emilymahar's Reviews (483)

I enjoyed The Forsaken, but I felt like it didn't quite meet my expectations. I got to this a little later than many people did, and I feel like there may have been a bit too much hype attached to this book. But, with that being said, The Forsaken still was very entertaining, as so many dystopians are.

If I had to compare this to another dystopian genre book, I would put it with the Hunger Games. The similarities with the kids fighting each other in a some-what climate controlled, government controlled island, reminded me much of the arena in THG. But this isn't a review of THG, so I'm going to stop talking about that now.

The Forsaken was a fun read, yet a bit lighter for the dystopian genre. If you're looking for a gorey, really intense book, this isn't the one. But I did like how it was really fast-paced. There weren't any points in this book where I was bored, or was skimming through to get to dialouge. Alenna was a really great narrator, and main character. I liked how she adapted and took control of her actions. She went from being a city girl that was just there, to becoming a large part in what was needed to be done in her village on the wheel.

My favorite character was Rika. I hope that we get to hear more from her in the second book. She really surprised me towards the end of the book, and I liked that about her. You weren't expecting her to become a major part of getting to the city, but she does. Other characters I liked were David. I can sense a possible love triangle...(Anyone who has read this probably knows what I mean. I think he has a soft spot for Alenna). I liked how he was mysterious and kept you guessing. Of course we can't forget Liam. Although he wasn't my favorite character in the book, I must say that gosh, is he crush-worthy!! If I was stranded on an island, boy would I want to be stranded there with him!

The story was good, but the feelers were becoming a bit repetative. I did like the incorporation of the robot feelers towards the end, though. Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. I was hoping for a bit more, but the ending made me happy, so 4/5 stars for The Forsaken!!

3.5/5 stars

Loved the idea for the story, but it didn't progress the way I'd hoped. Still, I really liked it.

I found that this was a very fast-paced book. When I was reading it, it didn't at all feel like I was reading a 500 page book. It kept me interested throughout, but the ending left me disappointed. It felt like the book was rushed to be finished, and was left with lots of loose ends. I'm not sure if there is a sequel to come (I hope there is), but as of right now there are so many questions that I need answers to. It was one of those books that had a cliff-hanger ending, but one that felt like it was left unfinished. I would have given this a higher rating (because I did really like it), if there weren't so many questions that I have left inside my head! It's a nice idea of a story, but the execution wasn't the best. I am hoping there is a sequel to answer my many questions, because I would enjoy that very much!

Overall, I really liked the idea, but like I said before there are lots of strings in need of being tied up. Hoping there will be a second book in the series...

This was one of my absolute favorite books that I have read recently. I wasn't sure whether I would like this one because it was the first book that I have read involving angels. I was pleasantly surprised, and I am hoping to get to read the next one soon!!

Good continuation, but felt a bit like a filler book.

I was really excited to continue this series because I don't read much in the mystery genre anymore. I wasn't wowed by this one though. I felt like the first two were better than this one, and the story is becoming a little repetitive.

As characters go, my favorite character would have to be Sutton. I liked Emma better in the first and second books, but I'm getting to like Sutton much more now. I still really like the series and am going to continue on with it. Everyone seems to have secrets and I like that about this series. You never know what exactly is going to happen.

Overall, it was good and kept me reading, but not the best of the series so far.

Oh my goodness! This book was full of tons of twists and turns! It was so much better than the last one!

So much happened in this one!! From the start you could tell that it was going to be much better. Throughout the book there were so many revelations and just so much amazing!! Ahh!

Still loving Sutton, and Emma is back up there with her. I really like Madeline. The Twitter Twins are still very annoying but I like that they add those small bits of comic relief. Ethan and Thayer are such amazing guys.

The story was just - well I'm still processing! That ending... Well I don't know what is going to happen next! (She's his daughter?? What?!) I am blown away at how well Sara Shepard can change the whole story yet again within just one (fairly short) book.

Overall, I'd have to say that this is the best one in the series so far! Really well written.

*side note: Does anyone else who watches the TV show notice that there could be some possible parallels now? I know that the series was completely different from the books for a while, but I think on TV they may have just sped it up a bit. (SMALL SPOILER: For example, could Rebecca Sewell (TV) possibly be Ted's daughter like how Becky is Ted's daughter in the books?) That is my new theory!

Okay back to the book...
This was an amazing continuation to the series and February 2013 cannot come fast enough!

I am not a huge fan of contemporary novels, but since it is summer I tend to read them more than usual. I thought that Moonglass was just an okay read. It's not that I thought it was bad, but I just don't like very emotional books. This was an emotional book.

I really felt for Anna in this book. The loss of her mother was very very sad. I feel like having to move back to where your parents first met after they died must have been so hard.

What I did like in this book was the romance between Anna and Tyler. He was so sweet, and was just the person that Anna needed to open up to and be with during the hard time in her life.

My favorite character was Ashley, who Anna meets on her first day that she moves. I really liked how supportive she was towards Anna, as well as creating that best friend feel with a little humor in the mix. She's a bit of an Airhead, and I liked how carefree she was throughout the story. In second place would have to be Tyler. He's the lifeguard at the beach that Anna meets. He's sweet and you can really tell that he cares for Anna. Their relationship was perfect for reading during the summer!

Overall, I liked the book, but it didn't blow me away. I felt that for a contemporary there wasn't a good enough balance of the romance and family/emotional parts. I am also looking forward to reading Jessi Kirby's second book [b:In Honor|12049227|In Honor|Jessi Kirby|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333626377s/12049227.jpg|17016133].

Beautiful Lies made for an interesting psychological thriller type book. Although I found it quite interesting, I was also a bit confused towards the end about what really happened. The idea for the book was fantastic, but I feel like the writing fell a little flat.

This was a book that was based very much on the characters. I liked both Alice and Rachel, but didn't find myself liking their aunt and uncle, or some of the other supporting characters. One person that I did like was Kimber. I liked how the author added a background story about her. Sean Morelli was normal up until the end. I never really did like him... TJ was a nice guy, but I'm sad that we never got a conclusion to what happened with him and Rachel.

The story was slowly paced until the end, when things just started happening. I felt that it went too fast and that was what made it confusing. I must say, though, the end was a real shocker. I never would have suspected who took Rachel. I liked that part of the ending, but we never do find out what exactly was the cause for the grandmother to be crazy, and the twins to have that special connection.

Overall, it was a good mystery that kept me guessing. The writing wasn't the best, but I did enjoy the story. I am a little confused, but I guess that is what a psychological thriller type book is supposed to do, right?

Such an amazing and enchanting story! Beautifully written!

I went into this book unsure of what exactly the story was about. All of the summaries of the book that I read before were very vague and didn't give me much insight about it. But with there being so much hype surrounding the book when it was first released, I decided to go for it! Thank goodness I did!!

I borrowed this one from the library, but I will DEFINITELY be buying a copy for my collection. I would consider this one of my favorite books of the year.

The story was written in a way that was a bit confusing in the beginning, but in the end it all came together and created this fantastic story. The circus sounds like a marvelous place to be.

The characters were very intriguing and interesting to read about. I found myself really rooting for Celia and Marco. Another character that was probably my favorite, was Poppet. For some reason I really enjoyed reading all of the sections of the book with her involved as well.

It took me a little bit to get through the beginning of the book, but after I got about half way through I could't stop myself from reading. I actually forced myself to stop reading the end so fast because I didn't want the book to end. I can understand why this has gotten some negative reviews, as it is a really wordy book with LOTS of descriptions of things that may not be very important to the story. I am normally the kind of person that would not like books like that, but this one was different for me. I fell in love with the world and the story and didn't mind the extra descriptions! Overall, it was AMAZING!!

Read free from the publisher on PulseIT.

This book was a really fun read! I am a huge fan of Jenny Han's writing, but have never read anything of Siobhan Vivian's. I must say that this book was really really good!


The characters in this book were so well written. This is definitely a character driven book, and they were fantastic! You really came to love the main characters in this book, especially Mary. Her story was very sad, and I really felt for her. Kat, was funny and I found her sarcasm refreshing. Lillia wasn't my favorite character, but I did enjoy reading from her perspective.


The story was really different from anything that I've ever read, but I liked it a lot! I wouldn't want to mess with the three of these girls!


Overall, it was really enjoyable and kept me hooked until the end!!

I recieved this book for free from the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway! Thank you to both the publisher and Goodreads!

Persuaded was a cute contemporary romance. While I enjoyed reading it, I felt like it was a little too cheesey for me.

I haven't read the other two books that came before this in the series, but I didn't need to to understand the story. I know that this is a retelling of Jane Austen's book Persuasion, which I have also not read.

Overall the story was cute, but I felt like it was a bit cheesey for me. I didn't fall in love with the main characters like I would in a really good contemporary book. My favorite part would have to be the middle of the book where there was a surprise that actually shcoked me and I wasn't expecting. That earned it 2 stars! The other start was earned by surving as a cute, quick read, which was exactly why I picked it up.

I'm planning on checking out the other books in the series as there will be different main characters, but I'm in no rush.