This series is nuts good.

Unfortunately, this is not a good book. the plot is long and boring and the writing style, while nice, does not help the story. It lacked any real interest and grew worse about 100 pages in. It had a few good points but by page 321 I gave up and skimmed until the last chapter. That was okay, but probably one of the better parts of the book. A highlight of all the good parts but I was honestly glad it was a few pages after reading everything.

Not only is this a great guide book (the pictures and instructions were visible and understandable, the materials needed were provided and the estimated time was pretty on point), it was a fun read too. Every hairstyle came with a small bio on the TV show/film character in question and there were a lot of tidbits on hair care or how character development was conveyed through hair and stuff like that. It's really well put together and I highly recommend. The hairstyles are nice and I was excited to see some of the ones that aren't available on the YouTube channel like one for Eowyn.

Okay so not horrible, but it is definitely not my style or taste. The language, especially the slang, was hard to understand and it was a very boring read. The characters were inconsistent, boring and only slightly sympathetic. The plot was thinly veiled and I really wouldn't have noticed it early on if it weren't for the reader's guide. This wasn't a big plot book. I love great plot books. Character driven stories can be great too but only if the characters are actually good. Unfortunately, besides dreaming and hoping, these characters were kinda flat and not very interesting to read about. plus most of them were unlikeable.

The whole time I was reading this, I was thinking about reports that classics were rarely bestsellers when they were published and only become considered "good literature" after the fact and it made me think why would people make children read this in school? There's no way for anyone to really connect to the characters. My analytical mind was spinning on this, especially with the reader guide help, but honestly, unlike the epic film Endgame, this did not enhance my enjoyment because I can list off a gazillion mainstream books that deal with the same issues. And they're much more appealing. The only argument I could make is that this book is short and sweet and not covering anything up with a fun plot or lovable and I guess a teacher would lean towards that. but still, I chose to read this on my own time and only mildly enjoyed it. I pity the children who are being turned off reading because they are being told this is what "good literature" is.

I feel like there was something else I should have read before reading this. The book jumps right in with characters and names and races and little to no explanation. the scenes were changing constantly, including many of the same characters and it was incredibly hard to keep track of them. Please don't ask me what happened in the book 'cause I'm honestly not sure about anything. So many characters had so many nicknames and I wasn't even given any time to get their names straight before they got second, third and fourth nicknames. I have no idea what the scale of the book is, time or place wise.

The only reason why I did not give this 1 star was that it was not a struggle to read through. While I was constantly confused, many parts seemed cool or something. There was also good characterization for the few names I believe to be the same person though seriously it's hard to tell and I don't feel like this is the worst book ever written. I really just felt like this needed a lot more context and that it was very bad at explaining concepts, characater and pretty much everything.

This was actually a lot of fun to read. This is the type of book one can't take seriously and should just sit back and enjoy. I'm not a huge romance or zombie fan but this book was okay. I actually really liked the ending and it did feel a lot like Pride and Prejudice with extra ninjas and zombies.

3.5

I was really surprised by this book. I wasn't expecting it to be a retelling for some reason, I guess because it was a puffin classic, but I should have expected it because it is an actual book not a ballad or epic poem. This book is really different than all the Robin Hood adaptations. Maid Marian is the biggest example. I was pleasantly surprised by it. I can see where the silly comedies came from because this book has a very light tone to it and being a children's book the characters are rather flat, but they are more nuanced and developed than in the films I've seen. Also, Robin Hood is not a buffoon in this. Though stick fighting might seem weird to us today, it's made very clear in the book that it's a way of earning respect and you can see who the villain are and who will join the merry men based on how they fight the battles. I would highly recommend this.

2.5

I really wanted to like this book because I loved [b:The Hunter's Moon|398479|The Hunter's Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie, #1)|O.R. Melling|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387238306s/398479.jpg|1125437] by the same author. Unfortunately, this one fell flat. The characters do not feel very real and the whole thing really felt like I was reading a book. I couldn't get immersed in it because there was always something off, mostly how the characters were dealing with being brought into a new world and their tenancy to go from very smart to extremely dumb in the same line.

It's sad to say, but this book had a lot of potential. It could have really delved into some stuff, but instead it covered realizations and emotions with quick one-liners that no one would ever say. Also, there was insta-love.

But it was a quick enjoyable read and could easily be a guilty pleasure. I just wasn't fopr me unfortunately.

This was a really interesting children's novel. Very different than what I've read before. I got through it in one sitting. It had a deeper message and it was a lot of fun as well, action and emotion packed which was great. The illustrations were nice and I loved the giant red letters at the start of every part. It was very nice all around. It had solid characters who were developed and changed throughout the book even though it was short and it had a commentary on the culture of keeping pets and Hollywood and stardom in general. It was nice to see that in a kids book at it's something that is often hidden from children and it was put into the perspective of animals and show dogs/cats to make it more fun and understandable. Definitely something I would recommend.

3.5

I'm not a huge fairy person, nor did I like [b:Daughter of Smoke & Bone|8490112|Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461353773s/8490112.jpg|13355552] but I still wanted to see if I could jump aboard the Laini Taylor Hype Train when I found this for less than a dollar at a second hand shop. I can, and I have. I really enjoyed this book and am quite sad the the sequel can only be found used, and is selling for nearly $200. I need to know what happens next!

This book took me a bit to really get into it. Around page 70 is when I decided that this could actually be a great read, and it was. It was super fun well paced and the villain was great. I loved how all the characters has such clear and defined voices and dialects. It sounded so authentic and the banter was very enjoyable. The plot is great as well. It has a few downsides like a chosen one arc and prophecy but it's even done better then most and I really didn't mind it.

Magpie was such a great character. She had a strong personality that just bled through the page. All the characters did. Even the ones we didn't see a lot. I could easily picture what type of person they were and all that jazz. Even the animals and imps were great. They all had interesting motives and personalities and I loved reading about all of them and even felt sad when some of them died.

I'd also like to mentioned that I did enjoy the underlying messages about society and the idea that human killed off the dragons. It wasn't discussed at large which was nice, they were just sort of there, naturally, as characters learnt stuff about our world and their own. It was nice not to have something so heavy-handed.

This was a really great book for a middle grade book as well. It wasn't the writing style I expected after reading [b:Daughter of Smoke & Bone|8490112|Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461353773s/8490112.jpg|13355552], which was honestly the saving grace of that book, but it wasn't such a step down either.

I think this is a very strong and enjoyable book and I recommend that anyone who can get their hands on a copy read it even if they didn't like her other works.