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forevermorepages's Reviews (811)
Rating for all four books: ***** Suggested Age: 13
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Rating for all four books: ***** Suggested Age: 13
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
The first thing you must know about My Lady Jane is that it's 100% not meant to be taken seriously. It twists history around into something much, much happier than what actually happened. Of course, it could logically fit into history, but there's too much fantasy to it for that to seriously be likely.
I think that was actually my main issue with this book: The magic made absolutely no sense. My questions weren't answered to my liking. Why could some Edians change into animals by choice automatically but others changed without choice? Why did some not change until it was convenient and would save their lives? Unfortunately, there were no answers to this and I was left disappointed.
I also didn't love the romance. One of the main relationships felt really gradual, which I definitely liked. However, the other one was definitely insta-love. Maybe it had to do with Edward not having a single relationship and probably being starved for what he believed he could never have...but I just didn't think it worked. I love slow-burn, not going to lie.
Aside from that, I really enjoyed the light-heartedness to this novel. My favorite character was by far Gifford, who's too pure for this world, honestly. I loved that he spouted out well-known Shakespeare lines, alluding to the idea that Shakespeare never really wrote any of his poetry and stole it from others. This was such a cute addition that only made the book feel stronger and more rooted in alternate history. As well, I loved the cameos made by well-known historical figures, such as Mary Queen of Scots. The discussion of Henry VIII was rather interesting, considering he's one of the best parts of English history (in my opinion).
Okay, at this point everyone should know I love history and especially European history. This really just satisfied my history geek heart, even if it strayed a tad from reality.
I also loved that the three author's voices never felt overwhelmingly different. Each character had their own voice (and I'm assuming they were written by separate authors? But maybe not? I don't know how this works...), but yet the style was so fluid. I think the novel itself could have used another round of edits, but the writing itself was very strong. I often worry when reading books written by multiple authors that it'll be obvious, but in actuality you can't tell the difference between this book and one written by only one author.
I definitely loved My Lady Jane. I can't actually say the other two books in the series sound appealing considering they're less based in history and more retelling stories, such as Jane Eyre. However, I at least loved this one! I recommend this if you're looking for something cute and funny, even if you don't like history; it doesn't read too much like historical fiction.
-Book Hugger
I think that was actually my main issue with this book: The magic made absolutely no sense. My questions weren't answered to my liking. Why could some Edians change into animals by choice automatically but others changed without choice? Why did some not change until it was convenient and would save their lives? Unfortunately, there were no answers to this and I was left disappointed.
I also didn't love the romance. One of the main relationships felt really gradual, which I definitely liked. However, the other one was definitely insta-love. Maybe it had to do with Edward not having a single relationship and probably being starved for what he believed he could never have...but I just didn't think it worked. I love slow-burn, not going to lie.
Aside from that, I really enjoyed the light-heartedness to this novel. My favorite character was by far Gifford, who's too pure for this world, honestly. I loved that he spouted out well-known Shakespeare lines, alluding to the idea that Shakespeare never really wrote any of his poetry and stole it from others. This was such a cute addition that only made the book feel stronger and more rooted in alternate history. As well, I loved the cameos made by well-known historical figures, such as Mary Queen of Scots. The discussion of Henry VIII was rather interesting, considering he's one of the best parts of English history (in my opinion).
Okay, at this point everyone should know I love history and especially European history. This really just satisfied my history geek heart, even if it strayed a tad from reality.
I also loved that the three author's voices never felt overwhelmingly different. Each character had their own voice (and I'm assuming they were written by separate authors? But maybe not? I don't know how this works...), but yet the style was so fluid. I think the novel itself could have used another round of edits, but the writing itself was very strong. I often worry when reading books written by multiple authors that it'll be obvious, but in actuality you can't tell the difference between this book and one written by only one author.
I definitely loved My Lady Jane. I can't actually say the other two books in the series sound appealing considering they're less based in history and more retelling stories, such as Jane Eyre. However, I at least loved this one! I recommend this if you're looking for something cute and funny, even if you don't like history; it doesn't read too much like historical fiction.
-Book Hugger
Second reading:
I loved this just as much as the first time, especially now that I know where it's headed. It makes me ship Bluesey so much more and I just want to push Adam and Ronan together. aFSHAFH.
First reading:
Rating for all four books: ***** Suggested Age: 13
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
I loved this just as much as the first time, especially now that I know where it's headed. It makes me ship Bluesey so much more and I just want to push Adam and Ronan together. aFSHAFH.
First reading:
Rating for all four books: ***** Suggested Age: 13
I cannot provide a summary as this is a review for the entire series, but check out Goodreads for summaries for each book. I apologize for not having a review for each book, but I read this series consecutively and found that this would be much easier.
I picked up The Raven Boys having heard about the huge hype. There is a huge hype and this series is deserving of every good review that has come it's way. From Maggie Stiefvater's poetic writing to her well-crafted and multi-dimensional characters, The Raven Cycle has everything you could hope for in a book series.
I was tempted to give The Raven Boys four stars when I finished it because of the occasional boring chapter, but as I reflected upon it, I realized how affected I was by it. I finished the book on the plane and a certain scene brought me to tears, which isn't all that common with me. I had fallen in love with every single one of the characters and their world.
When I arrived home from vacation, I picked up The Dream Thieves and devoured it. Once I finished it, I bought Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King. I finished The Raven King last night. I consider myself to be in emotional shock right now. I have just finished one of my most favorite series in the world (third from the top!) and I had only started it less than a month ago. Everything about it was beautiful and creative and new.
The characters are flawed, but gorgeous. I live for character development and wonderfully created characters. Stiefvater provided both and I couldn't have been more delighted. First, you have Blue Sargent, who is spunky, exciting, strong-willed, and a feminist. Then there's Gansey, who actually reminds me of a guy I know. Gansey is one of my favorite characters because of how completely misunderstood he is. Blue constantly believes him to be condescending, but the reality shows that Gansey isn't all that egotistical at all. He has most certainly been added to my list of fictional boyfriends and I would gladly marry him if I could (oops!). Following Gansey, is the other three Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah. I fell in love with Adam from the get-go, seeing his brokenness, but determination to be his own person and to be independent. I wanted to hug him, hold him, and tell him everything was okay (and I still want to). Ronan is similar to Adam in how broken he is. Ronan fights everyone and everything that can breathe. The Dream Thieves follows his story more and himself coming to terms with who he is. Lastly, there's Noah, the one who manages to break my heart just thinking about him. He's the sweetest person and the sassiest person at the same time. Everything about him made me so happy. I am so, so in love with the raven boys (and Blue!). Characters this fleshed out and developed are what really set off a story for me.
Of course, following the characters are their relationships. This book follows two main relationships (though I won't share who because SPOILER ALERT) and I loved both of them so very much. As for the non-romantic relationships, well, I loved those as well. The interactions between Blue and Noah, while platonic, were beautiful. The same I could say for Blue and Ronan. I loved the way Ronan treated Blue, it was hilarious. The fist-bumping and calling her "maggot". I'm laughing just thinking about it. There's also Gansey and Adam, who were most commonly found arguing about something. However, their relationship was deeper than that and I loved it so much. In the last two books, another character, Henry Cheng, is introduced and I couldn't help falling for him as well. He and Gansey had me grinning and laughing all the time. I mean, who hosts a toga party? Who???
The world of the book was so exciting. I want to live at 300 Fox Way with the psychics and their tarot cards (I happen to find all that fascinating, anyway). I want to walk through Cabeswater and talk to the trees in Latin. I mean, "THE TREES SPEAK LATIN" for goodness sake! Henrietta, Virginia is a city I'd visit (if only it existed) because the way Stiefvater wrote it made it come alive at my fingertips.
Every word she wrote had purpose. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. She phrased her sentences with intent of bringing suspense and mystery. She never flat-out said anything, it was always shown. I love the way she writes and I am now interested in reading every single book she has published. Her writing also happens to be so very quotable. I used up many notecards scribbling down sentences that spoke to me.
From Gansey in The Raven Boys, "My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them."
From Blue in The Dream Thieves, "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
Also from Blue in The Raven Boys, "Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast."
From The Dream Thieves, "'While I'm gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" I'm in love with this quote and I would have it written everywhere if I could.
This very long one from Blue in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, "Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."
From Blue in The Raven Boys, "She recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."
From The Raven King, "He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over."
I could go on and on with the quotes, but I think I've put enough here. Point made: Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing. It's because of her writing that when I finished The Raven King, I was pretty tempted to throw it across a room. I mean, how can it be over? IT'S NOT JUST OVER. However, I came to the conclusion that there is a way for her to continue writing in this world and I do hope so very much that she does continue.
I highly, highly recommend this series. You won't regret it, at least I hope.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this check out http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Wow, it's taken me a VERY long time to get this review out here and I'm really sorry about that. Unfortunately, it's been so long that my memories of this book are somewhat foggy, so let's see if I can get out a decent review, shall we? Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this book A LOT (and I'll be reading the next book when I get the chance!), but I had a few problems with it. First off, it was really cliché. Girl is really unpopular. Girl's brother goes missing. Girl's friend has a completely different identity. Girl isn't surprised at all that faeries exist. Girl goes searching for brother. Girl is snarky to people she most certainly shouldn't be snarky to because they'll kill her. Brutally. Girl finds out she's special. Girl is royalty. Insert my unimpressed yawn over here and you have yourself one of many young adult fantasies.
Anyway, I still enjoyed it because the rest of the plot--the more detailed parts--were really interesting and I actually did like a lot of the characters. Though, I still can't really see all the hype with Ash; he just seems like a jerk. I did like Puck though, he seems really sweet and adorably protective. However, Meghan was a little annoying, especially since she didn't seem to have any judgement or brains, but I grew to root for her as well.
The writing wasn't all that special and unfortunately, it was devoid of any quotable material, but it pulled me in and kept me captivated. Despite writing something extremely cliché, Julie Kagawa had the ability to hook me and keep me reading. I know it sounds like all I'm doing is criticizing this book, but underneath it all, I really did love it. It was exciting, interesting, and PUCK. The world was really inventive and I desperately want to read A Midsummer Night's Dream now with all the references. Just a note, it would probably be helpful to know something about the plot of that Shakespeare play beforehand because this is almost a retelling of it. I thought that was really creative. Also, if you've read The Mortal Instruments and loved them then you'd probably love this book. The world is akin to that of the Seelie Court in Cassandra Clare's creations.
I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try, but if you're looking for something more mature and original, turn another way.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog for more reviews like this at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Anyway, I still enjoyed it because the rest of the plot--the more detailed parts--were really interesting and I actually did like a lot of the characters. Though, I still can't really see all the hype with Ash; he just seems like a jerk. I did like Puck though, he seems really sweet and adorably protective. However, Meghan was a little annoying, especially since she didn't seem to have any judgement or brains, but I grew to root for her as well.
The writing wasn't all that special and unfortunately, it was devoid of any quotable material, but it pulled me in and kept me captivated. Despite writing something extremely cliché, Julie Kagawa had the ability to hook me and keep me reading. I know it sounds like all I'm doing is criticizing this book, but underneath it all, I really did love it. It was exciting, interesting, and PUCK. The world was really inventive and I desperately want to read A Midsummer Night's Dream now with all the references. Just a note, it would probably be helpful to know something about the plot of that Shakespeare play beforehand because this is almost a retelling of it. I thought that was really creative. Also, if you've read The Mortal Instruments and loved them then you'd probably love this book. The world is akin to that of the Seelie Court in Cassandra Clare's creations.
I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try, but if you're looking for something more mature and original, turn another way.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog for more reviews like this at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Okay, so I'm doing this piece by piece and only on Goodreads...maybe I'll copy and paste it onto the blog later (http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com), but I think I'm going to get more personal on here than I'd like to get on there...
Heads, Scales, Tongue, and Tail by Leigh Bardugo-1 star
This was an epic disappointment. I was expecting something beautiful and sweet, but also something I can understand. I had literally no idea what was going on in this story and it was so boring that I couldn't bother to try. As much as I love Bardugo, this was a mess.
End of Love by Nina LaCour-4 stars
This was the beautiful f/f story I wanted! And it has set me up to desperately need to read all of her other books! Bless this story! Though, while it fulfilled what I wanted at the moment, there was something missing...thus, the drop of a star rating.
Last Stand at Cinegore by Libba Bray-2 stars
This was largely unremarkable. The main character seemed like the stereotypical perverted male and I wasn't overly fond of that. Also, it reeked of sexism. But stereotypes, dear God. It was obvious from the first page that she was trying to "show, not tell" that his friend is gay. Newsflash, gay people look like everyone else, you don't need to use stereotypes to make it work. So...I thought this was a little problematic for my taste.
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block-4 stars
While fairly unmemorable, I did really enjoy this one. It was kinda weird and rushed, lacking enough explanation in parts, but I'm a sucker for ambiguous endings and I found the story really interesting.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins-5 stars
This story actually broke me into a million pieces, but it was so adorable and sweet and there was character development! In such a short story I did not expect to see a character grow, but I was pleasantly surprised! Though, my one complaint is that it was slightly wordy--some of the paragraphs were a mouthful.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle-5 stars
The gay rep here was on point and it was so adorable and my heart was so happy! I loved that it showed all facets of a person and we weren't expected to think the love interest was "perfect". It showed the flaws of first love and the honesty of heartbreak. Ahh it was amazing, I wanted to cry when I finished. Also, it's perfect if you're looking for the anti-coming out story and just a plot where lgbt+ people are living life and having relationships out.
Inertia by Veronica Roth-5 stars
Okay, first here, trigger warning for self harm. I actually wish I knew this beforehand because this is fairly problematic for me. I had to take a breather while reading it and remember that this is fiction and an honest depiction of depression, but if it's triggering for you, stay safe. Anyway, I loved this story. It was very Veronica Roth with the whole sci-fi futuristic "visiting" thing. The romance was beautiful friends-lovers (a trope I absolutely adore), but I do have to say three months of not talking isn't that much...I once ignored the guy I'm IN LOVE WITH for two. So...I mean, it was painful, but it's not going to cause a rift that big, even with a fight, that being called to on the other's dying bed would be odd. But yeah, I loved this one!!
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron-4 stars
This was so so so entertaining, but the writing style and amount of characters really threw me off. It was so difficult to keep track of everyone. With a short story, you gotta lessen the load a bit. But there were multiple couples and one m/m one and I loved that! It got sort of cheesy toward the end andI was slightly irked that the heterosexual couples got kisses, but the gay one didn't. Why? They were in love too???
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert-5 stars
By far, this was the most diverse one, with practically every character being a minority of some sort. Ahh that was such a breath of fresh air and the f/f side couple was treated just like any other couple. Bless. This. Story. And it was so beautiful and sweet and honest...I loved it. Though, I do have to say, it felt like Colbert was rushing to get to the romance at the end. It was quite "insta-lovey".
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare-3 stars
What is up with Cassie Clare and her border line incestuous relationships?? Here we have a girl falling in love with her step-cousin (not blood, so obviously it's a-okay), which was just WEIRD. He's still your family, so like??? I'm confused. But this is the same author who wrote Clace (with the awkward period when they thought they were actuallysiblings ) and wrote Sebastian being in love with his sister, Clary!!! . I am kinda concerned here. But other than that, I just thought this was kinda blah. I was honestly expecting something better out of her. All of the fantasy ones here have been really bad, ugh. Though, it wasn't horrible, just like eh.
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith-5 stars
I can't quite say whether the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) rep was any good, but it didn't feel problematic to me. If it is, though, let me know and I'll change my review accordingly! But in my opinion, this was the cutest story with absolutely adorable characters! I just wanted to hug Garrison and Noah. Ahhh I loved this so much. One of the best here for sure.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman-3 stars
Eh. This was okay. I've never been one for stories about people being "stuck in time" and I thought the explanationthat if Margaret fell in love it'd end made literally no sense and seemed like really really lazy writing . However, I thought the message was pretty clear and sweet and the characters both fairly lovable. Though, rip me because I thought the main character was female at first.
Average rating: 3.8 stars, but I don't give partial ratings, so it's a 4 star rating from me!
Not all of these were great, but I'd definitely recommend at least reading the 4 and 5 star ones, I loved them!
-Book Hugger
Heads, Scales, Tongue, and Tail by Leigh Bardugo-1 star
This was an epic disappointment. I was expecting something beautiful and sweet, but also something I can understand. I had literally no idea what was going on in this story and it was so boring that I couldn't bother to try. As much as I love Bardugo, this was a mess.
End of Love by Nina LaCour-4 stars
This was the beautiful f/f story I wanted! And it has set me up to desperately need to read all of her other books! Bless this story! Though, while it fulfilled what I wanted at the moment, there was something missing...thus, the drop of a star rating.
Last Stand at Cinegore by Libba Bray-2 stars
This was largely unremarkable. The main character seemed like the stereotypical perverted male and I wasn't overly fond of that. Also, it reeked of sexism. But stereotypes, dear God. It was obvious from the first page that she was trying to "show, not tell" that his friend is gay. Newsflash, gay people look like everyone else, you don't need to use stereotypes to make it work. So...I thought this was a little problematic for my taste.
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block-4 stars
While fairly unmemorable, I did really enjoy this one. It was kinda weird and rushed, lacking enough explanation in parts, but I'm a sucker for ambiguous endings and I found the story really interesting.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins-5 stars
This story actually broke me into a million pieces, but it was so adorable and sweet and there was character development! In such a short story I did not expect to see a character grow, but I was pleasantly surprised! Though, my one complaint is that it was slightly wordy--some of the paragraphs were a mouthful.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle-5 stars
The gay rep here was on point and it was so adorable and my heart was so happy! I loved that it showed all facets of a person and we weren't expected to think the love interest was "perfect". It showed the flaws of first love and the honesty of heartbreak. Ahh it was amazing, I wanted to cry when I finished. Also, it's perfect if you're looking for the anti-coming out story and just a plot where lgbt+ people are living life and having relationships out.
Inertia by Veronica Roth-5 stars
Okay, first here, trigger warning for self harm. I actually wish I knew this beforehand because this is fairly problematic for me. I had to take a breather while reading it and remember that this is fiction and an honest depiction of depression, but if it's triggering for you, stay safe. Anyway, I loved this story. It was very Veronica Roth with the whole sci-fi futuristic "visiting" thing. The romance was beautiful friends-lovers (a trope I absolutely adore), but I do have to say three months of not talking isn't that much...I once ignored the guy I'm IN LOVE WITH for two. So...I mean, it was painful, but it's not going to cause a rift that big, even with a fight, that being called to on the other's dying bed would be odd. But yeah, I loved this one!!
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron-4 stars
This was so so so entertaining, but the writing style and amount of characters really threw me off. It was so difficult to keep track of everyone. With a short story, you gotta lessen the load a bit. But there were multiple couples and one m/m one and I loved that! It got sort of cheesy toward the end and
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert-5 stars
By far, this was the most diverse one, with practically every character being a minority of some sort. Ahh that was such a breath of fresh air and the f/f side couple was treated just like any other couple. Bless. This. Story. And it was so beautiful and sweet and honest...I loved it. Though, I do have to say, it felt like Colbert was rushing to get to the romance at the end. It was quite "insta-lovey".
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare-3 stars
What is up with Cassie Clare and her border line incestuous relationships?? Here we have a girl falling in love with her step-cousin (not blood, so obviously it's a-okay), which was just WEIRD. He's still your family, so like??? I'm confused. But this is the same author who wrote Clace (with the awkward period when they thought they were actually
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith-5 stars
I can't quite say whether the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) rep was any good, but it didn't feel problematic to me. If it is, though, let me know and I'll change my review accordingly! But in my opinion, this was the cutest story with absolutely adorable characters! I just wanted to hug Garrison and Noah. Ahhh I loved this so much. One of the best here for sure.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman-3 stars
Eh. This was okay. I've never been one for stories about people being "stuck in time" and I thought the explanation
Average rating: 3.8 stars, but I don't give partial ratings, so it's a 4 star rating from me!
Not all of these were great, but I'd definitely recommend at least reading the 4 and 5 star ones, I loved them!
-Book Hugger
I loved the first two books, but Ruin and Rising blows the rest of the series out of the water. There was constant action and I could hardly put it down. Everything about this book was exciting, never failing to keep me on the edge of my seat. Leigh Bardugo has a way with pulling you in and not spitting you out until at least a day after finishing. At one point, particularly a sad one, I actually starting crying. However, said sad part was resolved in the end and I quite like the way everything worked out. Can I just say how TALENTED Bardugo is with literally everything? She can rip out your heart and put it back in its place right at the end. Gah, I love her. This is on the list of reasons why I so desperately need to read Six of Crows.
Furthermore, I started the book out hating Mal and ended it only disliking him a tad bit. He's not my favorite, but I have more respect for him now. My love of The Darkling completely faded though, especially because he started acting even creepier toward Alina than he already was. My favorite guy, you ask? Oh, that's Nikolai, hands down. Another thing Bardugo does that I love? She created Nikolai, one of my book boyfriends and favorite characters ever. He's so hilarious and sarcastic and I love it. Whenever he said, "I love it when you quote me", I swooned, quite literally. Personally, I'm Team Nikolai. It's a really unpopular opinion, but I have no shame or regrets.
I'm still not completely fond of Alina, especially given her pathetic description of herself (apparently petite and brunette means weak and plain?? BUT THAT'S ME AND I DON'T THINK I'M WEAK OR PLAIN, OKAY??). However, I am trying to see her in a better light because when it comes down to it, she is a pretty realistic character and reacts as most human beings would in the same situations.
If you can't tell, I highly recommend this series. I would try to throw it in everyone's face if that wasn't rude...or creepy...or a combination of the two. BUT GO READ THIS SERIES. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog: http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com for more reviews like this!
Furthermore, I started the book out hating Mal and ended it only disliking him a tad bit. He's not my favorite, but I have more respect for him now. My love of The Darkling completely faded though, especially because he started acting even creepier toward Alina than he already was. My favorite guy, you ask? Oh, that's Nikolai, hands down. Another thing Bardugo does that I love? She created Nikolai, one of my book boyfriends and favorite characters ever. He's so hilarious and sarcastic and I love it. Whenever he said, "I love it when you quote me", I swooned, quite literally. Personally, I'm Team Nikolai. It's a really unpopular opinion, but I have no shame or regrets.
I'm still not completely fond of Alina, especially given her pathetic description of herself (apparently petite and brunette means weak and plain?? BUT THAT'S ME AND I DON'T THINK I'M WEAK OR PLAIN, OKAY??). However, I am trying to see her in a better light because when it comes down to it, she is a pretty realistic character and reacts as most human beings would in the same situations.
If you can't tell, I highly recommend this series. I would try to throw it in everyone's face if that wasn't rude...or creepy...or a combination of the two. BUT GO READ THIS SERIES. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog: http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com for more reviews like this!
I read this book last year and found it quite an interesting idea, but not something I loved.
Having reread this, I have decided to change my rating to three stars because I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did at the age of 14. (Which I feel so horrible about, but whatever, I've grown up, I guess.) Anyway, I'm going to write something up on the blog about my feelings for all three of the original books soonish.
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Rating: ***** Suggested Age: 14
This wonderful series by Ransom Riggs couldn’t have ended better. I was extremely pleased with Library of Souls, but apparently not pleased enough to write this review on time (oops, it was finals week). Anyway, I loved this book. Everything tied up perfectly, which I usually can’t say about a finale. The characters stayed just as amazing as they were when I first picked up the series. The world evolved to fit the plot of the final book, but kept it’s unique and exciting qualities. It also had plot twists, which always make me happy as I can’t stand predictable books.
Furthermore, Riggs writes extraordinarily well. I’m so glad I met him when I was at Yallwest because he’s become one of my favorite authors. He flawlessly incorporates time travel within his story, which isn’t an easy thing to do when it creates so many paradoxes, and writes such well-developed characters. I think Emma is my favorite because she doesn’t let anything stop her.
I’ll always rank this book and series really high on my favorites list. It’s like no other series out there and everything about it is spectacular. I highly recommend checking it out, you won’t regret it (I hope)!
My favorite quote: “No one can hurt you as badly as the people you love.” -Miss Peregrine herself, page 356. I love this quote because it so perfectly describes what life is like. Always the wise one, Miss Peregrine.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
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Rating: ***** Suggested Age: 14
This wonderful series by Ransom Riggs couldn’t have ended better. I was extremely pleased with Library of Souls, but apparently not pleased enough to write this review on time (oops, it was finals week). Anyway, I loved this book. Everything tied up perfectly, which I usually can’t say about a finale. The characters stayed just as amazing as they were when I first picked up the series. The world evolved to fit the plot of the final book, but kept it’s unique and exciting qualities. It also had plot twists, which always make me happy as I can’t stand predictable books.
Furthermore, Riggs writes extraordinarily well. I’m so glad I met him when I was at Yallwest because he’s become one of my favorite authors. He flawlessly incorporates time travel within his story, which isn’t an easy thing to do when it creates so many paradoxes, and writes such well-developed characters. I think Emma is my favorite because she doesn’t let anything stop her.
I’ll always rank this book and series really high on my favorites list. It’s like no other series out there and everything about it is spectacular. I highly recommend checking it out, you won’t regret it (I hope)!
My favorite quote: “No one can hurt you as badly as the people you love.” -Miss Peregrine herself, page 356. I love this quote because it so perfectly describes what life is like. Always the wise one, Miss Peregrine.
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com