I just finished reading this book this past week. It was quite exhilarating and anything but boring. Some of the parts involving romantic relationships in this book were a bit campy. However, I may be biased since I prefer very subtle hints of romance rather than more direct displays of affection. The villain in this book was kept in the shadows for a while like in previous books which I feel helps add to the suspense of the novel. The characters definitely grew as individuals and were given time to confront the emotional aftermath of events that have affected them greatly in the past few books. It's not too long of a read and I'd definitely recommend it.

Read my full review at: http://nerdreads2013.blogspot.com/2016/03/witch-and-wizard-kiss.html

The story is written from a first person point of view with the main character Thomas appearing in a place known as the Glade inhabited by a group of teenage boys that call themselves the Gladers. The Gladers seem to have a culture of sorts using their own unique slang and treating Thomas like the newbie. They nickname him "greenie" for a good portion of the book. Thomas seems to be very confused as to where he is and it becomes apparent that he has lost his memory before getting to the Glade.

I have been wanting to read this book since a few years back and I'm so glad I finally got through it.  The story starts out pretty slow and I have to say I wasn't truly invested in the story until about half way through the book. This is not to say that this was a bad read. I have friend that told me that the first book in the series is a bit slow, so bear with me.

For the most part, the rest of the Gladers seem reluctant to share information they know about the Glade and the Maze with Thomas. This made reading the book in first person quite frustrating. Overall, I wish the story was more fast paced and more information was given as to what was going on at the beginning of the book. I wouldn't say that I was super attached to the characters and their relationships with each other at first, but they eventually grew on me. Newt is definitely one of the characters I favor. It is not the best young adult dystopian novel I've read, but by the end of it I was definitely excited to start reading the sequel.

Read my full review at: http://nerdreads2013.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-maze-runner-by-james-dashner-review.html

I have to say this comic book was more shocking than I thought. I guess I didn't expect the plot to be dark in the way that it was. I loved being able to see the Joker's past and that he was at some point just an average guy. The dynamic between him and Batman is one of the most interesting elements of the story. Alan Moore truly shines a light on how Batman and the Joker are two sides of the same coin. Way to put a psychological thriller in less than 50 pages of a comic book. However, Alan Moore's use of a female character as nothing more than a plot point in such a disgusting way really turns me off for this story which is why I can only give it a three star rating overall. Also, a lot of the actions of the characters are, well...out of character. I do think it is a story everyone should read to gain perspective on the relationship between the Batman and the Joker.

Read my full review at: http://nerdreads2013.blogspot.com/2016/05/batman-killing-joke-by-alan-moore.html

I read this a while back and it was quite the sad experience. I really like Jason Todd as a character for the reasons many people disliked him; he was completely different from Dick Grayson as Robin. I think this comic book gives insight into the unique relationship Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd have as Batman and Robin as well as father and son. I liked their dynamic because it was that of the "not-so-obedient" son and father looking for his son's best interest. It was realistic and emotionally trying. I think this is a sad but memorable comic book that all Batman fans should be exposed to.

Read my full review at: http://nerdreads2013.blogspot.com/2016/05/batman-death-in-family-by-jim-starlin.html