This was a perfectly pleasant historical romance and I mean that in the best sense of the word. If you’re expecting an in-depth plot and epic romance,This was a perfectly pleasant historical romance and I mean that in the best sense of the word. If you’re expecting an in-depth plot and epic romance, then you should probably look elsewhere. However, this was great if you just want a cute fluffy read. I found this to be one of those entertaining books that don’t have much substance beyond the initial set-up. Both of the leads were really likeable. Annabel was kind of naïve and sweet without being annoying. Ross was a nice guy without coming off as boring. Together they were pretty adorable, especially in the very beginning when they didn’t quite understand one another. I’m honestly pretty surprised that I kept reading when their relationship and its progression was fairly tame. They seemed happy most of the time and there wasn’t any real turmoil or emotional drama.
As for the ending, I actually didn’t expect the attacker to be the person that was revealed. I was beyond ecstatic that (view spoiler)[Kate was ultimately sent to the abbey at the end of the book. I don’t think that there could have been a worse punishment for someone like her. From the second she got to the keep, she was such a horrid person and I didn’t feel bad at all that her life was going to be extremely sucky from that point on (hide spoiler)]....more
I wasn’t as happy with this book as I was with the others. The setting was a lot of fun and I still loved the crap out of Michael and Lia. However, thI wasn’t as happy with this book as I was with the others. The setting was a lot of fun and I still loved the crap out of Michael and Lia. However, the part of the plot involving the serial killer was kind of dull. While I was into it at first, the longer the book went on I found myself just wanting it to over already. Like, the events themselves should have been super exciting, but the way it was written was like slogging through quicksand. I think I was supposed to be shell-shocked by how everything came together and the bombs that were dropped and I was extremely indifferent. The final twist was pretty cheap and the explanation given was dumb. I don’t know. That just wasn’t the direction I was hoping for the book to go in. I’ll probably still pick up the last book just to see how it all wraps up....more
I don’t think that I’ve ever been as invested in this series as I was with the flashbacks in this volume. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about TylI don’t think that I’ve ever been as invested in this series as I was with the flashbacks in this volume. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about Tyler, Kinsey, or Bode, but the plotlines involving the adults had me hooked. That backstory had me so pissed off. Rendell is a piece of shit. Sorry, there’s no nice way to say it because after reading what went down in the caves, I blame him for everything bad that happened. Like, I was seriously enraged on behalf of Dodge. (view spoiler)[He’s been a villain for all of his appearances, but I felt a huge amount of sympathy for the raw deal he was dealt back then. He seemed like a really nice person and he didn’t deserve the fate he got. I hated all the other teens in their group of friends and I would be fine if any of them had died, but poor Dodge and Ellie should have gotten to live happily ever after (hide spoiler)].
Overall, if I based this purely on Dodge’s character development, this would be five stars. It’s weird because I spent the majority of the time thinking that this volume was just alright, nothing special. Then, along came those flashbacks and it was like I was kicked in the stomach. I have to give props though to a book that can make me feel as heartbroken as I do right now....more
I was extremely indifferent towards this volume, but not in an entirely bad way. While I liked this, it was like a bunch of things happened without reI was extremely indifferent towards this volume, but not in an entirely bad way. While I liked this, it was like a bunch of things happened without really much happening. I don’t know how else to explain it. I feel like the show packs more of a punch and I’m much more emotionally invested in the tv version of the characters than the ones in the comics....more
After reading a couple of bum ‘Fear Street’ books, this one was actually really great. I swear these three siblings had the worst luck in the history After reading a couple of bum ‘Fear Street’ books, this one was actually really great. I swear these three siblings had the worst luck in the history of the world. It was like tragedy after tragedy and I felt so bad for them. The parts with the townspeople made me so angry. I couldn’t believe it when things escalated to the point where (view spoiler)[they formed a mob and tried to burn the home of these poor kids down with them inside (hide spoiler)]. The entire situation was super messed up and I was in a rage from how unfair it was.
The speaking to animals aspect of the story could have been cheesy, but I liked it a lot. It was pretty creepy how these series of ‘accidents’ kept popping up against the people that weren’t nice to the Fear children. I sat there in suspense for the majority of the book, wondering what was going to happen next. When they showed up at the farm of the kind elderly couple, I was horrified because I knew that things weren’t going to work out like I wanted them to.
There was this twist that I kind of saw coming and kind of didn’t. It made me wonder how events could have played out differently if (view spoiler)[all three of them had been happy at the farm, instead of Leah sulking and being difficult. I guess Corey was just a psychopath though, so it probably never would have worked out anyway (hide spoiler)]. The ending itself was good, but I wish that it hadn’t been left so open-ended....more
I honestly didn’t like this at all. The first couple chapters were great and I was curious as to where the story was going. However, there hit a pointI honestly didn’t like this at all. The first couple chapters were great and I was curious as to where the story was going. However, there hit a point though where all I felt was confusion. The knife scene in particular was pretty stupid. I’m sorry, but (view spoiler)[how does the death of a guy whose leg was cut off from his body get explained away as an accident? Everyone around was all, ‘oh he must have fallen when he was carrying those knives’. At first, I thought maybe it was Thomas lying because he would turn out to be the psycho, but even the doctor seemed to accept that as a plausible explanation (hide spoiler)].
Once the twist was finally revealed, I just thought it was dumb and I wasn’t into it at all. The villain was cheesy and the remainder of the story was extremely dull. I should have had some kind of reaction to all the people that got murdered, but I actually found myself bored and wishing the book would end already....more
This was extremely slow at first. The part of the story that took place with the Native Americans was super boring. It wasn’t until the love potion caThis was extremely slow at first. The part of the story that took place with the Native Americans was super boring. It wasn’t until the love potion came into play that I started to get more interested in what was happening. I wanted to feel bad for Jamie, but he made some really stupid decisions. Like, he’s so obsessed with this girl in the tribe that he barely blinks an eye when he hears that he’d have to go through with this sketchy ritual. If that was me, I’d want to know exactly what price I’d have to pay and all the specifics of this deal I was making. But no, Jamie just goes ahead with it and then gets all angry when it turns out that he got what he ultimately wanted but also ended up getting screwed over in another way.
The ending totally made up for the things I didn’t like about this book. It turned out to be much darker than I was expecting it to be. (view spoiler)[ For all the crap I talked about Jamie, the fact that he was doomed to forever be a wolf trapped in a barred cage made me upset. His fate was just so depressing. That Amanda chick was crazy as hell! Her final speech where she said that didn’t want him to end up this way, but she was happy that they’d now be together forever was creepy beyond belief (hide spoiler)]....more
Oh god, this was painful to get through. I wanted to quit reading multiple times and I spent a good chunk of time not wanting to even pick up the bookOh god, this was painful to get through. I wanted to quit reading multiple times and I spent a good chunk of time not wanting to even pick up the book. The writing style itself was great. There was an easy flow and the wording wasn’t dry and boring. That said, the problem was with everything else in the book. I hated the characters, the romance, and the entire plot. I don’t know how to better articulate what bothered me besides saying that I thought it was all really dumb. People were constantly doing stupid things or just being super annoying. Also, there were some of the most illogical decisions and arguments that I’ve ever seen. Like, especially in terms of the unrest on the ship, the way words and events were twisted made no sense and I couldn’t take the people saying them seriously.
Elder had no business being in a power position over a group of people. No joke, I’m hard-pressed to find someone that was more lacking in leadership skills. It honestly got embarrassing the way that everyone didn’t listen to him or take him seriously. I know he meant well with his actions at the end of the previous book, but it seemed extremely idealistic of him to think that everything would be ok now that the Phydus was taken out of the water. Maybe I’m a crappy person, but if was Elder, I would’ve put all those people back on those drugs— at least for the time being until they could sort out some of the serious problems involving the care of the ship. It made no sense to add murders and rebellions to an already fragile way of life.
It’s weird because I also hated everyone on the ship. As horrible as it sounds, I was so detached that I wouldn’t care if the ship went into failure and they all died. The book was basically me bouncing back and forth between hating Elder for being incompetent and hating the townspeople for jumping to conclusions and rioting. I wanted to shout at the book, ‘shut your face, Bartie!’ whenever that guy showed up because he was one of the most aggravating of all the civilians on the ship. The rest of the plot wasn’t that great either. The entire scavenger hunt was lame and I thought it was so ridiculous that this important task and the accompanying decisions would be placed solely on this random teenage girl that Orion had known all of like a day or two. The ‘because you’re from Sol-Earth’ reasoning wasn’t a good enough excuse.
Also, I love plot twists, but the twists involving the ship got old really quickly. There are only so many times that you can try to shock a reader with the exact same situation before it gets dumb. I felt like the author was just making things up as she went along. (view spoiler)[Like, ‘oh, you thought ‘x’ was going on with the ship’, but ‘no, it’s ‘y’ that is actually happening’. And then, there was the last minute, ‘Just kidding, ‘x’ and ‘y’ are both wrong and ‘z’ is what is actually happening’ (hide spoiler)]. None of it made sense really and I was kind of just over it....more
This was another good volume. I liked the story arc with Carl the most. It was interesting to see how different he was from the other kids at AlexandrThis was another good volume. I liked the story arc with Carl the most. It was interesting to see how different he was from the other kids at Alexandria. Growing up during a zombie apocalypse where you’re on the road fighting day by day to survive is bound to make you grow up quicker. Carl just seemed much more mature than those kids playing basketball in the cul-de-sac.
The only negative I had really was with the artwork. A couple of people had similar looking faces and I had trouble telling them apart at times. The most noticeable was with Glenn and Maggie. Their faces looked interchangeable in certain scenes and it threw me out of the story somewhat....more
I was so pumped to find out what the deal was with the daughters boneless bodies and this ended up being just alright. The whole book was basically JeI was so pumped to find out what the deal was with the daughters boneless bodies and this ended up being just alright. The whole book was basically Jenna having an uneasy feeling about Angelica and Simon and then realizing their true intentions at the last possible moment. The plan the Fears had for Jenna and Hallie was really obvious, so the suspense wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. ...more
This was one of the more unique ‘Fear Street’ books I’ve read. The focus was all on creepy kids and I was so into it. Scenes like (view spoiler)[MaggiThis was one of the more unique ‘Fear Street’ books I’ve read. The focus was all on creepy kids and I was so into it. Scenes like (view spoiler)[Maggie finding the dead cat in her bed (hide spoiler)] were messed up, but I thought the parts where Garret showed up in the background to be the best. This kid seriously just had to appear two seconds after someone tried to warn Maggie and I was terrified. There was just something so eerie about Garret.
The ending was absolutely horrible though. While the twist itself wasn’t bad, the execution of it was so half-assed. (view spoiler)[It all seemed to come out of nowhere that Andrew was the actual bad one and there were zero explanations given. Everything up to that point had given credence to Garret’s supposed actions and then I’m supposed to believe that it was all Andrew. Like, what was the deal with the ghost mother then? Andrew had said that Garret pushed her in the well and killed her, but if Garret was innocent than who killed her? Was she even murdered or did she truly die from some illness? I didn’t understand what was going on at all (hide spoiler)]. I was just super confused at that point. It felt like the author just went for something that would be shocking instead of something that made sense. ...more
Cathy and Jon continued to be one of the most dysfunctional, toxic relationships I’ve ever read. Oh my god, it was like the first book never happened.Cathy and Jon continued to be one of the most dysfunctional, toxic relationships I’ve ever read. Oh my god, it was like the first book never happened. It was the exact same situation with Cathy doing something selfless to save Jon and him automatically jumping to conclusions and thinking she’s a lying whore that’s sleeping around on him. Jon has always been a piece of crap, but I think the thing that bothered me most was that he should have known better by now. He spent a good chunk of the book before this thinking the woman he loved had betrayed him, only to learn that she had been telling the truth the whole time. So what does he do this time around? You’d think he’d learn from his previous mistakes and as painful as the situation was, have some faith in Cathy and why she had done certain things. But nope, he goes on to be a complete asshole for the remainder of the story. God knows why Cathy was in love with him because he was constantly doubting her and refusing to believe any of her explanations.
There was a certain scene towards the end that really grated on me. He basically said something about how he was willing to move past all her ‘transgressions’ and I wanted to puke at how condescending he was. He was acting like he was doing her a favor when he was the one that was too bullheaded to believe in the rational explanations she had. The entire part with him (view spoiler)[denying that Virginia was his daughter and calling her a bastard (hide spoiler)] was messed up and I didn’t think there was much redeemable about his character after that point. I was just so disgusted with Jon and I wanted Cathy to go find someone better to move on with. It just sucks because when they were happy, they were absolutely adorable together. I wanted to root for them, but Jon kept finding ways to ruin things.
The ending had me kind of irritated. Unlike the first book, I was even more against Cathy and Jon getting a happy ending. I did think that it was nice to see Jon groveling a bit and Cathy not taking his crap when he tried to make excuses. No lie, I got this sick sense of joy when (view spoiler)[Jon thought he had convinced her to come back and she was like ‘nope, I’m still leaving you’ (hide spoiler)]. The most annoying part though was how everyone around Cathy was telling her to work things out with Jon. I understand to a certain degree because of the time period and the children they had together, but I couldn’t take all her friends and family painting Jon as some kind of saint. They were all ‘poor Jon’ and going on about how good Jon had always treated Cathy. That last part seriously had to be a joke. Even if you disregard everything that happened in ‘Island Flame’, Jon was absolutely horrid to her since the moment he busted in on her and Harold and refused to trust anything she said. I honestly thought it would serve Jon right if Cathy decided that she was done with him and he lost her forever. Maybe then he would learn that he can’t act the way he does and expect his wife to put up with his paranoid jealousy and abusive behavior.
Overall, as entertaining as this was, I’m happy it’s over. This book made me feel mentally and physically exhausted. It seriously took so much energy to be constantly angry at everything that happened. I mean, to be honest, I’d probably pick up a third book if it had been written, but for Cathy’s sake, it’s good to end it where it did. I don’t think I could bear it if she had to go through another 400 pages of Jon unjustifiably treating her like crap....more
Hmm. This was alright. The build-up was really good. Given the other book she appeared in, it was clear that there was something up with Angelica, butHmm. This was alright. The build-up was really good. Given the other book she appeared in, it was clear that there was something up with Angelica, but it felt like David was hiding something as well. There was this sense of mystery that I liked and I wanted to know who was behind the deaths. Also, it was a little eerie reading about Hannah and Julia when I know what ultimately happens with them in ‘The Burning’.
It was the ending that left me feeling like the book was kind of mediocre. The scary factor just wasn’t there and the final showdown wasn’t very exciting. It was like I didn’t hate this book, but it could’ve been much better....more
Fieran’s chapters seemed a bit like a cheesy LARPing adventure at times, but I did find the story interesting. It was cool to go even further back intFieran’s chapters seemed a bit like a cheesy LARPing adventure at times, but I did find the story interesting. It was cool to go even further back into the Fier family history and see how all the pieces clicked together with everything else that had been revealed already....more
Oh my god, that ending made me so mad. I didn’t want things to go the way they did at all. Nicholas deserved better. The entire time I was reading theOh my god, that ending made me so mad. I didn’t want things to go the way they did at all. Nicholas deserved better. The entire time I was reading the epilogue I was hoping that (view spoiler)[he would have bided his time and then killed Ruth after enough years had gone by (hide spoiler)]. Anger aside though, the story was pretty decent. I have to give props to that weird ass death scene with (view spoiler)[the bread dough (hide spoiler)]. I’m still not sure whether it was a really unique method of murdering someone or if it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of....more
I was pretty indifferent to this for the most part. I started zoning out a bit during the scenes where they were trying to break into the G ward. HoweI was pretty indifferent to this for the most part. I started zoning out a bit during the scenes where they were trying to break into the G ward. However, after the Deadman battles were introduced, I was much more into the story. The fact that the loser had to (view spoiler)[pull a lever on a slot machine to determine which body part they had to have removed (hide spoiler)] was a morbidly fun idea. I was so disturbed when that one guy (view spoiler)[was wide awake while his eye was cut out (hide spoiler)]. It was even weirder how everyone else watching was so cheerful as it was done. ...more
I must be a really shallow person because I honestly cared a lot more about the romance in this volume than the actual plot. There were some heavy stoI must be a really shallow person because I honestly cared a lot more about the romance in this volume than the actual plot. There were some heavy storylines going on. A couple of important people from Zero’s past showed up and all I could think about was the school dance going on. I was so into this whole Zero/Yuki/Kaname dynamic. It was like I was a teenage girl all over again. There were so many interactions between Zero and Yuki that had me swooning. I wanted them to get together so badly. I’m not sure where the story is going to go now that the big situation with (view spoiler)[Zero’s maker (hide spoiler)] is resolved, but can I just say that that final panel was great? I definitely wasn’t expecting that from Kaname....more
For some reason, this volume seemed really short to me. I think it might be because not much happened. The present day stuff had me feeling a bit discFor some reason, this volume seemed really short to me. I think it might be because not much happened. The present day stuff had me feeling a bit disconnected. I didn’t get the big deal with the grandfather and Kaname. Also, I had no clue how to feel about Maria. She came off super sketchy to me. I did love the flashbacks though. It was nice to get some character development on Kaname’s end. The scenes where he visited a younger Yuki every year on her birthday was sweet. I could finally understand why Yuki had a crush on him. While I still think that Yuki and Zero should be endgame, I can now see the appeal when it comes to Kaname....more
