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aerbourne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
starrystorm's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
secre's review
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was another sequel that didn't quite live up to the initial novel. Wolf by Wolf was an excellent alternate history imagining with magical edges. It had tension, great characters and a vividly re-imagined world. The assassination plot drew the novel along, with the great race being a wonderfully utilised plot device.
The problem with this novel is that it utilises the same format of the first novel with the long journey, but it doesn't bring the tension and dynamic energy of the initial novel. The author builds up the romance, which felt unnecessary. They also don't continue to build on the world and the political fallout of the initial novel. The last few pages of the first novel were some of the most powerful I have read, but this was a disappointment.
The twist at the end was also very easy to see coming from a mile away. And again, the fallout of this was huge and yet minimal at the same time, covered in a handful of pages that didn't do it justice. I was expecting greatness from this and instead I got mushy romance with a long, and frankly boring journey across Germania and a twist that was both obvious and uninspiring. It really doesn't do the series justice.
The problem with this novel is that it utilises the same format of the first novel with the long journey, but it doesn't bring the tension and dynamic energy of the initial novel. The author builds up the romance, which felt unnecessary. They also don't continue to build on the world and the political fallout of the initial novel. The last few pages of the first novel were some of the most powerful I have read, but this was a disappointment.
The twist at the end was also very easy to see coming from a mile away. And again, the fallout of this was huge and yet minimal at the same time, covered in a handful of pages that didn't do it justice. I was expecting greatness from this and instead I got mushy romance with a long, and frankly boring journey across Germania and a twist that was both obvious and uninspiring. It really doesn't do the series justice.
miori's review against another edition
4.0
Что ж, буквально пару минут назад я дочитала последние предложения этой истории.
Мне понравилось. И это внезапно.
Я считала, что эта книга относится к разряду "что могло пойти так". Но если вкратце резюмировать свои впечатления во время прочтения, первые 20-25 процентов я фейспалмила, однако потом, на удивление, стало норм. Интересно. Душевно. Захватывающе.
Косяков, конечно, вагон и маленькая тележка.
Вслепую прыгнуть с парашютом и оказаться у заброшенной деревни?
Гениальный план немца Баша послать сопляка шпионом?
Реактивное переобувание Луки от адекватной мотивации "мне все равно кирдык, а с Яэль есть хоть мизерный шанс выжить" к "ты вернулась за мной, все по-честному"?
Секретные документы без всякой защиты в трудовом лагере?
"Суженые зрачки правды", или как 2 вояки-машины-убийцы забыли, что один из подозреваемых может быть под кайфом?
Наконец, каноничная речь главного злодея, которая становится его единственным и фатальным промахом?
Все это здесь.
Однако, внезапно я нашла и много плюсов.
Во-первых, вся сюжетная линия Феликса, его сомнения, метания и слабость (которую почему-то так не любят давать своим героям авторы подростковых дистопий) на удивление адекватна. Я понимаю его слабость, я могу ей сопереживать.
Во-вторых, простите, но Лука Леве все-таки был очарователен. Можно поворчать, что на войне не место для подростковой любви, но это ведь не будет правдой. Романтики и душевных излияний было в меру, они не раздражали и ни на мгновение не давали забыть, что стоит на первом плане - и в сюжете, и в мотивации героев.
В-третьих, мне очень понравилось, что Яэль, по крайней мере в начале этой части, намного больше рефлексирует на тему самоопределения и видения себя монстром, чем о мире во всем мире и вселенской справедливости. Так честно. Тем более, что главная героиня - совсем не лицо восстания (и слава богу, бесит этот штамп). Она ведома в масштабных планах и это логично, ведь ее миссия закончилась в первой книге. Далее ни указаний, ни плана, ни опыта или знаний, чтобы этот самый план составить. Поэтому меня очень порадовало то, что новую точку координат, к которой надо стремиться, Яэль получает совсем не сразу, и даже после этого вынуждена маневрировать и действовать по ситуации.
Наверно, на эмоциях я бы могла поставить оценку и повыше. Все-таки героями удалось проникнуться, книга прочиталась легко и почти без закатываний глаз.
Но все-таки история Райан Гродин не проросла в меня. Да, это было увлекательно, но я проснусь завтра и, скорее всего, не буду думать о ней. Я хорошо провела время, но не изменилась.
А по-настоящему крутые истории меняют что-то в тебе, даже если они про кучку Гитлеров.
Мне понравилось. И это внезапно.
Я считала, что эта книга относится к разряду "что могло пойти так". Но если вкратце резюмировать свои впечатления во время прочтения, первые 20-25 процентов я фейспалмила, однако потом, на удивление, стало норм. Интересно. Душевно. Захватывающе.
Косяков, конечно, вагон и маленькая тележка.
Вслепую прыгнуть с парашютом и оказаться у заброшенной деревни?
Гениальный план немца Баша послать сопляка шпионом?
Реактивное переобувание Луки от адекватной мотивации "мне все равно кирдык, а с Яэль есть хоть мизерный шанс выжить" к "ты вернулась за мной, все по-честному"?
Секретные документы без всякой защиты в трудовом лагере?
"Суженые зрачки правды", или как 2 вояки-машины-убийцы забыли, что один из подозреваемых может быть под кайфом?
Наконец, каноничная речь главного злодея, которая становится его единственным и фатальным промахом?
Все это здесь.
Однако, внезапно я нашла и много плюсов.
Во-первых, вся сюжетная линия Феликса, его сомнения, метания и слабость (которую почему-то так не любят давать своим героям авторы подростковых дистопий) на удивление адекватна. Я понимаю его слабость, я могу ей сопереживать.
Во-вторых, простите, но Лука Леве все-таки был очарователен. Можно поворчать, что на войне не место для подростковой любви, но это ведь не будет правдой. Романтики и душевных излияний было в меру, они не раздражали и ни на мгновение не давали забыть, что стоит на первом плане - и в сюжете, и в мотивации героев.
В-третьих, мне очень понравилось, что Яэль, по крайней мере в начале этой части, намного больше рефлексирует на тему самоопределения и видения себя монстром, чем о мире во всем мире и вселенской справедливости. Так честно. Тем более, что главная героиня - совсем не лицо восстания (и слава богу, бесит этот штамп). Она ведома в масштабных планах и это логично, ведь ее миссия закончилась в первой книге. Далее ни указаний, ни плана, ни опыта или знаний, чтобы этот самый план составить. Поэтому меня очень порадовало то, что новую точку координат, к которой надо стремиться, Яэль получает совсем не сразу, и даже после этого вынуждена маневрировать и действовать по ситуации.
Наверно, на эмоциях я бы могла поставить оценку и повыше. Все-таки героями удалось проникнуться, книга прочиталась легко и почти без закатываний глаз.
Но все-таки история Райан Гродин не проросла в меня. Да, это было увлекательно, но я проснусь завтра и, скорее всего, не буду думать о ней. Я хорошо провела время, но не изменилась.
А по-настоящему крутые истории меняют что-то в тебе, даже если они про кучку Гитлеров.
kirstyreadsblog's review
5.0
Edit 22/03/2017: So I really loved this book at the time but it has been pointed out today that the romance in it could be taken as a romance between a Jewish girl and a Nazi, whilst I personally didn't feel like Luka was a Nazi as he seemed to mostly get by in life not taking an interest in anything and is completely unaware of all of the politics, this doesn't mean he was completely innocent. Here is a thread on twitter: https://twitter.com/Bibliogato/status/844582171637624832. I'm sorry if you went onto read this series/book after reading my review and were hurt by it. I'm a white, non religious person so I wasn't aware when reading this of possible triggers, which I'm sorry about, I fucked up in not relaying this in my original review.
Gosh this book. I don't honestly know where to start with my review for this. I was completely blown away. I liked Wolf by Wolf but it just felt like there was something missing stopping me from loving it completely. Then this book happened.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Between the discoveries about the Nazi Government now knowing that they've been using skin shifters and never knowing who to trust I felt like I couldn't breathe when I was reading this.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/blood-for-blood-by-ryan-graudin
Gosh this book. I don't honestly know where to start with my review for this. I was completely blown away. I liked Wolf by Wolf but it just felt like there was something missing stopping me from loving it completely. Then this book happened.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Between the discoveries about the Nazi Government now knowing that they've been using skin shifters and never knowing who to trust I felt like I couldn't breathe when I was reading this.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/blood-for-blood-by-ryan-graudin
melissch's review
4.0
4.5 -- UGH WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. I am emotionally distraught.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I was so excited to read the conclusion to this unique duology since I had absolutely LOVED the first book. The WWII era fascinates me, in all its darkness, and these books offer an intriguing paranormal alternate history.
What Fed My Addiction:
Multiple POVs and Flashbacks.
In this book, we get Felix’s, Luka’s and Yael’s POVs, which isa nice change. We get to see what was going through all of these characters’ heads and what has led them to these points—Yael, who is fighting against the Nazis, Luka, who has always played it safe and gone along with the Reich because it was easier, and Felix, who puts his family before everything else in the world. We also get flashbacks from all three perspectives, which helps solidify those characterizations and explain why they became these people. The past is still influencing all of them—and their pasts come back to haunt them (or, sometimes, help them) throughout the story. The flashbacks are integrated perfectly since there are only a few of them—just enough to give us a snippet of these characters’ lives and to help us understand them.
Run for your lives!
The danger in this book is intense and the stakes are incredibly high. Loyalties are tested constantly. All three of these characters have to decide whether to protect each other or make the decision to look out for their own self-interests, and those decisions are far from simple when the results could easily be torture or death. The book is action-packed from start to (very dramatic) finish!
Revelations.
Yael makes a few discoveries that change everything about her mission and shed even more light on her past—and force her to face the past in a way she isn’t 100% ready for.
That ending!
Okay, so I saw one aspect of the ending coming, but that didn’t stop me from loving every moment of the heart-stopping finale!!!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Not much.
I suppose I wasn’t always thrilled with the characters’ decisions, but I always understood them. This book gave me pretty much everything I was hoping for.
With a unique twist on history, plenty of action, and characters who are trying their best to survive and make connections in miserable circumstances, this series is a winner. I give this second installment 5/5 stars and the series makes it onto my All-Time Favorites List!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I was so excited to read the conclusion to this unique duology since I had absolutely LOVED the first book. The WWII era fascinates me, in all its darkness, and these books offer an intriguing paranormal alternate history.
What Fed My Addiction:
Multiple POVs and Flashbacks.
In this book, we get Felix’s, Luka’s and Yael’s POVs, which isa nice change. We get to see what was going through all of these characters’ heads and what has led them to these points—Yael, who is fighting against the Nazis, Luka, who has always played it safe and gone along with the Reich because it was easier, and Felix, who puts his family before everything else in the world. We also get flashbacks from all three perspectives, which helps solidify those characterizations and explain why they became these people. The past is still influencing all of them—and their pasts come back to haunt them (or, sometimes, help them) throughout the story. The flashbacks are integrated perfectly since there are only a few of them—just enough to give us a snippet of these characters’ lives and to help us understand them.
Run for your lives!
The danger in this book is intense and the stakes are incredibly high. Loyalties are tested constantly. All three of these characters have to decide whether to protect each other or make the decision to look out for their own self-interests, and those decisions are far from simple when the results could easily be torture or death. The book is action-packed from start to (very dramatic) finish!
Revelations.
Yael makes a few discoveries that change everything about her mission and shed even more light on her past—and force her to face the past in a way she isn’t 100% ready for.
That ending!
Okay, so I saw one aspect of the ending coming, but that didn’t stop me from loving every moment of the heart-stopping finale!!!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Not much.
I suppose I wasn’t always thrilled with the characters’ decisions, but I always understood them. This book gave me pretty much everything I was hoping for.
With a unique twist on history, plenty of action, and characters who are trying their best to survive and make connections in miserable circumstances, this series is a winner. I give this second installment 5/5 stars and the series makes it onto my All-Time Favorites List!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***