taliahsbookshelf's Reviews (215)

Gregor and the Code of Claw

Suzanne Collins

5.0

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is emotionally draining, but in a good way. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings and pain and love, but wrapped up in a way that makes it impossible to let go of. This series is beautifully crafted. Do I think there's room for additional books should Suzanne Collins ever wish to write a spin-off or add to it? Yes. 100%. However, I think it holds its own and doesn't necessarily need any additional books to be satisfying and have an ending that makes sense. Note: This last book of the series covers some deep topics, and goes into detail on certain aspects of war that some very young children may need parental help with.

Spoilers:
Low-level spoiler:

Self-care is actually just closing the book at page 229 and pretending that's all that happened :).

Mid-level spoiler:

I love the relationship that Lizzie and Ripred have. I am disappointed that this is the first book we really see any real character development on Ripred's part, but still glad we get to see any of it.

Mid-level spoiler:

I LOVE the end portion when we get to really see Luxa's internal struggle. It's spelled out for us on the page, but there's still so much room for a connection to the queen. Suzanne Collins does a fantastic job with the "show don't tell" narrative, but I think this is one of those places where she flipped it on its head and pulled it off.

High-level spoiler:

I think having the interaction with the Bane the first time (when Gregor and Ares first meet him on the field in front of Regalia) didn't click previously. However, reading back this time, I realized that the exact thing that happens when Ares dies has already happened right then. The Bane grabs onto his wing, pulls him in, almost clamps down. The difference is Gregor. It's kind of surprising to me that Suzanne Collins chose not to go into more detail about Gregor's grief, but it's still a middle-grade, so it's not like I was expecting her to, but I'm still a little sad about it.

Favorite quotes:

"I'll never get rid of you, no matter how hard I try. I love you."(397)

"Ares the flier, I bond to you."(357)

"Remember that even in war there is a time for restraint. A time to hold back your sword."(12)

"But he had to let go. Ares wasn't coming back."(368)

"/. |\/ |// ||\\ \. |||/ |// //."(323)

"And then something happened that changed his entire perception of the world. Gregor coughed."(99)

"So Sandwich, the founder of Regalia. The eerily accurate visionary who had created this new world far below the surface of the earth, was first and foremost a butcher."(212)

"Their faces were so close together that he barely had to turn his head when they kissed."(229)

"There. The warrior's dead. I killed him."(386)

"Suddenly he felt his hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out the photo of them dancing. The one that had convinced Solovet he was crazy about Luxa. He placed it on her tray. 'This is the reason I don't have bodyguards,' he said, and promptly headed for the door, too afraid to see her reaction. But as he rounded the corner, he caught her smile."(180)

"'Nobody's going around calling me a prince.' 'Well, if that's what's bothering you, you'll be Prince Gregor from now on,' said Ripred."(140)

"Luxa rose and reached down to help him to his feet. But once he was up, he didn't release her hands. In fact, he held on tighter."(219)

"You will have to let him go yourself."(363)

"There they were. Luxa and Gregor. Dancing. Laughing. Captured in one of the few really happy moments they had shared."(16)

Content Warnings

Gregor and the Marks of Secret

Suzanne Collins

4.5

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Great book. I think one of the best parts about this book is Suzanne Collins' ability to paint pictures in a way that makes it feel truly realistic. Even though this book covers some pretty dark themes, it's fast-paced and it's very difficult to put down. Even though it's a middle-grade book, so you wouldn't expect a whole lot of in-depth worldbuilding, Suzanne Collins does fantastic in this department for this series, which becomes very apparent in this book. The ending leaves you wanting more and feeds brilliantly into the last book.

Spoilers:
Low-level spoiler:

Chapter 13 is so funny and for what? I forgot about the fireflies but they honestly make this so much better than it would have been without.

Low-level spoiler:

The interaction with Gregor and Luxa's picture at the end really made me start crying. I desperately need more of these books. Anyone have any good fanfic recs where Gregor comes back later in life?

Mid-level spoiler:

I've always loved the interaction between Gregor and Ares while in the currents. Their relationship develops significantly over time, but in my opinion, it's really in this book that we finally get to see what that actually means for the two of them. I especially love the point when Gregor takes over the action of flying for the bat, and we can see the dynamic shift. Yeah, they trust each other, but it's a bit different for them now.

Mid-level spoiler:

The interaction towards the end where Luxa puts Hazard in Temp's care is one of my favorite parts of the book. I love the maturity it shows, but also how instrumental Temp has been to the Underland the entire time. Yes, we've seen growth, but there's also been an immense amount of healing for both of them.

High-level spoiler for book 5:

Rereading these books means I pick up more on foreshadowing, but this time, I noticed Thalia's death had a lot of it for Ares'. Obviously, we've got the fact that she's a bat, but I wonder if it was also intentional of Suzanne Collins that Ares would be the one carrying her when she died, and he was the one to take her away afterwards. I wonder when Suzanne Collins knew the endgame for Ares and if that played into this interaction.

Favorite quotes:

"How ironic that the Underland, which had always been a place to dread, had become a place to escape to."(2)

"Life is short. There are only a few good things in it, really. Don't pretend that one isn't happening."(331)

"'So this is how a war starts,' thought Gregor. Not with two armies facing off, waiting for the signal to charge. Not with a wave of rats invading the avenues of Regalia. Not with a formation of bats swooping down on an unsuspecting colony of rats. It begins much more quietly. In a room, on a field, in a remote tunnel when someone who has power decides the time has come."(194)

"How exhausting it was to keep a secret, to hide a secret, to discover a secret, to know a secret existed and waited for you in the dark."(339)

"It was not an impromptu rhyme, something she had made up off the top of her head. There was a specific ritual and a grim, formal tome to the lines. Gregor was certain it was an oath. Something you swore to fulfill or died trying to. It came from such an agonized place within Luxa that Gregor wanted to wrap his arms around her. But the oath had pushed him away from her, too. Had reminded him that he was just a visitor in a strange land where people vowed vengeance and crowns mattered and queens were off-limits to him."(186)

"My heart is so crowded already. But I'm sure the others will make room for Thalia. She is not a very big bat."(317)

"Upon this crown my pledge I give. To my last breath, I hold this choice. I will your unjust deaths avenge, all here who died without a voice."(185)

"The Hokey Pokey was doing nothing for his warrior image."(68)

"Next time you are thirsty, Hazard, you might try a cup instead of a river."(156)

"Watching her rise, Gregor could no longer see Luxa the twelve-year-old girl who'd been searching for clues about her mouse friends. What he saw was the future head of Regalia, and its considerable armies, and that the rats were somehow going to pay with their blood."(186)

"There were about a zillion things his family couldn't afford... but questions topped the list."(2)

Content Warnings

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods

Suzanne Collins

5.0

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My favorite book in the series, by far. Suzanne Collins has a way with plot and subtle foreshadowing, and it's very apparent in this installment. Even though this is a (thirteenth or fourteenth) reread for me, I'm still seeing new ways she was able to slide things into the plot without making it obvious, even to an adult reader. That being said, however, the plot twist is constructed in a way that all of the previous foreshadowing becomes immediately apparent, and everything clicks into place, both for the reader and for the characters. Highly recommend this book to everyone.

Spoilers:
High-level spoiler:

I've read this book who knows how many times now and just now realized that Boots' dance is actually flawless. Why? Because when she turns back to Regalia, Gregor puts her back on Temp's back and he himself is the inhibition of progress towards the end. But, Sandwich's prophecy clearly states that the princess and the crawler are imperative to the journey, while the warrior's role is much less, though not unimportant. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think this was a very clever way to highlight the parts of the prophecy that are obviously important at the end, but in a creative way for those who already recognize the twist.

High-level spoiler:

It doesn't matter how many times I read this, the twist still hits me every time. Obviously I already know what's going to happen and what the twist is, but I kid you not, I think about this book, and particularly Luxa approaching the council at the end, probably weekly. Girlboss at only eleven, and a literal queen.

Favorite quotes:

"The more tales told, the less chance of repeating them."(277)

"Sometimes you cannot help the things that happen."(317)

"Even the warrior - no, forget the warrior. He's been trying to master basic echolocation for months with no result. Just keep knocking your head against that one, okay, boy? Don't want to overload your massive brain with too many tasks at once."(173)

"Ripred, as usual, had a point."(281)

"Her voice had a pleasant, cheerful quality that seemed unusual for a bat. Of course, the main bat Gregor talked to was Ares, and he was usually pretty depressed."(65)

"Mrs. Cormaci... can you keep a secret?"(358)

"I try and give your boy survival tips but he just doesn't pay attention."(35)

"The Vineyard of Eyes drank in their sounds and gave them nothing in return."(268)

"The idea that the humans could be as bad as the rats, or even worse, threw him for a loop. But was he truly surprised? [...] No. He couldn't say he was."(322)

"The truth was, he was thinking about a girl, but she didn't go to his school. And he wasn't worried about what she thought of his hair. He was wondering if she was even alive."(8)

"Now cracks a noble heart."(303)

"Gregor's fingers closed around a plum Temp had set aside for Boots, and he beaned Ripred between the eyes with it."(243)

"Don't forget the crawler. He may have saved us all."(316)

"Ripred seemed to know when he could push him and when he genuinely needed help."(187)

"We are at your mercy. 'The Prophecy of Blood' is upon us."(23)

Content Warnings

Gregor the Overlander

Suzanne Collins

4.5

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

As always, loved this book. This is probably the thirteenth or fourteenth time I've re-read this series, and there's a reason for it. It's a quick read, but Suzanne Collins does a fantastic job keeping it engaging the entire time without sacrificing any plot. No matter how many times I read it, I always seem to pick up new things and subtle foreshadowing that I hadn't before. Easy book for middle grade, fun read for older kids, and still recommended for young adults.

Favorite quotes:

"If you are not trying to hold on to time, you are not so afraid of losing it."(231)

"Boot's courage might only count when she could count, but her ability to love counted all the time."(278)

"While I have flight, I will be here always for you."(294)

"Gregor the Overlander, welcome to the city of Regalia!"(44)

"Run, boy. Run like the river. Fly you high, Gregor the Overlander!"(269)

"Where there's life, there's hope."(113)

"If you want to find peace, you must first be able to hope it is possible."(301)

"Even the cavemen had geniuses among them. Somebody had thought up the wheel."(130)

"I am the warrior. I am he who called. Who among you dares banish Ares, my bond?"(293)

"Ares the flier, I bond to you. Our life and death are one, we two. In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my life. [...] Gregor the human, I bond to you. Our life and death are one, we two. In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my life."(293)

"I prefer to think of myself as a legend, but I suppose 'guide' will do."(199)

"Gregor the Overlander leaped."(266)

"It was a lie but people believed it, while no one seemed to believe the truth. Whatever that was."(11)

"He also had one amazing rat on his side."(262)

"If the seven of us sitting on this ledge are going to survive, we'll need a miracle. And that's when the miracle happened."(277)

"Gregor looked at the girl's face and could tell by her arrogant expression that there had been no luck involved at all."(26)

"As happy as some daydream would make him, it only made returning to reality more painful."(11)

"She sounded a thousand years old and a thousand miles away, but she did not sound scared."(261)

Content Warnings

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

3.5

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Decent book. It was hard to get through at times, but the end picked up significantly

when Feyre started having to go through the trials

. I will say that the worldbuilding didn't make sense to me, and I often found myself having to look up certain rules that didn't make sense or weren't explained well. This is pretty common in fantasy books, but it felt a lot more prevalent in this one. It didn't take long to get into the heart of the book, but the middle of it was difficult. Definitely worth the read, though, and I'm excited for the rest of the series.

Spoilers:
Mid-level spoiler:

I had some trouble determining what Tamlin really thinks of Rhysand. Obviously the courts all have differing opinions and lands that they each govern, but it just seems weird to me that Tamlin has something against Rhysand without much of an explanation. Hoping for more details in the other books.

Mid-level spoiler:

I really don't get why SJM decided to have the three trials for Feyre. This book is obviously a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but then it felt all of a sudden like Hercules? I don't know about you, but it felt a bit weird having a different legend showing up at the end of the book like that.

High-level spoiler:

Feyre at the end!!!! What?! I was shocked. I knew something was going to happen to her (because, duh, this is a fantasy book), but that definitely wasn't it. To be honest, though, the concept of how she actually becomes High Fae seems a bit thrown in as an afterthought because the magic system doesn't seem well set up for this.

Favorite quotes:

"Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all."(414)

"You didn't need to bargain with me. You could have demanded every single week of the year. Every single week, and I would have said yes."(385)

"I love you. Thorns and all."(248)

"'I love you,' I said, and stabbed him."(397)

Content Warnings

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