Transition Reads
A bibliophile and YA addict stuck in the awkward stage of becoming an "adult"
Heir of Fire
This book is by far the best and most amazing threequel (yes, that is a word) I have ever read. I honestly cannot find words to describe how perfect this novel is, so I will attempt to say what this novel isn't. Heir of Fire is not a resolution or ending. It is not a continuation or simply another step in the chain of events. It is not a quest story. It is not a teen fantasy story. It is not a romantic love triangle story. And it is not the story of Celaena, or Chaol, or Dorian.
Heir of Fire is the story of Adarlan and Wendlyn and Terrasen and Ellwye, and it is the story who Celaena was and what she will become to these countries and people.
If this description seems overly vague or confusing, please know that this is intentional. Only by reading this series will you understand how truly phenomenal and revolutionary these books are. Please take time out of your busy life to read them.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
I just bawled with happiness at the end of this book. It's my favorite book this year.
Fangirl
Let me say that I rarely consider a book to truly deserve such a high rating. I most often give this rating during the aftereffects of finishing a great book -- the "book high," if you will -- or because I ignore or overlook the tiny flaws I noticed while reading. However, it has been quite a while since I finished this book, yet I still feel that this book deserves a perfect rating. Why? Because Fangirl is the perfect blend of teen and adult content, wit and humor, sadness and emotion, and fantastic writing. I think everyone should give this book a try, or at least read the synopsis, because even if it is outside your interest type, it is a wonderful book.
Scarlet
As sequels go, Scarlet was an exciting and well-written continuation of the series. Rather than focusing on the main character of the first novel, Cinder, Meyer introduces us to a whole group of new characters with humorous and realistic personalities. This, along with an action and twist-filled plot, developed the series so much more and kept me engaged. I’m much more invested after reading this book!Full review at http://transitionreads.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/review-scarlet/
Grave Mercy
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
I adore the idea of this book–assassin nuns working for the mythological god of Death during the 1400’s–and it was this idea that kept my attention while reading. LaFevers certainly creates an enjoyable and romantic storyline while intertwining action and politics, so this book appeals to large amount of genres and readers.
Plot:
While I was fascinated by the idea of the novel (as stated before), I felt disappointed at times when reading. The book promises action and violence and weaponry (which oddly makes me excited–don’t know what that says about me), but focuses so much more on politics and romance. While Ismae’s time training as an assassin is mentioned, it seems glossed over, and I wanted to read so much more than I was given.
Because action seemed to take the backseat in the plot, the romance between Ismae and Duval was overwhelming to me. As told from Ismae’s point of view, the story focused a lot on her interactions with and feelings for Duval, which I would have expected from a romance novel, not from a book promising violence and assassins. But this disappointment may be my fault–perhaps I judged the book’s genre and content too quickly.
Characters:
Although I do criticize the plot, I loved Ismae’s personality. If nothing else, read this book for the heroine. Her no-nonsense attitude and impulsive nature drew me in (as did her sarcasm and wit, which I always appreciate). While her relationship with Duval sometimes left her lovestruck, she stayed an assassin at heart throughout the entire book, which kept me reading. Additionally, I could easily see her growth as a character in the first book of the series, which I applaud LaFevers for, as often characters in teen novels grow over the course of the series, but not the individual book. Throughout the plot, Ismae became more and more independent and free-thinking, which I believe makes her not only relatable, but also well-developed.
Writing Quality:
I have to give LaFevers even more kudos for this, for she didn’t use first-person point of view, and moreover, used language and writing that fit the setting and characters! I know this may seem trivial to some, but the writing style, to me, balanced out the romance-based plot and enhanced the characters and dialogue.
Who do I recommend this to?
- Historical fiction readers
- Romance readers
- Fantasy/magic/mythology-based readers
- Late high school, college, and beyond (warning: death, murder, brief mentions of sex)
Every Day
Full review at http://transitionreads.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/review-every-day/When first encountering this book, I was intrigued by the idea of A’s life, jumping from body to body regardless of gender, race, culture, etc., and it was this original and creative idea that led me to actually buy the book. I am so glad that I did, because I was not disappointed. Every entry/chapter records a day in A’s life, and so as A experiences life from so many different perspectives, so do we. To me, Levithan handled this brilliantly, and this book is definitely an amazing read.
Ready Player One
Overall, I was really impressed and entertained by this book. I definitely was hooked by the first chapter, not only by the crapton of nerdy references, but also by the characters. Art3mis, Aech, and Wade all have fantastic, realistic dialogue that was seriously funny and fun to read. Although I love the content--the 80's references, the video game setting, the futuristic world--it was these characters that made the book for me. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes to read sci-fi, fantasy, or futuristic novels. I only have one criticism for this book: I was disappointed by the ending. When actually reading the ending, I initially didn't feel sad or let down, because--come on--he found the Easter Egg! He won! He got the girl! Happy endings for all!
And maybe I've gotten too critical or cynical from reading so much lit, but... doesn't the "happy endings for all" thing leave you a little empty? Sure, it was entertaining and fun to read, but did I learn anything (other than a lot of 80's trivia)? Not really. We know that Wade plans to split the money with his friends and that Art3mis will use hers to fight hunger, but what about all the other problems of the world? What about the growing unemployment and poverty? Indentured servitude? Climate problems? Do those magically go away without the Hunt? And if the OASIS is still in place, how can humanity fix its problems?
Again, probably getting too critical. I just feel like there could have been more answers and solutions instead of happy endings.
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
Witty. Hilarious. Thought-provoking. Definitely worth reading.
An Abundance of Katherines
This book proves that John Green is one of the wittiest, funniest, and most original authors I have ever read. All the characters are so weirdly unique and yet so believable at the same time. I have no problem stating that John Green is my favorite author of teen fiction after reading this book.
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World After
Everything--EVERYTHING--in this book is gold. I finished it a month ago, and I'm still having feels; it's that good. And to be honest, it is by far the best sequel I have ever read, which is not something I take lightly. Everything in this book is as fresh and new as it was in the first, and I couldn't put it down. Literally. I read it in six hours. Moral of the story: read this series if you do nothing else.
Cinder
I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to give this book five stars--I enjoyed reading it that much! But in the end, there were a few details that made me choose four stars over five. Overall, this book (and the concept) are fantastic. I love revised fairy tales, and this is by far the most creative and original one I have read. The world is complex on so many levels: not only are we in a futuristic world, but we're also in a post-apocalyptic world, and then we're also in a world with aliens and androids and cyborgs. To top it all off, we're in Asia! Although this may be a bit of culture shock for some readers at the beginning, I adore this combination, and it's so well developed and believable.
Meyer also did a good job of incorporating the fairy tale without making it obvious. I've never been a fan of the Cinderella story, but I was rooting for Kai and Cinder from the very beginning. And Meyer made so many smart choices in the incorporation of the fairy tale--creating a likable stepsister, having Cinder become a mechanic, and placing more focus on the political situation rather than the romance. (I can't stop gushing about this. It's just genius to me.)
Really, only little things bothered me, and they're not substantial or really significant--definitely not deterrents to reading the book! The beginning was definitely slow; I had trouble getting past the first hundred pages, even though I realize that the background was necessary to understanding the characters and story. Also some plot twists were really predictable (I knew that Cinder would be the lost princess from the very beginning. Maybe it's characteristic of the genre, maybe I'm just really good at guessing these things.) However, I definitely DID NOT foresee that Cinder would be Lunar. That was a pure shock, and it gave a lot more depth to her character. And thank you, Marissa Meyer, for not giving this book a fully happy ending. While I'll admit I was upset that Cinder and Kai didn't come together at the end, this definitely leaves me hooked to the series.
I'm also pleasantly surprised that the next book in the series doesn't feature Cinder (at least, not as a main character). To me, that's another smart choice by Meyer. And it means that we get more futuristic fairy tales! I've got to get my hands on Scarlet.
Steelheart
DUDES. THIS BOOK IS AWESOME. I've never read Brian Sanderson's books, so I was completely unfamiliar with his writing style and previous work. But after reading this, I plan to read every book of his.
Not that this is an absolutely revolutionary book. No, this isn't a life-changer or something that sticks with you for days. But it is action-packed and epic in a way that I haven't experienced in a while, and for that I highly recommend this book.
Plus, the characters are very well-written, which is a HUGE thing for me. I loved that David is geeky and badass at the same time, and even more, I appreciated that I didn't have to feel exactly like him in order to understand him. So many teen novelists try to make their main characters perfectly relatable, which I think is a mistake; while we readers want to feel a connection, we also appreciate different personalities and senses of humor. No, David is nothing like me: he's impulsive (and sometimes stupid) in ways that made me want to scream at him. And at first, I tended to see him as the Reckoners did, as an idiot and a pest. But as the Reckoners (and we readers) learn more about him and see just how smart he is, we begin to understand him. And I think that's genius.
AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING A ROMANTIC INTEREST WITH A MIND OF HER OWN. I seriously can't stress this enough.
(No, this is not the most mature and sophisticated review. But I'm just fangirling, and I don't really care.)
Crown of Midnight
AMAZING. SO WORTH IT. EVERYONE MUST READ THIS. All the characters got so much depth in this book. And Maas sure knows how to play with your emotions while delivering a solid, suspenseful plot.
Someday I will stop fangirling over this book, but today is not that day.
Gone Girl
I literally don't know how to rate this book. On one hand, I am awed by Flynn's ability to create such an emotional roller coaster of a book, as well as the frustratingly complex and scarily real characters Flynn presents. But on the other hand, I absolutely despise said frustratingly complex and scarily real characters. I sympathized and cared for both characters for the first half of the book, then hated (and occasionally sympathized with) each for the latter half. The bottom line is that I will never forget this book, as it baffled me more than any other I have read to date. And I would recommend it for that, but don't expect to honestly enjoy the book.
Insurgent
Should you read this book?Yes, yes, and yes.
I really liked the first of the series, but this one completely blows it out of the water. Roth did an amazing job of allowing her character to grow and change, which honestly makes her seem more human. And she's not perfect--she makes mistakes and realizes it. That for me makes for true characterization.
Also I can't ignore that the world develops so much more in this look. While before each faction was defined by strict lines and stereotypes, Roth completely overthrows that by adding characters from all factions with separate personalities and by showing the good as well as te bad of each faction.
Well, well done.
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Currently reading
Winger
Progress:
309/439 pages
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2014
Progress:
300/384 pages
