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prioryofprose's Reviews (1.06k)
I really enjoyed Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. This story was beautifully written and really entertaining.
Likes:
I really liked the main character Nyx. She was smart, strong and stayed true to herself during the entire story.
Shade and Ignifex were so interesting and the character development is amazing, the story line works so well
As much as you can see the resemblance to Beauty and the Beast, the story really holds its own. I think that it would have done just as well if it was not described as a fairy tale retelling
Weaving in Greek mythology was so neat and just an unique twist to the old story
Characters you love and characters you hate, I always think that books need a mix of characters that create different emotional connections to get you more involved in the story
Gripes:
Really the only gripe I had is that, per my own lack of knowledge, I don't know enough about Greek mythology and sometimes I was really confused
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
I really liked the main character Nyx. She was smart, strong and stayed true to herself during the entire story.
Shade and Ignifex were so interesting and the character development is amazing, the story line works so well
As much as you can see the resemblance to Beauty and the Beast, the story really holds its own. I think that it would have done just as well if it was not described as a fairy tale retelling
Weaving in Greek mythology was so neat and just an unique twist to the old story
Characters you love and characters you hate, I always think that books need a mix of characters that create different emotional connections to get you more involved in the story
Gripes:
Really the only gripe I had is that, per my own lack of knowledge, I don't know enough about Greek mythology and sometimes I was really confused
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
I could not make it though the book. The first 20% did not go anywhere and just jumped around, I have no idea what the plot it supposed to be, but I wasn't getting there any time soon. With my huge TBR list, I didn't have time for a book that did not catch my attention and seemed to be going no where.
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe was really interesting, lots of mystery and twists and turns
Likes:
I enjoyed the MCs history, the relationship with her father, the daughter of a mortician, her mother's mental breakdown. Good stuff (well, not for Anne, but for the book).
The story was written well and kept a good pace, I could barely put the book down for the second half.
Lots of twists and turn, I didn't see the ending coming and didn't connect everything together beforehand, I always appreciate a book that keeps me on my toes.
The side characters were interesting, especially when you thought of them in context to the ending of the story. How would you act, what would you do?
Gripes:
Calling the contest the Big V was just ridiculous. Seriously, it sounds like all these kids are trying to lose their virginity or something. Not the best choice of words.
Ben, very nice guy, entertaining character but seriously, stop being so bi-polar and just help Anne figure out the truth. I understand she needs to do it on her own, but the whole dynamic was weird.
For more reviews check out A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
I enjoyed the MCs history, the relationship with her father, the daughter of a mortician, her mother's mental breakdown. Good stuff (well, not for Anne, but for the book).
The story was written well and kept a good pace, I could barely put the book down for the second half.
Lots of twists and turn, I didn't see the ending coming and didn't connect everything together beforehand, I always appreciate a book that keeps me on my toes.
The side characters were interesting, especially when you thought of them in context to the ending of the story. How would you act, what would you do?
Gripes:
Calling the contest the Big V was just ridiculous. Seriously, it sounds like all these kids are trying to lose their virginity or something. Not the best choice of words.
Ben, very nice guy, entertaining character but seriously, stop being so bi-polar and just help Anne figure out the truth. I understand she needs to do it on her own, but the whole dynamic was weird.
For more reviews check out A Flurry of Ponderings
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi is the final book in the Shatter Me series. I am going to try really hard to do this review without any spoilers, but it is not going to be easy!
Likes:
Juliette really grew into her own and her character developed so much, even between the middle book and Ignite Me. I was impressed that she decided, finally, that her weaknesses were in fact her strengths. I think the biggest development that happens from teenager to late twenties is realizing that the things that make us different actually make us interesting
Juliette ends up in the relationship I think she should, at least the “team” I was rooting for
Relationship are starting and mended, this is trying hard not to spoil, but when you read, you will understand
The series ended well, I was so disappointed with the end of Requiem (Delirium series) and mediocre about the endings of Allegiant (Divergent series) and Champion (Legend series) so I was happy that one out of the four fit my expectations
Tahereh’s writing style has really grown within the series and I think she did a great job with this installment. Shatter Me was sometimes overwhelming with the description of thoughts or environment.
Gripes:
The first 250 pages is like a constant fight, first Juliette and Warner, than Adam and Juliette – argh, it was a bit too much AND then it only left like literally less than 100 pages of action and finalization of the story
Lack of world building, kinda ties into my first gripe, but there was so much of the relationship banter that it diminished the world building and setting up the final scenes
Adam was weak and whiny, his character diminished during this book
Favorite Quote:
“This isn’t about Adam or Warner,” I tell him. “This is about me and what I want. This is about me finally understanding where I want to be in ten years. Because I’m going to be alive, Kenji. I will be alive in ten years, and I’m going to be happy. I’m going to be strong. And I don’t need anyone to tell me that anymore. I am enough, and I always will be.”
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
Juliette really grew into her own and her character developed so much, even between the middle book and Ignite Me. I was impressed that she decided, finally, that her weaknesses were in fact her strengths. I think the biggest development that happens from teenager to late twenties is realizing that the things that make us different actually make us interesting
Juliette ends up in the relationship I think she should, at least the “team” I was rooting for
Relationship are starting and mended, this is trying hard not to spoil, but when you read, you will understand
The series ended well, I was so disappointed with the end of Requiem (Delirium series) and mediocre about the endings of Allegiant (Divergent series) and Champion (Legend series) so I was happy that one out of the four fit my expectations
Tahereh’s writing style has really grown within the series and I think she did a great job with this installment. Shatter Me was sometimes overwhelming with the description of thoughts or environment.
Gripes:
The first 250 pages is like a constant fight, first Juliette and Warner, than Adam and Juliette – argh, it was a bit too much AND then it only left like literally less than 100 pages of action and finalization of the story
Lack of world building, kinda ties into my first gripe, but there was so much of the relationship banter that it diminished the world building and setting up the final scenes
Adam was weak and whiny, his character diminished during this book
Favorite Quote:
“This isn’t about Adam or Warner,” I tell him. “This is about me and what I want. This is about me finally understanding where I want to be in ten years. Because I’m going to be alive, Kenji. I will be alive in ten years, and I’m going to be happy. I’m going to be strong. And I don’t need anyone to tell me that anymore. I am enough, and I always will be.”
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
Unhinged by A.G. Howard is the second book in the Splintered series. It continues off just a year after the end of the Splintered book. It was funny reading this in between watching the Olympics because I started to imagine that the figure skaters should do a whole Wonderland routine and the girl could be Alice and the guy could be Morpheus. Hehee.
Likes:
The characters developed even more, we learned more about Alison (Alyssa’s mom) and her father’s history. We also found out more of who Morpheus really is and how much Jed really loves Alyssa
Alyssa’s character blooms, she has grown so much since the first book and really came into her own by the end of Unhinged
A.G. Howard does another amazing job of creating characters and bringing the world building to life. I once again wished that I could see the images playing in my head on the big screen – maybe one day
The story was fast paced and a quick read
Gripes:
Not enough Wonderland, not to give away any spoilers, but the story stays primarily topside and I loved the craziness of Wonderland
I still struggle with the love triangle situation, but at least it is fairly mild compared to other books. Plus, for the most part, Alyssa knows what she wants
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
The characters developed even more, we learned more about Alison (Alyssa’s mom) and her father’s history. We also found out more of who Morpheus really is and how much Jed really loves Alyssa
Alyssa’s character blooms, she has grown so much since the first book and really came into her own by the end of Unhinged
A.G. Howard does another amazing job of creating characters and bringing the world building to life. I once again wished that I could see the images playing in my head on the big screen – maybe one day
The story was fast paced and a quick read
Gripes:
Not enough Wonderland, not to give away any spoilers, but the story stays primarily topside and I loved the craziness of Wonderland
I still struggle with the love triangle situation, but at least it is fairly mild compared to other books. Plus, for the most part, Alyssa knows what she wants
For more reviews visit A Flurry of Ponderings
There was a lot of hype around Landry Park by Bethany Hagen, especially when it was described as Downton Abbey meets The Selection. While I partially saw this description, it was pretty much not at all what the book was like. There was no Selection situation in the book, just debuting with a boy, but whatever.
Likes:
The storyline was original, it was dystopian in genre, but nothing like what I have read before. The world reverted back to the 1900s, the upper class and Rootless. People living in mansions and debuting their daughters, trying to keep their bloodlines pure. The major difference is that they are using nuclear power to run electricity and power their houses
Madeline was an interesting main character, she was a smart girl who grew up in the family line that created the nuclear power. She wants to go to college but her father insists that she must stay at Landry Park to manage the estate
The romance in the story is actually pretty interesting, Madeline falls for David fairly quickly, but the plot of the story allows for a slow burn, almost no burn, situation
The caste system is really interesting with the back story and the fact that the Rootless are pretty much kept alive to bare the devastating effects radiation poisoning
Gripes:
Jude, I didn't really understand why he needed to be in the story. It just felt so disconnected. I am sure there needed to be some odd love triangle situation but I didn't need Jude.
The writing sometimes was disconnected and odd. I couldn't figure out why the odd jumps, it was like the typical methods of separating chapters or scene changed were missed in the final production.
The book definitely leads up to the second book in the series, so we don't get a lot of closer. I am trying to write this without any spoilers, but I just wish the way the Rootless leader came to be would have been different. The uprising would have been more like a revolution, at least I believe, without the leader being who he is.
For more reviews visist
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Likes:
The storyline was original, it was dystopian in genre, but nothing like what I have read before. The world reverted back to the 1900s, the upper class and Rootless. People living in mansions and debuting their daughters, trying to keep their bloodlines pure. The major difference is that they are using nuclear power to run electricity and power their houses
Madeline was an interesting main character, she was a smart girl who grew up in the family line that created the nuclear power. She wants to go to college but her father insists that she must stay at Landry Park to manage the estate
The romance in the story is actually pretty interesting, Madeline falls for David fairly quickly, but the plot of the story allows for a slow burn, almost no burn, situation
The caste system is really interesting with the back story and the fact that the Rootless are pretty much kept alive to bare the devastating effects radiation poisoning
Gripes:
Jude, I didn't really understand why he needed to be in the story. It just felt so disconnected. I am sure there needed to be some odd love triangle situation but I didn't need Jude.
The writing sometimes was disconnected and odd. I couldn't figure out why the odd jumps, it was like the typical methods of separating chapters or scene changed were missed in the final production.
The book definitely leads up to the second book in the series, so we don't get a lot of closer. I am trying to write this without any spoilers, but I just wish the way the Rootless leader came to be would have been different. The uprising would have been more like a revolution, at least I believe, without the leader being who he is.
For more reviews visist
A Flurry of Ponderings
I was really excited to read Scintillate by Tracy Clark, I even picked it for a Waiting on Wednesday a couple weeks ago. It was a quick, easy read but left me wanting sometime more meaty.
Likes:
The storyline was interesting, the auras and energies were unique and an original for a storyline.
The main character, Cora, and her family were interesting and likeable.
Ireland, I have always wanted to go to Ireland so it was fun to read about a place I want to travel, like living through the book.
Gripes:
Insta-love, argh. I understand by the end of the story why it happened, I just wish it would have been portrayed differently.
World building was lacking, I really was so excited about Ireland, but it just felt like the detail of the green countryside and ancient buildings, ect were lacking
The meat of the story, the part I was really excited for didn't develop until the last 150 pages. I really wish I could have cut out most of the first part. I know this is going to be a trilogy and there is more to come, but it was a slow lead up.
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Likes:
The storyline was interesting, the auras and energies were unique and an original for a storyline.
The main character, Cora, and her family were interesting and likeable.
Ireland, I have always wanted to go to Ireland so it was fun to read about a place I want to travel, like living through the book.
Gripes:
Insta-love, argh. I understand by the end of the story why it happened, I just wish it would have been portrayed differently.
World building was lacking, I really was so excited about Ireland, but it just felt like the detail of the green countryside and ancient buildings, ect were lacking
The meat of the story, the part I was really excited for didn't develop until the last 150 pages. I really wish I could have cut out most of the first part. I know this is going to be a trilogy and there is more to come, but it was a slow lead up.
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A Flurry of Ponderings
The Wolf’s Cry by Natalie Crown was a really interesting YA fantasy. I would have to say it is definitely one of those books where the cover is deceiving. I would have never picked this off the shelf, nor thought the book was going to be something I would have enjoyed from the cover.
Likes:
Natalie did an amazing job with the world building. She created a whole population of shape-shifters that live below Earth’s crust. They survived on crystals, which in turn made them rely on the human race not to pollute the surface and kill the crystals that support them.
I enjoyed the MC Kammy, she was relatable and well-written. She felt different but really wasn’t on the outside, but she was teased and had low self-confidence.
The side characters, Eric, Jad, Tayah and Jamie were interesting, had unique personalities and were great supporting characters. They brought the tough, funny and sensitive emotions to the story.
The villain was amazing. He was both awful and appealing at the same time, for a few brief seconds you start to hope that he really isn’t evil. I always think it takes an amazing writer to make you care, even briefly, for a villain who you should immediately hate.
The series is going to have some great places to go. The Wolf’s Cry was awesome because you had a full plot and climax, it definitely did not feel like a “lead up” book to the rest of the series, which seems to be written a lot lately.
Gripes:
The beginning was not well done. The author needed to get into Kammy’s head and show that she was feeling as an outsider, but it just seemed off and thrown into the story. I think Natalie was having trouble getting the lead up to go into the Semei world. I can totally understand this, and once they were in the Semei world was amazing.
I am not sure if it was just in my digital copy, but the POV changed between Kammy, Jad and Eric within the story, but there were no page headers stating the swift.
For more reviews visist
A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
Natalie did an amazing job with the world building. She created a whole population of shape-shifters that live below Earth’s crust. They survived on crystals, which in turn made them rely on the human race not to pollute the surface and kill the crystals that support them.
I enjoyed the MC Kammy, she was relatable and well-written. She felt different but really wasn’t on the outside, but she was teased and had low self-confidence.
The side characters, Eric, Jad, Tayah and Jamie were interesting, had unique personalities and were great supporting characters. They brought the tough, funny and sensitive emotions to the story.
The villain was amazing. He was both awful and appealing at the same time, for a few brief seconds you start to hope that he really isn’t evil. I always think it takes an amazing writer to make you care, even briefly, for a villain who you should immediately hate.
The series is going to have some great places to go. The Wolf’s Cry was awesome because you had a full plot and climax, it definitely did not feel like a “lead up” book to the rest of the series, which seems to be written a lot lately.
Gripes:
The beginning was not well done. The author needed to get into Kammy’s head and show that she was feeling as an outsider, but it just seemed off and thrown into the story. I think Natalie was having trouble getting the lead up to go into the Semei world. I can totally understand this, and once they were in the Semei world was amazing.
I am not sure if it was just in my digital copy, but the POV changed between Kammy, Jad and Eric within the story, but there were no page headers stating the swift.
For more reviews visist
A Flurry of Ponderings
I just finished My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher and I it is so hard to write a review for this book. It was definitely unlike any other book I have read before.
Likes:
The book is written through the POV of a ten-year-old boy named Jamie. It was really interesting to look at life through his eyes, especially after the death of his sister, Rose.
Rose’s death was so current with the daily acts of terrorism in the world. I have read stories about families affected by terroristic acts in the US, but not any other part of the country. There are bombings on the news all the time and it was really moving to read a story where the random act of terrorism really broke apart a family.
Jamie’s character was so pure, he didn’t want to discriminate against Muslims and he really didn’t understand death. It was neat to see through his eyes and feel his pain as his mother and father broke up because of the death of Rose.
The writing style in this book was amazing. It was so unique and interesting. The book seriously starts with “My sister Rose lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. Three of her fingers, her right elbow and her kneecap are buried in a graveyard in London.“
Gripes
Instead of quotations Annabel chose to use italics. It was sometimes hard to distinguish who was talking and I had to reread sentences a few times.
I believe it is aimed at as a young adult book, at least that is how my library categorized it, but I think it was more middle school or lower. I think younger adults could definitely understand the themes in the story.
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Likes:
The book is written through the POV of a ten-year-old boy named Jamie. It was really interesting to look at life through his eyes, especially after the death of his sister, Rose.
Rose’s death was so current with the daily acts of terrorism in the world. I have read stories about families affected by terroristic acts in the US, but not any other part of the country. There are bombings on the news all the time and it was really moving to read a story where the random act of terrorism really broke apart a family.
Jamie’s character was so pure, he didn’t want to discriminate against Muslims and he really didn’t understand death. It was neat to see through his eyes and feel his pain as his mother and father broke up because of the death of Rose.
The writing style in this book was amazing. It was so unique and interesting. The book seriously starts with “My sister Rose lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. Three of her fingers, her right elbow and her kneecap are buried in a graveyard in London.“
Gripes
Instead of quotations Annabel chose to use italics. It was sometimes hard to distinguish who was talking and I had to reread sentences a few times.
I believe it is aimed at as a young adult book, at least that is how my library categorized it, but I think it was more middle school or lower. I think younger adults could definitely understand the themes in the story.
For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings