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“Don't do that," he says. "Don't ask me questions you already know the answers to. Twice I've laid myself bare to you and all it's gotten me was a bullet wound and a broken heart. Don't torture me," he says, meeting my eyes again.
"It's a cruel thing to do, even to someone like me.”
Stars (Out of 10): 10/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I forgot the reasons why this has been one of my favorite books for so long, and reading it again only solidified that, rather than lowering my opinion of it. The way Mafi writes is so unique, and so emotional, that it completely draws us in and puts us in tune with the characters emotions. Her characters are also magnificent and so diverse, from the comedic relief but still deep Kenji, to a broken but strong Juliette, and to the morally ambiguous Aaron, who has learned how to deal with his hardships in the only way he can. This book will never bore me, no matter how many times I read it or how well I know what will happen next, and will continue to stay on my list of favorites for years to come. Overall a great finale to one of my favorite series.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: One of my favorite things about Mafi’s books is her writing style. It’s always been very unique, and seems to show an entirely different level of emotion in her characters. I also loved the characters in this book, and how we see how the aftermath of their loss in unravel me affect them.
The Bad: Still hoped for an epilogue or a plan for an after, as ending wise it was a tad abrupt. However, I understand that in order to lengthen the ending and provide more closure, a whole new plot would’ve had to be introduced, so in a way, this was a good ending as well.
The Characters: I still can’t get over the growth and redemption we see for Aaron, as his actions are explained, and we actually get to understand his character. This book is what sealed the deal for him as one of my favorite characters, since we start to see his vulnerabilities and flaws. I’m also glad they semi resolved Juliette x Adam, and the whole brother plot. I also love that a bit more depth was added to Kenji, with him still remaining the comic relief all the same.
The Plot: While reading it 4-5 times sort of kills the surprise from the plot, I still really enjoy it. I love the flip we see in Aaron, and the inside view we then have, and the characters have, to launch their rebellion from. I also loved the fact that Juliette was able to harness her killing touch as well, and makes her fully free.
The World Building: While most of the world building is done in the first two books, we still continue to learn little bits and pieces of how things work, and how the powers in this world works. However, this was definitely not the point of this book.
The Favorite Character: Aaron (obviously, since he’s one of my favorite characters ever in general)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
“Don't do that," he says. "Don't ask me questions you already know the answers to. Twice I've laid myself bare to you and all it's gotten me was a bullet wound and a broken heart. Don't torture me," he says, meeting my eyes again.
"It's a cruel thing to do, even to someone like me.”
Stars (Out of 10): 10/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I forgot the reasons why this has been one of my favorite books for so long, and reading it again only solidified that, rather than lowering my opinion of it. The way Mafi writes is so unique, and so emotional, that it completely draws us in and puts us in tune with the characters emotions. Her characters are also magnificent and so diverse, from the comedic relief but still deep Kenji, to a broken but strong Juliette, and to the morally ambiguous Aaron, who has learned how to deal with his hardships in the only way he can. This book will never bore me, no matter how many times I read it or how well I know what will happen next, and will continue to stay on my list of favorites for years to come. Overall a great finale to one of my favorite series.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: One of my favorite things about Mafi’s books is her writing style. It’s always been very unique, and seems to show an entirely different level of emotion in her characters. I also loved the characters in this book, and how we see how the aftermath of their loss in unravel me affect them.
The Bad: Still hoped for an epilogue or a plan for an after, as ending wise it was a tad abrupt. However, I understand that in order to lengthen the ending and provide more closure, a whole new plot would’ve had to be introduced, so in a way, this was a good ending as well.
The Characters: I still can’t get over the growth and redemption we see for Aaron, as his actions are explained, and we actually get to understand his character. This book is what sealed the deal for him as one of my favorite characters, since we start to see his vulnerabilities and flaws. I’m also glad they semi resolved Juliette x Adam, and the whole brother plot. I also love that a bit more depth was added to Kenji, with him still remaining the comic relief all the same.
The Plot: While reading it 4-5 times sort of kills the surprise from the plot, I still really enjoy it. I love the flip we see in Aaron, and the inside view we then have, and the characters have, to launch their rebellion from. I also loved the fact that Juliette was able to harness her killing touch as well, and makes her fully free.
The World Building: While most of the world building is done in the first two books, we still continue to learn little bits and pieces of how things work, and how the powers in this world works. However, this was definitely not the point of this book.
The Favorite Character: Aaron (obviously, since he’s one of my favorite characters ever in general)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley!
Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: Since this was a fairly short novella, I didn’t necessarily expect the author to be able to craft too fantastical of a story, but what this author was able to create in 80 pages ended up really surprising me! It was a quick but great read, and exceeded my expectations in every way! While the end wasn’t a twist, it definitely wasn’t expected, and that was one of my favorite parts! Overall an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend! (Also love the new cover!)
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The ending really surprised me, and the society they were in seemed really interesting! I was super intrigued from the start, and the novella continued to keep me hooked the whole time!
The Bad: There was very little closure at the ending, even for the short story it was. We saw the city explode, and then Leah leave, but with absolutely no hint as to “what’s next?” I wish there was a bit more, but I understand the lack of it, since it was a short story. I also felt a bit more personality could’ve been added to Leah.
The Characters: We didn’t really have enough places to explore both this and the plot, but I still enjoyed the characters we were given for the short time we read about them.
The Plot: It was simple and short, but actually did not happen according to my expectations. I assumed all would be fine and everyone would be saved, including Isaac and her father, but the ending definitely did not have that mind! Instead everything went completely wrong except for the fact that Leah survived, now lost in the wilderness, as well as lost in what to do. Definitely the complete opposite direction most stories like this end up taking.
The World Building: This novella actually did a pretty good job of explaining the basics in the very few pages it had. We didn’t necessarily learn the “whys” of everything, but more about the present and the facts of the now.
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: Since this was a fairly short novella, I didn’t necessarily expect the author to be able to craft too fantastical of a story, but what this author was able to create in 80 pages ended up really surprising me! It was a quick but great read, and exceeded my expectations in every way! While the end wasn’t a twist, it definitely wasn’t expected, and that was one of my favorite parts! Overall an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend! (Also love the new cover!)
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The ending really surprised me, and the society they were in seemed really interesting! I was super intrigued from the start, and the novella continued to keep me hooked the whole time!
The Bad: There was very little closure at the ending, even for the short story it was. We saw the city explode, and then Leah leave, but with absolutely no hint as to “what’s next?” I wish there was a bit more, but I understand the lack of it, since it was a short story. I also felt a bit more personality could’ve been added to Leah.
The Characters: We didn’t really have enough places to explore both this and the plot, but I still enjoyed the characters we were given for the short time we read about them.
The Plot: It was simple and short, but actually did not happen according to my expectations. I assumed all would be fine and everyone would be saved, including Isaac and her father, but the ending definitely did not have that mind! Instead everything went completely wrong except for the fact that Leah survived, now lost in the wilderness, as well as lost in what to do. Definitely the complete opposite direction most stories like this end up taking.
The World Building: This novella actually did a pretty good job of explaining the basics in the very few pages it had. We didn’t necessarily learn the “whys” of everything, but more about the present and the facts of the now.
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): 5.5/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I have quite mixed thoughts about this book. It seemed to build up for one case, when suddenly not, with the narrator being an unreliable one. I also found myself liking the characters less and less as the book continued on, finding myself more annoyed with some of the things that made me like them at first. I did like the realisticness of the personalities at points though, and like where the book led to as it ended, although it did end very abruptly.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The book was realistic in how all the characters had flaws. I also liked the overall message it sent out, about looking at the bigger picture, putting yourself in others shoes, and by showing that support can come from the strangest places in some cases. I also like how the book ended with the father redeeming himself in a way, with him making an effort to understand and support his daughter. I thought that ending ended up being a lot better than the angry confrontation I had been expecting! It was a good read, even if my main lingering thoughts are about its flaws.
The Bad: The ending was super abrupt, in a way that really annoyed me. It felt like Chuck showed up, apologies were somewhat exchanged, there was a kiss, no more conversation where Jess continues her apology, or continues the redemption for her character, and then suddenly it was over. I liked the redemption all the “hated” characters were getting, but was a bit upset with it being cut short. The suddenly unreliable narrator was also fairly confusing, as so much hate and wrongdoing was built up for so many characters, just for it to be almost completely wrong in most cases.
The Characters: I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. I liked the main characters less and less as the story went on, their best friend status seeming less and less realistic with each new “recurring” problem they had. They had reasons to be annoyed with each other very quickly into the trip, with these beginning problems seeming to be based on very little. These tensions then continuously grew, showing super huge cracks in the friendship, like Jess’s self-absorbtion. However, it comes as a complete surprise to Jess, and if she’s been so self-absorbed for so long, it doesn’t make as much sense for it to never have been brought up, since it’s been a problem since the beginning of middle school. It makes me wonder how true those problems were, and if their sudden appearance may have only be revealed to further the romantic tension.
The Plot: I liked where the book was going in the beginning, and then where it ended up. However, there was a lot of intense and confusing conflict in the middle, that didn’t necessarily fit into the background we learned of the characters. I did like Annabelle, and had hoped for her to have a larger effect on Jess and her mindset at that point, but we didn’t ever get to see that truly come about in her redemption moment.
The Favorite Character: I actually really liked the father near the end, and Chuck in the beginning (before he decided to try his hardest to kinda ignore and forget about his feelings for Jess.)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Borrow it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Overall Thoughts: I have quite mixed thoughts about this book. It seemed to build up for one case, when suddenly not, with the narrator being an unreliable one. I also found myself liking the characters less and less as the book continued on, finding myself more annoyed with some of the things that made me like them at first. I did like the realisticness of the personalities at points though, and like where the book led to as it ended, although it did end very abruptly.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The book was realistic in how all the characters had flaws. I also liked the overall message it sent out, about looking at the bigger picture, putting yourself in others shoes, and by showing that support can come from the strangest places in some cases. I also like how the book ended with the father redeeming himself in a way, with him making an effort to understand and support his daughter. I thought that ending ended up being a lot better than the angry confrontation I had been expecting! It was a good read, even if my main lingering thoughts are about its flaws.
The Bad: The ending was super abrupt, in a way that really annoyed me. It felt like Chuck showed up, apologies were somewhat exchanged, there was a kiss, no more conversation where Jess continues her apology, or continues the redemption for her character, and then suddenly it was over. I liked the redemption all the “hated” characters were getting, but was a bit upset with it being cut short. The suddenly unreliable narrator was also fairly confusing, as so much hate and wrongdoing was built up for so many characters, just for it to be almost completely wrong in most cases.
The Characters: I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. I liked the main characters less and less as the story went on, their best friend status seeming less and less realistic with each new “recurring” problem they had. They had reasons to be annoyed with each other very quickly into the trip, with these beginning problems seeming to be based on very little. These tensions then continuously grew, showing super huge cracks in the friendship, like Jess’s self-absorbtion. However, it comes as a complete surprise to Jess, and if she’s been so self-absorbed for so long, it doesn’t make as much sense for it to never have been brought up, since it’s been a problem since the beginning of middle school. It makes me wonder how true those problems were, and if their sudden appearance may have only be revealed to further the romantic tension.
The Plot: I liked where the book was going in the beginning, and then where it ended up. However, there was a lot of intense and confusing conflict in the middle, that didn’t necessarily fit into the background we learned of the characters. I did like Annabelle, and had hoped for her to have a larger effect on Jess and her mindset at that point, but we didn’t ever get to see that truly come about in her redemption moment.
The Favorite Character: I actually really liked the father near the end, and Chuck in the beginning (before he decided to try his hardest to kinda ignore and forget about his feelings for Jess.)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Borrow it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: This book actually made me want to start reading Dystopian again. I have read so much of the same thing over and over, that it felt like dystopia was just a formula that writers kept filling in with different names and backstories. Over time, without really meaning to, I stopped reading as much dystopia as I once did. However, this book seemed almost like a breath of fresh air! It didn’t end with everything be overthrown (yet), or the main character being the chosen one or something. All the characters seemed to be important actually, which is also something I really like, since I sometimes find Dystopia to mainly stress the importance of the main character and no one else. Overall, a good and strong read, with tons of interesting plot twists and events to keep interest up!
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: I thought the world building was really strong, and I loved how interesting the plot was! The characters were also really unique, and kept me interested in how their lives would unravel and twist with the events of the plot!
The Bad: I didn’t really care for Vee at all in the beginning, which made the beginning of the book tough to read. I also felt she was super quick to judge, but I get that since she came from hard beginnings.
The Characters: While I didn’t like Vee at first, or how quick she was to judge and provoke fights with the people helping her, I did like everyone else. I also loved the relationships between everyone, from the new ones between Cason and Vee and Ramsey and Vee, to the longer ones, such as Vee and her “ex” mom. The romance didn’t take over the plot, which can tend to happen in dystopian a lot, and the relationship between Vee and her mom seemed to actually reflect one in which the mother gave up her children.
The Plot: I absolutely loved the plot in this book. Every chapter seemed to reveal something new, and twist after twist kept coming, right to the very end. Even after the conflict was resolved the book still kept throwing twists at us! The plot kept me hooked the entire time, and gave me a reason to read if the characters were annoying in a particular moment.
The World Building: This was consistently strong throughout the book, which is another thing not all dystopian novels have. Often the world building and new facts die down as the book progresses, with some stopping completely. In this book, however, the author recognized that a constant stream of new information so we understand the world better and better throughout the world is the best path to take, as it kept the world interesting throughout the whole book!
The Favorite Character: Cason
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: This book actually made me want to start reading Dystopian again. I have read so much of the same thing over and over, that it felt like dystopia was just a formula that writers kept filling in with different names and backstories. Over time, without really meaning to, I stopped reading as much dystopia as I once did. However, this book seemed almost like a breath of fresh air! It didn’t end with everything be overthrown (yet), or the main character being the chosen one or something. All the characters seemed to be important actually, which is also something I really like, since I sometimes find Dystopia to mainly stress the importance of the main character and no one else. Overall, a good and strong read, with tons of interesting plot twists and events to keep interest up!
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: I thought the world building was really strong, and I loved how interesting the plot was! The characters were also really unique, and kept me interested in how their lives would unravel and twist with the events of the plot!
The Bad: I didn’t really care for Vee at all in the beginning, which made the beginning of the book tough to read. I also felt she was super quick to judge, but I get that since she came from hard beginnings.
The Characters: While I didn’t like Vee at first, or how quick she was to judge and provoke fights with the people helping her, I did like everyone else. I also loved the relationships between everyone, from the new ones between Cason and Vee and Ramsey and Vee, to the longer ones, such as Vee and her “ex” mom. The romance didn’t take over the plot, which can tend to happen in dystopian a lot, and the relationship between Vee and her mom seemed to actually reflect one in which the mother gave up her children.
The Plot: I absolutely loved the plot in this book. Every chapter seemed to reveal something new, and twist after twist kept coming, right to the very end. Even after the conflict was resolved the book still kept throwing twists at us! The plot kept me hooked the entire time, and gave me a reason to read if the characters were annoying in a particular moment.
The World Building: This was consistently strong throughout the book, which is another thing not all dystopian novels have. Often the world building and new facts die down as the book progresses, with some stopping completely. In this book, however, the author recognized that a constant stream of new information so we understand the world better and better throughout the world is the best path to take, as it kept the world interesting throughout the whole book!
The Favorite Character: Cason
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
“Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, knew the time would soon come to prove just how much she'd bleed for Erilea.”
Stars (Out of 10): This book made it’s own scale entirely, it’s so good it doesn’t even apply to it
Overall Thoughts: Oh my ever loving gods, THIS BOOK! I waited so long for this book, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Yes, it took me a whole month to finish this book, and yes it has been a long long while since a book has (actively) taken me this long to finish, but that was just because I didn’t want the waiting to begin, didn’t want to lose one of my favorite series (tied with ACOTAR) again for another year. Every single thing in this book surprised me in the best way possible. Everything has begun to come full circle, and all this build up from the series is starting to mean something. This book made me love almost every character more for many various reasons, and the world was revealed to us in a million more stories and flashbacks, and I am so ready to see where this all leads. Sarah J Maas is, without a doubt, my favorite author of all time, and this book only solidified that position.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: Everything, everything, everything. Since I do explain more in depth below, I’m not gonna go too specific in those characters though. Something that definitely goes into this category is just how Maas writes in general. She balances emotion and fact, and has mastered the art of keeping me interested even if the scene isn’t necessarily “exciting.” I love how she writes all varieties of scenes, from emotional, to action, to tactical, to romantic.
The Bad: The fact that I need to wait a year for the next book with an ending like that torturing me!!!
The Characters: I did not think it was possibly to love these characters more than I did. I’m amazed with how skilled and tactical Aelin has grown, and how much she has matured over this series. I love the bonds we see between her and everyone, from Rowan to Lysandra to Aedion to basically everyone. I also loved all the old characters we saw again, especially from the prequel book. I also absolutely fell in love with Lysandra, and the strength we see from her in this book. And just the sea dragon she became!!
The Plot: I loved both the plot of just this book, and how the entire plot of the series has progressed! We see every single thing Aelin has done come back to build her empire, from Ansel and the Silent Assassins, to Rolfe, to Galan, and to every other little thing. She is no longer the scared of power Celaena we saw in TOG and COM, but has evolved into a strong and tactical queen, ready to sacrifice everything. She was smart, planning every step and every move,
The Favorite Character: Can I actually just put everyone? Because basically everyone was amazing (except you know Maeve and the evil guys that I would rather put in a hole in the ground than anywhere near this category! >:( )
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it! (and everything by Sarah J. Maas in general)
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): This book made it’s own scale entirely, it’s so good it doesn’t even apply to it
Overall Thoughts: Oh my ever loving gods, THIS BOOK! I waited so long for this book, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Yes, it took me a whole month to finish this book, and yes it has been a long long while since a book has (actively) taken me this long to finish, but that was just because I didn’t want the waiting to begin, didn’t want to lose one of my favorite series (tied with ACOTAR) again for another year. Every single thing in this book surprised me in the best way possible. Everything has begun to come full circle, and all this build up from the series is starting to mean something. This book made me love almost every character more for many various reasons, and the world was revealed to us in a million more stories and flashbacks, and I am so ready to see where this all leads. Sarah J Maas is, without a doubt, my favorite author of all time, and this book only solidified that position.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: Everything, everything, everything. Since I do explain more in depth below, I’m not gonna go too specific in those characters though. Something that definitely goes into this category is just how Maas writes in general. She balances emotion and fact, and has mastered the art of keeping me interested even if the scene isn’t necessarily “exciting.” I love how she writes all varieties of scenes, from emotional, to action, to tactical, to romantic.
The Bad: The fact that I need to wait a year for the next book with an ending like that torturing me!!!
The Characters: I did not think it was possibly to love these characters more than I did. I’m amazed with how skilled and tactical Aelin has grown, and how much she has matured over this series. I love the bonds we see between her and everyone, from Rowan to Lysandra to Aedion to basically everyone. I also loved all the old characters we saw again, especially from the prequel book. I also absolutely fell in love with Lysandra, and the strength we see from her in this book. And just the sea dragon she became!!
The Plot: I loved both the plot of just this book, and how the entire plot of the series has progressed! We see every single thing Aelin has done come back to build her empire, from Ansel and the Silent Assassins, to Rolfe, to Galan, and to every other little thing. She is no longer the scared of power Celaena we saw in TOG and COM, but has evolved into a strong and tactical queen, ready to sacrifice everything. She was smart, planning every step and every move,
The Favorite Character: Can I actually just put everyone? Because basically everyone was amazing (except you know Maeve and the evil guys that I would rather put in a hole in the ground than anywhere near this category! >:( )
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it! (and everything by Sarah J. Maas in general)
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
“If war had taught him anything, it was that it took the people who deserved long and happy lives and gave them short, brutal ones instead.”
Stars (Out of 10): 8.5/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The characters really grew on me by the end of this book, and the plot, while weak at first, grew more and more enjoyable as the book continued on. I also enjoyed the world and races, and learning about the war between the two, and hierarchy of power that each culture had. I really enjoyed this book, and the ending just left me dying for the next one!
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: I really liked the unique characters that Melissa Grey created for this book, and in moments where I felt the plot fell short, the characters often kept me interested in what was going on anyways. I’m curious how the dynamic of Echo and her ‘resurrections’ will come into play though, and if it might change the relationship between Cauis and her! I’m also worried about the repercussions with Rowan there might be, as there was definitely not a clean break between those two, and with the word love being pondered between them in the beginning of the book.
The Plot: This book reminded me a bit of A Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a series I really need to finish), in that it was an eternal war between two races, and the main character was the human reborn love of the character they had begun to fall in love with. The beginning plot, however, was a bit weak, in that these riddles took almost nothing to solve, and we didn’t truly see the thought process behind discovering its secrets. The ending was a lot better though, with Echo
The World Building: I liked the world that Grey built, and it was sometimes so “otherworldly” that I forgot that it was weaved into the Earth we all know. I also loved the pieces of history and culture of these two varying races that we learned throughout the book, and hope that continues in the rest of the series! I am a bit curious to how these races came to be in the first place, and if there are even more than just the two at war (mermaids were mentioned?)
The Favorite Character: I’m really starting to like Cauis, and think there’s a lot more to learn about him!
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): 8.5/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The characters really grew on me by the end of this book, and the plot, while weak at first, grew more and more enjoyable as the book continued on. I also enjoyed the world and races, and learning about the war between the two, and hierarchy of power that each culture had. I really enjoyed this book, and the ending just left me dying for the next one!
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: I really liked the unique characters that Melissa Grey created for this book, and in moments where I felt the plot fell short, the characters often kept me interested in what was going on anyways. I’m curious how the dynamic of Echo and her ‘resurrections’ will come into play though, and if it might change the relationship between Cauis and her! I’m also worried about the repercussions with Rowan there might be, as there was definitely not a clean break between those two, and with the word love being pondered between them in the beginning of the book.
The Plot: This book reminded me a bit of A Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a series I really need to finish), in that it was an eternal war between two races, and the main character was the human reborn love of the character they had begun to fall in love with. The beginning plot, however, was a bit weak, in that these riddles took almost nothing to solve, and we didn’t truly see the thought process behind discovering its secrets. The ending was a lot better though, with Echo
The World Building: I liked the world that Grey built, and it was sometimes so “otherworldly” that I forgot that it was weaved into the Earth we all know. I also loved the pieces of history and culture of these two varying races that we learned throughout the book, and hope that continues in the rest of the series! I am a bit curious to how these races came to be in the first place, and if there are even more than just the two at war (mermaids were mentioned?)
The Favorite Character: I’m really starting to like Cauis, and think there’s a lot more to learn about him!
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Stars (Out of 10): 1/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: Some of you may be shocked at how low this book was, as I usually tend to give books pretty high scores. However, while the beginning of the book originally had me leaning towards 5/10 (an eh plot with eh characters), it’s rating dropped very abruptly very quickly after around 60%. The quality of the book seemed to fall, as well as plot realisticness and character likeability. In addition, the ending nullified every single conflict in the book basically, while also being extremely vague and not truly giving readers closure (which I desperately sought for.)
The Good: There’s a very diverse cast in this book, especially for it being in a really white area, as the character Paul originally explains. The book seems to have a huge variation in both race, gender orientation, and sexual orientation. However, a lot of it is later looked over, and some of it seems to be brought up just so the book can be considered “inclusive.”
The Bad: The diversity the book attempted to show almost had all but disappeared near the end. Characters I was indifferent about I began to hate very very quickly. The plot (which seemed strictly about their romance) was extremely unrealistic, and seemed way way too planned and “fake.”
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While they seemed okay at first, they grew very hateful, manipulative, and fake by the end. Paul was downright horrid to his siblings, and later was not fair to Felicia at all. However, Felicia was no better. In the beginning of the story, she seemed to want Paul only for herself, and ignored all his likes and interests. He also kept leading him on, a kiss here or there just continue to keep him around.
The Plot: Since romance was the plot, this will be discussed in this category rather than characters, as I usually consider it a character relationship. Simply put, the romance was unrealistic, fake, and downright harmful. Also, the way they finally got to revealing their feelings was by the abusing of other characters (Julia for Paul, Adrian for Felicia.) It also got super unrealistic, and it seemed that the author couldn’t create conflict while still making Paul and Felicia grow closer romantically, making all the happenings in their ‘relationship’ very abrupt. They went from fighting to sex a few sentences later, and then a chapter later Felicia wouldn’t let Paul put his arm around her! And then in the end, what was keeping them apart (Felicia’s mom), ended up being completely okay with the thought of them together! So it was all for naught!
The Favorite Character: I didn't really have one?
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Bin it.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
Overall Thoughts: Some of you may be shocked at how low this book was, as I usually tend to give books pretty high scores. However, while the beginning of the book originally had me leaning towards 5/10 (an eh plot with eh characters), it’s rating dropped very abruptly very quickly after around 60%. The quality of the book seemed to fall, as well as plot realisticness and character likeability. In addition, the ending nullified every single conflict in the book basically, while also being extremely vague and not truly giving readers closure (which I desperately sought for.)
The Good: There’s a very diverse cast in this book, especially for it being in a really white area, as the character Paul originally explains. The book seems to have a huge variation in both race, gender orientation, and sexual orientation. However, a lot of it is later looked over, and some of it seems to be brought up just so the book can be considered “inclusive.”
The Bad: The diversity the book attempted to show almost had all but disappeared near the end. Characters I was indifferent about I began to hate very very quickly. The plot (which seemed strictly about their romance) was extremely unrealistic, and seemed way way too planned and “fake.”
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While they seemed okay at first, they grew very hateful, manipulative, and fake by the end. Paul was downright horrid to his siblings, and later was not fair to Felicia at all. However, Felicia was no better. In the beginning of the story, she seemed to want Paul only for herself, and ignored all his likes and interests. He also kept leading him on, a kiss here or there just continue to keep him around.
The Plot: Since romance was the plot, this will be discussed in this category rather than characters, as I usually consider it a character relationship. Simply put, the romance was unrealistic, fake, and downright harmful. Also, the way they finally got to revealing their feelings was by the abusing of other characters (Julia for Paul, Adrian for Felicia.) It also got super unrealistic, and it seemed that the author couldn’t create conflict while still making Paul and Felicia grow closer romantically, making all the happenings in their ‘relationship’ very abrupt. They went from fighting to sex a few sentences later, and then a chapter later Felicia wouldn’t let Paul put his arm around her! And then in the end, what was keeping them apart (Felicia’s mom), ended up being completely okay with the thought of them together! So it was all for naught!
The Favorite Character: I didn't really have one?
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Bin it.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
