I was lucky enough to spend a weak in the Outer Banks in North Carolina with my family. So you know what that means....
I READ A LOT OF BOOKS!
Vacation totals: 9 days. 10 books. One smashing good time.
Here we go now!
Four out of Five Stars: My personal favorite in the Maze Runner trilogy. Which is odd because I usually never like the second book that much. They suffer from second book syndrome. This beat the odds though. After the events of the first book Thomas and company are still suffering at the hands of WICKED. In order to escape they have to complete The Scorch Trials and reach the rescue point in two weeks. Cue action, horror, and betrayal. I liked Thomas a lot better in this one and the pacing just felt right.
Side Note: New Maze Runner Trailer!
The Death Cure (The Maze Runner Series #3) by James Dashner
Three and 3/4 out of Five Stars: This one made me mad. Like really mad. Like I raged on a plane for like half an hour mad. This is not how you end a series! THERE ARE NO ANSWERS. COP OUT. COP OUT. COP OUT. Maybe I'm supposed to read the prequel to figure out what the heck was going on. Anyway, so not satisfied. Like the book was good, but I needed closure. Still get a little angry when I think about it.
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Four and a Half out of Five Stars: I loved Cinder! You think a retelling of cyborg Cinderella would be terrible. You would be very wrong. It's cute and quirky. The characters are so lovable and the story sucks you in. The Lunar Chronicles is an awesome series.
Four and a Half out of Five Stars: This was even better than Cinder! You've got all the great characters from the first one and new cool ones! Scarlet was a badass. I loved Wolf. This retelling of Little Red Riding Hood had great twists and I'm so excited for the rest of the series.
The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings
Four out of Five Stars: This book was very violent. I mean it has the word Murder in the title so I probably should have expected that. The author followed me on Twitter like a really long time ago, so this book has always been on my radar. It was a decent dystopia read with a little too much instalove for me. Not a bad first book in the series though.
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Four out of Five Stars: The Grisha world is awesome and I love it. The characters and plot are harder for me to enjoy. I get tired of reluctant heroes with shallow problems. Alina has that in spades. I loved The Darkling and was disappointed when he turned out to be different than I thought. I didn't realize I was supposed to care about Mal. The Grisha academy was sweet and I wish we could have spent more time there.
Four out of Five Stars: This series just has those little nagging problems that keep me from enjoying it. The romance is so dramatic and whiny. Alina needs to just put on her big girl pants and get ready to kick ass. The shining star of this book is definitely Nikolai. He is all I need in a sassy pirate/prince. The book would have been better if he was in all scenes. I don't like how they just trash the Darkling's character to shreds either.
Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo
Four out of Five Stars: The conclusion was well...dull. The buildup was exciting but the actual climax scene lacked real grit. There was an almost death cop out and more Mal and Alina drama than I needed. Nikolai and the Darkling saved the book for me. Along with Genya and David. The side characters were always much more fascinating than the real characters for me in this series. I really expected to love this series, but I was rather let down.
Three and a Half out of Five Stars: This book is so cliche it hurts. A bad guy from the rough side of town and the not so perfect rich girl. They take the snarky guy and turn him into a weenie. They couple have like no connection and already are in love. It's nice for a quick mindless contemporary. It has many issues in terms of sustenance. The best part was the girl's relationship with her sister in a wheelchair. It was heartwarming.
Aaaaand I read one more book that I'm throwing in:
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
Five out of Five Stars: One of the best books I've read in a long time. The main character Travis has terminal cancer and signs up for an experiment that could bring him back one day. They chop off his head and five years later attach it to a new body. That sounds freaking weird. However the characters realize it's freaking weird and are not okay with it. The story is sad and hopeful and beautiful. All of Travis' friends and family have had five years to change while he was out. It's pretty difficult having to adjust. I highly highly highly recommend it.
Side note: My sister Christina wants the credit for picking this book because she never picks good books.
And that's a wrap!
Oh no! Well, reading a ton of books, more books than there were days, is such a fun thing to do, and I'm glad for that, but the books didn't all (or most, really) sound like they were such great reads for you! I wish you'd had a couple more memorable, touching ones! I am very intrigued by the idea of Noggin, and am really looking forward to reading it myself! Are you planning on putting up a full review?
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to read a lot of books, but you're right that most of them were lacking. The Lunar Chronicles have become one of my favorite after Cress though! Noggin was so great and unique. Unfortunately it was my sister's book so I don't have it to do a full review. I could rave about how awesome it was for days!
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