I liked the illustrations in this a lot; they were much more detailed and colorful than in Faeries. A lot of the fairies in this were invented by Froud for the volume, so they are definitely fun, but have less of the old lore that the other book has.

Sykes writes with humor and hijinks, so if you are looking for a rambunctiously gory fantasy, then this is the series for you. I struggled with this because I really wanted to like it, but I felt like none of the characters knew what they wanted, and so I didn't care about what happened to them any more than they did.

There was a lot of good buildup, but some of the explanations were so confusing I found myself reading sections repeatedly trying to get a grasp on what had just happened, or exactly how big Ulbecetonth is. I do want to read the sequel trilogy, but probably not right away.

A brilliant conclusion to a crazy trilogy, Silver World gives the final battle between the Roar and the enhanced children of earth. Hope is gained and lost as are some of the battles, but the Protector and Milo are strong allies. McNish presents this novel as carefully as the first two, letting each character have their own scenes and struggles and introducing new issues while still resolving the existing ones. The ending is powerful.

A distressingly suspenseful follow up to Silver Child, this book hunkers down in the terrifying new world that is unfolding in Coldharbour and shows you more of what is happening to the children there so that they can protect the world. You learn what is making the terrifying roar and it is even more frightening than the disembodied roar alone. This book neatly faces issues of sacrifice and self-awareness and really makes you think.

I read this book when I was younger and it stuck with me for years, this image of a boy eating everything on the table and dashing into the night at the whim of some higher power, calling to him. As other children slowly leave their comfortable homes and find their way to him, you are given a glimpse of the sound of roaring, a distant beast coming to claim our world. McNish builds suspense slowly and carefully, setting the stage for what is sure to be a furious battle to come.

This book is gratuitously violent, lacks all of the fun that dystopian/scifi is known for, is hideously sexist, and most heinous of all - it's boring. Pages and pages of descriptions go on needlessly describing the minutiae of Darrow's life and experiences before he even gets to the major plot point at 35% through. His navel-gazing is worthy of a Salinger protagonist. It wasn't until 75% that things got interesting, and by that point I was only still reading because I had been the one to pick this for my book club and felt obligated. The ending was pretty solid, but not worth the drudgery of getting there.

The romance in Graceling is one of my favorite YA romances, probably ever. Katsa and Po complement each other in a realistic and adorable way. The adventure was solid, though the true climax of the story took a little too long to get to and was resolved a little too quickly. I would highly recommend the audiobook; it's full cast and the musical interludes add atmosphere.

A collection of noir short stories set in Phoenix. I loved recognizing streets and peculiarities and comments on the weather. Some of the stories were a little hipster and weird, but most of them were great, and one actually made me say "Oh My God" out loud.