Eh. This book was fine, but nothing special in a world of post-apocalyptic settings and butt-kicking heroines. The concepts were cool, but something wEh. This book was fine, but nothing special in a world of post-apocalyptic settings and butt-kicking heroines. The concepts were cool, but something was missing... Something didn't seem right with the science, and the explanations definitely weren't detailed enough....more
Totally awesome. I don't tend to like graphic novels, but I really love the illustrations that Adrian Alphona did for this one and I love the concept.Totally awesome. I don't tend to like graphic novels, but I really love the illustrations that Adrian Alphona did for this one and I love the concept. My only complaint is that Vol 1 is so short!...more
This was an engrossing, addicting, and intense read. It's not the safe (by comparison) story of life 75 years after the world has ended. This is a stoThis was an engrossing, addicting, and intense read. It's not the safe (by comparison) story of life 75 years after the world has ended. This is a story of the world ending, and it is by necessity violent and disturbing. I loved that there were no easy answers or easy choices. A few tiny quibbles. The romance happened way too fast in my opinion, given Cassie's previous experiences. But I loved that Yancey keeps the tension and the suspense high for most of the book and that the threads all come together in a satisfying way at the end. I'm definitely going to be looking for the sequel....more
I love a lyrical YA book, something that has plot but also plays with the language and with writing. It just makes it that much more enjoyable for me.I love a lyrical YA book, something that has plot but also plays with the language and with writing. It just makes it that much more enjoyable for me. And I loved that poetry crept into every part of this book, including the dialogue. I also loved - and correct me if I'm wrong - that you have no idea what race/ethnicity the main characters are. I don't remember when you ever hear about what color Lucy's hair is. And on the cover, they're just silhouettes. I like having that ambiguity in a book about urban graffiti....more
So I'm not really sure how I felt about this book. It was like three narratives in one. One about the narrator's father dying of cancer, one about hisSo I'm not really sure how I felt about this book. It was like three narratives in one. One about the narrator's father dying of cancer, one about his obsessive love for the love of his life, Emma, and one about the coming of The Singularity, the moment when technology achieves true artificial intelligence. I liked the parts about The Singularity the best. It's that kind of thinking that made Everything Matters so good. The narrator, though, was not my favorite. I don't think you're supposed to like him much - I mean he does fake his own death - but that's never my favorite reading experience. But there's just something about Currie's writing that I enjoy.
----------------------------------------- Everything Matters was crazy awesome. I have high hopes, Ron Currie Jr....more
I completely loved this book. I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for anything that makes me cry, but Eleanor and Park are just so sweet and so genuinI completely loved this book. I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for anything that makes me cry, but Eleanor and Park are just so sweet and so genuine and so fragile. And this is way more than just a fluffy romance. Eleanor and Park deal with some seriously heavy stuff between bullying, race issues, and Eleanor's messed up family life. Rowell could have taken this story down so many well trodden paths, but she didn't and I'm so glad for that....more
Loved it! One of my favorite of Gaiman's books. It's the perfect little spell that everyone is saying it is. It's perfectly creepy in the way that mosLoved it! One of my favorite of Gaiman's books. It's the perfect little spell that everyone is saying it is. It's perfectly creepy in the way that most fairy tales are, and in the way that childhood can be. Indeed, much of the book is about childhood or about what the adult world is like (and how scary it can seem) from a child's perspective. I think the epigraph (from Maurice Sendak!) that Gaiman picks perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the entire book: "I remember my own childhood vividly...I knew terrible things. But I knew I mustn't let adults know I knew. It would scare them."
-------------------------------- I'm not the biggest Gaiman fan (I like some of his stuff but not all), but I readily admit this blurb is totally awesome!!...more
Well. Once I actually got down to reading, I actually enjoyed this book. I tried to read it on the heels of finishing The Brides of Rollrock Island byWell. Once I actually got down to reading, I actually enjoyed this book. I tried to read it on the heels of finishing The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan, which is also a book told in small episodes like many short stories and which also takes place on an island to the far North. It's like both authors were part of the same fiction writing class and had to complete a similar assignment. So I had to put Midwinterblood aside for a few weeks and turn to other things before I could fully appreciate it.
But once I was able to approach it for itself, I can see why everyone is raving about this book. I actually think it gets better as we get into the chapters and can start seeing the repetitions. I especially like the stories once they start going back into history. I'm not sure that I fully understand each episode and who is the reincarnation of whom. But that's part of the appeal, I think.
However, as with Brides, I'm not sure of the teen appeal of this book as the majority of the narrators are adults. Again, I think it points to the arbitrariness of some of these genre labels we use for books and authors....more
3.5 stars I love these kinds of books, the fantasies set in a feudal world about a young person finding their place and learning a skill and saving th3.5 stars I love these kinds of books, the fantasies set in a feudal world about a young person finding their place and learning a skill and saving the day. They're like comfort reading for me. And Flanagan does a great job, in developing complex characters, in building in suspense, in showing Will's maturation as he learns skills and accomplishes feats that allow him to be confident about himself. My only complaint is that I wish there was a bit more magic :)...more
Done! Oh thank goodness. I had to give it 4 stars, of course. The world building really is fantastic, despite how much I wanted to finish it and move Done! Oh thank goodness. I had to give it 4 stars, of course. The world building really is fantastic, despite how much I wanted to finish it and move on with my reading life. I think that was more about me and my current attention span than it was about Dune. (view spoiler)[And despite that ridiculous cliff-hanger ending! No, Dune, you are not going to trick me into reading the rest of the series! (hide spoiler)] I feel like I didn't fully understand a good 1/4 of this book, and I'm sure it would bear another reading. Or that reading the appendix would help. But I'm not going to do it, Herbert! But really, I can see how the world of Dune in its infinite detail caught the imaginations of a generation and became a classic. It really is the LOTR of SciFi.
So, yes, a grudged 4 stars.
Oh, and another thing, Herbert. When you make a glossary, please don't just include words that you have already fully defined in the text. Please also include all the other random words that you sprinkle throughout the dialogue and don't explain at all! ...more
Oh King Dork. You totally disappointed me. I was so excited when I started reading. The main character Tom has a hilariously sarcastic way with words.Oh King Dork. You totally disappointed me. I was so excited when I started reading. The main character Tom has a hilariously sarcastic way with words. And I loved loved the anti-Catcher in the Rye sentiments. (Finally someone who is as annoyed by Holden as I am!) But it all went so quickly down hill. Nothing happens in this book! It's just Tom rambling on in his sarcastic, put-upon, verbally superior soliloquies. And man does that get boring. Also, I'm pretty sure all the anti-Catcher talk is just a front. Tom couldn't be more like a 2000's era Holden if he tried. He just uses different slang. And guess what, I found him as boring and annoying as I find Holden.
Basically, I wouldn't have been so annoyed with this book if it hadn't shown so much potential in the beginning. I really wanted to like it, but in the end I had to push myself to finish it because I just found myself not caring.
Also, Portman, please stop dropping names. It just comes across as pretentious. A couple in a book is fine, but a couple every page is just too much....more
Well, I didn't like this sequel as much as I liked "Hold me Closer Necromancer," though really my only problem was that I found the ending a little anWell, I didn't like this sequel as much as I liked "Hold me Closer Necromancer," though really my only problem was that I found the ending a little anticlimactic and possibly a little forced. But I still really liked it. McBride knows how to right a funny yet still interesting (as in, there's more to the book than just the humor) urban fantasy, and I'll always be happy to read about any future adventures that Sam and his friends may have. ...more
The premise of this book and Mullin's no holds barred, realistic depiction of what would happen after a super volcano eruption are fascinating. That'sThe premise of this book and Mullin's no holds barred, realistic depiction of what would happen after a super volcano eruption are fascinating. That's what kept me reading. Unfortunately, I found much of the writing to be awkward. The dialogue, particularly that between Alex and the adult characters, was especially stiff and felt forced. It got to me so much that by the end I was mostly skimming just to see how the story ended. ...more
I tore right through this book thanks to its suspenseful, twisty plot. What I liked most about it were the inter-generational secrets and lies, which I tore right through this book thanks to its suspenseful, twisty plot. What I liked most about it were the inter-generational secrets and lies, which seems to make for the best YA dystopian fiction. The inverted love triangle (girl-boy-girl) was interesting too, since we don't see many of those in YA fiction. But at times Thomas did come across as the ultimate adolescent male; he didn't care who he ended up with as long as he could get some action. lol. I will say that I thought the writing was a little simplistic, especially for a book with a 16 year old main character, and that I would have liked a bit more explanation about, well about everything. But I'm definitely intrigued by this world, and I love the idea of elements, and I love inter-generational lies in a dystopian world. So I'm definitely excited to see what happens to Thomas and the gang next.
I really loved this book. I thought it was imaginative and interesting and unique. Schlitz sets the perfect balance between historical ficti4.5 stars!
I really loved this book. I thought it was imaginative and interesting and unique. Schlitz sets the perfect balance between historical fiction, adventure, fantasy, and gothic. Most of all, I love her characters. They're all very well rounded and complex, even the secondary ones, even the "villains." The children especially are struggling with their own faults and failings, but they are always so very much themselves, and they learn that it is OK, that it is better, to be yourself instead of trying to be different.
I read a few reviews complaining that the plot seemed too long and the imagery too scary. I totally disagree. First, I love those moments in books when nothing really is happening but we get to see a bit of the everyday life of the characters. It helps enormously in character development and allowing the reader to really know and own the characters. Second, children have pretty gruesome imaginations. Goodness, by this age I was reading Goosebumps and Fear Street and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and I didn't even like horror stories.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed this book, and I totally think it's deserving of all its accolades....more
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, unfortunately. I loved the first in this series, and I was so excited at the thought of the same I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, unfortunately. I loved the first in this series, and I was so excited at the thought of the same shenanigans happening in the Victorian Era. And there were a lot of good shenanigans and a lot of wonderful humor. Unfortunately, the hijinks went on a little too long. It felt like the book would just never end. And I was a little confused by the time travel and mystery aspects. Everything was only half explained or hinted at until I had absolutely no idea what was going on. If this book had been about 1/4 shorter, it would have been better. ...more
So I'm way in the minority here, but I got about half way through this book and just wasn't interested in finishing it. I can't quite say what it was,So I'm way in the minority here, but I got about half way through this book and just wasn't interested in finishing it. I can't quite say what it was, but the book just didn't grab me like it seems to have grabbed everyone else. Also, it was really really violent, which I get as a statement and fact of a postapocaliptic world, etc., but which I'm not always interested in reading....more
Just in time for Halloween! I totally loved this book, even though I'm not always the biggest urban fiction fan. It was fun and ireeverent an4.5 stars
Just in time for Halloween! I totally loved this book, even though I'm not always the biggest urban fiction fan. It was fun and ireeverent and sarcastic and unique, and I can't wait to read the second one. Sam is my new favorite male narrator. ...more
