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genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
4.5 stars - full review on my blog
I knew The Queen of Nothing was going to be my first book to read of the year because after finishing The Wicked King, I knew I needed to read the conclusion to this trilogy as soon as possible! The book did not disappoint and though I’m sad the trilogy is over, I’m definitely satisfied with the ending.
The book starts off a few months after where The Wicked King ended, with Jude, the High Queen of Elfhame, in exile in the mortal world, living with her sister Vivi and younger brother Oak. She tries to train Oak in sword technique, while also taking on side jobs with The Folk who happen to live in the mortal world. But when she’s visited by her twin sister, Taryn, she finds herself journeying back to Faerie posing as Taryn and hopefully finding a way to end her exile.
I don’t want to give away too much else, not that I gave away all that much. But I think the fact that I just couldn’t stop reading the book in my free time speaks for itself. Overall I was happy with the way Holly Black ended this series and it definitely didn’t end the way I thought it would… so that’s definitely a plus.
All in all, I’d say The Folk of the Air trilogy is a great YA fantasy series that you do not want to miss!
I knew The Queen of Nothing was going to be my first book to read of the year because after finishing The Wicked King, I knew I needed to read the conclusion to this trilogy as soon as possible! The book did not disappoint and though I’m sad the trilogy is over, I’m definitely satisfied with the ending.
The book starts off a few months after where The Wicked King ended, with Jude, the High Queen of Elfhame, in exile in the mortal world, living with her sister Vivi and younger brother Oak. She tries to train Oak in sword technique, while also taking on side jobs with The Folk who happen to live in the mortal world. But when she’s visited by her twin sister, Taryn, she finds herself journeying back to Faerie posing as Taryn and hopefully finding a way to end her exile.
I don’t want to give away too much else, not that I gave away all that much. But I think the fact that I just couldn’t stop reading the book in my free time speaks for itself. Overall I was happy with the way Holly Black ended this series and it definitely didn’t end the way I thought it would… so that’s definitely a plus.
All in all, I’d say The Folk of the Air trilogy is a great YA fantasy series that you do not want to miss!
Ali Cross wants to be just like his father, Alex Cross – a great detective. So when Ali’s friend Gabe goes missing, Ali immediately takes it upon himself to help crack the case.
It’s not that the police don’t seem to care, but at the same time they aren’t working fast enough for Ali’s liking. Ali gets his friends involved to help, even if it’s just by passing out flyers on the street and asking people in the surrounding neighborhoods if they’ve seen Gabe. Nothing, not even a suspension from school, will stop Ali from trying to find his friend. Meanwhile, at the same time, the Cross family is nervous about the upcoming trial for Alex Cross with the charges against him for “pushing” someone down the stairs while he was questioning the man.
The mystery around Gabe’s disappearance is one that is kind of hard to figure out. Did he run or was he kidnapped? Clues that Ali finds in his own investigation lead him to think that maybe Gabe left on his own or was forced to. After all, Gabe’s dad seems a little suspicious and maybe his appearance caused Gabe to run away due to abuse or something of the sort.
The story keeps you on your feet the entire time, not necessarily in the thriller sense, but in wanting to figure out what exactly happened to Gabe. What I really enjoyed is that you can see Ali’s emotions about everything that is going on, both with his missing friend and his dad’s upcoming trial… he’s taking on a lot emotionally for a middle school kid. He even gets so frustrated that he gets into a minor fight with another student at school (and to be fair, Ali was provoked). But really, when you’ve got this kind of stuff on your plate, who can blame you for blowing up a little?
This was a quick and interesting mystery novel by Patterson for the middle great/early young adult audience. Though I have never read any other book by James Patterson, I liked what he did here to create a spin-off of one of his most well-known mystery/crime series and gear it towards the younger audience. I can see the young fans of this book (possibly series?) wanting to read the Alex Cross books later on in their lives. I know I want to give them a shot now.
It’s not that the police don’t seem to care, but at the same time they aren’t working fast enough for Ali’s liking. Ali gets his friends involved to help, even if it’s just by passing out flyers on the street and asking people in the surrounding neighborhoods if they’ve seen Gabe. Nothing, not even a suspension from school, will stop Ali from trying to find his friend. Meanwhile, at the same time, the Cross family is nervous about the upcoming trial for Alex Cross with the charges against him for “pushing” someone down the stairs while he was questioning the man.
The mystery around Gabe’s disappearance is one that is kind of hard to figure out. Did he run or was he kidnapped? Clues that Ali finds in his own investigation lead him to think that maybe Gabe left on his own or was forced to. After all, Gabe’s dad seems a little suspicious and maybe his appearance caused Gabe to run away due to abuse or something of the sort.
The story keeps you on your feet the entire time, not necessarily in the thriller sense, but in wanting to figure out what exactly happened to Gabe. What I really enjoyed is that you can see Ali’s emotions about everything that is going on, both with his missing friend and his dad’s upcoming trial… he’s taking on a lot emotionally for a middle school kid. He even gets so frustrated that he gets into a minor fight with another student at school (and to be fair, Ali was provoked). But really, when you’ve got this kind of stuff on your plate, who can blame you for blowing up a little?
This was a quick and interesting mystery novel by Patterson for the middle great/early young adult audience. Though I have never read any other book by James Patterson, I liked what he did here to create a spin-off of one of his most well-known mystery/crime series and gear it towards the younger audience. I can see the young fans of this book (possibly series?) wanting to read the Alex Cross books later on in their lives. I know I want to give them a shot now.
After a sucky beginning to college, 20-year old Shane finally decides to make a change and does a study abroad program in London. Right away we learn that Shane is an awkward, shy, quirky girl who has a dream of being an author someday. However, due to her parents’ expectations, she is a premed major. But when she found the writing program abroad in London, she couldn’t help but jump at the chance, even if it means deceiving her parents for a short time.
While in London, Shane actually finds that she’s becoming friends with her flatmates, whereas before she’d kept to herself. She also finds that she is crushing on Pilot, and they seem to have a connection. But, of course, he has a girlfriend back home. So while she often finds herself alone with Pilot and enjoys their on-off flirtatious banter, she must also debate whether she wants to keep her feelings hidden or just woman-up and tell him how she feels.
This was a book that I went back and forth with while reading about how much I liked it. Part of it was the pacing in the beginning and another part was I thought it was going to be utterly predictable. I was wrong on that final part. The pacing actually evens out though as the story moves on, and I found myself invested in Shane’s adventure abroad and wondering if she’d tell her parents she doesn’t’ want to be a doctor, if Pilot would break up with his girlfriend, and if Shane would tell Pilot how she felt.
I love the theme of this novel though, which is to not let others choose your path. After all, it’s your life, not theirs. I totally understand wanting to make your parents proud of you, but in the end you have to do what’s best for you.
Overall, this story was enjoyable and full of a lot of relatable situations and circumstances. But for me, I think it was more of a one-time read. Maybe I’d pick this book up again in a few years, but it wasn’t a story that totally blew me away like it did for others. That said, I would still recommend it, it’s a good book for sure. It’s just not one I can see myself rereading over and over again for years to come.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
While in London, Shane actually finds that she’s becoming friends with her flatmates, whereas before she’d kept to herself. She also finds that she is crushing on Pilot, and they seem to have a connection. But, of course, he has a girlfriend back home. So while she often finds herself alone with Pilot and enjoys their on-off flirtatious banter, she must also debate whether she wants to keep her feelings hidden or just woman-up and tell him how she feels.
This was a book that I went back and forth with while reading about how much I liked it. Part of it was the pacing in the beginning and another part was I thought it was going to be utterly predictable. I was wrong on that final part. The pacing actually evens out though as the story moves on, and I found myself invested in Shane’s adventure abroad and wondering if she’d tell her parents she doesn’t’ want to be a doctor, if Pilot would break up with his girlfriend, and if Shane would tell Pilot how she felt.
I love the theme of this novel though, which is to not let others choose your path. After all, it’s your life, not theirs. I totally understand wanting to make your parents proud of you, but in the end you have to do what’s best for you.
Overall, this story was enjoyable and full of a lot of relatable situations and circumstances. But for me, I think it was more of a one-time read. Maybe I’d pick this book up again in a few years, but it wasn’t a story that totally blew me away like it did for others. That said, I would still recommend it, it’s a good book for sure. It’s just not one I can see myself rereading over and over again for years to come.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars