It's funny how your perspective of a book changes when you reread it. The last time I read this book I was probably 12 or 13. I hadn't delved into a lot of romance at that point, and this was the first book that I read with the romance b/w the two characters playing a central part to the story. Naive as I was, I thought the love story was perfect - Olus was the man of my dreams (lol).

Now rereading it, I have no idea what I saw in these characters. They're not constant, especially Kezi. She goes through a million emotions in a minute and starts off terrified when she finds out who Olus is (while at the same time calling him "my love") and then a second later she's kissing him! Like what?? I did enjoy Olus' character more. I understood his loneliness and I honestly don't blame him for watching over Kezi or anyone else. He's curious by nature and that's fine. I think he gradually fell in love with Kezi, by watching her dance and make rugs, but Kezi literally fell in love the moment she saw him. Nia, on the other hand, was just annoying. She's definitely dedicated to Admat, but I think she crosses the line a little with her constant praying.

I felt like the world-building and the gods in Olus' world were nicely written and made the story definitely more interesting. Overall I give this a 2.5/5 stars.

A really good, thought-provoking read. I was lucky enough to read the newest edition, which I've heard is a lot better than the 2nd edition. Unfortunately, my class didn't get time to read the Roman Literature section. The book is clearly written and easy to understand. I didn't use the interactive website that is also available (for free) a lot, but the case studies and extra details were really interesting. I love the style of writing and found that it made it a lot easier to read and the comparisons to modern history really emphasized the effect the Roman Empire had on us as a whole.

3.75/5 stars

Not a big fan of the romance, even though it was eventually explained, I still hated the constant battle Karou had with herself over her feelings for Akiva.

What made up for the romance was the world building and the backstory. It was unique and well written and descriptive enough to be able to picture it in your mind. I did start to care a little more about Akiva after hearing his backstory and the romance b/w the two kind of made sense, though it wasn't a fan of how it was handled.

The writing was beautifully written, except for parts where random words were used that I had never heard before to describe a feeling or an object. Kind of broke up the writing at these parts.

I don't usually read paranormal fantasy (I think this is my first time reading it in a long while). Not sure if I'll continue on with the series. The first book seems like a good setup for the rest of the series, but the I feel like the rest of the series will be predictable.

Wow! Just wow! Patrick Ness' writing is poetic, mesmerizing, and just beautiful! The illustrations were just incredible and so eerie. I did read this on Overdrive so I didn't get the full experience as I would have gotten if I read the actual book.

This is a middle grade novel and really reminds me of Roald Dhal's books. It was heartbreaking and eyeopening and I definitely recommend this to everyone of all ages.

Overall, not bad. I still feel like a Downton Abbey fan wrote this book, just because of the many comparisons between the TV show and this book. There were a few things that bothered me, for example the language wasn't always fitting with the time period. And a lot of characters actions didn't seem true to what would actually happen in real life.

The last 1/4 of the book was pretty good, though I had guessed most of the plot twists (which again are very similar to Downton Abbey), but the story ended well.

Lila's character annoyed me at first, but she did end up helping Maggie in the end. I felt like some of the other characters issues were resolved too easily. Therese just ran off with money not caring about her Wesley (who was actually kind to her), Wesley continued with his life ignoring the fact that he had a half-sister, and Nora I guess went on to open a teashop.

3/5 stars. An easy and quick read.

Not sure if I can review this book. It's one of those books that you have to read for yourself and decide.

I went into this book not knowing a lot about it. I skimmed through the summary and just knew about this guy who has two names, and seriously thought it has something to do with a multiple personality disorder.

But it was different, weird, and heart breaking. I don't think I have felt so confused, so sad, and so angry all at the same time. I love how this story doesn't reveal the answers right away. It keeps you guessing and wondering. I finished this book in a few hours just because I needed to know how this was going to end.

Some of the other reviews for this book do it more justice. But this is all I can say about the book. It's one of those books that I wish was assigned reading in school, just so it could be discussed more deeply with everyone else. Definitely pick up this book and like other reviewers have said, go into it not knowing anything. It will surprise you in the end.

4.5/5

Highly recommend!!

This book was incredible! The writing, the story, the characters - all of it!

About midway through the book I remember thinking how I didn't want the book to end even though I wanted to find out who the Man in the Black Cloak was. I think it was definitely the writing and story-telling that made this book so amazing. This is probably one of the best middle-grade books I've read in a while.

I love how this book combines history with a little bit of fantasy and mythology. Usually I find combinations like that not interesting, but the way this book was written, it just worked really well. Also, there were parts that were just terrifying that had me freaking out - which to me is good writing :)

Definitely a must read for readers of all ages!

4/5 stars

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. My favourite part has to be the world building. Usually with first books in a series, the world can be a bit confusing and not that fleshed out, but Cassandra Clare did an excellent job with the storyline and I honestly couldn't put the book down at parts.

The characters were also so unique and well thought out. I love Simon and Jace's characters the most, especially because they're hilarious and sarcastic and provided the necessary comic relief. I did feel that Isabelle's character development at the end was kind of predictable and the last scene with her and Clary didn't really feel right. Clary on the other hand annoyed me at times. She's definitely a strong, independent character, who's kind of spontaneous and likes to speak her mind, but sometimes she would make the most annoying decisions without thinking anything through.

As for the love story (triangle?), I actually ended up really enjoying it, even though I was spoiled with the ending. I will say that even knowing what was going to eventually happen, I still enjoyed the relationship between Jace and Clary. It felt real and I could totally see why Clary would fall in love with Jace (because I fell in love with him too). There was definitely a lot of foreshadowing about their relationship and I feel that even if I didn't know about the ending, I would have definitely guessed it.

Also I need to mention Luke! He's like a Remus Lupin reincarnated but a bit more "bad ass" and I can't help the fact that I'm into the older men (only in books though, usually), but...I just hope things go well for him and he better not die or something.

Highly recommend this book. It's worth the hype definitely. I have heard some negative things about the rest of the series, so hopefully I'm not too disappointed!