Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I don't know how I always forget that Neal Shusterman always delivers, but I do, and it's a nice surprise when I dive back into his books. (Have you read Unwind? Read [b:Unwind|764347|Unwind (Unwind, #1)|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297677706l/764347._SX50_.jpg|750423].)
Scythe shouldn't be as good as it is. On the surface, all the hallmarks of a tropey YA dystopian novel are there: a boy and a girl who are pretty awesome and chosen for their awesomeness, an interesting post-modern world, a challenge/competition, a romance that came out of left field, secret politics and messiness underneath the placid, perfect dystopian world.
It shouldn't work. BUT IT DOES, and it was the world building that got me there. Bits and pieces of what this world is like painted a whole picture that was easy to be immersed in. I can forgive the tropier aspects of the novel and the entirely weird This Romance is Only Here For Two Lines Because That's What YA Readers Want, Right? romance.
I liked Citra and Rowan from the start, and I liked everything they were going through. Even when the narrative skipped around, even when it felt like plot lines were being added and wrapped up unceremoniously, I enjoyed it all.
Seriously y'all, each plot line was wrapped up in like a page. All open threads were tied off neatly one by one. It was wild having everything happen so quickly and neatly but still satisfyingly. It was WEIRD not having to sit through five chapters of a huge climax.
I highly enjoyed this, read it in two sittings - and it was two simply because I made the mistake of starting it at 10pm the first night and HAD to sleep because I had work the next morning.
Super looking forward to book 2 and SCYTHE LUCIFER!!
Scythe shouldn't be as good as it is. On the surface, all the hallmarks of a tropey YA dystopian novel are there: a boy and a girl who are pretty awesome and chosen for their awesomeness, an interesting post-modern world, a challenge/competition, a romance that came out of left field, secret politics and messiness underneath the placid, perfect dystopian world.
It shouldn't work. BUT IT DOES, and it was the world building that got me there. Bits and pieces of what this world is like painted a whole picture that was easy to be immersed in. I can forgive the tropier aspects of the novel and the entirely weird This Romance is Only Here For Two Lines Because That's What YA Readers Want, Right? romance.
I liked Citra and Rowan from the start, and I liked everything they were going through. Even when the narrative skipped around, even when it felt like plot lines were being added and wrapped up unceremoniously, I enjoyed it all.
Seriously y'all, each plot line was wrapped up in like a page. All open threads were tied off neatly one by one. It was wild having everything happen so quickly and neatly but still satisfyingly. It was WEIRD not having to sit through five chapters of a huge climax.
I highly enjoyed this, read it in two sittings - and it was two simply because I made the mistake of starting it at 10pm the first night and HAD to sleep because I had work the next morning.
Super looking forward to book 2 and SCYTHE LUCIFER!!
This was my first Sophie Kinsella novel (I know, right?) and I found incredibly pleasing in a Hits The Right Chick Lit Spot kinda way. For something that required nothing but a minor investment in the characters, it was a lot of fun. The main character, Poppy, was a little too much at times (when she starts meddling, oh God, just stop and think for a second, girl) and parts of the plot wrapped up a little too neatly to make things easy for her -- not to mention the big climax that was totally written with a movie scene in mind. I see what you did there, Sophie.
Spoiler
I can't believe the Tonists were right and the Thunderhead just threw a worldwide tantrum wowGrayson to Thunderhead:
(Thanks Kat)
So this needed about 200 pages trimmed from it and a lot of it was hard to swallow. BUT. Citra and Rowan!! For once, I actually yearned for the YA romance instead of the plot. It's always been on the backburner in this series, and I didn't realize how much I wanted them together until the end. Wild.
Also WOW, every single man in this is a big baby, in his own way.
That's all I've got, I'm just a ball of CITRA AND ROWAAAANNNN right now.
Also WOW, every single man in this is a big baby, in his own way.
That's all I've got, I'm just a ball of CITRA AND ROWAAAANNNN right now.
I really enjoyed Life as We Knew It for the unique take on the apocalypse. It’s kind of terrifying to think of the moon moving closer (I didn’t question the science, I just went with it) and destroying all normalcy in the weather. From tides that are tidal waves to volcanoes and early winters, it’s hard to imagine how I would survive in that new world. Would I be as smart as Miranda’s mother was to gather food at first? Would I have the strength of mind and character to stay as strong as Miranda did during the few months her diary covers? It’s insane.
The diary format made this a simple, engaging, interesting read, and I cared for Miranda and her family so deeply. She goes through just about every emotion under the sun; from fear and love for her family, to a budding crush when she can manage it, to determination and frustration and despair. But even with the end of the world closing in around them, it’s the moments Miranda’s family can find to remember they love each other and are grateful to be together that are so worth it. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
The diary format made this a simple, engaging, interesting read, and I cared for Miranda and her family so deeply. She goes through just about every emotion under the sun; from fear and love for her family, to a budding crush when she can manage it, to determination and frustration and despair. But even with the end of the world closing in around them, it’s the moments Miranda’s family can find to remember they love each other and are grateful to be together that are so worth it. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
What a hilarious, delightful little book. Gratuity Tucci has to write an essay discussing what the true meaning of Smekday, the day aliens conquered Earth, means to her. Thus begins the hilarious and often sweet story of Gratuity's journey to find her mother, accompanied by an alien who calls himself J.Lo and her mother's cat. The adventure is huge, the aliens hilarious, the action thrilling, and every picture and drawing littered about made this an incredibly charming read. I totally recommend it to everyone.
I am never, ever messing with Australian teens, man. I've heard so many good things about this series for a while, and when I picked up the first book, I could see why. I read it in one sitting (with a caffeine deprivation headache) and enjoyed it thoroughly. Seeing how the teens adapt and grow into tiny adults as they struggle with the enormity of what's happening is wonderful, and seeing them go into action in the small ways they can made me cheer for them. I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series -- I already have book two from the library.
