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775 reviews by:
ashlightgrayson
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Raisin in the Sun: The Unfilmed Original Screenplay
Lorraine Hansberry, Robert A. Nemiroff, Margaret B. Wilkerson, Spike Lee
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super short read and a really enjoyable children's book. Takes all the usual fair tail tropes and uses them in a unique way. Really enjoyed this.
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the first book I've read by Leigh Bardugo and this was quite the ride. The world building in this world is super cool. It's also so rare, at least in my experience, to see women represented in any form of military anything and the main character in this book is an orphaned soldier. The exposition in the story is done very well in the story and immediately lets you see what a militarized world this is. You're just kind of thrust into the world and given just enough context to figure things out. It's honestly my preferred form of exposition because it gives the author more time to focus on characters and plot points rather than giving me an info dump because they thought I couldn't use context clues.
The Darkling and Alina were definitely my favorite characters. She develops well throughout the story from someone who doesn't really feel like she belongs anywhere to someone who realizes that she has a responsibility to save others. The Darkling was also an interesting antagonist. I really liked his stern demeanor that had an obvious sense of humor and lack of respect for authority underneath it all. His remarks about how useless the king is were my favorites. Initially the relationship he had with Alina seemed to be based on attraction more than romance of any sort, which I was all right with because I hate any form of insta-love.
I wasn't a huge fan of Mal and Alina becoming an item because we didn't get to know Mal quite well enough for me to want to ship it. I was actually disappointed that the Darkling turned out to be an antagonist solely because I like him and Alina better. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes from here on. I want to like Mal more but I need more time to get to know him better for that to happen. I'm hoping book 2 will give me that. I'm indifferent to him for now.
The Darkling and Alina were definitely my favorite characters. She develops well throughout the story from someone who doesn't really feel like she belongs anywhere to someone who realizes that she has a responsibility to save others. The Darkling was also an interesting antagonist. I really liked his stern demeanor that had an obvious sense of humor and lack of respect for authority underneath it all. His remarks about how useless the king is were my favorites. Initially the relationship he had with Alina seemed to be based on attraction more than romance of any sort, which I was all right with because I hate any form of insta-love.
I wasn't a huge fan of Mal and Alina becoming an item because we didn't get to know Mal quite well enough for me to want to ship it. I was actually disappointed that the Darkling turned out to be an antagonist solely because I like him and Alina better. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes from here on. I want to like Mal more but I need more time to get to know him better for that to happen. I'm hoping book 2 will give me that. I'm indifferent to him for now.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm glad that Ember was able to finally come clean to Riley about how she doesn't love him. Dante is beyond redeemable at this point and he even wants revenge against Ember by the end of the book. Talk about seeing a sibling relationship crash and burn. Kagawa does a great job of writing crazy, though. The Elder Wyrm is a great villain and is pretty well written. I'm glad Jade had a larger role in this book and I was super afraid at times she might die. She's very level headed and has a certain charm to her. She's one of my favorite characters now besides Garrett. I'm looking forward to Garrett finding out if he has powers he got from that blood transfusion. Might we have another dragon on our hands? Guess we'll find out in the final book.
I was reasonably satisfied with the ending to this series. What I really wanted was for Riley to be able to move on from his connection to Ember. I also wanted to see a bit more development of Ember's relationship with Garrett and some form of redemption for Dante. Thankfully, Kagawa was able to deliver quite well. It was still upsetting to see Dante go down the crazy rabbit hole with the Elder Wyrm until almost the end, but he was a great antagonist for the series. I kept up the hope that Dante would reconcile with Ember without having to die, but as the books developed it was quite clear by the last book that he was either going to die or be punished permanently for his actions because he was beyond anything other than some extreme form of redemption. It kind of sucks he ended up dying, but at least he was able to give Ember and his relationship closure. As for Riley, I was happy to see his attraction to Mist grow as they spent more time together. I never liked him for most of the series, but it mainly had to do with him pushing the responsibility of a relationship on Ember that she wasn't sure she wanted. Once he moved on he became immediately more likeable.
I expected Garrett to go full on dragon after getting that blood transfusion from Riley, but he didn't. I think it actually made his character more interesting because despite healing faster now, he still had to use his wits to get out of dangerous situations. Even while being at an apparent physical disadvantage with the dragons, he was still resourceful and was able to help. It shows that a character doesn't always have to have cool and flashy powers in order to serve an important role or be interesting. On top of that, Ember and him don't have to worry about the life span disparity they used to have. They each seem to have found a role to play in the restructuring of Talon and St. George. It was interesting to see Ember in a role that seemed to be what she had been fighting this whole time, but it shows character growth on her part and highlights her ability to put the safety and needs of the world above her own wants. She'll probably retire from the position at some point in the future so she can relax, because honestly, she needs it. Great final installment overall. I'd be happy to pick up more books written by Julie Kagawa, so I guess I found a new writer to follow.
I expected Garrett to go full on dragon after getting that blood transfusion from Riley, but he didn't. I think it actually made his character more interesting because despite healing faster now, he still had to use his wits to get out of dangerous situations. Even while being at an apparent physical disadvantage with the dragons, he was still resourceful and was able to help. It shows that a character doesn't always have to have cool and flashy powers in order to serve an important role or be interesting. On top of that, Ember and him don't have to worry about the life span disparity they used to have. They each seem to have found a role to play in the restructuring of Talon and St. George. It was interesting to see Ember in a role that seemed to be what she had been fighting this whole time, but it shows character growth on her part and highlights her ability to put the safety and needs of the world above her own wants. She'll probably retire from the position at some point in the future so she can relax, because honestly, she needs it. Great final installment overall. I'd be happy to pick up more books written by Julie Kagawa, so I guess I found a new writer to follow.
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dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I've unfortunately come to the realization that I don't love this series as much as I wish I did. It's not bad by any means, I just think I'm an impatient reader and the story focused so much on the characters that it didn't have enough plot drive to keep me interested. The pacing doesn't match up to what I want. Ronan is probably one of the characters I like most, but my issue is that I don't care about any of the characters beyond a surface level. Like, I've been ready for Gansey's death prophecy to come true since like book 1 or 2. I get that it's a 4 book series and that that wasn't going to happen, but I genuinely don't care if anyone dies or hurts and for me to truly enjoy a series I have to feel attached to the characters. This book has quite a few things going on. Mora is missing looking for Artemis and everyone is trying to figure out how to save Gansey. The thing is it seems pretty inevitable that he's going to die, so it made a lot of the trouble they were going through seem pointless. I didn't feel this book dragged as much as the others for me, but I'm still not invested. I do recommend that people pick up this series if they're looking for something different and because I think it definitely deserves a chance. Like I said, it just doesn't match up to my personal needs as a reader, but I don't think it's bad at all.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the complexity that Pearson continued to add to the characters even in this last installment. We got to see Lia and Rafe get into arguments and disagree politically as well as on personal matters. They clearly love each other, but that didn't stop them from having issues and still having their political roles cause changes in the dynamic of their relationship. Both of them were kind of jerks and unlikeable at times, but it was so refreshing because it reflected such a real relationship.
Kaden and Pauline also had a really interesting relationship that was explored post kidnapping. I couldn't blame Pauline for refusing to warm up to Kaden until much later. That tends to happen when your former kidnapper is in charge of keeping you safe. A very awkward situation to be in. The scenes with them together were some of the most interesting in the book, though. They grow to respect each other and Kaden definitely warms up to Pauline greatly.
Overall a book with great angst and character development. Definitely getting physical copies of the series in the future.
Kaden and Pauline also had a really interesting relationship that was explored post kidnapping. I couldn't blame Pauline for refusing to warm up to Kaden until much later. That tends to happen when your former kidnapper is in charge of keeping you safe. A very awkward situation to be in. The scenes with them together were some of the most interesting in the book, though. They grow to respect each other and Kaden definitely warms up to Pauline greatly.
Overall a book with great angst and character development. Definitely getting physical copies of the series in the future.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really good retelling. I'm always up for a Pride and Prejudice retelling and the fact that the characters in this are all mainly Black Latinos intrigued me even more. Zuri Benítez is as sharp tongued and blunt as Elizabeth Bennet ever was. Zoboi did an amazing job of also making Darius an inadvertent jerk at first and then we slowly get to know him from Zuri's perspective. Darius is just bad at expressing himself well, but is an affectionate and protective person towards those he loves deep down. Warren is as much of an asshole as a modern day Wickham would be and he gets what he deserves in the end, so I was satisfied. I'm glad that there were quite a few times Darius and Zuri got into pretty large disagreements because they do have very contrasting experiences in their lives and have to work through them to get together. Overall, a great retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I plan on reading more works from Ibi Zoboi in the future. Looking forward to it.