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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Meda is the best part of this book. She's a interesting, funny, morally-grey character.
This book was overall a fun read. It was funny and lighthearted, even though they were demon hunters with no shortage of blood. I loved Meda's sarcastic humor which poked fun at other teen books. Finally a story without a love interest (well none that Meda participates in). The only thing I didn't like was the long chapters but I'll get over it.
This is hovering between a three and a four star rating. I really liked the lead (Meda's) voice and her interactions with Jo and there were some great/tense action sequences.
Buddy Read 15Feb15 with Buddies Books & Baubles!
3.5 stars
This is a tough one because I love the overall premise and I adore the main character. She's everything I could ever want in an MC -- she kicks ass, she has the snarkiest inner monologue I've ever heard, she's unapologetically sarcastic aloud, and she's stubborn as hell. She doesn't go falling all over the first attractive guy she meetsshe waits til she finds the second or third hottest guy and she's not needy or clingy in any way. She might act like it as part of a cover, but in the meantime she's saying I could take all you bitches with my eyes closed in the back of her mind.
And GOD was I glad she didn't even think about dumbing herself down for that first hot guy, because Chi (NOT Chee, it's Malachi so it's KY, as I internally screamed to myself every time I read his name) is someone I really found laughable. He's got the hero complex and the hot bod, but good lord this boy doesn't seem like he's seen much of the world. Jo was awesome in a (very) prickly way; she doesn't let her handicap stop her and gets pissed as hell when someone else tries to caution her because of it. That's my kinda girl. And I have to say, the whole demons vs Templars + an ass-kicking character named Jo make my brain head down the Supernatural path, and that is NOT a bad thing. You want action, this book's got it. You want tortured lead characters, they're here.
The only problem I had with this book was that it seemed to hit a bit of a lull somewhere near the middle, once the crew was on the run. It might have been because I put the book down for a few days longer than I meant to as well, but yeah. Another part of the mild disappointment may have come from finishing the Croak trilogy and being literally blown away by them, then told that Cracked is better than those books. That set the bar beyond sky-high. That said, I'm definitely picking up the next one because this had so much potential and I really liked the majority of it. And MEDA.
Also, I adored Uri. For some reason by the end of the book I was getting this huge vibe that paralleled him to Ziri from the Daughter of Smoke & Bone books -- anyone else get that?
3.5 stars
This is a tough one because I love the overall premise and I adore the main character. She's everything I could ever want in an MC -- she kicks ass, she has the snarkiest inner monologue I've ever heard, she's unapologetically sarcastic aloud, and she's stubborn as hell. She doesn't go falling all over the first attractive guy she meets
And GOD was I glad she didn't even think about dumbing herself down for that first hot guy, because Chi (NOT Chee, it's Malachi so it's KY, as I internally screamed to myself every time I read his name) is someone I really found laughable. He's got the hero complex and the hot bod, but good lord this boy doesn't seem like he's seen much of the world. Jo was awesome in a (very) prickly way; she doesn't let her handicap stop her and gets pissed as hell when someone else tries to caution her because of it. That's my kinda girl. And I have to say, the whole demons vs Templars + an ass-kicking character named Jo make my brain head down the Supernatural path, and that is NOT a bad thing. You want action, this book's got it. You want tortured lead characters, they're here.
The only problem I had with this book was that it seemed to hit a bit of a lull somewhere near the middle, once the crew was on the run. It might have been because I put the book down for a few days longer than I meant to as well, but yeah. Another part of the mild disappointment may have come from finishing the Croak trilogy and being literally blown away by them, then told that Cracked is better than those books. That set the bar beyond sky-high. That said, I'm definitely picking up the next one because this had so much potential and I really liked the majority of it. And MEDA.
Also, I adored Uri. For some reason by the end of the book I was getting this huge vibe that paralleled him to Ziri from the Daughter of Smoke & Bone books -- anyone else get that?
Actual Rating: 4.9 (bordering 5)
I absolutely loved Meda! For the longest time, I've been searching for a female YA protagonists that EMBRACES their dark side in a non-angsty way. The plot was decent and a little bit predictable but it really doesn't matter because you'll finish the book just because its point of view is Meda's. She is hilariously evil and I totally loved her. She doesn't want or try to be normal and/or good like most supernatural/fantasy protagonists, which I liked. I mean, if you have supernatural strength and all, why trade that for a fragile human body? Idiots. Frankly speaking, this review is really supposed to be about how awesome Meda is, but I don't want to spoil (cause I want everyone to read this book).
Overall, this is a book, in my opinion, stood out because of the awesome protagonist.
I absolutely loved Meda! For the longest time, I've been searching for a female YA protagonists that EMBRACES their dark side in a non-angsty way. The plot was decent and a little bit predictable but it really doesn't matter because you'll finish the book just because its point of view is Meda's. She is hilariously evil and I totally loved her. She doesn't want or try to be normal and/or good like most supernatural/fantasy protagonists, which I liked. I mean, if you have supernatural strength and all, why trade that for a fragile human body? Idiots. Frankly speaking, this review is really supposed to be about how awesome Meda is, but I don't want to spoil (cause I want everyone to read this book).
Overall, this is a book, in my opinion, stood out because of the awesome protagonist.
I gobbled this book up. (See what I did there?)
Meda is a sarcastic and wise cracking protagonist. The author really had fun with her and her evilness.
The side characters are less fleshed out, at first. It really takes the whole book to get to know them. Chi, our leading man, is dull in more than one way. How can he be so stupid? (But fortunately he isn't the love interest. Yay!) Jo is a little better but it takes a while for her to get over her too jealousness and bitterness.
The relationships really unfold slowly and I liked the gradual trust and friendship.
I hadn't expected this to be a magic school type book and it reminded me a bit of Mortal Instruments at first.
The Bad:
Present tense *cringes*
Meda is a sarcastic and wise cracking protagonist. The author really had fun with her and her evilness.
The side characters are less fleshed out, at first. It really takes the whole book to get to know them. Chi, our leading man, is dull in more than one way. How can he be so stupid? (But fortunately he isn't the love interest. Yay!) Jo is a little better but it takes a while for her to get over her too jealousness and bitterness.
The relationships really unfold slowly and I liked the gradual trust and friendship.
I hadn't expected this to be a magic school type book and it reminded me a bit of Mortal Instruments at first.
The Bad:
Present tense *cringes*
Meda is the best part of this book. She's a interesting, funny, morally-grey character.
Five stars for Meda, honestly.
It was the snark that did it for me. Meda is snarky and clever, a bit mad, and absolutely hilarious. Her narration made me love a story that wouldn't have done much for me otherwise.
Sitting down to write this review, I realize that I don't really have much to say about the novel aside from my love for Meda.
The story was pretty standard for the genre. Though it wasn't formulaic, as it definitely had character. I liked that the Templars didn't live in lavish buildings in the lap of luxury, like your standard paranormal fighting-fare. I also loved that there wasn't any romance for Meda in this novel. It wouldn't have worked for her character arc. Meda was just able to do Meda and I enjoyed that. It always baffles me when YA books have so much romance while all sorts of crazy, life-threatening shit is happening. In small doses, it's okay, but making it the focus of the novel annoys me to no end. Thankfully, this was not the case for Cracked.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in a YA paranormal read who appreciate intelligent, hilarious heroines and a solid storyline that isn't bogged down by romance.
"When Mom told me I was special and unique, I thought she literally meant I was special and unique. After all, I never met any other children who could lift cars or chew on steel bolts. Turns out I’m only ‘mom-special’. Special like a snowflake is special. Special like a school kid on honour roll."
It was the snark that did it for me. Meda is snarky and clever, a bit mad, and absolutely hilarious. Her narration made me love a story that wouldn't have done much for me otherwise.
Sitting down to write this review, I realize that I don't really have much to say about the novel aside from my love for Meda.
The story was pretty standard for the genre. Though it wasn't formulaic, as it definitely had character. I liked that the Templars didn't live in lavish buildings in the lap of luxury, like your standard paranormal fighting-fare. I also loved that there wasn't any romance for Meda in this novel. It wouldn't have worked for her character arc. Meda was just able to do Meda and I enjoyed that. It always baffles me when YA books have so much romance while all sorts of crazy, life-threatening shit is happening. In small doses, it's okay, but making it the focus of the novel annoys me to no end. Thankfully, this was not the case for Cracked.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in a YA paranormal read who appreciate intelligent, hilarious heroines and a solid storyline that isn't bogged down by romance.
4.5 stars and leaving it at 5 because the strengths really outweigh the weaknesses of this book for a reader like me who is absolutely drawn to complex charactwrs like Meda, with a background that is extremely difficult to write about. Also, what humor. This book is written with SUCH HUMOR. It's honestly rare. Also, Meda is a woman and her narrative voice is sublime because we are rarely, if ever, treated to female narrative voices quite like Meda's. Honestly, her voice is not at all that of the typical, not well thought-out first-person female protsgonist, and that is a wonderful present. She reads like an actual person, with the complexity of conflicting emotions and thoughts, not a 2D crappy attempt at an imitation of an actual person, who just sits there and makes stupid decisions with no intention to make a good story.
Several reviews say Meda is an unconventional character, with the story being unconventionally executed, and I am so glad I dove into this once I read those reviews. They were right in saying so many YA tropes were tossed out the window in this book. It's extremely satisfying and gives me hope since nowadays, all books follow the same formula and it's fairly easy to guess all the twists.
I cried a lot towards the end. I just kept crying. Meda is someone who is so easy to refuse to understand on first meeting; she also makes it very easy to do so. But she's so easy to get attsched to in the first-person perspective, she's so remarkably approachable and accessible. Take the necklaces - my heart squeezed when she rubbed the scratched, cheap word etched on her necklace.
It's interesting, it was heart-wrenching when you find out one of the twists, even though I already had an inkling of what had happened, the impact was still not softened, even a little bit. I used a lot of tissues.
Might add more thoughts later.
MORE SPOILERS AHEAD ---
I was a bit surprised she had so much faith in her mother's affection for her because when you're blindsided by a different side to a person, the faith is hardest to reach. Add her background of little to no socialization for all her life. I thought her reaction was unrealistically optimistic, but I also have no idea what really would be realistic in a case like Meda's.
Several reviews say Meda is an unconventional character, with the story being unconventionally executed, and I am so glad I dove into this once I read those reviews. They were right in saying so many YA tropes were tossed out the window in this book. It's extremely satisfying and gives me hope since nowadays, all books follow the same formula and it's fairly easy to guess all the twists.
I cried a lot towards the end. I just kept crying. Meda is someone who is so easy to refuse to understand on first meeting; she also makes it very easy to do so. But she's so easy to get attsched to in the first-person perspective, she's so remarkably approachable and accessible. Take the necklaces - my heart squeezed when she rubbed the scratched, cheap word etched on her necklace.
It's interesting, it was heart-wrenching when you find out one of the twists, even though I already had an inkling of what had happened, the impact was still not softened, even a little bit. I used a lot of tissues.
Might add more thoughts later.
MORE SPOILERS AHEAD ---
I was a bit surprised she had so much faith in her mother's affection for her because when you're blindsided by a different side to a person, the faith is hardest to reach. Add her background of little to no socialization for all her life. I thought her reaction was unrealistically optimistic, but I also have no idea what really would be realistic in a case like Meda's.