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my rating |
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| 0062310631
| 9780062310637
| 0062310631
| 3.99
| 1,126,965
| Feb 10, 2015
| Feb 10, 2015
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really liked it
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 24, 2016
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Jul 30, 2016
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Feb 24, 2016
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Hardcover
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| 1501101498
| 9781501101496
| 1501101498
| 4.23
| 4,811
| 2008
| Sep 30, 2014
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really liked it
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This book was amazing. As I was reading the book, I started using Plan B with my clients and it has been very effective. I'm not going to write a full This book was amazing. As I was reading the book, I started using Plan B with my clients and it has been very effective. I'm not going to write a full review like I normally do for the books I read because I feel like there isn't a lot to review for this book. It's informative, but a lot of it is also just common sense. It makes some interesting points, but it can be really repetitive. ...more |
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1
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Jan 22, 2016
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Jan 30, 2016
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Jan 20, 2016
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Paperback
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| 0553496646
| 9780553496642
| 0553496646
| 3.96
| 665,346
| Sep 01, 2015
| Sep 01, 2015
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liked it
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More like 2.5. I was expecting so much more from this book. Full review coming soon. |
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1
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Mar 20, 2016
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Mar 22, 2016
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Sep 10, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 0062324675
| 9780062324672
| 0062324675
| 3.96
| 62,166
| Feb 10, 2015
| Feb 10, 2015
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really liked it
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TRIGGER WARNING: This book deals with suicide. 4.5 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This book was absolutely perfect. I loved everything about TRIGGER WARNING: This book deals with suicide. 4.5 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This book was absolutely perfect. I loved everything about this book; the characters, the plot, the writing, the dialogue, the feelings. Everything. This is one of my favourite books that I've read this year and will probably remain one of my favourites for a very long time. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because I read it as an audio book and I feel like that took away from the story a little bit. At least for me. It was a good audio book but there was something lacking. Characters: Aysel was such an amazing character. I really liked her. She was so sarcastic at times but she also seemed like such a sweet girl. I really loved reading about her internal struggle about not wanting to become like her father. She's smart but her voice still feels like a real person; a real teenager. I find a lot of times in young adult books, smart characters are often extremely quirky and seem unrealistic but that wasn't the case for Aysel. I could really relate to her and I really felt for her throughout the whole book. Slowly throughout the book you can start to feel Aysel start to change her mind and change her perspective on her life. Normally I don't like when characters with depression are “saved” because of a love interest but I don't feel like that's how it was for Aysel. She sort of seemed “flakey” to begin with. I just really loved her character so much. She's probably one of my all time favourite young adult characters I've read about. Roman was really annoying at first. I really didn't like him when him and Aysel first met. He was a very interesting character though and after a while I started to really love him. There were times I didn't really like how he talked to Aysel but for the most part he was such a wonderful character and he seemed very sweet even though he was dealing with a bunch of stuff. He was very different than most characters that I've read about. Like Aysel, he also seemed very realistic. He felt like a real teenager and I could connect with him. He was proof that not all people with depression are outsiders. He had a lot of friends, hobbies, a girlfriend at one point, etc. but he still felt depressed. I think this was incredibly important to see in a character because most of the time it's portrayed that only people who are outsiders and bullied can have a mental illness like depression. Georgia is Aysel's step sister but she isn't really a main character and she only shows up in a few scenes. I really liked that her and Aysel started to develop a closer relationship. I really loved when she told Aysel that she isn't responsible for the stuff that her dad did. I thought this was such a sweet moment between the two of them especially since they weren't that close. It was just a nice moment between sisters. I also felt like Georgia was really trying to get close to Aysel but she kept pushing her away, which I get. She felt like she was intruding on her mom's new happy family. Tyler wasn't really a huge part of the story but when we were introduced to him I started to like him. He genuinely seemed to care about Aysel when he saw her drawing. He also tried to help Aysel and Georgia develop a closer relationship. He seemed like a really sweet guy but I wish we got to see more of him throughout the book. Roman's mom was perfect. A lot of times in young adult fiction, there aren't a lot of parents who are present and if they are present, they are usually shitty parents. Roman's mom was one of the best parents I've ever read about. She seemed like she genuinely cared about Roman and she was there for him when he needed her. I felt so bad for her near the end of the book. Plot: The main premise of this book was really interesting, but yet also troubling at the same time. The book follows Aysel, a girl who wants to commit suicide however she doesn't want to do it alone. She goes on to a website called Smooth Passages to find a “suicide partner” who will also commit suicide with her. She finds an ad and messages Frozen Robot, AKA Roman. They decide to meet up and then their story together begins. They get to know each other better while they are both planning to end their lives. When we meet our characters we don't know why each of the characters wants to commit suicide. So this is sort of a 'mystery' throughout the book. One thing that bothered me about this book is that it was mentioned so many times that Aysel's father was in prison but we didn't find out why until near the end. This normally wouldn't be a problem for me because it just adds some 'mystery' but I was just annoyed that it kept getting brought up and wasn't revealed what exactly happened until near the end. But I did really love when there were some flashbacks to some of the things that Aysel did with her father like when she put he hand prints in the wet cement and they would put music on in the store and dance. I thought it was really cute. I really loved when we finally got to know why Roman wanted to kill himself. I thought it was so sad and I completely understand why he felt how he did. I could relate to him a lot in that moment. I've experienced something of that nature and I can understand how he felt about what happened. This wasn't a love story but there were a lot of really cute moments between Aysel and Roman. I really loved when they went to the zoo for Aysel's project with Georgia and Tyler. I also really loved the scene at the carnival. I could really feel that the characters were starting to feel more strongly towards each other. One of my favourite moments of the book is when Aysel wanted to go see her father in prison. Roman doesn't really agree with her decision but he still goes along with her to support her through this time that would be tough on anyone, nevermind a teenager who is already in such a vulnerable position. But once they got to the prison, they found out he was transferred. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted to meet her dad and see what she had to say to him. I think it would have been really interesting. One thing that really got to me was when Aysel and Roman were talking about what they would want to do if they weren't going to kill themselves. I just loved this part so much because I feel like it may have given the characters a little bit of hope that they could have a life instead of going through with their plan. From the beginning of the story I knew that at least one of them was going to at least attempt to fulfill their plan. I had a very strong feeling it was going to be who it was but I wasn't expecting it to happen when it did. It actually took me by surprise and it broke my heart. I didn't think that the character was going to die, but I was still worried and it really broke my heart. Then the moment in the hospital afterwards was absolutely adorable. I thought they were just the sweetest and cutest characters ever and their relationship was so interesting to read about. Writing: Jasmine Warga is a fantastic writer. Her writing is so descriptive and I could picture everything that was happening. The writing was clever, addicting, sensitive, honest and insighful. The story follows the same pattern as some other popular books I've read but her characters felt more real and were less annoyingly prenetious. I can completely relate to Aysel's descriptinons of her sadness and inner struggle. It was so raw and emotional at times. I really loved how she included the philosophy/physics angle. How she was able to weave together philosophy and physics was really interesting. The question about what happens to us when we die is an old one, but I found her take on it to be really interesting – if energy cannot disappear but can only be transferred, what happens to our energy when we die? Some friends of mine who have read this book seem to think the writing was lazy and untruthful because Aysel was “cured” which I can see how they could think that. But I feel like Jasmine did such a great job slowly showing Aysel's perspective changing. This doesn't mean she's “cured” just that at that moment, she was happy and wanted to live. Romance/Feelings: Aysel and Roman's relationship was very interesting. At the beginning they didn't seem like they got along. They just seemed like very different people even though they were in a similar situation. I liked how their relationship started to develop throughout the book. They started to really get to know each other better and they started to understand each other better. I never really saw them as being romantic. But they did have a lot of really cute moments together. Roman was really there for Aysel when she was planning on going to see her dad and I felt like that was a really special moment. I loved when they kissed for the first time and fell asleep together during their trip to the jail. There were just so many cute moments and I really loved their relationship. It was unique. Overall: This story was absolutely amazing. This is one of my all time favourite books I've read this year and I think it will remain pretty close to the top of the list. The characters were amazing. The story was so raw and beautiful, insightful and emotional. The author is such a wonderful writer and I hope she publishes more books soon. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. This book does deal with suicide, including an attempt, so if that is something that triggers you I would suggest you really think about if you are able to handle reading a book dealing with this issue without potentially putting yourself in a dangerous situation. If you have any questions about exactly what happens that could trigger you, please feel free to message me for more spoilers. Some of my favourite quotes: “Nothing scares me more than a failed attempt.” “There are enough broken things in the world. You shouldn't go around breaking things just for the fun of it.” “You can't live for miracles.” “No one person is all good or all bad.” “What people never understand is that depression isn't about the outside; it's about the inside. Something inside me is wrong. Sure, there are things in my life that make me feel alone, but nothing makes me feel more isolated and terrified than my own voice in my head.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 09, 2015
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Sep 09, 2015
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Sep 09, 2015
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Hardcover
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| B00HCGU4TM
| 3.83
| 18,016
| Sep 09, 2014
| Sep 09, 2014
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really liked it
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4.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I've wanted to read this book for a while now but I just finally got around to it. When I first heard abo 4.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I've wanted to read this book for a while now but I just finally got around to it. When I first heard about this book I was really interested in it because it dealt with mental illness and suicide, which are some of my favourite things to read about in YA. The plot of this book revolves around almost every stereotypical YA trope including drug and alcohol abuse, depression, suicide, friendship issues, bullying, struggling in school, the nerdy boy who loves the popular girl who is dating the jock) however it is still really enjoyable, although predictable and dramatic. Characters: There were a lot of characters in this book. It did get confusing at first however I think it's because I read it as an audio book. But the author did such an amazing job at developing all of the characters, even the side characters. I really didn't like the main character. I get that she was a really flawed character, which I usually love however she never really tried to be better. She had a plan to kill herself so she didn't really care how she acted or treated others. I did feel sympathetic to her situation and some of the things that she went through but at the same time I couldn't really relate to the character that much. She was a pretty horrible person and treated people horribly. Some characters can be flawed beyond belief and still be likeable, but this main character wasn't one of them. She wasn't all bad and she was very interesting and complex. Plot: The plot was very interesting. It basically tells the reasons why this girl wanted to commit suicide but it does it in such a unique way. I really loved how the story jumped back and forth from the past to the present. I really enjoy stories where you know what's going to happen, but you get to see how the character ended up in that position and what events lead up to the main event. I really liked the way the author used the characters and their experiences and showed us the reasons why this girl is depressed, rather than simple tell us. I've always been very interested in stories about mental illness and I think this story did a pretty good job dealing with the character's mental illnesses. Writing: The writing was absolutely fantastic. The way the author chose to write this story with a mystery narrator and with dual time lines was perfect. I loved how the chapters alternated between past and present, revealing more about what lead up to the accident and the aftermath. The author did such an amazing job writing the characters and portraying mental illness. The writing was very easy to read. It flowed so nicely. Also, I didn't know the author was still in high school until I read another review, which makes this story and the writing even more impressive. Emotions: I really did love this story however it didn't make me emotional. I didn't really like the main character much so I didn't feel as bad for her as I would have if I liked her. It was a very sad, touching story overall however it would have been more emotional for me if I liked the main character more. This book definitely isn't for everybody. There is a lot of stereotypical teenage drama that does get annoying at times. However if you are able to look past those aspects, you may really enjoy the overall story. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 25, 2015
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Aug 25, 2015
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Aug 25, 2015
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0399164375
| 9780399164378
| 0399164375
| 3.67
| 4,232
| Sep 30, 2014
| Sep 30, 2014
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liked it
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3.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. First, can we just talk about how amazing the cover is? I have very mixed feelings about this book. I rea 3.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. First, can we just talk about how amazing the cover is? I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really don't know how I feel about it. This book was okay. It wasn't amazing and it wasn't bad. It was just okay. I did enjoy the book however I wouldn't reread this book and I probably won't remember it in a few days. I even had a hard time rating this book. When I first finished it was a solid 4/5 for me. But the more I thought about it and wrote my review, I ended up getting down to a 3/5. The topic of this book, a boy dealing with his mental illness, in this case schizophrenia, really interested me however it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting more. I wanted it to be more dark, maybe? I also thought there was going to be more insight into the main character, Miles' inner thoughts and hallucinations and delusions. Characters: I didn't really connect to any of the characters at all. Not even Miles. I mean of course I felt for him, as I would for anyone who has a mental illness, but I had no overwhelming concern for him. Even when he tried to commit suicide, I didn't feel overwhelmingly sad about it or anything. Even though I didn't really connect to the character, it's not that I didn't like him. I did like him as a character and I was incredibly happy for him at the end when he got help. I just didn't feel any connection to him at all. None of the supporting characters really stood out to me. They weren't developed and I can't even remember their names, aside from Eliza. Speaking of Eliza, I probably would have thought she was a hallucination if other side characters had not commented on her actually being there. I didn't like her one bit. From the second she was introduced I started to dislike her more and more every time she was mentioned. Plot: The overall premise of a young boy living with schizophrenia really grabbed my attention. In YA there isn't a lot a books that deal with mental illness and the ones that do generally focus on depression, anxiety and rarely OCD. I have never really heard about a book focusing on a young person with schizophrenia (feel free to leave recommendations). But aside from this being a novel about a young man dealing with his schizophrenia I don't feel like this story had a real plot. The story of his 'brother' who disappeared wasn't really brought up into focus until a little bit in and wasn't the main focus of the book. This story was definitely more about Miles' growth and journey living with a mental illness. One thing that bothered me about Miles and his the treatment of his mental illness was the heavy focus on medication. As someone who has some experience in the mental health field I was annoyed that everything was about medications. There was no social skills training, therapy (not really), or other treatment options. This isn't the fault of the writer though. Medication is definitely a valid treatment option, especially for people with schizophrenia however I do feel like it's the automatic go to treatment in society. So this was not due to the author, it's something that's real and needs to be fixed in society. (I'm not anti-medication. I just don't believe it's needed as much as it's prescribed) Sorry for this little rant. One thing I would have liked to see more of is when Miles was in the psychiatric ward at the hospital. I would have liked to see more of the characters that he met when he was there and more therapy sessions and just anything really. This part felt very rushed. Writing: The writing was decent. It wasn't bad by any means but it also wasn't anything spectacular. It was good enough that I will check out future publications from this author. I had such high hopes for this story. I wanted to be able to get lost in the characters hallucinations and delusions, just like Miles was. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. One thing that really, really bothered me about the writing was the author's use of the 'T' word. From that point on, I was kinda disinterested and annoyed. I don't understand why he needed to use it at all? I feel like it wasn't really necessary to the story at all. It just made me dislike Miles. I also felt like the writing was a little bit rushed near the end after he got admitted to the psychiatric ward. Romance/Feelings: The romance in this book was absolutely terrible. I really didn't like Eliza, at all. From the moment she was introduced I didn't like her. I couldn't really connect to her at all. Although there were a few decent moments with her and Miles, and it was nice that she wanted to be there for him, I just couldn't bring myself to like her. I feel like she was toxic for Miles. I'm actually really glad that at the end of the novel he really understood his relationship with Eliza for what it really was and decided that it wasn't what he needed at this time in his life. Overall: This book was okay. It was a quick, and surprising easy to read and pretty light. It's nothing spectacular but I would recommend it if you're interested in this kind of story. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 29, 2015
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Aug 29, 2015
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Aug 19, 2015
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0374349460
| 9780374349462
| 0374349460
| 3.67
| 36,189
| Aug 21, 2007
| Aug 21, 2007
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liked it
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3.5 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. When I first heard about this book a while ago, I wasn't that excited for it. I was recommended this book b 3.5 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. When I first heard about this book a while ago, I wasn't that excited for it. I was recommended this book by multiple people and finally decided to pick it up. I absolutely loved this book. I found the premise really interesting. You have a young girl who lost all her memories of the past 4 years of her life and now she is trying to figure out who she is. Just imagine this happening to you: you're 16 years old and you lost all your memories from the age of 12 until now. The years where you really start to develop who you are as a person, all gone. I can only imagine just how scary that would be. Characters: Naomi - as much as I felt bad for her because of everything she was going through, I still found her really annoying at times. I didn't agree with most of her decisions but I did understand why she did the things she did. I feel because I knew she was only 16 I didn't dislike her as much as I would have if she were older. Knowing myself at that age I probably would have been just as annoying and selfish as she was. Ace - I really disliked Ace. He was so self-centered and was only interested in getting Naomi back in bed. Like his girlfriend, who he supposedly loved, just got out of the hospital, barely remembers Ace and his main concern is if they were going to have sex again? Disgusting. I feel like not all, but a lot of teenage boys would act the same way though. James - Super moody characters are usually a hit or miss with me and in this case, I really enjoyed James as a character. I don't really know why because some of the stuff he did was really annoying but ultimately he was one of my favourite characters. Will - I really enjoyed Will at the beginning of the book. He was like the comedic relief at points. He was a really good character and he seemed to truly care about Naomi and wanted to help her remember stuff about who she was prior to the accident. In the middle of the book I started to dislike him. He got super annoying especially around the fact that Naomi was with James now. I guess this probably came from a place of caring and jealousy but it was still too much at times. But near the end I really started to like him again. Plot: I feel like the main premise of the story was amazing. A young girl has an accident, loses her memories from the past 4 years and now has to discover who she was, who she is and who she wants to be. All the story was is a girl trying to figure out who she is but throughout the whole book I didn't feel like much happened. Like nothing really significant happened. Overall: I really did enjoy the story (even if from this review it seems otherwise). I just had a lot of problems with it mainly the main character and the fact that nothing really happens. It was a nice, quick read. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 18, 2015
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Aug 19, 2015
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Aug 18, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 0062335316
| 9780062335319
| 0062335316
| 3.84
| 14,110
| Apr 07, 2015
| Apr 07, 2015
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really liked it
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 15, 2016
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Jan 22, 2016
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Aug 18, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 1423175123
| 9781423175124
| 1423175123
| 4.09
| 34,855
| Apr 10, 2014
| Apr 15, 2014
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it was amazing
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This book was fantastic. It was a little predictable at times, but I still really enjoyed it. And the romance was the cutest thing ever. Full review c This book was fantastic. It was a little predictable at times, but I still really enjoyed it. And the romance was the cutest thing ever. Full review coming soon. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 17, 2016
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Feb 24, 2016
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Jul 09, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 0399171614
| 9780399171611
| 0399171614
| 4.04
| 184,078
| May 12, 2015
| May 12, 2015
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liked it
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I did really enjoy most of this book. However, I was expecting more. Full review coming soon. |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 31, 2016
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Feb 17, 2016
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Jul 04, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 0316221333
| 9780316221337
| 0316221333
| 3.87
| 48,254
| Aug 13, 2013
| Aug 13, 2013
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really liked it
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3.75 / 5.0 stars This review contains spoilers. I was initially interested in this book because I read the synopsis and it immediately drew me in, 3.75 / 5.0 stars This review contains spoilers. I was initially interested in this book because I read the synopsis and it immediately drew me in, then I heard some positive reviews from people I trust so I decided to finally pick this book up. As twisted as it may sound, I love reading about troubled characters and touchy subjects such as suicide, self harm, school shootings, etc. And even though I love these kinds of stories, this one wasn't what I wanted. I really wish I could have given this book a 4/5 or even 5/5 but I couldn't. I think this book was an example of where my expectations were too high. I did really enjoy the book, however I was expecting so much more. I didn't really feel anything for the main character. I enjoyed him, but I didn't feel any type of connection to him. I don't really know how I feel about this book.. I would recommend this book though. It's a very quick read so even if you don't enjoy it, you didn't invest too much time into it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 17, 2015
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Aug 18, 2015
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Jul 03, 2015
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Hardcover
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| 0062348671
| 9780062348678
| 0062348671
| 4.14
| 461,536
| Apr 07, 2015
| Apr 07, 2015
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it was amazing
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5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. This is one of my all time favourite books, only behind the Throne of G 5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. This is one of my all time favourite books, only behind the Throne of Glass series. I'm so glad I picked this book up when I did, especially since the last few books I've read have been kind of disappointing. This book focuses on Simon, a gay (but not out) 16 year old boy living in the South. Him and another gay student from his high school have been talking anonymously but then another student, Martin, finds Simon's emails and decides to blackmail him. When I first heard about this premise I thought it was very interesting and unlike a lot of things that I've read before and I instantly wanted to pick it up. This book was so funny and adorable. I was smiling throughout the whole book and it left me with the biggest smile on my face. It did take me a little while to get into the story because there were so many characters and I sometimes had trouble keeping them straight at the beginning (mainly Abby and Leah). Even with a 'darker' element of blackmail, this book was still a light-hearted and uplifting kind of book. Characters: Our main character Simon was so well developed and really distinct. He is one of the most relateable characters I've read. Throughout the novel, Simon did a lot of growing up as a person. At the beginning he seemed very perfect, unrealisticly perfect so I really enjoyed how his relationships with his friends got more complicated and his flaws became visible. Normally in LGBTQIA+ media where the character is "in the closet" it is usually because they feel ashamed, almost. So one thing I really liked about this story is even though Simon isn't openly gay, he also isn't ashamed that he is gay. He simply just doesn't feel like he should have to come out, which I really respect and admire about his character. Some of the quotes he had really spoke to me as well, especially this one: “White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default.” “Blue” – I fell in love with Blue through all his emails with Simon. He was such a sweet, caring character. I thoroughly enjoyed him even before it was revealed who he is. I also felt like he was such a relateable character and we got to learn a lot about him through his emails with Simon. One thing he said to Simon after they finally met really stuck with me for some reason, “you would have guessed it was me if you wanted it to be me” (or something along those lines), which is true. There was really no evidence it was Cal, however Simon believed it was because he wanted it to be Cal, so I get where “Blue” was coming from. Martin – he reminded me of Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson just by the way they described him as being over the top, and willing to do anything for a laugh and he was also in a play. Even though he was blackmailing Simon, I still liked him. He wasn't my favourite but I liked him and I feel like him and Simon had a unique relationship. I started to enjoy their friendship as it started to develop. However, once he publicly outed Simon, I hated him. I feel like they could have done more with this character. I don't know what, but I wanted more. Maybe a better reason why he was blackmailing him? I'm not sure. Nick, Leah, and Abby - There isn't a lot to say about Nick. I feel like he was one of the characters that wasn't that well developed. I wish we got some more from Nick. Abby and Leah added a lot to the story. They were so different from each other but they were both amazing friends to Simon. I did like both characters however near the end I did get annoyed with Leah's attitude about how she thought Simon was replacing her. However I completely understand why she would feel that way. I really loved the diversity of the characters. I also really loved how Simon's family was a part of the story. In a lot of young adult, the parents are absent and usually there are no siblings or you see very little of the siblings. I felt like the author did a great job of adding in some family elements to this story. The family wasn't perfect but I found their family dynamic really interesting and I enjoyed reading about the family. The Facebook scavenger hunt was pretty funny. At the end when Simon's sister told him not to go to dinner with the family so he could have some alone time with Blue, now that's a good sibling relationship. Plot: The plot of this story really fascinated me. A closeted gay student is having an online anonymous 'relationship' with another closeted gay student at his high school, whiled being blackmailed about the relationship. As dark as the subject of blackmail can get, I feel like in this story it definitely wasn't the main focus and was done in a way that wasn't too dark. I really loved the mystery aspect of the story. Who is Blue? This was one of the main plots of the story. Simon was trying to figure out who Blue was. There were a couple times where he thought he had it figured out, but he was wrong. While there were a couple of story lines within this book, the plot wasn't the driving point for this story. It was more focused on the the romance and the character development. However the plots were very interesting as well. Writing: The writing was wonderful. It was so easy to read. Very fast paced and easy to keep up with. I really enjoyed how the author allowed us to see all the emails between Blue and Simon. I think it really added to the story. Everything was just so beautifully written. Romance/Feelings: I just really loved their relationship prior to meeting. It was so cute and sweet. Then after they met, I couldn't help but smile. I was so happy for them. When they were on the ride together at the carnival, and when they were sitting together in English class, or went to the grocery store to get Oreos – those scenes just, they were perfect. I really thought they had amazing chemistry. I just wish there was more cute romancey stuff after they met. Overall: This story is wonderful. This is definitely one of my all time favourites. It has amazing characters, interesting plots, simple but lyrical writing, and it makes you feel every emotion. This would make such a cute movie. Also, I can't wait to read more from this author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 28, 2015
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Aug 28, 2015
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Jul 01, 2015
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1619634449
| 9781619634442
| 1619634449
| 4.17
| 3,813,530
| May 05, 2015
| May 05, 2015
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really liked it
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FINALLY FINISHED. It felt like it took me a year to finish this book but in reality it took me a month. Still such a long time. It wasn't that this was FINALLY FINISHED. It felt like it took me a year to finish this book but in reality it took me a month. Still such a long time. It wasn't that this was a bad book, it was quite good actually. However I just think the timing was off since it was the end of the semester. I think the reading experience had a lot to do with why it was only 3.5 stars. Full review coming soon. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 25, 2016
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Apr 25, 2016
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Aug 29, 2014
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0765320320
| 9780765320322
| 0765320320
| 4.25
| 72,862
| May 13, 2013
| May 14, 2013
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liked it
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3.75 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I really did enjoy this book however I found the main character very annoying. I loved the magic system, l 3.75 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I really did enjoy this book however I found the main character very annoying. I loved the magic system, loved the mystery aspect, loved the action, and almost everything else. However I couldn't give it a higher rating solely based on the main character. I understand it's a middle grade book, which is why it got 3.75 rather than a 3 or 3.5. I didn't know it was a series when I first read it however I do plan on continuing on with the series. I also plan on checking out some of Brandon Sanderson's other books. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jan 15, 2015
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Aug 29, 2014
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Hardcover
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| 0763639834
| 9780763639839
| 0763639834
| 3.61
| 2,206
| Mar 08, 2011
| Mar 08, 2011
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liked it
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3.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers This plot of this book is really what got me interested in the story. Also the cover is really beautiful. 3.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers This plot of this book is really what got me interested in the story. Also the cover is really beautiful. I went into this book with very high expectations, even though I never really heard about it before. It just seemed like it was going to be something fantastic for me because I really love mysteries and crime. This story was good but and I did enjoy my time reading this book but it wasn't fantastic. Characters: Blink's story was told in second person which really took me a while to get used to. This perspective did help me connect more with blink and feel for him because I really felt like I was in Blink's shoes. I felt everything that he went through. Even though I felt for Blink and could relate to him in some ways I still didn't like him that much. He was an okay character but I just found him to be incredibly boring. His character almost ruined this book for me because I was just so bored when it was Blink's story. And I feel like we didn't get to know a lot about him, compared to how much we got to learn about Caution. Caution was definitely my favourite out of the two main characters. She really made this book for me and kept me reading. It got to the point where I just wanted Caution all the time and didn't really care about Blink that much. She was so much more interesting. We got to learn so much about her and what made her end up on the streets. She felt like she was broken and worthless and my heart really broke for her. I really connected with this character and could relate to her. She was such an amazing character. She really cared about the people around her. She was super sweet and just such a wonderful character. I wish we got more of her story. Plot: For the first part of this book we follow two main characters, Blink and Caution on their separate journey’s. Both of the main characters have been living on the streets for their own reasons. Blink's step dad was abusive and Caution left home because she felt guilty about her brother's death and she ended up living with her drug dealing boyfriend. Their individual stories really pick up when Blink witnesses a fake kidnapping in a hotel and tries to get to the bottom of what happened while Caution is on the run from her drug dealing boyfriend. Throughout their journey's the Blink and Caution meet each other on a train. During the second part of the book Blink and Caution are together. Caution is helping Blink find out what happened to the man in the hotel who he witnessed being kidnapped. They also learn a lot about each other and help each other in many ways along the way to finding out what happened in the hotel. This story does take a while to get into but the story becomes so much better after the Blink and Caution finally meet each other. I really loved the idea of following two teens who live on the streets each due to different things from their past. I loved reading about how they were able to survive living on the streets. Homelessness is something that is rarely written about in young adult fiction so I really admire that the author took this subject and made such a wonderful story. One thing I really didn't like about the plot was the whole fake kidnapping thing. I really didn't care about what happened to the guy, why he did it or anything else related to the kidnapping. I feel like the author just used this as a way for the characters to cross paths. I wish the mystery was more interesting and something else happened to make the characters cross paths and meet. Writing: This was my first time reading a book by Tim Wynne-Jones. His writing style is so amazing. The writing was so descriptive and I had no problem visualizing everything that was happening. This book was written with dual points of view. Blink's story was written in second person and Caution's story was writing in third person. This was my first time ever reading anything in second person. At first it was very strange for me and it did take me a little while to get into the writing for Blink's story. One thing I really liked about this story is that we did get to see each of the character's lives before they meet. We got to learn who they are as individual's then see how meeting the other impacts their life. I do think their separate stories did go on for a little too long though. I really loved the writing for this book and I will definitely check out more from this author. Romance/Feelings: Blink and Caution's relationship was perfect. I really loved the way their friendship developed. Although Caution was a potential love interest for Blink, I don't feel like their relationship really went there. Their relationship was so much more than that. They were both really there for each other. Caution was the person that was there for Blink throughout his whole adventure and he never really felt like he had that before. She encouraged and inspired him along the way and watched his back, proving that he could trust her. Blink really helped Caution become who she really is. Blink never knew her by her street name Caution, but instead he knew her by her real name, Kitty. I thin their relationship was something very special. I really loved how they each impacted the other in huge, life changing ways. Overall: This was a pretty good book. I didn't like the main male character that much but I absolutely adored the main female character. The plot wasn't anything special but it was a fun, easy read. The writing style was fantastic and I really loved the relationship between the two main characters. It was something incredibly special. I would recommend this to anyone who likes action in young adult books. There was a lot of action in this book that made it such a fast paced and fun read. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jul 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
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| 1619630656
| 9781619630659
| 1619630656
| 4.45
| 1,375,657
| Sep 02, 2014
| Sep 02, 2014
|
it was amazing
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5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This book.. just wow. I absolutely loved this book. This book took me a lot longer than I thought it wou 5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This book.. just wow. I absolutely loved this book. This book took me a lot longer than I thought it would. The beginning was a little slow for me. It took me a while to get into the new world, but once I did I fell in love with the story, the magic, the new characters, everything. There were three main stories happening within this book. 1. Celaena's story in Wendlyn As I said, I had some problems getting into the new world. I'm pretty new to fantasy, only reading the Throne of Glass series and one other fantasy novel. However, this was my favourite of the three stories. I absolutely adored Rowan from the moment he was introduced. I loved how Rowan was pushing Celaena to use her magic, and to learn how to master and control her powers. I loved that he didn't take any of her bullshit. I liked that once Celaena started training to use her magic, it took her a while to understand it. I liked that she wasn't automatically a pro at using her magic and controlling her magic. After Celaena burned out and Rowan took care of her and was all protective of her, that was just wonderful. Once it said that two people were capable of sharing their magic if they were a match, I knew instantly that Celaena and Rowan would be a match. As much as I adore Rowan and Celaena's relationship, I don't ship them romantically. I really appreciate what they have and how Celaena was able to be open with him about her parents, Sam (still not over sam, RIP), Endovier, and everything else. I really hope that they don't get into a romantic relationship. I hope they just stay friends and fight together. Even though, I think if they did get into a romantic relationship, they would be a very interesting couple. To be honest, at this point, I don't really ship Celaena with any of the possible love interests. Overall this section of the story was amazing. Celaena definitely grew up a lot and there was a lot of character development and the new characters were fabulous as well. 2. Chaol and Dorians's story at the Glass Castle I was a little disappointed that Celaena was no longer in the castle with Dorian and Chaol, only because I loved how she interacted with each of those characters. However I did still love what was happening in this part of the story. When they first introduced Aedion, I didn't really trust him at all. Even after we found out he is Celaena's cousin. I liked him though, I just didn't know whether I should trust him or not. I found it very interesting that Chaol and Aedion were working together. I liked the dynamic between them; they didn't really like each other, at all but they were still able to work together to figure out how to get Aelin back to rule her lands and overthrow the King. I always shipped Celaena and Chaol together, but in this novel, I stopped shipping them, almost completely. Maybe because they didn't have any interactions, or maybe because I started to find Chaol kind of annoying. I also really didn't like Chaol and Dorian's relationship. Even though we saw them starting to drift in the previous novel, I just hated that they weren't really friends in this novel and they didn't interact with each other much. I always liked Dorian but in this book I really started to love Dorian more as a character. I loved the progress of his magic. I am so excited to see what comes of that. I really liked Dorian and Sorcha's relationship. I didn't know whether to trust her or not though. I knew there was something off about her but once it was revealed what that was, I wasn't really surprised or angry about it. I still really liked her and Dorian together and started shipping them. She was a wonderful character for the little we got to see of her. At the end when they were all called in to see the King, I knew something bad was going to happen to her. It broke my heart that the King killed her and how Dorian reacted to her death. I was spoiled for what happened to Dorian at the end though. Overall this section of the story was absolutely amazing and I loved that even though Celaena wasn't there, we still got to see Chaol and Dorian's story. I can't wait to see what happens with Chaol now that he's not the Captain anymore and he's completely against the King now. I also can't wait to see what happens with Dorian's magic. The next book is going to be insane. 3. Manon and the Witches' story This was definitely my least favourite part of this novel. I was so confused when it was first introduced. I was like who are these characters? why are they here? Like let me have Chaol, Celaena and Dorian please. It also took me a while to fully understand and picture the world that they were in. After a while though I did start to like the characters in this section.. well one of the characters: Manon. I found her so interesting and complex. However I didn't really care for this section of the story as much as the other two. I know this section was probably very important for the next book, as they left off heading to meet the Duke. It was interesting to read but I didn't feel anything for any of these characters really. Overall: This book was amazing. It was everything I was hoping for (I did want Celaena and Dorian & Chaol interactions). It was definitely my favourite book of the series. This series keeps getting better and better. The plot is moving along so nicely and smoothly. The characters are really starting to develop more and more and we really get to understand the characters so much more in this book. I loved the introduction of Rowan and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he fits in with Chaol and Dorian when/if they meet in the next book. Things I'm looking forward to in future books: *Celaena getting used to her Fae form and her magic more. Her return to Adarlan and her all the badass stuff that's going to happen when she returns. *Celaena, Chaol and Dorian interactions. I missed Celaena interacting with these two in Heir of Fire. *I really want Rowan to meet Dorian and Chaol and see what happens with that. *Speaking of Rowan, I'm interested in learning more about the whole 'Carranam' thing. Can't wait for September 1st. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 05, 2015
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Jul 21, 2015
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Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1619633612
| 9781619633612
| 1619633612
| 4.21
| 1,012,024
| Mar 04, 2014
| Mar 04, 2014
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it was amazing
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5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I read this book after reading Throne of Glass, before I read Crown of Midnight. I would recommend reading 5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I read this book after reading Throne of Glass, before I read Crown of Midnight. I would recommend reading Throne of Glass first, it helps you get used to the world and the writing better than the novellas did, however if you do read Throne of Glass first you will be spoiled for something that happens in the fifth novella The Assassin and the Empire. I absolutely loved this book. I loved getting to read some of the thing's that Celaena has experienced leading up to her capture. I think these short stories really gave me insight into who Celaena is and why she is who she is. I don't feel like this story is absolutely necessary for the series but it makes the reading experience more enjoyable knowing some of the back story to characters that are mentioned within the rest of the series. I really hope that a few characters from this book show back up in future books like Arobyn (even though he's evil) and Ansel. This book really felt like a novel where Celeana went on a bunch of missions, rather than a bind up of novellas. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord – 5.0 / 5.0 I think this novella might have been my favourite. You got a lot of character development and action packed scenes. I was expected Sam and Celaena to be friends or in a relationship. I was surprised that they pretty much hated each other. They were rivals and were always competing with each other. Celeana was so sassy and I just love it. I wish we were able to see Celeana go on the journey to bring back her mentors body. I think it would have been interesting, especially since she was so emotional over it. When Sam and Celaena went on their mission, I thought it was going to be a mess but I actually really enjoyed their mission. I loved how they started to get along more and how their relationship really started to develop beyond being assassin's who work together. I loved how Celeana and Sam freed the slaves. It really gives the character more depth even though they are assassins they still value life, and aren't just killing a bunch of people. At the end when they embraced each other, it was hilarious when Celeana threatened to kill him if he told anyone. The Assassin and the Healer – 5.0 / 5.0 I started to dislike Arobyn in this novella because of how he beat her after she disobeyed his orders. I found the idea of her having to go to The Mute Master for her punishment kind of weird. Like I don't get how that is really punishment for an assassin who would probably want to perfect their craft even more with more training. But then again Celeana is very cocky and thinks she is perfect (I mean, she is the most feared assassin in the world). I loved that we got to see some more action from Celeana and I really liked that Celeana was teaching Irene self-defense and that they developed a friendship. Especially since Celeana isn't the type of person who really has friends. It showed that Celeana has more of a soft side and isn't just a heartless assassin. The Assassin and the Desert – 5.0 / 5.0 This one focuses on Celeana when she meets the Mute Master and her expereience with the Mute Master. I was a little diasppointed with this one. I was expecting there to be a lot of action but instead she had to kind of earn it for her to be able to be trained by the Mute Master. Throughout this novella Celeana was struggling to keep up with the rest of the people in the camp. I liked that we got to see Celeana more weak than we've ever seen her. It showed that she isn't just some perfect character with no flaws. When we were introduced to Ansel, I was so suspicious of her. I didn't know what she was hiding or what her story was, but I knew she wasn't who she was claiming to be. Even though I was suspicious of her, I still enjoyed her and Celeana's interactions. I wasn't surprised that Celeana decided not to kill Ansel. I'd love for Ansel to pop up in an upcoming book. It would be interesting to see her and Celeana interact after their last encounter. The Assassin and the Underworld - 4.0 / 5.0 I think this one was probably my least favourite. There was a lot of sweet moments but not a lot happened in this novella. I loved how Celeana was trying to make Sam jealous. I really, really loved when Sam gave Celeana the sheet music to the musical they went to together. It was super sweet and I really shipped them so hard especially at this point. Even though I knew what eventually happens with Sam. I didn't really like the mission she went on either. I hated how Arobyn played Celeana to get her to go after this guy who was trying to rescue slaves. So I really loved when Celeana and Sam got away from Arobyn and went to do their own thing. The Assassin and the Empire – 5.0 / 5.0 Going into this book, having previously read Throne of Glass and knowing what happens to Sam, I was anticipating Sam's death the whole time because it didn't happen in the other novellas and since this was the last one, I was always thinking about when it was going to happen. Even knowing that he was going to die, I still got really emotional. I really enoyed Sam as a character and I loved his and Celeana's relationship. I feel like they both really challenged each other and I just loved them together, even just as friends. When I read it though, I actually thought that maybe he didn't die and it was actually just another one of Arobyn's manipulations. But I heard about an article from Sarah J. Maas saying he really is dead, so that's sad. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jan 2015
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Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1619630621
| 9781619630628
| 1619630621
| 4.36
| 1,558,591
| Aug 15, 2013
| Aug 27, 2013
|
it was amazing
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5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I thought that I loved the first book, but this book was even better! The first book was a little slow, so 5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. I thought that I loved the first book, but this book was even better! The first book was a little slow, so I do understand why some people were turned off from the series however I strongly urge you to give it another chance. The first book was necessary to build the world and now that we know more about the world, the plot can really start to develop more, which is did in this book as well as the characters. This book picks up a couple months, I believe, after the end of the first novel. Celeana has been crowned the King's Champion and now has to do whatever the King says AKA kill a bunch of people for the King. We find out that Celeana has been using this as an opportunity to gather information about a possible uprising against the King and that she has been letting all her 'targets' go. I wasn't surprised that she was letting them go. I actually called it before it was revealed. I'm really glad that this is how SJM wrote this. I feel like it's very believeable for Celeana's character, especially since the orders were coming from the King, the man she hates more than anyone else. It really showed Celeana as more than an assassin and tied back to her past when she rescued the slaves in one of the novellas. I'm really interested in the whole magic system within this book with the fae and wrydmarks. I'm glad that there was more magic within this book compared to the first book. And it develops perfectly within this book. It's beautifully written. Notes I took while reading. [MAJOR SPOILERS] When Celeana was trying to figure out the riddle/message about the 'eye'. I totally thought it was about the Eye of Eyllwe necklace too. Normally I wouldn't think it was something so obvious, but because in the first book Cain was the obvious choice to be the evil being, I thought Sarah J. Maas was putting it right in front of us again. I was so emotional over Chaol and Celeana's relationship this whole book. I've always been on team Chaol and there were so many moments that were just too much with all the feels between the two of them in this book: when they were dancing together, Chaol's birthday scene, Celeana left Chaol everything she owns and so many more moments. I really liked Nehemia before but in this book I really started to love her even more when she was being sassy with Dorian. I just found it amusig since Dorian has probably never had anyone who would speak to him that way before, prior to meeting Celeana and Nehemia. DORIAN HAS MAGIC. I was kind of spoiled for this, but I still found it super interesting. It was kind of predictable, given his father's strong stance against magic, but it was still interesting and I really can't wait to find out more about his magic and see how that all comes into play throughout the following novels. I loved when Chaol was kidnapped and Celeana had to go rescue him. I really enjoyed the action. It was fun to read a good action scene. NEHEMIA. WHY Sarah J Maas? Why would you do this? I can't believe Nehemia is dead. This scene made me incredibly emotional. I was spoiled about her death and even though I knew it was coming at some point, I just.. I was so emotional. I really loved how this affected Celeana. I really liked seeing her go completely psycho when she went after Chaol. I loved seeing more of Dorian's magic at this point and I'm really excited to see where this goes. Haha Celeana when she goes to the King's table with the head. I found this really funny. And it was definitely something Celeana would do. It was perfect. The scene with the witch wasn't scary, but it was definitely really creepy. I could picture it so well and I think if it were a movie and I saw it, I'd be pretty creeped out for sure. The part where Celena was going through all the creepy passageways and those creepy animal things was also really creepy. I enjoyed Celeana and Dorian interacting more and I enjoyed Dorian getting to use his magic more and begin to understand and control it better. ARCHER. I was so conflicted with Archer. When he first appeared I adored him. I found him really interesting but I knew not to like him, I just knew there was going to be something up with him. I didn't know exactly what he was involved in but I knew there was something shady about him but I still enjoyed his character for some reason. In a weird way he reminded me of one of my friends before all the crazy stuff. I can't believe that he was the one responsible for Nehemia's death just because he wanted Celeana to be part of their cause or whatever. CELEANA IS FAE. A lot of people I've talked to about this found it surprising. I really didn't find it susprising and I actually called it when I read Throne of Glass. There was a part in Throne of Glass where Queen Elena said something to Celeana about their blood being the same or something (I wish I marked the page for an exact quote) I was a little disappointed that Celeana knew she was Fae. I would have liked if she just found out and we got to see her deal with learning that she is Fae, especially in the world she lives in and her being the King's champion and all. I think it could have been an interesting plot character development. I feel bad for Dorian. He's such a nice guy. I know I'm team Chaol for Celeana, but that's because, even though I adore Celaena (most of the time) I don't feel like Celaena is right for Dorian and I feel like he can find someone, maybe not 'better' but better for him. I'm glad that Chaol knows about Celaena being Fae and about being THE QUEEN OF TERRASAN. LIKE WHAT? I knew she was Fae. I had a feeling that she was part of some type of royal/noble family before her parents were murdered but QUEEN? I didn't see that coming. But I'm so excited to see how this plays out in future books! I'm excited that she is on her way to Wendlyn now. I'm glad we get to see more of the world. Things I'm looking forward to in future books *Exploring Wendlyn - I want to see a place where magic exists more openly and I'm excited to see some of the characters Celaena will meet. Sarah J. Maas really knows how to write good characters. *Celaena's Fae and Royal background - I really hope Celaena starts to explore her Fae side and her magic. I also hope that she accepts her royalness and uses that to her advantage in whatever is ahead for her. *Dorian's magic - one of the story lines I'm most anticipating is Dorian's magic. Why is he magic? How is he magic? I just want to learn more about his magic abilities. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 2015
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Jul 05, 2015
|
Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 4.18
| 2,148,582
| Aug 07, 2012
| Aug 07, 2012
|
it was amazing
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5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This was my very first fantasy read, ever. I first started reading this book when I was in grade 12 Englis 5.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers. This was my very first fantasy read, ever. I first started reading this book when I was in grade 12 English. We had to read a book, any book and do a few assignments on the book. I read about 100 or so pages but ended up putting it down. Even though I was enjoying it, I needed something that was different to be able to complete my assignments. When I finally picked this book up again I was very disappointed in myself for putting it down in the first place. This book was fantastic in almost every way. I did have a few problems with it but they weren't that significant. Characters: Celeana is one of the fiercest characters I've read about. She has so much sass and I loved reading from her perspective. She is so arrogant that at some points it did get annoying, however it wasn't that big of a deal, for me at least. When I talked to one of my friends about this book they kept going on about how childish Celeana is. I do agree that she is very childish but it didn't bother me for two reasons. 1. This is young adult. When you are reading young adult, a good portion of the time, the characters tend to be pretty childish (at least at first). 2. She was 16-17 at the beginning of this book. She is no more childish than any other 16-17 year old that you will probably come across. Also, I just didn't think she was even that childish. One thing that did bother me about Celeana's character is how well she integrated into the environment. Of course we see some of her struggles, but I wanted more. She spent a year of her life as a slave in the mines. I feel like that should have impacted her more than it did. If not physically, then emotionally and psychologically. I know it probably sounds like I hate this character but I actually really loved Celeana. We did get to see a softer side of Celeana and she really did grow up a lot throughout this book. She was one of my favourite characters I've ever read about. I really wish that we would have got more scenes with The Assassin Celeana rather than the girly, love struck Celaena. Chaol was an amazing character. I loved how he would joke with Celeana and I loved their witty banter between the two of them. He was the one character that didn't really put up with Celeana's bullshit and I loved that about Chaol. One thing I really wanted from Chaol was a story line that didn't really involve Celeana. I loved them together but I wish we got more of a back story for Chaol as well. I would have liked to see more of his investigation into what was happening in the castle. I'm definitely Team Chaol. Dorian was a pleasant surprise. I really thought he was going to be that typical douchey Prince who has a soft side but only for that 'special one' but that definitely wasn't the case. He was genuinely a great, sweet guy. He was such a fun and enjoyable character. I wish that we got to learn more about him and got more story lines not involving Celeana. I'm really looking forward to learning more about Dorian and seeing where his journey goes. Nehemia was a wonderful addition to this book. I really loved her friendship with Celeana. It was nice to see Celeana have a friend in the Castle, even if she didn't really know who she was. Nehemia was such a strong character. She was smart and a lot of the other characters really underestimated her because of where she is from. I definitely had my doubts about her and thought she was hiding something I really loved her character. We didn't get to know her that much or learn a lot about her but she was still a great character and I look forward to learning more about her. Plot: There are two main plots in this book: the competition and the mysterious evil in the castle. It was quite slow in some parts, however there was also a level of suspense. The Competition: I really loved the idea of the competition however I was a little disappointed. Celeana and a bunch of other murderers and thieves were gathered to compete in this competition to become the King's personal assassin but we didn't really get to see much of the competition. I really enjoyed the training scenes between Celeana and Chaol, as well as Celeana with the other participants. It was nice to see Celeana struggle. At the beginning she was very weak so it was great to see her overcome that to be able to compete at the same level as the others. One thing I really didn't like about the competition was that Celeana rarely had to prove her abilities as an assassin. I really wanted to see more duels and more of the other tests. A lot of the tests that they had to do were either mentioned after the fact, or not really mentioned at all. I really wanted to see more of the things they had to do, however the ones we did see were pretty good. I really loved when they were climbing the wall and Celeana saved her friend Nox, from falling. Even if, as a notorious assassin fighting for her freedom she should have let him fall. It was a great moment where we got to see a softer side of her. The final duel was absolutely amazing. I would picture it so well. I could picutre everything that was happening. I really wish that that scene was in a movie because it was absolutely wonderful. Mysterious Evil: I really loved the mystery aspect of the book, especially since this is where we really got our fantasy elements. So we had this mysterious evil thing roaming around the castle killing the people who were participating in the competition. I immediately knew who it was. I think a lot of people did. Because I knew who it was so quickly, I thought the author was trying to mislead us by giving us the perfect suspect so I didn't want to believe it was who it was. I did have some other theories, simply because I didn't believe the author would give us the person responsible on a silver platter. My other theories included: Kaltain and The King. *Kaltain wasn't really a main character. She seemed to always be there but she wasn't really anyone important. The only reason why I thought it was Kaltain was because she kept talking about the headaches she kept getting. I thought that the headaches were related to the beast taking over her and having a negative side effect on her after it left her body or whatever. *The King wasn't really in this story at all, except for at the beginning to introduce the competition. He ended up having to leave on some super important business at the beginning of the competition. I found it very odd that he just happened to have to leave during the competition. I also found it very odd that he returned around the time that the beast was defeated. I thought it could have been the King who summoned the creature to take over his body, maybe as another test for the participants. Unfortunately, it wasn't a surprise as to who the creature was. There wasn't a lot of fantastical elements in this novel. I really loved learning about the wyrdmarks, the Fae and Queen Elena. These elements were explored that much within this book but I did love the moments that we got to learn more about them, especially Queen Elena. I wish I marked the exact line but there was a scene with her and Celeana and something that Queen Elena said which made me think that Celeana is Fae. I hope I'm not reading into what was said because I think. This is my first fantasy book so I'm glad there wasn't too much fantasy in this first book but there was enough to get me interested in the fantasy genre. I'm really looking forward to more of the fantastical elements. Writing: I really love Sarah J. Maas and her writing style. This was such a fast and easy read. Even though this book took me two tries to finish, that was not due to the writing, the plot or even the characters. This book really kept me interested through the entire book. The book was a little slow in some parts though. I really love how she incorporated some humor and lots and lots of sassyness. Not a lot really happened in this book however Sarah J. Maas did a wonderful job introducing us to her characters and her world. I loved the world building and I loved that we got to see through Celaena, Dorian and Chaol's eyes. I'm looking forward to reading more of Sarah's wonderful writing. Romance/Emotions: Celaena and Dorian's romantic relationship felt forced. There wasn't a lot of build up or effort put into their romantic relationship. I absolutely loved Dorian's character and I feel like he is such a sweet guy, but I don't see him and Celaena as being more than friends. Their friendship is wonderful. I really love their friendship. I hope that their friendship is explored more and that a romantic relationship isn't forced in future books. Celaena and Chaol's relationship was so cute. I really loved their relationship. It took time for them to warm up to each other. They both really disliked each other. Their relationship felt way more realistic and organic. They didn't really like each other at the beginning, but throughout the book you start to see them get to know each other and fall for each other (even if they don't realize it). It was such a beautiful relationship and there were a lot of really cute moments. Also, so much sass between them. Loved it. There wasn't really much of a love triangle. There were two love interests, however it didn't even feel like Dorian was being developed as a love interest. There was so little development on that front. I knew who she would pick pretty early on and I think a lot of people did. I'm not anti-team Dorian. I just don't think they have a romantic connection (at least not in this book). I think they both deserve something different than what the other person is offering. Celaena and Nox's friendship was so lovely. I really loved that Celaena had a friend in the competition. I was so happy when she saved Nox when he was falling during the wall climbing test. I found their friendship so refreshing because Celaena really doesn't have any friends in the castle. I was so happy when Nox left but didn't die. This means that he could possibly return? I really hope so. Celaena and Nehemia's friendship was wonderful as well. I really loved that Celaena had a friend who didn't really know the assassin side of her. (Nox thought she was a thief, but still). It was just like a regular friendship. It was great to see that she had a friend throughout this whole ordeal. Overall: I absolutely loved this book. The characters were amazing. Celaena was a little annoying at times, but she was still pretty great. Almost every other character in the story was amazing. I loved the pace of the world building. I loved the fantasy elements in the story. The idea of the plot was amazing, however the execution of the competition fell a little flat. This book is one of my all time favourites. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are like me and you're scared to dive into fantasy. This book does a nice job introducing you to the fantasy genre. There isn't too much fantasy where there is a huge information dump about fantastical creatures, but there's a little to get you interested and prepared for future books in the series. One thing, if you can't deal with selfish and annoying characters, you may not want to read this because the main character, Celaena is annoying in the beginning and she does take some time to get used to. Things I'm looking forward to in future books: *Celaena and Chaol's relationship – I really want to see where their relationship goes. *Celaena and Nehemia/Dorian's friendship – I'm really looking forward to Celaena's friendship with Nehemia and Dorian. I think these are amazing characters and I really hope there is more of Celaena with these two. *More fantasy and adventure – I really loved learning about the wyrdmarks, Fae and Queen Elena. I want to learn more about all these things. I also really want more adventure now that Celaena has won the competition. *My theory – I have a theory Celaena is Fae because of something Queen Elena said, so I hope to find the answer. (I wish I marked the exact quote) ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Aug 22, 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
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| 0525421580
| 9780525421580
| 0525421580
| 3.69
| 408,776
| Apr 06, 2010
| Apr 06, 2010
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really liked it
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4.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers I had a hard time rating this book. There were a lot of good things in this book that worked and there wer 4.0 / 5.0 This review contains spoilers I had a hard time rating this book. There were a lot of good things in this book that worked and there were also some things that didn't quite work. I had high expectations for this book based on the premise, and it's partially written by John Green. I wanted to love this book so much more than I did but it was still a really fun read. Characters: Will Grayson 1 (Tiny's best friend) was the classic male character from John Green. He was super nerdy and quirky. He was also pretty funny sometimes too. I never really connected with this character. I really wanted to like him, but I didn't. I didn't hate him but he was kinda just there. I feel like he wasn't really affected much throughout the book. After meeting the other Will Grayson, it never really changed his life in any significant way, at all. One thing I really didn't like about him is how he kept commenting on Tiny being gay, and being “really big”. It got really repetitive and annoying. Will Grayson 2 (Tiny's boyfriend) was my favourite character in the whole book. He went though so many changes throughout this book after meeting the other Will Grayson and Tiny. You can really see how meeting the other Will Grayson impacted his life. He was brutally authentic and moody. He was angsty and hilarious. He did have his moments when he was an asshole but I really felt for him. We did get to learn a little about his home life and he seemed like he just wanted a break in life. When we learned what his friend Maura did to him, my heart broke for him. I really loved this character. He wasn't perfect. He had flaws but in the end he did grow up a lot. Tiny Cooper was definitely the central character. Even though the book is called “Will Grayson, Will Grayson”, Tiny was more of a main character than either Will Grayson. Aside from their initial meeting, the only way that the Will Grayson's are connected is through Tiny. Everything in this book really revolved around him from his friendship with Will Grayson, his romance with the other Will Grayson, his play, etc. He was a fun character to read about however he was very self-centred and put his needs above other peoples needs. He was your super clichéd gay character. Plot: The main plot of this book was about two guys by the name of Will Grayson who meet each other in a porn shop. I found this to be a really interesting idea of two people with the same name, living in the same city, meeting for the first time. However I was a little disappointed with how to story went after the two Will Grayson's met. After the two Will Grayson's met, I was expecting them to have a huge impact on each other's lives, as they are the main characters and the book is called “Will Grayson, Will Grayson”. In reality they were only connected through Tiny. Will Grayson 1 was Tiny's best friend and Will Grayson 2 was Tiny's boyfriend. They didn't have any connection that didn't revolve around Tiny, which was really annoying. Throughout the book Tiny is putting on a musical about his life as a gay teenager and all his ex lovers. In what world would a school allow one student to make a musical about their own life? In school I was never apart of drama club, or any clubs but I always thought there was at least some type of vote to decide what play/musical the school puts on? IF there was some type of vote, in what world do high school students decide to make a musical about a clichéd gay student in their school and their ex lovers? This just doesn't seem very realistic to me. This book didn't have a lot of plot points. It mainly focused on the musical and relationships between the characters. Writing: This was my first time reading anything by David Levithan. I have always been interested in picking up something by him but I never got around to it until now. I really enjoyed his writing style and his characters. I found his characters to be so much more relatable than John Green's characters. I will definitely check out more of David Levithan's writing. One thing I really disliked about his writing was the whole lower-case thing. When I first starting reading the book this almost made me put it down. I get that it's stylistic, and David has said it's because Will is a “lower-case person” but I just found it annoying. This was my third John Green book (I think) and his writing is still really good however I'm getting annoyed with him. I do really like his writing and I do think that he makes interesting and fun stories, however his characters are all the same. I really feel like he needs to write something completely different without his typical nerdy/quirky characters. I will continue to read John Green's writing. I just hope it's different from his other work. This book does have some pacing issues, as it does get boring in the middle. The writing was very raw, refreshing and edgy. It was offensive at times but it was also very funny at times. I feel like the writing styles of David Levithan and John Green blended together very well. Romance/feelings: Will Grayson 1 and Jane's relationship (if we can call it that) was very flat. There was so chemistry between the characters as more than friends. There was no development on the romantic front, but yet it was still always there as if it could possibly happen between them. Will Grayson 2 and Isaac's relationship was doomed from the start. I think we all knew it wasn't going to work out and that the only two gay main characters (Will Grayson and Tiny) were going to eventually get together or have some type of relationship. So I always knew their relationship was going to end, however I didn't really expect it was going to end how it did. I did have an idea that maybe he wasn't who he said he was, however I didn't think it was Maura. There were probably clues, but I like to believe people aren't that cruel. After Maura told Will that she was pretending to be Isaac, my heart broke for him and I couldn't help but feel for him. Will Grayson 2 and Tiny 's relationship was.. interesting. There were some cute moments between the two of them but ultimately I didn't get their relationship. I didn't see how these two could be a couple. Not because of how Tiny looked but because I didn't really feel like they had anything in common at all. Will was all like “fuck the world” type of guy while Tiny was like rainbows and butterflies. Maybe opposites do attract? I just couldn't hop on this 'ship at all. All the romance stuff in this book was extremely disappointing. I didn't care if any of them ended up with anyone because none of the relationship felt 'right'. Overall: My expectations for this book were way too high so I was a little disappointed when I finished. However it was still a really good book. It's nothing spectacular but it's a light read. The writing was good. Some of the characters were good, some weren't. The premise was interesting but the execution was disappointing. I do recommend this book if you are looking for something light or you are a fan of either of the authors. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 02, 2014
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Nov 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 3.99
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really liked it
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Jul 30, 2016
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Feb 24, 2016
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| 4.23
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really liked it
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Jan 30, 2016
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Jan 20, 2016
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| 3.96
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liked it
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Mar 22, 2016
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Sep 10, 2015
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| 3.96
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really liked it
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Sep 09, 2015
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Sep 09, 2015
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| 3.83
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really liked it
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Aug 25, 2015
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Aug 25, 2015
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| 3.67
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liked it
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Aug 29, 2015
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Aug 19, 2015
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| 3.67
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liked it
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Aug 19, 2015
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Aug 18, 2015
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| 3.84
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really liked it
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Jan 22, 2016
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Aug 18, 2015
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| 4.09
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it was amazing
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Feb 24, 2016
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Jul 09, 2015
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| 4.04
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liked it
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Feb 17, 2016
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Jul 04, 2015
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| 3.87
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really liked it
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Aug 18, 2015
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Jul 03, 2015
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| 4.14
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it was amazing
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Aug 28, 2015
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Jul 01, 2015
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| 4.17
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really liked it
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Apr 25, 2016
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Aug 29, 2014
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| 4.25
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liked it
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Jan 15, 2015
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Aug 29, 2014
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| 3.61
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liked it
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Jul 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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| 4.45
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it was amazing
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Jul 21, 2015
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Aug 23, 2014
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| 4.21
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it was amazing
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Jan 2015
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Aug 23, 2014
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| 4.36
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it was amazing
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Jul 05, 2015
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Aug 23, 2014
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| 4.18
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it was amazing
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Aug 22, 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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| 3.69
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really liked it
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Nov 2014
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Aug 23, 2014
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