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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Link: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-need-so-beautiful-series-by-suzanne.html
I think this was one of those series where the author could have been better off with leaving it after the first book. I’m not saying that the second book wasn’t good or that the novella didn’t wrap things up – both were true. However, I definitely felt that the second book opened up a can of worms that never answered any questions and only left with more confusion. The first book, while a bittersweet ending, could have been the ultimate ending despite the fact that it didn’t answer things 100% which the novella did. But it just wasn’t super necessary, if that makes any sense.
Book 1 felt like it was just the precursor where Charlotte was just trying to figure out what was going on and then had to face the ultimate decision – save herself and go into darkness or sacrifice herself for the sake of everyone else. Obviously we all know which decision she took (duh!). The one thing I would say about this book is that I felt that things happened in a blur from when Charlotte started to get the Need to when she had to face the ultimate decision. I felt that she didn’t have enough time to really process everything and then she suddenly had to give up her life.
For book 2, it definitely didn’t focus as much on the Need but more on the Shadows and how to combat them. I was also a little surprised about Lucy’s and Abe’s arrival since I thought this trilogy would basically be a showdown between Charlotte and Onika but clearly that wasn’t the case at all. My biggest qualm about this book is that it didn’t answer anything especially the most important question – how come she came back in a different life/body? What made her different from all of the other Forgottens? And how come Harlin, Charlotte’s boyfriend in book 1, somehow found her so quickly and was somehow still the same age? That was another biggie for me – okay, I can move forward with Charlotte’s reincarnation but how the fuck did Harlin still look like he belonged in high school despite the fact that more than a year passed between each reincarnation? Not to mention, each book was over a course of a few weeks/months. And in the distant future, if she kept reincarnating, how can Harlin fit in as a romantic partner if he’s aging as a regular person but she’s still coming back as if she was still 17 all over again? It just made no sense to me.
Even though Charlotte’s character/body changed with each book but I think that her true personality still remained the same and it was evident as I read the series. I liked how the author made her consistent throughout the series despite her having different lives and different bodies. I thought that was nice. Harlin, her boyfriend, also remained consistent though he did lose some of that happiness from the first book which is obviously understandable since he basically witnessed his girlfriend basically exploding into lights. However, he remained true and steadfast and still loved her with all of his heart. While I found that admirable and romantic, the cynical side of me simply cannot believe it. Remember, they’re both teenagers yet somehow after witnessing himself that his girlfriend had passed on and yet still somehow remained true to her. The author didn’t talk about whether or not he met other girls along the way or whatever. I don’t know…I just can’t imagine that.
Overall, the books were good but there was definitely room for improvement. I wish the author answered a few more questions about the logistics of some of the plots but overall, it was decent.
I think this was one of those series where the author could have been better off with leaving it after the first book. I’m not saying that the second book wasn’t good or that the novella didn’t wrap things up – both were true. However, I definitely felt that the second book opened up a can of worms that never answered any questions and only left with more confusion. The first book, while a bittersweet ending, could have been the ultimate ending despite the fact that it didn’t answer things 100% which the novella did. But it just wasn’t super necessary, if that makes any sense.
Book 1 felt like it was just the precursor where Charlotte was just trying to figure out what was going on and then had to face the ultimate decision – save herself and go into darkness or sacrifice herself for the sake of everyone else. Obviously we all know which decision she took (duh!). The one thing I would say about this book is that I felt that things happened in a blur from when Charlotte started to get the Need to when she had to face the ultimate decision. I felt that she didn’t have enough time to really process everything and then she suddenly had to give up her life.
For book 2, it definitely didn’t focus as much on the Need but more on the Shadows and how to combat them. I was also a little surprised about Lucy’s and Abe’s arrival since I thought this trilogy would basically be a showdown between Charlotte and Onika but clearly that wasn’t the case at all. My biggest qualm about this book is that it didn’t answer anything especially the most important question – how come she came back in a different life/body? What made her different from all of the other Forgottens? And how come Harlin, Charlotte’s boyfriend in book 1, somehow found her so quickly and was somehow still the same age? That was another biggie for me – okay, I can move forward with Charlotte’s reincarnation but how the fuck did Harlin still look like he belonged in high school despite the fact that more than a year passed between each reincarnation? Not to mention, each book was over a course of a few weeks/months. And in the distant future, if she kept reincarnating, how can Harlin fit in as a romantic partner if he’s aging as a regular person but she’s still coming back as if she was still 17 all over again? It just made no sense to me.
Even though Charlotte’s character/body changed with each book but I think that her true personality still remained the same and it was evident as I read the series. I liked how the author made her consistent throughout the series despite her having different lives and different bodies. I thought that was nice. Harlin, her boyfriend, also remained consistent though he did lose some of that happiness from the first book which is obviously understandable since he basically witnessed his girlfriend basically exploding into lights. However, he remained true and steadfast and still loved her with all of his heart. While I found that admirable and romantic, the cynical side of me simply cannot believe it. Remember, they’re both teenagers yet somehow after witnessing himself that his girlfriend had passed on and yet still somehow remained true to her. The author didn’t talk about whether or not he met other girls along the way or whatever. I don’t know…I just can’t imagine that.
Overall, the books were good but there was definitely room for improvement. I wish the author answered a few more questions about the logistics of some of the plots but overall, it was decent.
Charlotte has a secret. She tells everyone that she suffers from asthma, but really, she has what she calls the Need. Every so often, she will get a compulsion, and when it hits, she has to find someone, a stranger, and help them. It used to be a very rare thing, but now it's happening almost every day. Turns out that she's one of the Forgotten, a sort of angel who is called on to help people. And it requires a huge, huge sacrifice.
This is SUCH a good book! It's sweet and sad and wonderful. (I'm giving it four stars on Goodreads only because of the last two pages and because I don't have book two now. Probably unfair, but whatever.)
I loved this book and hate that I can't talk about it without spoiling it (and trust me, you don't want to know anything about this book ahead of time). So go read it. :)
This is SUCH a good book! It's sweet and sad and wonderful. (I'm giving it four stars on Goodreads only because of the last two pages and because I don't have book two now. Probably unfair, but whatever.)
I loved this book and hate that I can't talk about it without spoiling it (and trust me, you don't want to know anything about this book ahead of time). So go read it. :)
More like 4.5, but who's counting?
I would have absolutely loved this book but there were a few problems:
1. There's not much backstory with Harlin and Charlotte's relationship. Charlotte kept saying that their relationship is not like any other's, that she knows they're soulmates, whatever, but there's not much proof of that, like, say, Adam and Mia from If I Stay. I mean, Charlotte seeing Harlin and admiring him 'cause he's not like any other guy in school(every girl says that with their crush), their first kiss, Harlin's family problems and their dreams for the future.. that's it? It's not as concrete as I wanted it to be. To the author: Show, not tell.
P.s. If they were my schoolmates at the time that Harlin was still studying in St. Vincent's, I'd bet they wouldn't last a year. But they're all soulmates and stuff so who am I to doubt destiny?
2. Charlotte's really stubborn. It's like, one moment she's with Monroe(lol not in a relationship way), the next she's seriously considering the things Onika tells her, then she's on Monroe's side again, then Onika tells her things and she believes them like she has not known Monroe for YEAAAARS, and the cycle goes on....
BUT. (!!!!!!) The rest, I either liked, loved, or was just okay with it. The things I absolutely LOVE(present tense) are the following:
1. The concept. It's just so.. original and fresh. It couldn't get any more original than this. Get me a YA PNR book that's also about a girl FREAKING MADE OF LIGHT AND SENT FROM HEAVEN AND BY GOD and I'll take back my words.
2. I loooove how the author did this story, with the timing and stuff. It's like a story from a different angle. How could I explain this... umm. Like, for some books wherein the girl and the boy are "meant to be" and "destined", they have their backstory of course. Say, Fallen by Lauren Kate. It starts with Luce's attraction to Daniel. Then she learns they were really lovers in their past lives but she always dies, so she forgets. Then they go on with their lives blah blah.
Here, this entire book is like the WHOLE backstory for the sequel, and I love it. It makes it more believable and real than just saying that couple X were actually this and that and that's why they're meant to be... When you say it like that, I mean.. "They were a couple in their past life. Also, she hates this fruit because in her past life she hated it more. Oooh~ And they always end up together no matter what.". That's hard to believe, because there's no proof and seems kind of made-up, unless the author really SHOWED. But here, you're reading the whole backstory because you know there's gonna be a sequel with that ending, so, the effect is amazing and you feel it's real(even if of course it's fiction.)
3. Speaking of ending.. :): (yes, a bipolar smiley.) I TEARED UP, NO KIDDING. :( Harlin!!!!!!!!! AT FIRST I WAS LIKE WHAT THE F WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT THEN I'M LIKE OHHHHH THAT'S WHY! CRAP! THAT'S A REALLY NCIE TURN OF EVENTS BUT ALSO SAD AND HECK NOW THESE WORDS ARE REALLY TEAR-JERKING!!! Nice lines, is all.
4. The scene with the dying, old guy. Can't remember his name :( Anyway. Also cried with that.
IS THERE EVEN A DOUBT WHETHER I'M GONNA READ THE SEQUEL!!!!!!!??
I would have absolutely loved this book but there were a few problems:
1. There's not much backstory with Harlin and Charlotte's relationship. Charlotte kept saying that their relationship is not like any other's, that she knows they're soulmates, whatever, but there's not much proof of that, like, say, Adam and Mia from If I Stay. I mean, Charlotte seeing Harlin and admiring him 'cause he's not like any other guy in school(every girl says that with their crush), their first kiss, Harlin's family problems and their dreams for the future.. that's it? It's not as concrete as I wanted it to be. To the author: Show, not tell.
P.s. If they were my schoolmates at the time that Harlin was still studying in St. Vincent's, I'd bet they wouldn't last a year. But they're all soulmates and stuff so who am I to doubt destiny?
2. Charlotte's really stubborn. It's like, one moment she's with Monroe(lol not in a relationship way), the next she's seriously considering the things Onika tells her, then she's on Monroe's side again, then Onika tells her things and she believes them like she has not known Monroe for YEAAAARS, and the cycle goes on....
BUT. (!!!!!!) The rest, I either liked, loved, or was just okay with it. The things I absolutely LOVE(present tense) are the following:
1. The concept. It's just so.. original and fresh. It couldn't get any more original than this. Get me a YA PNR book that's also about a girl FREAKING MADE OF LIGHT AND SENT FROM HEAVEN AND BY GOD and I'll take back my words.
2. I loooove how the author did this story, with the timing and stuff. It's like a story from a different angle. How could I explain this... umm. Like, for some books wherein the girl and the boy are "meant to be" and "destined", they have their backstory of course. Say, Fallen by Lauren Kate. It starts with Luce's attraction to Daniel. Then she learns they were really lovers in their past lives but she always dies, so she forgets. Then they go on with their lives blah blah.
Here, this entire book is like the WHOLE backstory for the sequel, and I love it. It makes it more believable and real than just saying that couple X were actually this and that and that's why they're meant to be... When you say it like that, I mean.. "They were a couple in their past life. Also, she hates this fruit because in her past life she hated it more. Oooh~ And they always end up together no matter what.". That's hard to believe, because there's no proof and seems kind of made-up, unless the author really SHOWED. But here, you're reading the whole backstory because you know there's gonna be a sequel with that ending, so, the effect is amazing and you feel it's real(even if of course it's fiction.)
3. Speaking of ending.. :): (yes, a bipolar smiley.) I TEARED UP, NO KIDDING. :( Harlin!!!!!!!!! AT FIRST I WAS LIKE WHAT THE F WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT THEN I'M LIKE OHHHHH THAT'S WHY! CRAP! THAT'S A REALLY NCIE TURN OF EVENTS BUT ALSO SAD AND HECK NOW THESE WORDS ARE REALLY TEAR-JERKING!!! Nice lines, is all.
4. The scene with the dying, old guy. Can't remember his name :( Anyway. Also cried with that.
IS THERE EVEN A DOUBT WHETHER I'M GONNA READ THE SEQUEL!!!!!!!??