Up until the last 25 pages or so I was pretty convinced that I was going to give this 3 stars, but the ending really pulled things together. This was Up until the last 25 pages or so I was pretty convinced that I was going to give this 3 stars, but the ending really pulled things together. This was such a weird book. It was very dream-like and just flitted from scene to scene almost randomly, but also in a way that made sense. Idk, it's hard to explain. It kind of reminded me of Helen Oyeyemi's books but with fewer magical realism elements. It also has the same vibes as Will Wiles's books since I was always a teensy bit bored, but also really engaged in the story.
While reading this I was pretty confused, but the more I think about the book the more I like/understand it. I definitely want to re-read it at some point. I think I'll enjoy it even more the second time around....more
I can’t believe that this series is over. I have been reading Percy Jackson books for the better part of 10 years and it’s so weird that there (probabI can’t believe that this series is over. I have been reading Percy Jackson books for the better part of 10 years and it’s so weird that there (probably) won’t be any other PJO books coming out :( I think this book definitely is the finale we deserved. It’s one of my favorite books in the entire PJO series. This took me ages to read because of school and work, but this is the first book in a while that’s made me want to stay up all night reading. Overall, this book was completely perfect.
I don’t have the brain power nor the eloquence to write a proper review, so here’s a bunch of my thoughts as bullet points. (Also, I don't have time to re-read this review, so sorry about the typos:
- Apollo’s character development throughout the series is outstanding. I feel like I said that it all my reviews of this series, but it’s true. He still feels like himself but he’s grown so much. I can’t pinpoint when he changed (view spoiler)[though Jason’s death clearly had a huge effect on him (hide spoiler)] and I think that’s a sign of well-done character development. - We got to meet Percy’s sister Estelle and she was adorable - Paul seems like such a great guy! I liked reading more about him. - As much as I miss reading about Percy, I’m glad he’s not a huge part of this book since this is supposed to be Apollo and Meg’s story. And his reasons for not being around make sense and were set up in the first book - There were so many callbacks to previous books! And none of them felt like they were shoehorned in. There were also some connections to the Magnus Chase series that I enjoyed. - Apollo spent the entire book crying and like…same. Generally I think this was an emotional book, but I also was mainly reading it past midnight which is never a good sign for my tear ducts. - I love that we got to spend a lot of time with Nico and Will! Aside from them being absolutely adorable together, I feel like I got to know them a lot more. We already knew a decent amount about Nico but I knew practically nothing about Will. Now I feel like I have a grip on his character and their relationship. - Apollo’s relationship with Will was really sweet! Since Will is clearly the more mature one, it was funny when Apollo acted like a dad. - I love that Rachel had a larger role in the story! I really liked her relationship with Apollo. - I haven’t mentioned this in any of my other reviews, but I really like how all the prophecies in the series are told in different forms of poetry. (view spoiler)[ - Even though Jason’s dead, he had a huge impact on this book! I swear I spent more time reading about him here than throughout the entire HOO series (not that I’m complaining). I’m glad to see his death had a point! Also, the scene we got with Jason provided a lot of closure on his death. - Are the voices that Nico has been hearing sequel-bate? Cause I wouldn’t be opposed to Nico having his own book/series. - This book got a lot darker than I expected! There was actual, full-blown child abuse occurring on-page even though in the previous books this was kind of glossed over. Also, an abused 8-year old literally chopped off someone’s hands on page. As an adult, this this disturbs me, but this would have terrified me as a child! I was genuinely shocked that Rick went there. That scene was one of the darkest and most violent scenes in all the books of his that I’ve read. Like, it’s one thing for someone to lose a hand, and it’s another to have it happen on page. And it’s a whole other thing for a literal child to do the chopping! Considering that this is a children’s book I was surprised. - I was legit sad when the Arrow of Dodona died - So no book is perfect, and honestly Nico was a deus ex machina like, 3 times during the final battle. I don't really mind though since there is a somewhat plausible explanation for why. - To be honest, I’m not 1000% happy with Leo and Calypso’s final update, but I think it’s fitting and realistic. Plus, there were strong hints that they were going to be fine in the end. So long as they’re together I’m happy ♥️ - It was so nice seeing Percy and Annabeth again!! I didn’t realize how much I missed reading about them until they showed up. - Zeus is the absolute worst. Even though Apollo can’t completely leave him the way that Meg left Nero, I’m glad that Apollo’s essentially leaving that relationship entirely. It’s a really good message to send to kids and not something that you read about in Children’s Lit very much. - Part of me is kind of glad that Piper is stuck alone in Oklahoma cause I’m the worst. I mean, she has her dad and her new girlfriend though, so she’s fine. - I’m so happy with everyone’s final updates! They all made so much sense for the characters. Even though I hope this isn’t the last time we see them, I think they all got fitting endings. - I loved that Dionysus was in this since he’s one of my favorite gods. In general, I just liked seeing how the gods interacted with each other since we didn’t get much of that in the previous books. - The final scene with Python was so good!!! - Apollo's relationship with Meg was so good! Their last scene together hit so hard. And I'm so proud of Meg for overcoming her abuser!! - "'You'll come back?' she asked. 'Always,' I promised. 'The sun always comes back.'" **cries**
Ok, I need to stop writing because this review is kind of excessively long, but I could write about how wonderful this book was for years. I am legit sad that this series is over. It seems silly to get emotional over a book aimed at 12-year olds, but I’ve read literally thousands of pages about these characters. ToA was an absolutely amazing series and I’m really happy it ended so strongly. It has a different feel than PJO and HOO, but I think fans of those will still really like it! It’s a big commitment to re-read all of Rick Riordan’s books, but I will 100% be revisiting this in the future....more
When I first heard about this book I honestly thought that it was going to be bad. The movie adaptation of Bird Box was crazy popular so I figured thiWhen I first heard about this book I honestly thought that it was going to be bad. The movie adaptation of Bird Box was crazy popular so I figured this was going to be a disappointing, cash-grab book. Though I'm not convinced that this wasn't a cash-grab book that capitalized off the film's success, I really loved it. In fact, I liked it even more than Bird Box.
Malorie was just as gripping and tense as Bird Box but I feel like it had more heart. Bird Box was about creatures and the apocalypse, but Malorie was actually about the characters and they reacted to the new world. We got hints of how Malorie's trauma changed her, but this book really delved into it. I understood why Malorie was the way she was, but I also understood why Tom and Olympia saw the world differently. Admitadly, Tom's worldview was annoying at times, but he's a 16 year-old that's never seen the outdoors so I got where he was coming from. And I really loved Olympia. She got the least amount of attention, but I enjoyed all of her sections.
Though this is much more character-focused than the previous book, it's still really thrilling and had a good story. I was never scared (though I was never scared during Bird Box either) but there were definitely scenes where I was on the edge of my seat. I never really knew where the story was going go and I was constantly worried that everything was about to go wrong.
I loved Bird Box because of the plot but I loved this for the journey we see Malorie go on. I don't want to spoil anything about this, but I genuinely felt moved by the final few pages. This wasn't a perfect a book with amazing writing and the best character development I've ever seen, but it was great thriller with some really well-developed characters and I loved it....more
Re-read: November 2020 (view spoiler)[Though this definitely isn’t my favorite in the series, but I still really, really loved it. In part because thisRe-read: November 2020 (view spoiler)[Though this definitely isn’t my favorite in the series, but I still really, really loved it. In part because this was set at Camp Jupiter and because most of the characters were Roman, this book felt kind of different from all the previous books. (Even in SoN Percy – a Greek – was a protagonist.) I actually really liked having a book set (almost) completely at Camp Jupiter since we got to learn more about it. It was also nice to see Jason get a proper goodbye. That being said, I seriously don’t understand why anyone would want to live there though. Even if I was a Roman demigod I’d much prefer to live at Camp Halfblood.
Rick Riordan did such a good job with Apollo’s character development. He has growth so much over the course of the series. In some ways he’s unrecognizable. He cares for others, takes responsibility for his actions, apologizes, and has priorities other than himself! Book 1 Apollo could never. Despite all this, he still seems like himself, just a little more mature. He also literally calls Zeus his abuser which is a big step for him and says a lot about his character.
Though this book definitely isn’t about about abuse and abuse victims, I’m glad that it spent a little bit of time discussing it. Meg’s abusive relationship with Nero has been woven into all the books, as has Apollo’s abusive relationship with Zeus. The discussion on abuse isn’t ground-breaking nor is it amazingly done, but I’m glad it’s in a middle grade/young-YA book since I don’t see it all that often.
In addition to Meg and Apollo, Reyna got a ton of character development. Reyna has always been one of those characters that I liked but didn’t love, and though I still don’t love her to the same degree as my favorite characters, this solidified how much I like her. I was not expecting her to bring the comedy, but she was in some of the funniest scenes in the book. Apollo struggling to ask her out is peak comedy in my opinion. (Sidenote: I definitely don’t ship Reyna and Apollo but I wouldn’t have been angry if they had gotten together.)
The first time I read this I was really shocked that Reyna joined the Hunters, but this time around it was less jarring. This isn’t just because I knew it was going to happen. There were a lot of hints that Reyna wasn’t happy being praetor and that it was time to move on. I read a review where someone was complaining that Rick sends all his single female characters to join the Hunters, and while that’s not exactly wrong, I think joining the Hunters makes a lot of sense for Reyna since she now has unlimited time to figure out who she is. (And, as seen with Jo and Emmie, she can leave the Hunters if she ever wants to.)
I gotta say that I didn’t 100% understand her conversation with Apollo and I’m kind of confused about her sexuality. I saw on Twitter that Rick said she was a romantic asexual but I didn’t actually see any indications of that. If Rick wanted to have asexual rep I really wish he’d been more explicit. I guess I can see that being difficult though since this is a Disney book and sex has pretty much never been talked about before. I’m not sure how he could have organically brought up Reyna’s (a)sexuality and since it didn’t really have much relevance to the plot it isn’t something that really bothers me. Just thought it was interesting enough to mention in my review.
Honestly, this book was a lot better than I remember it being. I remember really liking, but not loving it. I don’t know why I constantly misremember how much I enjoy things but it was kind of good because I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this. The beginning-middle wasn't my favorite since I’m not the biggest fan of Lavinia, but second half was amazing and completely makes up for it. The final battle felt intense and I really liked Commodus' death scene. I could picture everything so well and I think it would look so good in a movie/tv show. Frank’s non-death seemed a bit like cheating (especially after Jason) but I don’t like characters dying so I’m not going to complain.
I’m so excited for the next book but I’m also kind of nervous. There’s a lot of plot that still needs to be wrapped up in only one book. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint! (hide spoiler)]
Original Review This was amazing and I need the next book....more
Re-Read: October 2020 (view spoiler)[ [image] I am so sad. This is a re-read and I knew what was coming, but it still hit hard. I honestly was delayingRe-Read: October 2020 (view spoiler)[ [image] I am so sad. This is a re-read and I knew what was coming, but it still hit hard. I honestly was delaying my re-read of this and read it slowly because I didn’t want to read about Jason dying. Though I was not his biggest fan the first time I read the Heroes of Olympus, he’s really grown on my during my subsequent re-reads. He’s not my absolute favorite character, but I still really love him. And it was really sad to read his pre-death scenes. He seems so down and resigned to dying. It just makes me really sad that he’s dead.
I’m not fully convinced that his death was necessary since I’m never one who advocates for main characters dying, but if someone had to die, Jason was the right choice. Out of all the characters (minus Meg) he connected the most with Apollo. I don’t think anyone else’s death (except Meg’s) would have impacted him the same way Jason’s did. Jason was a really, genuinely good guy. He cares so much about other people and was so selfless and heroic during his death scene. Someone so good and so pure needed to die in order for Apollo to truly understand that his actions have consequences.
If we’re gonna be real, I wish Piper had died. I mean, I wouldn’t be happy if she died, but I certainly wouldn’t mourn her the same way I mourn Jason. I can’t put my finger on why I dislike her so much, but as soon as she comes on page, I get mildly annoyed. [image]
It’s not like she’s a useless or badly written character. She’s a lot more powerful than when she was first introduced, and she has a well-done arc. I just…hate her. Also, she had the audacity to be kind of cold and snippy with Jason when she broke up with him! Jason’s a great guy and he didn’t deserve that. She was also so rude to Apollo after Jason’s death! Yes, I understand that her ex/friend had just died, but she was really annoying. If Meg, a literal 12-year-old, could keep it together, so can she. Ugh, I just can’t with her.
Fortunately, Piper didn’t ruin the book for me. I completely loved it. It’s definitely not as funny or light as Rick’s other books, but it’s still really fun to read. It’s not ~dark~ per say, but the tone is kind of depressing and grim. It feels the most like the Tartarus portions of House of Hades. Still, the plot is a lot of fun and the characters are great even if they’re upset and stressed most of the time.
I don’t want to finish this series since it might be the last one Rick writes in this universe, but I’m so excited for the finale. I really loved this and my thoughts are too jumbled to write a proper, coherent review, so I hope future me enjoys reading my rambly thoughts. [image] (hide spoiler)]
Original Review I am heartbroken. I cannot believe what happened in this book. I can't even focus on all of the amazing things in this book because all I can think of is that scene. If you've read the book you'll know what I'm talking about.
(view spoiler)[I'm talking about Jason's death if you didn't guess. I can't believe Rick actually killed off major character. I must say, I am not happy! I feel like Jason is going to stay dead, but I would be SO HAPPY if he came back. Wouldn't it be awesome if some demigods had a quest to the underworld and saved him? (hide spoiler)]
The rest of the book was awesome. I was never bored and I thought it was really funny and had some great character development. Hopefully I'll be able to articulate my thoughts more coherently the next time I read it....more
This was a super short story, but it was lots of fun. And I'm always up for seeing more of Percy and Grover :) This felt much more PJO and less HOO ifThis was a super short story, but it was lots of fun. And I'm always up for seeing more of Percy and Grover :) This felt much more PJO and less HOO if that makes sense. It was funny, and the stakes weren't as high. While this story has next-to-no impact on the PJO universe, it's worth the read if you love the characters are much as I do....more
Update: I've upped my rating to 5 stars. Though the ending wasn't my absolute favorite thing in the world, the rest of the book was amazing and it doeUpdate: I've upped my rating to 5 stars. Though the ending wasn't my absolute favorite thing in the world, the rest of the book was amazing and it doesn't deserve only 4 stars.
This was such a page-turner! I couldn't put it down. Thrillers aren't my favorite books to read because I'm often underwhelmed, but I am so glad I read this. There were so many twists, and the story never lulled. I'm not good at predicting twists to begin with, but I never had any idea in which direction the story was going to go. The only reason its not getting 5 starts is that I don't think I'll ever re-read this, and the ending felt a bit rushed.
The one comment I have isn't about this book in particular, but about thrillers in general. I don't understand why the crimes are always...sexually motivated. 9 times out of 10, the story happens because someone has an affair, and their partner really overreacts. Or something like that. I don't think that that premise is inherently bad, but it can get a it dull after a while.
There's not much I can say about this book without spoiling anything...so just go read this!...more
I think this book just isn't for me. I must have a different sense of humor. It's sad though, because I really wanted to like this. I watched the moviI think this book just isn't for me. I must have a different sense of humor. It's sad though, because I really wanted to like this. I watched the movie ages ago and, while I don't remember loving it, I did find parts of it quite funny. (It also has one of the best opening sequences to ever grace the cinema!) I think part of this issue I had with this book was that I already knew about a lot of the scenes, so I was just waiting for my favorite parts of the movie (i.e. the parts with the computer) to happen. And when they did...well, I'd already seen them before. Basically, whenever I reached a moment I really loved, I simultaneously wished I was watching it in the movie. So me disliking this book is less the book's fault than it is mine for having seen the film first.
I'm not continuing with the series, but I don't think this is a bad book by any means. It's just not my type of book....more
This was an odd little book and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's written in a breazy, almost dream-like fashion, with the narrator jumping This was an odd little book and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's written in a breazy, almost dream-like fashion, with the narrator jumping from thought-to-though. That's not to say that this is a light read - it's really not - but the writing style was very different than most books that I read. It really suited the story and it shows how detached our narrator was.
This is such a short book, so I'm sure I'll re-read it at some point. I liked the prose, so it's unfortunate that their aren't many well-known books by this author. However, if I come across any, I'll definitely pick it up....more
This book was marketed unfairly. I thought it was going to be a horror novella but, as many other reviewers have pointed out, it wasn't. I found this This book was marketed unfairly. I thought it was going to be a horror novella but, as many other reviewers have pointed out, it wasn't. I found this book to be creepy and very atmospheric, but at no time was I ever scared. This novella was much closer to a coming of age story with some magical realism than any sort of horror genre.
Ignoring the false marketing, I still enjoyed this. I liked the writing and loved the descriptions of the house. It was very eerie and descriptive. I felt like I had a complete picture of it and really wanted to see it for myself.
(view spoiler)[I'm not sure yet how I feel about the ending. Nothing was explained, but I didn't really mind that. I would have preferred if the ending had been a bit longer, but it wasn't awful. (hide spoiler)]
I liked this. It wasn't amazing, but it was a quick, eerie read with an absolutely stunning cover....more
I wish this was a real play. I wish definitely pay to see it on stage. It would be so much fun! Star Wars is the perfect movie to be adapted into a ShI wish this was a real play. I wish definitely pay to see it on stage. It would be so much fun! Star Wars is the perfect movie to be adapted into a Shakespearean play because it's super melodramatic.
You can tell the author had fun with this book. Every character has a different speech pattern (the author goes more in depth with this in the author's note), there are tons of modern references (I spotted at least one Hamilton reference), and Han had a whole mobologue mocking the fact that The Force Awakens is extremely similar to A New Hope. And Chewbacca finally got some lines. His speech (view spoiler)[after Han died was probably my favorite part of the play (hide spoiler)].
I can't wait until The Last Jedi is adapted, and I really hope they adapt Rogue One!...more
Re-read: July 2020 My original review for this was pretty lengthy, and since I still love this as much as I did the first time, I don’t know if I have Re-read: July 2020 My original review for this was pretty lengthy, and since I still love this as much as I did the first time, I don’t know if I have a ton to say. Actually, I think I probably loved this even more than I did the first time I read this. A lot of the things I didn’t like the first time I read this I either liked this time, or it just didn’t bother me. For starters, I actually really liked Magnus’s hallmates! They definitely aren’t as developed as the main cast, but they’re about as developed as Rachel Elizabeth Dare or Clarisse. They all got their time to shine but never took away from the main characters or the story. I really liked learning more about them and how they ended up at Valhalla.
In my original review I think I also complained a bit about the ending and…I don’t really understand why. I really liked the ending and I feel like it suits the series perfectly. (view spoiler)[It really wouldn’t have made sense for the book to end in a big, epic battle like PJO and HOO did. Magnus is not a fighter. He tries, but he spends most of the series hiding behind Jack. It wouldn’t have felt genuine or realistic if suddenly he was a strong enough fighter to hold his own in a final battle. Plus, unlike Rick’s other series’, this series wasn’t building to a final battle. It was building to the stopping of the final battle. The flyting was really unique and an interesting part of Norse mythology that I got to learn about, and I’m glad that’s how the series ended.
A lack of a final battle also leaves the ending more open which I liked. Magnus’s story isn’t over – he’s going to fight/die in Ragnarok, regardless of the outcome of this book. The world is safe for now, and he’s happy for now, but unlike Percy, he knows that his story and his adventures are going to keep happening until the end of time. His ending should be left open because this isn’t the final battle of his life. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small one. The same thing goes for his relationship with Alex. Most couples spend 60 – 70 years together. Magnus and Alex might spend millennia together. They are kind of together by the end of the book (and it’s adorable) but they have centuries to be together. It makes sense they’d be taking things slow, especially given how changeable Alex is. (hide spoiler)]
I really loved this book and I really love this series. It is such a huge commitment to re-read the Percy Jack/Heroes of Olympus/Magnus Chase/Trials of Apollo series, so who knows when I’ll read this next, but I’m looking forward to it already.
Original Review Before I start this review, I need to get something out of the way. PERCY WAS IN THIS BOOK!!! And it was awesome. He was adorable with Annabeth, he has a new baby sister, and that scene with Riptide was hilarious. I was smiling the entire time he was there. Sadly, he was only in the first chapter. Luckily, the book was amazing, with or without Percy. Now that that's out of the way, I can review the rest of the book, sans Percy (even though I could talk about how much I love Percy all day).
I think this is one of the few series that gets better with each book. Maybe I've just gotten used to Magnus's narration, but I found this book so much easier to get into than the previous books, and I sped through it. And it was so funny! There were a few times I actually laughed (or giggled) out loud. I think most of my laughs came from Jack, but the scene with the birds was really, really funny. (view spoiler)[By the way, if there aren't any novellas about Magnus and his new able-to-talk-to-animals power I'm going to be very disappointed. (hide spoiler)] I also loved that the expandable duck made a comeback and was actually useful.
I'm going to start with the one thing I didn't like about this book: Magnus's hallmates (excluding Alex). I just didn't care about them much. Even though they each get a backstory in this book, they're still underdeveloped compared to the other characters. If they hadn't come along for the quest, I wouldn't have cared. (view spoiler)[I think I was supposed to be sad that Halfborn and Mallory broke-up but I honestly didn't care. I saw no chemistry between them and was actually disappointed that they got back together. (hide spoiler)] Out of all the hallmates (aside from Alex) my favorite is TJ, and while I like him, he could have been replaced by someone else and I wouldn't have minded.
Now, let's get on to the things I loved.
Firstly, there was so much positive representation, and that's always great to see in a middle-grade (YA?) book. Sam is a the Muslim character we need. Currently, it seems that everyone is zealot who can't imagine that there are millions of peaceful, non-terrorist Muslims in the world. This problem is especially prevalent in Western culture, so I think it's so important to have a heroic, brave character like Sam in out literature. I think it was also great that this book took place during Ramadan. We don't learn a ton about Ramadan, everything that was mentioned I was taught in my secular elementary school, but some kids may have never heard of this celebration, and I think it's great that they'll hear about it here. As I'm not Muslim, I can't definitively say if this was positive and accurate representation, but I haven't seen anyone complain, so I'm going to assume that it was. Aside from Sam, there were loads of other diverse characters. TJ was black, Magnus was atheist, Hearth was blind, and Alex was gender-fluid. I think it's awesome to have a gender non-confirming character in children's literature. It isn't something you see that often, though we should. And even though her (using female pronouns since (s)he usually identifies as female) backstory was heartbreaking, it's important to recognize that so many LGBT youth are treated horribly by their parents - the people who are supposed to love and protect them - for being different.
Hearth's story also broke my heart, but I'm so glad it was included. He's been through too much, and I hope that his future will be much brighter. I hope his story in 9 From the Nine Worlds is happier. He deserves it.
Now, let's talk about Magnus and Alex. (view spoiler)[I. Love. Them. So much! They are my new favorite thing. They are so cute!!!! <3 Last book I wasn't sure if they were going to end up together, but after the first chapter of this book, I was sure. They were flirting way too much for them not to end the series as a couple. Although, I have never read a character who was so dense about their feelings. (Except in Ouran, but that's a manga, and they operate on completely separate rules.) Literally everyone except him knew his feelings. After Alex kissed him, he was like, "wait, I liked that. Do I possibly like Alex in that way". It was both funny and painful to read. At least Alex was smart enough to recognize her feelings. She was flirting up a storm the entire novel. I'm also super happy that Alex kissed Magnus twice: once when she was female, and when he was male. And Magnus was totally fine with that. I just think that it's important to show the readers that Magnus couldn't care less about Alex's gender-identity because, and that he is 100% cannonically pansexual.
Now I'll be honest and say that the ending wasn't my favorite, but I think it was fitting. We have seen time and time again that Magnus is no fighter. He tries his best, but he just...sucks. So it makes sense that the final battle would be one of words and not fists. After all, not all heroes are swordsmen, and why fight when you can speak? Additionally, Loki is known for having a sliver tongue, not for being a warrior, so I like that he was beaten by words. It also gave Rick the opportunity to showcase a part of Norse mythology most people, myself included, had probably never heard of. This series goes hard on the theme of gods being selfish, so we needed that last bit of positivity even if it was a little cheesy. (hide spoiler)]
I'm really sad this series is over. I wish it was a 5 part series instead of a trilogy. I really want more, but I'm satisfied with this ending, and I will definitely be re-reading this series in the future....more
This is a really weird book. I had to read it in French for school but... I got about half way through and never finished it. I was interested in the This is a really weird book. I had to read it in French for school but... I got about half way through and never finished it. I was interested in the story though, so I decided to read it in English.
Despite really enjoying this, I don't have much to say about it. Perhaps it's because nothing really happens in the book. It's mostly a character study of Meursault. I also feel that this book is so famous that there's nothing new I can say and that everything there is to say has been said better by other reviewers.
Apparently this book is better when you re-read it, so maybe I'll re-read it someday....more
I love this book. More specifically, I love the characters. The writing style was ok, but the characters definitely made up for it. There were so manyI love this book. More specifically, I love the characters. The writing style was ok, but the characters definitely made up for it. There were so many well-rounded characters. Cora, Nellie, Michiko; they were all amazing. I love how each of them are strong female characters, but they aren't strong-female-characters. They were all different, and they all had their own issues to deal with, and their own character arc outside of the main plot line.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to whoever made this cover. Somehow, the character impersonators actually look like the characters! It may not be the most ascetically pleasing cover, but I appreciate the attention to detail.
There are quite a few bad steampunk books, so I'm glad I found this one :)...more
This was a super fun and creative retelling. Although it kept the basics of Rapunzel's story, everything else was really unique. I particularly enjoyeThis was a super fun and creative retelling. Although it kept the basics of Rapunzel's story, everything else was really unique. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of Rapunzel's relationship with the Witch that kidnapped her. It was a really complicated and mature exploration -- much more than I expected from a Middle Grade book! Also, the world-building was really well done and made me excited to read other stories in this world.
Although I liked the ending of this, I feel like there's so much more I want to know about Rapunzel and Jack. I think the next book focuses on completely different characters but I Rapunzel shows up again in the last book. Hopefully I'm right about that! All of these books are available from the library so I might binge them pretty quickly....more
Well, this was not what I expected. This book is messed up. It's disturbing, vulgar, and also surprisingly enjoyable. This took me ages to get throughWell, this was not what I expected. This book is messed up. It's disturbing, vulgar, and also surprisingly enjoyable. This took me ages to get through, but that's mostly not the fault of the book. I've been super busy with school lately and just haven't had time to read. That being said, this book did drag towards the middle. Ig's childhood, while an important part of the story, was extremely boring. It was probably my least favourite part.
For most of this book I thought I would give it 3 stars, but when I finished the book I suddenly felt like giving it 4 stars. Maybe I really enjoyed the ending, or maybe I just needed to digest the book before enjoying it. Although, I'm not entirely sure what happened at the end. I understand most of it but (view spoiler)[what happened to Ig? I feel like I missed something. (hide spoiler)]
Now, I'm off to go add more of Joe Hill's books to by TBR!...more
“HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN A FAILURE? LET’S MAKE YOUR DEATH A SUCCESS!”
I really liked this book. It was so different from anything I'd ever read before.
“HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN A FAILURE? LET’S MAKE YOUR DEATH A SUCCESS!”
I really liked this book. It was so different from anything I'd ever read before. As the title suggests, The Suicide Shop is about a store that caters to suicidal people. It stocks things like guns, poison, and nooses. The owners of the shop have 3 children. The elder children are properly depressed, but their youngest child, Alan, is a very optimistic kid.
The writing in this book is very simplistic. I don't know if that was a creative choice by the author, or if it's just the translation (this book was originally published in French), but it's a very simple book to read. Each chapter kind of seems like a short story, similar to those of The Little Prince. There is an overarching plot, but this isn't a very plot-driven book. It takes place over a number of years, but each year only gets a chapter or two devoted to it.
I really liked the world building in this book. It was barely there. We get the sense that this happens in the future, most likely after some apocalyptic event, but we're never explicitly told what is happening in the world. Obviously a lot of people are depressed and wish to commit suicide, but we don't learn much about the world outside of the shop. We get little hints about the outside world, but for the most part, it's a mystery.
I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, mostly because I didn't understand it. (view spoiler)[I mean, why did Alan jump? Was he suicidal? Did he just want to mess with his parents? Did he feel as though he had no purpose in life now that his family was happy? (hide spoiler)] I wish this book was more popular. Then I'm sure there would be tons of explanations online. I guess I'll have to re-read this some day; hopefully I'll understand the ending better the second time round....more
Just as good as the other two. I loved the humor, the action, the romance, absolutely everything about it. I would pay so much money to see this live.Just as good as the other two. I loved the humor, the action, the romance, absolutely everything about it. I would pay so much money to see this live. That would be amazing!
Everyone knows that Fight Club has a twist ending. It's one of those things you know, and yet you don't know why you know it. I kWhat did I just read?
Everyone knows that Fight Club has a twist ending. It's one of those things you know, and yet you don't know why you know it. I knew about the plot-twist prior to reading this book, but it didn't take any enjoyment away. In fact, it probably saved me from a bunch of confusion, and a re-read.
Fight Club is one of those books you definitely need to re-read after you've read the end. I'm glad I won't have to do that. Fight Club was an interesting ride, but it wasn't always an enjoyable one. I hated the writing style. I understand it's literary purpose (I really felt like I was in the mind of an insomniac) but it was extremely confusing, so half the time I had no idea what was going on.
I'm not sure what the message in this book was supposed to be; I can understand why it's such a controversial book! It certainly contains some disturbing subjects in this book, but it was all really interesting. In my edition of the book there was a little chapter where the author talked about how his book got published, and how different people reacted to it. Some people created their own fight clubs, and the author didn't really say that was a bad thing. Who knows what message the author intended to write though.
The more I think about Fight Club, the more I like it. I originally rated it 3 stars, but I bumped it up to 4 stars a few days after reading it. I don't think I will ever read this book again, but I'm really glad I have once....more
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