Maybe one day I'll dive so deep that the Abyssal Serpent will catch me, and I'll never find my way back. No sense in denying that such things happen. But it's not going to happen today—and there is a deep, abiding comfort in that. Deep enough to carry me through till tomorrow.

This was an amazing, raw, intense read. Some parts were so close to home I cried, and other parts that I've never experienced opened my eyes, heart, and mind to those who have. At first, comprehending what I was reading was a bit difficult; the contrast between the ship construct and the 'real world' was especially confusing to me. But once I figured out that it was depicting perception vs reality and that everything is meant to symbolize Caden's life and mental state, or a mentally ill person's mind in general, this book became pure genius.

Shusterman's prose is just one of the beautiful parts of this book; his ability to portray mental illness in a way that doesn't demonize the ones who suffer from it is another. He doesn't try to sugarcoat anything or claim that everything's fine in the end, but he simply tells it how it is; the honesty in this book was so refreshing.

He just gets it, you know.

Things that you never thought could be articulated are right here (yes, 'here' and not 'there'), written to explain what you yourself can not explain. Reading about Caden's journey as well as what he learns and discovers about himself and his own mind was so hard-hitting. I think I chose to read this at the perfect moment of my life and now I need to go sort all my thoughts and feelings.

I will definitely be picking up other works by Shusterman in the future!

Sometimes, a family is a boy, a bunch of ghosts, a witch, a werewolf, and a mysterious guardian.

I loved Bod’s interactions with all of the characters, specifically his relationship with his guardian, Silas. Bod is excellently developed and isn’t dumbed down simply because he’s a child. I enjoyed reading the chapters where it was kind of like a side adventure in his life (The Hounds of God, The Witch’s Headstone, The Danse Macabre, Nobody Owens’ School Days), and the final 2 chapters were very fast paced and intense. I definitely plan to read more of Gaiman’s works!

My first book I listened to on audio; may or may not have impacted how I felt about this since I listened over a span of many days in short bursts. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their circumstances, and the reoccurring theme of misunderstandings (as well as other life topics) were interesting to read about. My favorites were “Vox Clamantis in Desero”, “Bad Latch”, and “Plausible Deniability” while “Volunteers are Shining Stars” was a terrible experience for me.

* “Gender Studies”: 3/5
* “World Has Many Butterflies”: 4/5
* “Vox Clamantis in Desero”: 5/5
* “Bad Latch”: 5/5
* “Plausible Deniability”: 5/5
* “A Regular Couple”: 4.5/5
* “Off the Record”: 3/5
* “Prairie Wife”: 4.5/5
* “Volunteers are Shining Stars”: 2/5
* “Do Over”: 4/5

Engaging read; the last 50-60 pages were really intense and I loved every second of that. Pretty suspenseful but nothing too crazy. I especially liked Malorie as a character and her interactions with the housemates and her kids.

I liked it well enough. I think the ending was a bit rushed and the middle was kind of a slog to get through, but other than the pacing issues it was solid. The characters had distinct personalities which I enjoyed, but I wasn’t invested in any of them as much as I probably should've been to care about their developments. Because of this, the plot didn’t sustain my interest at all since this is mainly about the characters and their futures. I did really appreciate that though the main character has a love interest, that fact plays no role in her overarching journey. Also, the relationships among the nieces, Willie, Cokie, Sadie, and Josie was awesome to read about.

I can't take another dead girl.

This was such a heavy book, God. Subtlety truly strengthened the novel as a whole, allowing the audience to think for themselves, and just, every time something new came to light, my stomach dropped. The shifts between the podcast that takes place long after the events of the story and Sadie's perspective of her own journey were excellently written and gave the reader just the right amount of hint for what's to come.

Sadie and Mattie's story is one everyone needs to read; especially young girls. Monsters don't have fangs or claws, evil eyes or creepy smiles; they walk among us, lying in wait.

Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" asked Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.

These characters ruled my world.

Inej not losing sight of her path and her newfound purpose, refusing to settle for a boy who cannot give her what she deserves? Finally. Matthias learning to overcome his prejudice and the hate that has been instilled in him, and Nina not turning her back on her people for her love interest? Awesome. Wylan and Jesper's romantic development not being based on actual romance but rather their gradual realization that they just can't function well without one another, side by side? Great. Kaz suffering from a traumatic childhood experience and not simply 'getting over it', and still kicking ass limp and all? Amazing. Kaz never suddenly renouncing his 'evil' ways and continuing to do morally questionable shit to suit his greed and own fortune? Refreshing. Our characters actually showing, not just telling, that they're a bunch of badasses and are smart as Djel to have survived and thrived in the Barrel? PERFECT.

Amazing heist adventure that was a really fun ride; couldn't put it down! Things didn't always go right for the Dregs + Matthias and that was refreshing; the way they overcame these obstacles just made me love them even more and truly believe that they were the best of the best. Some books say the protagonist is some misunderstood, cruel, kickass character but in Six of Crows, you can actually believe they're capable of some fucked-up shit. And their backstories make them someone you can empathize with, people who are more than 'cruel, heartless killers'. The ending has me racing to read the next book.

Characters were awesome but at times I felt the writing and descriptions were lacking. Plot was fast-paced and I can definitely see it being an awesome heist movie.

But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wing magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren't chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.

Epic. As. Hell.

So many twists and turns that you get really stressed out, on the edge of your seat, waiting to see how the crew is going to dig themselves out of every mess they end up in. I cried so hard at certain parts and I truly loved and connected with all these characters. The last 200 pages or so were mind-blowing. The characters get even more developed from the previous book and their motivations/backstories more clear and sympathetic. Two people dealing with their respective traumas, another two dealing with their prejudices, one's struggle with a gambling addiction, and another trying to prove his worth. I loved reading these characters journeys to find their purpose and fight for a better future. Perfect ending!

Read for my English class; listened to the audiobook which was really well done. John Proctor was an interesting character and Abigail Williams can choke.

EDIT: after doing a 10 page analysis I’ll bump this to a 3.25