I knew what this was about. I knew it would be about loss and love and that when the two go together... I loved these characters. I loved the way they loved each other. I loved that even with it's heavy subject matter, it managed to be less depressing than I anticipated and more...HOPEFUL. It's not often that I cry while reading. But this one made it happen. That's how you know it's good.
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I don't feel like I can adequately sort out my emotions on this yet. I'm in the middle over it so I gave it 3 stars for now.
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I chose to read this slowly as I was working on some of my own writing. But in true JKR fashion, the last 150 pages turned it into a book I couldn't put down. I don't read many crime novels but I like crime shows on television so this was perfect. It's a very slow burn but well written and descriptive to the point of transporting you to all the London landscapes mentioned. The protagonist starts as almost a bit unrelatable, maybe unlikeable, but by the end, he's become someone I'm cheering on.
Surprisingly, it's the extra characters who leave the most mark. I suspect that she did this on purpose. But it's the ones who only have a few scenes in the novel that had the most effect on me. Particularly Guy Some and his emotions about Cuckoo. Or lady Bristow and her Valium riddled death bed.
I really liked the story all around. I wasn't as shocked as I anticipated to find out who the killer was, but it was a nice, realistic twist, giving us a look at a criminally insane individual who planned a very realistic murder.
Hopeless (Hopeless, #1)
I can't. I know a lot, if not every single person on my friends list LOVED this book. But why do the majority of YA novels have to be filled with stereotypes and cheesy scenes? Remember when books had plots? Also, Holder may be hot but dude is creepy. I may some day be convinced to pick this one back up, but it will need to be after receiving in depth persuasion from a trusted fellow reader.
This one gets 3.5 actually. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It has some beautiful language and is well written and is a great idea in terms of plot. I have heard the sequel is better, so I'll definitely give it a shot.
This is a very untraditional take on the story of Pan. Told from Tinkerbell's POV, her loyalties are with Tiger Lily. We see glimpses of the original story throughout, but mostly, I have to consider this a very well written, glorified fanfiction. Since JM Barrie is no longer with us, I wonder what he would think of his characters being changed in this way. As someone who believed in the artistic freedom of everyone, I don't think he would frown upon it. The book is very beautifully written... Jodi Lynn Anderson describes Neverland perfectly, and she opens up an entirely new side of the that world, as she gives us a story centered more on the Indians and less on Peter and the lost boys. Tiger Lily herself is expanded on as a very strong, quiet female hero. And we see her entirely through Tinkerbell's eye, which I thought was brilliant. The imagery in the story is rich, the plot is somewhat strong, and there is a sadness to it as well. Overall, I would give the book 3.5 stars.
I can't believe it has taken me so long to read this. What a joy! I adored this novel. Every emotion, every tantalizing experience of growing up and coming of age can be felt through the words on these pages. The narrator/hero of the novel is Charlie, and yes, he is very precocious. I saw a lot of complaints in other reviews that he was too childlike for a 15/16 year old, but those reviewers didn't give the novel a chance. His mental stability comes full circle, and it can even be wagered that Charlie has a form of autism. He has a brilliant, beautiful mind, but Charlie spends his time waiting for direction from others. He needs to be told to participate in life. His bond with his English teacher is one of the most touching I have ever read, even though the teacher is a smaller character. His teacher always saw in Charlie what Charlie couldn't see in himself, much like his friends Sam and Patrick. Not to take anything away from the relationship between the three friends, but I have a soft spot for teachers who reach out to a singular student and become impacted by them unexpectedly. Charlie has become one of my favorites. I celebrated his victories with him, laughed with him, cried with him. I giggled when he described his first experience with marijuana and LSD. And I related to him. Charlie spends a lot of his time wanting to belong, and when he realizes he has found a place where he feels "infinite," I rejoiced with him because I remember what that felt like, that moment of belonging to something or someone. That moment of both public and self acceptance. And even though Charlie is obscure, he ultimately stays CHARLIE, even when his suffering is revealed at the very end.
This story is about coming into your own and about the people who help us do that. And it's about that moment in life when we figure out that we're going to be okay, even if we're a little different. I LOVED it.
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I am setting this one aside for now... the writing, as well as the characters, is really bothering me. The constant switch in verb tense and grammatical errors makes it difficult for me to read. If I'm not mistaken, she self-publishes, and more power to her... as a writer, letting ANYONE else read your work is a tough thing, but this just further reinforces my thoughts on professional editing. It is so necessary! I also find the characters embarrassing to read. Callum is very effeminate in my opinion, and their inner monologues are quite annoying.
For some reason, it took me forever to get through this one. I liked the storyline and the setting, of course, was London. My favorite. However, there were just so many characters to keep track of and I connected with none of them. And the hero had no redeeming STRENGTHS until the last few pages. I found him to be annoying and very weak, which I know was probably done on purpose. Probably the best written characters were the villains, including Islington even though he is shown in very few scenes.
Ben, Chon, and O.... a dynamic trio, all very different in personality, and belief, but sharing something in common: their bond. They would do anything for each other, including taking on a Mexican drug cartel to rescue their precious O. This is one of those books where the title describes it perfectly. When dealing with savages, one must sink to their level. You must become the savage. There is no other way.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I was rooting for the 3 stooges the entire time, pleading with them to be savages so they could all be together again.
The prose is dynamic, even reading more dramatically than I expected at moments. The dialogue is smart and witty, the inner monologues even more so.
If you're looking for something that's all around entertaining, and you're not afraid of a little graphic subject matter, this is for you.
Between 3 and 4 stars. I really enjoyed this one. The characters are perfectly done... you can feel everything Lennie is going through as she experiences it. You grieve with her, fall in love as she does, feel her shame, her pain, her embarrassments. I love that we essentially come to know her dead sister through the little poems and conversations Lennie writes down and scatters around the area. The language is beautiful, the metaphors are stunning, the prose is just rich all the way around.
The one thing that bothered me was Joe's behavior. He was always smiling and seemed almost goofy when clearly this is a girl and a family who has just experienced a huge loss, and the only heartache he can speak of personally is a cheating girlfriend. And then *SPOILER* he makes that comment about Lennie and Toby and how could she do that to her sister? Obviously, he knew all along what she was going through and I think his intentions were good but.... It rubbed me the wrong way when all was said and done.
This novel created a longing in me, as well. For a sisterly relationship like the one presented in Bailey and Lennie. To adore each other that way... sigh. Yes, their relationship was totally imperfect. They kept secrets, Lennie felt inferior next to Bailey, but at the end of the day, Lennie had her better half all along, and it was in the memory of her sister.
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)
I enjoyed this one, and I'm glad I did because of all the good things I heard. It was only $.99 on the Nook so I thought "Why not?" I'm anxious to see Raffe's character expanded in the next novel. I feel like Ms. Ee has only given us a shadow of who he is. We get a better glimpse toward the end, so it will be exciting to read his growth as a character. Penryn is slightly annoying as the heroine of the novel. I felt like her attitude about the whole end of the world scenario was very non-chalant, except when dealings with her sister. Paige is the one who really gets to shine in her good heart and great acts in the end of the novel. {SPOILERS} It will be interesting to see where her character goes in it's new form.
There were some errors in sentence structure that bothered me, but only because I have background in literary analysis. Anything grammatical or otherwise was pretty easily overlooked.
If you're a lover of the dystopian genre and are looking for something a little different, I recommend this one!
I'm just not in love with this series. At all. I like it but only enough to get to the end and find some resolution. I'm not connected to or in love with any characters. There are interesting aspects of the plot but too many subplots. The writing is good, but not great.
This is a twilight fanfic with names changed. It is not original. It was poorly written smut as a fanfic and it's poorly written as a "novel." Throw some explicit, not appetizing at all sex into a novel and anyone will read it. The only positive is that, as a writer, this being published gives me hope. If this pointless, unoriginal drivel can get published, ANYONE can get published.