While less intense on the re-read, Paper Towns is an enjoyable book about idolization and the fallacy of believing we fully understand another person.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but the execution fell flat. I was certainly moved, but I felt much of the story rambled on without advancing in a meaningful way. I expected more internal journey and less strange-ghost-abilities to walk around and see her loved ones reacting to her in other rooms, an aspect which I found much less believable.

I loved this book and was so impressed with Hill's incredible storytelling and creativity once again. And, oh my goodness, the way this book ties together the imaginative worlds of his earlier works and explains how the fantastic comes to be in our world, it just blew me away. Hill writes such well-realized characters and I appreciate his intensely detailed descriptions of even the most horrifying individuals. What really makes this novel so amazing though is not his skilled portrayal of the twisted and deranged, but of those who, with all their flaws intact, are able to love deeply and manage great strength.

I don't know if there is previously established canon for what sort of powers one would gain by becoming a devil, but I found Hill's depiction of Ig's new-found abilities fascinating. As people begin to tell him their most evil desires and he can see their past sins with a touch, the reader is given a view into things often left unseen and unsaid, and Ig is given a chance to discover in these secrets the truth of his murdered beloved. His search is at once frighteningly dark, and tender and sweet.

I really loved this book. I think it says a lot that whenever I figured out the twist that was coming up, it only made it more wonderful and exciting to read on and have my predictions realized. The characters were brilliant, playing with the incredible power of words to convey meaning and then, beyond that, to exert control. With such immensely powerful weapons at their disposal, the struggle between individuals with different desires and agendas was epic.

Mistborn uses a uniquely cool system of Magic expertly featured in kick-ass fight scenes as a group of incredible characters that I came to love deeply try to pull off overthrowing the God-like overlord that rules their lands as if it's a bank heist. And it's so good.

This book is gorgeous and haunting.

The earliest book I can remember where I didn't care what happened as much as how beautifully it was written and how reading it felt like eating dark chocolate and wearing a warm sweater and being cozy in the prose. A book I reread just to enjoy the words and the heartbreak.