forevermorepages's Reviews (811)

Rating: ***** Suggested Age: 13

Summary: "It's been one year since it happened...

When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?

But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?" (Summary found on Goodreads).

"When it all closes in, there are only two kinds of people: best friends and everyone else." -Paige, page 64

I did not expect this book to hit me like it did. I knew it was going to be said, I mean, I read the summary, but I didn't expect it to make me as sad as it did. I really felt for Paige, even though I've never had a boyfriend die, heck, I've never had a boyfriend. Mainly I was affected by this because she did go through the death of someone, and I have too, and it tested who her real friends were. I understood this completely. Also, her friends were amazing, and they reminded me of my group of friends.

"Because with true friends, no one is keeping score. But it feels good to repay them--even in the tiniest increments." -Paige, page 217

While I did understand Paige, I found her crush on Ryan a little too annoying. Maybe because I've had crushes like that and I recall being annoying myself, or maybe because I just didn't see Ryan as "the one". Probably the latter. I loved Max though. He was special and he also understood Paige. They had so many things in common, especially complete and utter geekiness. I always love when books have characters who also love books. It's amazing.

"The point is that we already know it doesn't work out, but we reread them anyway, because the good stuff that comes before the ending is worth it." -Max, page 124

This book was raw and real. It was hilarious and sad and deep. Everything about it felt real and I loved that. I always love when books seem that realistic because that's what makes me emotional. It isn't the situation that makes me want to cry, but the reaction to the situation, and if that reaction doesn't seem real, then I am not going to even feel a tear at the corner of my eye.

"Grief is slow. It's like wringing out a washcloth. Even after you think it's dry, a few more drops will form." -Paige's mom, page 296

This quote; the one above. It's raw. It's real. It's beautiful. This is one of my favorite quotes now because I understand it. What I also loved about The Start of Me and You was the family element. Paige comes from a complicated family with divorced parents, but it's different from the usual teen angst story. I loved that with the large elements of plot, there are small parts too that may not play as large of a role, but still affect the storyline. It's not just a simple plot and I liked that.

I don't read contemporary, not often at least, but I highly recommend you try this. I loved this book, it was beautiful.

-Book Hugger
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While I may have been slightly confused while reading it, I cannot deny that I loved this book. A full review to come later.

In the meantime, check out my blog! bookhuggerreviews.com

-Book Hugger

It was probably a mistake that I started reading this on finals day one and finished it that night when I could have studied a little more for my AP European History final (but I still did well, so do I have regrets? Nope). Anyway, this book was SO captivating that I couldn't not keep reading. The descriptions were amazing and the plot was so dark and unique. I've never read anything written this way or like this before. In the beginning it started with second person point-of-view, which I thought I wouldn't like, but for some reason it worked. I think the idea was to keep us detached from Nathan, especially during one of the more harsh points in his life.

I think my main complaint is that at some points I felt a little too detached, enough that I couldn't connect with Nathan too well. I have confidence that the next book will fix this, especially since I think all it takes is getting to know the character more. In such a short book, there's no way I (or anyone) could be expected to become attached to the characters.

Other than that, I was a little confused by the part when he was locked in the house with the witch. It seemed like it was supposed to be punishment and was very close to torture at some points, but then they would be laughing with each other and telling jokes...so I was puzzled. It was like evil took a break for a minute and then came back a little bit later. Maybe I missed something, but I just couldn't understand this part.

Anyway, I can't believe how under-hyped this book is. The plot is creative and entrancing and the characters are dark and mysterious. I also loved that it showed the grey areas between good and evil. Usually the world makes it seem as though everything's black and white. You're either good or you're bad, but there's always a blend and I loved that it wasn't really clear what was good or bad here. Sure, people were White (good) or Black (evil) witches, but Nathan was in-between and struggling with the lines between good and evil. I've always loved these lessons in books.

I highly recommend picking up Half Bad, it's a thrilling ride that you won't want to miss.

-Book Hugger

For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com

Oh wow. We're here. You see, a year and a half ago I was screaming that we had to wait until the end of 2018 for QOAAD...but now...it's out...and I've read it...and wow.

Okay. 

I'd like to first say that this book made me cry both happy and sad tears. Thank you, Cassandra Clare, for evoking not one, but TWO emotional reactions out of me, a heartless monster.

I'd like to secondly say that the last one hundred pages were complete fan-service, but I was also 100% here for it. No negatives there! That's the part that made me cry! I'll do a spoiler section later soooo

I think there were two issues here with Queen of Air and Darkness: plot complexity and finale-but-not-really syndrome (I just made that up). The Dark Artifices has the most complex plot of any of her series and not only that, but it has the longest list of characters, and most of them have their own side-plots. In Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows, I was not overwhelmed by it all, mostly because the major plot parts hadn't been brought up yet, and we were still focussing so intensely on Julian and Emma. In QOAAD, however, it became a little...too much. Usually, I find every piece of her stories captivating, but with so much going on, I had parts I didn't enjoy, which made the POV-switching...a little annoying. This is the first time I've read a Cassie Clare book and didn't enjoy every POV. So that was disappointing. Not to say that she didn't pull off the complex plot, but maybe with such a complex plot, adding a million characters didn't...help.

The other issue is the ending, which yeah, was great, but also...not? I'm still struggling with how I feel about the ending considering how good it was in nearly every way, yet how disappointing it was when I got to the last pages. There really isn't a conclusion because The Wicked Powers are intended to come later, but given how far away that is, this ending doesn't seem right. It didn't feel like a finale (and maybe this is my emotions getting to me). Even though the characters in TMI continue on, City of Heavenly Fire felt very much like a finale.

Anyway, I suppose I have to have a lot of positives because this is a five star review. What made it a five star review? Well, for starters, I have such a deep attachment to the characters and the writing and the world and everything that rating it any lower would feel like a betrayal of both my current self and the version of me that read City of Bones in seventh grade. (I'm in twelfth now.)

But in actuality, this book was amazing. Cassandra Clare's writing has improved so much since her first few books, her plot has improved, her characters have improved. And man, does she still have some of the finest diversity in all of the land. (The land has very little, though, so I suppose that might not be saying much.)

I laughed, I cried, I wanted to throw the book at the wall in anger. I'm still in shock that this series is over—it does feel a little important that I started off high school with Lady Midnight and I'm ending it with Queen of Air and Darkness. It's the end of an era.

My favorite piece above all is the characters, even if some of them I cared about less than others (like I said, there were TOO MANY). Kit and Ty ended up being my favorite part to read about in QOAAD, but I still adore Emma and Julian. Fun fact, though, I actually like Cristina now! And I adore her with Mark and Kieran. I also love Dru, but I cared a little less about her storyline, and the same goes for Tavvy (a very small child still). I enjoyed seeing Aline and Helen come back, though, and it was interesting to see Helen and Julian switch roles in the house. 

Of course, I loved the persistent ones, like Magnus, Alec, Clary, and Jace, even if Clary and Jace make me want to vomit sometimes. (At least Magnus and Alec exist.)

The development of Emma and Julian's relationship was remarkable. Julian made some not-so-great decisions (and the pacing of it was a little awkward—it lasted for a good third of the book and then became a non-problem?), but above all, he still loved Emma. And I very much loved that quote about how he never treated Emma lesser for being female; they were equals. Don't I love a man who meets the very, very low bar? Unfortunately, yes.

I could probably go on for days, but the non-spoiler section is paining me. I JUST WANT TO HAVE FEELINGs.

1. I am angry that Kit and Ty did not get together. Why do I have to wait until 2022? I'll be a senior in college then? Not fair.
2. I cried during Magnus and Alec's wedding, mostly because they have come so far. It's beautiful to see Alec having gone from a closeted 18 year-old to a married father of two who is HAPPY. Life doesn't suck forever.
3. I didn't need the Clary and Jace greenhouse scene no. 2 and I shouldn't be surprised I got it.
4. The whole Thule scene was my favorite part of the entire book (aside from the Malec wedding). I want an entire novel on this alternate universe. Post-apocalyptic with Shadowhunters and demons? Yesssss. Okay, I will admit it was sad, but sTILL.
5. I love you, I love you, I love you. I don't need these FEELINGS.
6. Livvy. Just Livvy. I'm so sad. ALSO TY WHAT THE HECK WAS HE DOING? I wanted to shake him so hard the entire book because yes, it was in character to try to bring her back, but buddy why? THE DEAD SHOULD STAY DEAD. And Kit, my poor sweet child, don't let him do this. I am glad, though, that she came back as a ghost...although, I'm wondering what the consequence might be. It was alluded that there will be one, so...TWP comes too late.
7. Every time Kit commented on "hmm, my heart keeps RACING whenever TY is in the ROOM, I wonder WHY" I wanted to slap him. 
8. Zara did not get the ending she deserved. I am sad.
9. Idris and Alicante being no more makes me terribly angsty.
10. I think that will come back.
11. JEM. Need I say anymore? JEM AND TESSA. WITH CHILD. My fourteen year-old dreams are coming true!!! I have happiness again!!! 
12. I would like a companion series purely about Jem and Tessa living now with their child and their teen-child Kit. Thank you and goodnight.
13. Seriously, though? Another Herondale with a last name crisis? Deja vu.
14. I love Kit.
15. I love Ty.
16. I love Jem.
17. I love Magnus and Alec.
18. I should finish this review and go eat breakfast.
Thank you for coming to my spoiler and non-spoiler review! Happy reading!

-Book Hugger

This is so late. But I finally wrote this. And it's hella long, so enjoy ;)

“'There is truth in stories,' said Arthur. 'There is truth in one of your paintings, boy or in a sunset or a couplet from Homer. Fiction is truth, even if it is not a fact. If you believe only in facts and forget stories, your brain will live, but your heart will die.'"

Lord of Shadows is so far my favorite book of 2017, as though I expected any less since Lady Midnight, its predecessor, was my favorite of 2016. Cassandra Clare has never disappointed me and even with my high-anticipation of LoS, I loved every second of it (correction: almost). Not one bit was underwhelming, even if I do have a few issues (specifically, with the ending, but I'll get to that later)--there's always room for improvement.

Romance takes the center of The Dark Artifices, which is different for Clare because The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices were more about general character development and plot movement. While there are many side plots in The Dark Artifices, it's obvious that the forbidden love story between Emma and Julian is the most important here. As someone who usually prefers romance to take a side in the plot, despite being a hopeless romantic, I love that Emma and Julian take center stage. Their story has been told many times before, in "Romeo and Juliet", even in her the early parts of The Mortal Instruments with Magnus and Alec, but there's something fresh about this and there's more at stake than a broken heart and the threat of others dislike. The best part of this all, though, is that even if the romance doesn't hook you, there's so much more to the book than that. It may be "more important", but the side-action is riveting and the other characters each have their own paths.

“Everyone is afraid of something. We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything.”

It's apparent that Clare has written many, many books because this is by far her most complex series. Each book is heavy (not just in pages!) with depth. The plot is more composite, with each part very separate, but still connected to the center of the story and the main characters in some way. I can't say I was attached to the parts with Dru, but hopefully in Queen of Air and Darkness, I will care about her more. I was, however, strongly invested in not only the Emma/Julian plot-line, but the Kit/Ty/Livvy plot and the Christina/Kieran/Mark lines. I'm 100% positive that Kitty will become canon next book, just you wait!!! Though, I'm not sure how Kierark or the other names there will be resolved, and I'm still not sold on Christina and Mark, they just don't seem right together. 

Also, my blood was actually boiling whenever Zara started talking. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, GIRL, WHAT YOU SAY DOES NOT MATTER. I have a lot of opinions, okay? She has a lot too, but at least mine are decent and nice. Not to mention, there's Perfect Diego, who's actually NOT perfect (newsflash) and instead is a J-E-R-K.

Can we also just applaud Clare for the diversity in this book? It was such, such a breath of fresh air to see this much diversity in one book. She's always represented so many different types of people in her books, but The Dark Artifices has taken it to the next level and I love that. She's never made it seem like she was trying to reach a quota either, which makes it more authentic. 

Anyway. It took me maybe three days to get through this book and it's huge. I never wanted to put it down. Invested, I say, invested. And now, I'm broken because it's a TWO YEAR long wait for Queen of Air and Darkness, which I need more than I need air, pun somewhat intended. It's still a little unnerving to realize that I'm going to be almost graduating high school when that book comes out. Yikes. 

I'm in so much pain.

So much.

“Sometimes the most ruthless heart speaks the most truth”

Okay, but my ONE complaint here is the ending. I don't care as much that it was a cliffhanger as I do about how abrupt it was. I felt like she had reached the amount of words she was supposed to have in the book and just stopped writing. I'm okay with cliffhangers (hahahaha who actually is??), but this took it too far. It ended right at the end of an action scene (I'll just say that much), which goes against almost every story arc I've ever seen. Here's a basic run-over of the necessities for plot.

1-Exposition. Check.

2-Rising Action. Check.

3-Climax. CHECK.

4-Falling Action. Um.

5-Resolution. ¿Dónde está? 

Maybe things are different with series, but WHERE WAS THE FALLING ACTION?? Does one page of the characters realizing what had just gone down count as both falling action and resolution? Not in my book...

I can't drop the rating for this, however, because I loved the rest of it too much to do that. But I think it is quite important to acknowledge every part of a book, even the ugly, no matter what rating you give it. 

I cannot tell you how much I recommend this series. Clare is an architect of masterpieces, and even if you were disappointed in her other series, you are bound to like this one.

“There's something about a place you've been with someone you love. It takes on a meaning in your mind. It becomes more than a place. It becomes a distillation of what you felt for each other. The moments you spend in a place with someone... they become part of its bricks and mortar. Part of its soul.” 

-Book Hugger

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Just as magnificent the third time through <3


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if you've never read Wonder before, then you better go pick it up now.

Honestly, this is four stars because of logistics, considering how much I enjoyed this. Heidi Heilig's writing is gorgeous, her world was wonderfully crafted, and the history blended with the fiction was spectacular. The only thing missing to me was a little more connection to the side characters, such as Kashmir who felt slightly more like a caricature than a person (though there's time for development in the sequel), and a stronger ending. Everything seemed to fall into place too easily and I wasn't overly fond of the decisions made. Looking at it a little later, I found that I could understand a bit, but it still seemed out of touch with what had lead up to it and the characters.

Other than that, though, I loved The Girl from Everywhere. I have been to Hawaii a few times with my family and was actually heading there when I finished it. The historical developments written about gave me a new lens to look at O'ahu through (though, I had learned a lot about that stuff in school, this was deeper and more personal), and enlightened my vacation. I've always been fond of Hawaii and this is one of the first times I've read a book that takes place in it. (In other words: PEOPLE, WRITE ABOUT THOSE BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS.)

I noticed one person complained there wasn't enough time travel in this book, but I felt very different about that. While this book features time travel, I felt the more important part was the heist to get the map that would impact the time travel. In that way, it made this book very unique from other time travel books, and for the record, I don't generally enjoy time travel books. This had a lot of specifics, made sense in the magic system, and was just...different, for lack of a better word. It focused more on the logistics and, by taking place in mostly one location, was more grounded and allowed for development. I also have to say that the idea of needing a map to take you somewhere was so creative and I really, really liked that. It put a spin on the usual "time machine" idea and added a level, that if someone writes up a fictional map, they can travel to a fictional world (which I've heard is book two's plot). To be fair, I had one question, but I feel like that could be chalked up to my own misinterpretation of the system of travel (and I think I'll read back through and figure it out again).

As for the characters, I loved Nix. She is a strong character, with a lot of personality, but she still has room to grow, and I appreciate that. The book doesn't shy away from her naivety, her flaws, and I look forward to seeing her mature in The Ship Beyond Time. As for her relationship with Kashmir and Blake, how there was a bit of a love triangle, I didn't love that, but it didn't distract terribly from the story. This book is very plot-based, very morals based, and focuses a lot less on romance. In a genre where A Court of Thorns and Roses and other similar novels live, The Girl from Everywhere was a breath of fresh air. I don't really see Nix and Kashmir together, but I think I could. I like that first and foremost their relationship is friendship, and friendship is of utmost importance to them; whatever else happens is less important. As for Blake, I don't know if we'll be seeing more of him, but I thought he was sweet and not necessarily bad for Nix. I can't say I loved him, because he did have his flaws, but he was definitely interesting to read about!

I'm conflicted over Nix's relationship with her father. The ending for them was very bittersweet, and while I still have my issues with it, I think it was an interesting decision for them. I am excited to find out what happens with Nix next, to see if her dad will be in the picture for the sequel at all, and how she is handling whatever happened (can't share!). I strongly disliked her father because Nix was always placed second in his life, and I don't think that's how a family should work. Hopefully this will be touched upon more!

Anyway, another great thing about this book was the diversity. The main character is biracial and many side characters are POC. Woo! Go diversity!

The verdict? Read this book!

-Book Hugger

I'm finally getting around to writing this review, I'm so sorry, guys. Anyway, proceeding on...I was originally going to give this book three stars, but then I got to the ending and was sent into a flurry of emotions (!!). The ending (probably just the last twenty pages) was amazing and the best part of the entire book. Up until the ending, I felt as though it was lacking in plot. The entire story seemed to revolve around Cath's desire to open a bakery, her endless pining over Jest, and her hatred of her family and the King. I found most of it fairly boring and no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find a substantial piece of plot. Then around 3/4s of the way through, it's revealed and I liked it so much better from then on forth. It was the very ending, however, that allowed me to raise up the rating because holy-moly that was outstanding.

The writing, as usual was beautiful. I love Marissa Meyer's writing. She flawlessly describes a scene (and makes me drool over the delicious-sounding pastries, oh my) so that I am completely wrapped up in the story. She also writes amazing and in-depth characters, if not proven from The Lunar Chronicles. However, while I found the writing in Heartless just as beautiful, I thought the characters were a little flat. My favorite was Jest, oh-so problematic Jest. Cath could be a little annoying at times, but I truly felt her story and her hatred toward her parents. I loved Meyer's version of the Cheshire Cat as well (who was always my favorite Alice in Wonderland character). However, aside from these three, I found the characters to be lacking. Even the three I loved, I felt somewhat detached from. I wish that I could read Jest's story front to back because I almost feel as though Heartless would be better from his perspective. The plot would at least be more present. Argh, I'm not even a fan of plot-driven novels, but this was in serious need of a more driving plot.

In all honesty, I did not expect Heartless to end the way it did. Sure, this was the ending I wanted, no matter how heartbreaking it was, but I didn't believe that Marissa Meyer who wrote the beautiful and mostly-happy Lunar Chronicles could pull off something so epically tragic. I was pleasantly surprised when I turned to the last few pages. She ended it exactly the way it needed to be. Honestly, I sound as though I hated this book, but the end was beautiful and fantastic and epic in all intents of the word. I'm still screaming about it internally (not externally though, I'm not that weird). Gah, it was just AMAZING. Seriously. The entire plotless beginning was worth it just for this ending. Holy-moly, oh my god.

If you love Marissa Meyer as much as I do, try not to expect so much out of Heartless--you'll probably be disappointed. However, I hope that you'll ending the ending just as much as I did; maybe you'll even like the book more.

-Book Hugger

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