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emilymahar's Reviews (483)
Partials was a really good sci-fi dystopian book. I went into without knowing much about the story except the genre. I had a pleasant surprise!
I really liked how instead of in many YA dystopian books, the main conflict was not with the government, but with the Partials and the Voice. This made it really interesting to read.
When I started I felt like the beginning was a little slow, but after you get into the book you'll realize that those parts were necessary to the story. From that point on there is so much action and awesome sci-fi stuff!
Kira was a cool main character because she wasn't really great at fighting, and she wasn't anyone special. She was a medic with a drive to help others, which I really enjoyed. My favorite character was probably Jayden. From the beginning I found myself liking his ability to lead and for some reason I just really liked his character.
The reason this was only a 4 stars (really like 4.4) was because it was lacking in the romance department. I'm not saying that there HAS to be romance in every YA book, but there was so much teasing at love interests that I felt like it hyped the reader up but there wasn't a result. (I have heard that things happen in Fragments though so...)
Overall, I really liked Partials! I can't wait to read the second book in the series and the novella!
I really liked how instead of in many YA dystopian books, the main conflict was not with the government, but with the Partials and the Voice. This made it really interesting to read.
When I started I felt like the beginning was a little slow, but after you get into the book you'll realize that those parts were necessary to the story. From that point on there is so much action and awesome sci-fi stuff!
Kira was a cool main character because she wasn't really great at fighting, and she wasn't anyone special. She was a medic with a drive to help others, which I really enjoyed. My favorite character was probably Jayden. From the beginning I found myself liking his ability to lead and for some reason I just really liked his character.
The reason this was only a 4 stars (really like 4.4) was because it was lacking in the romance department. I'm not saying that there HAS to be romance in every YA book, but there was so much teasing at love interests that I felt like it hyped the reader up but there wasn't a result. (I have heard that things happen in Fragments though so...)
Overall, I really liked Partials! I can't wait to read the second book in the series and the novella!
I really enjoyed Wither. I loved how it was set in a dystopian world but didn't focus too much on the post-apocalyptic aspects so much as Rhine's personal story. From the very first line I was hooked. The plot was so interesting and different than anything that I read, which made me love it that much more. Even though the book was set in the future, I got an old-fashioned vibe from the lifestyle of the characters.
I liked how the author gave each of the characters their own personal story. Each one was filled with so much emotion. The main character, Rhine, was such a strong character that went through so many physical and emotional struggles. I loved how she remained strong, but softened throughout the book. Jenna and Cecily, the other two main girls, were great supporting characters. Jenna was my favorite out of the two, though. Even though she never fully opened up to the other characters, you could tell that she cared about Rhine and even Cecily. As for Cecily, she wanted to grow up so fast, but just gave herself so many more troubles. Even though she was moody, I found myself feeling a little sorry for her due to her age. On to the male characters Linden, Vaughn and Gabriel. At first I hated Linden. But after progressing through the story, Ms DeStefano created a character that you could feel sympathy for. I came to like Linden towards the end of the book. Vaughn really creeps me out. He's truly evil! I did like Gabriel, but I felt like his character wasn't developed enough. I wanted more scenes involving him so that I could learn more about him!
The story was so mysterious and chilling. I really liked how the story was different from normal YA dystopian books! Overall, so great, and I can't wait to read book 2, Fever!
I liked how the author gave each of the characters their own personal story. Each one was filled with so much emotion. The main character, Rhine, was such a strong character that went through so many physical and emotional struggles. I loved how she remained strong, but softened throughout the book. Jenna and Cecily, the other two main girls, were great supporting characters. Jenna was my favorite out of the two, though. Even though she never fully opened up to the other characters, you could tell that she cared about Rhine and even Cecily. As for Cecily, she wanted to grow up so fast, but just gave herself so many more troubles. Even though she was moody, I found myself feeling a little sorry for her due to her age. On to the male characters Linden, Vaughn and Gabriel. At first I hated Linden. But after progressing through the story, Ms DeStefano created a character that you could feel sympathy for. I came to like Linden towards the end of the book. Vaughn really creeps me out. He's truly evil! I did like Gabriel, but I felt like his character wasn't developed enough. I wanted more scenes involving him so that I could learn more about him!
The story was so mysterious and chilling. I really liked how the story was different from normal YA dystopian books! Overall, so great, and I can't wait to read book 2, Fever!
I was really excited going into this book. After reading the synopsis I was immediately reminded of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series, which I love. Unfortunately, this book fell a little short.
My main problem was with the way that the characters were written. Meg was selfish, and whiney in an annoying way. At some parts of the book that was okay, knowing her backstory, but at other points it got on my nerves. Will was the other character that I didn't really understand. His personality changed drastically throughout the beginning of the book.
The characters were really my only problem with book. The writing gradually got better as the story went on, which made me happy. The story was really cool, as were the inventions. I liked how they were so modernized for the time period. As for the relationship between Meg and Will, I thought that it was cute, but nothing special. Also, the ending wasn't the greatest. There was no cliff-hanger that left me wanting to read the next book. But, I will probably check it out to see what happens next!
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it did have a few flaws. If you are looking for a cute, quick steampunk novel, I'd recommend this book!
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My main problem was with the way that the characters were written. Meg was selfish, and whiney in an annoying way. At some parts of the book that was okay, knowing her backstory, but at other points it got on my nerves. Will was the other character that I didn't really understand. His personality changed drastically throughout the beginning of the book.
The characters were really my only problem with book. The writing gradually got better as the story went on, which made me happy. The story was really cool, as were the inventions. I liked how they were so modernized for the time period. As for the relationship between Meg and Will, I thought that it was cute, but nothing special. Also, the ending wasn't the greatest. There was no cliff-hanger that left me wanting to read the next book. But, I will probably check it out to see what happens next!
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it did have a few flaws. If you are looking for a cute, quick steampunk novel, I'd recommend this book!
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I read Cinder late compared to everyone else in the YA book-obsessed world. Going into this book I heard nothing but great reviews and I was nervous that it wasn't going to live up to my raising expectations. But, I really loved Cinder.
I loved that there was so much sci-fi intertwined with the original story of Cinderella. There were some parallels to the original story, but Ms Meyer did a fantastic job in creating her own original book and not just writing a copy of 'Cinderella'.
The characters were awesome, too. Cinder, Iko, Peony and Kai were my favorites. Each had their reasons why I loved them, but I like each of them because the characters had depth to them. I also loved that Peony wasn't an 'evil stepsister'.
Overall, I loved the way that Ms Meyer totally re imagined 'Cinderella', adding futuristic details to the story! I can't wait to check out Scarlet and hopefully continue to learn more about Cinder's story!
I loved that there was so much sci-fi intertwined with the original story of Cinderella. There were some parallels to the original story, but Ms Meyer did a fantastic job in creating her own original book and not just writing a copy of 'Cinderella'.
The characters were awesome, too. Cinder, Iko, Peony and Kai were my favorites. Each had their reasons why I loved them, but I like each of them because the characters had depth to them. I also loved that Peony wasn't an 'evil stepsister'.
Overall, I loved the way that Ms Meyer totally re imagined 'Cinderella', adding futuristic details to the story! I can't wait to check out Scarlet and hopefully continue to learn more about Cinder's story!
I went into this book blindly, not knowing a thing about it. I must say that I came to like it a lot.
I was immediately drawn in when reading about the girl from his dreams and the storm. I wanted to know what was going on with him from the beginning. I also loved how descriptive the book became when dealing with the wind elementals (Windwalkers/sylphs). There were lots of details about the different directional winds, which made it really interesting. I also liked how, in general, there were lots of detailed descriptions, but not too many so that it was boring.
As for the characters, I liked how they were written. Vane was incredibly sarcastic and Audra was such a strong, stubborn character. I loved how different the two were but they came to care about each other through the training.
Overall, I really liked this book! I liked how the book ended fairly openly so that it left me thinking about the possibilities of what could happen next. It also got me wondering if there are other elementals than just wind?
(Read for free on Pulseit.com)
I was immediately drawn in when reading about the girl from his dreams and the storm. I wanted to know what was going on with him from the beginning. I also loved how descriptive the book became when dealing with the wind elementals (Windwalkers/sylphs). There were lots of details about the different directional winds, which made it really interesting. I also liked how, in general, there were lots of detailed descriptions, but not too many so that it was boring.
As for the characters, I liked how they were written. Vane was incredibly sarcastic and Audra was such a strong, stubborn character. I loved how different the two were but they came to care about each other through the training.
Overall, I really liked this book! I liked how the book ended fairly openly so that it left me thinking about the possibilities of what could happen next. It also got me wondering if there are other elementals than just wind?
(Read for free on Pulseit.com)
I wasn't a big fan of this book in the beginning, but it gradually got better and better. I think that the character development was good, but Zellie's major crush verging on obsession with Avery was a little much. It got to the point where it wasn't realistic. But, I got past that. I loved the fantasy and paranormal aspects of this book, and I think that it was the best part of the story. It gets really interesting when Zellie learns more about her abilities from her "dead" grandma and her great aunt. I'd recommend this for a quick, easy read. I'm not sure if I will continue of reading the Zellie Wells series because this was just an ok first book. I found that it was lacking the qualities to drag the reader back in to the next chapter and the next book.
The Darkest Minds was such a fantastic read! Based on the synopsis I was expecting that it was going to be like Gone by Michael Grant, but it was all that plus more.
The story was so interesting, and some times in the beginning it was a little confusing. As the story progressed, though, you really understand the previous events and it all fits together perfectly. The idea of the "rehabilitation camps" was so chilling but add the past events in our world's history and you get a book that can make you shiver. When you get to read about the world outside of the camps, it could be seen as verging on post-apocolypitic, but not quite there yet. I really liked that aspect of the story because I haven't seen a story in that type of setting. Also there were a couple different groups that made the story unpredictable about who the characters could trust.
The book has a large focus on the characters. Each has their own power, separated by color to show the strength of the ability. The different abilities are awesome, but depending on the character you can tell how they affect the kids differently. Ruby, the main character, has stronger abilities. She does a great deal to prevent them from coming through, and her whole story has to do with being able to find a way to control them so that she doesn't do something she doesn't want to. The other three characters that she meets, Liam, Chubs, and Zu were so well written! Ms Bracken created detailed backstories for them which help you to understand the reason they do what they do. Liam is the ultimate caring guy, who does everything to help someone else. I loved how he became the big brother figure for Zu and even Chubs. Also, him and Ruby are perfect! When I was first inroduced to Chubs, I didn't really like him, but by the end I LOVED him! Zu is adorable as well, and I love her to pieces!
Overall, this is such a well written and amazing book! I loved every single thing about it. And THAT ENDING! I NEED NEVER FADE NOW!
The story was so interesting, and some times in the beginning it was a little confusing. As the story progressed, though, you really understand the previous events and it all fits together perfectly. The idea of the "rehabilitation camps" was so chilling but add the past events in our world's history and you get a book that can make you shiver. When you get to read about the world outside of the camps, it could be seen as verging on post-apocolypitic, but not quite there yet. I really liked that aspect of the story because I haven't seen a story in that type of setting. Also there were a couple different groups that made the story unpredictable about who the characters could trust.
The book has a large focus on the characters. Each has their own power, separated by color to show the strength of the ability. The different abilities are awesome, but depending on the character you can tell how they affect the kids differently. Ruby, the main character, has stronger abilities. She does a great deal to prevent them from coming through, and her whole story has to do with being able to find a way to control them so that she doesn't do something she doesn't want to. The other three characters that she meets, Liam, Chubs, and Zu were so well written! Ms Bracken created detailed backstories for them which help you to understand the reason they do what they do. Liam is the ultimate caring guy, who does everything to help someone else. I loved how he became the big brother figure for Zu and even Chubs. Also, him and Ruby are perfect! When I was first inroduced to Chubs, I didn't really like him, but by the end I LOVED him! Zu is adorable as well, and I love her to pieces!
Overall, this is such a well written and amazing book! I loved every single thing about it. And THAT ENDING! I NEED NEVER FADE NOW!
After reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and loving it so much, I had to pick this one up when it came out. I love how Ms Smith comes up with adorable love stories from the most unusual experiences! After reading this one, I can call Ms Smith my all time favorite contemporary author!
This book was adorable (and the most unrealistic thing ever, but I can hope, right?!)! Everything about it was so cute and likeable. I really liked how the emails between the characters were incorporated as well as there being alternating POVs. It made the book different from many contemporaries.
The characters were great, too. Ellie was filled with sarcasm and witty remarks, making me love her. Graham was just...Graham. He was amazing. Quinn was a great best friend, and I can totally see how her and Ellie get along so well. I didn't really like Ellie's mom very much because I felt like she was almost blaming Ellie for her past mistakes.
The romance was sweet and perfect for summer. But I also liked how there was a little tiny bit of family drama to keep the story from being totally cheesey. Overall, it was a quick, light, perfect-for-summer read!
This book was adorable (and the most unrealistic thing ever, but I can hope, right?!)! Everything about it was so cute and likeable. I really liked how the emails between the characters were incorporated as well as there being alternating POVs. It made the book different from many contemporaries.
The characters were great, too. Ellie was filled with sarcasm and witty remarks, making me love her. Graham was just...Graham. He was amazing. Quinn was a great best friend, and I can totally see how her and Ellie get along so well. I didn't really like Ellie's mom very much because I felt like she was almost blaming Ellie for her past mistakes.
The romance was sweet and perfect for summer. But I also liked how there was a little tiny bit of family drama to keep the story from being totally cheesey. Overall, it was a quick, light, perfect-for-summer read!
MY FEELS!!! Grave Mercy had everything that my perfect historical fiction should have in it. There was action, romance, some paranormal/fantasyish aspects and female main character that wouldn't just kick your butt, but she'd kill it.
I loved how some of the characters were actual people during the time period, but the addition of the fictional parts made this book so entertaining! The idea that nuns are assassins was awesome, and I loved the aspects of the royalty and all the drama that comes with nobles! The mystery and betrayal had me unable to put the book down, and kept me guessing!
Ismae is one of my favorite main characters ever in YA. I really liked how she was so different than other YA heroines. She was fierce, strong, has amazing fighting skills and getting to be inside her head was really interesting. I liked seeing her open up to Duval throughout the book. At first I hated Duval, but I came to really like him towards the middle to end of the book. I also really loved the duchess, Anne, and Isabeau! Those two were adorable! I didn't really like Sybella, but I did enjoy Annith.
Overall, I loved Grave Mercy!! It was SUCH a great book! It was so much better than I was expecting! I can't wait to read Dark Triumph, which follows Sybella. Hopefully I'll come to like her and maybe we'll get to see what happens next with Ismae and Duval, too!
I loved how some of the characters were actual people during the time period, but the addition of the fictional parts made this book so entertaining! The idea that nuns are assassins was awesome, and I loved the aspects of the royalty and all the drama that comes with nobles! The mystery and betrayal had me unable to put the book down, and kept me guessing!
Ismae is one of my favorite main characters ever in YA. I really liked how she was so different than other YA heroines. She was fierce, strong, has amazing fighting skills and getting to be inside her head was really interesting. I liked seeing her open up to Duval throughout the book. At first I hated Duval, but I came to really like him towards the middle to end of the book. I also really loved the duchess, Anne, and Isabeau! Those two were adorable! I didn't really like Sybella, but I did enjoy Annith.
Overall, I loved Grave Mercy!! It was SUCH a great book! It was so much better than I was expecting! I can't wait to read Dark Triumph, which follows Sybella. Hopefully I'll come to like her and maybe we'll get to see what happens next with Ismae and Duval, too!
I was very excited to start The Memory of After, and I guess I could say that I had somewhat high expectations for it. Although I really liked some parts, I found myself not liking others.
One of my favorite things about this book was the way that flashbacks from the Net were incorporated for both the main and some side characters. The main character created a bit of a mystery about her past while narrating in Level Two and I really enjoyed how the author gave you little snippets about her past from when Felicia relived her memories again. I also enjoyed seeing her character while she was alive, compared to the Felicia of Level Two.
While I really liked the flashbacks, I wasn't a big fan of their time in the purgatory-type world of Level Two. I didn't think that there was enough world building, and I didn't feel like I was actually there with Felicia and the other characters.
The characters were indifferent to me. I didn't love them and I didn't hate them. Felicia wasn't that strong of a main character. The "love triangle" with Neil and Julian did have me entertained though. The main reason for this was because I wanted to know what Julian did that made Felicia so mad and unable to trust him.
Overall, it was an okay, quick and different read. I am excited to read the next book in the series though, because by the end I was very interested in learning more about the world of Level Two, but not necessarily the characters.
*READ FOR FREE ON PULSEIT.COM. THANKS SIMON AND SCHUSTER!*
One of my favorite things about this book was the way that flashbacks from the Net were incorporated for both the main and some side characters. The main character created a bit of a mystery about her past while narrating in Level Two and I really enjoyed how the author gave you little snippets about her past from when Felicia relived her memories again. I also enjoyed seeing her character while she was alive, compared to the Felicia of Level Two.
While I really liked the flashbacks, I wasn't a big fan of their time in the purgatory-type world of Level Two. I didn't think that there was enough world building, and I didn't feel like I was actually there with Felicia and the other characters.
The characters were indifferent to me. I didn't love them and I didn't hate them. Felicia wasn't that strong of a main character. The "love triangle" with Neil and Julian did have me entertained though. The main reason for this was because I wanted to know what Julian did that made Felicia so mad and unable to trust him.
Overall, it was an okay, quick and different read. I am excited to read the next book in the series though, because by the end I was very interested in learning more about the world of Level Two, but not necessarily the characters.
*READ FOR FREE ON PULSEIT.COM. THANKS SIMON AND SCHUSTER!*