Well that was creepy. Creepy AF. Creepy and horrifying. And OMG the ending. After everything, that Clarice ended up with Teo, that she didn't even know why that would be horrifying...I just can't even. This is not my normal type of book, and though I am glad I read it because it was overall well crafted and presented, I also wanted it to end really badly so I could put the story behind me. I feel like this is a book of a woman's worst nightmare - and if that was the goal, it was terrifyingly well done. I'm really having a hard time saying anything else about this book. I don't know how to critique a story like this, because mostly I don't want to think any more about what was going on in Teo's head, how he justified his actions (and what more and more excessive things he was able to justify over time), and dwelling on what happened to Clarice and the psychological (as well as physical trauma) that she went through is just more than I can handle. So my 3 stars is because this book just scared the crap out of me and I just don't want to think about it more, but a recognition of what the author did and my appreciation of his exploration of the human mind.

Update: For all that I said I wanted to stop thinking about this story, it's sticking with me. And I'm starting to wonder if it might be more of a social commentary... The author is from Brazil, a country pretty well known for it's male chauvinism/unhealthy definitions of "manliness" and mistreatment of women on many levels. And I wonder if this novel, the ending in particular, is a poignant message about the state of things (both in Brazil and worldwide) for women. Being held "hostage" by men who see it as a favor, or "for our own good," and being forced to stay in bad situations where the only options are ending one's life or [purposeful] amnesia. It makes the entire story even more terrifying, if that was the goal, since as I think about it, it makes more and more sense.

For all that this book spanned a lot of time and a lot of character development (or not, depending on the character), I don't really have a lot to say about it. I liked it. Sure. But I didn't love it, I didn't fall into it. The jacket blurb about the book made it seem - bigger - than it actually was. And I'm not sure how. But for all the the book took places over years and across countries, the people in it, their lives and roles, stayed small for me. And maybe that's an accomplishment in writing, but I think it was more of a disappointment. Surprisingly, this was a book about disappointments, in my opinion: Venn's truths (or really the lack thereof, his only consistency being inconsistency), Humphrey's lies that buried his truths, Sarah's absence being her only truth, Duncan's future not being what his past self had really wanted, Paul's best tries for a better life... all of it just left me feeling deflated at the end. The futility of life and relationships, that's what this was about. And though there may be hope for Tooly, after all the blows and harsh truths about her past, that Fogg might be able to "save" her, I just don't know if anything would ever be enough. It was depressing to see what Tooly's life had been shaped into, and how she thought she had made it that way, wanted it that way, when nothing could be further from the truth. An interesting study of people and society leading to a sad realization of what people and society are, and always have been.

Honestly, this book moved just a little too slowly for me. Reading the inside cover made me immediately think of Garcia Marquez, but set in the Virgin Islands - what could be better?! The voices of the characters were so individual, so real (which, having read the afterward, makes a lot of sense, as many of the characters were based on the family members/history of the author). And because of her personal connection and the story telling she embodied, I really wanted to like this book more. Plus, magical realism is generally one of my favorite genres. And this book had all the right elements...the obeah women, the magical "stories" about the Duene who walk with their feet backwards, the mythical beauty and otherness of Eeona and Youme...everything happening in real life, in more or less real time, but with a bit of mysticism thrown in. There was just something that didn't hit all the way home with me. Objectively, I recognize the merits of the book and the story and the writing, but subjectively I just never felt engulfed in it the way I wanted to.

The only reason this doesn't have 5 stars is because there were a few times that the dialogue was stilted to the point that I felt it detracted from the unfolding story. Other than that, I loved this book! It's my first foray into anything labelled at "steampunk" and I really enjoyed those elements (airships, crazy watches, not quite historically plausible technology in general, the clothes). Plus, I have the largest soft spot for vampires, especially ones that fall for humans (re: Matthew Claremont in A Discovery of Witches, NOT so much the Twilight situation), and this book had that in spades. Also, it had distinctly Beauty and the Beast overtones, one of my fav Disney stories (not least of which due to the library parts), so this story was destined to find it's way straight to the soft spots of my heart. I loved Adele (solid and believable female lead) and of course LOVED Greyfriar/Gareth (I guessed super early that that was his secret, but not to worry, I was still excited for and enjoyed the reveal and "reattachment" phase). Their relationship unfurled and now is exactly what I wanted. I also enjoyed Flay, as a character and bad "guy" (much more so that Cesare, in any case). And I'm excited to see her return, as well as larger roles from Simon, Anhault, and Adele's tutor. Less exited about Clark, but his role is necessary, so I'll deal. And I super enjoyed the ending with the cat delivery and secret note - it was heart-melting/wrenching. I'm stoked to start the next one and see where everything goes!

Well shit. I have to say, I am hella impressed that Roth pulled that off. Really this book was less than the first two...the writing really fell into the young adult trap of the overly explanatory. And some of the dialogue was too forced. So that was a disappointment after the first two. However, plot-wise, I give Roth a ton of credit. It is HARD to kill off your main character. Hard, hard, hard. And to do it well. And to continue the story without them. In no small part because both author and fan base get addicted and connected to said main character. I have to admit, I was a little mad when I read that part. I didn't believe it. I wanted the happy ending. And the way it happened, after Tris talked so much about deciding to want to live and how she and Four had fixed things and come together, and how much you just want to get rid of Caleb cause no one likes him anyways. But ultimately it was the right thing to happen. And it is really the reason the book gets 4 stars instead of 3. And the way Roth uses the factions, the Abnegation part of Tris that was always so strong, as her reasoning...it was true to character as letting Caleb die would not have been. Also, Four is a great character, his complexities were real and his actions/story were almost more compelling than Tris'. His surviving her death is right, somehow...that he could find a place in a new society whereas her character would have had trouble with it. Also, making the story something bigger (with the Bureau), but not creating an ending that falls flat (or too small, considering the scope of the project) is also impressive. I was very nervous that story's resolution would fall short and the rest would then seem ingenuous. But the denouement was well carried out. All in all, a solid ending, even if I deep down really wish there was a happily ever after for Tris and Four.

Awesome, completely exciting and fun to read. The writing wasn't perfect. There were a few lines here and there that rang false, but all in all it was higher than the average level for YA fantasy/dystopia. Also, I really enjoyed the idea of isolating good/bad traits the way the factions did here. An interesting basis for keeping things steady but also a wonderful backdrop for being taken too far, as it was here. Also, it's really hard not to like Tris and Tobias. Nothing overly original about them ending up together, but it was paced and crafted well and therefore really made you want it to happen/work. The rest of the cast of characters was well done also...sometimes too stereotyped, but not obscenely so. They definitely added to the depth of the story/themes. I also really appreciate that this book leaves openings for the next one but at the same time doesn't leave so many hanging stories that you can't sleep til you get the next one. It's a nice mix that I think the author nailed (and my actual life/work will not suffer for). Nicely done and I'm really excited for what happens next!

I finally got around to reading this, what with recommendations to do so flying around and the movie coming out soon (or has it come out yet?). In any case, I can definitely see what the hype is about. This was a fantastic opening salvo for a new YA trilogy. And superb pacing. Really cool, real science-fiction-y look at aliens, something that doesn't always happen in YA (or in adult sci fi). The alien's goals, the way they "infested," their plans for the purge and how successfully it's carried out - so frighteningly realistic in it's portrayal of how screwed we would be if this really happened (and how many deaths there would be). And at the same time, I like the spin on humans' ability to survive, considering that the strongest, the ones left, really are being molded into a "masterpiece" for the 5th Wave. Seems slightly risky as far as how easily the operation could come down with a couple rouge aliens/humans spreading the word. Regardless, a great set up. I like the POV changes and the character/story development we get and am forward looking to more of that (particularly with Ringer). I also am really enjoying the head games details - the "who to trust" pieces of the story are tangible and intense. The one thing I was iffy on is some of the private/inner thoughts of Cassie (side note: love her name) - it's almost too "adolescent girl" sometimes, which bothered me. I think there are ways to show her need for normalcy and to think about the things that mattered back before the invasion without making her seem so...shallow...or that shallow things are all she thought about before, since that's likely untrue. Example: I loved the points about chocolate and burgers, but less the implication that everything she used to do was all about boys and getting boys attention, etc. However, all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend and look forward to watching the screen adaptation. Now, here's to hoping it holds up the story-telling and development that fell off in the second two books of the Divergent series.

Yup. Phenomenal follow-up. Better than the first, I'd say. All the rousing action, darkness, intrigue and romance as the first, with some added humor (thank you, Nsiri). It's been really interesting to see all the characters grow. Some, like Anhault and Cesare/Flay, you just love more and more. Some, like Kelvin and Mamoru, you enjoy the chance to understand from their POV, but also love to hate. And as for Clark, I hope he's gone for good, but somehow doubt it. Here's to hoping we get more of Nsiri's mother! And Selkirk's role (which I assume is not over yet), was the biggest tragedy to me - we'll see what happens to him now. This book is exactly what I wanted it to be after the first one - complete upkeep of the story without it getting old or overdone. Plus, the dialogue got better. As the plot thickens and the final conflict approaches, I cannot wait to see how everything is wrapped up in the last book!

*Revisiting after finishing the series - this was my favorite of the 3. Interesting, since usually I find the second to be more of a placeholder between start and finish, but the new characters introduced were fantastic and we don't get that in the third book. Plus, the relationship between A&G is both assured and still developing, whereas in the third one, it's almost too set to make it interesting any more. In any case, just an added thought in retrospect.

Done - and so sad that it's over. This was a phenomenal wrap up to a phenomenal trilogy. And for my first venture into steampunk, I don't think I could have asked for better. The build up and eventual "fall" was heart-wrenching in its humanity - well written and foreshadowed from the start. Plus the interplay of Flay, Cesare and Gareth was developed nicely. Of course the Adele and Gareth storyline was exactly what a reader wants - and I like that not everything about his survival/her geomantic barrier, etc. is explained, mostly because they don't even know, which I like for the authenticity. Similarly, their plans to move forward and the need to keep Greyfriar's real identity still a secret is just as important to the story authenticity - it is unrealistic to think that people in general will accept Gareth and I'm glad the author's didn't try to make that happen. I was sorry to see Badouin die, but happy to not lose Anhault (and to see the end of Clark!). Also, I was impressed with how the authors gave a sense of an ending, while still making it clear that there is much more to come and that really this story is far from over. Again, the reality they infuse into this "alternate universe" world is something really special. I will say there were a couple things that bothered me a little, as far as pacing and loose ends. I think the ending happened too fast - the deaths of Badouin, Flay, Clark, Cesare, Nzingu, and Mamoru were all too close together and I really didn't have the time I wanted to move from one to the next with all the feeling I felt each deserved. Also, I really would like to hear more now about Simon, King Nsiri, Dr.Goronwy (did he die in the crash/did he survive Adele's cleansing since he was a human?, what did he do to Selkirk?), Selkirk himself, Sanah (that was kind of out of nowhere, Adele's aunt?, and then she just disappeared), and Greyfriar (what will they tell the people about his disappearance/how will his story end?). But overall, the truly entertaining and fun read that I would recommend! What an adventure - I just wish I could keep following A&G through their next adventures as they move forwards with their lives, their "kingdoms," and the human/vampire relationships.

Mmmmmm...a lovely little romance novel. And my soft spot for vampires was completely satisfied. Not a bad storyline behind it either - I'm definitely intrigued to see where things go in this perfect summer read.