Rating: *** Suggested Age: 13

This series is rather unappreciated and I'm beginning to understand why. The first book, Article 5, was actually fairly good, but Breaking Point is the usual, boring, cliche-filled dystopian novel. Ember, the main character, isn't a very strong person and is rather annoying at times. I found the majority of the parts boring and confusing. Article 5 was so much better and kept me on the edge of my seat. Breaking Point didn't seem to move the plot forward and lacked the excitement I needed. As for the cliches? The "bad guys" are reminiscent of pretty much every dystopian government that exists in the young adult fiction world. There is a lack of creativity in this series and that is why I will not be picking up the next book.

With that said, I did enjoy a few parts of the book, earning in three stars. I liked Sean (a secondary character) because he seems to genuinely care for the other characters. He's a good friend and he just seems like such a well-rounded person. Part of me wishes that the book was from his perspective or that he was the love-interest. Sadly, that's not the case and it wouldn't work well anyway. I also appreciated some of the scenes. About 3/4s of the way through the book, I was mildly captivated and I read the rest in a day.

I think it is books like these, the cliches, that are ruining the dystopian genre for me. It's overdone and it doesn't have enough creativity anymore.

-Book Hugger

Oh my god, this book. I really need to read Carry On now. Like right now, right now. But I have to do stuff. And I don't own it. *cries*

I'll have a review posted later.

in the meantime, check out my blog! www.bookhuggerreviews.com

Wow, so Illuminae is unlike any other book I have ever read before. First, it's in epistolary format, which means that instead of chapters with dialogue and description, this book is told entirely through documentation. I went into this expecting that, and worried that I wouldn't love it. But I did. It didn't seem like either of the authors (and there are two) were just purely trying out a new type of story--it actually felt as though this formatting was the only way to tell this story. It was creative, it was hooking, and it was fantastic. Sure, I found some of the informational documents boring, but the chat room conversations (especially between Kady and Ezra) and the inner-thoughts (though, I think this was more like a log of description) of AIDAN were my favorite.

Not to mention, I loved the characters. Kady and Ezra are both realistic, use a plausible amount of curse words for their age (which is a lot, mind you, but it's all blacked out), and oh-so romantic. I mean, there's lines like this: "You have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies. You have me". How do you not fall in love with someone who says that? How do you not ship it until "every star in the galaxy dies"?

Also, even though I thought I wouldn't, I loved AIDAN. A lot of reviews are saying he's less of an antagonist and more of an anti-hero. At first, I didn't see that, but as the story progresses and you are more enveloped in AIDAN's thoughts, you begin to see him as less of a villain and more someone who's deeply afraid of the world. So, of course, I fell in love with him too.

“Part of being alive is having life change us. The people around us, the events we live through, all of them shape us. And that’s what I think you’re afraid of. Maybe not dying. But of this you, the you you’ve become, ceasing to exist.” -page 491, Kady

I don't read science fiction that often, but because of this book, I think I'm going to try more. I loved the plot; it was captivating and unique. I highly recommend you try Illuminae, but I will warn you that it isn't for everyone. The style takes a little getting used to in the beginning, but I'm lucky that I loved every second of it. I read Illuminae in a few sittings because I was that hooked by it. I hope you enjoy it too.

-Book Hugger

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

This book left me speechless. I don’t know how Cassandra Clare does it, but she creates such fantastic stories with plots that pull you in with every single word and characters that are so real. I find it difficult to believe that there are people in the world who read The Infernal Devices and hated them, or even slightly disliked them. I fell in love with these books, the world inside them, and the characters. I did find some parts relatively cheesy, but I think when I put it into perspective of how amazing every other aspect of this book and the series is, those parts can be overlooked. Also, I must mention the skill at which Clare writes; she writes so flawlessly and beautifully so that every single word has a purpose. The characters in this book and the previous ones were brilliant as well. I wanted to wrap my arms around every single one of them (except the evil ones…that wouldn’t be a good idea). Furthermore, Clare mastered the ability of creating characters that the reader is destined to fall in love with. Yes, I may be thinking of Jem Carstairs right now…Which brings me to the only love triangle allowed in the world: Jem vs. Will. If you haven’t noticed already, I fully believe Jem and Tessa are meant to be together, but I can name multiple people who would be willing to argue with me on that one. I don’t hate Will, don’t get me wrong, but he’s just not favored in my mind. [if you don’t want *vague* spoilers, don’t continue reading] Also, I believe I ought to mention the epilogue which succeeded in doing its job of destroying the reader (me) very well. I didn’t cry, but I can imagine millions of people did, I’m just not the most emotional reader. The ending was just so sad and heartbreaking. Authors should not be able to do that. Honestly. Though, once you get past the ending that likely made most readers bawl, the book was fantastic! It’s one of the most well-done pieces of young adult literature (along with Harry Potter and all of Clare’s other books). I highly recommend this series to fantasy lovers and even to those who prefer contemporary.

-Book Hugger