Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Reread because it was in my iBooks library & I ran out of books (I'm making excuses).
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I honestly don't know where to begin. Since I read Fangirl I obviously wanted to read this book too, especially since I was quite invested in Simon and Baz's story after what little we saw of them in Fangirl. So I brought this home with me during Christmas break, figuring it would keep me entertained for those two weeks, and proceeded to read it in two days. I got so hooked I just couldn't stop and once I was finished, I felt bereft. It was over way too fast and I loved it so much.
If anyone ever were to ask, this would definitely be one of my favourite books of all time, not because it's perfectly written (because it's not, I'm sad to admit), but because of the way it made me feel. I am so attached to this book it's almost ridiculous and, at least to me, it's even better the second time around.
SO YEAH.
The language was easier to grasp in this book (as opposed to Fangirl, that is) and I really enjoyed the world Rowell created. I was impressed by how she managed to make this the last in a series of eight books and still have it make as much sense as it did. There were some holes, sure, and you had accept a lot of things without much explanation, but I was definitely willing to do that. That said, the first third of the book does drag somewhat and certain details and plot points could have used more work, but, as a whole, I absolutely adore it.
It's a lovely new take on the "Chosen One" trope, while it at the same time gives enough nods to the old classics in the genre to make me happy. Aside from the obvious plus of this being super gay, there are also people of colour and healthy platonic friendships between a boy and a girl and just… read it, okay? Probably Fangirl first, but just read it. I've read it three times now and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it again pretty soon. I LOVE this book.
I mean, ANY story where “Bohemian Rhapsody” is some sort of strong, awesome spell is already perfect to me. I LOVE THAT. I AM HERE FOR THAT.
This book is awesome.
If anyone ever were to ask, this would definitely be one of my favourite books of all time, not because it's perfectly written (because it's not, I'm sad to admit), but because of the way it made me feel. I am so attached to this book it's almost ridiculous and, at least to me, it's even better the second time around.
SO YEAH.
The language was easier to grasp in this book (as opposed to Fangirl, that is) and I really enjoyed the world Rowell created. I was impressed by how she managed to make this the last in a series of eight books and still have it make as much sense as it did. There were some holes, sure, and you had accept a lot of things without much explanation, but I was definitely willing to do that. That said, the first third of the book does drag somewhat and certain details and plot points could have used more work, but, as a whole, I absolutely adore it.
It's a lovely new take on the "Chosen One" trope, while it at the same time gives enough nods to the old classics in the genre to make me happy. Aside from the obvious plus of this being super gay, there are also people of colour and healthy platonic friendships between a boy and a girl and just… read it, okay? Probably Fangirl first, but just read it. I've read it three times now and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it again pretty soon. I LOVE this book.
I mean, ANY story where “Bohemian Rhapsody” is some sort of strong, awesome spell is already perfect to me. I LOVE THAT. I AM HERE FOR THAT.
This book is awesome.
ok i defo loved simon and baz and its a awesome book tho im a lil confused still but i didnt really care about anyone but simon and baz.
i didnt like agatha, and i wish we saw more of the mage (and wtf is he called the mage) and like im still confused about lucy
but simon and baz were so adorable and perfect i wanted to cry omg
i didnt like agatha, and i wish we saw more of the mage (and wtf is he called the mage) and like im still confused about lucy
but simon and baz were so adorable and perfect i wanted to cry omg
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Ok, I have read another of Rainbow Rowell's books, Eleanor and Park, and it was enjoyable, but this book was very difficult to read. I got it on audio and listened to 2 out of 11 discs. I was going to stop after the first disc but decided maybe it would pick up after the beginning explanatory bit. Nah. I really did try, but I cared nothing for any of the characters and honestly didn't even really have any sense of who they are supposed to be. The story is not so much in the present as it is in the main character constantly recounting everything that has happened in the past. Constantly. And the reason he would have so much to talk about in the first place? We are thrown into the story in the middle and only get constant vague details of past important events. Also, I had read that it is a sort of Harry Potter fanfic and honestly I can really see that at the very beginning but afterwards it veers and becomes something completely on its own so I don't understand why it's base needs to depend so heavily on someone else's ideas. It bothers me to quit reading books but I was bored out of my mind listening to this one and while usually I look forward to my transit because of audio books, I had just started listening to music because I really didn't want to hear more of it. I just didn't see how it could improve. Maybe somehow it does? But I just have too many books I want to read to stick out for disc after disc.
Full disclosure. I did not think I would like this book that much. The little fanfic intros to the chapters in Fangirl? Didn't read them. Wasn't interested. I mean, I love Rainbow Rowell, enough to give her the benefit of the doubt and read this book that I did not think I would like. I was actually super bummed when I saw this was the next book she was publishing because I adore her so intensely.
Now I will eat all previous words, because this was GREAT. I apologize most sincerely, Rainbow Rowell, for my doubt in your skills. You are the queen.
What I liked
1. There's a lot of interesting magical world building that I loved. I loved the way that spells worked and that they could evolve as language evolved. I loved the way the villain was done. I loved the idea of people having different amounts of magic and the idea that you could exhaust your supply.
2. I liked the portrayal of friendships, particularly between Penny and Simon. I liked that Penny both acknowledged her terror over losing Simon and what that means to her while remaining loyal to helping him. I also appreciated that they had to struggle over their opposing feelings about the Mage and his role in the war.
3. I liked that it was funny. In a book where characters are struggling with heavy issues, I appreciated that there was still humor. They could make fun of themselves and be sarcastic, and I think that's realistic.
4. The plot was great. The ending was great. I thought the way everything came together was really well done.
Why not 5 stars?
The challenge of this book is that it was the seventh book of a series where the first six books hadn't been written. There was a lot of great stuff happening and stuff I liked a lot. But there was also a lot of catching up that had to be done. There were times that made the story lag a bit, even though the information was important. There were times when I wished I knew the full story behind something that I'd been briefly caught up on. Don't get me wrong. I think the story was as well done as it possibly could be, but honestly, for as long as I can remember, I've hated when a book tried to summarize a previous story to advance the plot. I prefer the experience of making those connections myself. While that wasn't possible here, that still brought down the experience just a little for me.
Now I will eat all previous words, because this was GREAT. I apologize most sincerely, Rainbow Rowell, for my doubt in your skills. You are the queen.
What I liked
1. There's a lot of interesting magical world building that I loved. I loved the way that spells worked and that they could evolve as language evolved. I loved the way the villain was done. I loved the idea of people having different amounts of magic and the idea that you could exhaust your supply.
2. I liked the portrayal of friendships, particularly between Penny and Simon. I liked that Penny both acknowledged her terror over losing Simon and what that means to her while remaining loyal to helping him. I also appreciated that they had to struggle over their opposing feelings about the Mage and his role in the war.
3. I liked that it was funny. In a book where characters are struggling with heavy issues, I appreciated that there was still humor. They could make fun of themselves and be sarcastic, and I think that's realistic.
4. The plot was great. The ending was great. I thought the way everything came together was really well done.
Why not 5 stars?
The challenge of this book is that it was the seventh book of a series where the first six books hadn't been written. There was a lot of great stuff happening and stuff I liked a lot. But there was also a lot of catching up that had to be done. There were times that made the story lag a bit, even though the information was important. There were times when I wished I knew the full story behind something that I'd been briefly caught up on. Don't get me wrong. I think the story was as well done as it possibly could be, but honestly, for as long as I can remember, I've hated when a book tried to summarize a previous story to advance the plot. I prefer the experience of making those connections myself. While that wasn't possible here, that still brought down the experience just a little for me.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes