emilymahar's Reviews (483)


I don't have strong enough words to describe just how much I loved this book. What's Left of Me was a thrilling read.

From the first pages of the prologue I was hooked. I loved how the narration of the book was from the point of view of Eva, the soul that's recessive. It was interesting reading about the dominant soul, Addie, from Eva's perspective. I also loved reading about how Addie and Eva interacted with each other considering their circumstances.

This book is fast-paced, but it still has wonderfully developed characters, and an amazing storyline. In this version of America, everyone is born with two souls, and eventually one will settle, the other will just fade away. But of course Eva is still there, telling her story. They're a hybrid, but they're hiding that fact from everyone. Hybrids are considered dangerous and unstable humans. If you are found to be a hybrid, you're taken away forever. What they do with you is awful, and I was disturbed many times by that fact throughout the book.

There was some romance in the book, but it was by no means a main focus of the book. The romance was written in a cool way considering that there was only romance for Eva, who's recessive.

Overall, I loved this book! I can't believe that I only got to reading it now. If you're a sci-fi/dystopian fan, you must check this book out!

Fangirl has got to be the most relatable book that I have read this year. All of you fandom people, this book was written for you!

This was the first book that I have read by Rainbow Rowell, but it's definitely not going to be the last. Her writing was adorable and so realistic. She almost created two different stories in one: Cath's but also Cath's fandom, the Simon Snow series. Including the excerpts of different Simon Snow books as well as Cath's fanfics made her love of the series that much more real to Fangirl's readers. The Simon Snow series is pretty much our Harry Potter. That was what made me really connect with this story. Cath was like me, and she liked the same things as me. We would totally be friends.

I feel like so many people will be able to relate to Cath for that reason. She reminded me of myself, and all of my other fandom-loving friends. She's a bit socially-awkward. She lives to read and write. She still carries that love for the Simon Snow series even though she is starting her first year of college. But, Cath really develops as a person through her experiences that she has throughout her first year away.

The supporting characters in the book definitely had a huge impact on Cath. In the beginning I found myself not liking the snarky, Reagan. But, after I got to know her as a character (like Cath did), I came to like her a lot. Levi was a character that I loved from the very beginning. At some points I wanted to tell Cath myself to give both Reagan and Levi a chance. Eventually when Cath finally lets them in, I was so happy for her. Cath's dad, her sister, and her estranged mom also come into play with Cath's story. She has a lot of stress about them, feels like she needs to take care of her dad. Cath also has a hard time coping with the fact that her sister Wren is becoming more of her own person, slowly drifting away from Cath.

All of that, plus the incorporation of her writing of fanfiction makes the story wonderful. Fangirl was one of the best books that I've read this year. Everything about this book was amazing. It gave me all the feels! I'd recommend that everyone that belongs to a fandom reads this. Adult or young adult, if there's a story out there that you don't want to let go of, read this book!

What you need to know about…
The plot: The story keeps getting better! This book in the series seemed like a lot of buildup for something really big that is going to happen soon! I’m also loving how there is more mythology incorporated in this one.
The writing style: I like how Hocking changes perspectives each chapter. It makes the book interesting to get to read from both the “humans” and the sirens perspectives.
The pacing: I felt like this one was slower than the other two, but toward the end it got a little more fast paced. There was even a pretty intense action scene! But like I said before - lots of buildup for the final book.
The setting: Still set in Capri, but there are some awesome flashback scenes with the sirens that are pretty cool set in new and different locations…
The characters: I like these books because of the diverse array of characters. Now that we are almost finished with the series, seeing the characters develop is great, especially when seeing different sides of the sirens!
The romance: Romance is a pretty large part of the series, but this one was lacking the large amounts that the others had. But, I must say I didn’t mind its absence in this one.
Overall opinion: Tidal was a quick, enjoyable read for those that are looking for something fun and light!

Originally posted on http://emreadsya.tumblr.com.

I'm going to need some time....

Originally posted at http://emreadsya.tumblr.com

What I thought about…
The plot: This book had such a gripping and heart wrenching storyline. It was a really deep and emotional read, but also so thrilling and interesting that I was unable to put it down!

The writing style: The style of writing was very unique. It is written in varying sized chapters, and then split into three different “books”. There are also parts that flashback to earlier times, making the book have lots of depth! It made for the book to be really quick to get through. Also the author uses second person throughout the entire novel, which was really different but wonderful to read.

The pacing: Although the story itself isn’t a fast-paced read, I read the book in a matter of hours. I would consider the pacing average, but I didn’t want to stop turning pages!

The setting: I had the chance to meet Julie Berry and listen to her speak, and she talked about how she doesn’t specify the time period, or location of the book. She said she did this so the reader could decide where it was set. For me, I felt because of the writing style, I got a historical feel from the book. I liked the reason she left it unspecified.

The characters: All of the characters were really deep, but Judith the main character was definitely the most interesting, especially reading from her perspective. The use of second person helped to add lots of emotion to the book, which I loved. The abuse that Judith went through made her character really deep, especially being that she was unable to speak, yet we know her thoughts.

The romance: The romance in this book was so heartbreaking considering Judith’s position, yet it was very romantic and sweet!

Overall opinion: I’ve never read a book quite like this one, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it! I’d recommend this book to everyone, no matter what genre you prefer to read. Also Julie Berry was so nice, and really interesting to listen to her speak!