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I tried to read it, but Victor Hugo is so long-winded it just got boring.

It was a cute book

I know a bunch of people don't like this book, but even though it's not the most original, it's hilarious, and I really enjoyed it. Plus, I am going to read the next one as soon as it comes out. Random thing to add: This is what fans of The Selection feel like:

Ahh!!!! Look at this poster!! And now this one too....

I HATED this book! I managed to read about 50 pages of it before I gave up on it because it was so slow and pointless. The story opens on Scarlett's 15th birthday, when she receives the Empire Suite for her birthday present, which basically means that she has to take care of it. Each of her siblings gives her a present that is supposed to represent their personality-Spencer a free piggyback ride, Lola lipstick that is bright red and for some reason the author can't get over how exciting the lipstick is (think this girl except no makeup besides the lipstick: Last but not least, her selfish sister an expired coupon for ice cream. Maybe it's just me, but the whole thing seems like a horrible book. In my (extremely humble) opinion, Maureen Johnson's original idea was to have a girl meeting this famous C-list starlet-and that was it. Then she needed a reason for them to meet, so she created the hotel. Then she needed reasoning behind the hotel and them meeting, so she created the family. Then, because it's a YA book, she needed romance, so she added Eric. Does anyone else find it creepy that a fifteen year old high school student is dating a nineteen year old college student? Because I certainly find it creepy. In addition, the entire family is just...fake. I heard the Maureen doesn't have any siblings, so I could understand a little bit of odd family dynamics, but Scarlett's entire family was just plain weird. Needless to say, this is the only book I plan to read by Johnson.

It was okay but the whole thing was a little hard to believe.

First of all, I'm sorry to the people who loved this book. I really am. The fact of the matter, though, is that Entwined is a terrible book. Here's about half of the plot (no spoilers!) Mom dies Girls have to go into mourning, which means no dancing (they're obsessed with dancing for some reason- Azalia spends an hour explaining the 'Soul's Curtsey' I think she called it. Anyway,) Girls start dancing with the Keeper Girls continue dancing with the Keeper and notice that their feet hurt Girls continue dancing with the Keeper and notice that their feet hurt even more Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Girls continue dancing Do you see what I mean now? The entire thing is ridiuculously slow. The big 'plot shocker' I totally saw coming, and I just never got into the story. I ended up skipping about 100 pages of the book just so that I could finish it without falling asleep (I wish I was kidding) and I didn't miss anything. The whole thing was just too long. It makes you wonder what kind of editor Heather Dixon has, to let her publish that.

Amazing!!! A tad childish but still a wonderful book.

The entire purpose of this book was to bring us to the cliffhanger. I'm serious. For example, here's what I'm normally like when I'm reading a book: Here's what I was like when reading this book: The plot is so boring hard to get excited about. I mean, seriously, the entire book could be summarized in two chapters or less.

This book was really cute and Ruby was very likable. Her family dynamics were very interesting along with UMe.com. I know some people thought Jamie was too perfect, but I liked him the way he was. The ending of this book was fantastic and I really wish there was a sequel.

Kind of confusing plot but an interesting take on the fairy tale. I felt like there was a previous book set in the same world, though, because the author expected you to know all of this stuff about the world she created, and I didn't. It was a cute take on the relationship of two sisters, though.

Wow. I've waited for years for this book and it's finally out. Overall, I'd say it's a good ending to the series. Josh's ending....WOW! I'm not including any spoilers, but in my opinion, the whole book is worth reading just for Josh's storyline. Sophie's ending wasn't very satisfying. I really didn't get enough information about it to really support an opinion on it. This book was good but not great overall, but as a conclusion to the series it gets 4.5 stars out of 5.

It's a good book. I just wasn't prepared for the fact that it's a series.

This book was a lot better than I expected. I didn't really like that all of the characters were renamed, but the overall plot was interesting and enjoyable. It doesn't force you to read the next one, either, which I thought was considerate of the author.

Okay, so first of all, let me apologize to all of the people who are looking for 100% positive or negative reviews. This isn't one of those. I read Matched about a week before I read Crossed, and I couldn't stand Crossed. The writing was bad, the plot was worse, and the alternating points of view made things confusing. If you loved Matched, you'll probably be able to stand Crossed, but if you were only mostly loving it, you'll probably hate it. (view spoiler)[ Crossed basically follows Cassia and Ky in the Outer Provinces as they try to find each other while Ally Condie has them trying to find the Rebellion. Honesty, the whole thing is unbelievable. Maybe it's just me, but what's so dystopian about this whole society? It's different, but it's not like they're randomly killing off people. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, I gave Crossed a fair chance. I really wanted to like this book. I honestly did. I just couldn't. The whole thing was hard to get into, and while I'll probably read Reached just to see how Condie ends the trilogy, but that's all. If you're looking for something to entertain yourself while you're bored and Crossed is on sale, go ahead and read it. Otherwise, don't waste your breathe on a book that's suffering from second-in-a-trilogy-itis. P.S. Does anyone know how Crossed has a 3.(8 l think) average rating even though nearly all of the reviews are negative??

There are not words to describe how amazing this book is.

The ending!!!!! I can't wait for House of Hades!! Overall the writing's good. It gets kind of hard to keep track of if you're power-reading though it, though, so consider yourself warned. Percabeth's reunion was anticlimactic but hilarious.

If there are twelve princesses, why was I able to count and come up with 9 that were mentioned in the book? (view spoiler)[Plus, Jonquil was treated horribly (hide spoiler)] The extremely large cast was hard to handle as well.

This book follows the life of Penny Lane, a high school girl named after the Beatles by her Beatles-Obsessed parents. We first meet her after she has broken up with her boyfriend, Nate, who she caught with another girl. They grew up together and it's hard for her to figure out why on Earth he would cheat on her. As she reprimanding herself for her stupidity in ever believing him, she she's a Beatles poster in her room for St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club (or something like that). Lightbulb moment! She starts club for girls who are sick of believing boy's promises and seeing them broken. She doesn't expect it to get very far, but it does. People take notice of the Lonely Hearts Club and suddenly she's negotiating how to stay true to herself while also staying sane from all of the drama. Penny also has to stay true to her new no-dating policy while coming dangerously close to breaking it-with her former best friend's ex. Sound complicated yet? It is, but it's worthwhile and great read.

This book was amazing. I loved the plot.

This book was really good. The author's writing is amazing and it was really nice to see a female protagonist who wasn't pretty, who wasn't stick-thin, and wasn't a sell-out. The only book I can think of that does that is Divergent, and Princess Ben does a lot better job. The plot is a teensy bit confusing, but overall it's a good book.

Okay, so I know that 99% of people like this book. I understand that. I gave it a chance, and it let me down. The entire book is strange and confusing, and even though the plot should, by all accounts, be exciting and interesting, it's, well, not. I'm not surprised the author used a pen name to write this book. I am, however, surprised that he was unashamed enough to say who he was (even if I can't think of his name at the moment). I just didn't get this book. And even if it has a billion fans, that can't change my mind. So I'm sorry, universe. But this book just isn't very good. (view spoiler)[Plus, I totally saw the whole 'left hand' thing coming. If that's the big plot twist, Snicket needs to get a life (hide spoiler)]

Let me just say: he should have stuck with writing Fablehaven. Some people like it, but I didn't--at all.

I'm going to be completely honest: the two main reasons I rated this book 3 stars were language and the(view spoiler)[non-happy (hide spoiler)]ending. That and it was really hard to follow--I honestly have no idea how this book has a 4.whatever rating. It's okay, I guess, but it's not worthy of that recognition, IMHO.

I love this book (in case you couldn't tell by my rating)!!! Jessica Day George did an amazing job. Anyway, here's first part of the plot (no spoilers): Meet Galen, a young man who has lived on the battlefield his whole life. The war that he has been fighting in has ended, and he finds work as a gardener at the palace. Meet Rose, the eldest princess in the palace. Ever since her mother died, she and her sisters have had to dance every third night for the evil King Under Stone. Only death can set them free from the curse. Rose catches pnemonia, and the rest of her sisters (twelve counting Rose) soon follow. Galen is desperate to help. That's all I can say without ruining the plot, but the story is amazing. This is a great standalone novel, but it also starts of a trilogy. The other two books are Princess of Glass andPrincess of the Silver Woods. Here's a picture that reminds me of this book:

It's amazing!!! But the cliffhanger is killing me!!

I loved this interpretation of the Goose Girl story. Plus, the love interest-not naming who-is totally adorable.

It's good. I wouldn't say it's 1,000,000 stars, but its definitely 5 stars. And...(drumroll please) +--+ ++++ ++(-`v'-) +--`.,Char!!

Since when did the description give 99.999% of the plot away? It's a good book, I'm just wondering why you hear so much about the plot.

First, this should have been a standalone novel. Second, this should have been a standalone novel. Third, this should have been a standalone novel. Do you know what I think it should have been yet? Matched takes place in a so-called dystopian world. I don't really understand what makes it dystopian. Sure, it's controlling and could use a makeover, but so could our government. Yet somehow we aren't running around starting rebellions. Anyway, the heroine is a girl named Cassia, who is on her way to her Match banquet with her best friend for forever, Xander. She gets matched to-drumroll, please-Xander. What a surprise! NOT. However, the second before the screen flashes to black, she sees Ky, instead. Obviously this incurs a love triangle because, you know, you can't have a YA female lead without a prominent love triangle. Now, I'm basically just going to tell the rest of the plot in the spoiler coming up, so that's the end of my technical review. (view spoiler)[ So, Cassia ends up taking this hiking class (I know, right?) and, what a shock, Ky's in her groups. So basically all of the hikes are them falling in love. And then he teaches her to write in cursive. I'm going to put this out there, and maybe I'm just strange, but I do not think cursive is that big of a deal. And then drama, drama, drama, I can' remember it all, but Ky and Cassia end up in the outer provinces. End Scene. (hide spoiler)] I really felt that Ally Condie was biased in her writing of the love triangle. I mean, come on. She's totally Team Ky. She didn't even give Xander a fair chance. At least in Hunger Games/Twilight (even though I haven't read Twilight), the author gave both guys an honest shot. In the Matched trilogy, the love triangle feels like it was just thrown in there to have a love triangle, without giving Cassia any feelings for Xander.

This was a great book. Katniss was very likable and the plot was believable, especially since it went off the beaten path (well, it did when it was written).

I have no words

Beta An island paradise. Extra oxygenized air for added relaxation. Servants to do all the work..but its not really mean because they have no souls..right? My Reactions This book was very similar to a lot of the YA fiction out there these days. I bought it intrigued by the concept of a soulless human, yet found it turned quickly into a typical, "the government wants everything to be the way it is..no defects..blah blah." Of course, there were some creative elements that the author added, such as the way they played video games, that stood out as crazy imaginative. I was like..I WANT ONE OF THOSEE. Overall, its not the worst book I've ever read, but its not the best either. I just think there could have been a little bit more world building and depth into characters and plot. Romance? AHHHH. Stop. One second she was like..I like him. (view spoiler)[And the next second she just got him. It felt a little forced and there wasn't so much chemistry. (hide spoiler)] But thats just my opinion!! You might like it:)

An awesome, fast paced, hard to put down book. :) First reactions? Upon first reading the book, my first reaction was that the writing style was..well...different. I wasn't sure what it was but I knew I didn't like it. After reading further, I realized that its a bit chunky, with a line of dialogue followed by so much internal monologue or description that we totally lost the jist of the conversation by the time the response comes along..so we're like "What?" "Oh yeah...*goes back to last line of dialogue to refresh*..THATS what she was talking about. The story world is very unique, and a refreshing change to most YA books out there. It's not exactly dystopian, but it appeals to the lovers of that genre. Some previous reviews didn't like the fact that the author didn't explain where on Earth this was taking place, or if it was another planet, or what. But in my opinion, I really liked that the location was kept vague, focusing only on inner details. I found it helped me to just imagine this amazing magical world. It could of been anywhere, which I loved. BACKROUND There are barrons and healers who represent the "skilled" society. They go to an academy and train (without a concrete end, I might add), until they are deemed ready to go and fight or help in the unending war. There are also the unskilled people who are not allowed to know anything about the skilled. We never find out why though. Healers and Barrons are soulbound at birth, an idea I was totally drooling over. The thought of having a definite partner decided for you at birth that you will find one day inevitably is just..wow. I was so in love with this idea and (view spoiler)[ was so so so annoyed when Kaya found out that hers was dead. I was just like "Come on you just gave us the best concept and now we can't even take part in it? What unfairness!" But I have no idea now..was Darius Kaya's soulbound person all along? And I couldn't stand that they killed off Avery so quickly, without us really getting to know her at all so I was just like.."Oh, okay" I sort of wish we could have know her more for a stronger reaction at her death. Also, Kaya tended to forget about her often throughout the novel, later even referring to Maddox as the best friends she'd ever had. (hide spoiler)] Although most reviews didn't mention her, I really REALLY liked Maddox, Kaya's new best friend at the academy, and all she added to the book. She was snarky but strong, and had a strong characterization with a solid background. The scenes with her were funny and interesting and she was a fabulous addition to the book. Go Maddox!! The world building could have been a little bit more strong, as I was left with bounty's of unanswered questions, like for example, Why, WHY I ASK YOU was Melanie so obsessed with Trayton?, or What was this war even about.....and...lots more I can't think of now. The story plot was one you just fall in love with though, for who doesn't love a strong female heroine who can totally kick butt? Especially when people tell her she's not allowed to but she does anyway. Its a pretty common story line but I fall for it everytime. Going against the social norm and all that. The romance with Trayton is actually the most confusing thing though, it moved much too quickly and didn't seem to have any real chemistry. Although that kind of sucked, the romance(ish) with Darius was enough to make up for it, for you just eat up when he shows some kindness in stark contrast to his usual gruffness. While Trayton is always SO sweet, realistically I think a girl might like that, but in a novel this can sadly get a bit drab and pretty annoying. Overall, the book was a wonderful read that I was totally sucked into until I finally finished it. (And you can tell I'm still thinking about it now, so it hasn't quite left my mind yet). Though it might have some flaws, (Doesn't everything though), it has some great moments, and it was a super fun, and different read. Give it a try!

BETTER THAN I'd DARED HOPE. IT'S UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST, YET SAGE STILL BRINGS THE WIT AND SASS THAT WE ALL LOVE. AMAZING!!!!!

I so not was expecting the turnabout this book had. Like OMG, you can't do it with my fragile heart!

I have to say that this isn't a book I'd normally read if I knew what it was about and how it ended. However, Colleen Hoover is so amazing as always that she has the power to make us envision ourselves as the character and it twist totally our feelings and expectation. The only thing I say about it is, give it a try!

I'll simply say that Jamie Begley is by a long shot the best author I've ever read and that's self explanatory for all of her books.

This book just had my heart into a billion pieces. (view spoiler)[The thing I hate the most is cheating, don't matter when or how or why, when someone tells you that he loves you then any cheating is inexcusable. And what Jensen did to Mia made my heart break and bleed. Mia was such a good person, a truly amazing woman who made me slap her for being so generous with him! Had it been me, I would make Jensen bleed as much as Mia's heart did. But then why give 4*? Because Jensen's way to make amends was truly and honestly beautiful. But I still hate him and will never forgive him. (hide spoiler)]

I wish I could say it was a 6+ star read like the other books, but I just can't. Besides the fact that I wasn't warned it would end with a cliffhanger before I started the book, I thought it was confuse and something like a deja vu. I truly hope the next book comes faster than this one and be everything we all have been hoping for Chloe story.

Stepsiblings romances seems to be ~the thing~ nowadays and I've been enjoying this kind of books so far. When I saw that Bella Jewel was writing one of those I was very excited and couldn't help but count the hours to its release, because, come one!, it's B-E-L-L-A J-E-W-E-L. When I saw it was early released I was like 'need it now'. I really, really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't. The plot seemed to be really good, but I couldn't feel the love between Aria and Blade. Since the start I thought he was an asshole and she was stupid, because clearly if someone treats you bad you fall in love with him more and more. Don't take me wrong, I tried to understand their chemistry but it just didn't fit. Of course there's some book boyfriends assholes that we fall in love instantly, but with Blade I just couldn't! Bella Jewel wrote some of my favorite books, but Step-Lover just didn't make me feel anything. Sadly. Waiting for her next work.

There are so many good reviews out there, go read it. I really tried to read this book, but I couldn't really, really love this!

Reviews are supposed to be honest then let's be honest. Since the first time Willa appeared in a book I despised her, she was boring and too weak. She didn't deserve one of The Last Riders' member! But then Jamie Begley put her on a book, with the most mysterious member of the and I had to read it. Because it was written by Jamie Begley! And the things that I thought I knew about Willa was a hundred percent changed. I didn't fall in love with her at first, nor with Lucky, but page by page they started to attach my attention until I was there, with deep down feelings for them. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one. Who do you think it's going to be?

I normally don't write reviews about books here. And I definitely don't usually read books where women are older than the guys. I prefer the ones with older lads. However, I had to make an exception for this book. Because, oh my goodness! I really loved it! Mia is Adam's mother who is Gray's best friends who's son of the new wife of Mia's ex-husband. Did you get it? After being kicked out of his own home by his mother and stepfather, Gray is invited to live with Mia and Adam. And that's when everything start. A massage. A kiss. To everything. To nothing. At first Mia tries to ignore it, being more than ten years older than him and his best friend's mother she gets a little hold back in giving it a try, but at some point she just can't deny it. Gray is very childish in the start, but he grows up through the book with has made me didn't care about his previous attitudes. Mia and Gray are a such explosive/sexy couple. Mia and Adam are great people. Mia, Adam and Gray are such a lovely family. And Stella is amazing! Although I think we could have had a bigger end (because I loved the book that much!), I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

I just won't rate it as five stars because I think the story was too short! I need more Ten and Caroline... Like much more, right now!

I am going to say only one thing about this book: A girl needs warning! This story broke my heart.

It has been a good two or more months without I finding and rating a book with five stars. But then I've found this book and Elpi and Ally love story did it for me. Some people may say I am picky person, and I may be, but for a book be good for me it needs to have 3 simple things: in a happy ending, a couple that make my insides shiver and a well developed plot. Sweet Hope has everything I wish to read in a book, but not only that, it has Elpi and his broken heart wishing for hope, for a better life, for a second chance, for doing it right. And it has Ally the girl with a big heart and a personality like any other, the one ready to help, always caring, always loving. Love, love, love it! And I wish Tillie Cole would write a second book for them!

If I was in love with Jamie Begley after I read Viper's Run I don't have words that can describe my feeling for that woman now, after reading this book! It's been so long since I've read a book that I rated as 5 star and this one is a 5+ unbelievable-freaking-perfect stars, that I don't know what to say about it, just that I need a book 2 for Cash and Rachel!

I had high expectations for this book,but it wasn't all I've dreamt about. However, I loved to read Shade & Lili's story. Can't wait to read more books of Jamie.

I first met Erin McCarthy's work on Fast Track series and I really enjoyed it, when I saw that her new book was a different genre of Contemporary Romance, I confess, I was afraid of read it, but Erin did a pleasantly work. True follows the same story line of most young adults, a damaged bad boy hero, a shy virgin heroine and a not-so-impossible romance. Here we have Tyler Mann as our bad boy, a guy who has more inside than he lets anyone know. Tyler hasn't had the best life, but he's making his best to change his and his little brothers' life for the better. Although trying to turn his life around, he doesn't feel worthy of someone as Rory Macintosh. Rory is insecure, quiet and without a social life, but she's more than this, she's is smart, logical and honest. After found out Rory is a twenty years old still virgin, her roommates pay Tyler sleep with her and give the confidence she needs, but she finds out the truth about his unexpected interest in her before sleeps with him. But both of them are curious about each other and as their friendship turns into something more, Rory and Tyler experience a love greater than either of them could ever expect. But life is never simple or easy. When Tyler finds himself in a big trouble, Rory need make a decision that could change everything in her life. This book had some deep affect on me, Tyler's life story made me cry and want hug him to never let him go! The characters, including the secondaries, were well built in a way we can identify ourselves with them, the story in general is very good, even being a little cliche. What I didn't particularly like was the ending, I think the author finished the book in a rush and left some things in the air. Even that Erin will make this into a series I think she could have made an epilogue to explain how things ended up. Other than that I loved reading this book.

Since the first minute I saw Real on goodreads I felt in love. I love books with athletes, especially if they are fighters, men and this one stole my heart letting me without a chance. Brooke Dumas is a 24-years-old woman, recently graduated in sports rehab - a career she chose after getting hurt and losing the chance to win a gold medal in the Olympics. One night her best friend, Melaine, takes her out to watch an underground fight and there she meets Remington 'Riptide' Tate for the very first time, and as soon as their eyes met they are attracted to each other. Remy is a sexy, gorgeous and intense fighter who has some problems with self-control and for that he's already had been jailed once and in a lot of trouble, but he also is a quiet and introspective man due some bad things that happened, and still happen, to him. The first time they talk, at the underground fight, they let the place in fire. "Your name," he growls, panting, his eyes wild on mine. "Uh, Brooke." "Brooke what?" he snaps out, his nostrils flaring.With trembling efforts, I pry my hand free and glance frightfully at Mel, who comes behind him, wide-eyed. "It's Brooke Dumas," she says and then happily shoots out my cell phone number to my chagrin. His lips curl, and he meets my gaze once more."Brooke Dumas." He just fucked my name right in front of me, and right in front of Mel. He steps forward, and his damp hand slides into the nape of my neck. "Brooke," he growls softly, meaningfully, against my lips, as he draws back with a smile. "I'm Remington." After that night Brooke is called to an offer of job. Guess from who? Exactly, Remington offers her a job as his physical therapist. She takes the job and goes to him and his team for a national tour of fights. At first they try to be just friend, but as they will knowing each other the feeling is getting stronger and that they can't avoid anymore. The author Katy Evans delighted me with this book, all characters are well built (I loved how the author created a logical explanation for Remy's excessive jealousy and protection) and the story is so cute (I want a love story like that) and the way she made them communicate through the music (~sigh~). The narrative, in first-person point of view, is quite detailed, so that the reading flow quickly. I would rather if the point of view would be intercalate in the two of them, but that's not a negative point. If you like books with strong, determinate and dominant then you'll love read Real by Katy Evans, give an opportunity to this wonderful book, you won't regret it. ARC provided by the author to review.

I would have sworn I added this ages ago... I think I spotted it at Sam's Club.

I don't know why it took me so much time to read this book; it's certainly not that I didn't enjoy it. Covering events in the life of Queen Elizabeth I from her mother Anne Boleyn's execution in 1536 to her sister Mary's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne in 1558, much time and history is covered. We also get what seems to me like a fairly good insight into Mary Tudor. Most of the book keeps a fairly steady pace that made me think I was going to give this a solid three stars, but there were also times that I was shocked or on the edge of my seat. (I don't have the memory to be a good study of the history. Can you imagine going down a Wikipedia rabbit-hole looking at context and side details while trying to avoid spoilers for events 500 years ago? Haha.) Mostly it is the familiarity with and affection for Elizabeth developed through observing 22 years of her life and 3 weeks spent reading that sent me to the fourth star. I'm very impressed with her and honored to be a fellow redhead. :) (P.S. I loved Katherine Parr dY~C/)

I have to take some time to think about what I'm going to say on this one! Anna Francis is going to fake her death, with a bit of help, and see how the others react in a high-stakes recruitment exercise for a secret government position. Recovering from a high-stress aid mission where something went badly wrong, this is an opportunity to get her life back. But things don't go according to plan and Anna and the audience are left wondering if anything is what it seems. (view spoiler)[I was very surprised when we discovered Henry was being sent in to watch Anna. Then things kept going further off the rails. So Lotte was watching Henry too? Is that where it ends, because the secretary or whoever had set him up as a candidate too, or was everyone watching someone? What position did they actually want Anna for, and why was this a fitting exercise? I kept wondering what disaster had happened in Kyzyl Kum that Anna and everyone else was in such a tizzy over, and honestly after all that build-up, shooting someone in the head who was creeping around in the middle of the night in a war zone seemed like much ado about nothing, even if it did turn out to be a kid taking food. So idk. I ended feeling sort of unsettled and unfulfilled, especially after the very last bit with Henry and the secretary. I guess there just weren't quite enough answers for me. I did like going through a few of the other characters' perspectives at the end too, even though it was still a bit disjointed. Overall though I thought it was good and I loved all the mysteries and covert government intrigue. (hide spoiler)] I feel like I'm missing something big I'm supposed to say, but that's that.

This volume has the least focus on Emily of any so far. There's a lot of backstory for some other characters and a few new developments, which is exciting.

This was the first volume of the series that kept me interested the whole way through! I actually enjoyed reading this one instead of just turning pages.

Some new characters, some good development for a few of them. The end was good. Mostly I was bored though. Oh, but the map of Alledia at the back was an exciting find!

This one was better. More characters, slightly more information, more world-building. Still not quite enough for me though; I'm still waiting for something.

I'll read the next one, but this was just okay for me. It felt like just a beginning, so we'll see how the next part goes. (Original date added: Dec 09, 2016)

I didn't rate this separately when I first read it because it was included in the copy of Insurgent I got from the library, and I figured it would be in the Four Collection which I knew I was gonna buy since the library copy vanished. But it seems it's not, so since I don't actually own a copy of it (It's not in the Insurgent I bought, either) and I gotta hunt down "Path to Allegiant" and "We Can Be Mended" or whatever, I decided I'd just go ahead and add it separately. I don't remember exactly what I thought about it at the time, so I'm giving 3 stars. Best I can recall, I thought it was interesting to get inside Tobias' head (not knowing what was coming in Allegiant), cool because it's a good scene, and a little bored because it is so familiar. Idk.

Oh my god. I'm a mess right now and it's after midnight and I have to work tomorrow. I'd like to write a review though, if I can ever bring myself back to this and figure out what I want to say. ------- Well, let's start at the beginning. I spent most of this book just a bit out of touch with the story. The copy of Insurgent I got from the library had "Free Four" in it, so I was interested in getting more of Tobias' perspective in Allegiant. However, I felt like we switched narrators too often, so I was rarely able to settle in with one person before we changed again. I also felt like Tris' voice got muddied in this book--she just didn't sound like herself. I also wasn't as drawn in by the plot in this book. The concept of the Bureau and everything was really interesting, but maybe my brain was so stuck in visualizing an airport that I was just a little bored, haha. So I was pretty ambivalent about this one, thinking I'd give it a solid 2-star rating. The part with (view spoiler)[ George being alive when Tori had just died (hide spoiler)] really got me. I had to put the book down for a few minutes on that one. And then, especially considering (view spoiler)[ the shout out at the end of my last review, I was surprised that what happened to Uriah didn't bother me more. (hide spoiler)] But then we get to the end.... Let me just say I'm SO glad I purposely decided not to finish this on my lunch break at work because (view spoiler)[ I ended up sobbing in bed at midnight trying not to make any sounds. When I first read the part with her mom I wasn't really that worried. I figured she'd wake up in the hospital or something, I mean she survived the freaking death serum and she's the main character! But when Tobias came back, I lost it. I loved Tris, I wanted to be more like Tris, and this wasn't supposed to happen. It was all just so wrong. (hide spoiler)] So yeah. I have the Four short story collection to read, but I'm not sure when I'll feel like picking all this up again. dY'"

This book was so cute! I actually would really like for this to be made into a movie. The characters were so well done, I could clearly hear different voices for Flora, Luna, and Sophia while I was reading. Although it's sadly not done much these days, I think this would make a really cute hand-drawn animation film using the same line drawing/sketched style as the illustrations and cover art. And as much as I enjoyed Flora as a main character, as a cat person I loved that there was not one, but two cats in this book! They were portrayed as stereotypically aloof and haughty, but both ended up doing the nice thing by helping Flora in their own ways. Sophia, Flora, and Oscar all go through major character development. This book is overflowing with messages of teamwork, not giving up on your dreams, being there for your friends even when things aren't going well, adapting to different roles and trusting other people even when they do something considered out of the ordinary or impossible, and having faith in yourself and your friends. I only had two concerns with this book: even as an adult, I was very uncomfortable with Flora not realizing for so long that (view spoiler)[she was brought along as food, and it was so awkward when she thought she was going to be head of the sled team but her friends took her out to hide and would not tell her what was going on for so long. (hide spoiler)] I was also sad at the end that (view spoiler)[Flora never (as far as we know) got to go back to her family and Luna to let them know she hadn't been eaten and tell them about all her adventures. I think in part this was done to leave an opening for future books, but it also brings up the uncomfortable spectre that she might not actually have a family to go back to. I am not a vegetarian and I know the anthropomorphism is fictional, but this story brings up a lot of ethical/moral questions for the reader, I think. (hide spoiler)] I checked this book out because I for some reason got it in my head that I had to have a Santa Pig this Christmas, and I absolutely adore it. When I saw this book with Flora in her red coat in the snow, I thought of my piggy and had to read it!

Just last night I was saying how frustrating and almost boring this book was, sitting around waiting to find out (view spoiler)[ what the big disaster was (hide spoiler)] and waiting to see when (surely when, and not if) these two (view spoiler)[people going "radio radio radio" would freaking radio each other (hide spoiler)]. And then I read Chapter 12 and it threw me for a loop and knocked me on my butt. They freaking (view spoiler)[killed Devi!!! Just, like, poof, out of nowhere, gone!!! And I know astronauts are always saying yessss let me drift in space forever and I get being buried would be the opposite of space but omg letting her float away is really what killed me (hide spoiler)]. And then they freaking tell us that (view spoiler)[Sully is Augustine's kid!!! Wtf!!! I knew there was supposed to be something significant when Chapter 11 ended with "and it was there that he met Jean" but I just figured it was because he'd talked about the kid before. But then we get through Chapter 12 and Jean is Sully's mom!! which I guess she had mentioned before. (hide spoiler)] And then, I get on here to write this up, and looking at the character list pretty much spoils something else!!! (view spoiler)[Sully's first name is Iris! So is Augustine crazy? Hallucinating all this?? Jesus. (hide spoiler)] 76 pages to go. ------- 209 pages. 209 pages for (view spoiler)[ these two to make radio contact (hide spoiler)]. Seriously? ------- Nothing. We got nothing. (view spoiler)[No information whatsoever on what the heck happened on Earth. Why no one would tell Augie what the thing was when they were evacuating, why the ISS was evacuated but no one told Aether anything, not even a made up radio problem. (You can make arguments about poignancy and beautiful humanity or whatever, but honestly that's just a big cop-out to me, to write a whole disaster story with no actual disaster.) No idea of what happened when the pod got back to Earth. Nothing about whether they were able to go back for Thebes and Ivanov or even if they kept chatting over the radio until they ran out of supplies. No final contact between Sully and Augustine. No indication of whether he ever got up from beside that polar bear, or if the bear was even real, because who knows at this point. No resolution between them. They'll never know who they really were to each other. And speaking of that, dude wtf. Like, this old dude who'd been swearing his whole life he wasn't lonely, in one day got so lonely that he invented a whole person who he couldn't acknowledge was a manifestation of the daughter he never knew? I mean, if you're going for delusions, why not go all in? At that point I was honestly glad the freaking goodreads page had spoiled me, because it probably would have been pretty confusing. Attributed to more fever dreams or something. But then that big bang at the very end meant nothing to me, because I already knew. Is that the only time they mention her first name in the book? I don't even remember, but I think it must be. Gonna look into changing that character name. (hide spoiler)] So yeah. This book was really really frustrating like all the way through. Augustine's parts were okay for me. Especially in the second half though, I was mostly reading them on the way to Sully and the Aether. I lived for Sully's parts. I could read a whole, real book about the Aether mission and crew. But this book? All build-up, no climax. For me at least.

Note to self: Marinus is in this.

!!!!! It's been so very long since a book kept me drawn in like this. Yes, I was still a bit slower reading it than I used to be, but I was always thinking about it even when I wasn't reading, itching to go back, even when the story was still building up. First off, I have to say that I identified with the narrator right away. We're not even all that similar--I'm certainly no runner, I'd have to have a cat, I do get lonely even more than I used to, and I don't write. (I do like raspberry.) But something about her had me clicked in like a puzzle piece from the very first pages. After that, all the suspense, all the mystery and twists kept me anchored to this story. I borrowed this from the library, and I'm loathe to give it back, and sad that I couldn't make notes in the few places I wanted to. Things I noticed, knowing they'd be important later. I know there was one somewhat early on that I can't remember now--(view spoiler)[the shoulder bruise (hide spoiler)], I think? (view spoiler)[(Though that was actually a red herring, all in all.) And the name. And the gloves (I was only just a bit ahead on that one). I suspected an abortion almost the whole time, but couldn't confirm it until the end, and I certainly didn't expect it to be Clare. Even when I noticed it said "Lee," I thought it might be his parents. Only later did I realize they must have known her as Leo, too. (hide spoiler)] Oh, I don't know what to say. I think most of the time when I rate a book 5 stars, it's got some great sweeping moral theme to change the world or change a life, and I think that's what we all idealize literature to be. "Entertaining" is too lowly a word for this book, but that's just it--it was so good because it was so suspenseful, keeping me on edge the entire way through, keeping me interested even during the bits that would've turned me off a more regular book. Soooo. I was a bit nervous when I first added this book as currently-reading because all the reviews seemed to be bad. But I loved it--so if you're reading this, do give the book a chance!

Overall: 2 stars (2.5) Last Gleaming pt 1 - 3 stars (3.5) Last Gleaming pt 2 - 2 stars (2.5) Last Gleaming pt 3 - 2 stars Last Gleaming pt 4 - 2 stars Last Gleaming pt 5 - 3 stars Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin - 3 stars (2.5) So. I finished Season 8. I mean, I'm glad I did it. I like to finish what I start, especially when it comes to media. I'm not sure how else I feel about it. Disappointed? Let down? I'm glad Joss acknowledged that things got a bit out of hand and off track. I'm still not sure though if it's because of that, or just the comics format that failed this season for me. I was rarely emotionally invested, and even more rarely in the characters I've loved since I was 7 years old. The big hitting moments hardly hit me at all, even though watching the show I still cry after 20+ times seeing everything. But, I guess it's still better to have wasted potential than no possibility of hearing more from our characters. From our family. So I'm taking a break of indeterminate length, but I'll be back sometime to read Season 9. And likely beyond. Last Gleaming pt 1 ..... How did Spike become (view spoiler)[king of the giant space roaches???? How'd Spike figure *everything* out while Giles was being sketchy and unsuccessful? And we're going back to Sunnydale. How is the Master still there though?? Is it the First again? (hide spoiler)] Last Gleaming pt 2 So stuff just kept/keeps growing there without them? There's a green-flamed griffin? How'd it get to our dimension? I'm cool with having Spike around though. Last Gleaming pt 3 We got just the slightest bit more explanation, but I don't think this issue really did much to advance the plot. Last Gleaming pt 4 So Angel was possessed by the griffin, right? (view spoiler)[I didn't think they'd kill Giles in S8, though I'd been spoiled for it happening eventually. Also, I really fucking hate that I'm not even upset. Fucking comics. Fuck 'em. Also, the scythe can't be broken! Fray has it! (hide spoiler)] Poor Willow though. Last Gleaming pt 5 A little off, a little anti-climactic. Solid monologue, for once. Idk. That's that. Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin I read this between Last Gleaming pts 4 and 5, because I figured it would be kind of boring (sorry Riley) and I didn't want to ruin the end of the season by putting it after the finale. It turned out to be pretty good, though. It shows how Riley got involved (view spoiler)[with Twilight as a double agent for Buffy. We also got a surprise appearance from Whistler, which I was really excited about (and how come I recognized Whistler of all people immediately, and not some of our main characters? Fucking comics.). It also shows a bit about Angel's thought process in running this whole scheme. (hide spoiler)] Pretty solid, if not very exciting.

Overall: 4 stars (3.5) Turbulence - 2 stars (2.5) Twilight ch 1 - 3 stars Twilight ch 2 - 3 stars (3.5) Twilight ch 3 - 5 stars Twilight ch 4 - 4 stars Goddesses & Monsters - 3 stars (3.5) This volume averages out to about 3.4 stars, but I'm going for the fourth one because I finally got into the storyline. Turbulence Is it important that Twilight doesn't get the funny lettering anymore? Is it supposed to make me feel better that Joss wrote the (view spoiler)["Buffy wants Xander who is now with Dawn" (hide spoiler)] thing? Because it doesn't. I'm done with trying to "get" any of this damn comic series. So, since when can Buffy fly? And how can she fly if the slayers are all still tapped out? Twilight Chapter 1: Buffy Has F#(c)$ing Superpowers Is it supposed to be funny that Dawn and Amy didn't get the most obvious joke these painfully unfunny comics have ever made, based on one of the most quoted superhero-related lines ever? (view spoiler)[Oh my god. The girls in the swamp... After all the fuss over no eye powers, Buffy suddenly gets eye powers? So what, did those three really get kicked out and Amy gave Buffy superpowers...? Oh my god. (I mean, I guess it's good the power doesn't just disappear, but that's really not going to help the "Slayers are evil" problem if that gets out.) So, if there's a teleporter, those three are actually still not to be trusted, yeah? (hide spoiler)] I'm gonna go 3 stars on this one for the interesting-ness, and finally getting me emotionally invested for the only time aside from The Chain. Twilight Chapter 2: The Master Plan Awww, Buffy. :( WHAT THE HELL What is going on?? ??? Twilight Chapter 3: Them F#(c)%ing (Plus the True History of the Universe) (view spoiler)["Even among Watchers--the last time they thought this was happening, back in the 1860s, thirty Watchers took their own lives in fear." jfc (hide spoiler)] (The explanation didn't justify all this to me though....) I don't even know what to say. I'm still not totally clear on anything, but for the first time, I'm finally invested. Twilight The Final Chapter: The Power of Love Still need more here. More info, and more story, because I'm finally into it. (I know I keep saying that, but it took THIRTY ISSUES, so.) But hello, (view spoiler)[Spike. <3 (hide spoiler)] Goddesses & Monsters "This story takes place before the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight." Heyyy, so we finally get to know what Willow was up to. Well, sort of. Do we get any more?

Overall: 2 stars Retreat pt 1 - 3 stars (3.5) Retreat pt 2 - 3 stars (2.5) Retreat pt 3 - 3 stars Retreat pt 4 - 2 stars Retreat pt 5 - 2 stars (2.5) Harmony Comes to the Nation (super-short) - 1 star Always Darkest (super-short) - 2 stars Retreat pt 1 This basically felt like one big intro, but it wasn't bad. It's nice to have the gang all back together, and though the volume cover was sort of a spoiler, it's a cool surprise-ish to see Oz again. I'm interested to see where this will go. Retreat pt 2 (view spoiler)[So, I'm not clear on this Bay lady. Is she actually Oz's wolf in human form? (Because "the rest of me" is an odd way to put anything else.) But they have a baby? Who is this other guy working with Twilight? Amy, Warren, Riley, and ___ ? The one with the glasses. Am I supposed to know him? Is it significant that they keep talking about Spikes? And why is Riley there anyway? What happened to Sam? And who is Twilight if he "knows Buffy too well" ??? (hide spoiler)] Retreat pt 3 Idk why there's a siamese cat hanging out with Buffy and Faith, but I like it. (Unless the sudden cat is the spy?) And I'm so here for them bonding over the fade, because they're the true slayers. Been with it the longest. (view spoiler)[..... We frame in on Xander and Dawn kissing and then just fast-forward to Andrew talking??? I mean, I'd been spoiled and waiting for it, but it still requires major addressing!!! Also, right about the cat. (hide spoiler)] Retreat pt 4 They traded sub parts for all of that gear? That's about all I have to say for this one. Retreat pt 5 (view spoiler)[... Is Riley really on the good side? *skeptical face* ??? Snow? Falling? Okay... (hide spoiler)] Harmony Comes to the Nation (super-short) What was the point? Always Darkest (super-short) I liked seeing (view spoiler)[Sweet and Clem and the Gentlemen and the Vampy Cats. They totally didn't have to hit me with Tara though. (hide spoiler)]

Overall: 4 stars Harmonic Divergence - 4 stars Swell - 4 stars Predators and Prey - 3 stars (2.5) Safe - 4 stars (4.5) Living Doll - 2 stars (2.5) Harmony Bites (short) - 2 stars Vampy Cat Play Friend (super-short) - 3 stars I know this has nothing to do with anything, but I love the blue color they used for this volume (on the cover and dividing pages). Combine that with the fact that I've pretty much liked the previous one-shots better than the arcs, and this volume is all one-shots, and 5 is my favorite number, well... best one! Now I'm motivated to keep reading instead of giving up on the comics for another several years. Harmonic Divergence I was pretty open to a Harmony one-shot to start with, but when I found out our main character was basically (view spoiler)[ a new slayer instead, I was really enjoying it (except for that one panel where she looked 70). I hate that she got killed, because I think she could have been a great addition to the series (even though I don't think she had a name??). (hide spoiler)] The overall storyline was still good though. They've been dancing around the moral/reputational ambiguity of the slayer army a bit over the season and I'm glad we looked at it closer here, and I really wish (though I can't say I have hope) that it'll be fully addressed soon. This is only the second issue I've given 4 stars (after The Chain from volume 1). Also, though I'm sure I didn't catch them all, I loved the various references in the tattoo board. Swell 1,800 slayers and we're talking like there's only 2 lesbians? Okay. That was just weird enough to be awesome. Even though I thought Kennedy looked more like Faith the whole time, I had a lot of fun with the issue. Everything that should have been over-the-top was just funny. I think it was good development for Satsu though, and a good opportunity to finally have Kennedy exist apart from being Willow's love interest. I also wasn't expecting the Harmony storyline to continue, so that was good. Predators and Prey Wait, am I supposed to know/remember Simone? I'm sure I would have been a bit more into this issue if I did, so I'll go 3 stars instead of 2. I didn't have any problems with it, I just wasn't as interested as with the previous 2 issues. Safe Oh, look, Giles and Faith still exist. I don't suppose we'll get any word on what they've been up to? Aside from that, my only complaint about this issue is that it was too short! Living Doll Uhhhh--that's a thricewise? Yeesh. What exactly do all these little wooden non-souled dolls have to be kept safe from though? We not gonna talk about that at all? Harmony Bites (short) How'd Harmony and Clem become besties anyway? I mean I figure they met through Spike back when, but is this something I forgot from Angel or just a weird comics thing? Vampy Cat Play Friend (super-short) Cute enough.

Overall: 2 stars Time of Your Life pt 1 - 3 stars Time of Your Life pt 2 - 2 stars Time of Your Life pt 3 - 1 star Time of Your Life pt 4 - 2 stars (1.5) After These Messages ... We'll Be Right Back - 3 stars (2.5) Time of Your Life pt 1 Huh. This is the first time I've noticed page numbers. I'm guessing this is a different artist, because Willow and Buffy still don't look like Willow and Buffy, only now they also don't look like they have in previous issues... FML Dialogue seems much more in-character, though. (view spoiler)[Dawn - 1: What the actual f--k. 2: Why go with a giant horse half and a super-skinny human half? Ugh. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME XANDER STARTS FALLING FOR DAWN BECAUSE SHE'S A F-----G CENTAUR. (hide spoiler)] Well, overall interesting, and doing better on the dialogue/characterization. I'm excited to get to Fray even though I haven't read her comics and would have been very confused if I hadn't read the back cover blurb. Time of Your Life pt 2 A big "Huh?" basically. (view spoiler)[ Does Buffy stay in the future for a while and become BFFs with Fray and that's how she learns future-speak with that middle bit? And why is Willow 250 years old and evil again, and am I supposed to care as opposed to just wondering what drugs everyone writing these comics have been on? (hide spoiler)] Time of Your Life pt 3 Honestly, all I have for that is "boring." Damn. (view spoiler)[I am curious though how Willow is centuries old but doesn't have magic. And what the creatures are. And if Fray's sister is supposed to look just like Buffy. (hide spoiler)] Time of Your Life pt 4 All shock value and no actual explanations whatsoever. (view spoiler)[And there just happens to be a huge good/neutral multi-creature community no one knew about outside the slayer castle? (hide spoiler)] Extra half-star for attempted Buffy/Willow friendship showcase. After These Messages ... We'll Be Right Back Going with three stars just because I knew who everyone was supposed to be and the story--though short, obvi--made sense.

Overall: 2 stars (2.5) A Beautiful Sunset - 3 stars Wolves at the Gate pt 1 - 3 stars (3.5) Wolves at the Gate pt 2 - 2 stars Wolves at the Gate pt 3 - 3 stars (2.5) Wolves at the Gate pt 4 - 2 stars A Beautiful Sunset This was a good solid 3 stars for me, which is nice. I finally felt like things were right, like Buffy was Buffy and Xander was, well still New!Xander, but conceivably the same Xander. I watched a few episodes today (and it was on tv so I didn't have to decide which ones) and I think that helped too. The gag with the mask was corny, but that's really my only complaint with this issue, so that's a big relief. Wolves at the Gate pt 1 Omg. This is one Buffy comic I actually have in a single-issue format, and a I know I read it when I got it, but I totally forgot about (view spoiler)[Xander and Dracula, which is a moment I really freaking loved just now. Also poor Buffy. Poor Satsu. They really should have locked the door though, but Dawn and certainly Willow is another thing. Just bad timing all around. (hide spoiler)] Wolves at the Gate pt 2 (view spoiler)[Xander lived with Dracula???!!? Wowza. Is Dracula pining over Xander? He totally is! Dracula says "balls" ? (hide spoiler)] I guess the big ending should have been dramatic and emotional, but it just wasn't to me. Wolves at the Gate pt 3 (view spoiler)[Who knew Dracula was so weird and modern? I think he spent too much time with Xander. I guess that's big fun for Dawn. (No pun intended.) Reneeeeeeeee. (hide spoiler)] Wolves at the Gate pt 4 (view spoiler)[Poor Xander. (hide spoiler)] What's with these things in Willow's head, anyway? I still don't feel like Willow is Willow, and I'm glad they're trying to do these girl talk moments with Willow and Buffy, but I don't feel like they're working either. (view spoiler)[Way to go, Vlad. Dang, Xander. Poor Xander. (hide spoiler)]

Overall: 3 stars No Future for You pt 1 - 3 stars No Future for You pt 2 - 3 stars (3.5) No Future for You pt 3 - 3 stars (3.5) No Future for You pt 4 - 2 stars (2.5) Anywhere But Here - 2 stars No Future for You pt 1 Going much better so far; I can hear Faith and Wood's voices perfectly in my head. Still not sure about Giles now though. I can't get his dialogue or characterization to sit right or figure out quite what he's up to. And do you really want me to believe he'd wear a yellow submarine sweatshirt out and about? I'm still not feeling like Buffy or Xander are quite right. And I know it's comics, but are we serious about Faith's boobs right now? Interesting storyline introduced, though. No Future for You pt 2 It was nice to get into a full story with setup and action and a turn and everything. I'm still not sold on the characterization of anyone but Faith though. :/ No Future for You pt 3 Again, good to be back in action. I thought Buffy was a lot more like her old self in this one, too. I'm still not seeing Willow at all though. No Future for You pt 4 This issue didn't seem as consequential, (view spoiler)[and I'm really uncomfortable with Giles and Faith being buddies while he's been ignoring Buffy and everyone at the castle. (hide spoiler)] Buffy seemed a bit more like herself to me in this one, though. Anywhere But Here Willow can fly now? How did she get so juiced up anyway?? Honestly, I wish they'd quit peppering us with easter eggs from other fandoms and get their own show/characters right. I don't get it. I have no idea what just happened.

Overall: 2.5 stars The Long Way Home pt 1 - 2 stars (1.5) The Long Way Home pt 2 - 3 stars (2.5) The Long Way Home pt 3 - 2 stars (2.5) The Long Way Home pt 4 - 2 stars The Chain - 4 stars (3.5) I wanted to enjoy this, I really did. I've been collecting the comics for years but at first I was very skeptical of them for a long time, and then it just never seemed like the right time to read them. But I felt like the stars were finally aligning--I'm finished with school forever, I found a stack of Buffy and Angel novels in a used bookstore a couple weeks ago, I was looking into some S1 stuff for a friend, and the anniversary of Chosen was a couple days ago. When better? This just isn't doing it for me though. I even had to double-check that Joss wrote it because the dialogue seemed really off to me, plus the internal monologue bits. I would have never recognized Dawn by the illustrations, giant or not. Nor Andrew. And I just didn't do well with running headfirst into the middle of everything. I didn't get what they were doing at the beginning, I had to look online to figure out who was who in terms of new characters because I couldn't figure it out from the comics. I couldn't always tell when a scene was continuing or switching. The section with Buffy talking to Dawn honestly did not make any sense to me in terms of a coherent conversation. Are we somehow supposed to know what a thricewise is?? And so far I just don't like the story line, especially regarding the villains. I did like Willow's green outfit though. (view spoiler)[I did like seeing Ethan Rayne, even if it ended up being for basically just two seconds... Oooooh, I just got "cinnamon buns!" while reading plot summaries on wikipedia because I didn't feel clear after the comic. So, cinnamon lip gloss. Got it. I figured, because I knew about the big sex scene issue when it came out, but now I know. (hide spoiler)] I did like The Chain, even if I didn't totally get what was going on there either. (view spoiler)[There's good stuff that lives underground? There's fairies? What's it mean now that one of the decoy Buffys is dead? Are the demons coming to the surface now? (hide spoiler)] Who were the two women at the training center? Was the one supposed to be Rona or Olivia or someone else? I assume that guy was supposed to be Giles? WHY CAN'T YOU DRAW SO I KNOW WHO PEOPLE ARE. Amy's mom was perfect, go figure. I got Felicia Day from 1 panel of 6 on that commercial page, so I figured the other guy was Andrew (because who else?). This is pretty much my first time reading comics, so maybe I just need to get used to the format, and with a bit more it will be better? I really hope so. I want to like these, I want more Buffyverse. And, well, I've already bought them all halfway through S10.

I have to be honest... I'm shelving this based on its cover. The description just sounds so-so to me, but I saw this book on display at the library and thought the cover illustration was so beautiful and the name so cute, I had to put it on my to-read list.

Well, it seemed a bit anti-climactic, especially for a final book. I'm sure part of it was that I was fuzzy on the details of the previous two books and didn't want to stop long enough to reacquaint myself with them. We spent so long on the chase that I'd almost forgotten what Miss P and the others were even like to be able to worry about them, which really made the whole thing emotionally moot. (view spoiler)[I feel like everything we were leading up to was barely touched on, when what I wanted was to deeply explore it all--the other loops and the unification of peculiardom, reconstruction of the Library (I mean, are they not drafting Jacob to be the new librarian? Holding tryouts to see if anyone else can see the jars? Maybe it's still a bit soon for that, but come on!), everyone running around in present-day Florida, how much will they manage to clean up Devil's Acre, how many hollows and wights are left... AND WHAT ABOUT FIONA. Did they go looking for her, is she, perhaps, alive? Everyone just kept saying maybe maybe maybe, and her signature is sitting here on the cover like nothing happened???? Hmmph. AND I'M THRILLED THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT AGING FORWARD ANYMORE. Favorite line (I was really tempted to post this as a status update at the time, but I loved it so much I didn't want to spoil it for anyone): "It's all right, I'm riding a hollowgast!" (hide spoiler)] Also just want to say that I really enjoyed Sharon. And I'm glad I always take the dust jacket off when I read hardcovers, because I was thrilled to see everyone's signatures on the front cover!! Were they put on a page in the paperback? Also I really like the seafoam color. This is a chaotic review, but it's what I've got right now.

Perhaps as a 23-year-old reader with a middle-grades novel, I found the mysteries rather easy to figure out. (view spoiler)[First, I always take the dust jacket off when I read a hardcover, and I noticed the cat silhouette on the back immediately. So, rather than be surprised by Serafina's mysterious origins, I spent the first few pages of the book wondering if the character was actually a cat rather than a human. Maybe without seeing the medallion on the back I wouldn't have noticed until it appeared in the second chapter. There were a lot of cat qualities through the book though, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But even as part cat, I have trouble believing that Serafina could climb the tapestries and curtains successfully... And the desire to knock the chess pieces off the table in the library went a bit far in my opinion. I did enjoy the inclusion of the catamount though (and greatly enjoyed the etymology lesson! I didn't know that) as a local term, and the execution of the mythology when Serafina finally met her mother. I'd never heard a legend of catamounts being human/shifters.Although the book did a good job of casting suspicion around as to who was the man in the Black Cloak--creepy Mr. Crankshod, Mr. Vanderbilt's shoes, etc--as soon as Thorne basically said he became a violinist overnight I was 90% sure it was him. That was chapter 3. Like I said though, there were still hints toward other people afterward.As for Serafina's mother, that was the one I second-guessed myself on the most. When she found the den and was playing with the cubs, I wondered if they were so easy with her because somehow they recognized that she was kin. When the lion attacked though I figured I must be wrong. Then when Sera was hiding in the den and the mother saw her eyes, I thought she would know and nuzzle Sera or something, but that didn't happen either. Well it turned out the lion was her mother, it just took a while to prove it! (hide spoiler)] I still had fun reading this though. I live a couple hours from Asheville and I've visited Biltmore several times over the years, so I was excited to read a novel set there, especially in the fantasy/paranormal genre. I enjoyed the way the story was told both in the atmosphere and the word choice. The bit that we got to explore the house was very fun, though in my opinion the feeling of being there could have been developed a bit more, instead of just using room names so much. I'm not sure how well the scene was set for anyone who's never been to the house. I hope the next time I go, to see this book in one of the giftshops! I do plan to continue reading the others as well. I also loved the design for this book. The cover features gorgeous colors and a silhouette of Biltmore House, with an overlay that looks like antique paper with a tree branch as a sort of ribbon for the title and a silhouette of a girl. Taking the jacket off, the hardcover is the same color like antique paper with the two thorn silhouettes from the chapter ornaments, one on the front cover and one on the back. The deckle edges of the paper also add to the antique splendor aesthetic that fits with Biltmore.

Having seen the show (through season 2; any word yet one way or another on season 3?) prior to beginning the book, I have to say I was pretty bored. With all the shock value sucked out of it, I really have no comments on the plot, so I'll compare the book and show. Now, I haven't rewatched any of the episodes since their original airing, so going off my spotty memory and wikipedia episode summaries, this is my list of similarities and differences between the first book and the show. (view spoiler)[ Houses In the book, all the houses in Wayward Pines are Victorians. In the show, they are all cookie-cutter suburban houses. I give points to the book on this one. Although the house designs in the show fit in extremely well with the show's visual aesthetic, 1) I love Victorian houses and I'm super disappointed I didn't get to look at a ton of them for 2 seasons, 2) Victorians would make a lot more sense to keep people from getting suspicious/confused about what year it is. Victorians would have been before the time of anyone in WP, but still fashionable in their own way. They are immune to anachronism. Age and appearance differences I much prefer Terrence Howard as Pope rather than a blond white guy. Yes, for diversity's sake, but also because I just can't think of a time when I saw a menacing freckled blond guy? I read that description and pictured Owen Wilson in Night at the Museum and that just sort of killed book!Pope for me. Rather than wacky, red-haired Arlene being the sheriff's secretary, we have Belinda, elderly and gray-haired. I don't know what the point was for this change, unless they just wanted that specific actress. Tbh there's not enough old people on tv so this was a disappointing change to me. On the flip side of that, Nurse Pam is young and beautiful in the book, whereas in the show she is approaching old age and not markedly attractive. Probably this was done to make her scarier, without the audience being distracted by beauty/sex appeal. I give them points for that. In the books, Theresa is blonde and green-eyed, a sharp contrast to Shannyn Sossamon's dark hair and eyes. I suppose her book appearance makes her and Ethan a more stereotypical perfect-looking couple, but Shannyn has such a command of the screen through her appearance alone, I could never side against her. Plus, is anyone not white in book!WP? Ben is a little 7-year-old when Ethan disappears in the book, and when we see him again in WP he and Theresa have been there for 5 years already, making him 12. In the show, he's a teenager the whole time. Maybe this was just done to save on having an extra actor, but I like having a capable, more developed character for Ben in the show rather than a little kid just used for emotional manipulation of the audience and guiding motivation for Theresa. There's also no mention of Wayward Pines Academy in the book, no indication that the children have inside information that the adults don't, no creepy/obnoxious Megan... That was the biggest difference between the two IMO and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think maybe the show was stronger for having that added dimension. Kate Kate features heavily in the show but pretty much makes a passing appearance in the book. In both, Ethan is in WP looking for Kate and Agent Evans, and he's had an affair with her. However, her only real scenes in the book are when she and Harold find Ethan barely conscious, and when later Ethan goes to her house and finds her gray-haired and in her 60s, rather than just being about 10 years older in the show. In the book she does still have the conversation with Ethan where she hints at him that they're being monitored and things are not safe, but doesn't reappear after that. Reckonings/Fetes In the show, the elimination of a resident is called a Reckoning, and is a typical mob-mentality mass brawl/hunt leading up to a public execution by Sheriff Pope. In the book, they are called fetes, people wear elaborate costumes, and everyone joins in beating the target to death. Pope supervises, but doesn't take center stage. The costumes make it so much more outlandish and unsettling in the book, but tbh I'm glad the show went a little more civilian with it. To me it was so out there I really felt like that one aspect was in a world of its own and didn't fully mesh with everything else. Plot There are a couple other small differences between the book and the show, such as Beverly being from 1999 in the show and from 1985 in the book, and agent Evans being married as part of his new life in Wayward Pines in the show but not in the book. In the book, we get a lot of information about Ethan's past as a soldier and prisoner of war, whereas I don't recall it being mentioned much if at all in the show. Episode 3 is actually where things go off the rails in terms of the show paralleling the book. In the show, Theresa and Ben leave Seattle to find Ethan in WP and are abducted for suspension then. In the book, Pilcher approaches Theresa at home a year after Ethan's disappearance and offers her the chance to see him again, if she and Ben drink the liquid-filled vials he's brought. She initially beings to accept, then changes her mind, and Pilcher gasses and takes them. (I don't recall the book giving an explanation for Pilcher taking them. There's no collusion that I recall between Pilcher and Hassler in the book, but maybe he thought taking the family would somehow stop the secret service from looking into it further because no one would push the investigation? Idk, to me two more disappearances does more harm than good. And they couldn't have been brought in to settle Ethan, because of course at the time they were abducted the fall hadn't happened and no one had been brought out of suspension yet, so Ethan hadn't been found out as a troublemaker. Did they anticipate it to that extent? Idk. Plot hole, unless I'm missing something.) In the show, Ethan finds Theresa's long-abandoned car while trying to escape WP and then is magically reunited with his family. In the book, Theresa and Ben have been living in WP for 5 years, through 2 previous attempts to integrate Ethan, and he doesn't learn they're there and alive until the very end of the book. In the show, Ethan takes Theresa and Ben and tries to get through the fence, killing Pope when he tries to stop them. An abbie drags Pope through the gate and the Burkes close it and stay. In the book, Ethan hikes out of town after Beverly is killed and reaches a canyon, where he's beset by a group of abbies and kills them with some luck and rock climbing skills. Pope dies at the end of the book when Pilcher takes Ethan to see the Boise ruins and leaves Pope to the abbies, saying Pope couldn't be trusted to accept his place as second in command. In the show, Ethan becomes sheriff, lives with his family, and starts reading residents' files at the beginning of episode 4. He does not know the whole truth about town and still thinks he can escape if he waits for the right opportunity. In episode 5, the audience is told the whole story through new student orientation for Ben and two other teens at Wayward Pines Academy. Meanwhile, Ethan is hiking out of town trying to get to Boise, discovers it in ruins, and is picked up and filled in by Pilcher. In the book, Ethan is made sheriff at the end, after finding the warehouse, surveillance, and suspension tanks, seeing the abbies, and being taken to Boise by Pilcher, where Pope is left for dead. There is no mention of the school in the book and no indication that Ben or anyone else in town knows the truth. As far as I can tell, everything from the first book is covered in episodes 1-6 of the show. Conclusion Now, I'm biased, because I saw the show first, but I think the show does a much better job of building the mystery and suspense and taking you through it. The book, especially at the beginning, was a big confusing blur to me as I tried to keep up with where Ethan was, how many times he had been unconscious and why, if he was waking up alone or in custody, etc. As I remember it, the questions and reveals were much better paced in the show, whereas the book is pretty much drawn-out chaos as Ethan never takes a break to assess the town and regroup but is physically running/hiding the whole time. I wish I could temporarily block my memory of the show and read the book clean with no prior knowledge, but as it is, the book fell flat for me. I've read plenty of things before for which I'd already seen the screen adaptation and still really enjoyed them, but with WP being so mystery-focused, I feel it's really useless once spoiled. As an interesting exercise in comparing page-to-screen adaptations, this was fine; in terms of reading experience, I got nothing out of this. I give it 3 stars because I did really enjoy the show, so maybe the book would have been good if I'd read it first. I'm going to keep reading though just to see how the differences go, and hoping maybe things will diverge and the rest of the books and show will take different routes. (hide spoiler)] At this point I'm going to conclude my review and get into the second book.

Dec 22, 2014 This was really enjoyable. It was especially nice having fantastic beasts that I had never heard of! I think the Lethifold scares me the most. I wish there was a bit of an outro, though; it ended rather abruptly. As with Quidditch Through the Ages, I will gladly accept color photos to go along with the list. ----- Dec 20, 2014 It's winter break and I just finished Quidditch Through the Ages. Now on to this, finishing up the last of the HP material. ----- Sept, 2014 Of course, school ruined my reading. I had wanted to read this and Quidditch Through the Ages all in a row with the series, extras, and Tales of Beedle the Bard. But, I had to do my grad school reading rather than Hogwarts school reading. One day, though.

Full of maxims only Grumpy Cat could give. Lots of great pictures, some expressing general grumpiness and some poking fun at motivational posters. The style doesn't lend itself to reading in succession though; this would be great as a page-a-day type thing.

Well, I've just finished. It's nearly two in the morning and I'm laying in bed typing this on my phone and I'm wide awake. I've been taking it slow since I moved so Harry and everyone could keep me company at night. I miss them already. I've still got the schoolbooks and Tales of Beedle the Bard here to read (for the first time actually) and then, assuming my schedule hasn't ceased to allow it, I'll have to go out and find something to read. If I manage to say anything about the actual book, I'll do it in the morning.

I'll try to come back and write something once I've stopped crying. I can't even think of the things I was planning to say. I'm doing a lot better than the first time I read this, though. It was summer and I was alone at my grandma's house and I just paced around the house sobbing and saying No, no, no for I don't know how long before I could even finish the book. Even though it'd been spoiled for me long before. First reactions pg 50: "OH GOD" (I was surprised at myself for exclaiming aloud) pg 50/51: "Kreacher." :'( pg 552: "I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore," said Harry pg 578: "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you." These our actors... pg 485: "I have had it all tested for poison... Had a house-elf taste every bottle after what happened to your poor friend Rupert." pg 634: "Bill remained under Madam Pomfrey's care. His scars were as bad as ever--in truth, he now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody" I do feel like there were a lot of actual comments I was going to make, but I still can't think of any of them...

Well, I really don't know what to say about this one. I completely lost track of what they changed for the movie, I think it's worst of all. Lots and lots and lots of things completely shuffled around and I can't really think of why... I must admit though that there were a few things I prefer the movie way, like Luna and Harry with the thestrals and Kingsley's wonderful voice saying "You can't deny--Dumbledore's got style." And I think there was one other thing that I've forgotten now... I really have no idea why I've seen a lot of hate for this book. Yes, angst/anger aplenty, but I didn't find any of it unreasonable... Maybe I have a higher tolerance for character behavior or everyone else wasn't putting themselves in Harry's position. Part of it might be just that it was long and took me longer to read, but I think I feel the most involved in this one so far in my re-read. You can tell there's a war starting, though... And a shout-out to my beloved Silver Trio <3 And Lupin and McGonagall and Molly And Hagrid and Dumbledore and Sirius, my Golden and Silver Adult Trios (or have I gotten it backwards again, loving the silver trio more...?).

So many upstanding people and so many shady/foolish/selfish people.... We should all strive to be more like Harry, Molly Weasley (all the Weasleys, really, even Percy comes 'round eventually), Cedric, Dumbledore (mostly), McGonagall, Hagrid.... Always kind to anyone who isn't evil, sometimes kind even to them, never backing down from doing what is right, and following your true friends in trust even before they explain themselves. And why can't they just arrange for someone to step on Rita Skeeter? I'd been under the impression for years (it's been 8 years since I've read the books, after all) that half of GOF was actually SPEW because people get so upset about it all having been left out of the movie, but it really does seem like a small plotline now. Not that I don't wish Dobby and Winky had been in the movie, but of all the things to cut from such a huge book.... I forgive them. (Also I figure they were maxing out on special effects with this movie already.) There was a lot of important discussion at the end though that I feel should have been left in. That was dumb. And I have no idea why they took out so much with Sirius when he's very important even in the next movie. It makes it odd, to have so much emotionally riding on him in the 5th movie when he's hardly in the 4th. And though it's nice to know that Beauxbaton's and Durmstrang are co-ed, I think they specifically mention one Beaxbatons boy and no Durmstrang girls in the book? Then especially considering the sort of atmosphere of the groups and the gender of the headmasters and champions, I'm not really upset about that. And Crouch says he intended for Harry to see the book he gave Neville about aquatic plants early on anyway, so since I've decided it was excusable that the house elves were all cut out of the movie, it makes perfect sense that Neville was the one who told Harry about the gillyweed. But I'll never forgive anyone for making Hermione's Yule Ball dress (well, it's called robes for everyone in the book, but anyway) pink instead of periwinkle.

I'd always remembered the first two books as being especially funny, but reading the second time around they were sort of so-so on the funny and I laughed a lot at this one. Harry and Sirius fslkfalsk WHY CAN'T THEY JUST BE TOGETHER. Talking about living together and "13 years worth of birthday presents from your godfather" and all of it... < / 3 It seems like for the movie though they changed a lot of little things for no reason I can think of. It was strange and annoying. Also, SO MUCH CROOKSHANKS LOVE GOT LEFT OUT. Crookshanks really saved the day, y'all. MVP material right there. I do have to say though that I prefer the movie version of the time-turner bits, because it did a better job of explaining how things worked (there are a few different approaches to the rules of time-travel, after all) and kept you more aware of it so the reveal before they went of saving everyone was more satisfying in the movie. I also appreciated how movie-Hermione had just a bit more spunk about hitting Draco. Also I must add, happy 34th birthday, Harry!

Part One: A Hot Spell. Holly. Summer, 1984 I was hooked on this book from the start, always thinking about it when I had to be doing other things. I totally fell for Holly, in a reader/main character way. And then part 1 ended on a total cliffhanger. And we jumped years into the future. And to a new narrator. And boy, was I mad. Part Two: Myrrh is Mine, Its Bitter Perfume. Hugo. Dec 1991-Jan 1992 I wasn't nearly as invested in the next narrator. I was reading slower, not itching to come back. And then a good bit of part 2 ended up being in French. Thankfully, my phone came with a handy app that recognizes text and then translates it. Never got to use that before. (view spoiler)[Vinny cropping up out of nowhere was exciting, a thread to hold on to. But I nearly cried when Holly showed back up, although she's so different. It was nice to have a glimpse at Holly in this part, and Hugo's story wasn't so bad. The end of course was very interesting, although I felt that it stopped a bit short. And then, poof everyone and everything disappears for years, just like at the end of Part 1. Part Three: The Wedding Bash. Ed. April, 2004 I'm sorry to say I found Ed's part rather boring and irrelevant. I'd been wanting to see how he was doing and what happened with him and Holly, but again it was such a big time jump and he and Holly had changed so much. The deaths of Nasser and Aziz were sad, but aside from introducing us to Ed's job (which could have been much shorter and simpler) it all seemed drawn out and irrelevant to me. The important bits from this part were really just that Ed and Holly had Aoife, Ed's conversation with Aunt Eilish, and Holly's moment about the room number. And it all seemed like a lot of build-up just to have him totally disappear from the story after this. Just a small mention of his death, years prior to the mention. Part Four: Crispin Hershey's Lonely Planet. Crispin. May 2015-December 2020 Now imagine my confusion when I realize the star of Part 4 is Crispin Hershey. Rando author guy mentioned in Hugo's part. At least Holly has more of a starring role, all things considered. I was very interested to find out she'd written a book, but for the first bit I was very sad that she was such a side note and that Crispin had so written her off. Of course, they eventually become good friends and I really enjoyed seeing her at this stage of her life, comfortable with herself again and just living life with Aoife. The fact that I was very interested in Ed during and after Part 1, but had no emotional response at all to news of his death goes to show how flat Part 3 was for me. I also liked having more insight into Holly's abilities and knowing that she didn't totally lose them when she was younger. And then Hugo finally reappears! After all the name-dropping of people he knew and no discussion of what we must assume was his mysterious and total disappearance! But it's just ever so briefly for a violent confrontation, echoing Holly's encounter with the scary murderer in Part 1. Which so far we've had no more mention of, nor any indication of why it was so important to talk to her in the first place. I mean, she's famous now. Do they not care since her eye's being tamed by whichever one is hiding in her head? I've even forgotten who it was. Even when Hugo interrogates Crispin, it's been years since her book came out and there's no indication that they're going after her then. Unless they made her sick. And oh, how I really really don't want Holly to die. Especially of cancer. But the time skipping in this part just goes and goes and goes. That bugged me every time. Part Five: An Horologist's Labyrinth. Marinus. April 2025 Here, things finally start to come together. We learn a lot more about how Horology works, about Atemporals, Returnees and Sojourners, and the Horologists that are living. We learn Marinus' history, Esther's history. We learn about the war between Horology and the Anchorites. We get the details on Jacko. All the characters are finally in play together (aside from Ed and Crispin, rest their souls. And Aoife, off safe in Europe). We go on a rescue mission and a suicide mission. And Holly finally finds herself in Jacko's labyrinth. And it ends on a bloody cliffhanger again, and a time-jump again. One part left. Part Six: Sheep's Head. Holly. 2043 We're back to dear Holly. It's only right. Well..... I've reached the end. So suddenly the world's a dystopia. Holly's living in Eilish's place on the coast at Sheep's Head, Ireland. Aoife and Orvar have died in a plane crash caused by a geomagnetic climate storm or some such, and Holly is raising her granddaughter Lorelei (Lol for short). She's also taken in Rafiq, a refugee from the Middle East (I've forgotten which country and I can't find it again) who got separated from his brothers when their boatman tried to pass off Ireland as Norway to save fuel. China and Russia seem to have taken over the world (there's basically no mention of America), the net is spotty at best, electricity is mostly run from solar panels, all oil and fuel is scarce, and ration boxes are getting smaller and smaller, supplemented by home farms and gardens, seaweed, and the like. The three surviving radio stations (one Irish gov broadcasting survivalist tips, one Irish independent, and one Chinese) finally go out. And that's really all there is to it. Marinus appears (this time as a 20-something man) to take Lorelei to Iceland since she has citizenship through her father, and suasions Rafiq's way too since he has diabetes and insulin is running out everywhere else. Iceland is very well off since they're an island and all. He leaves powdered meals (fully nutritional, but unfortunately all Hawaiian pizza-flavored) for Holly and her neighbor Mo to live on for a few years. Holly's cancer is back, though there's no medical equipment to confirm and certainly no medicine to treat. She has a suicide capsule the militia gave them when they stole the neighbor's solar panels. Oh, he also gives her a tablet that somehow connects to 3 others without internet, so she can see the kids and Marinus. And that's it, that's the show. Apart from Marinus acting as deus ex machina, there's nothing at all psychosoteric about his part. We know Marinus and Hugo got out of the labyrinth, though no information at all about specifically how it went down or what happened to Hugo. L'Ohkna and Roho are the only named Horologists that seem to be alive. Holly's abilities have not come back at all. (We do get the briefest description of Holly leaving the labyrinth.) We don't know what happens to the world, if it ever gets better, details about how exactly it descended into total chaos to start with (I mean, obvi climate change and nonrenewable resources, but, be more specific), how long Holly lives, if she kills herself or the cancer gets her, if things ever improve and she ever sees Lol and Rafiq again, or Brendan in England near a nuclear reactor meltdown, or Sharon in Australia that no one's been able to contact. ... I dunno (hide spoiler)] I have so many mixed feelings about this book. Soooo many time-jumps. A new narrator in every part. Dear Holly's our thread, she connects them all, and I ended up feeling attachment to all of them, but still, it's jarring. Cliffhangers or unanswered questions at the end of every part, with minimal, scattered resolution at best. Scattered explanations of Horology, this big, mystical concept that comes together bit by bit and only coalesces just before the big action. And the last part. I'm glad we got to follow Holly through her life, but it just really turned out underwhelming for me, compared to everything else. Although I don't think the dystopian feel was farfetched by any means, it was such a departure from the rest of the book, and the events just didn't hold the same interest for me. It all seemed like a sidestory rather than the main action. But I loved Holly. And I loved the concept. And I spent a month reading this, between all the switches and not wanting to let it go. So 4 stars from me.

Reading this a second time and having seen the movie a lot (though it seems it's on tv the least), it was slow going for most of the first part. Getting toward all the figuring things out and the action and the ending, though, it was really very fun and I remembered how much I enjoyed CoS and SS the first time around.

01/02 - pg 135 (26%): There's so much going on in this book. I'm seriously considering reading it a second time (even though I'm still just starting) or starting over and taking lots of notes.... Also feeling like I'm not analytical-minded enough to fully appreciate all the social commentary that's going on here. 01/09 - pg 467 (94%): I knew it! I mean, I wasn't *sure* at all (like, the dude's not invisible and Mae's not blind), but I definitely had that specific suspicion! -------------- I really have no idea what to say about this book. It's so big--both in terms of pages and themes/ideas--that I really have no idea where to start, and I'm still not entirely sure it didn't go over my head in some way. I feel like it would be possible to teach an entire semester-long class just dealing with all the themes and ideas and potentials presented in this book. When does a beneficial concept go too far? Where is the balance point, where is the tipping point? What trade-offs are worth it? Basically, a tech company called The Circle becomes the uber-Google, uber-Apple, all rolled into one, subsuming all the promising ideas and companies below it. At first a shining model of efficiency, user input, and luscious employee perks, similarities to totalitarian dystopias like those in 1984, The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc., quickly become apparent and never stop multiplying. However, the vast majority of people seem to have no problem with any of this. Circle employees are all but super-human, having all the best ideas, the best ratings and profits, the best social media presence/activity, the best event attendance.... And if not, you'd better fix it, quickly. I mean, how disappointing of you, you selfish layabout. The average citizenry spends their days using Circle services in ever-increasing areas of their lives, following and connecting with Circle employees through every social media platform and other Circle inventions. Everyone wants to work for the Circle, be acknowledged by the Circle. Everyone loves the Circle and wants the Circle's ideas available to them now, now, yesterday. I kept waiting for something huge to happen, which I guess was supposed to be either (view spoiler)[ the Ty/Kalden reveal, which in the end seemed like a bit of a let down in how it was dealt with (hide spoiler)] or (view spoiler)[the rabid chase after Mercer and his decision to drive off a bridge rather than be watched all the time, which seemed like the obvious conclusion about as soon as Mae decided to have them search for him (hide spoiler)]. I kept thinking that all this (view spoiler)[ would inevitably collapse (if not from infrastructure alone? Surely even the biggest piles of money can't record, measure, analyze, tabulate, and store everything from every person for all time...?), that something would go too far, that someone would have the courage to say "wait a minute" through the Circle forum and people would finally revolt. I thought Kalden/Ty would push a button and bring it all down, heck even physically blow it to smithereens, and we would deal with the aftermath. I thought, even if the Circle did prevail, that... well now that I've finished the book I can't even remember what my hypothesis was. But none of that happened. Our poor dear Mae, who at first reminded me so much of myself, failed us. I thought there had to be something--the creator trying to bring it down, Mercer's death, Annie's collapse, losing contact with her parents--that would shock her system and make her see. That the video with Francis would finally come out (at one point I thought Annie was going to post it on her) and she would acknowledge again that some things are meant to be shared between two people, but not with the whole world. (hide spoiler)] I dunno. My head's kind of still swirling, because I'm always caught between these two ends. Wanting to connect everything, know everything, read everything, save everything, and then feeling so overwhelmed by it all that I have an impulse to burn it all down. Wanting to be the ultimate social media carnivore like the Circle expects, and wondering if I could actually find peace out in the natural world if I managed to let go of my anxiety at the thought of missing something online, getting behind and never ever catching back up. Wondering why we can't just make people behave, why we can't just all acknowledge that we pick wedgies or what have you and get the hell over it, and then feeling like a caged animal on display just by walking around the library at my job, or shopping in Walmart. So I dunno. That's the best I can do right now. But I want you (yes, you, anyone reading this review) to read the book if you're interested. Write a review. Write a paper. Suss it all out for the rest of us. -------------- Dude! I just found out they're making this into a movie with Emma Watson! Also Tom Hanks and Karen Gillian. Although, I'm confused by the casting for Stenton (Patton Oswalt? I pictured him more like John Slattery for example) and Francis is not listed on IMDb, wtf.

The end kind of ruined things for me. After Thomas woke up and found the note, things just went too crazy. Even these kids don't have luck that bad. That much does not go wrong all at once. Also, (view spoiler)[ did he kill Teresa just so Thomas didn't have to feel bad about being with Brenda? Like, what really was even the point of that? Enough stuff had already gone to shit and WICKED was literally crumbling around them, her death really wasn't necessary. (hide spoiler)] And of course I still have a hundred questions. Hopefully The Kill Order will answer some of them, it's on its way in the mail. Oh and that epilogue letter reveal was cray-cray.

Oops, realized I forgot to read this in the right spot. It was really really short though and honestly, fairly pointless.

This was an interesting reading experience. For one thing, this was my first time reading an e-book. I'm glad I picked something tech-y like this; it was just right to read about the OASIS and so many video games through a screen (as much as I love paper and missed certain aspects of reading a print book--I was pissed when I thought I still had 4% of the book left and "turned the page" to find the acknowledgements and a preview chapter for another book. :p I picked up a paper copy after I finished this yesterday, just to look at it and see it in the real world, lol. It wouldn't have done this to me--there is no preview chapter in it, and if there was it'd probably have shading on the edges). The other thing, there was just something about the storytelling style or whatever you wanna call it. The best thing I know to call it is explanatory, but it wasn't boring like a textbook or anything. It was just fairly matter-of-fact. Kind of like if your friend told you about his weekend or something. The main character narrates, and since this is a dystopian future (sort of anyway--not inside the OASIS where we spend a lot of time, but very much so outside) and we're dealing with more or less a big trivia competition, there's a lot of history and context to explain if you want people to really know where they are and what's going on. I've never been very into '80s stuff or video games, but I still enjoyed reading this. I appreciated the geek culture and obsessiveness, information compiling, all that good stuff. I bookmarked the part talking about libraries in the OASIS, and Parzival's Firefly-class ship. I appreciated the mention of a Whedonverse planet, though was hoping for at least an explanatory sentence there mentioning Buffy. I really liked the quest / clues / riddles aspect. I had a big crazy theory toward the beginning that I kept waiting and waiting for, which turned out to be totally wrong, so that was sort of disappointing. (view spoiler)[I thought that Aech was Halliday and he hadn't really died, but was being a control freak and wanted to know who exactly was gaining control of the OASIS before he retired, and had gone undercover to find a nice geek kid and sort of chosen/coached Wade. Alas. Real Aech was a good twist though. (hide spoiler)] Toward the middle though I got really excited, when (view spoiler)[Wade escapes from IOI and everyone meets in the Basement and freaking Ogden Morrow shows up like "Surprise! Btw I'm gonna fly you all to Oregon!" (hide spoiler)]. Like, wtf. And at that point I had to go back to work, so it was killer. But yeah, the very end was sort of underwhelming to me, what with thinking I still had several pages left, and my big theory never coming to pass, and everything (view spoiler)[wrapping up in a nice happy bow. It was just a little too neat and sunshine-y and at that point there wasn't enough info dumping about the consequences and future. Like, this was not a love story to me, but that's how it ended. (hide spoiler)]. So yeah. I don't have anything big to say. I feel like this is a very lackluster review, but I wanted to say something.

I've miraculously managed to avoid any spoilers for this, so I figured I'd better go ahead and read it before my luck runs out! ------------ Okay, first off I have to talk about the cover of my edition. I know movie covers get a lot of crap, but it was a few days after I started reading this that I noticed the band at the bottom wasn't just a little blurb about the movie, but was actually made to look like ticker tape that goes across the bottom of a news channel. Cool! But a few days even after that, I finally noticed that AMY'S FREAKING EYES are staring right at you from the top of the cover. Days, I tell you, it was just the way the light finally hit it. So, I appreciate the effort they put into the subtleties here. Now, when I said I'd avoided any spoilers before reading this, that wasn't entirely true. (view spoiler)[Just call me an unreliable narrator, like our dear characters here. I had heard somewhere (I think watching Oscars stuff of all things) that Amy faked her death. It was one of those things you try to pretend you didn't hear, but you're not quite successful. So I do wish I could have experienced the mystery and the confusion without that, actually trying to make sense of it. I have to say though that when Nick opened the shed I had Ring-esque visions of a green-gray, death-statue Amy sitting in the corner despite myself. I have to say, I got a bit annoyed with the blatant cliffhangers and bombshells at the ends of the chapters though. The woodshed and "It was my fifth lie to the police. I was just starting." and "She wanted to buy a gun." and things like that. I mean sure, they were effective to keep you thinking of Nick's storyline while you read the diary entries, but still, a bit over-the-top. I did not ever imagine that Amy had faked the whole diary, that was a surprise. Or that she was such an extremely conniving, soulless psychopath. That all did at least surprise me. That she'd set people up her whole life, just because they did one thing wrong to her. Crazy. And then to use actually getting pregnant for real, as her final master plan--like, shit, lady. Can you imagine Amy changing diapers? I mean yeah she bled herself and collected pee and vomit, but on the daily? For a screaming crying thing that will get everything wrong and never fit into her perfect fantasies? I wish we'd had an epilogue chapter or a sequel. The only reason she wouldn't kill the baby is to keep the facade going. Can you imagine the psychological damage to that kid, living with a fake mother and a terrified father? Because the kid would know, that something was off, eventually. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, I feel like there was something else I wanted to address.... If I remember, I'll add it in. I wasn't sure about 2 or 3 stars, but I decided on 3 in acknowledgement of the complexity.

This is a gem. It's a book for booklovers about a bookstore for booklovers with lots more bookish elements thrown in, yet with plenty of modern technology that--for the first time ever?--is not presented as at odds with stacks of old books or as the new-and-improved replacement for old books, but a partner, a tool to get a bit else out of it. There's also a great big mystery which we discover right along with the narrator, fun details for artists, techies, and historians, and an intriguing cast of characters that (apart from Ashley IMO) never feel flat, despite brief interactions that, dare I say, actually mimic how we meet and get to know people in real life. I feel compelled to put down that I didn't quite "get" the final message... but the rest of the book was so good I don't even care! I'll study up later. The epilogue wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but it all wrapped up nicely and I think it fit with the overall themes and tone of the book. Perhaps these could be summed up in the now familiar phrase festina lente, which means "make haste slowly" and is symbolized by the dolphin and anchor, Manutius' printer's mark (and emblem of the Library and Information Science honor society)--everything comes together in its time, as long as you work diligently. I think the only complaint that could be made about this book is that overall, all of the scenarios work out a little too easily, but it still has its ups and downs and it's still undoubtedly worth the read for all the nerdy goodness. And the glow-in-the-dark cover!

I can't even with the end. I really liked knowing Julia's story though.

I don't have much to say. I did enjoy the book, certainly meeting more peculiars and learning a bit more about peculiardom. But the whole thing felt rather like a middle. I know it is the middle of the series so far, but typically each installment will still have its own beginning and end, and I didn't see that here. The end was interesting and opened up a lot of potential, but the stopping point seemed very abrupt and arbitrary; it was not final nor a cliffhanger. I also felt like the photos were not as seamlessly integrated as with the first book, and it felt strange (and a bit of a cop-out) to meet so many new characters while hardly seeing some old ones. As I said though, I did like it and am certainly interested to see how the third one goes.

I don't quite know what I think...

1. Not that I don't love Mary GrandPre's illustrations (just look at that cover!), but now I want an HP set illustrated by Jo. I'd seen her character group sketch and was impressed, but I didn't know she drew in general. 2. OMG Dumbledore. Some of his commentaries were better than the actual stories. It was weird going from reading the series to reading this, I feel like having such a huge drop in length and complexity almost made it harder for me to understand. It was fun though. I think the Fountain of Fair Fortune was my favorite new one.

Strangely enough, the parts of the book about the Fair were a lot more interesting and exciting to me than the parts about H.H. Holmes. Even though I bought the book expecting a murder story with the visits to the fair as backdrop, I think what I got was more about the construction of the fair with a few cons and killings over in the back corner. I don't want to make that sound like a bad thing though, because I honestly had fun reading this book. I really knew nothing about the Chicago World's Fair before I started reading this, and it was very exciting to see how many things appeared there for the first time ever, how many obstacles they surmounted and records they broke. Even as someone who has a shelf here just for serial killers, Holmes was often a boring part of this story for me. Certainly more could have been done to make the Holmes storyline more exciting, but this is nonfiction and perhaps the source material no longer exists to support that. Although it came as a surprise to me, in my opinion the Fair is the main character, and I think it should be.

... I had all these little half-formed thoughts about what I'd say in the review for this book, and then I got to the end and I don't know what to say. But I will try to say what I was thinking before. This book. The word-craft was absolutely phenomenal, all the more so I think when keeping in mind that it was translated from French--I'm sure it's that beautiful in French because that's how the book is, but how do you preserve that in another language? I am impressed. It was pretty boring at times, but at times it was very beautiful and at times it was very funny. Such mixed feelings but overall I think it's good--I wish I could give it 3.5 or 3.75 stars.

Between being less interested than I expected to be at the beginning and coming back to school for May Term, I've gotten rather off track in reading this.

This book was amazing. I have to say that through all the times in school and books I've learned about the Holocaust and what Hitler did more south of Germany, I had no idea that Russia deported people too, from Lithuania and Latvia and Estonia and Finland. I had no idea. And it was just as bad. I don't know what else to say.