Not my favorite in the series, but still a fun read. Pippa was awesome, I just didn't really enjoy Jensen's character and felt that their romance was a bit too forced.

A plan to steal a copy of Playboy sets in motion a new friendship for a boy and a girl both obsessed with programming and creating computer games. Set in the 80s, this will be the perfect nostalgia read for those searching for their next [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741] or Stranger Things fix.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

Wow. This was completely ridiculous. I've read some crap, but this takes the cake.

A 17 year-old girl is taken in by her dead father's best friend who just happens to be a bajillionaire. She never met her father, and has been working as a stripper to help take care of her mother, who is also now dead because of cancer. Okay, but from here we find out the rich guy has a house full of sons who are a herd of rape-y assholes who do not want her there and threaten her sexually and physically. Great. And out of this she lusts after the worst of them, and this is the story. Puh-lease.

Throw in some other ridiculously soapy subplots and the worst first sexual encounter between two main characters I have EVER read

Spoiler

our heroine is slipped a roofie and Ecstasy and our "hero" volunteers to get her off because "someone has to do her a solid" and doesn't want one of his other brothers to do it. Um, she's drugged against her will and can obviously not really consent to this. But it totally happens, and everyone is fine with it. Gross.

, and needless to say I won't be reading any more of these. Plus, they are only available on Kindle. I got the first one for free due to credits, but shan't be wasting more.

Meh. I read this out of sequence, so was not super familiar with the many characters that must have appeared in the earlier books. There was also a lot of questionable things regarding the abduction and threatened rape of one of the heroine's friends in one of these earlier books by the HERO of this story that bugged me.

Besides all of that, there was a lot going on that didn't quite tie together for me. Evie, the heroine, stammers apparently, but this is quickly forgotten then picked back up again, and is explained away by the fact she is 'comfortable' with the hero. There is also an awkwardly inserted scene between the last "Wallflower" of the series and the guy who is going to be her love interest that did not sit well with me, from his actions to his description.

This was fine, not great for me. All the details were fairly superficial, including the ultimate outcome of the fishy fiance that brings the two main characters together in the first place. I recommend Nora Roberts' [b:Vision in White|5598113|Vision in White (Bride Quartet, #1)|Nora Roberts|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316972164s/5598113.jpg|5769464], first in the Bride Quartet series for a better take on the Wedding Planner business women story line.

I'm glad I gave this series another chance! Marie Lu has a really great concept here, and while at first I feared the story wasn't as intriguing as the concept, she pulled a few fast ones that I was totally not expecting!

Spoiler

Adelina's sister is also a malfetto and has an awesome power! I wonder if the sisters will become enemies?? Also, not anticipating the resurrection story line that seems like Pet Semetary...

The "love story" didn't really work for me more because the characters didn't spend enough time talking in the book, but hopefully this will work itself out as the trilogy progresses.

10.2014:
It's not you book, it is me. I am just not in the right mind set for a new epic trilogy. You seem really great, but I just need to not read you right now.

A fantastic set of essays that reflect on fandom, geek culture, and various other topics. I would love to sit down with Ryan Britt, have a beer, and totally fangirl out on The Force Awakens, as this was published right before the movie was released.

My favorite essays were the Star Wars specific ones (obviously), especially the essay from the title regarding literacy in Sci-Fi and Fantasy worlds. However, after finishing this book I did re-watch Return of the Jedi and noticed Luke Skywalker communicating with R2-D2 via text on a screen in his X-Wing, giving me fodder to disagree a bit....

I also enjoyed the audiobook, although it was not narrated by the author.

A really dark middle book in this series following villain in the making Adelina as she truly finds power in her darkness. Will the sacrifices she make be worth it?

At times the action scenes become a bit of a slog, and I wish there was more character building, but still a really awesome YA trilogy.

As someone who also spent many of her post-College graduate years working in customer service, I found Tomsky's memoir very relate-able and hilarious. Tomsky also narrated the audiobook, and it was great to hear these stories and tips in his own voice. I will definitely be thinking about this book every time I check into a hotel from here on out. Still don't know if I have the nerve to hit up the mini bar and dispute the charges....

On a side note, Tomsky has a great NYC accent and talks very fast. I however did find out it was made even faster because I had accidentally sped up the narration using the Overdrive for Libraries audiobook app. Ha. Still totally worked.