Okay, so was this based on Henry Cavill? Or was the name and all Superman comparisons just a coincidence? I’m just wondering.
This was pretty cute. I eOkay, so was this based on Henry Cavill? Or was the name and all Superman comparisons just a coincidence? I’m just wondering.
This was pretty cute. I enjoyed the set up and Clara and Henry had some pretty good chemistry.
Clara being “broken” because her dad left when she was 8 was pretty silly, very much a tell and not show situation so it was hard to sympathise. Also, the entire Ex-Wife storyline should have been scrapped, it was pretty redundant. They were trying to make her a good person while simultaneously having her call our main character a bad person and undeserving of Henry just because she didn’t know he had feelings? Guys, I need it to be made abundantly clear that being someone’s friend is not “leading them on” and that you can’t complain about someone not knowing your feelings if you don’t tell them. That’s common sense I fear. ...more
And so the stakes keep rising! This book was filled with some amazing world building that only proved to up the ante. Tensions are high from the get gAnd so the stakes keep rising! This book was filled with some amazing world building that only proved to up the ante. Tensions are high from the get go. I feel like Katniss’ character has grown so much since the first book (even though not a lot of time has gone by) - I think she really solidified herself as the “protagonist” in this one and I loved that for her!
Because Book 1’s main focus was the games, it was easy to focus on the ‘here and now’ rather than the larger picture, it was a different kind of ‘life or death’. But Book 2 really expanded on just how evil the Capitol is.
I also adored some of the new characters that were introduced (I’m looking at you Finnick and Mags!!). Especially as they’re from different districts to 12, it was so interesting to learn more about the other districts and how they are being impacted.
Now, what I will say is that I’m pretty sick of all this ‘Peeta or Gale’ back and forth - it feels redundant. And I’m sure there can be an argument made for how they both represent different things for Katniss and it’s deeper than just a love triangle but it’s doing my head in and I don’t want to see it. Let’s just make Peeniss endgame and be done with it.
(Potentially) Controversially, I think I did prefer Book 1 but I absolutely appreciate this one and everything it represents. Very much looking forward to reading Mockingjay and seeing where this story takes us. ...more
This was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for me. And by that I mean: I cried…like, a lot. Big ugly sobs too.
Coming to terms with your grief isThis was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for me. And by that I mean: I cried…like, a lot. Big ugly sobs too.
Coming to terms with your grief is hard and watching Coyote and Rodeo do so, separately and together, felt very powerful. They were on a real journey, as were the friends they met along the way.
I think anyone would have a hard time not being charmed by these characters. I can wholeheartedly say that I loved this book. ...more
Many thoughts, many feelings. This was a little bit of a mixed bag for me, although I did lean more to the side of liking t**spoiler alert** 3.5 Stars
Many thoughts, many feelings. This was a little bit of a mixed bag for me, although I did lean more to the side of liking this.
Alex was a really interesting character to follow. He was such a unique individual. Even when I didn’t necessarily agree with him, it was never hard to see where he was coming from.
The main relationship developed in this book is between Alex and Mr Peterson and I’ve got to say, it was so incredibly sweet. I really loved their dynamic and how they got to be where they were with one another. They really were the best of friends (I’m making myself cry while writing this line).
Morality, mortality and dignity were the overarching themes explored. Nothing particularly new was being brought to the table but it still got the cogs turning - especially on the subject of assisted death.
There was a brief period during this read, maybe about 15/20% nearish to the end where it started to feel a little bit stagnant - like it was trying to do something but not quite succeeding? And then weird decisions were made such as the kiss between Ellie and Alex in Chapter 20 and the completely random, and unnecessary, inclusion of the N-Word (even if it was being quoted from a book). This and a couple other things kind of took me out of the book.
Thankfully, I was drawn back in during the emotional end. Saying Goodbye is always difficult and it really felt like I was there with Alex when he had to do so. ...more
Simply put: this was nonsensical fun. It was pretty silly and filled with imagination, I can certainly see why kids would love it.
Marvin was3.5 Stars
Simply put: this was nonsensical fun. It was pretty silly and filled with imagination, I can certainly see why kids would love it.
Marvin was my favourite character in the film and is still my favourite in the book. I couldn’t help but read all of his lines in Alan Rickman’s voice which just added another layer of joy.
This did unfortunately lose me a little bit in latter half - I can’t determine if it was a pacing issue or just a mood issue. Either way, I still thoroughly enjoyed the first half....more
Okay, I think I should first preface that I absolutely adore the film adaptation of this book. It doesn’t happen often but in this case, said film is Okay, I think I should first preface that I absolutely adore the film adaptation of this book. It doesn’t happen often but in this case, said film is far superior. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this read, but mostly for how it added to the film rather than anything else. Nonetheless, Nobley will always steal my heart. ...more
Okay Miss Suzanne Collins, I wasn’t aware of your game!
This book was an absolute blast. The story was nicely split across 3 Parts and felt ev4.5 Stars
Okay Miss Suzanne Collins, I wasn’t aware of your game!
This book was an absolute blast. The story was nicely split across 3 Parts and felt ever moving. Although I’m unaware of what happens in the rest of the series, this really set the groundwork’s for a great world. The world building plus all the interesting characters make for a great read. Not to mention the deep rooted criticisms on capitalism which I’m sure will become even more evident as I go on.
The Hunger Games had everything it needed to have. I laughed, I cried, I screamed. I’m really glad I picked this up (and can’t wait to see how the film compares!)...more
I enjoyed this read. It had a certain atmosphere, a certain ambiance, that drew me in. It felt magical, and adventurous and…smoky? I can’t e3.25 Stars
I enjoyed this read. It had a certain atmosphere, a certain ambiance, that drew me in. It felt magical, and adventurous and…smoky? I can’t explain it.
The first half of this was a solid 3.5 stars for me. The only reason I lowered my final rating was just because the second half felt like it lost a bit of its wind. I did slightly stop caring at one point which was disappointing.
Our characters certainly shined through - I absolutely adored Iris and Marin. Their budding friendship was actually so sweet.
What I will say is that I think this had the bones to be something great, it just needs a bit of polish....more
I didn’t enjoy this book. I’d say I spent most of it feeling indifferent, I didn’t like it but I didn’t hate it. And then I got to the end an1.5 Stars
I didn’t enjoy this book. I’d say I spent most of it feeling indifferent, I didn’t like it but I didn’t hate it. And then I got to the end and it all changed. What even was that?
I think my main gripe is just that this didn’t have a heart. On the surface, yes, tragic things happened now we watch people deal with it. But I just felt zero emotion. Almost every character was flat and one-dimensional. There were a few outliers and bright spots but they were few and far between. And heavily overshadowed by nonesense.
The ending was a real cop-out, there was no satisfaction there. In fact, I felt angry. I feel like I’ve wasted my time here. I’m genuinely disgusted by some of those final scenes. I would not recommend this book - just watch the film instead (blasphemous I know but Alice Sebold has driven me to the edge)...more
A wild read filled with tension and trauma. It was interesting being inside both of our main characters heads, in the present and in the flas3.5 Stars
A wild read filled with tension and trauma. It was interesting being inside both of our main characters heads, in the present and in the flashbacks spanning 20 years.
Nina was such an interesting character. It was easy to sympathise with her about certain things she experienced. And then she’d go and do the most wicked things with delusional justifications.
Similar things could be said for Maggie. Although, Maggie always felt like she really did have the right intentions, or, you could at least understand her motivations better.
I can’t say I feel completely satisfied with the conclusion but that’s probably because I’m a sucker for a happy ending. However, given the contents of this book, I suppose it was fitting....more
This was a lot of fun and I need Book 3 in my life right now!! It’s been such a pleasure watching these characters grow, I love that they’re all kind This was a lot of fun and I need Book 3 in my life right now!! It’s been such a pleasure watching these characters grow, I love that they’re all kind of reluctant friends. I think this was a great instalment to the Alex Stern series, we had adventures aplenty. Can’t wait to see what else this world brings. ...more
I enjoyed this series thoroughly. I can always trust Marissa Meyer to impress me with her three-dimensional characters and engaging story lin3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this series thoroughly. I can always trust Marissa Meyer to impress me with her three-dimensional characters and engaging story lines. Now, as a finale, I unfortunately can’t say I was too impressed with this. There were a lot of sighs, a lot of eye rolls, a lot of frustration. Don’t get me wrong, this had some great bits and it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t satisfy me. I just felt like it was a bit of a mess with too many silly twists (please don’t even get me started on that epilogue.
I feel like I have a lot of thoughts but I’m not quite sure how to articulate them properly. I look forward to discussing this with my bookclub friends. ...more
What a touching, heartfelt story! I enjoyed this greatly. This struck a great balance of humour and emotion. And there were a great many emotions to bWhat a touching, heartfelt story! I enjoyed this greatly. This struck a great balance of humour and emotion. And there were a great many emotions to be had and explored. I thought this dealt really well with grief and loneliness, I loved the exploration through not only Elsa but all of our side characters too. Let’s just say, that house was filled to the brim with trauma. And I did cry…multiple times. But it was pretty cathartic. ...more
I really didn't like this and that upsets me greatly. I had hoped this would be a winner but I was, very unfortunately, let down.
My main poi1.5 Stars
I really didn't like this and that upsets me greatly. I had hoped this would be a winner but I was, very unfortunately, let down.
My main point of contention was how unlikable our main character Adina was. I was certainly sympathetic towards her in the beginning but as the book went on, she kept making more and more bad decisions. She had to be saved at every single sign of trouble and never actually did anything to help herself. It was very frustrating to watch.
Also, let's be real, she was middle-class attending an upper-class school...an upper-class school where her parents worked. Her biggest shame of being from SUBURBIA really didn't inspire a lot of sympathy. Racism was definitely present in this book which felt a lot more relatable, but the biggest theme was classism (which once again, didn't hit because she was MIDDLE-CLASS).
I also think this book wasn't harsh enough on all the shitty characters. There was always a vibe of "oh, these rich people are horrible, classist, slightly racist psychopaths...but they said one nice thing to me once/they're good looking/they're losing their wealth because of fraud so I suppose they aren't THAT bad" girl no. And don't even get me started on the "romances". We all knew Pierce was shitty to begin with. I didn't hate Graham but he was still pretty bad and yet he got way more flack than his brother. I don't know, it just didn't make sense.
There's so much more to say about this but I'm starting to get angry again so I think I should stop here. I appreciated what this book tried to do but the execution just felt really poor. I do feel like, after reading all these 5 star reviews, that people read a different book to me. Maybe it just wasn't for me but this had no substance, it was working on vibes alone and that just wasn't enough for me....more
Okay, this was a lot of fun! Aliens and Cowboys and Adventure! What more could you ask for? I really liked this wacky cast of characters and 4.25 Star
Okay, this was a lot of fun! Aliens and Cowboys and Adventure! What more could you ask for? I really liked this wacky cast of characters and their dynamics with one another. This was a really easy read and kept my attention throughout. I enjoyed Francie as our main character, she was just a normal person so it was very easy to put myself in her shoes. Her relationship with Indy was so, so incredibly sweet and I loved Wade as well. In my head, this played out like a film and Sam Rockwell was casted as Wade (which obviously made me fall in love with him even quicker). ...more
Well, I’m certainly impressed. As someone who doesn’t read overly long books often, I’ve got to say, I’m super surprised (and pleased) at how easily tWell, I’m certainly impressed. As someone who doesn’t read overly long books often, I’ve got to say, I’m super surprised (and pleased) at how easily that flowed. The atmosphere alone was unworldly in the best way.
This just worked and I can’t even begin to pinpoint why. The slow pace made it really easy to feel like you were with these characters, experiencing the same thing they were in real time. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And oh boy was there a lot of ugly.
Now, what I will say is that the ending, personally, left much to be desired. This book was over 700 pages long, it was a slow burn and yet it felt to me like the “climax” randomly just appeared on the final 80 or so pages. I can’t help but feel let down by that. All I’m saying is that it was a tad unsatisfactory.
Nonetheless, this book was beautiful. It was melodic and flowed like no other. What a happy surprise indeed. ...more
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was successful in laying out a lot of the consequences of global warming in an easily digestible way. 4.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was successful in laying out a lot of the consequences of global warming in an easily digestible way. It outlined quite a few simple ways that everyday people can lower their carbon footprints.
This is a good book for people who maybe don’t know a lot about what is currently happening to our world. It was short, it wasn’t too dense and included a lot of great anecdotes from people at the front line being affected the most by global warming.
Personally, I’d like to do a lot more in my personal life to try and save our planet. It won’t be a lot but this book puts a lot of stress on how if we all come together and do our part, we may be able to help our futures. This is a really optimistic take, I think we need a bit of that in our lives. ...more
This was such a fun read! It was magical, it was whimsical, it was charming and the world was just so interesting! Not to mention our characte4.5 Star
This was such a fun read! It was magical, it was whimsical, it was charming and the world was just so interesting! Not to mention our characters. Emily was such a fantastic protagonist, her brain worked in such wonderful ways which made her the perfect protagonist. And don’t get me started on Wendell - I love that man and that’s all there is to it! ...more