My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
3.5 stars
...Huh? I don't know about that ending. And what the hell was wrong with Liam? I'm not su My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
3.5 stars
...Huh? I don't know about that ending. And what the hell was wrong with Liam? I'm not sure I really liked Holly either, tbh. Feel sorry for Tim and Nick (oh who am I kidding? Nick was wrong for that!). Geez. :\
I didn't hate the story. It was intriguing. In fact, it was a 4 star read the whole time until the thing with Nick... Then I was willing to let it slide, but then that went nowhere...? What was the point?? The last few chapters just annoyed me. I don't feel like Holly grew or whatever the hell she was suppose to do. I don't get it.
I guess this is Laura Buzo's thing. Leaving the ending open with readers having to use their imaginations and decide what happens next... Not sure it's something I can appreciate, especially when I feel like I have no clue where it's suppose to go. :|...more
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3.5 stars
It's been over a year since I read Legend, the first novel in the trilogy. Legend was no d My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
3.5 stars
It's been over a year since I read Legend, the first novel in the trilogy. Legend was no doubt my favorite dystopian and one of my favorite books last year! I loved everything about it, and I eagerly anticipated the release of the sequel. Now having finally read Prodigy...
Unfortunately, it didn't do it for me the way the first book did. It was a much more different reading experience for me. While Legend was engaging and had me hooked from the very beginning, I felt detached throughout Prodigy. I had hoped that feeling would ease by the time I was halfway, and I really wish I could have shaken off that feeling entirely. However, it never happened. And it greatly determined how I felt about the novel overall.
I think I can pinpoint what exactly bothered me while reading. It was the characters. In my review for Legend, I go on and on, praising the main characters Day and June and some of the secondary characters. This time around the characters didn't quite work for me. In fact, they either irritated me or I didn't care about them at all. Even when something horrible happened, none of them could get me to shed tears or root for them passionately. (Except maybe Metias, but sadly he's not of the living.) My problem with June and especially Day in this book stems from the fact that after everything they went through in the previous book, it seemed all they could do was question each other and question why the other would want to be with them. I understand why they would have doubts though. They haven't known each other long, and they met through heartbreaking circumstances. That's something they brought up throughout the course of the novel. But for me, all that did was make it seem like what they shared in Legend wasn't...real. I couldn't bring myself to believe in their relationship this time around, which is sad because I loved what they had before.
Another problem I had with the characters AND the romance was how Day and June attracted other characters' attention. Yes, there might have been a bit of a love-triangle or even a square. I know these things happen, especially considering a lot of people look up to them, but it was a bit too convenient that both of them had specific characters vying for their affection. I don't want to reveal too much of what happened; however, I can't help mentioning that Tess, Day's best friend, was involved. And she really annoyed the heck out of me. She pretty much wasn't the same character I came to care for in Legend. It was a bit of a shock to be honest. Basically, the romance in Prodigy wasn't what I had hoped, and I feel everything that happened with it only caused unnecessary drama that I didn't find entertaining one bit.
In the end, Prodigy left me feeling indifferent and uncaring for the characters and their struggles. I know I'm being harsher with this book than others, but it's hard not to be when its predecessor was a favorite of mine. Although right now I'm not feeling particularly enthused for the final book in the trilogy, I think I might still read it. Just to get some closure. Hopefully I appreciate it more than this book....more
Already loving this more than The Pace series! Speaking of 'the pace', The Syndicate really is fast-paced. It wasn't a problem to me though be4.5 stars
Already loving this more than The Pace series! Speaking of 'the pace', The Syndicate really is fast-paced. It wasn't a problem to me though because it just felt right. And in the beginning I thought this book was going to end up being the usual read, but it wasn't. It definitely had its moments. I was very impressed and love that it's in the male POV! I hope there's more books! :)...more
I read up to page 41 in Why We Broke Up, and I could not bring myself to read more. I felt like the story was going so fast, and I got irritated with I read up to page 41 in Why We Broke Up, and I could not bring myself to read more. I felt like the story was going so fast, and I got irritated with Min's voice (the story is a letter Min wrote to her ex-boyfriend, some jock guy from her school called Ed). And Ed? Who? I couldn't even picture him in my head. Seriously, I just saw a blob. I even skimmed to see why they broke up, and it was very annoying. If I actually read the entire book, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a headache.
Now, with the way Min talked...or how the author wrote. I did not like the writing AT ALL. This was the main reason I didn't like this book. There were many run-on, never-ending sentences...!! I started thinking, 'AHHH! MAKE IT STOP! IT'S TOO LONG! SOMEONE GET ME A PEN SO I CAN SCRIBBLE IN PERIODS!' And by the time I was done with those crazy did-not-even-make-any-sense sentences, I couldn't even remember what I read. It also didn't help that the ARC was pretty heavy to hold.
Thanks Crystal for letting me borrow it; I wish I had liked it, but unfortunately, I couldn't finish it. :(...more
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This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful. The summary makes it seem like it would be all about My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful. The summary makes it seem like it would be all about Pan's relationship with a guy named Hunter, but it's more than that. It's about her desperately trying to remember her past through the memories she has of her sister Morgan. Morgan was such an amazing person, and their relationship was precious, yet gut-wrenching because of their circumstance. Hunter was also a wonderful character. Sometimes a damaged girl like Pan needs a perfect guy who is patient and understanding. This book was another example of how great Australian YA fiction is, and I would highly recommend it to contemporary fans. ...more
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Blood Song first came to my attention after finding out it was written by an Australian author. (If My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
Blood Song first came to my attention after finding out it was written by an Australian author. (If you don't already know, I love to read Australian YA!) I became even more curious after reading some great reviews. Fantasy seems to be one of the genres that I tend to pay less attention to. I'm not sure why. I have read some young-adult fantasy that I really love and are some of my favorite books. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to read Blood Song because I'm finally able to add another YA fantasy and Aussie novel to my favorites!
For the past few years, sixteen-year-old Zeraphina has had a strange craving for blood. Although she has never tried any, there are times where she can't stop thinking about it. What's worse is that she has felt an urge, a pull to go North. She practices archery to keep herself distracted, but it's in the back of her mind all the time and every day these urges and cravings seem to slowly intensify, causing her immense pain. She finds relief when her older sister becomes engaged to a prince from Pergamia, a northern country of Brivora. By accompanying her sister to Pergamia, Zeraphina has a chance to figure out why she's drawn northwards and why she hungers for blood. But the answers she desperately wants and eventually finds end up making her life much more complicated than before.
As soon as I read the first chapter, I knew I was going to love Blood Song. Zeraphina and her sister Lilith and mother Renata were making me laugh with some of the things they said. I love when a book gets me to laugh! I didn't even know there would be a bit of humor, so it was a nice surprise. (Other readers might not find it quite as hilarious I did, but oh well, maybe it's just the kind of humor I like.) What I loved about it is that it showed how close they were as a family. It was so great to read about two sisters actually getting along. There was no rivalry between Zeraphina and Lilith, and while Renata is just a little overbearing, it's obvious she cares deeply for her daughters and only wants the best for them.
"I knew what you were the minute I saw you [...] and you seemed so fierece, so...human, that it gave me hope."
That is part of one of my favorite quotes in the book. I couldn't include the entire quote and the next line because it might be a bit spoiler-y. But I can say that is was Rodden Lothskorn speaking to Zeraphina. Rodden is the 22-year-old advisor of the Pergamian king. He's mysterious and intriguing but also arrogant and infuriating. From the moment Zeraphina meets him, they can't seem to get along. Zeraphina is clever and pretty sarcastic and she can hold her own, so her clashing with someone like Rodden wasn't surprising. Their bickering kept me laughing, and I loved it.
Zeraphina doesn't know if Rodden can be trusted and he seems to feel the same way about her. I can understand Zeraphina's frustration, since Rodden is part of the reason why her life gets even more complicated. He hints at having the answers she wants but avoids giving them to her...until she starts figuring him out. I'm very happy it didn't take the entire book to get some answers. There is still a bit of mystery from Rodden, though, because he never goes into detail about his past. I really look forward to knowing more about him in the next book, and hopefully there will be more moments between him and Zeraphina because their connection was something that I really loved about the book.
I recommend Blood Song to Kristin Cashore fans and fans of Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder. And if you're not a huge fantasy fan, you should still give this book a read! It's hard not to get sucked into the story from the very beginning. There's enough suspense and action, and the world in Blood Song is beautiful but not overwhelming. Plus, who doesn't like awesome and kickass characters? Blood Song is the first book in a trilogy, and I'm already anxious and excited for the second book. So, if you get the chance, be sure to read it!
Shout out and big thanks to Nomes for giving me the opportunity to read this book! Thanks girl! :)...more
There was something very important Jackson told another character in the book, and I'm basically going to tell you the same thing: You need to forget There was something very important Jackson told another character in the book, and I'm basically going to tell you the same thing: You need to forget everything you know about time-traveling from other books and movies because you're just going to get frustrated and confused while reading Tempest.
Time-traveling in Tempest ended up being way more complex than I expected. It was a lot for me to take in. It's similar to how I felt about the movie Inception. I still don't understand everything. When I thought I finally had a grasp on the concept, another question or situation popped up and everything I thought I figured out wasn't quite right. The explanations for time-traveling were a bit blury and confusing at times. But I like a bit of a challenge, and it was interesting trying to keep up and figure things out along the way. After I finished, I was sure I had a good hold on the whole time-traveling deal. However, I had a discussion with someone who had also read Tempest, and let's just say I'm not quite as sure as I was before. I'm positive I missed an important detail while reading or maybe not all the important details were revealed in this book. Either way... It's crazy! It gets me wondering how the author can keep up with all of it!
Before I get to what I liked about Tempest, I have to mention some things that I didn't quite like about the book. Some characters' reactions to things were weird and not normal to me. They were too quick to accept time-traveling. And there was a part where Jackson wanted answers and when he had a chance... He decided to go to his job and see Holly to make sure she didn't hate him...and his father just let him go! This was pretty much a life or death situation and here Jackson was painting and making out with Holly instead. What the heck? That doesn't make sense. I actually didn't care for all the scenes revolving around past Holly and friends. Those were probably my least favorite things about the book.
Here's what liked: Tempest was in Jackson's POV. (I love reading from the male perspective; its a nice change. Plus, he was a good character.) Jackson was in college. (New adult! Yeah! I like reading about characters that are no longer high schoolers but not quite considered adults yet.) The time-traveling was challenging but fascinating. (While it was a lot to take in and many new characters kept popping up that I had to keep track of, which made it harder for me to wrap my head around things and had me constantly asking myself 'What the hell is going on?' for more than half the book...it all resulted in some pretty interesting and enjoyable moments in the book. I remember chapter 30 is when I got really hooked into the story. I was biting my nails and everything!)
Although there were some aspects I didn't care for and I may still be scratching my head over all the explanations and stuff about time-traveling, those things never managed to overshadow what I did like about Tempest. It was an action-packed, complex debut novel, and with the way this book ended (can't believe how it ended!), I'm curious about what will happen in the sequel Vortex. Hopefully there will be more answers and the time-traveling concept will become clearer. Looking forward to it!...more
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