For as much as I love the let-your-freak-flag-fly aspect of this series (open love is fun love), it was extremely refreshing (ugh, I'd hoped to never For as much as I love the let-your-freak-flag-fly aspect of this series (open love is fun love), it was extremely refreshing (ugh, I'd hoped to never use that word again in a review) to see a couple be...well...normal up in here.
Who would have thought that I'd ever condone raging jealousy? I know, I know. That's not always my thing. Yet, here I am, cheering a hero on for wanting to bust heads if anyone touches his girl.
Yep, that's how far out-there that the free-lovin' vibe has gone, if I think the jealous guy is a peach. But come ON...try and tell me that it's not a little strange how every single person in the O'Kane compound is more than okay with their significant other getting it on with anyone they want to? Sure, I could buy it if a few of the main players were poly, but EVERYONE? Okay, so they are basically living in the headquarters of a sex club. And, free love is normal in their sector, so maybe everyone is trained to think monogamy is soooooo "last century." But NO ONE deals with jealousy ever around here (Dallas' little tissy fits don't count)? What about when the women start aging and their boobs start sagging and their men are still surrounded by hot, naked 18 year olds? Not...even...then?
The reasons above are why I enjoyed Beyond Pain so much. I actually like the free-lovin (see former reviews) vibe. It's hot. It's a great fantasy that I wouldn't mind stepping into. But realistically, I don't live on a poly compound, so there comes a point where too much becomes too much. That's why this book was a refreshing (crap, that word again) break from the over-the-top antics (which I did enjoy) of the former books.
This rating makes me sadface because I was so looking forward to Ace and Rachel's story. I don't get why I'm having a good book/not so good book/good This rating makes me sadface because I was so looking forward to Ace and Rachel's story. I don't get why I'm having a good book/not so good book/good book/not so good book rotation with this series. I hope this means that I love the next book, but I might have to wait a minute to find out because I need a break right now.
Onward to my main complaint: Prior to Beyond Jealousy there was a huge buildup of how Ace and Rachel were meant to be. Then we finally get here, and Ace ends up taking a backseat for much of the story, until he's finally made to feel loved and wanted.
I needed more connection throughout the entire book with Ace and Rachel as a couple. The method of delivery here didn't feel satisfying to me at all. It was hard not to miss the element of Ace and Rachel having time to connect and grow together. That's sort of what you expect when you wait for a book.
I'm still not sure how I felt about the threesome. It's not that I disapproved of the direction (part of me was hoping for one after Cruz was introduced), but I think that I found myself feeling disenchanted with all of it after I realized how much the threesome had stolen from the "meant to be" leaning of Ace and Rachel of book 1 before Cruz came along. I don't even mind threesomes when they're done right, but it's a rare occasion to actually see a three-way-HEA done right. With Beyond Jealousy, the entire scenario came off feeling forced instead of organic.
Ah well. I'll take that short break for a bit, then come back hoping for a better book 5. ...more
...and that's okay. Beyond Control was not great for me, but since it was sandwiched in between two books that I 3 star story with a 5 star sex scene.
...and that's okay. Beyond Control was not great for me, but since it was sandwiched in between two books that I really liked, I'll forgive this for not hooking me on the same level as books 1 and 3.
I've just never felt the Dallas/Lex dynamic, which is why I waited so long to continue the series. But hey, I won't complain too much...remember how I mentioned a 5 star sex scene? Oh yeah. That.
Public sex coupled with the fantasy of having multiple people tend to your every need kind of really rings my bell. And I don't get to read it like this very often. Let's see, we have pages and pages of one female being the center of attention for multiple people who live in that moment to make sure that all of her needs and fantasies are met through direct orders from one hot man in charge? SIGN ME UP. Yes, I'm a bad, bad, bad girl. #sorrynotsorry
Getting back to the Dallas/Lex thing...while they are probably my least favorite couple, there were some good teases for future books within their story, so I enjoyed most of the outside dynamic, which helped save the book for me. ...more
3.5 stars. I'm not sure why, but the writing seemed shakier than I remembered. That said, I'm moving on to the real reason I came back to the trilogy.3.5 stars. I'm not sure why, but the writing seemed shakier than I remembered. That said, I'm moving on to the real reason I came back to the trilogy. I was here for the characters and their journey - and what a journey it was.
All in all, this was still an impressive trilogy. If you haven't read survivalist fiction, or even a zombie story by this point, As the World Dies might be a good place to start because the books contain enough hardcore content to serve its purpose, without forgetting to incorporate enough of the "humanity" side as a draw for the readers who need to see life and love and personal connection.
I'm sure if I'd read the final installment of AtWD immediately after book 2, I probably would have rated it at least 4 stars, but I blame my time spent away from the series as the reason why I took longer to connect than usual.
I'd highly recommend the trilogy - just don't be ridiculous like me and wait forever to read the final installment. You'll have a much better time. :)...more
Replace the last word in that acronym with the word book.
2.5 stars. Why? Why did I have to think of every single other YA dystopia that I've everFDB.
Replace the last word in that acronym with the word book.
2.5 stars. Why? Why did I have to think of every single other YA dystopia that I've ever read while I was reading Red Queen? Why did Mare have to be yet another parody of a YA heroine?
If I hadn't read Matched, Delirium, Wither, Hunger Games, Pawn, Divergent, The Selection, Legend, and however many others (*edit* okay, I get the Red Rising connection now), I probably would have enjoyed this book, even to the point where I could've overlooked Mare's love drama and basic inability to figure out what she should be doing.
But I do read. Quite often, in fact. And I only give passes for cut-and-paste worlds when I'm reading paranormal romance (because let's face it, most of us are only making pit stops in that genre for the sexy times). This trend of all YA dystopia mirroring each other NEEDS TO STOP.
Oh, and I don't like fat shaming. That can stop too. Fat family? Really? It reminds me of that Nicole whatever-her-name-is who made that awful youtube video.
Disclaimer : For once (okay, maybe this happens every so often) I actually understand why OTHERS would love Red Queen. If you aren't already over-saturated on this genre, it's an entertaining read. So I might actually venture that this is worth a recommend for anyone who thinks that the synopsis looks good and doesn't read much of this type of book. If you fit that description, by all means...I think you'll have much better luck with the book than I did.
So I will say that the FDB is only for MY reaction to the book. But I honestly don't think it will be a bad book for everyone else.
It's the Marines meets Maze Runner meets Unwind meets Fight Club (the cover even reminds me of the FC cove
"Welcome to the post-human age."
It's the Marines meets Maze Runner meets Unwind meets Fight Club (the cover even reminds me of the FC cover) meets some weird version of The Island of Dr. Moreau/Jurassic Park (without the animals) mashup - in this book's version of "it really sucks to go to juvvie."
The show Beyond Scared Straight would probably love to have some of Phoenix Island's tactics at their disposal.
I'm itching to shelve this book as horror lite, but I'll go with science fiction and a nod to dystopia (even though the "off-island" world isn't on the same abnormal scale that Phoenix Island is).
Who would miss them? They were just a bunch of throwaway orphans.
Since the book was something of a slow-starter, I'm not sure if I was on board enough to start caring about what happened to the characters by the time the action finally started kicking in. With some retooling, Phoenix Island would probably work better as an adult offering. I expect YA books of this category to hit harder and faster out of the gate, whereas I am more patient to wait out a slow build with adult literature.
However, all is not lost. This is exactly the type of book that my teenage son would have loved a few years ago. At the first hint of danger and/or violence to come, he would have stayed glued to the pages, waiting for it to happen. He would have cared less about character attachment, and more about seeing how the shit was going to hit the fan. While he and I both read and enjoyed books like Unwind and The Maze Runner, we definitely had different reasons for why we liked those books. In retrospect, Unwind is still a book I think about, while Maze Runner has dulled with time for me (because I've read much better from the genre since then), and I'd actually put it on par now with Phoenix Island, which might not be as good of a compliment as it would have been a couple of years ago.
"They look like the damn Hitler Youth."
Even though I'm sort of half-and-half on this book (the second part was pretty good - I'm just sad that it took me so long to get invested), I'm going to go ahead and recommend Phoenix Island to anyone who wants to get away from the Matched, Delirium, Wither type of romantic sci-fi and delve into something grittier.
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy. ...more
I'm going to skim read this book again before reading book 2 and will write my review then. I feel like I'm not ready to write something down just yetI'm going to skim read this book again before reading book 2 and will write my review then. I feel like I'm not ready to write something down just yet. In the meantime : big thumbs up. It took me a few chapters to wrap my brain around things happening which seemed like they shouldn't be happening, but when I finally started to let some of my own thoughts of reality fall away, I found myself more willing to enjoy the story.
So what if it took me 11 days to finish Prodigy? At least I'm finally willing to look at any book again. I call that progress on a small scale, haha.
ISo what if it took me 11 days to finish Prodigy? At least I'm finally willing to look at any book again. I call that progress on a small scale, haha.
I know that many people felt like Prodigy was a step-up over the first installment in the trilogy, and I can say that it did have quite a few areas of improvement over Legend when it came to showing more world detail. There was a great amount of time spent on bringing the bigger picture into focus, and it probably satisfied many of those who felt as if Legend was skimping out on the details of what made this government and world tick.
It's probably strange that I was left feeling nostalgic for the simplicity of Legend. The relationship drama and all of the Tess nonsense didn't sit well with me. There's still something about reading these characters which feels like I'm watching kids play dress-up in their parents' clothing. Maybe that's the point the author is trying to make. But I'm still perplexed over the contradiction of these characters being completely innocent over affairs of the heart, yet they're still able to thwart the enemies in their paths and help the colonies work toward overthrowing the powers that be.
It's all so ass-backwards to my mind. I can't say Legend started the trend of teenage boys who have lost their hormonal drive in favor of helping the greater good, but it's kind of weeeeiiirrddd. I'm not talking about the need for heavy romance (many don't care to see it in sci-fi). I just know that teen boys are well...teen boys. And that teens in general are never going to fully arrive at an evolutionary stage where they're so focused on fixing the world that they don't have normal um...drives?
We're seeing teenagers tackle adult problems, but stepping backwards emotionally into early teen relationship mindsets. Are they kids or are they adults? I'm sure that some people would argue that this question is part of the outcome of kids being thrown into an adult world, but I'm not buying the way it's being spun. While Day has managed to hold on to some of his charm, June has become flat and emotionally unappealing to me. I'd almost liken it to being robotic.
But...but... The last section of this book...it really pulled at my emotions. I thought it was a good call on Ms. Lu's part to do what she did on the June/Day front. This move had me rooting nervously for the characters all over again, the way that I did in book 1.
Here's hoping that the finale will bring me back to what I liked about Legend.
**spoiler alert** Here a clone, there a clone, everywhere a clone, clone?
Mini spoilers ahead about the confusing nature of the characters, but no big **spoiler alert** Here a clone, there a clone, everywhere a clone, clone?
Mini spoilers ahead about the confusing nature of the characters, but no big plot reveals.
The only thing more disturbing than a clone scenario would have been clowns.
So... a girl takes a placement test and ends up getting put on the bottom tier of society advantage. She gets the opportunity to become a higher class if she hides the truth of how she got there. This is when everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
You know how high fantasy books have a map in the front? I felt like I needed a spreadsheet just to keep track of which people were supposed to be doing what, and who was actually telling the truth about their persona.
It's not like Pawn was a difficult read because it wasn't. I zipped through this in less than a day and had no trouble following the story itself. My only hurdle had to do with characters coming and going, and a bunch of dangers which were retracted, then acted upon again.
In a way, I think this book should have been shortened a touch and made into a prequel, simply because it laid a lot of character groundwork without really moving the story along. It wasn't really until the last 25% when we started to find out about the rebellion, instead of being privy to one huge game of "invasion of the body snatchers."
By body snatchers, I am referring to the process of being "masked," in which one person has surgery to look like another. Plastic surgery - all the cool kids are doing it. I wasn't buying the ease of how things such as height and skin were so easily changed, but whatever.
There is a potential love triangle alert. I don't know how far the author is going to go with it, but I found my heart sort of sinking when I realized that the "other" guy was being set up to be infinitely more interesting that the current love interest (who I liked at the start, but ended up becoming a bore far too quickly).
Knox (the other guy), with his reading glasses and secretive ways, amused me frequently.
"I have a boyfriend." "Yes, you do," he said. Me." "One I actually like." "You'll learn to like me eventually," said Knox. "Most people do."
Benjy (the faithful boyfriend) was cute like a puppy dog to start, but his personality didn't get much of a chance to develop. This is really too bad, because we don't see many lead characters with long reddish hair. It's kind of unique. [image] I was getting sort of a vibe similar to The Selection with the class building and love interests both being set up in the current location of the house of government, which made me sort of nervous.
What makes this story readable is potential of rebellion to come. Kitty, our lead character, is going to have to choose between the safety of herself and her loved ones, or making a difference in the world.
Readers who want to move away from the heavy focus on romance will eventually find a few scenes to be disturbing and eerie. Violence does come into play when citizens are shown as nothing but dispensable objects to be moved around as pawns by the people who rule the roost.
We went around in circles a few times before we finally started getting somewhere, but I'm intrigued enough to see what happens next.
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy. ...more
I don't have to start a rebellion. It's already begun.
3.5 stars. I'm actually happy that Book 2 of The Taking reads less like Lux t[image]
I don't have to start a rebellion. It's already begun.
3.5 stars. I'm actually happy that Book 2 of The Taking reads less like Lux this time around and more like Divergent instead. While many might argue that Divergent isn't exactly the gold standard of excellence in sci-fi, I was more than okay with the shift. At least I don't have to complain about reading another paranormal book which just happens to feature aliens.
Why the Divergent comparison? The simulations immediately brought me back to the fear sims in Divergent, even though we've traversed way beyond non-combative fears in this book. I seem to have a fascination with alternate reality and how it plays on the brain because I notice myself slowing down to read scenes such as these, even if I was reading at a break-neck pace before. *ponders why that is*
I'm really enjoying this series now that it's settled into some form of sci-fi-lite or perhaps even sci-fi-romance, as I'm more able to define what I'm reading (yes, I'm super-crazy/rabid about genre definitions). It's good to have some books lined up in the repertoire which I can recommend to friends who might struggle with a harder-edged science fiction. There's an ample amount of romance and interpersonal relationships to balance out the coming revolution. And it's a romance I'm enjoying even more with the second book, now that the characters have moved away from the typical boy-meets-girl-and-they-are-instantly-connected angle and into deeper, more volatile territory.
I used to think Jackson hid his true thoughts to be mysterious, but now I think he does it because he's seen and experienced things worse than most people and he's afraid to let on just how jacked up he might be inside.
The technology aspect is still weak but I like the ideas that West comes up with. I don't even care if a man-made wormhole being used to reroute transmissions would actually work or not. At least there are definite ideas put in place which differentiate how the human and alien planets work.
I'm also curious to know who is supposed to be trustworthy. My opinion seems to change with every few chapters. As of now, I am not betting on any one government or faction because everyone seems to be corrupted by power, which isn't a big surprise because POWER CORRUPTS. Duh. :p
The relationship between Jackson and Ari has become even more complicated. I love when relationship obstacles involve a bigger picture, instead of constantly rehashing two people and their own personal hangups (not that Jackson doesn't have some of those - mysterious creature that he is). It makes you root harder for the two people to find happiness. I am going to be right there with the others, rooting for Jackson and Ari to find happiness in the midst of chaos.
"What can I say? For me, it has always been you."
The ending = hmmm. It's definitely got me interested in book 3. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. I can't wait to see what's up next!
Questions for those who have read the book (don't click if you don't want to read spoilers; if you end up answering in the comments section instead of by pm, please use spoiler tags) (view spoiler)[It mentioned that Jackson was nervous about Ari being able to kill Zeus because no one had gotten close to succeeding before - but this was AFTER Ari's failed attempt. If he knew it was going to fail, why did he let her go?
Also, why can't I remember how Jackson can hear Ari's thoughts? It seems like some Ancients can hear thoughts and others can't? Can Zeus? Would he be able to anticipate an attack? (hide spoiler)]
This book provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes have been taken from the pre-published version and may be altered or omitted from the final copy. ...more
Even though I have the galley, I went and put Into the Still Blue on hold, figuring I might want to read Brooke first, based on publish order.
Eh. It Even though I have the galley, I went and put Into the Still Blue on hold, figuring I might want to read Brooke first, based on publish order.
Eh. It wasn't all that necessary. Most of this short was about Brooke getting over Perry, and debating the hotness of two different guys. Not that I have complaints about reading anything from Rossi because she has a way with words that is always a pleasure to read, but I am sort of burned out on series with all of the extra short stories which don't actually need to be read.
There were a few snippets about the other characters, but it was nothing all that new or exciting.
If you're debating whether or not to read Brooke, but haven't yet read Roar and Liv, definitely go for R&L instead. At least that was a short story worth including, and is one you won't want to miss if you're invested in the series.
"Think about who you want to be standing next to if the rest of the world went to hell, and you've got your man."
3.5 stars. "Just g[image]
"Think about who you want to be standing next to if the rest of the world went to hell, and you've got your man."
3.5 stars. "Just go with it" is the train of thought which I'll be falling back on during my review. The sub-category of 'biker' romance has been around for a while, but has gained in popularity recently because of the show Sons of Anarchy. My comparisons of Defiance are going to be alongside other MC (Motorcycle Club) romance books, instead of contemporary romance as a whole.
It wasn't so much that they were wrong about what happened behind closed doors, but being a part of the culture and peering through the looking glass were two distinctly different things.
First, I need to get my one major gripe out of the way and it has to do with the post-apocalyptic setting. The only reason I picked up this book is because it wasn't a straightforward contemporary romance. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the natural disasters being used as an explanation for the setting and not much else. If you're going to write post-apocalyptic, write it. Commit to it. Research it. Develop it. Don't use it as a crutch to half-heartedly explain a world in chaos. I had trouble buying the "missing sun" concept because the explanation given was sparse.
Then the Chaos hit and the lights went out, including the sun.
You may ask the reason why I was bummed that the book read more like a contemporary romance than a post-apocalyptic book. That's simple : I wanted to see some survival skills and real problems to overcome - not just the same old misunderstandings, fights, and kidnappings which appear over and over in this type of contemporary book.
Surprisingly enough, I did enjoy my reading choice, even though I didn't quite get what I was hoping for. While I cringed a little at some of the stuff which went on in the first few chapters (for a moment, I didn't know if I would like the female lead when she played into the very role which she was trying to run from), once I got past that, I enjoyed the rest of the book. The drama level was dialed pretty far back for what I've seen from other MC books. You can't/shouldn't get rid of all questionable behavior or completely change the dynamics of a lifestyle, but this author didn't do that, thankfully. However, you can show characters learning to treat each other with respect. And I found more of it here than I'd been expecting.
If you struggled with books like Undeniable or Reaper's Property because of the high-level of angst, or even feel like you've never been able to get on board the Kristen Ashley train because something isn't working for you, there's a chance that you might be surprised at how Defiance takes some of the same vibe as those books and turns it into something less likely to make you roll your eyes at every turn. Sure, there will be some ridiculousness. Absolutely, there will be some alpha behavior. Most definitely, there will be some questionable behavior. But for some reason, it didn't feel as overblown as I've seen it in other, similar books.
Some of this might have to do with the main character Caspar. If you've watched the show Sons of Anarchy and witnessed the main character Jax's struggle to do right by the people he loves, while still managing to keep his club going at the same time, you'll understand Caspar. Right is not always good, and wrong is not always bad. Lines are blurred. The characters do the best that they know how. And I appreciate that about Caspar. He isn't just another egotistical, sex-crazed asshole, even if that's a part of his character. He fights for what he believes in - and what he believes in is his love for Tru.
"I think it could change. I think it should."
I'm going to wrap up with one big disclaimer. If you can't handle reading male chauvinism in any form, even if a big portion of it is coming from side characters, this book would not be one I'd recommend. However, if you can handle some bad behavior as long as it's tempered with true character growth, you might find that this book would work for you, even if you've been burned by MC romances in the past.
Defiance was sexy and intense. I enjoyed the sexual chemistry, and liked the characters well enough, even if I didn't fully connect with them. I'm hoping that Mathias (who was featured as a side character with his own PoV chapters) will get his own book. I haven't read many books with a deaf male lead, and I'd like to see more of this character who is funny and personable. I'll definitely be reading on in this series.
A couple of end notes. This sentence in the book just made me laugh because I don't think it was the author's intent to reference these artists. Or was it?
Hammer and Lil'jon were there too.
[image]
Some of the character phrasing and stilted sentences made me laugh because it was too close to KA for comfort. I wonder if these authors all get a similar inspiration for their phrasing, haha.
Great storytelling and characterization is present, and it gives enough weight to cancel out some of the over-excessive descriptions and random add-ins. But only to a certain extent. Obviously, my opinion matters little, since Stephen King is popular enough that he can write everything as long-winded as he'd like and tell us all to move along if we aren't happy with it.
This was a disturbing, gory, graphic and engrossing read. The cast of characters varied from sane to insane, which made for a lot of booing and cheering when it came to following everyone's individual stories.
Quick Story Synopsis : One small town is minding their own small-town business when from out of nowhere, a dome closes over their town, shutting them off from the rest of the world. They can see the world, but can't get to it. What caused this dome to appear? Nobody knows and answers aren't so quick to be found.
Can you imagine what people would do in such a situation? What if supplies ran out? What if law and order suddenly ceased to exist? If you can think of all the horrific things which could happen, chances are many of those exact things are happening in this book.
Ever heard of the term "shit hits the fan?" Yep. You guessed it.
I can't really review this book further without giving away big plot reveals. In a nutshell, I'll go back to what I said above : there was a story worth reading, but I don't know if I'll ever fully embrace King's style of over-descriptive writing. If there's a hair growing out of a mole on a person's face, chances are, we'll hear about it.
Also, I always feel like there's some soap-box opinions being brought to us through the writing. I prefer not to have to read about politics and religion in books when it becomes sort of nit-picky. That's just my personal preference.
Do I think this is going to make for an interesting t.v. show? Probably. At least I think there's room for a lot of crazy potential, although some scenes might have to be downgraded in content to meet mainstream t.v. requirements.
I'll be watching it even if it's horrible though because of Mike Vogel, who is playing my favorite character Barbie from the book. [image] Shallow? Probably. Sue me. :p ...more
I'm going to pull an Ash and not rate this book because I'm not sure what to think.
Trigger Warnings :Rape, bad pop culture references, incest, baby-I'm going to pull an Ash and not rate this book because I'm not sure what to think.
Trigger Warnings :Rape, bad pop culture references, incest, baby-kicking, bugs feasting on humans, religion bashing, grotesque race-mutating and medical experimenting, excessive gore, woman-shaming, abuse of sex toys, and a ridiculous love triangle pentagon.
If any book is going to get people talking it's going to be this. Are we talking in a good or bad way? Heck, I don't know. I can't imagine anyone reading through without having at least a couple of their buttons pushed.
This book was entertaining as all get-out. It was fierce, rough, and campy at the same time. A sex-crazed woman is left alone on earth among few men and multiple aphid-mutated humans. But for some reason, I wasn't laughing my way through the book, even though there were plenty of reasons to be laughing. There was actually a decent story foundation in place. The aphid virus and Evie's response to it was quite an interesting idea. This part of the equation was what made the read enjoyable (Roark didn't hurt either. Yum. If I was going to be facing down the end of life as we knew it, I'd want a Roark by my side).
Are aphids the new zombie? [image]
What sort of trouble is an aphid-resistant, sex-junkie, badass female going to get into in a world of evil and gore? The answer is : A whole lot of trouble.
Where I (and other readers before me) have run into a roadblock is with the extremist views of the villains and how they tie to a specific religion and people. I'm not sure why this part of the story couldn't have been attributed to a broader, more vague belief system, or even something made up. The way it comes across (whether intended or not) is that there's a bias bordering on hate against certain belief systems.
I won't take the time to say much about the extreme gore and sexual assaults. There is a disclaimer in the synopsis, so I knew what I was getting into. Was it all a bit much? I think it might have been if the book is being marketed as more mainstream than taboo. I get that violence and perversion would come into play in a dog-eat-dog (or aphid-eat-human) end of the world scenario, but there comes a point where you can probably decide to limit the amount of graphic scenes to a handful and still have the same desired effect as you would have by including many.
Will I read book 2? I don't know. When I weigh the entertainment factor against some things which didn't sit right with me, it's a tough call to make. If nothing else, I'd be curious to see others read the book and give me their own interpretation of it....more
"A lot of things have changed." From the way she said it, I knew the changes hadn't been good.
Uh, I'm glad someone said it. Because I felt
"A lot of things have changed." From the way she said it, I knew the changes hadn't been good.
Uh, I'm glad someone said it. Because I felt like I'd been thrown into the future without warning.
What happened to a sweet little alternate PoV novella with a bunch of lovely Ben moments as he waxed poetic about Janelle? I was expecting more of this...
I touched the spot on the desk where her hair had been. Don't judge me.
Or perhaps some of this...
She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
To take a line from Ben : Don't judge me! I know that the series is supposed to be an action-packed sci-fi about crazy people who are doing suspicious things, but I was misinformed that this particular installment would be a short story featuring a few scenes from Unraveling as retold from Ben's perspective. And since Ben was more focused on Janelle than Janelle was on Ben (he was following her around for years, after all), I thought this would be a sweet little swoon break before we got back to the action in book 2.
BUT NO, I WAS TRICKED. TRICKED, I TELL YOU.
What happened, you ask? After the brief book 1 recap scenes, we were immediately thrown into what had transpired after the end of book 1. NO JOKE.
Hint : you might not want to skip reading Undone before book 2 comes out.
Btw, this ended just as crazy as book 1 did. I wouldn't quite call it cliffhanger hell, but my mind is reeling a little bit.
I'm still a fan - of both Ben and the series. After the recent disappointments I've had with the past few sci-fi books I've read, at least this is still a winner for me.
Now I get why it took me 3 tries to finally buckle down and read Into the Still Blue. The final in[image]
The trilogy-ending curse has been broken.
Now I get why it took me 3 tries to finally buckle down and read Into the Still Blue. The final installment was good in its own right, but it was very different in execution. I had been expecting one thing, and when I got something else, I think I balked at it without realizing. Once I got over the fact that the character-driven vibe of the past two books wasn't going to be as strong of a factor here, I settled in to enjoy the one thing that I always say YA sci-fi books need more of : actual sci-fi.
While I still missed some of what made UTNS and TTEN so special to me, I understood why the trilogy ending needed to branch off and kick some ass.
All in all, this was a satisfying (okay, so one thing could have been more satisfying...but I get it...sigh) end to an excellent trilogy. Well done, Ms. Rossi.
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
"You're killing me, Liv. Whatever it is, just tell me. What's in your heart?" "You are," she says. She tells me again, silently.
Is it[image]
"You're killing me, Liv. Whatever it is, just tell me. What's in your heart?" "You are," she says. She tells me again, silently.
Is it Valentine's day yet? Because I feel like I just took a ride on the romance train. Perhaps this is why I broke out of my foreboding theme from the first two books reviewed, in favor of something a little more "before the shit hit the fan." Choo-choo?
I wish that I had read Roar and Liv before book 2. Let me clarify that there is technically no "right" time to read this prequel. Just because I happened to read it after the first two books, doesn't mean that anything felt wrong or out of order. The only reason why I wish that I had read this small piece of the bigger story earlier, is because I think knowing this part of the story might have added to the tension in book 2.
Don't look too hard for answers to your questions. Consider yourself invited to view an early look at the lives of the characters themselves, pre-Aria. That's about all you're going to get.
Worth the read? Absolutely, if you can't get enough of Perry and Roar, or want to know more about how Roar and Liv got started. I like seeing how relationships are cemented, and in that aspect, I was not disappointed.
This girl. She's all I see.
She's mine. The words rage through my mind.
We slow and slow and slow until we move together as one.
I'll give her time, but I won't give up. Ever.
Now I truly have to begin the long wait for book 3. :(...more
Yes, I am one of those lame people who watched the show before picking up the comic. Apparently, I wasn't cool enough to realize that this world existYes, I am one of those lame people who watched the show before picking up the comic. Apparently, I wasn't cool enough to realize that this world existed before AMC introduced me to it. Well that, and I can honestly say that I'm fairly new to this whole world of graphic novels, comics and manga. I'm pretty sure that my love of Archie comics as a child (TEAM BETTY!) doesn't count.
This review will have some pics because I want to show what's going on in the book.
Not gonna lie...I find show Rick to be sexier than comic book Rick. I'm sure you find it strange that I'd even think to assess the hotness of a comic book character but I can't help it now that Dimitri Belikov has set the bar high on my pixel fantasies.
Yes, I would tap that - paper or not. Come to me, Dimka. [image]
*shakes myself back to reality* Where were we? Oh yes, Walking Dead.
I had more fun than I'd been expecting. Comic Rick seems to more "everyday" than his t.v. show counterpart. I kind of liked that. He's just an average suburbia joe waking up to this shithole of a world.
Oh, and he rides a bike! I don't know why, but this made me giggle incessantly for at least a minute.
[image]
And is it just me, or did I notice Rick wiping away what appeared to be TEARS on more than one occasion? Show Rick doesn't cry THAT MUCH! No, I'm not counting a certain recent incident where he was ugly-facing it up on the ground over something that should have made him dance in the blood of freshly slain zombies!
I think I'm going to have to read the next comic now to see if Rick cries any more. Okay, well also for the zombies.
[image]
*comic spoiler ahead that was not mentioned on the show!* (view spoiler)[So I heard Andrea and Dale were hooking up in the comics? Because there was none of that going on in the show. (hide spoiler)] Thank goodness. I might have felt a little queasy if I'd seen any such nonsense!
Anyway, two mangled thumbs up!
If you're a fan of The Walking Dead but not really into comics/manga, might I suggest a regular (non-picture) book which features a story that could be straight out of a WD episode? ---> The First Days <---- Awesome fun w/a little bit of adult romance in it for people who wouldn't mind a little sexy time along with their gore and zombie killing. ...more
Stacia (the 2010 club)
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Books:
dystopia-or-apocalyptic
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