2.5-2.75ish stars. Well...that was disappointing. I have heard so many amazing things about this series from people whose opinions I value very highly, so I was expecting to love this book. Unfortunately, I found myself dissatisfied with the majority of this book.

World-building:
The world-building in this book for me is probably about a 3/5. I just wanted more. I wanted to know more about the cultures of the Volarian and Herrani people, what their relationship was like before the invasion, etc. one thing that really could've helped me get an idea of the world would've been a map in the front of the book. I love maps in books of other worlds, and having one would've helped immensely. I don't feel like any one thing was explored particularly well.

Plot:
The story started out slowly for me. There's isn't any real external plot the drives the narrative, and the internal plots were not well-developed. If the story had focused more on Kestrel trying to help the slaves obtain their freedom and her internal struggle between what she had lived her entire life and what she knew in her heart to be right, I think I would've appreciated this more. As it was, the story focused more on her wanting to play her piano rather than join the military or get married. It took me awhile to care about what was going on. I think it picked up once we learned of Arin's true motives and especially after the Herrani's mutiny against the Volarian. At that point the story moved very quickly all the way to the end. The pacing was just off.

Characters:
Sigh. This is where I had the most difficult time with this book. First, let me start by saying that I liked Arin as a character for the most part. He is strong, thoughtfully intelligent, and protective of Kestrel even when she treats him like utter trash.
If you couldn't tell by that last sentence, I thoroughly disliked Kestrel for the first 3/4 of this book. There were moments I liked her. Her interactions with Enai and her reaction to Enai's death were very touching. However, for the most part I found her to be just insufferable. She buys Arin at auction for some reason that is never fully clear to the reader. After the auction, she ignores his existence, instead leaving him to perform tasks at the discretion of someone else...until she has use of him because she's not allowed to go out by herself. We are supposed to think that she is an advocate for the slaves, when she spends most of the book being apathetic (at best) to their oppression. The only time she advocates for them is when it involves someone she actually has personal feelings for (Enai, and then later Arin)

There is another moment with her father where she admits to herself that she can't decide between fascination and revulsion when he speaks about the Herran invasion.

After the Herrani uprising, I found myself thoroughly disliking her. Here are a few notes I took while I was reading:

Pg. 241
Kestrel is talking about how brutal Arin is when her own people's prosperity was brought about with them brutalizing and enslaving an entire culture of peaceful people. So hypocritical. I don't know what the author is expecting, but I'm rooting for the Herrani, and I honestly feel like Arin deserves better than Kestrel. I find her really unlikable right now.

Pg. 245
Kestrel is really pissing me off with her self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. I get that she's upset. It's understandable when so many people she knows have been killed, but to not see the hypocrisy and double standard there is just maddening. There's no thought of, "if my father hadn't brutalized an entire nation of people this wouldn't be happening now." She is acting like an entitled bitch.

Pg. 247
She wants the delight of giving an order to a former slave and being obeyed. How on earth is this person an advocate for the oppressed?!?!

Pg. 260
I seriously don't know if I can finish this book. He tries to tell her about how he has suffered and she shrugs it off saying she doesn't care and that he could 'tell his sad story to someone else.' Then she gets angry because he used her and lied to her...the same way the Herenai had been used for years. Aaaack! Not to mention how many times in the book she uses others to get what she wants. She manipulates, blackmails, and gives orders to attain all her wants/needs. There is no moral high ground for her, and her callousness toward Arin is enraging.

Pg. 261
Then she starts to weep for someone who treated her like shit and would've killed her if she hadn't blackmailed him. What?!?! This man tried to KILL HER! I can't even.


On a related note, I didn't buy the romance between these two at all. I got a hint of it at the very end, but I wish it had been explored and developed more fully.

Kestrel somewhat redeemed herself near the end of the story, with the way she was able to broker peace between the Volarian and Herrani people, but it was too little, too late to save this book for me. It did bump my rating from a solid two to a 2.75 (rounded up to three) out of five, mostly because it makes me curious to see where the story goes from here and how/if she's able to get out of this forced marriage to the emperor's son.

One thing I almost expected to be revealed was that Kestrel is actually Herrani and not Volarian. It would explain her musical talents and obsession. Maybe in book two...or maybe I'm totally wrong...

I will pick up the next book in the series. I do hear from people that the series gets better, so fingers crossed!

So I hit a little reading slump over the weekend and thought the best way to get out of it would be to pick up a fluffy little contemporary novel...so of course, I instead pick up a fantasy book about a gang of thieves and assassins attempting to pull off an impossible heist...of course.

This book was absolutely breathtaking. From the fast-paced plot to the complex characters to the out of this world (see what I did there?) world-building, Six of Crows is definitely a contender for my favorite book I've read this year.

Leigh Bardugo wrote the Grisha Trilogy, a series I highly enjoyed, and Six of Crows takes place in the same universe, at some point after the events in the Grisha Trilogy. There are references to people and events from the trilogy, so I would suggest you read that series first if you don't want to be spoiled for it. However, you can definitely follow this book with no issues if you choose not to read the Grisha Trilogy first (But seriously, it's a great series. Just do yourself a favor and read it!!).

This story is told from the perspective of five of the six main characters. Each character really had a distinct voice, and I never felt like I didn't know whose point-of-view we were seeing.

The characters in this book are flawed and complex...and they are all wonderful! I don't want to get spoilery, so I'll just say that Bardugo does a wonderful job weaving back stories into this book that really help lay the foundation of this story. It doesn't feel expositional or info-dumpy in the slightest. She makes you root for this band of criminals, which I don't feel is an easy task. I think my favorite character is Inej, but even as I type that my brain is saying, "What about Kaz? And Nina? And Matthias? And..." Needless to say, I loved them all.

There are a couple of romantic subplots in this book, but they are NOT the main subject of the story and anyone looking for that may want to look elsewhere...although I LOVED the romantic couples in this book!

The plot was fast paced and interesting. The way that Bardugo crafted the story kept me hooked throughout. Even when we were getting a flashback from one of the characters, it never felt as though we were away from the story. The tension, the drama, the peril was still right under the surface and I really loved that the pacing never suffers.

The world-building is absolutely amazing. Now, as I said before, Bardugo created this universe in the Grisha Trilogy. However, the places we get to see in this book were never explored during the events of the original series. Bardugo does an excellent job of making Ketterdam and Fjerdan their own unique aesthetic. I could picture everything clearly as I read, almost as if I was watching a movie. I appreciate how simply she can set the scene for the reader, with language that is descriptive and effective without being overblown and flowery.

All in all, I really loved this book. It has to be in the running for my favorite book of the year (and I've read some truly amazing books this year).

I can't wait to get the second book in the duology, Crooked Kingdom as soon as I can!

2.5 stars. This wasn't terrible. I almost gave it three stars, because I actually found myself grinning like an idiot through a good chunk of this short novella. But when I thought about it afterwards, I realized that the dialogue was just very unrealistic for a couple of 18 year olds. Especially Daniel. One minute he's calling everyone really awful nicknames (Powder Puff, Cheese Tits, etc.) and the next he's spouting off these flowery proclamations of love...it just didn't ring authentic to me.

I didn't like Six in Hopeless. She was so one-note and a very stereotypical 'outspoken, sexually-liberated, best-friend-of-the-virgin-main-character' character. I liked her better in this book. She seemed to have matured quite a bit, which makes sense as you read the story and learn about the things she's experienced in the past year.

I liked their romance for the most part. I liked the banter. I liked that they were real with each other and accepting of each other. I also liked his interactions with his family.

This book is a super quick read at only 130 pages. It was a light, fluffy little read. I do wonder if maybe I'm just not a fan of Colleen Hoover's writing, because while so many other reviews laud everything she writes, I find myself underwhelmed. I still want to get my hands on some of her other works. I haven't given up yet!!

"I am not ruined. I am ruination."

4.5 stars

I love this series. Love it.

That being said, the very end of this book was slightly disappointing for me. Warning: incoming long rant.

One big source of my disappointment comes from the romantic aspect of the story. I am not a Mal/Alina shipper at all. In Shadow and Bone he tells her that he realized his feelings after she left with the Darkling. And she just kind of accepts this and is all happy that he's noticing her as something other than a little sister/friend. Meanwhile, every time the Darkling or her power is brought up, he gets sulky and jealous. I don't like that. I don't really like the whole "I never realized how much I loved you until you were gone" trope.

In Siege and Storm, I really, REALLY disliked his character. He was whiny, petulant, moody, and judgmental. I really just wanted Alina to tell him to get lost. It doesn't help that I absolutely ADORE Nikolai, and think that Nikolai and Alina should've been endgame. He is such a wonderful character. He's sassy, sarcastic, smart, a little morally grey, but ultimately has very noble intentions. And did I mention pirate? Er, privateer... ;) Anyway, he and Alina complement each other so well, and he is not intimidated by her power like Mal is. Nikolai accepts the woman she is developing into while it feels like Mal wants her to just stay the little girl who trailed after him like a puppy dog while he was busy hooking up with anything in a skirt (or robe, in the case of the Grisha).

In Ruin and Rising, I actually liked Mal a little more because their relationship had changed back into more of a friendship because they both thought a romantic relationship was not in the cards for them. I didn't even mind their intimate scene near the end because we are told that he is planning on sacrificing himself to help defeat the Darkling, so I was hoping that meant that she would give Nikolai a shot...assuming they could drive the evil dark winged creature out of him...and when she actually kills him, I was pretty impressed. Not many YA series kill off the main love interest/character in the end...and then she kills the Darkling in what was one of the saddest villain deaths I think I've ever read.

...sigh...

And then Mal is brought back to life...ugh.
I'm sorry, but that felt like a bit of a copout to me. And miracle of miracles! Now that her power is gone, they can live happily ever after! Because now, she's 'normal' again. >:(
I really disliked this last part of the story. For me, this whole series was about a young girl, who had always been overshadowed by everyone around her. Throughout the story this girl develops into a strong, independent, powerful woman who has the ability to save an entire civilization from a corrupt would-be leader. And at the very end, after she had vanquished said leader, she decides to fake her death and go back into the shadows so she can be with the boy she's had a crush on since they were kids.

I'm usually all on board with whoever the endgame couple is supposed to be. This is actually the ONLY series I can think of where the main character didn't end up with the person I wanted. I actually feel like Leigh Bardugo wrote Mal as the jilted third side of the triangle that we see in so many other series, which is probably why I never warmed up to him.

Okay, rant over.

Now that I got all that off my chest, I LOVED this series as a whole, despite my feelings about Mal. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing storyteller. The world she creates is complex, but not difficult to understand. The way she explains the abilities as science rather than Magic is something I really appreciated. The writing is so beautiful, so poetic. I love it.
Her characters are well-developed and engaging. I really enjoy all of the side characters and their relationships. Genya, David, Tamar, Tolya, Nadia, Aldrik, Bahgra, Misha...they were all great. Even Zoya, who I couldn't stand in book one and didn't know if I could trust in book two, was amazing. I loved Zoya in this book. Her banter with everyone, but especially Alina, was great. I loved the sisterhood aspect of this story. Whenever one of them was struggling, the others would rally around her to offer comfort and support. That is what female friendships SHOULD be like!
Some of turns in this book were shocking. When the Darkling infected Nikolai (for lack of a better word) with his Darkness, Bahgra sacrificing herself, so many character deaths...oh my goodness. So many feelings.

Like I said, all in all, I love this series and can't wait to start Six of Crows! I will read any and everything I can get my hands on by this wonderful author.

So I ended up appreciating this book far more than I thought I would after reading the first 50 pages last night. I really disliked the first half of this book. I didn't care for the writing style, I felt like the voices of the two protagonists didn't seem realistic for their supposed ages, and I found Ashley especially to be completely insufferable and unlikable. The second half of this book was quite a bit better though, and I got used to the writing style to a certain extent.

Plot:
There really isn't an external plot driving this story forward. It's more just a series of events following the protagonists after their parents decide to blend their families and move in together.

Characters:
This story is told in first person between two protagonists. The story goes back and forth between them from chapter to chapter.
Stewart is the main male protagonist. He is 13 years old. He is very intellectually bright, but is very socially awkward. He is an interesting character. I appreciated his honesty and his candid nature. Some of his interactions with other characters were very awkward, but that was intentional and authentic to his character.


Ashley is the main female protagonist. For the first 7/8 of this book, I absolutely HATED Ashley. She had zero redeeming qualities to her personality. And it wasn't as if she was misunderstood and was later revealed to be a really wonderful person. We were in her head for half the book. She is selfish, shallow, and just plain mean. But more than that, she is highly ignorant. I found myself actually angry with her parents. They are both successful, seemingly intelligent people, yet their daughter is very ignorant and kind of unintelligent. Throughout the book she continually misuses and words that I feel like most 14 year olds would know, and it makes her sound really dim. She really is a completely self-centered character.

Now, the author attempts to redeem her somewhat within the last 50ish pages, but I'm not sure I buy the transformation. Maybe if it had been a little more gradual, but it seemed like a very sudden 180 degree switch. Also, the voice that the author creates for her just doesn't seem like a 14 year old. Sure, she curses and there are some intimate situations, but her thoughts and the things she says just strike me as being from someone around 10-12, not 14. To be honest, this reads as more of a middle-grade book to me, rather than Young Adult, even considering the serious situations our characters find themselves in.


Other random thoughts:

1. I didn't really see why I needed to know all about Stewart's bowel movements. I don't need to be told about him going poop. Like...at all.

2. Disclaimer: I have no problem with breastfeeding in public at all. That being said, I am with Ashley and her mom when it comes to the self-portrait of Stewart's mom breastfeeding him nude. I wouldn't want that hanging up over my mantle either. Just saying...

3. If Phys. Ed. is the last class of the day, why do the kids HAVE to take showers? Can't they just do it when the get home?

4. This book is supposedly humorous (if you go by the blurbs on the cover). However, I didn't find it funny. At.All. There is bullying, gay-bashing, and attempted sexual assault...what a riot (sarcasm)...


All in all, this book was a quick read for me. I liked some of the lines and ideas, especially Stewart's views on his mom still being with him through the things that were close to her. However, I don't think I'll be picking up any more from this author, at least not any time soon.

4.5 stars. This is the best book of the series, IMO. I gave this a 4.5 because there isn't enough Darkling and there is way too much needy, angsty Mal. But I rounded it up to five stars because NIKOLAI!! What a great character. Sarcastic, witty, smart...check, check, check. I love it, and I love Alina's interactions with him. I also liked Zoya a lot more in this book. I'm still not sure if she's trustworthy, but she definitely grew on me.

This book was alright. It wasn't the best writing or the most intriguing of plots, and the characters were relatively shallow for the most part. But I flew right through it, and found myself mildly entertained. I am a total sucker for books inspired by Jane Austen, so that definitely helped.

I really tried to make this book last but I couldn't help it. I inhaled this book.