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paperbacks_and_planners's reviews
1161 reviews
Everland by Wendy Spinale
3.0
I went into this with no expectations and ended up really enjoying the book. The steampunk, dystopian world was really original. And the way the Peter Pan characters/story was woven in was creative.
Overall the story wasn't anything earth shattering though. The characters were very YA typical - meek, average girl meets attractive, strong-willed boy... And the I wasn't totally buying into the love story.
But overall the book was a fun read. Definitely going to continue the series.
Overall the story wasn't anything earth shattering though. The characters were very YA typical - meek, average girl meets attractive, strong-willed boy... And the I wasn't totally buying into the love story.
But overall the book was a fun read. Definitely going to continue the series.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
3.0
3.75 stars - I'm getting really specific with this one.
I love Alice in Wonderland and will give almost anything related to it a read. I had really high hopes for this book because I LOVED the Lunar Chronicles and it was a Queen of Hearts story. Unfortunately I was left a little disappointed.
My biggest issue was the first 200-ish pages felt painfully drawn out. We spent so much time hearing the same details over and over - how childish the king is, how ugly Margret is, the color of the jokers eyes, how delicious Cath's baked goods are, what store they want to buy.... It got so long winded that I almost DNF'd this book about 3 times. My second issue was, overall the story was pretty 1 dimensional. The only thing that moved the plot along was the forbidden romance. And while certain details were really clever, I wanted more from the story/characters.
BUT, the last half of the book totally captivated me. I became really invested and needed to know how the stories played out. And even though I knew the ending - evil Queen of Hearts - I still found myself rooting for Cath and Jest.
I love Alice in Wonderland and will give almost anything related to it a read. I had really high hopes for this book because I LOVED the Lunar Chronicles and it was a Queen of Hearts story. Unfortunately I was left a little disappointed.
My biggest issue was the first 200-ish pages felt painfully drawn out. We spent so much time hearing the same details over and over - how childish the king is, how ugly Margret is, the color of the jokers eyes, how delicious Cath's baked goods are, what store they want to buy.... It got so long winded that I almost DNF'd this book about 3 times. My second issue was, overall the story was pretty 1 dimensional. The only thing that moved the plot along was the forbidden romance. And while certain details were really clever,
Spoiler
like how the entire story had been prophesied by the SistersBUT, the last half of the book totally captivated me. I became really invested and needed to know how the stories played out. And even though I knew the ending - evil Queen of Hearts - I still found myself rooting for Cath and Jest.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, Anna Lea
4.0
Maybe closer to 3.5 but I'm rounding up.
The thing I was most surprised/impressed with was how well this story has held up despite being written almost 100 years ago.
I've decided to read all the Poirot novels in order, so it was a lot fun seeing his origin story.
I really enjoyed this quick mystery read.
The thing I was most surprised/impressed with was how well this story has held up despite being written almost 100 years ago.
I've decided to read all the Poirot novels in order, so it was a lot fun seeing his origin story.
I really enjoyed this quick mystery read.
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
4.0
This was such a unique and amazing read! The story is told through interviews with an unknown man and personal journal recordings. And it worked so well! It perfectly added to the suspense and mystery.
I was worried I wouldn't connect with the characters as well though this format but I totally did! And that cliff hanger!
But I think my favorite part of this story was the realistic quality it had. This entire story felt so possible. Neuvel did such an amazing job of weaving science and politics with the fictional plot.
Can't wait to pick up the next books. I would totally recommend this for anyone into Sci-fy.
I was worried I wouldn't connect with the characters as well though this format but I totally did! And that cliff hanger!
But I think my favorite part of this story was the realistic quality it had. This entire story felt so possible. Neuvel did such an amazing job of weaving science and politics with the fictional plot.
Can't wait to pick up the next books. I would totally recommend this for anyone into Sci-fy.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
3.0
EDIT: After sitting on this for a bit, I've decided to lower this to a 3 star. This story was still entertaining for start to finish, but I just found that as time went, this left no real impact on me. After reading some amazing books this month, full of worlds and characters I still think about, I realized I forgot I even read this... It's unfortunately just not that memorable for me. I do still plan to continue the series though.
For the first 3/4 of this book, I thought this was just OK. It was a unique, good story, but I wasn't in love. The format is really cool and works for the story, but I found it difficult to keep track of side characters or really connect/care about them. Which definitely detracted from some the "hard hitting" moments. Because I didn't care/remember the characters, their deaths weren't shocking or heartbreaking.
But I did like the final twist.
For the first 3/4 of this book, I thought this was just OK. It was a unique, good story, but I wasn't in love. The format is really cool and works for the story, but I found it difficult to keep track of side characters or really connect/care about them. Which definitely detracted from some the "hard hitting" moments. Because I didn't care/remember the characters, their deaths weren't shocking or heartbreaking.
But I did like the final twist