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You can check out some of my other reviews at my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or see my full review by clicking here.
*I was required to read this book for my Literary Theories class.
Initial Thoughts:
Aside from knowing that most students will, at some point during their academic careers, be required to read this novel, I had no idea what it was about. For some reason I was under the assumption that it was about a war and it had an Animal Farm thing going, and I took Lord of the flies a little too literally. I thought he was actually creating an army of flies… In some ways, I wish that was what the story had been about. Maybe it would’ve been more interesting.
Spoilers!
This story deals with young school aged boys. They get trapped on an island and figure out how to survive. I wish I could say that was where the story picked up but it never did. I found the book to be depressing at times but other than that uninteresting.
What surprises me, is on the back cover is a quote from Stephen King. He says, “Lord of the Flies (is my selection for the book that changed my life) because it is both a story with a message and because it is a great tale of adventure. My advice about reading is to do a lot of it.” With the exception of the last part of his quote I just don’t get it. Great tale of adventure? Little kids running around an island trying to kill anything that moves definitely is not my idea of an adventure.
I do think that this book serves its purpose in my class though. It is the perfect story to dissect and look at from many different perspectives and through the eyes of many different literary theorists, but as a novel to read just for fun, it was lacking the fun.
Conclusion:
I’m sorry to say it but I disliked this novel. I don’t understand why there is hype about it and why it is taught so often in English classes, unless for the sole purpose of looking at it critically. The story didn’t entertain me, it was actually something that if I saw it happen in real life I would prefer to look away from it. It was the opposite of a train wreck you can’t stop staring it. It was like being the babysitter to the infamous toddler Chucky.
I don’t mean to offend anyone by this review and if you had a different experience while reading this book please leave a comment below. I’d love to pick the brain of someone who actual enjoyed this book. Maybe I was reading it wrong…if there is such a thing.
Rating:2/5 stars
*I was required to read this book for my Literary Theories class.
Initial Thoughts:
Aside from knowing that most students will, at some point during their academic careers, be required to read this novel, I had no idea what it was about. For some reason I was under the assumption that it was about a war and it had an Animal Farm thing going, and I took Lord of the flies a little too literally. I thought he was actually creating an army of flies… In some ways, I wish that was what the story had been about. Maybe it would’ve been more interesting.
Spoilers!
This story deals with young school aged boys. They get trapped on an island and figure out how to survive. I wish I could say that was where the story picked up but it never did. I found the book to be depressing at times but other than that uninteresting.
What surprises me, is on the back cover is a quote from Stephen King. He says, “Lord of the Flies (is my selection for the book that changed my life) because it is both a story with a message and because it is a great tale of adventure. My advice about reading is to do a lot of it.” With the exception of the last part of his quote I just don’t get it. Great tale of adventure? Little kids running around an island trying to kill anything that moves definitely is not my idea of an adventure.
I do think that this book serves its purpose in my class though. It is the perfect story to dissect and look at from many different perspectives and through the eyes of many different literary theorists, but as a novel to read just for fun, it was lacking the fun.
Conclusion:
I’m sorry to say it but I disliked this novel. I don’t understand why there is hype about it and why it is taught so often in English classes, unless for the sole purpose of looking at it critically. The story didn’t entertain me, it was actually something that if I saw it happen in real life I would prefer to look away from it. It was the opposite of a train wreck you can’t stop staring it. It was like being the babysitter to the infamous toddler Chucky.
I don’t mean to offend anyone by this review and if you had a different experience while reading this book please leave a comment below. I’d love to pick the brain of someone who actual enjoyed this book. Maybe I was reading it wrong…if there is such a thing.
Rating:2/5 stars
You can find some of my other reviews at my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again and see my full review of Beautiful Creatures by clicking here .
Initial Thoughts:
I’ve known about this book for a while, before it was ever turned into a movie. What book reviewer, blogger, or booktuber hasn’t heard of Beautiful Creatures? However, I didn’t always hear positive reviews and was hesitant to dive into yet another series. Once I saw the trailer for the movie my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to find out what this franchise is all about.
Spoilers!
Having grown up with Harry Potter as my imaginary best friend, magic is a concept I am all too familiar with. I did really enjoy the magical aspects of this book and thought they approached magic in a different way. I liked that each character had a different magical element and I think that gave the book more diversity.
I also enjoyed the characters, namely Ethan. He felt like a real, small town, high school boy trapped in a life he hated. His relationship with Lena is one most girl’s dream of, aside from the curse and other evil things that could potentially happen. He is so sweet, and funny, and charming, and adorable, and stubborn, and so willing to do anything for her just like any good southern gentleman. I mean really, who wouldn’t want a boyfriend like that? Also, a guy who reads! Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I could feel his anguish and boredom and felt his attraction for Lena.
My other favorite characters were Amma, Marian, Ridley, and sometimes Macon. I wouldn’t say that I disliked Lena because I don’t, but she didn’t cut it as one of my favorites. Ridley I have a love hate relationship with. She’s so awesome and badass but also so evil and frustrating but perfect at being a Siren. I almost wish I could meet her in real life, but know that if I did I’d hate her so I’ll just be friends with her in my head. That didn’t sound psychotic at all…
There were a few things that frustrated me while reading this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good length book, but there were parts where I just wanted to skip right to the ending. I felt like the authors included a lot of great details and there were a lot of mini plots happening that eventually created the ending, but it was almost too many supernatural elements in one book (hence it’s largeness). There’s the curse, the library, the mother(s), Amma, flashbacks, school dances, evil high schoolers, crazy family dinners, poetry, recluses, and much more. I commend the authors for making all of these things work together in one novel but it was just to much at times. It doesn’t seem like this theme of ‘over sharing’ stops though because all the books in this series seem to be about the same length (yikes).
I won’t say that I saw the ending coming, but I wasn’t shocked by much that happened. It wasn’t very unsettling or evoked any emotions from me, and it only intrigued me enough that I’m considering reading the next book in the series. I would like to know what happens next but I’m not sure how much I can take if the plot doesn’t dramatically change and throw in a huge, uncalled for twist.
Conclusion:
From the last two paragraphs it may seem like I didn’t enjoy this book. I just felt like being a little extra critical this time and these were things that I thought about while reading this book. The first 300 pages flew by; I read them in a manner of hours. The rest of the book took about two more days to finish because I had worn myself out.
I really enjoyed the concept of the Casters and the curse and I do want to find out what happens next. I would recommend this book to people who like magic, Sirens, Incubus’, Seers, and a love born from destiny. This was the perfect book to get me out of my school-mandated-reading slump and I’m really glad I finally picked it up.
Rating:4/5 stars
Initial Thoughts:
I’ve known about this book for a while, before it was ever turned into a movie. What book reviewer, blogger, or booktuber hasn’t heard of Beautiful Creatures? However, I didn’t always hear positive reviews and was hesitant to dive into yet another series. Once I saw the trailer for the movie my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to find out what this franchise is all about.
Spoilers!
Having grown up with Harry Potter as my imaginary best friend, magic is a concept I am all too familiar with. I did really enjoy the magical aspects of this book and thought they approached magic in a different way. I liked that each character had a different magical element and I think that gave the book more diversity.
I also enjoyed the characters, namely Ethan. He felt like a real, small town, high school boy trapped in a life he hated. His relationship with Lena is one most girl’s dream of, aside from the curse and other evil things that could potentially happen. He is so sweet, and funny, and charming, and adorable, and stubborn, and so willing to do anything for her just like any good southern gentleman. I mean really, who wouldn’t want a boyfriend like that? Also, a guy who reads! Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I could feel his anguish and boredom and felt his attraction for Lena.
My other favorite characters were Amma, Marian, Ridley, and sometimes Macon. I wouldn’t say that I disliked Lena because I don’t, but she didn’t cut it as one of my favorites. Ridley I have a love hate relationship with. She’s so awesome and badass but also so evil and frustrating but perfect at being a Siren. I almost wish I could meet her in real life, but know that if I did I’d hate her so I’ll just be friends with her in my head. That didn’t sound psychotic at all…
There were a few things that frustrated me while reading this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good length book, but there were parts where I just wanted to skip right to the ending. I felt like the authors included a lot of great details and there were a lot of mini plots happening that eventually created the ending, but it was almost too many supernatural elements in one book (hence it’s largeness). There’s the curse, the library, the mother(s), Amma, flashbacks, school dances, evil high schoolers, crazy family dinners, poetry, recluses, and much more. I commend the authors for making all of these things work together in one novel but it was just to much at times. It doesn’t seem like this theme of ‘over sharing’ stops though because all the books in this series seem to be about the same length (yikes).
I won’t say that I saw the ending coming, but I wasn’t shocked by much that happened. It wasn’t very unsettling or evoked any emotions from me, and it only intrigued me enough that I’m considering reading the next book in the series. I would like to know what happens next but I’m not sure how much I can take if the plot doesn’t dramatically change and throw in a huge, uncalled for twist.
Conclusion:
From the last two paragraphs it may seem like I didn’t enjoy this book. I just felt like being a little extra critical this time and these were things that I thought about while reading this book. The first 300 pages flew by; I read them in a manner of hours. The rest of the book took about two more days to finish because I had worn myself out.
I really enjoyed the concept of the Casters and the curse and I do want to find out what happens next. I would recommend this book to people who like magic, Sirens, Incubus’, Seers, and a love born from destiny. This was the perfect book to get me out of my school-mandated-reading slump and I’m really glad I finally picked it up.
Rating:4/5 stars
Full review on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again.
Initial Thoughts:
I was very nervous to start this novel. I’ve been a huge fan of the series ever since I read the first two books back in November and they mean a lot more to me than some of the other books I’ve read recently. They were the first books I’ve read in a while that gave me hope and made me believe in love again (ironically enough since the books say that love is a disease), which obviously places them close to my heart and makes me feel a little protective over them.
I trusted Lauren Oliver as an author and knew she couldn’t screw this up too badly, so with that mindset I went ahead and slowly made my way through the last book in the Delirium series.
Spoilers!
This book oscillates between Lena and Hana’s point of views. At first I was bored with Hana’s parts and just wanted to figure out what was going on in the wilds with Julian and Alex and Lena, but eventually I became just as excited to read about Hana’s life, especially after the HUGE reveal on page….okay so I’m not telling you what page but you’ll know it when you read it.
There were a few grammatical errors which irked me, because I don’t recall there being any in the last two novels. Another thing that stood out to me was the use of the same imagery or metaphors. Like I said earlier, I feel really protective over this series and was hyper critical. They weren’t huge downfalls, but I felt the novel could’ve been improved upon regarding these literary elements.
The story itself flowed relatively quickly. I was a little dismayed because so much of the focus was on the plot and we didn’t get to see a lot of character interaction like the interaction between Alex and Lena in Delirium or the interaction between Julian and Lena in Pandemonium. I felt like every time the plot started to slow down, and an emotional scene was coming up, the action got in the way again. I wish we could’ve seen more scenes between characters. I think the only real emotional connection I felt in the whole novel that was new and expanded upon, was with Hana because we got to see her side of the story told through her point of view.
The ending: It didn’t really feel like an ending and it very much felt like the author came out of character and was talking directly to her audience, which I wish would’ve been included in the acknowledgements instead of the actual story. It was left very open ended and almost felt like the author herself didn’t know how to end the novel or couldn’t decide for Lena. I guess I liked that, because it leaves it up to the imagination of the reader and it lets us interpret what will happen to the characters in the future.
Conclusion:
I hope my review doesn’t come off as being too harsh or negative because Lauren Oliver is one of my favorite authors and Delirium is one of my favorite series. She created amazing characters that are easy to fall in love with and a world that is totally and uniquely her own.
I read Requiem during a really tough week and didn’t have the best focus while reading it, which I’ll be honest, may have affected my review. I tried being as objective as possible and commented on the things I thought of while I was reading the book. Although Requiem wasn’t my favorite book in the series it was still an enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read it again once I have the whole series (I borrowed Delirium and Pandemonium from the library).
I’d recommend this series to anyone who is coming out of a break up, doesn’t believe in love, or has lost hope. At the same time I’d recommend this book to someone who wants to explore a new type of dystopian world where love is a disease and people are fighting for the freedom to choose their own destiny. I think there are a lot of great little hidden messages and morals throughout this series that are universal and relatable to anyone.
I’m even more excited after finishing Requiem that Fox is making Delirium into a T.V. series, to see how they will expand on this story and the characters. Even though the series of books may be over, the story will continue on screen as Alex, Lena, and Julian’s journeys continue.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I normally don’t leave any sort of comment in my rating section, but I wouldn’t say that I loved this book. I couldn’t give it just the “I liked it” rating because this book, along with its predecessors will have a special home on my bookshelf and I do plan on reading it again in the future.
Initial Thoughts:
I was very nervous to start this novel. I’ve been a huge fan of the series ever since I read the first two books back in November and they mean a lot more to me than some of the other books I’ve read recently. They were the first books I’ve read in a while that gave me hope and made me believe in love again (ironically enough since the books say that love is a disease), which obviously places them close to my heart and makes me feel a little protective over them.
I trusted Lauren Oliver as an author and knew she couldn’t screw this up too badly, so with that mindset I went ahead and slowly made my way through the last book in the Delirium series.
Spoilers!
This book oscillates between Lena and Hana’s point of views. At first I was bored with Hana’s parts and just wanted to figure out what was going on in the wilds with Julian and Alex and Lena, but eventually I became just as excited to read about Hana’s life, especially after the HUGE reveal on page….okay so I’m not telling you what page but you’ll know it when you read it.
There were a few grammatical errors which irked me, because I don’t recall there being any in the last two novels. Another thing that stood out to me was the use of the same imagery or metaphors. Like I said earlier, I feel really protective over this series and was hyper critical. They weren’t huge downfalls, but I felt the novel could’ve been improved upon regarding these literary elements.
The story itself flowed relatively quickly. I was a little dismayed because so much of the focus was on the plot and we didn’t get to see a lot of character interaction like the interaction between Alex and Lena in Delirium or the interaction between Julian and Lena in Pandemonium. I felt like every time the plot started to slow down, and an emotional scene was coming up, the action got in the way again. I wish we could’ve seen more scenes between characters. I think the only real emotional connection I felt in the whole novel that was new and expanded upon, was with Hana because we got to see her side of the story told through her point of view.
The ending: It didn’t really feel like an ending and it very much felt like the author came out of character and was talking directly to her audience, which I wish would’ve been included in the acknowledgements instead of the actual story. It was left very open ended and almost felt like the author herself didn’t know how to end the novel or couldn’t decide for Lena. I guess I liked that, because it leaves it up to the imagination of the reader and it lets us interpret what will happen to the characters in the future.
Conclusion:
I hope my review doesn’t come off as being too harsh or negative because Lauren Oliver is one of my favorite authors and Delirium is one of my favorite series. She created amazing characters that are easy to fall in love with and a world that is totally and uniquely her own.
I read Requiem during a really tough week and didn’t have the best focus while reading it, which I’ll be honest, may have affected my review. I tried being as objective as possible and commented on the things I thought of while I was reading the book. Although Requiem wasn’t my favorite book in the series it was still an enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read it again once I have the whole series (I borrowed Delirium and Pandemonium from the library).
I’d recommend this series to anyone who is coming out of a break up, doesn’t believe in love, or has lost hope. At the same time I’d recommend this book to someone who wants to explore a new type of dystopian world where love is a disease and people are fighting for the freedom to choose their own destiny. I think there are a lot of great little hidden messages and morals throughout this series that are universal and relatable to anyone.
I’m even more excited after finishing Requiem that Fox is making Delirium into a T.V. series, to see how they will expand on this story and the characters. Even though the series of books may be over, the story will continue on screen as Alex, Lena, and Julian’s journeys continue.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I normally don’t leave any sort of comment in my rating section, but I wouldn’t say that I loved this book. I couldn’t give it just the “I liked it” rating because this book, along with its predecessors will have a special home on my bookshelf and I do plan on reading it again in the future.
You can find the full review on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again .
*I was required to read this book for my Literature and War class.
Initial Thoughts:
I was really excited to being this book because it is a compilation of blogs from a girl who was living in Baghdad in 2003-2004. As a blogger myself, I thought it would be interesting to see a different bloggers perspective, especially in these circumstances. Obviously our blogs are not in any way similar. I write about (mostly) young adult novels and she is writing about her experiences and life during a war, but I still thought there might be some parallel solely from the blogging point of view.
Conclusion:
Normally with my reviews, I have a spoiler section, but if people haven’t read the book they normally skip over it. I decided for this review to write most of my thoughts in the conclusion, in the hopes that more people would read it.
I did not enjoy this book. The writing was great, she is a very witty and intelligent girl, but that was also a problem. The extent of my knowledge on the Iraq war or Operation Iraqi freedom is as follows: Someone attacked the World Trade Centers and a few other choice locations in the U.S. and we went to war in the Middle East. I didn’t know where, I didn’t know who we were fighting or even why, so reading this book and trying to understand the politics of it all was extremely difficult and frustrating.
Riverbend is a very smart girl and her whole life is immersed in the politics of what is happening in Iraq during this time period. She is much more educated than I am in this subject and most of her arguments went right over my head. I struggled to see past my ignorance and prejudices, but this book did make me think.
Although I didn’t understand a vast majority, or pretty much all of the books contents, on a human level I could sympathize with her situation. In its most basic form, this book depicts a girl and her family dealing with horrific circumstances of a war that is taking place literally in her front and back yard. Even when I didn’t understand what she was talking about politically, I could still appreciate her opinions and the points that she made.
I took this Literature and War class for this very reason. I am so blissfully ignorant as to what is going on in the world. I was pretty young when September 11, 2001 occurred, and I feel like I’m too far behind to ever be able to catch up with what has happened over the past twelve years. I took this class hoping that it would open up my eyes to the world around me, and in many ways it has done that. I am aware of different cultures, war strategies, the many varying effects of war on the people, the land, and the government. However, I wouldn’t say that I understand any of these things, I’m simply more aware of them.
I would recommend this book to someone who has more than just basic background information on what has happened in Iraq. Can you read this book without doing any research? Sure you can. I struggled with keeping track of political leaders and corporations and I wasn’t able to form my own opinions on the matter because I’m too ill informed, but it did open my eyes, and that is the first step.
Rating:
2/5 stars
*I was required to read this book for my Literature and War class.
Initial Thoughts:
I was really excited to being this book because it is a compilation of blogs from a girl who was living in Baghdad in 2003-2004. As a blogger myself, I thought it would be interesting to see a different bloggers perspective, especially in these circumstances. Obviously our blogs are not in any way similar. I write about (mostly) young adult novels and she is writing about her experiences and life during a war, but I still thought there might be some parallel solely from the blogging point of view.
Conclusion:
Normally with my reviews, I have a spoiler section, but if people haven’t read the book they normally skip over it. I decided for this review to write most of my thoughts in the conclusion, in the hopes that more people would read it.
I did not enjoy this book. The writing was great, she is a very witty and intelligent girl, but that was also a problem. The extent of my knowledge on the Iraq war or Operation Iraqi freedom is as follows: Someone attacked the World Trade Centers and a few other choice locations in the U.S. and we went to war in the Middle East. I didn’t know where, I didn’t know who we were fighting or even why, so reading this book and trying to understand the politics of it all was extremely difficult and frustrating.
Riverbend is a very smart girl and her whole life is immersed in the politics of what is happening in Iraq during this time period. She is much more educated than I am in this subject and most of her arguments went right over my head. I struggled to see past my ignorance and prejudices, but this book did make me think.
Although I didn’t understand a vast majority, or pretty much all of the books contents, on a human level I could sympathize with her situation. In its most basic form, this book depicts a girl and her family dealing with horrific circumstances of a war that is taking place literally in her front and back yard. Even when I didn’t understand what she was talking about politically, I could still appreciate her opinions and the points that she made.
I took this Literature and War class for this very reason. I am so blissfully ignorant as to what is going on in the world. I was pretty young when September 11, 2001 occurred, and I feel like I’m too far behind to ever be able to catch up with what has happened over the past twelve years. I took this class hoping that it would open up my eyes to the world around me, and in many ways it has done that. I am aware of different cultures, war strategies, the many varying effects of war on the people, the land, and the government. However, I wouldn’t say that I understand any of these things, I’m simply more aware of them.
I would recommend this book to someone who has more than just basic background information on what has happened in Iraq. Can you read this book without doing any research? Sure you can. I struggled with keeping track of political leaders and corporations and I wasn’t able to form my own opinions on the matter because I’m too ill informed, but it did open my eyes, and that is the first step.
Rating:
2/5 stars
You can check out my other reviews at my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or see my full review of Gates of Paradise by clicking here.
Initial Thoughts:
It seems like all I’ve been reading lately are the last books in a series. Typical me, I put it off as long as possible.
Spoilers!
Throughout this series there have been so many different story lines which kept me interested and reading each new book. Cruz writes from the perspective of a few different characters in this book and for once I didn’t mind. By now I’ve come to love all the characters so much I genuinely wanted to hear their stories individually.
I did wish that I had read her spin off books, Wolf Pact and Witches of the East End before I read this last book so that I had some more background knowledge on the new characters we are introduced to.
To my displeasure, we don’t get to see a lot of Jack and Schuyler. I can only recall one or two scenes where they are together. However, Cruz made up for it with the scenes involving Bliss and her new wolf friend. I don’t want to say much more about this because I want you all to be as surprised (and slightly confused) as I was. Another way Cruz makes up for the lack of Schuyler and Jack are the scenes with Mimi and Kingsley. I love the relationship these two characters have together, and they are put through some series tests in this last book.
The more I write about the different characters the more I realize how much I love them all. Of course I don’t want to leave out Oliver, who in my opinion has the coolest name in the series (Oliver Hazard-Perry). And oh my gosh! The ending for him is fabulous. I think I’ve secretly wanted that to happen for him since I started reading this series. Spot on Melissa De La Cruz. Spot on.
Like I mentioned earlier, each character is on a different mission but they all have the same goal in mind. The conclusion of this novel brought every story line together effortlessly and seamlessly. I really wasn’t sure how Cruz would tie up almost ten different character plots, but she made it work.
Did I cry reading the ending? Yes, yes I did. Did I cry reading the last four pages? You have no idea. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a series I’ve been a fan of since I was 15. I was and am so sad to see it go, but so happy for all the characters. I can’t wait to read the spin off series that have been created (as mentioned above).
Conclusion:
I definitely felt all the feels at the end of this book (series). I read the book in one sitting and enjoyed every second. Although I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t my favorite from this series. I claim in my review of Lost In Time (book #6) that it is my favorite book of the Blue Bloods series and after finishing Gates of Paradise that ruling stands.
In the beginning of the series, I absolutely hated Mimi Force. Now she is one of my favorite characters. She has developed and grown so much and I just…ekkk love her! The same is true for all the characters. They have all easily become my favorite, a phenomenon that I haven’t experienced since reading Harry Potter or The Inheritance Series.
I would recommend this book only if you’ve read the other six. That’s a little end of the series humor for you. But seriously, I’d recommend this book to people who like vampires, and not your traditional vampires either, but vampires that cycle through lifetimes instead of retaining one body for eternity. I’d also suggest this book to someone who likes New York, fashion, traveling, some adventure and some pretty legit fight scenes.
Rating:4.5/5 stars
Initial Thoughts:
It seems like all I’ve been reading lately are the last books in a series. Typical me, I put it off as long as possible.
Spoilers!
Throughout this series there have been so many different story lines which kept me interested and reading each new book. Cruz writes from the perspective of a few different characters in this book and for once I didn’t mind. By now I’ve come to love all the characters so much I genuinely wanted to hear their stories individually.
I did wish that I had read her spin off books, Wolf Pact and Witches of the East End before I read this last book so that I had some more background knowledge on the new characters we are introduced to.
To my displeasure, we don’t get to see a lot of Jack and Schuyler. I can only recall one or two scenes where they are together. However, Cruz made up for it with the scenes involving Bliss and her new wolf friend. I don’t want to say much more about this because I want you all to be as surprised (and slightly confused) as I was. Another way Cruz makes up for the lack of Schuyler and Jack are the scenes with Mimi and Kingsley. I love the relationship these two characters have together, and they are put through some series tests in this last book.
The more I write about the different characters the more I realize how much I love them all. Of course I don’t want to leave out Oliver, who in my opinion has the coolest name in the series (Oliver Hazard-Perry). And oh my gosh! The ending for him is fabulous. I think I’ve secretly wanted that to happen for him since I started reading this series. Spot on Melissa De La Cruz. Spot on.
Like I mentioned earlier, each character is on a different mission but they all have the same goal in mind. The conclusion of this novel brought every story line together effortlessly and seamlessly. I really wasn’t sure how Cruz would tie up almost ten different character plots, but she made it work.
Did I cry reading the ending? Yes, yes I did. Did I cry reading the last four pages? You have no idea. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a series I’ve been a fan of since I was 15. I was and am so sad to see it go, but so happy for all the characters. I can’t wait to read the spin off series that have been created (as mentioned above).
Conclusion:
I definitely felt all the feels at the end of this book (series). I read the book in one sitting and enjoyed every second. Although I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t my favorite from this series. I claim in my review of Lost In Time (book #6) that it is my favorite book of the Blue Bloods series and after finishing Gates of Paradise that ruling stands.
In the beginning of the series, I absolutely hated Mimi Force. Now she is one of my favorite characters. She has developed and grown so much and I just…ekkk love her! The same is true for all the characters. They have all easily become my favorite, a phenomenon that I haven’t experienced since reading Harry Potter or The Inheritance Series.
I would recommend this book only if you’ve read the other six. That’s a little end of the series humor for you. But seriously, I’d recommend this book to people who like vampires, and not your traditional vampires either, but vampires that cycle through lifetimes instead of retaining one body for eternity. I’d also suggest this book to someone who likes New York, fashion, traveling, some adventure and some pretty legit fight scenes.
Rating:4.5/5 stars
You can check out my other reviews on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or to see my review of Shades of Earth click here .
Initial Thoughts:
I was so excited to read this book. Like I tell everyone, I fell in love with the cover of Across the Universe and initially only picked this series up because of my own vanity of wanting to own pretty books. Thankfully, Beth Revis is a genius and this series absolutely blew my mind. I put off reading this book for a week after I got it and read it as slowly as possible. I was really dreading seeing this book and series end.
Spoilers!
If you haven’t read the first two books, please don’t ruin it for yourself by reading this section. Skip down to the conclusion or rating.
For those of you still with me, this book BLEW my mind. I forgot how scary and suspenseful Revis’ writing can be. I figured out pretty early on that I couldn’t read this book before I was going to bed. That’s not to say that it’s super scary, I’m just a bit of a sissy when it comes to that stuff. I wasn’t put off by the suspense at all and it kept me reading at a pretty fast pace, even though I was trying to read as slowly as possible to stay with the story longer.
The writing and the pacing of this book have grown substantially since the last two. Beth Revis’ writing was so superb when explaining the new earth, the monsters, and the landscape that I could see everything vividly in my head. If I could draw, I think I’d have no problem drawing out a very detailed map of the world. The pacing was amazing, for lack of a better word. I’ve never seen or read anything quite like it. Revis knows exactly how long a chapter should be based on her characters, which I think is incredible. And those blank pages…let’s just say I forced myself not to believe it, otherwise I would’ve cried and thrown the book down without finishing it. Keep reading! Trust me.
Amy and Elder. Our two heroes. They come across some serious, and I mean SERIOUS obstacles in this book as well as some serious romance, if you call trying not to get killed every day together romantic. Like in the last two, it starts off as a type of murder mystery, which leads to them both uncovering amazing and devastating truths. I will say that some of the clues I picked up on from the get go, however, I wasn’t sure how they would play out so I didn’t feel like I knew how the plot would unfold.
As the last book in the series, I was extremely pleased (which may be an understatement). I felt like all the loose ends were tied up just the way they should be and I loved loved LOVED how it ended. I squealed audibly when I closed it and got a few strange looks from my Dad.
Conclusion:
If you haven’t picked up any books in the Across the Universe series what the heck are you waiting for? The growth of the characters over the three novels is astounding, as is the growth of Beth’s writing, plot, and world building. I would recommend this book to literally anyone, unless you seriously dislike space travel, but come on, who dislikes space travel?
I loved these characters and their stories and I’m really sad to see them go. I am such a big fan of Beth Revis now and I’ll probably read anything else she ever writes, it’s that good. She has such a unique, bright, and vivid imagination and we’re all just lucky that she also happens to be a great writer so she can share her worlds with us.
Rating:5/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I was so excited to read this book. Like I tell everyone, I fell in love with the cover of Across the Universe and initially only picked this series up because of my own vanity of wanting to own pretty books. Thankfully, Beth Revis is a genius and this series absolutely blew my mind. I put off reading this book for a week after I got it and read it as slowly as possible. I was really dreading seeing this book and series end.
Spoilers!
If you haven’t read the first two books, please don’t ruin it for yourself by reading this section. Skip down to the conclusion or rating.
For those of you still with me, this book BLEW my mind. I forgot how scary and suspenseful Revis’ writing can be. I figured out pretty early on that I couldn’t read this book before I was going to bed. That’s not to say that it’s super scary, I’m just a bit of a sissy when it comes to that stuff. I wasn’t put off by the suspense at all and it kept me reading at a pretty fast pace, even though I was trying to read as slowly as possible to stay with the story longer.
The writing and the pacing of this book have grown substantially since the last two. Beth Revis’ writing was so superb when explaining the new earth, the monsters, and the landscape that I could see everything vividly in my head. If I could draw, I think I’d have no problem drawing out a very detailed map of the world. The pacing was amazing, for lack of a better word. I’ve never seen or read anything quite like it. Revis knows exactly how long a chapter should be based on her characters, which I think is incredible. And those blank pages…let’s just say I forced myself not to believe it, otherwise I would’ve cried and thrown the book down without finishing it. Keep reading! Trust me.
Amy and Elder. Our two heroes. They come across some serious, and I mean SERIOUS obstacles in this book as well as some serious romance, if you call trying not to get killed every day together romantic. Like in the last two, it starts off as a type of murder mystery, which leads to them both uncovering amazing and devastating truths. I will say that some of the clues I picked up on from the get go, however, I wasn’t sure how they would play out so I didn’t feel like I knew how the plot would unfold.
As the last book in the series, I was extremely pleased (which may be an understatement). I felt like all the loose ends were tied up just the way they should be and I loved loved LOVED how it ended. I squealed audibly when I closed it and got a few strange looks from my Dad.
Conclusion:
If you haven’t picked up any books in the Across the Universe series what the heck are you waiting for? The growth of the characters over the three novels is astounding, as is the growth of Beth’s writing, plot, and world building. I would recommend this book to literally anyone, unless you seriously dislike space travel, but come on, who dislikes space travel?
I loved these characters and their stories and I’m really sad to see them go. I am such a big fan of Beth Revis now and I’ll probably read anything else she ever writes, it’s that good. She has such a unique, bright, and vivid imagination and we’re all just lucky that she also happens to be a great writer so she can share her worlds with us.
Rating:5/5 Stars
You can check out my other reviews at The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or see my review for Mother Night by clicking here .
Initial Thoughts:
I read this book for my Literature and War class.
I’ve never read any of Kurt Vonnegut’s other works but after this book I’m sure I will. After reading the description on the back, it was hard to imagine how an author could include humor in a situation where an American spy ends up in an Israeli prison, but Kurt Vonnegut had me laughing out loud. It was one of those laughs were you weren’t sure if it was appropriate or politically correct, but it was so darn funny you just couldn’t help it.
Spoilers!
Howard W. Campbell, our main character, was an American spy posing as a German Nazi. Throughout the book we get a lot of insight about what he did as a Nazi and why he was so effective. Howard really struggles with comprehending whether he was acting as an American or if he really had crossed the line into Nazi territory. This is where the ‘chilling shade of gray’ phrase comes from.
Howard discusses his life before, during, and after the war up to the present time. The chapters weave together through the past and the present in such a fluid way, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. There are twists and turns I honestly did NOT see coming which kept the book exciting and turned it into a really fast read.
I may have a weird or awkward sense of humor because I found most of this book hilarious. I’m not sure if anyone would agree with me so I’ve been trying to justify why I found it so funny and my conclusion is this: the Nazi view is so unlike my own, and their ideals are so ridiculous, I just couldn’t help but laugh.
Don’t get the wrong idea though, this book did have its funny parts, but the war and the death is still a very present aspect. From Howard’s point of view we see the deaths of Jews and Germans, something that to my knowledge hasn’t been explored before in the same book. On one page you’re learning about Howard’s experience in a Jewish camp and in the next you’re hearing about how a German he knew is killed. It was a wild experience to have these two events relayed so closely together and it puts this war into a new perspective.
Conclusion:
For whatever reason I loved this book. I was shocked by the ending, but I know I’ll read it again. I’m definitely going to look into more of Vonnegut’s work and I can’t believe I haven’t read more of him already!
I also wanted to mention that the drawings on the front and back cover were made by Kurt Vonnegut, which I think is super cool! I also really enjoyed the Introduction and the Editor’s Note and the names of the chapters. I think I just really like Kurt Vonnegut.
Anyways, I’d recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in WWII, or an interest in spies. This book was a super fast read, I think it only took me five or so hours.
Rating:4/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I read this book for my Literature and War class.
I’ve never read any of Kurt Vonnegut’s other works but after this book I’m sure I will. After reading the description on the back, it was hard to imagine how an author could include humor in a situation where an American spy ends up in an Israeli prison, but Kurt Vonnegut had me laughing out loud. It was one of those laughs were you weren’t sure if it was appropriate or politically correct, but it was so darn funny you just couldn’t help it.
Spoilers!
Howard W. Campbell, our main character, was an American spy posing as a German Nazi. Throughout the book we get a lot of insight about what he did as a Nazi and why he was so effective. Howard really struggles with comprehending whether he was acting as an American or if he really had crossed the line into Nazi territory. This is where the ‘chilling shade of gray’ phrase comes from.
Howard discusses his life before, during, and after the war up to the present time. The chapters weave together through the past and the present in such a fluid way, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. There are twists and turns I honestly did NOT see coming which kept the book exciting and turned it into a really fast read.
I may have a weird or awkward sense of humor because I found most of this book hilarious. I’m not sure if anyone would agree with me so I’ve been trying to justify why I found it so funny and my conclusion is this: the Nazi view is so unlike my own, and their ideals are so ridiculous, I just couldn’t help but laugh.
Don’t get the wrong idea though, this book did have its funny parts, but the war and the death is still a very present aspect. From Howard’s point of view we see the deaths of Jews and Germans, something that to my knowledge hasn’t been explored before in the same book. On one page you’re learning about Howard’s experience in a Jewish camp and in the next you’re hearing about how a German he knew is killed. It was a wild experience to have these two events relayed so closely together and it puts this war into a new perspective.
Conclusion:
For whatever reason I loved this book. I was shocked by the ending, but I know I’ll read it again. I’m definitely going to look into more of Vonnegut’s work and I can’t believe I haven’t read more of him already!
I also wanted to mention that the drawings on the front and back cover were made by Kurt Vonnegut, which I think is super cool! I also really enjoyed the Introduction and the Editor’s Note and the names of the chapters. I think I just really like Kurt Vonnegut.
Anyways, I’d recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in WWII, or an interest in spies. This book was a super fast read, I think it only took me five or so hours.
Rating:4/5 Stars
You can find this review along with many others at my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or by clicking here .
Initial Thoughts:
I read this book as a requirement for my Literature and War class.
Before I started this book I wasn’t sure what to expect but I assumed there would be lots of war scenes and gore, typical of a war movie. To my surprise, that’s not exactly what I got. I would also like to note that Pat Barker is a women, which was something many of the students in my Literature and War class were unaware of and they said that this knowledge changed the way they viewed the book and some of the characters.
Spoilers!
There are a lot of characters in this book. Pat Barker begins conversations between the characters naturally, as if we the audience already know what’s going on. At times it was a bit disorienting and I felt like I needed a play sheet to keep track of all the patients. Once the book got rolling it was easier to keep track of who was who based on their back stories.
Like I mentioned, this book wasn’t simply about war and gore, although a few scenes do come to mind. This novel focused primarily on the effects of war on all the people around it. It looks at the soldiers, the doctors, the women left at home, and the families. This book is written from a few different point of views, but the primary voice is that of Dr. Rivers, a psychiatrist who deals with the worst cases of mental war wounds.
This is the first book in a series, and many of the characters story lines are left open. A few of the more notable characters are Billy Prior, Sassoon, Owens, Dr. Rivers, and Anderson. It is my understanding that the characters in the book were based on real people from WWI. It was really eye opening for me to see how deep the effects of war go and how severely it changes people.
Conclusion:
It’s hard for me to give a good review of this book without giving too much away in the spoilers section. I did enjoy this book and I’m happy that I read it. It wasn’t gory, for those of you who have light stomachs, although there are two or three scenes that stand out pretty vividly. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in different aspects of war, especially the after math of war on mental stability. It was an interesting read and I am considering reading the rest of the series to find out what happened to the characters.
Rating:3.5/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I read this book as a requirement for my Literature and War class.
Before I started this book I wasn’t sure what to expect but I assumed there would be lots of war scenes and gore, typical of a war movie. To my surprise, that’s not exactly what I got. I would also like to note that Pat Barker is a women, which was something many of the students in my Literature and War class were unaware of and they said that this knowledge changed the way they viewed the book and some of the characters.
Spoilers!
There are a lot of characters in this book. Pat Barker begins conversations between the characters naturally, as if we the audience already know what’s going on. At times it was a bit disorienting and I felt like I needed a play sheet to keep track of all the patients. Once the book got rolling it was easier to keep track of who was who based on their back stories.
Like I mentioned, this book wasn’t simply about war and gore, although a few scenes do come to mind. This novel focused primarily on the effects of war on all the people around it. It looks at the soldiers, the doctors, the women left at home, and the families. This book is written from a few different point of views, but the primary voice is that of Dr. Rivers, a psychiatrist who deals with the worst cases of mental war wounds.
This is the first book in a series, and many of the characters story lines are left open. A few of the more notable characters are Billy Prior, Sassoon, Owens, Dr. Rivers, and Anderson. It is my understanding that the characters in the book were based on real people from WWI. It was really eye opening for me to see how deep the effects of war go and how severely it changes people.
Conclusion:
It’s hard for me to give a good review of this book without giving too much away in the spoilers section. I did enjoy this book and I’m happy that I read it. It wasn’t gory, for those of you who have light stomachs, although there are two or three scenes that stand out pretty vividly. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in different aspects of war, especially the after math of war on mental stability. It was an interesting read and I am considering reading the rest of the series to find out what happened to the characters.
Rating:3.5/5 Stars
You can find this review along with countless others on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or by clicking here.
Initial Thoughts:
I knew I was excited to read this novella when I first heard about it but I didn’t expect to have such a positive experience with such a short piece of work. I guess this just proves, again, how amazing Veronica Rossi is.
Spoilers!
If you’ve already read Under The Never Sky you have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in Roar and Liv. However, this story comes before UTNS and it focuses mainly on the love and struggles of, well, Roar and Liv.
What I loved about this short story was not its length (GIVE ME MORE!!!!!) but the fact that we get a better look inside Roar’s character and a unique opportunity to learn more about Perry before he met Aria. You also get to see how evil Vale really is and what a complete JERK he is to everyone. Roar seems to be the only person who completely understands Vale’s motives and he’s the only one who will stand up to him.
It was so nice to see Roar and Liv’s relationship, even though it was so brief. In many ways I wish this had been a whole book, about Roar, Liv and Perry before Aria so that we could see more of Roar and Liv’s true relationship, but for now I’ll have to settle with little snippets into Roar’s heart.
Conclusion:
I wish it had been longer…have I already mentioned that? This novella was only $2.99 on Amazon and I was dying to get it. I can’t decide whether, for the money, it was worth it but I have to keep in mind that it was released in October and it had the firs two chapters to Through The Ever Night. I guess that counts as a pretty hot commodity.
If you’re a true fan of the series and of Veronica Rossi, I highly recommend it. It made my heart squeeze and made my love for the characters grow and grow.
Rating:
4/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I knew I was excited to read this novella when I first heard about it but I didn’t expect to have such a positive experience with such a short piece of work. I guess this just proves, again, how amazing Veronica Rossi is.
Spoilers!
If you’ve already read Under The Never Sky you have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in Roar and Liv. However, this story comes before UTNS and it focuses mainly on the love and struggles of, well, Roar and Liv.
What I loved about this short story was not its length (GIVE ME MORE!!!!!) but the fact that we get a better look inside Roar’s character and a unique opportunity to learn more about Perry before he met Aria. You also get to see how evil Vale really is and what a complete JERK he is to everyone. Roar seems to be the only person who completely understands Vale’s motives and he’s the only one who will stand up to him.
It was so nice to see Roar and Liv’s relationship, even though it was so brief. In many ways I wish this had been a whole book, about Roar, Liv and Perry before Aria so that we could see more of Roar and Liv’s true relationship, but for now I’ll have to settle with little snippets into Roar’s heart.
Conclusion:
I wish it had been longer…have I already mentioned that? This novella was only $2.99 on Amazon and I was dying to get it. I can’t decide whether, for the money, it was worth it but I have to keep in mind that it was released in October and it had the firs two chapters to Through The Ever Night. I guess that counts as a pretty hot commodity.
If you’re a true fan of the series and of Veronica Rossi, I highly recommend it. It made my heart squeeze and made my love for the characters grow and grow.
Rating:
4/5 Stars
You can find this review along with countless others on my blog The Dancing Nerd Writes Again or by clicking here.
Initial Thoughts:
One of the first things I did after completing Under The Never Sky was finding out when the second book would be released. I was so excited to see that I would only have to wait about a month before continuing on this amazing journey with Aria, Perry and Roar.
Many of the bloggers I follow had received ARC’s of TTEN and were already posting their reviews. My curiosity got the best of me, and I would often read the first and last paragraphs of their reviews to see how they liked the new book overall.
At first I was dying with excitement over reading Through The Ever Night until I read one reviewer who said she was sad to see that Aria and Perry weren’t together much throughout the novel.
WHAT!!!!
Needless to say, I was worried I wouldn’t like the book anymore. But don’t worry folks, not everything you read or see is true.
Spoilers!
The story picks up literally right where the last book left off, with Perry and Aria running to each other. It was such a sweet moment and a wonderful way to begin the second installment of this series. From there though, things seemed to go downhill fast for both Perry and Aria.
I loved that we got to see more of Perry’s tribe in this novel and how he worked through his role as Blood Lord. Throughout the novel, Veronica Rossi added or expanded upon a couple of the female characters in the tribes or traveling to the tribes. The stark comparison between these ladies and Aria made me realize how much I really do like her as a character. In Under The Never Sky I was Perry’s #1 fan, but in this novel, I quickly changed sides and became team Aria…at least for a little while.
It was infuriating to watch Perry and Aria go through so many struggles and have so many people against them. I wanted to slap some of the members in the tribes for being so ignorant and challenging Perry (I’m obviously a little possessive). Even though some parts of this book made me really mad, they made me mad in a good way! I liked feeling what the main characters felt as they struggled and it made the story really come alive off the page.
Oh Roar, if only I had a best friend like you. After finishing this book, I’m really worried about Roar. I think out of all of the characters, he will be the most changed in Into The Still Blue (the third novel, release date TBA). Even though I’m totally smitten for Perry, Roar will always be my favorite character and I hope his story has a happy ending.
Something I didn’t expect in this novel was to be so connected to the Realms as Aria continues to use her smarteye to contact Hess. The genius of these sections of the book is that it creates an alliance between two or three of the characters I would’ve never guessed in a million years. Ultimately, it is Aria’s connection to the Realms that makes the ending of this book possible.
Speaking of endings! Holy crap this one was all over the place and I never knew when or how it would end. It was exciting that every page held a different path than the one before it and I never saw what was coming. I absolutely LOVED how this book ended and wouldn’t have changed a thing. I’m so excited to see where the characters will end up and how they will mesh together now that the group is so ‘diverse’.
Conclusion:
My worries before starting this novel were quickly dispersed. Rest assured, you see plenty of Perry and Aria interaction throughout this novel, though it might not have been as much as I would’ve liked, I felt satisfied and never felt like I missed anything.
I am such a big fan of this series and I think Veronica Rossi has really outdone herself. The action in this book was great, as was the character and world building (as usual). I fell in love even more with my favorite characters (Roar, Perry and to my surprise Aria) and I even started to like characters I thought I would hate indefinitely.
It made me so happy to see relationships growing and made me extremely sad when some of them ended. I cannot wait until Into The Still Blue is released. But this time, like everyone else, I’ll really feel the pains of waiting.
I’ll be really, really, realllllllly sad to see this series end, but I’m excited to read anything else Veronica Rossi writes in the future.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Initial Thoughts:
One of the first things I did after completing Under The Never Sky was finding out when the second book would be released. I was so excited to see that I would only have to wait about a month before continuing on this amazing journey with Aria, Perry and Roar.
Many of the bloggers I follow had received ARC’s of TTEN and were already posting their reviews. My curiosity got the best of me, and I would often read the first and last paragraphs of their reviews to see how they liked the new book overall.
At first I was dying with excitement over reading Through The Ever Night until I read one reviewer who said she was sad to see that Aria and Perry weren’t together much throughout the novel.
WHAT!!!!
Needless to say, I was worried I wouldn’t like the book anymore. But don’t worry folks, not everything you read or see is true.
Spoilers!
The story picks up literally right where the last book left off, with Perry and Aria running to each other. It was such a sweet moment and a wonderful way to begin the second installment of this series. From there though, things seemed to go downhill fast for both Perry and Aria.
I loved that we got to see more of Perry’s tribe in this novel and how he worked through his role as Blood Lord. Throughout the novel, Veronica Rossi added or expanded upon a couple of the female characters in the tribes or traveling to the tribes. The stark comparison between these ladies and Aria made me realize how much I really do like her as a character. In Under The Never Sky I was Perry’s #1 fan, but in this novel, I quickly changed sides and became team Aria…at least for a little while.
It was infuriating to watch Perry and Aria go through so many struggles and have so many people against them. I wanted to slap some of the members in the tribes for being so ignorant and challenging Perry (I’m obviously a little possessive). Even though some parts of this book made me really mad, they made me mad in a good way! I liked feeling what the main characters felt as they struggled and it made the story really come alive off the page.
Oh Roar, if only I had a best friend like you. After finishing this book, I’m really worried about Roar. I think out of all of the characters, he will be the most changed in Into The Still Blue (the third novel, release date TBA). Even though I’m totally smitten for Perry, Roar will always be my favorite character and I hope his story has a happy ending.
Something I didn’t expect in this novel was to be so connected to the Realms as Aria continues to use her smarteye to contact Hess. The genius of these sections of the book is that it creates an alliance between two or three of the characters I would’ve never guessed in a million years. Ultimately, it is Aria’s connection to the Realms that makes the ending of this book possible.
Speaking of endings! Holy crap this one was all over the place and I never knew when or how it would end. It was exciting that every page held a different path than the one before it and I never saw what was coming. I absolutely LOVED how this book ended and wouldn’t have changed a thing. I’m so excited to see where the characters will end up and how they will mesh together now that the group is so ‘diverse’.
Conclusion:
My worries before starting this novel were quickly dispersed. Rest assured, you see plenty of Perry and Aria interaction throughout this novel, though it might not have been as much as I would’ve liked, I felt satisfied and never felt like I missed anything.
I am such a big fan of this series and I think Veronica Rossi has really outdone herself. The action in this book was great, as was the character and world building (as usual). I fell in love even more with my favorite characters (Roar, Perry and to my surprise Aria) and I even started to like characters I thought I would hate indefinitely.
It made me so happy to see relationships growing and made me extremely sad when some of them ended. I cannot wait until Into The Still Blue is released. But this time, like everyone else, I’ll really feel the pains of waiting.
I’ll be really, really, realllllllly sad to see this series end, but I’m excited to read anything else Veronica Rossi writes in the future.
Rating: 5/5 Stars