Literally almost in tears. This was perfect in every way and felt so accurate and real. I just can’t, I literally want to cry. We get to see a side of Neal that I think did exist, but we never got to see much of it POTS. His relationship with Yuki was just ahhhhhh like it’s canon for all I care and I wish this was how the world worked now cause wow I love and I’m in pain and it was so good 😭😭😭

I did enjoy most of this book, but half way through I sort of guessed where the story was headed. So the reveal at the end wasn’t a huge shock and honestly J’s whole revenge plot seemed ehh. Like I get it, but also you have to be an idiot to take it out on someone who didn’t even do anything except exist. Like if he knew that her mother was still alive, maybe I’d get it, but he didn’t until the very end, so...

Ahh this book you guyyss...

First of all, I’m in love with the writing style. It was so easy to read, but also had the old-timey feel I associate with classics (and I guess it is a classic). But at the same time it wasn’t difficult to understand or too dense or complicated. I bet the audiobook would be heavenly cause the words are meant to be read out loud.

It’s written in the form of journal entries and I really enjoyed reading Cassandra’s thoughts. Seeing her analyzing her day and what happened really reminded me of myself.

All the characters are so unique and wonderful. They do make some choices that would be questionable, but I felt like it fit with the story. Stephen is literally a tiny cinnamon roll and I think he’s played by Henry Cavill in the movie and I want to see it now lol

THE DRAMA...I was not expecting it and when it happened I was shocked. It was fun to read about and guess what might happen. Cassandra did sort of annoy me for being so jealous and selfish, but then at the same time I also related to Rose and would have maybe totally made the decisions she made. I will say that the huge reveal at the end was kind of unexpected? I did not predict that at all and it sort of made sense when it was explained, but also I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced either.

The ending wasn’t a typical happy ending, but it did leave me with the hope things would possibly end well for Cassandra. I’m guessing the movie ends differently cause most people would not be satisfied lol

4.5/5 stars

My heart aches. So good

This was such a cute and fun read! Completely different from the movie, but still really enjoyable. Sort of want to watch the movie again now. Also, I relate to old woman Sophie, so I guess I’m an old granny at heart

I really did enjoy this the second time around. The romance was cute and believable, and didn't have me cringing or groaning a million times. I really love Kai as a character and I love how sarcastic Cinder is. The story itself was interesting and engaging, though I feel like a lot of plot points were super easy to guess/figure out because they were directly hinted at multiple times. I'm excited to read the rest of series and I've heard it gets better from here!

I'm going through these pretty quickly...

While I did enjoy Scarlet more than Cinder, I still had a few issues with this book.

It started off really well, with me obsessed with Wolf, and then it sort of went downhill. I was not a fan of the instalove. Kai and Cinder's relationship felt more concrete. There was a build-up to it that took more than a day, whereas Scarlet and Wolf's relationship was so sudden and weird – like how can you trust someone you just met, especially when you have no idea who he is, what he is and whether you can trust him?? The whole scene in the little jail cell was kind of horrific to read. Like I don't care what Wolf's intention was, but I don't think Scarlet wanted him to touch her, let alone kiss her while simultaneously passing on an ID chip. That's also a bit disgusting...The last scene with them when Scarlet practically suggests that she become Wolf's alpha female had me cringing. ONE WEEK PEOPLE. AND THESE TEENAGERS ARE READY TO MATE FOR LIFE.

I did love Thorne though. He's funny and the perfect comic relief in a pretty dark story. And I loved his dynamic with Cinder and how he didn't automatically become a love interest now that Kai isn't within 10 feet of Cinder. He's so oblivious though, but its charming and endearing at the same time. I can't wait to see more of his character.

Poor Kai though...like man, I feel for him especially. I also hate Levana with a passion and I can't figure out how they can possibly defeat her, which is frustrating. The fact that she had all of this planned all along annoys me. And it sucks that Kai is playing into it, knowing he has no other choice. I relate to that more than I probably should.

One thing that did put me off was the fact that the synopsis of this book makes it sound like Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf meet up earlier on in the book? I spent most of this book waiting for them to encounter each other and then proceed to run from Levana and the crazy Lunars. But that didn't happen till the very end. I am looking forward to seeing everyone together in Cress. As long as we don't get too much mushy Wolf and Scarlet scenes.

Also, Cress is so much longer *cries*

3.75/5 stars

This took me a lot longer to read (mostly cause life and studying got in the way), so I didn't enjoy this book as much as I could have because of the huge gaps between when I had time to pick it up. While this book was more fast-paced and the stakes were a lot higher and the plot was really interesting, I found Cress to be annoying. I'm not a romantic in the slightest, but Cress is on a whole other level, and maybe there are people like her in this universe, but I couldn't relate and I found her to be kind of childish and naive. And I guess it makes sense considering she was all alone on her satellite and had no friends and barely any human/social contact, but her constantly romanticizing serious situations was just weird and not right? Even by the end, I didn't really feel like her small character arc worked that well to make her more redeemable for me.

Wolf was also sort of a meh. I still can't get past what happened in Scarlet and while I get it was for a reason, he spent most of the book in a blank state of shock because of Scarlet (understandable), but I didn't get his love for her and how she's his "alpha" and "the brightest star in a galaxy". It felt kind of much considering they barely know each other and the world is falling to pieces around them and honestly who has time for an in-depth romance. Obviously his concern is justified, and maybe he feels things more than others cause he's part wolf, but I don't know...maybe Winter will be better.

Thorne on the other hand was a favourite of mine, though he is sort of a morally grey character (especially cause of his past). I love his sarcasm and how quick he is to smile and take charge of a situation and his ingenuity and just how his brain works. He hid how much his blindness was hurting him really well, and I felt like that was totally relatable and made sense for his character. I can see his character changing for the better, though him ending up with Cress annoys me cause Cress annoys me lol

Kai is still my favourite out of the guys in this series. His sense of duty and his desperation are super relatable. And he's just all round amazing and needs to be protected at all costs. And he needs to sleep.

CINDER...my favourite out of the girls! Cause she doesn't cry and I RELATE SO MUCH. I swear I wasn't born with tear ducts, though that isn't true cause I have them, I just hate using them. But her sarcasm is on point and I just love her. She has no idea what she's doing, but you can't blame her and her and Kai is a ship I can get behind. Though Kai did really turn a 180 in that last scene a bit too fast, but I still liked it.

Winter creeps me out a bit. Sort of worried for Scarlet. And Jacin, even though he can kind of be a jerk.

An interesting look into how Levana became Levana. I can’t say that I sympathize with her, but I understand why she is the way she is. And it’s awful and not entirely her fault. Being neglected and abused since she was a child, it’s only natural for her to make the choices she did, however it didn’t make it okay in anyway.

Seeing her “relationship” with Evret was creepy and disturbing. The mechanics behind Levana’s actions is just terrifying to read. How she managed to convince herself she was in love and that Evret loved her too...how she manipulated him, but then justified that as well...it was scary to read about and I felt for Evret and the helplessness of the whole situation. How he ended up making a decision to protect himself and his daughter, even if it meant having to marry Levana and be her husband.

Looking forward to reading Winter. I loved the little glimpses we saw of her character and her relationship with Selene when they were little. I wonder if Cinder will recognize her when they meet?

4/5 stars

So long, but I enjoyed it waay more than the other books in this series! Kai and Cinder are my favourite couple. Kai is just perfect. I even think Cress and Thorne are kind of cute. Iko is hilarious and the kind of friend everyone wishes they had. Scarlet and Wolf are okay lol I'm just really confused how she kisses him when he has huge fangs poking out of his mouth and are their kids going to be part wolf? I need answers. I still can't fully decide what I think about Winter. I honestly thought she was going to be Queen at the end...somehow. But her being an ambassador works too.

I'm hoping Stars Above has some cute Kai and Cinder moments cause I NEED