Wow - there were a ton of big themes tackled in this book: unethical experimentation on children, mistreatment of orphans in general, the Holocaust, euthanasia, same sex relationships in a time period even less accepting of that than we are now, body image...among others. I mean that's a lot of heavy topics. But for all that, and for all the hopelessness present in each of those, this book really left me feeling like there is a bright spot in the future if we keep our hope of finding it alive. The goodness that is absent in some people in present in abundance in others and if we work to be one of those people, we can surround ourselves with other people like ourselves and fight the evil that's out there. Rachel was a complex primary character - finding herself as she struggled to survive and fit in, learning from betrayals and mistakes. I loved the way her relationship with her brother was written. It was such a real relationship in their circumstances, no sugar coating, but no absence of love all the same. Her reactions to Dr. Solomon's reappearance in her life were similarly real, she didn't hold back and was true to her own feelings, her own pain, but pulled herself back from the edge just in time - something I think many people can empathize with. We are all people, with faults, and look for those to blame for our pain, deserving or not (perhaps deserving in this case, but revenge isn't the answer all the same). Naomi's part, her relationship with Rachel, was a beautiful bright spot in the story, a beacon shining to the reader to tell them that something better was out there, keeping our hope alive that Rachel could find it again. The telling of the story from alternating past and present perspectives kept the pacing perfectly and helped reveal the past story, to explain the current time, in just the right way. This was a quick read, but still so deep and full. Lovely.

I don't usually read short stories. I find them difficult for many reasons. For one, they can be so vague. For another, you usually have to think SO much harder - which gets to be a lot when there are 10 or so in a row in a book. And lastly, related to the previous, I feel like for each story, I need a break, time to absorb and resolve, before reading the next...which takes quite some time and is not always possible when a book is from the library. Perhaps all my forays into short stories should be purchased? In any case, this isn't a genre I'm used to reading or rating, so take this all with a grain of salt. But, this set of stories was really moving. My favorite part, in each of them, was the development and descriptions of the relationships. Very real, in an aloof sort of way. All just...people. Of the connecting features in the stories, I thought the continuation of certain characters, and one Tyche in particular, was a nice touch. Nothing special, but something extra. As for the keys...I just still can't decide. I love keys. The idea of them as the touching stone for these pieces is what appealed to me to begin with. Well, that and the fact that the title "what is not yours is not yours" is in my top 5 favorite book titles ever. But I go back and forth. In some cases, I loved their role (books and roses, drownings, freddy barrandov checks...in), but in a few of the others (presence, in particular) I thought they may have been forced. The few in which the key was more metaphorical, those I enjoyed as well. As far as individual stories go, I loved books and roses, "sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea, a brief history of the homely wench society. And the title of the last story, if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that don't you think, but am not sure the story lived up to the title. But I liked those three in particular because there was a little extra spark they had, a bit of verve perhaps, that just lit them up for me. "Sorry" was my #1 - it spoke to me. I can't put my finger on why. All in all though, the writing was gorgeous. Deep and picturesque. There are some stories I'd like to read again, like I said short stories make you think more, and I am sure I've not thought of something. Perhaps I'll buy it, so I can read it again at pace slower than the library-dictated option. An impressive collection of mystical life snapshots.

Well, that was unexpected. I am not sure why - I'm not averse to YA and I've heard great things about the author, but for some reason I just wasn't expecting much. Shows what I know. I am not sure about this, having done no research, but the book reads a bit like HP fan fiction. And I do love HP. It's well done though - alike, but not too close. And I was completely not expecting the relationship between Baz and Simon. Not even a little. But as soon as I realized it was coming, I was totally invested. I literally couldn't stop reading until that first kiss happened. And the next morning, I picked it back up SO excited to see where it went (and, in this case, the happy ending was exactly what I wanted). And in the current political climate of the US, as wrong as it is that people's sexuality has become a political issue, my hat is completely off to Rowell for using her platform, her reach and popularity, to bring any kind of non-heterosexual relationship to the forefront for teens. Reach people in any way that you can! But back to the book itself - great pacing, fun side characters (I love Penny), and a conclusion that is very satisfying. Also, shout out to Agatha - she is the person most of us are in real life, though we'd all rather be the hero (or antihero), and plays it better than most of us can. And I respect her for that. I'm sure she is no one's favorite, but did the best with what she had to find a life that made her happy and wasn't dictated by others. That's much harder to do than it seems - even though the story revolves around almost everyone but her, she teaches a great lesson and breaks some tough invisible barriers. All in all, this was both fun and was able to address some heavier themes. I enjoyed the hell out of it. And I'll definitely be reading more of Rowell.

I am not sure what I was expecting, but really this was fantastic. A gorgeous mix of history and myth and magic. And that cover! But really, this story was just so intricate and real. The details were spot on and the way the story of the Sidhe fit seemlessly into the "real" history of the time period was perfection. The role of the church, the witch hunts, the control of history/literacy, the expansion of England the fight for power/land/the throne, and the cameos by famous characters like Chaucer and "Patrick" anchored the story in the history we all know. And then the dimension addition of the Sidhe groups, their magic, the Coven in France, the Middle Kingdom and the goddess Morrigan. It all came together to create a most compelling picture of Medieval Ireland and the mythology of the past. It created a world that I would have loved to experienced - before the invasion of the English -to feel that Ardor running through the land, to know what that felt like, to have experienced magic. It was a reality brought tangible by the writing. Beautiful and full. One thing that I really loved was the relationships that were developed, mostly the romantic ones (Aisling and Conor, Liam and Brigid and Rhoswen, Jordan and Naija), but others, through pact, truce and self discovery, as well. Also, though difficult and heartbreaking to read, the tragedy of the story, the last days of the open reign of magic, the loss of Ireland's heritage and the lives connected therein (Anya, Conor, Brigid, Patrick, Aisling and Uaine) combined with the hope kept alive by Liam and Rhoswne's son and the line of the Morrigan even to the present day - the hope that Ardor would return to the land - was emotionally spot on, though draining. My only critique was the beginning and end, with present day...it was important for the scope of the story, but seemed slightly rushed. Otherwise, a magnificent telling.

So this book was meh. The writing wasn't great and it seemed like it was just following a rote script for paranormal stories, just drawn out a little bit since the author apparently knew it would be a longer series. So, all the downsides of a commercial paranormal romance without the actual romance conclusion that would save it. All in all, The was WAYYYYY too much forshadowing. Like in an amount that overdid it to the point that I actually don't even care about what she's foreshadowing. And the main character was just too....well, I didn't like her. You can not expect something and be in denial and be feminine and NOT be all pink all the time with matching nails and accessories. She's a parady of a real person. I couldn't take it. Mostly I felt the same about Barrons - a parady of what his character usually is. The death by sex Fae - it was just way over the top. And though I liked the idea of the plot starting with a murdered sister, it was just overly done in the end with the adoption and being raised in an overly stereotyped "provincial" area of the US. All in all, I just didn't care about the characters or the story. I'll not be reading the next ones.

This was a good story and a really interesting exploration of Chinatown and its' clashes with the "new world" in America, its' conflicts between keeping true to the old world/traditions and adjusting to a more "contemporary" American culture. Also, I'm always interested in a good magical realism tale and this had all the elements of that. Bringing together Doaist beliefs and Chinese spirit lore (I think, as I don't really have any background in either) and making them real, this story followed the "coming of age" for Li-Lin. Her story and effort to both prove herself to her father and to herself, and to find her own path, to overcome her tragic past, and save the home and people she loves. It was a very incredible, and enjoyable, journey to follow. I loved the character of Mr. Yanqui. And my heart was really happy with the ending and how things worked out for Li-Lin. I just think there was a little bit of character flatness across that board that's holding me back from giving the book 4 stars. I haven't been able to put my finger on what it was exactly, because the story was great and the details and historical minutia were phenomenal, and the concept of yin or"ghost" eyes was so cool, but something about the characters just didn't ring complete for me - just one reader's opinion.

Well to start, as a YA novel, I liked the writing - which is big. The author did a great job with "show don't tell," which lacks a lot in the YA genre, and I didn't feel written down to at all. The plot about the ley line and it's magical and historical connections was really interesting and seemed pretty original to me, as far as within this genre anyways. It was interesting that this whole first novel was more about finding the "magic" than already knowing/accepting that it's there, which is a creative approach - all the more so because the it didn't come from the typical "denial of magic" POV that I find it generally used when characters "discover" that magic is real. And because of that, the book was much more grounded in reality than I had anticipated. In any case, I liked the inclusion of psychics and their different skills, as well as Blue's special enhancement powers. And I am interested in seeing the path that the story about her father takes. As far as Blue herself, I do love an eccentric "heroine." She was both feminine and empowered in a way that seemed wholly realistic, and I liked that. I also enjoyed the women she lives with, their separate personalities coming together to kind of creating one whole personality in a cool way. My jury is still out on the Raven Boys themselves. The way they were presented here was a good start, but they also seemed, to this point, a little too flat, too defined by just one thing/principle... However, there is a lot of time left for growth, so for now I'll give the author the benefit of the doubt and see what happens. Noah though - really cool idea. And Ronan - why is there never a section written from his POV? I mean we even got Whelk's, and I see not getting Noah's, but why not Ronan? Interesting... And possibly it will be explained, because even though I feel like it was way too out of the blue (too much effort at a last second cliff hanger?), his line about bringing Chainsaw out of his dreams leaves a lot of space to learn more about him in the next book(s). I'm excited to see what happens next though, because the setting created was compelling and real.

This answered my question about where Ronan's voice was in the last book. It was all here - and it was goooooood. I really enjoyed getting inside his head and exploring what makes him Ronan, finding out who he really is. I will say, the one thing is that the parts where he interacts with Kavinsky - the were a little too meta (or something) for me. Overall, definitely a very solid second book, likely due in part to the fact that, while if furthered the overall story as well, it jumped to focus on a different part of it, which had it's own rising plot and conclusion within the larger picture, which was allowed to move forward without getting "stale," if you will. Also, I see why Adam is necessary and important and etc. but for some reason he is my least favorite character and story - similar to how I felt about Sam/Frodo in LOTR - he's totally integral but I just want to skim his parts. The inclusion of the Gray Man was a great character addition, on his own and also as a larger plot device (because though they were able to get rid of Whelk and Kavinsky, eventually the author is going to run out of ways to "magically" dispose of characters). I'm excited to see what happens now that he decided to come back only to find Maura gone. My last point, and we'll see what happens with this over the next half of this series, is that while I am really enjoying these books and characters and story, for some reason I still feel like I'm reading as an outsider. I don't know if it's the style, there are times when the author writes things that I think are supposed to lightbulb moments for readers like they are for the characters and I miss something, or something else, but there is a disconnect that is not allowing me to jump in and be a part of the plot like I have with others. It's an odd feeling, like myself, as a reader, is un-tethered a little - we'll see.

So the author went after something pretty big here...and I think she did a pretty good job with it to be honest. I had heard a lot about this book so I went in with some preconceptions, but on the whole it was about as good as I expected it to be. It is such an original concept and I was interested how she was going to pull things together. I was worried, after the beginning, that every single story was going to start over with her birth, but the author did a great job with different start points. I feel like she nailed the use of repeated quotes, stories, as a literary device. Enough to bring everything together (for example, Howie, Derek Oliphant, the beach trip/drowning, Izzie's roles, Teddy, Renee Miller, Crighton and Fred Smith and Ralph) but not too much that you get fed up reading about the same moment over and over. I also enjoyed that every once in awhile the stories would be drawn out, like her time with Derek, the life in Germany, the bomb warden in downtown London... It gave the book a little bit more flow, which was necessary. One thing I thought was interesting was that as the book progressed, she became more and more aware of her past experiences. I feel like that part was consistent throughout, but could have been flushed out just a little bit more. The one thing I wasn't a fan of was how the book started, with the shooting Hitler scene. I see what she was doing, but I would have preferred to start from scratch and built to that point, instead of waiting for it to come... Though the exploration of the different places she spent the war and the different ways it was handled/played out was super well done and also did create the sense that no matter what path she took, it would have been better without the war. So using that scene as an opener made sense from the perspective. All in all, I can see why this book got all the hype. Very entertaining and really quite creative.

Well this series just gets better with each book. As it goes on, so many of the hesitations I had to start are written away. The characters are all getting deeper, adding dimensions (both for us as readers and among each other). I am loving the way the relationship between Blue and Gansey is playing out - how slow and and meticulous it has to be. Opposite to that, the quick fall for Maura and the Gray Man was special and real in it's own way. Piper and Colin Greenmantle were a good addition - I'm not always a fan of mid-series character additions for the sake of added intrigue and problem raising, but I think they play their role well. They were creepy and weird in a way that fit the story. And Jessie Dittley was wonderful - and also the fact that his portended death came true due to meddling from Blue and Co. really adds some intensity to the Gansey death portent situation. And Gwenllian!!! Yes. The loss of Persephone was a hit though - she was my favorite Fox Way lady... Each of the young characters are really growing into their weirdness is a great way - Adam (and thank God he got over his angst - I get it but was ready for it to not be a constant thorn in the story anymore), Ronan (not such a shithead after all)...and boy am I invested in the relationship between those two...Gansey (and his confrontation with the possibility of actually waking Glendower, or being Glendower??), and of course Blue (accepting and learning to use her mirror/enhancement thing). All in all, I think the issue I had with not getting really into these characters, still feeling distant at the end of the first book, has really evaporated. They are all just far enough past "normal" and but not quite enough into "special" that the odd in between they inhabit is just not a place most characters live in, but now that I'm used to it, I'm loving it! Can't wait for the finale!