I forgot how beautiful Funke’s writing in this series is! It continues to impress me.
I liked how it explained the multiple worlds and the logic behind them. Also how it stopped portraying the fairies as these all powerful beings, and how all the magic was interconnected and everyone had weaknesses. The cliffhanger is quite frustrating though.  
I admit, reading it this far after the other books makes me a bit confused, since it’s easy to forget everything that happened in previous books. I really want to reread this once then entire series it out, cause they’re good books it’s just hard to remember all the details and aspects of the world. 

 I LOVED this book! I had high expectations, and Marissa Meyer did not disappoint. Definitely a new favorite.

Cath is such a complex character with a superbly written arc, albeit a tragic one. Her backstory aligns so well with the original tale of Alice in Wonderland, down to the Queen of Heart's hate for white roses and the tiny, meek King. Cath's actions make sense even though she's the villain of the story. You empathize with her. Meyer truly puts a face to the infamous villain. I'd love to see her write more anti-hero stories.

There was only one thing missing for me, and that was the madness. Wonderland is meant to be a completely illogical and crazy place, which I felt wasn't explored enough in this book. I get it though, it's difficult to get worldbuilding right in one book, especially if you're accustomed to writing a series where you have plenty of time to develop the world, like Meyer is.

Overall, highly recommend especially if you're a fan of retellings and villain origin stories. Also, the descriptions of food are just wonderful. 

This is a beautiful book, and the kind you can read over and over again without it losing any value or meaning. It’s emotional in a good way; the way that breaks your heart and eases your worries. I would’ve cried reading this book if I wasn’t in public. It’s hilarious and deep, and it is pretty difficult to do both. I marked so many pages; about 35 (out of 313!!!). How someone manages so write something this good is just beyond me.
Now, obviously (at least for me), teenagers don’t talk the way Hazel and Augustus do, but that’s what makes them unique. And also I just envisioned them as John Green talking through his characters, which made much more sense and gave me an easy way to suspend my disbelief. I personally don’t mind it being written like that (I’m fairly tolerant of strange formats) but I see why it would bother some people.

This is a very detailed, well-research account of the treacherous journey that Central American immigrants take. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in immigration, borders and what it’s like to live in such poverty that you’re willing to risk your life to get out as well. Obviously Enrique’s experience is not all-encompassing, probably not even average as he was quite lucky in some aspects, so I don’t think people should assume that everyone was as selfish as him or suffered as much/little as he did. To be completely honest, a lot of the statistics shocked me. So many young children going through something so difficult is unbelievable. 

I cannot put into words how much I LOVED this book. It just clicked so well with me. Watch out Felix Ever After, you have competition for the top spot. It was relatable in so many aspects, even as a white girl who doesn’t have anxiety. The romance was cute and so wholesome and real. Cora and Nandini are hilarious. This book had me gripped from beginning to end, not a page went to waste. It was never dull or boring, and I would’ve read it in one sitting if I could. It made me laugh out loud, blush and cry. Oh, what a wonderful feeling! I remember being 100 or so pages in, hoping so badly for a good ending, and Bhuiyan did not disappoint! The ending was satisfying but not unrealistic, and also quite sweet. I love Ace as well, such a complex but entertaining and endearing character. Even Karina’s brother was interesting. All in all, a very very well done and well written book. Trust me, each of the 455 pages is worth it. I don’t see how anyone could give this book any less than four stars. I even liked the poetry, despite that style being generally not my thing. 

The writing is simplistic, but it does cover a few serious topics and the characters are well constructed. To be honest, I just finished this book a couple hours ago and I remember almost nothing. It was fun, generally lighthearted (minus the PTSD/sexual abuse parts) but definitely lacked that wow factor that I need to give 5 stars. It didn't have the depth I was craving, especially considering some of the serious discussions. For a debut novel though, it's solid. Love from A to Z is 100% better though. I won’t be reading the sequel. 

I think this book achieved exactly what the author set out to do. It’s real, emotional and doesn’t sugar coat what it’s really like to be a refugee as a child. I found Há’s character to be endearing, inspiring and, despite the unusual circumstances, relatable. The sections about bullying, boy did those ignite a rage in me. That’s exactly why people should read books like this, to understand. I think it’s perfect for a middle grade audience, but can still be enjoyed by teenagers and adults. Há’s relationship with being a refugee and struggling to be grateful for her host country are things that need to be represented more in fiction, and that I appreciate in this book. There isn’t much of the war itself; there’s mentions of bombs, and her father is said to have gone MIA, but they don’t encounter a battlefield or anything like that. The section when she’s on the refugee ship isn’t very gritty either, which makes it alright for younger audiences.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it did lack a wow factor for me, so that’s the reason for the four and a half stars. I had some trouble connecting to the characters, but that’s probably just me. I think if someone connected better with them they’d be inclined to give five stars. 
I do think this book has an important discussion of Islamophobia and the challenges there are when trying to confront it, but it’s a love story first and foremost, everything else comes second, so just keep that in mind when managing your expectations. 
We can always use more Muslim/Hijabi rep though, and I definitely learned a lot about Islamic faith, including perspective on why people might convert to it or align with those beliefs.
One thing I really appreciate is when the time for conflict came in Zayneb and Adam’s relationship, it wasn’t some silly miscommunication that would easily be resolved (or not even happen) in real life, but a genuine issue that seemed realistic and reasonable, like something you would encounter outside of a book. So those of you who hate the miscommunication trope (which is most readers), enjoy. I also liked how even after they were a couple, they were entertaining, cause in some books it's just the build up and the after is boring. 
The format of journal entries was interesting, although I guess it could bother other people. Personally I like unique formatting, so this was just a bonus for me. 
I will warn you, there's a bit of insta-love but it's kind of self aware, and it also evolves (and takes time to do so). 
Overall, it’s a well written book, just didn’t click with me (although I did tear up at some parts), maybe because I was tired when I read it. Hopefully S.K. Ali's other book will work better for me. All in all, I would recommend you read this, especially for people who aren't Muslim to gain perspective. 

Wow- just- wow. This book is everything I want in a contemporary romance. Emotional moments, a different perspective on life and, of course, cute romance. It had me crying twice, so beware. Also, the dialogue and texts of the teens is really good and not cringey but still realistic. It even does that circle back to the beginning thing I like to see. Everyone should read this book, it’s a masterfully written piece on identity and relationships. My new favorite book. I’ve never been so sure of a five star rating, I’d give 10 if I could. Wow. I’m going to read everything else this author has written. All the praise in the world to her.

This is exactly the kind of dark story that I adore,  definitely a favorite. It is flawed though, the magic didn’t always make sense to me and I admit, Nedra is not my favorite main character, but I like Grey (despite his previous privileged ignorance) one of my favorite book boyfriends for sure. I don’t feel that Nedra detracts from the story though. As much as I might disagree with her decisions, she’s flawed, unlikeable and desperate and that’s kind of the point. At it’s root this is an anti-heroine story, a villain-but-not origin story and I enjoy that, it’s just kind of annoying when you’re reading from her point of view. The plot, romance and writing are definitely the best parts of the story that make up for its flaws in my mind. 

Along with Serpent & Dove, and the Shadows Between Us, this just added to my ever growing list of objectively not great, but subjectively I adore, fantasy romances.

One more thing I’d like to touch on is that this book has a pretty good representation of classism, just like the first one. It also shows a character who is privileged but trying to understand, as well as one who was not born quite so lucky and was in an environment where she was singled out for that. 
Over all, this was fun although definitely not lighthearted, and a good transition into fantasy from my reading slump.