As a lover of the video games inspired by this series and the Netflix show, I thought it was time I actually read them. This is the prologue to the actual series and it follows a lot of the stories we saw in the show and game. However, there was added depth I haven’t seen before and it helped me understand so much more about Geralt and his characterization.  

I don’t know if I quite liked the non-linear timeline. I hope it is linear in the actual series. I just want more background on Geralt and Yennefer in general and it was a bit confusing to place where each chapter was in the linear timeline. If you don’t know anything about the Witcher, it may be a bit confusing in this book because it doesn’t provide much explanation or introduction. However, I liked Dandelion and Geralt’s dynamic, especially how they genuinely seem like friends. 

I love this high fantasy world with all of its lore and can’t wait to continue this series! Definitely recommend! 

I’m surprised I waited so long to read this, it was pretty good! I love Marie Lu’s books and for some reason it took me forever to get to this one. It was pretty interesting and kept me hooked. 

It really reminded me of Ready Player One, almost too much. I kept comparing the virtual game and dystopian world in both which took a little away from it. Altogether, I did like the plot though! I didn’t feel like it dragged on at any point. I really should have guessed the huge twist at the end (well both twists) but I didn’t and it made it unpredictable and fun. 

I did like Emika, but honestly I felt we needed more development from her. I don’t know, I just feel like there’s more to her that hasn’t been explored yet. I liked the subtle romance with Hideo and that it was developed over time. 

It’s interesting to me to see Hideo as the “villain.” If anything, I like it because we see his motives and understand what he’s trying to do that he thinks is right. Those are the best types of villains and Marie Lu is the best at writing anti-heroes.

 

Altogether, despite a couple parts, I enjoyed this read. I’m going to pick up the sequel right after! 

Colleen really knows how to reel you in. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romances, but this was a good read. Altogether, the plot progressed quickly and her writing is really addicting. I finished it pretty quickly because it was a shorter book.

I really like Miles' character, I feel like we learned a lot about him and his complexity, especially through his past. Tate, not so much. I couldn't really understand her decisions and emphasize with them. It seems like she felt insta-love and was in love with him even before the FwB part. I wish that she developed a romance for him throughout instead of being in love at first sight. Additionally, its weird knowing how she thinks she can change him and make him go into a relationship.

The most heartbreaking part of this book was Miles' chapters for sure. I'm not sure I really enjoyed the writing style of them in their prose/poem way but it helped break up Tate's chapters and I liked the dual perspectives. It was done very well.

I didn't cry, which I was told I was going to as an emotional reader. I was expecting them not to end up together, so I'm glad it was a happy and satisfying ending.

If you want an emotional, contemporary romance, this is definitely for you. 

In general, this was pretty good. I was interested in the plot and it kept me hooked. There were a ton of plot twists that I wasn’t expecting throughout. I really liked the world created and all the representation. 

However, this is definitely not a retelling. It’s influenced by The Count of Monte Christo (which is my absolute favorite classic of all time) but I wouldn’t call it a retelling. It took influence from the classic, but it didn’t really have a lot of the same elements as the first. I think that let me down a bit because I love the original so much. The stand in character, Boon, for Abbé Faria bothered me the most because we see the main character Amaya acting mostly on his revenge instead of hers and he’s not the mentor that he was in the original. 

Once I let go of my expectations, I did enjoy the book. I really like the romance between the characters that developed slowly. Amaya’s character was very complex and it was interesting to see her develop. Cayo lacked a little development but I hope to see it in the next book. 

I loved this book. Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors and her writing just draws me in. The book cover itself and the premise drew me in. It definitely is more of a dystopian YA novel, but I really enjoyed the science fiction aspect part of the book. 

It started off fast and action packed. I really enjoyed the world building in this book, I felt like it was subtly done but helped explain a lot about the country Mara and the Federation. It definitely was a great start. I also really liked Talin. It was refreshing to see a mute main character, and that didn't seem to impede her amazing strength and determination throughout the book. The side characters were also great, and I enjoyed the banter. Red was so interesting and I just wish we got some more development or background from him, especially with more conversations with Talin. Their dialogue was a little confusing sometimes, it was hard to tell if people were signing or speaking. 

We do see her first Shield, Corian, die relatively quickly. I do wish that we got more time with the character but I think his death guides Talin's actions for the rest of the book

 

The book kept me hooked start to end. Everything feels very high stakes in this book, which is a good change from many YA novels that are predictable with knowing the protagonist will win. I felt it was pretty unpredictable in general, and there were twists until the end. I really liked the ending as well. It wasn't exactly satisfying, but it really makes me look forward to the sequel and what will happen next. 

I was looking for a book to get out of a reading slump, and this was definitely the one. It’s marketed as a thriller but I found it more mystery based. It also focuses a lot on the relationship between the stepmom and the daughter which I liked. 

A bit of the plot was far fetched but altogether enjoyable to read. The ending isn’t exactly satisfying, but it fits this book even though you want more. 

It was a good book, I think the plot just wasn’t for me. The world building and the unique Magic system were pretty cool in this book, but the plot felt choppy. I just had a hard time getting through it and I’m not usually a slow reader. Maybe the pacing was off but I don’t know, something about it just didn’t draw me in like normal. The fight and actions scenes were great, as well as the heartfelt conversations but everything else just didn’t interest me as much. 

The characters were a little tropey and not too memorable, but I liked the little adventures Amora, Bastian, Vataea, and Ferrick had and the found family they gained. Altogether, it was a good but not favorite read and I’ll pick up the sequel eventually. 

This was a devastating read for sure. It really focused on the mother-daughter relationship after tragedy and I’m not normally drawn to these books. It was pretty well written and Hoover has a talent for writing a good story. The plot kept me interested and I read the book pretty quickly. 

However, one of the things I hate is miscommunication. Honestly, I can understand people’s frustrations with Morgan but Clara’s character really got on my nerves. There were parts that was hard to get through because of how selfish and awful she could be. It was pretty ridiculous. Im surprised with how much I emphasized with the mother considering Clara is more my age and maturity. 

It wasn’t the most satisfying ending, but I don’t think it was meant to be. Overall, it was a good read that was outside my favored genre and it was a great commentary on family and love. 

I think I had too high of expectations on this one. I was told it was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but it felt like the romance was very sparse and only showed in some moments. I wish there was more character development with both Juliette and Roma. It almost feels like we only scratched the surface with them in regards to their relationship with each other. It was a little confusing with them talking about their romance all the time from 4 years ago and we only get little snippets of memories. I wish we were able to read about those times. It just felt like their were a lot of holes in their histories and characterizations. It just left me with a lot of questions, especially with their past. I'm hoping that gets cleared up in the sequel. The writing was pretty good though and I enjoyed that. 

I did love the setting of the book, which was 1920s Shanghai occupied by gangs. The plot itself just never really grabbed me until maybe the last few chapters.

I was pretty much able to predict that the monster was the assistant way before it was revealed although I didn't predict the merchant being the mastermind. I think that took away some of the suspense for me in general.

. The cliffhanger at the end is definitely pretty big, and the next book isn't out until November 2021. I think I really wanted to like this book, and it wasn't what was I expected. 

Altogether, it was a decent read but I wouldn't call it a favorite retelling. I will still be reading the sequel because I like the uniqueness of these books regardless of the above criticism. 

Going into this, I had no idea it was going to be paranormal. It was a fun surprise considering I've heard most of Colleen Hoover's books are romance or thrillers. Altogether, it was a bit slow for about half the book. I ended up switching to the audiobook a couple of times and the narrator was great. The writing itself was amazing as well. I just had a hard time getting into it until it became more suspenseful and the plot began to progress. 

In the last half, you get hit plot twist after plot twist. This is when I really couldn't put it down. It was such an interesting take on a paranormal thriller and I should have seen it coming as well. I wouldn't say this is the best thriller I've read, but I would recommend it to others.