A very cute romance book that didn't make me want to throw up! Yay! Also, the culture references from 1996 made me often chuckle in remembrance. A fun little story!

So this book's overall tone is completely depressing. Good, a bit frustrating, wonderful and fun drawings and art, just like a real journal, but utterly depressing. Yup, I think the teens will love the angst in this one!

A quick little back story on the villain of the Lunar Chronicles: Lunar Queen Levana. It really only justifies the fact that she is a spoiled, delusional jerk, but you get to read about how she came into power. There were certainly other family members in her way of the throne, including her even more nasty, bratty sister. Also, an incredibly creepy tale of Levana's first and only love, a palace guard, that her little teen heart becomes obsessed with. He certainly doesn't love her back in the same way, so what's a princess talented in the arts of glamour and mind-bending to do? So, a predictable tale of backstabbing that wasn't a terrible read, but short and sweet for fans of the Lunar series.

I have read some mixed reviews, but most were generally good, so I started this book not quite knowing what to expect. Based on the cover I didn't hope for much, thinking it would dwindle into a cheesy, teen romance with two, star-crossed lovers. Nope! I was pleasantly surprised! Amy is "nonessential cargo" aboard a generational ship where she, her parents, and some of Earth's top scientists and tacticians are frozen for a 300 year trip. Amy is unfrozen early and wakes to a ship that is nothing what she expects. Empty, staring women. Obedient, mindless workers. All under the rule of Eldest, a cruel man who runs the ship and the show. It's in the people labeled "crazy" that Amy finds friends. A brilliant but depressed artist. A secretive but knowledgeable records-keeper. And, Elder, a man her age who is picked to take over after Eldest. Their romance is evident, but it doesn't get too dramatic. Which was great. In fact, most of the plot revolves around the secrets Eldest keeps. He refuses to share important knowledge and keeps many secrets. His answers may be the key to a murderer aboard the ship who is thawing and killing the frozen crew one by one...
Oh, the suspense! The mystery! The eeriness of dystopian futures aboard a ship, alone in space! I loved the tone of this book so much that I can't wait to start the sequel!

It took me a while to finally getting around to reading this, eh? I've had a lot of patrons say they liked this book and it's been around for a while, but still hasn't lost its popularity. I guess I went into it thinking it was an extremely awesome book, but it's just okay. It wasn't bad by a long shot, but it was very simple. It was the big event towards the end that made me like it a bit more. I had been thinking to myself, "Jen, I like you, but you expect too much and you're not careful enough." I did like Luke's character. I listened to the audio book but didn't like the reader too much. I definitely want to read the rest, but I hope the suspense picks up a bit quicker. This book is a great read for a reluctant reader since it's easy to read and understand and a thin book.

This was a fun and refreshing book to read. A great mystery with some wonderful characters. I wish the cover wasn't so misleading though, but nowadays, the covers seem to be less about the book and more about Photoshopping young women into strange, hazy poses. Either way, this book was so good I don't even mind that the end sets up for a sequel (a usual pet peeve of mine).