1.5 stars

I'll keep this short because I really don't have much to say. I didn't enjoy this at all. I thought it was boring and lacked a story, to be quite honest. I didn't like any of the characters except Lennie, and I didn't even like him sometimes. The ending was horrible, too.

4.5 stars

While it still made my favorites shelf, I think this is the first Rick Riordan book to ever get less than 5 stars from me. And to be quite honest, I can't entirely identify what, exactly, made me lower my rating. I loved this book to pieces, I really did. But there were a handful of times (3-4?) where I wasn't fully invested in the story. They never lasted long, but they were there regardless. Maybe I didn't think the story needed quite so many pages. I loved the direction the story took, but I think it was just a liiiittle too dragged out for my tastes, from time to time.

Nonetheless, as I've made clear, I did love it. The characters were all epic. Magnus had snark, Sam had sass, and Alex, Blitz, and Hearth were just so likable. The gods in this book were great too, particularly Thor, Heimdall, and Vidar. Amir, Annabeth (the very same), and Stanley (the 8-legged flying horse) all deserve an honorable mention. The cast of characters was just awesome, and you couldn't help becoming attached. Another thing I loved was how diverse the group was, and that it was never a big deal. Like in the last book, Sam was a Muslim girl and a freaking epic Valkyrie, and Hearth was deaf and mute. Alex, a new character, was gender-fluid. It was mentioned almost right after he/she was introduced, and just so casually. I loved his/her attitude about it, too. (If I'm using incorrect pronouns, please let me know! I'm pretty sure Alex said that he/she preferred pronouns based on how he/she felt that day rather than "they," but I could be wrong.)

I loved the Nine Worlds. It's definitely the largest world Rick has tackled, and the most challenging to memorize, but I accepted the challenge and went along with the ride. I don't regret it. So far I only have four down (Asgard = gods, Midgard = humans, Jotunheim = giants, & Alfheim = elves), but I loved learning about them all. I loved the Bifrost Bridge too, and the descriptions were a perfect blend of honesty and sarcastic humor. (You'll get what I mean if you've read it.)

And other than having slower moments, I really liked the story too. In the first book, it was stopping the Fenris Wolf from wreaking havoc, and here it was simultaneously stopping a doomed wedding and Loki breaking free. There was also the goal of finding Thor's hammer that totally wasn't missing and returning it to him before the giants realized that he totally did have it. (You know, Thor logic. He never admits that he lost his hammer, ever. It's kind of amusing.) For the most part, this book was full of action and had its share of surprising twists, with an interesting hint of mystery too. And those last few chapters! Wow! (Warning: it's almost as bad as The Mark of Athena, just in a different way.)

So even though I had a slight issue with it, I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel and I can't wait for the final book! :)

"Jack spiraled out of view, flying after the goat-killer while singing his own version of "Shake It Off." (I have never been able to convince him that the line isn't cheese graters gonna grate, grate, grate, grate, grate.)"
Can we just appreciate this line? It's hilarious. Jack is amazing.

After reading all of his books up to this point, I should know that Rick doesn't make things easy for his characters or his readers. Ever. But I was hoping for it. I was hoping so much that something would happen and Loki would remain imprisoned. BUT NO. I can kiiiiind of understand, because then I don't know what the point of the third book would be, but I mostly don't. ONE OF YOUR SERIES NEEDS TO GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS A BREAK, RICK. :'D

I have high hopes for Magnus, Sam, Alex, Blitz, and Hearth to respectively kick a bunch of butt on any and all quests they have, and take Loki down in a huge epic battle together. Also, no one is allowed to die. Okay? Okay. (Please tell me people still get that...)

ALSO. How can it end like it did? Magnus went to Annabeth for tips on surviving a sure-to-be-dangerous sea voyage and Annabeth tells him Percy can help. She says it's time for the two of them to meet, and I got SO EXCITED. I turn the page and there's the glossary, staring at me. Percy and Magnus meeting would be hilarious and so full of sass and sarcasm. NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER 3. NOT FAIR RICK.

Review also on my blog.
5 reasons it's not for me video.

Another strike against the hype. I tried literally for days to get through this book, but I couldn't. One more unpopular opinion to add to my record: I DNFed this book 51% through (253 pages). :|

I saw someone else describe this book as a dystopian version of Disney's Frozen, and I think that's accurate. I love dystopians and I love Frozen, but I just couldn't get into this. The plot felt really slow and not much really happened. It's more of a dystopian road trip than anything else, at least to the point I got to.

Of the four main characters, I loved one, liked one, was indifferent toward another, and disliked the last. In that order, the characters were: Zu, Liam, Ruby, Chubs. Zu was absolutely adorable and I felt so bad for her. I wanted to keep her safe and take her shopping and give her a hug. <3 Liam was nice, and I thought his awkwardness was kind of cute and amusing, but I don't see what makes others love him so much. :| I didn't see anything special about Ruby, and I didn't like how dishonest she was with the others. I could understand why: she's the Elsa of the story. But what was she expecting? Zu was one of the "dangerous ones" too, but she got it under control and Liam and Chubs loved her like a little sister. I just don't understand her. >.< And I disliked Chubs basically from the moment he was first introduced. He had a really bad attitude and despised Ruby for no reason. I get that in the world they live in, they can't really trust people. But if she escaped a camp and didn't even know the year, wouldn't that classify as genuine? I didn't understand him, either. :|

However, I will give Alexandra props on the dystopian world she created. At first glance, it's fairly typical, but a few descriptions and some imagination made me realize: it's scarily realistic. It felt like something our modern world could eventually turn into. -.-

One of the most loved things about this book for many people is the bond between Liam, Chubs, and Zu, and eventually Ruby. People say they're like a little, improvised family, and I can agree with that. But it's hard to like a family when you only like two of the members. Maybe if I liked Ruby and Chubs I would like the dynamic between the three/four of them. I don't, though, so...I can't. :|

Unfortunately, there are no twists to speak of. There was an escape scene and a car chase that resulted in a bit of a fight, and a flashback of something else, but none of that was crazily intense or nerve-racking. I kept hoping something would happen that would really pull me in, but no luck. :|

So, sadly, this book isn't for me. The hype was too much, and the slow story didn't click with me as I read. To be honest, Zu, Liam, and the world-building are all that kept me from giving a lower rating. :(

** Note: If you love this book, that's awesome. If you want to read this book, go for it. You might like it even though I didn't. Don't take my opinions personally. :)

I read this months ago but never got around to reviewing it. I can't say much because I don't want to spoil it, but long story short, I didn't like it. The synopsis intrigued me and the first half was awesome, but in the second half, it all went downhill. Liv became irritating and the plot very dumb and cliched. I decided not to continue the trilogy.

I achieved my goal. I made this book my last full read of 2015, and I read it in about five hours. However, I'm not really sure how to rate it yet. I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected and I feel like it dragged a bit. The ending was sort of cute but, in my opinion, left much to be desired.

Edit, 3 hours later- I've decided on a rating. I just really didn't like this book. I didn't hate it, but I had a lot of issues with it. The plot was lacking, the characters were plain, and I didn't feel much of anything while reading. I probably won't be reading Where She Went.

* full review on my blog

Overall I thought this was a very disappointing sequel. Like in T5W, it took me time in each new section to figure out who was narrating, which in turn made me have to reread paragraphs. I was also confused by other events. Nothing in this book surprised me, though I didn't predict any of it either. I just couldn't bring myself to care. The characters and relationships all seemed to go downhill, and I was bummed by that even though I understood the world they lived in. And on that note, even the descriptions suffered. I couldn't imagine the settings anywhere near as vividly as I could in the first book. I won't be picking up TLS when it's released. :(

* If you enjoyed T5W, still pick this up. You might enjoy it anyway, even if I didn't. ;) *

Review also on Heir of Glitter.
5 reasons I didn't finish video.

I'm not exactly sure why I wanted to continue this series. I had mixed feelings on the first book, and apparently only bothered because the ending was intriguing. It turns out that that isn't enough to go on, at least not in this case. I DNFed this book 54% (197 pages) through. :|

* I'm going to keep this short to minimize the chance of offending someone. If you like this book/series or want to read it, that's awesome. Don't let me stop you. ;) *

I think the story dragged. Not much really happened, and I was kind of bored. Halfway through the first book, Meghan, Puck, and Ash were trying to stop the Iron King and save Ethan. Halfway through this one, there was relationship drama and a plan to retrieve an item stolen from the Winter court. :|

All the characters felt one-dimensional. Meghan and Ash were both stubborn and pining for each other when they couldn't be together. As a result, they were also either upset or grumpy. Puck was the same upbeat best friend, but he was also jealous because he loved Meghan, who in turn was grieving Ash. I also thought that Meghan's attitude was kind of frustrating. :|

I know I've made it known that I disliked the name of the fae realm: Faeryland. In some cases it's called Nevernever, which is a slight improvement, but typically it's called Faeryland. It just seems really unoriginal and I couldn't take it seriously. :|

As you might've realized, this book had a love triangle. The first one did too, but it wasn't as bad. This one was... not the best. I did ship Meghan with Ash, but then they realized that the feud between their courts wouldn't allow it. They separated but were still in love, which turned Meghan away from Puck's feelings for her. I hate to say it, but it was a mess and I wasn't a fan. :|

To put it simply, there weren't really any twists. There was one thing that might surprise other people, but since I wasn't invested in the story it didn't effect me. >.<

All in all, this book just isn't for me. This particular fae series isn't my bar of chocolate, and I won't be continuing it. :|

* This was not meant to be harsh. These are just my opinions. *

* Actually 1.5 stars

I’ve heard raving reviews about this book and this series — other bookworms and bloggers praise and obsess over it. I was eager to get into it when I found a copy at my local library.

And then I actually started reading. I tried to like it. I tried to push through and find out for myself exactly what made other bookworms and bloggers love it so much. But I just couldn’t do it, and I’m sad to say I DNF’d it 48% through (page 198 to be exact).

The plot was boring and slow and I couldn’t get attached to any of the main characters. I’m sad to say that for me personally, The Raven Boys didn’t live up to the hype surrounding it. :(

* Full review on my blog, Heir of Glitter.

DNF at 57% (275 pages)

I'm not really sure what happened here. I loved the first book and thought the start of this one was slow but picking up. Then I got to a little under the halfway point, and I started to lose interest. I think this was more me than the book, though, because there were things I liked about it. The concept of magic and conduits, the quirks and cultures of the various kingdoms, Meira and Ceridwen; those parts were intriguing. Granted, I didn't really like any other characters and had started to become somewhat bored with the story, but otherwise it wasn't bad at all. I think I personally have just lost interest in this trilogy.

Apologies if that was sort of confusing. I'm not going more in-depth because I feel it wouldn't be an entirely adequate review if I was only discussing a portion of the book. My basic point is that while there were aspects I liked, there wasn't enough to keep me invested in this story. But, oh well, life's too short for "meh" books. ;)

One last note, regarding my decision to mark this as DNF. Today was my fourth day reading this book, and even after having a day off and two nights free of homework in that period, I was less than 300 pages in. That train of thought was what convinced me to put this down.

** If you've read the first book, I do still recommend this one! My personal issues shouldn't keep you from it. :) **

Find my in-depth review on my blog, Heir of Glitter.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was an interesting concept, but the execution fell short until the last few chapters. Even then, it felt mostly anticlimactic. I enjoyed the imaginative fantasy elements, but I also thought there were times when it was slightly unrealistic or not explained enough. I would definitely read the sequel when it comes out, because I think this series has a lot of potential. :)