was pretty cool how they had formed such a bond via online. But some of it fell flat for me and I didn't love the ending as much as I wanted to.
We have Tess/Angel who is running from her past. She runs right to Axel/Arion, whom she hasn't spoken to in a year and has never met in person (the second name for each is their online persona name). She feels he's the only person she can turn to due to her current circumstance. Tess is fragile, broken, and all Axel wants to do is make her whole again. I did like the chemistry between the two and felt the connection. However, I didn't like how overbearing/controlling Axel came across at times (even if it wasn't meant to actually *be* controlling), especially given the emotional state Tess was in.
The ending felt a little rushed to me, and some parts of it didn't really make sense. I can't say anything, really, without spoilers, but it just didn't add up for me.
2.5 starsOverall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I thought it was pretty cool how they had formed such a bond via online. But some of it fell flat for me and I didn't love the ending as much as I wanted to.
We have Tess/Angel who is running from her past. She runs right to Axel/Arion, whom she hasn't spoken to in a year and has never met in person (the second name for each is their online persona name). She feels he's the only person she can turn to due to her current circumstance. Tess is fragile, broken, and all Axel wants to do is make her whole again. I did like the chemistry between the two and felt the connection. However, I didn't like how overbearing/controlling Axel came across at times (even if it wasn't meant to actually *be* controlling), especially given the emotional state Tess was in.
The ending felt a little rushed to me, and some parts of it didn't really make sense. I can't say anything, really, without spoilers, but it just didn't add up for me.
3.5 starsThe storyline was refreshingly different from other new adult books I've read even though it isn't an entirely original idea. But it doesn't feature a tortured/abused woman running from her past, so that instantly grabbed my attention. Not that those have been bad, it's just I've seen a lot of them out there.
I loved the chemistry between Carrie and Finn, and despite Finn's pitfalls, I really liked him. Carrie was a really sweet girl who used her money for good, donated her extra clothing, worked in a soup kitchen every week, etc, but sometimes she seemed awfully stupid and irrational with her decisions for someone who has such a good head on her shoulders. What kept me from loving their relationship was how quickly it evolved. It seemed to take no time at all to venture into love territory and, despite their obvious chemistry, that just didn't sit well with me. I realize that love can and does happen that quickly sometimes, but in this case I just didn't 'feel' it. :( Hopefully with more to come we'll get more development and I'll start to.
I liked how it was mostly resolved in the end, even if there is something that could possibly be major looming for the next book.
I have enjoyed Sara Zarr's writing and stories in the past (such as The Lucy Variations), so when I saw this in a used bookstore I was quick to snag it.
This isn't a very long book - 210 pages, I think - but there is a lot going on within those 210 pages. Almost too much, I think. Sam is the daughter of a pastor and a mother who is an alcoholic. For years they've quietly coped with and hidden from the public the fact that her mother cannot function without a drink, but then her mother has an accident is strongly urged to enter rehab by the courts. With her mother gone and her father there for everyone but her, Sam feels her life is falling apart. Her dad hasn't made it publicly known about her mom, so she doesn't feel she can talk about it. Then, when a local thirteen year old goes missing, she feels even more abandoned by her father (who is helping out the family).
So there's the main plot, with Sam rediscovering herself and questioning her faith. Then there's the subplots - her mother being in rehab, her father coping with his own family disintegrating, and the missing girl, Josie. Sam is in youth group with Nick, Josie's older brother, and when the youth group gets together to bake brownies for Nick, she ends up making a connection with him and they become close friends.
I really feel as if the book needed to be longer, to give more time to develop the characters, the relationships between them, and to fully flesh out all the issues that are brought up in the book (alcoholic mother, absent/clueless father, kidnapping, etc). Everything was wrapped up nice and neat in the end, and there weren't any obvious strings left hanging. Some things were never fully addressed or explained (which I realize is slightly contradictory to my previous sentence). Some details were thrown in and we're left wondering what the repercussions were, if any.
I did like that the characters were not flawless. Even the pastor. That made them seem real and tangible, as if they were people I would have in my life and not just in a story. Zarr does a wonderful job at portraying how they feel and letting their actions speak for them. I just wanted a bit more time with them to fully understand them, know them.
Overall I would say it was a decent read, but it didn't grab me by the shirt tails and leave me an emotional mess. I wasn't as connected as I wanted to be. That being said, I would still recommend it as a quick, easy read.
I wanted to like this book. I really, truly did. I wanted to fall into it and come out barely able to breathe. Alas, that is not the case.In fairness to the book, I did not reread the jacket flap, nor did I reread the Goodreads description before plucking it off my shelf. After reading about 100 pages, and being utterly lost in my confusion, I got back up and read the jacket flap. Needless to say, I was still weaving through the maze, trying to find my way out. Everything felt so disconnected, disjointed, that I had a hard time enjoying it. Even after finishing it I am still quite confused.
When we're introduced to Annaliese, she has been missing for nearly a year and doesn't remember anything. Nothing about her life before she went missing and nothing about the year she was missing. She's recognized, tested, and confirmed as being Annaliese Rose Gordon. She has no recollection of ever being Annaliese and has no connection to "the mom" and "the dad", as she calls affectionately calls them.
Just as in the dark as Annaliese, we get to experience her flashbacks/memories of the past. Unfortunately, there were times I had to double check to make sure which I was reading - the present or the past. And the memories didn't always make sense. They would end in a weird place that just made me wonder what the point of it was. The transitions between present/past left me more confused than knowing. I typically don't mind the jumping back and forth - between past/present, characters, whatever the case - but this was so disjointed it was hard to follow.
I never really connected with Annaliese. Even when we get glimpses of the 'before' Annaliese, I'm not sure I would have liked her much. She was obsessive and slightly stalkerish, making deals for which she didn't question the outcome. As 'after' Annaliese, she's a bit more likeable, but I simply didn't feel that much for her. Then there's Logan, who wants to atone for his past sins and is convinced he is in love with Annaliese. It's kind of creepy, in a way, but I wonder if this had something to do with the deal that Annaliese made. Despite his transgressions and need for a morality check, he did have a couple redeeming qualities. Enter Dex, the not-so-American-boy-next-door. She, for some reason, is drawn to him. She trusts him almost immediately, and he her. He has a way of always smiling about things and keeping the air light, which as we find out, is probably harder for him than he lets on. And Eric. Eric is a douche. An asshat. He speaks in riddles and manipulates her every chance he gets. He knows everything yet says nothing revealing.
There were subplots that didn't, and still don't, seem relevant to me. There are things that happened that still don't make sense to me - the how/why of it all. And as a horror story, I wish that Quinn had been able to deliver a darker atmosphere. I didn't feel scared for the characters, or anxious, or much of anything, really.
I left this feeling a bit disappointed. The premise is great, but I feel the execution could have been so much better. This is a horror story, people, and I wanted to be scared, to be repulsed by the things happening. (Seriously, there's a part where I should have been going, "EEK! That's so gross! No! Don't do it! *shudder*", when in reality, I went, "Huh.")
All that being said, I can't say I definitely won't ever read another book by Quinn, but I don't see myself putting it at the top of my TBR list.
Having loved Anna Dressed in Blood (review), I was really looking forward to starting on the sequel. Although Girl of Nightmares is still an enjoyable read, full of Blake's wonderful writing and humor, I didn't feel it lived up to Anna. At the end of Anna Dressed in Blood, we're left wondering what happened to Anna when she saved Cas and crew from the Obeahman. This sets it up for book two, in which we find out that Cas, Thomas, and Carmel have been searching for Anna, looking for answers.I feel like some of the strength that Cas possessed in ADiB has dissipated, as he's lost and wandering, searching for clues and answers. He starts to resemble a lost puppy rather than a renowned ghost hunter. While others are ready to move on, let Anna go, Cas is determined to find out what happened to her after she sacrificed everything to save him and his friends. In the process, he nearly gets his friends killed and turns people against him. Although I understood his behavior, I think it took away a little something from him. I could tell it was hard for him, losing the girl he loved, and he struggled with trying to retain himself while grieving for her.
Cas has one goal in mind, and he's going to continue to reach for that goal with, or without, the help of his friends and family. He knows he could die in the process and his friends know that they could as well. There's not as much intensity in this book as there was in ADiB, but there's still plenty of action, which also takes place abroad. We learn lots history - about the athame, Cas and his family, and how everything ties together.
I didn't realize until I finished reading, but apparently there are some mixed feelings about the ending. I thought it was perfect. Although I want there to be more of Cas, Thomas, Carmel, and Anna, the story has to end sometime. And it made perfect sense the way Blake finished it. I also think part of the reason I was sad to come to the end is that I absolutely love Blake's writing. It's engrossing and the scenes just come to life. I feel like I'm friends with these people, and I want to spend more time with them.
Definitely a good follow up to Anna. I look forward to reading more by Kendare Blake. :)
See full review at A Little of the Book Life Although I had already pre-ordered this, I was excited when I heard NetGalley had a copy. I immediately went and requested one and got approved! :) Thank you NetGalley!
To quickly point out a few things: Adam and Blue have a "thing" going, Gansey is still on his search for Glendower - the lost Welsh King, Adam made a sacrifice to be Cabeswater's eyes and ears, and we discovered that Ronan takes things out of his dreams (such as his raven, Chainsaw).
All of that out of the way, on to the book at hand. :)
I was super excited to be around them all again - Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, Noah... it was like being reunited with long lost friends. But, things are changing with Adam since the sacrifice he made at the end of book one. His friends are watching him carefully, noting the anger, the attitude differences. No one really knows what the sacrifice means, exactly, so they are left wondering, waiting to see what will happen to their Adam. He and Blue are teetering on the edge of something, and only time will tell which way their relationship will go.
Gansey... oh, Gansey. The focus isn't as much on him in this book, but he's definitely still the leader, the glue that holds the group together. He tries to save them all and it pains him when he can't, or they choose not to let him.
This book is mainly about Ronan, though. Ronan and his secrets, his family's secrets. We find out in TRB that he can take things out of dreams - such as Chainsaw. We get to experience some of those dreams, or nightmares, really, throughout the book. In doing so we learn so much about Ronan and we definitely get to see the Ronan that Gansey so desperately wants to save.
I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Raven Cycle. :)
I was super excited when my best friend decided to order this from the Book Depository because she wanted to read it sooner than the US pub date - and even more excited when she said I could borrow it. After reading Code Name Verity (you can see my review here if you're interested) I must admit I was little scared, in a good way, of Elizabeth Wein, being how she shattered my heart into a zillion pieces and proceeded to tap dance on said pieces.Rose is an American pilot working with Allied forces during WWII. As we know from the description, she ends up captured and imprisoned in a concentration camp. The story that follows is one of heartbreak, unimaginable pain, friendship, and hope.
I know it's going to happen, but to compare Rose Under Fire to Code Name Verity is like comparing apples to oranges. Yes, they are both war stories and feature strong women who are pilots. But that's where the similarities end, really. Rose has her own story to tell, her own horrors and suffering to convey. And Wein does a great job of conveying them. Rose's desperation and fear leaped off the page and into my heart. I cried for her, I cheered for her, but most of all, I hoped for her.
Rose makes friends inside the walls of the concentration camp. They rally together to support and help one another in a time when all hope seems lost. The bond these women create are the types of bonds I strive to have with my closest friends. They are willing to die for one another, to give up food or shelter. They do everything they can to help one another survive.
Wein's writing is amazing. I had no trouble at all imagining the world she was creating within these pages. It was a bleak time, dark and dreary, and I felt all that while I was reading. She attacked all my senses as I flipped page by page, engulfing me in a horrible time of our history.
I very much look forward to reading more by Elizabeth Wein in the future.
I honestly wasn't sure how I would feel about this book as I'm typically not a lover of historical fiction. However, the mix of historical and contemporary fiction was very appealing. I am still amazed at how much I am thinking about the characters and what they went through. Their feelings were so tangible. When I wasn't reading I was thinking about them and what might happen next. I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. I feel like I lost a friend to Paris when I finished it! I will definitely be adding this book to my own collection and will continue reading Jennifer Donnelly's books.
Full of love, longing, and the search for truth, JA Huss had me captivated from the beginning. What happened twelve years ago and is this girl really Fiona or is she Francesca? There was so many unanswered questions and mystery along the way that I was constantly theorizing. Entering the US, Francesca is recognized as a child who was kidnapped twelve years ago. Her claims otherwise don't really add up as she fails polygraphs about her identity, has multiple passports, and refuses to talk about her life, her father, or what he does. She is sent to live with the Sullivan's, who believe her to be Fiona, and she does everything she can do to be rude, hateful, and disrespectful toward them. All she wants is to go home and get back to her life. Nobody knows what that life entails, though. Who is she, really?
Then she meets Brody and as she gets to know him, she softens. We start to see a little bit of who she really is, and how she's not a hateful, hurtful person, she just wants her life back. But as she and Brody spend more time together, she starts to question everything she knows. She sees a picture of Fiona, and even she has to admit she looks an awful lot like the missing girl. We see a lot of internal as well as external struggle, and JA Huss writes it all very well.
Although this is labeled as New Adult, I definitely see crossover appeal for YA as well as Adult. There's no graphic scenes that would make it inappropriate for younger readers and it's a story that transcends age at the basic core. Who are we really? Does it matter who we were twelve years ago, or now? Or does it only matter who we want to be?