This was probably more like 4.5 stars but I'm rounding up. Hey, I really like Laini Taylor.
When I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone I loved it. Like, reThis was probably more like 4.5 stars but I'm rounding up. Hey, I really like Laini Taylor.
When I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone I loved it. Like, really loved it. And I re-read it before this book (after seeing a couple of reviews that advised I do so) and I still really loved it. Even with the mystery gone, the magic of the writing and the characters was still very special.
Blood and Starlight felt different to the first one and this wasn't exactly a bad thing. I definitely enjoyed being close to Karou for her self discovery in the first book, seeing the other characters very much added to the reading experience of this one. Seeing the action, rather than hearing about, intensified the tension and the drama and I loved getting to know the rest of the people (angels, monsters?) better.
Zuzanna and Mik were a sheer joy to read. They added some much needed lightness to a bleak situation. Also, getting to know Lirah and Hazael and seeing them in their natural habitat was awesome.
I loved their parts of the books. Their bond and the journey were so interesting.
I was less enamoured with the chimaera. You could see, through Akiva, Lirah and Hazael, the motivations and the reality of what was happening with the Serpahim. Even their villains were scarier and their struggles more heart-wrenching. I loved the subtlety and seeing them grow. The birds! sigh.
I struggled to understand Karou's stance and that made her parts a little harder to stomach. Ugh, the white wolf was a grade A asshole and seeing him manipulate people make me sick. The (view spoiler)[attempted rape (hide spoiler)] was incredibly tough to read.It was brutal, sickening and an interesting contrast to the more subtle way the seraphim women were treated.
Zirri was a great character and I both love and hate what happened with him. I was disappointed, though, with the misunderstanding thing when Akiva saw him share Karou's bed. As plot devices go, it's cheap and cliché and I'd expect better of a writer as good as Taylor.
Because the rest of the plot was complex and super interesting.
I was happy with how it ended up. To me, one of the most fascinating things to read about is bravery and seeing people take risks and make sacrifices in order to make their world better.
I adore Taylor's writing and her world building and her ability to blend the mundane and the extraordinary. It's a pleasure to read. I'm already excited for the next book and if there was a little more romance, that would be the icing on the cake....more
I had high high hopes for this book and it did not live up to them.
It was fine. nothing more
The pacing felt off and even though all this serious emoti
I had high high hopes for this book and it did not live up to them.
It was fine. nothing more
The pacing felt off and even though all this serious emotional stuff was happening to the characters, I just couldn't bring myself to care about them. Clara was dumb and selfish a LOT of the time. It was extremely anti-climactic too.I liked Christian a lot and his scenes were basically the saving grace of the book.
The other thing I found fault was the author's tendency to make fun of tropes from the genre. They were a little funny but also felt extremely forced.I don't take issue with people mocking the lamer stuff that's so prevalent in YA fiction. Here on goodreads, I adore it. But don't bite the hand that feeds you, Ms. Hand. How bout you work harder at your characters being original instead of being reliant on pointing out everything they're not. Like, it seems hypocritical to mock a genre and then wholeheartedly embrace other aspects of it (I'm looking at you, no-sex-before-marriage-Tucker) and it tainted some of the good aspects of the book.
I'll probably read the next in the series but I'm not excited about it.
I just really want to see what the deal with Angela is....more
Yawn. This was so boring. The writing was dry and unclear. The plot and the characters were underdeveloped. The concept was reasonably interesting butYawn. This was so boring. The writing was dry and unclear. The plot and the characters were underdeveloped. The concept was reasonably interesting but it was poorly executed. Do no recommend at all.
On the plus side, it didn't cost me much. I'd be pissed if I'd paid full price. ...more
I love the tone and mood of the writing. It's the perfect mix of earnest and snark and creepiness. Cas is a woFantastic finish to a fantastic series.
I love the tone and mood of the writing. It's the perfect mix of earnest and snark and creepiness. Cas is a wonderful narrator and his voice feels real and full of life. His friends are just great to read and I have no complaints about this journey was concluded.
I don't find these books to be scary but man, that forest scene thoroughly freaked me out. ...more
First of all, I do not get the covers for these books at all. I'm assuming that's meant to be Sydney and Jill (or maybe Angeline?) on the front and I First of all, I do not get the covers for these books at all. I'm assuming that's meant to be Sydney and Jill (or maybe Angeline?) on the front and I don't know why! Especially after the new red VA covers are so cool, why are these so....uncool.
I found the first third of The Golden Lily to be kinda dull but after that I was hooked. I won't even dwell on the plot because, let's face it, a pre-schooler could figure out what direction Mead is going to take.
Instead, let me fangirl about how awesome these characters are. I really liked Sydney. Maybe even more than Rose. I adore her quirks and insecurities and her drive to be good and right all the time. It's rare to see such a 'perfect' YA character actually feel authentic and not preachy. It's was a little frustrating when she couldn't see we as readers clearly can but it totally works for her characters and the story.
Her friends at the school (which btw always makes me think of Zoey101) are all fun to read. I could do without the triangle (quadrangle?) with Eddie,Angeline, Micah and Jill but individually they are likeable characters. Angeline especially is a hoot and I actually laughed out loud when she punched out the cringey singing guy.
And then there was Dimitri, my one true love from the VA series. Why was he actually there? I wad glad to have him around and it was fun to see him from a perspective other than Rose Hathaway's but after the dramatic way Bloodlines ended I was expecting some serious action from his presence. But no, he was there to do RESEARCH and I was annoyed by Mead's choices as she was clearly trying to keep readers interested in a kinda sly way. Belikov needs to go home and stay in bed with Rose for, like, a year to make up for his being in Palm Springs for so long.
Adrian. Oh, Adrian.
My all consuming love for Dimitri stopped me really caring for him in the VA books but he was wormed his way into my heart in the spin off. I'm really invested in his happiness now and I loved watching him and Sydney fall for each other. Her rejection was inevitable. We're only on the second book. I'm just glad we had a little romance and the other love interest was dealt with quickly
I'm genuinely interested in seeing Sydney's character develop and grow and I want her and Adrian to get their HEA.
Why do I have to wait for the next book? I realise now how lucky I was to discover VA after the series was completed.
It's not going to change your life or anything, but Unearthly is a very very good book. Angels are pretty trendy in YA right now but up to this I've nIt's not going to change your life or anything, but Unearthly is a very very good book. Angels are pretty trendy in YA right now but up to this I've not bothered reading any of the popular ones. I could tell they weren't for me and a whole load of bad reviews cemented my feelings. Some good reviews of Unearthly made me give it a go.
It didn't disappoint. Something about this book gives it the edge over a lot of the mediocre stuff in the genre. Clara, our quarter angel heroine, acts and sounds like a believable teenager. She's got all these special powers without falling into Mary Sue territory. In fact, she's pretty flawed. I didn't always like her (she was pretty careless with Wendy's feelings) but she's got plenty of room for growth.
There's enough pop-culture references to make it sound fairly realistic and the dialogue is good for the most part. (one 'i know what you are' part made me scoff a little but it's no biggie) They style makes it an easy read, clear and informal and the pace ticks along nicely.
The best thing about it is the way the relationships develop. The family bonds and friendships feel read. And I really have to commend how the romance plays out. It's so refreshing to see a teen romance grow from friendship and mutual affection. Both boys in the inevitable triangle are worthy love interests, imo and I can't think of many (any?) YA books I could say that about. The characters and their bonds are far more interesting than the plot here and I'm ok with that.
It came to an interesting and fairly exciting climax and there's still lots of good stuff to be dealt with in the rest of the series. I can't wait for Hallowed to be released and I'm glad I don't have to long to go. This gets an easy 8/10 for me. b
how was this book? Fine, I guess It didn't annoy me other than the part where (view spoiler)[ Ava got blamed for that one guy killing the other becausehow was this book? Fine, I guess It didn't annoy me other than the part where (view spoiler)[ Ava got blamed for that one guy killing the other because she slept with him (hide spoiler)]. I was pretty much rooting for Kate and Henry to be together and since I don't know much about Greek mythology I wasn't irritated by any inconsistencies. Oh and I have to admit that Kate, while not give the emotional depth necessary to connect with her, was pretty likeable and had a good head on her shoulders. And the books ideas about the afterlife were pretty cool.
There were several worrisome themes and the ending was pretty blah. I wouldn't be rushing to recommend it but I was bothered by it. I'll give it a generous three stars. ...more
My expectations for this book were not good and neither was the reading experience. I was almost going to give it just one star but since it didn't enMy expectations for this book were not good and neither was the reading experience. I was almost going to give it just one star but since it didn't enrage or offend me, I went with two. It was just plain dumb.
And crass,weak, cliché, badly plotted and structured and highly unbelievable. Sometimes with a book like this, I can overlook thin plot and the multitude of inaccuracies and eye-rolling moments if the main characters are fun or charming or have chemistry. But since everything about Mara and Noah felt contrived, all I could focus on were the many flaws.
After the way I read and loved the Vampire Academy books earlier this year, I was genuinely excited to get this book. I was pretty sure there would beAfter the way I read and loved the Vampire Academy books earlier this year, I was genuinely excited to get this book. I was pretty sure there would be no-one for me to love as much as Dimitri (and there wasn't) but I find Sydney to be a much more likeable protagonist than Rose. I just relate more to her and I see a lot of potential for growth there. I liked her from when she turned in Russia though.
Her pov makes Adrian shine way more than Rose's did. I get him now. I see his appeal and I see how he and Sydney could be good for each other.
RM has a great knack of portraying emotional struggles on page and she did this well with Adrian and Sydney here. People like Jill and Eddie and the other more minor characters were a little bland, but they didn't bother me.
It was a quick fun read. I wasn't expecting anything ground-breaking but I did enjoy what was there. Some aspects are extremely predictable and others took me surprise. And I keep reminding myself how the first VA book didn't immediately suck me in either. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the books. The last line of this one ensures that....more
have nothing but good things to say about this book. It was fun and creepy and really enjoyable to read. The characters, for the most part, were interehave nothing but good things to say about this book. It was fun and creepy and really enjoyable to read. The characters, for the most part, were interesting and well fleshed out. The dialogue was smart and realistic and the storyline was like nothing I've read recently and resolved itself really well. I was really impressed with the main character's voice. It's not often you read a male narrator that seems so authentic and had he a really good handle on himself and the people around him. I found a couple of things seemed to go nowhere, or could have been expanded on but that didn't impact on enjoyable it was. It didn't take itself too seriously and had some really good writing. ...more
I have to hand it to the writer here because the concept of this book is pretty original. I'm sure we've all come across loads of stories inspired by I have to hand it to the writer here because the concept of this book is pretty original. I'm sure we've all come across loads of stories inspired by R&J (New Moon, anyone? or Demi and her bf in Eastenders) but I've never come across a re-imagining of this kind before.
I liked the edge to it. I liked how well it showed that the kind of obsessive love is not exactly healthy and I liked how the writer built up the tension, both romantic and dramatic. There were some really touching scenes between Juliet/Ariel and her mother and I could feel the how conflicted and confused Juliet was.
I did like Ben, he was a little too perfect , but it worked in the situation. I can't even lie, I didn't see the revelation about (view spoiler)[him being Benvolio (hide spoiler)] coming and I felt silly after. I should have seen it coming, right?
Idk, nothing really bothered me about this book but the fantasy element was convoluted and some of the plot was a little off for me to rave about. I did enjoy it because there was a slight edge to it that kept me interested. I will read the sequel as Romeo's little interludes were probably my favourite thing about the book. I'm a sucker for a fictional tortured sould...more
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