leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

I finally picked up the second book in the Lunar Chronicles from my library, and holy hell, I wish I had read it right away, because Scarlet continued the Cinder’s story, flawlessly, in my opinion.


Scarlet is sectioned in a way that it continues to follow Cinder and her

imprisonment from the first book,

while introducing the readers to a new female heroine, the title’s namesake, Scarlet.

This story has a slight bastardized retelling of Red Riding Hood, and our wolf character is a street fighter named...Wolf. He’s the quiet, handsome, clearly keeping secrets type of man that Scarlet just can’t help falling for. Scarlet and Cinder’s stories intertwine because they have someone in common, Scarlet’s grandmother.

However, although Scarlet and Wolf are introduced, and though they’re definitely main characters, the story itself, still revolves around Cinder, who also gets help from Captain (Cadet) Carswell Thorne. I’m actually not sure who his character is based off of yet, in a fairytale setting, and I know I can look it up, but I’m hoping it’ll be explained in Cress.

If I had to guess, I think he’ll be Rapunzel’s (Cress’) love interest. Just an assumption.

Anyway, he’s a huge help to Cinder when she needs a friend, and Iko also makes it back, though she’s had a bit of a difficult change (for her). I loved seeing Cinder and Thorne’s interactions. He definitely seemed like the annoying best friend (I almost said brother, but since he’s a flirt, I’m sticking with best friend). I’m happy that it definitely doesn’t seem to be any type of weird love triangle-ish going on with Cinder, Thorne and Kai.

Kai is also back in Scarlet, although he doesn’t have as huge of a role. And, I’m still loving him. He’s still this overall good emperor to his people and good, moral man through and through.

At the end of Scarlet, it’s looking a little scary for his happiness since he’s proposed a marriage with Queen Levana, but I’m hoping that Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf and Co. will be able to help him in Cress...or Winter.

Dude deserves happiness.


So, overall I really loved Scarlet. I think that everything that happened in it, was necessary, and I don’t think this was just a fluff book to get us to Cress. My biggest issue with Scarlet was Scarlet and Wolf’s “relationship”. I get that everything about Wolf wasn’t his fault. He was mindfucked by Lunars, and ultimately he did good. But, they’re relationship just seemed kind of forced. If I was Scarlet, I would have made him work a little harder in the trust department. Just my thoughts.


Other than that though, loved this, and I would definitely recommend the series to anyone who’d like to try out a fantasy meets sci-fi world. Really good.

Disappointed. That's all that comes to my mind after reading Half Bad. I'm disappointed in the writing, in Nathan's (the main character) voice throughout this novel, but mostly, I'm disappointed with the ending.

I feel like absolutely nothing got resolved, and no matter how intriguing a concept for a novel is, if the story isn't written well enough for the concept, it's not going to keep me coming back for more.


I really thought I was going to love Half Bad. As I've said in other reviews, I don't actually need much to want to read a novel. So when I found out that this was about a witch, a male witch, dealing with the persecution of his society being both a black and white witch, I was instantly intrigued and excited to read it. And while Nathan does have to deal with a lot of crap throughout this novel, and I wanted to feel for him, I just couldn't muster up those feelings for the majority of the book.

I blame Sally Green for that. It shouldn't have taken over 200 pages to get me to feel something for the main character, and it shouldn't take a second book to resolve issues from the first one. I feel like I've read 1/2 a book. It ended awkwardly to me, and there was so little resolution in this novel.


I'm not going to continue this series, and I don't think I can really recommend it either. I guess if you like male adolescent main characters, cliff hangers, and all build-up but nothing to show for it, then this may be the novel for you.

3ish Stars

After reading very mixed reviews, I almost decided to pass on trying The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, but I’m glad I didn’t.


While the book did have its faults, overall, I really enjoyed the story. My biggest issue with this, wasn’t the writing or the majority of the characters, but rather the constant change between stories within the novel. We see so many different sides, but several of them, to me, were unnecessary to read about.


The Strain mostly follows Ephraim Goodweather (a/k/a Eph), a doctor with the CDC, specifically their Canary project. His job is to investigate potential biological threats, and when a plane mysteriously breaks down at JFK airport and all of the passengers are found dead, Eph and his team are called in to investigate the cause behind the deaths. With no outward signs of damage, and autopsy results that are bizarre, Eph and his team definitely have their work cut out for them.

During the plane investigation, a pawnbroker, Setrakian sees this mystery for what it really is, and takes it upon himself to warn Eph about the upcoming plague...that plague is viral and it’s creating vampires. So Eph, Nora (one of his team members as well as love interest), and Setrakian run around NYC trying to stop this outbreak before it spreads uncontrollably. With no one believing them, and the vampires working against them, they end up having an extremely hard time accomplishing their tasks.


We meet several other characters, including Gus (a gang member who I believe will be more important in the later books of the trilogy), Fet (a pest control worker who discovers the plague on his own, and has enough adaptability to keep himself safe), Kelly (Eph’s soon to be ex-wife

who is used against Eph by the vampires in a very tragic way

), Eph’s son, Zack (a young adolescent dealing with his parents’ divorce as well as a possible apocalypse. Poor kid cannot catch a break). On the big bad’s side, we meet - The Master (Buffy-esque name in my opinion, but that’s just who I grew up with), Bolivar (a rock star who was on the plane but survives.

He hosts the Master in his body

), and Eldrich Palmer (a dying old man, who wants to live forever.

He’s the reason the Master makes it to the US in the first place...that bastard!

).


Like I said, overall, I liked this book. I did feel like having too many voices throughout the novel was a hinderence, but in the end, I just read those stories quickly (maybe a little too quickly) and got back to the meet of the story, with Eph, Nora and Setrakian. I really liked those three characters in general, and when Fet enters their group, I still felt the dynamics worked really well.


I’m sure I’ll end up getting the second book in the trilogy to continue this story, because I’m definitely interested to see where it goes...especially with the characters introduced near the end of the book.

4 Stars

^^I took off .5 Star because of the second story and .5 Star because I didn't get completely interested into the story until around page 60.^^


Midwinterblood started a little slow for me. I didn’t realize that I’d be seeing multiple stories within one novel, but once I realized that, I ended up understanding the novel a little bit better and enjoying it more fully.


The story follows two characters, Eric (spelled differently in different stories) and Merle as they meet up in different lives, but never for long. At it’s basics, ultimately Midwinterblood is a tragic love story. There's also mystery and a little bit of light horror in there, but this story is centered around the love between Eric and Merle.


So, first, what I liked about the novel:

Loved the two main characters in almost all of the stories.

The times that they meet are spread out over several centuries, and I liked seeing each of the different settings.

I liked the mystery surrounding the Blessed Island.

Writing was relatively well done.

The ending.


What I didn't care for too much:

Second story has two minor characters named Edward and Isabella. Freaking threw off my reading.

There were times that both the main characters made really, really stupid choices.

Umm, it was a love story (so the cover flap said), but there were times that Eric and Merle met up in past lives that wouldn’t allow for them to be lovers. So, at first I thought that was awkward.

However it did end up adding to this story as being more than just a love story, by adding in family and friendships between the two, so yay!(toss this one up in the good section)



Although the ending was

upsetting, with both the MC's dying

. I really loved this novel as a whole. The stories end up all coming together, and Marcus Sedgwick did a great job at giving the reader an ending to these lovers’ multiple lives. I even think how it ended was necessary.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I’m definitely going to look into other works created by this author.

I loved READY PLAYER ONE. Really simple as that. Having been born in the late 80s, I may have not been old enough when most of these references were still new and fresh, but I know that the 80s was the best decade by far, and most everything awesome came out during those 10 years. This is fact, not me being bias or anything at all.


Ernest Cline created a wonderful world and story with READY PLAYER ONE. While I was sad to see Momma Earth in ruins because of us humans, it’s completely plausible that we’ll end up doing exactly that to her. I loved how realistic his Earth is, and I can see it happening. Maybe not in my lifetime, but the world Ernest Cline shows, is one that can happen. And when it does, if I’m still alive for it, I hope that someone creates OASIS. Because, we’ll need it.

OASIS is a simulation game/universe created by James Halliday, a game designer of epicly rich and genius proportions, and when he dies, he leaves an easter egg in the OASIS for one lucky bastard to win his fortunes and company. Needless to say, it’s an extremely sought after award. Halliday leaves clues and keys and everything people need to discover the easter egg, but unfortunately, it remains hidden…

Until Wade. Wade is our 18 hero. In the real world, he’s awkward, overweight and doesn’t want to exist in the real world. Outside of the OASIS, he’s a nobody. Poor and has no future, but in the OASIS, well, he’s still poor, but he’s Parzival and he has friends and the same chance that everyone in the OASIS has - to find the easter egg and become a multi-billionaire overnight. And he wants it. And he’s been researching the life and geek loves of James Halliday for just that chance. And now, it’s here for him.

But of course, as it is with any competition, Wade isn’t alone with his desires to find the easter egg. There are really two groups that are searching - Gunters - fans of Hallidays and lovers of the OASIS. They want the egg, but really, they want the adventure of the search. And the Sixers. Egg hunters recruited by an organization, IOI and under the orders of Sorrento (The Big Bad) to find the egg before the gunters, so that IOI can control the OASIS. Those evil bastards.


And I feel like I’ve already given a lot a way of the plot, and for that, I’m sorry. Just know that Wade has an adventure, meets some great people along the way, gains friendships and works toward finding the egg, but more importantly trying to keep IOI from getting it first.

It’s dangerous. He’s courageous. It really is a lot like a video game. Unfortunately, IOI isn’t just killing avatars, and humans still really only have 1 life to use. When it’s Game Over, it’s game over.



I would recommend READY PLAYER ONE to anyone. Gamers, non-gamers, doesn’t matter. Ernest Cline created a novel that transcends geek culture, and it’s a story that at the heart of it, is good vs. evil. And everyone loves those kind of stories.

When I first started reading THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, I really was enjoying it.

I liked that the setting was unique to me, taking place in Hawaii, and I liked that Leilani, the 16 year old protagonist, seemed like a fun, laid back gal with a medical condition, that was unfortunately, defining her.

Leilani has epilepsy, and she and her father leave their home on Hilo (the Big Island) to Oahu, for Leilani to take an experimental drug to help with her epileptic seizures. While on Oahu, the lights of Hawaii go out and mass chaos ensues.

No one knows why the lights have gone out or why technological devices have seemingly turned off. Leilani and her father are stuck in a tourist-y area, but they want to make it home to Hilo. And so they try.

Of course, Leilani, being an epileptic, and forced to go back on her regular medication vs. the experimental, has seizures that slow her father and her down in their journey. Also, everyone goes batshit crazy in Hawaii.

Seriously, society devolves so quickly and so thoroughly, it was absolute insanity to read. And I guess that’s where I started feeling ‘meh’ about the whole story. If this where to happen, I absolutely see some of society going this route.

Absolutely, no doubts in my mind, there would be militias and gangs popping up for turf, but it felt like these groups in the book were organized way faster than I think is natural.


Maybe not. And then, there was a lot of farfetchery going on with the plot itself. What’s causing Hawaii and all of the planet to lose power and everything else, well, Leilani says it’s pretty much like a galactic sea turtle, having come to Earth’s atmosphere to breed and raise its young. How does a 16 year old know this?

When she has a seizure, she can hear what it’s thinking, and it told her.

...Yeah...that’s a thing in this book.


This ended up being a miss for me. Maybe the second book will be better, especially with all of the human conflicts surely to arise from this, but I don’t think I’m going to end up finding out.

Plot/secondary characters/setting - 2.5-3 Stars
Writing/overall enjoyment reading/House fangirl - 5 Stars

So, I went ahead and gave THE GUN SELLER 4 Stars, but I don’t know if I would have given it 4 if it hadn’t been written by Hugh Laurie. While I did enjoy his writing a lot, and it’s pretty much what saved this book to me, because I’m such a fan of the TV show House, I pretty much insta-upped my rating for the author being Dr. House. Bias, I know, but there you have it.


I thought that the plot in general was pretty predictable, and I didn’t really care for any of the secondary characters, but the main character, Thomas Lang, I loved him. I thought he was witty and charming and wonderfully well written.


Now, back to the writing. The fact that I was laughing regularly throughout this novel, and finding the writing so memorable, is why this novel won me over. Hugh Laurie has a wonderful way with words and I was constantly in awe at how well he spun this story.

I definitely think that in general THE GUN SELLER was a relatively entertaining novel. While I wish there were certain parts that were changed or more fully developed, the writing is wonderful, and I would read another book by Mr. Laurie (especially if Thomas Lang is the star of that one as well).


It was a decent first novel, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Hugh Laurie or House, or anyone that wants to try a humorous crime thriller (without too much of the thriller aspect).

In love with this - all the stars belong to this book

The circus arrives without warning.

I absolutely loved this novel, and I think it’s been by far my favorite novel of 2014. Maybe I just needed an extremely fantasy world to escape to, or maybe it’s because I am a dreamer by nature and reading this world just hit my inner love of dreams and escape on a very real level. Whatever the case may be, this novel was near perfection for me. Erin Morgenstern weaves a tale so beautiful, that I fell in love with it every step of the way, and was praying that the novel would magically add another 100 pages to it; unfortunately it did not.


The Night Circus is primarily about a competition, and while I understood some of the essence of the competition, until I fully grasped its true nature, I still loved Prospero, and he was one of my favorite characters. Maybe I was slow on the uptake of the competition’s true ending, but when I discovered it, I was extremely upset and felt lied to by Prospero, and he is now one of my least favorite characters...ever.

The Night Circus is also a love story. One that surrounds our two competitors, Marco and Celia. Because I never really developed a close bond with Isobel, nor did I ever really see love between her and Marco, I won’t even say that there’s a love triangle in this, but if you did see it, then I guess it was there.

However, I really just felt this novel centered around Marco and Celia coming into their gifts as two very different magicians and trying to grasp what the competition was about, with very little help from their respective mentors.

When Celia and Marco meet though, gosh, Erin Morgenstern did a remarkable job at showing their instant connection. It was spectacular to witness.


This was also one of those weird novels, that I truly loved every character (aside from Prospero near the end). I even still ended up really liking Mr. A. H. (Alexander). However, the twins - Poppet and Widget and a dreamer in love with the circus, Bailey, really ended up stealing the show away from Celia and Marco near the end, and I ended up really enjoying reading their story and how it all ended up intertwining.


All in all, this was just a wonderful novel to me, and one that I plan on picking up so that I can have my own copy to re-read, and re-read, and re-read for years to come. Just perfection, to me.

3.5 Stars

Poor, poor Luke. To feel like your life will never get better, that the bullies will always win, that no matter what you do, you cannot escape their cruel words and your fragile psyche is punctured and ripped day in and day out, until you can only just give up, is, I’m sure one of the worst, most isolated feelings someone could feel. Especially a kid at the beginning of his life. He should have only had to worry about school and grades, what games he was going to play when he got home, practice at basketball, and spend time with a loving family. However, that’s not what Luke had to worry about. He only worried about the taunts, the pictures, the cruelty that children in packs can be, and he had no one to turn to. The loving family had been broken long before, and Luke really had no one to turn to. He thought he had his brother, Matthew, but Matt told him to ignore it, that it would end or the kids would get bored. But, they didn’t, and in the end Luke couldn’t take it anymore.

I have never seen suicide as weak, or as a coward’s way out. I have only ever felt sorrow for those who’ve felt they had nothing left to gain in this world, and so why stay?


RUMBLE is the story of Matt following Luke’s suicide. The older brother carrying the weight of his brother’s death on his shoulders, the guilt turning into an anger and hatred towards himself, those that bullied Luke, God, his family and faith itself. We seem him as this angry teenager and he progresses to, well, still an angry teenager, but at least he heals throughout the story.


The characters of the story in RUMBLE, were for the most part, extremely realistic to me. From Matt’s self loathing and anger to Hayden’s Christian fundamentalist beliefs, it all really felt accurate.

My favorite character was Alexa, an ex-friend of Hayden’s who becomes extremely important to Matt and his learning to forgive. She was down to earth and a friend first, though she made it no secret to Matt that she loved him. Although I’m usually against love triangles, since my thoughts of Hayden really early on were negative (and accurate), I liked where Hopkins went with Matt’s love interest. He needed someone like Alexa.

The parents in this story were pretty much non-existent, but there were a couple of adults that played very important parts in Matt’s life, namely his uncle and aunt. I really liked them, and thought that they inadvertently adopted their nephew, when Matt’s parents were so disconnected with his (and their own) lives.


Overall, I really liked this novel, and while I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, I definitely think it’s a decent book, and if you want some YA angst, coming of age kind of story, maybe give RUMBLE a try.