NerdyBirdie

This was another light and quick read! Definitely something I needed after some books that I’ve read this month.

This book has enchantments! Trolls! Talking animals! Talking winds! More talking animals! And the writing style was great! Personally, I think if I were to ever reread this book again, I’d listen to it on audiobook because the author does such a great job of writing this is a fairytale tone. I really like her writing style.

Also, best acknowledgments that I’ve read in a while:

This book was made possible by the letter “ø.”

Hehe, that was funny (and mostly true).

I thought the pika was a great female lead. She did naturally what I think I would’ve done in her place. But she learned from her mistakes, and she was strong and determined to do what was right.

“That is because you are nothing more than a foolish human child,” the west wind retorted.

“And you are nothing more than a rude little breeze, blowing sand in my eyes and quivering,” the lass snapped back. She had not come this far just to be turned away by a wind.

You go, pika!

Putting things together and seeing how everything connected was really interesting. I liked the isbjørn and Rollo a lot. And I want an older brother like Hans Peter!

A really enjoyable story with great characters and writing style throughout. Pick up this book if you want to read something light and fairytale-ish! I think this should be read as an audiobook though, just because the writing style felt really nice to listen to.

I would say Lada is a badass female character, but Lada is bloody savage.

She went back to the mountain in her mind, stood on its peak, remembered the way the sun had embraced her. She would never toss aside her country the way her father had. She would protect it.

A small sob threatened to break free. What could she do? She had no power.

Yet, she vowed. She had no power yet.

Don’t expect Lada to apologize for what and who she is. Because for once while reading a book, I completely agree with everything that Lada is said to be. She’s a Dragon, she’s brutal, and she is so fierce.

But trust me when I say that Lada isn’t the only one who’s character took me by surprise. This story also shows Radu (more well know in history as Radu the Handsome), Lada’s more gentler brother.

He tucked himself into a corner of the stables, a dark, musty spot where only someone looking could find him. No one was ever looking for Radu. A spider crawled down his hand and he lifted it, gently placing the spider on a wood beam where it would be safe.

The thing that was so amazing about this book was that Kiersten White showed how Radu had so many skills and talents that Lada didn’t have, simply because of their personalities and who they were.

This is also probably one of the best sibling love-hate dynamic that I’ve ever read. I’m trying to think of words when I write about Lada and Radu’s relationship.

And I Darken explores sexuality, friendship, religion, gender bending, and sometimes, what it means to be a woman in a male dominated society.

“This is my court. This is my throne. This is my kingdom. The cost was my freedom and my body.” Her fine eyebrows raised, mouth playful, eyes hard. “So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

*insert squealing*

I already expected this book not to be too focused on Lada’s personal journey yet, because there was just so much ground to cover. But it’s still an amazing first book that is making me die for the second one!

Also thank you, Kiersten White! Because even after all the things that happen to Lada, she is a consistent character!

“I love Wallachia. It belongs to me, and I belong to it. It is my country, and it should always be mine, and I hate any king or sultan or god or prophet that proclaims anyone else has any right to it.”

You go, girl, you burn everything to the ground.

Cold cases were always a challenge, but this one had the added folklore factor. The story had been told and retold so many times that people didn’t want an answer—outsiders, that is, people who weren’t involved; that the mystery was unsolvable was part of its appeal. But it hadn’t been witchcraft or magic, and children did not spontaneously dematerialize.

What a great book this was! I hadn’t ever read a novel by Kate Morton before so I never knew that she was a popular author in Australia.

Kate Morton can definitely write, and she sure shows it in The Lake House. This is probably one of the best historical mystery novels that I’ve read in a long time.

The concept is great, and I found that I liked the way the author told the story. Yes, it’s not for everyone, but it worked for me. The Lake House jumped from early 1910’s London and Cornwall, where we read mostly from Eleanor’s perspective (LOVED her by the way) to 1930 Cornwall and the disappearance with Theo, all the way to the present 2003 London and Cornwall. If you don’t like constantly changing time periods, then this isn’t for you.

Yes, the novel felt slow at times, but I was still flipping the pages. Every time I would read something new my heart would break for the characters.

But, my favorite, favorite, character who I would reread about again and again was Eleanor. God, I felt for Eleanor so much it made my heart hurt. When I finished reading The Lake House, she was the one who stayed with me.

Passionate and honest, the letter provided such a strong insight into Eleanor’s character that Sadie could almost hear the other woman’s voice, clear and true, across the passage of ninety years.

This book, like I said before, is pretty slow and complex. It has many layers into its story and a lot of things that the reader needs to understand to fully grasp the story.

The only reason this wasn’t a five star rating was because the ending was so convenient and fairytale-esque that it made me cringe and shudder. Not the kind of ending I expected from the tone of the story, but it wrapped up things nonetheless.

Although not for everyone, a great and complex read that read like a family saga sometimes with a good mystery aspect, an extremely well done historical setting, and characters that stayed with me afterward.

They weren’t vain. They weren’t shallow. No smartphones. No Facebook. No Instagram. All too likely to turn them into narcissists. They understood. They sneered at the posturing and posing of their contemporaries, the twelve-year-old girls in mascara puckering into camera lenses, the misguided fools on talent shows. They got it, her girls. They absolutely got it.

They weren’t weird, Adele thought now, looking at them in turn. They were magnificent.

This book has just further confirmed why being a bookworm who doesn’t associate with people besides close friends and family is just fine for me.

From page one (with most psychological thrillers) I was convinced that I’d know what was going on. I thought I could read in between the lines and see what the other characters couldn’t. So, The Girls in the Garden took me by surprise.

This book has deep, dense, weird characters. Everyone’s here, and nobody’s perfect. If you think you know your neighbors, your own spouse, and your own children, think again. Lisa Jewell writes with such great suspense and tone that I was flipping through the pages wondering if this book could get any faster (in the good way, of course).

“But right now, Clare, it might be worth you going home and talking to your daughter’s friends. Find out how well you really knew her.”

At the beginning, I thought Pip was the driving force of this story. The one who watched her sister change into something else and saw what kids could do to one another. But after, I realized, and wondered why I didn’t see it before, that Adele is the driving force of this story.

Because I felt the things Adele felt. When Adele thought she knew something, I thought I did, too. When Adele put pieces together and realized things, I felt like I was there.

A great read that makes you flip the pages and isn’t afraid to give the answers this book asks. And it’s filled with weird, grey characters. :D

me: oh this is going to be a great book!

*reads first three pages*
me: oh god, that’s so sad!
*reaches page 26*
WTF DID SHE JUST $@&:ING DO HOW CAN YOU #%$&ING DO THAT WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT MY GRAVE, I INVESTED MY LIFE IN SEVEN REALMS CHIMA YOU ARE NOT GOD OKAY, YOU CANNOT DO WHAT YOU DID. PLEASE CHIMA, PLEASE DO SOMETHING I’M DYING.

*cries for a week*
*rereads scenes from Seven Realms*
*cries some more*
*actually thinks about DNFing a book for the first time in life*
*hates everyone for the rest of the day*
*decides to beg Chima*

I think something very important needs to be said.

*drops mic* Birdie out!

Honestly, I think I’ve needed a book like this for a while. I still have a warm feeling in my heart!

Oh my god, this was so funny. I don’t usually laugh out loud when I read books. Sure I smile and shake my head but really laughing out loud?

Note for future readers: don’t listen to this as an audiobook and walk outside in the park if you’re worried about people looking at you weird when you laugh.

Audrey’s family dynamic was so great to read about. Her mom is literally the best and the funniest, she made me laugh so much! The best parts of this book for me were the “My Serene and Loving Family” transcripts!

Linus was a sweet love interest and I was so happy that he didn’t really “change” Audrey. Except for how fast they went from shoe-contact to mouth-contact. *insert eye roll* He was understanding and really great because he mixed in with Audrey’s family, too. (Something you don’t really see often in YA…)

Also: Loved Dr. Sarah! I’m so sick and tired of mental health care professionals being bashed in YA! Usually, the main character will act like they’re too good for getting treatment done, and it’s so annoying how many authors that show mental health care practitioners as “nosy” or “philosophical” and “just a shrink I go to to make my parents happy because this is a waste of time”. Thank you, Sophie Kinsella, for showing that Dr. Sarah and Audrey actually do have a good relationship as a doctor and patient.

Obviously Audrey goes through a lot of self-finding through this book and I’m proud of her and every single character in this book. I just wish the “event” that happened was revealed because it felt like so much was building up and then nothing was revealed.

Really good book on mental illness because it was nice, honest, hilarious, and showed the importance of friends, family, and people willing to help you. :D

You ever seen a bear jump off a cliff ’cause life handed him a few rough draws? No, you haven’t. The wild keeps going till it don’t have strength in its muscles and bones. The wild don’t give up; it’s forever, and so was I.

I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d like this book when I’d first started reading.

Reading about Elka’s journey was so encouraging and so character driven, it’s one of the best character driven books that I’ve read in a long time.

I just wish that in terms of writing, it could’ve been a little less choppy. There were moments where the metaphors (of wolves) that Elka would narrate were great, but then there were others where the writing would seem very sudden without a build up for the revelations. Hopefully, that was just me.

Also, this books takes place in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian setting so I was hoping there’d be more world building. But for this novel, I think the author just chose to speak of it when necessary—readers will know what happens, just not every detail and the world is not what this book is about.

This book had a great female friendship aspect. Once again, it’s one of the best female friendships that I’ve read this year. The friendship between Elka and Penelope was one of the best things about this novel. From the way that Elka and Penelope constantly went to support and protect one another to the way that they had an unshakeable faith in one another.

This book will read pretty slow, so if you don’t like slow paced books, then I’d definitely say that you should just skip this one.

Other than that, a great read with a strong and developing character, strong female friendships, and a storyline that I think was pulled off great. :D

It was a nice and decent ending to a nice series. All ended well. :)

It kind of feels like the author paired up everyone else together but it works, so it’s not that bad.

I like how this book pulled off some themes in terms of what happens in the Aether and I’m not surprised that The Machinist made his final appearance within this book. Even though the way he was gone felt extremely convenient, it was fine.

I really enjoyed Mila as a character! Compared to all the other characters in this book she was just so refreshing and perfect! Watching her explore and do things because she was new was so funny!

An enjoyable series overall, and really made me enjoy the world of steampunk! :D

It kind of feels as though this book is the same as The Girl in the Steel Corset. The Machinist comes after someone in the gang, and then the goose chase starts up. Only this time it’s Emily. And another added love interest for the Griffin-Finley-Jack-and now Mila love triangle/square.

Can’t wait to read how that goes… (P.S. this is sarcasm)

There was an odd sense of pacing in this book, and the sub-plots and the main plot felt kind of choppy.

Exhibit A:
Emily is in danger? Oh yeah, how about Finley and Griffin make out, and we’ll have Sam and Emily fight off automatons!

Exhibit B:
Mila runs away and finds Jack to tell him that Emily is in danger? Oh wait, how about Mila step inside and have tea with Jack to tell him her story!

Like, what are these people doing? Jasper wasn’t even in here for half of the book!

Finley is always concerned about Jack living with someone else or doing something with someone else, because even though in clear, concise words it’s stated that she’s “chosen” Griffin, she still wants Jack to want her. This is probably what I don’t like about these books the most: forced and unnecessary love triangles. There’s no legal requirement to put love triangles in books so stop forcing them in!

These books could honestly be a lot of fun if there was something beyond The Machinist. Maybe something like a new adventure every book (kind of like The Girl in the Clockwork Collar). Because after a while it starts to feel a tiny bit repetitive. But these books are light and quick to get through, so that’s fun!

I think the most compelling thing about this book is that it’s told in reverse. Nic Farrell was an interesting character to read about. Kind of the same as female leads in psychological thrillers: cunning, different, vulnerable on the inside, and a liar. Aren’t they all liars?

I think one of the hardest things for me in All the Missing Girls was the writing style. There were some moments where I was confused by what was happening and others where I felt like Nic as a narrator was just plain inconsistent.

In terms of the ending, I will admit that I’m fifty-fifty on it. I saw it coming, but at the same time I didn’t. This book is definitely creepy in that aspect: where you think you know certain characters because of Nic’s familiarity with them but find out that everything is just a jumbled mess.

I will say that I’m glad with the fact that the author told the story the way she did: in reverse. It really builds the reader up for what really happens the first day Annaleise disappears.

Thought-provoking, addicting to read and equipped with twisted characters. This is a book that felt like a thrilling countdown.

I didn’t really like this book compared to the first one. The plot felt really slow and dry, and I felt like all the action started two-thirds into this book.

More importantly, where was Jack Dandy?

Finley Jayne & Co. have now reached America in search of Jasper Renn—a friend of theirs from book one. While The Girl in the Clockwork Collar had an exciting premise and setting (the gangs of New York!), it was just a lot of planning with an addition of new characters that I knew weren’t going to be in the next book anyway.

I predicted the major plot twist, to be honest. So I wasn’t surprised.

As usual, Finley kicks ass (and I’m kind of disappointed in Griffin for doubting her!) and the rest of the characters were fun. I liked Sam in this book a lot more, though.

Personally, I think I just need to take a small break from this series before I read The Girl with the Iron Touch, but if it revolves around Emily, then I’ll definitely enjoy it more.

This book read like a tv show.

To be honest, a huge part of The Girl in the Steel Corset reminded me a lot of tv shows like Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars—you know, teenagers running the whole show and doing ten thousand things without any adults and saving the day? Yeah.

The book starts out fast, so make sure you guys read carefully and pay attention to some detail if you don’t want to be confused. It’s what worked for me.

The characters honestly felt pretty developed to me. But they were completely unexplained in some parts and I hope the next couple of books in the Steampunk Chronicles answers them. Like, Emily has the skills of engineering, technology, science, and medicine? Where the heck did this girl even learn all of this from? The only explanation or job description I could possibly give her is that she’s a physician-scientist, and to be that you need to be certified dually in a PhD and MD (okay, that’s in today’s time, but you get what I’m saying?). So…?

Also, I hated Sam. Like, really, really hated him. Always complaining and whining. Finley Jayne chooses to save Sam instead of catching a criminal? Oh no, how could she be so irresponsible?! Finley Jayne chooses to catch a criminal instead of saving Sam? Of course she would! She would never save Sam! She’s evil and ungrateful and anything Finley doestotally gives Sam the right to be an abusive prick and beat her up for no good reason. (Used a random example, by the way)

Also, umm… what’s with the multiple love triangles happening in here? *tries to check if Jack Dandy is a real person* (Team Dandy!)

A lot of the things that were probably meant to be suspenseful were things that I guessed was going to happen, but from how I felt, this book is just a quick read. :D I’m guessing every book is a new adventure.

A pretty fast-paced plot, teenage-lead story, and a huge cast of characters and situations, try out reading The Girl in the Steel Corset if you’re willing to read something quick and light with a lot of tv entertainment :D

“Feyre Cursebreaker, Defender of the Rainbow.”

I’ve finished the savage beast that was A Court of Mist and Fury. I’m trying to think of where to start with this book.

This book was a lot to read, but I managed to get through it fine. I brought this to my doctors appointments so many times this past week that I think my doctor knows the name of this book now.

Feyre isn’t the same after A Court of Thorns and Roses. The things that she’s had to do stay with her and now they torment her through nightmares and guilt.

The next thing that I’m supposed to say is that Tamlin helped and supported her. But no. That’s not what happens, and honestly, I’m going to call out on the fact that that is not Tamlin’s true character. Throughout the entire book whenever there was a mention of Tamlin, I’d get so mad because it felt like I was reading about someone else!

That aside, A Court of Mist and Fury was a huge improvement from the first book.

The addition of characters was amazing. I appreciated the fact that Mor and Amren were female characters within this book. A female character that has survived unspeakable things even for our main character? Why not? A female that is scary to the High Lord of the Night Court? Why not?

Sarah J. Maas doesn’t shy from making her characters go through things that can sometimes be glorified, and I honestly love her for that.

The world building of the Night Court was one of the best that I’ve read this year, I have dozens of pictures in my head that I want to draw out for the Night Court (but first I need talent). :D Add on the slow building, effing amazing romance with the character development and you’ve got me!

I wish, so much in my heart that I could give this book five stars, but there are just some things that I mentioned above with Tamlin that really, really put me off. Really, it’s more than that one thing, but I don’t want to make this review too long by listing them. So if you’ve read the book, then hopefully you’ll understand. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a favorite of the year. :P

A huge improvement from the first book, and the ending literally killed me. I hope you’re happy, Sarah J. Maas.

I think Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is my least favorite book in the series…

It’s really sad, though, because this was my last journey with Harry, Hermione, and Ron! But honestly, there were some parts of this book where I just wasn’t feeling it.

I enjoyed this, but there were some things that I wasn’t satisfied with or just didn’t have any relevance to me as a reader and those factors brought my rating down.

Honestly 3 stars for this book being so plain laughable.

Okay, I’m pretty sure that when I gave Gathering Darkness a read (since I was giving the Falling Kingdoms series another chance) I thought that Frozen Tides was actually going somewhere.

From the beginning we start off with the characters and what happened with them and yada, yada, yada. To be honest, the only characters whose perspectives I COULD read were: Magnus, Cleo, Amara, and maybe Felix. I don’t know, it depended on the amount of stupidity I can take.

I hate Lucia and Jonas with a passion that is indescribable. I’ve hated the both of them since page one of Falling Kingdoms!

Unfortunately, the plot was basically going nowhere. Most of it was just the Cleo-Magnus storyline, Felix being all over the place, just Jonas being annoying, and Lucia making even more dumb decisions because

While I’d appreciated Gaius as a villain, in this book his presence was completely downplayed. Also, I think that

And here’s for the grand finale:

Honestly, with all due respect, the Falling Kingdoms series can be easily shortened because usually a lot of drama (or just plain nothing) happens in the books! I see no reason for this series to be 6 books! It’s all just a buildup for the last book! Because in terms of relevant plot there’s no progress!