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ambersmith1_2's reviews
19 reviews
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
2.0
**Spoilers**
Most of the book was just okay. It was really just a guy talking about a girl weirdly the entire time. Like yeah we get it, this was a teen boy but it was just pretty annoying for the most part how he talked about this girl. Later on in the book it did become more about the bad things the kid had done and the ways he wanted to fix it. The first half of the book I thought was just okay, but the second half was actually good. I enjoyed reading the second part and had a bit of a "what's going to happen, will he be arrested or is he not" kind of moment. We knew he definitely didn't do what they said he did to the girl Bethany, but the police didn't know that and there was no evidence that proved he didn't at first. One thing I didn't like was that there was no actual telling of who had done it. Was it just some random person that knew them or was it some random person that was at the party too? Who actually did it? We know that the dad was pretty abusive verbally for the most of it, so why did he suddenly change last minute. Usually people don't just change unless there's an actual reason. And even if they do change, they wouldn't be that big of a difference overnight. They'd apologize maybe, but that was a lot for it to have been in one night.
Most of the book was just okay. It was really just a guy talking about a girl weirdly the entire time. Like yeah we get it, this was a teen boy but it was just pretty annoying for the most part how he talked about this girl. Later on in the book it did become more about the bad things the kid had done and the ways he wanted to fix it. The first half of the book I thought was just okay, but the second half was actually good. I enjoyed reading the second part and had a bit of a "what's going to happen, will he be arrested or is he not" kind of moment. We knew he definitely didn't do what they said he did to the girl Bethany, but the police didn't know that and there was no evidence that proved he didn't at first. One thing I didn't like was that there was no actual telling of who had done it. Was it just some random person that knew them or was it some random person that was at the party too? Who actually did it? We know that the dad was pretty abusive verbally for the most of it, so why did he suddenly change last minute. Usually people don't just change unless there's an actual reason. And even if they do change, they wouldn't be that big of a difference overnight. They'd apologize maybe, but that was a lot for it to have been in one night.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
5.0
**Spoilers**
I loved this book from beginning to end. There were hints to what was going to happen with the two guys, hints that they were one so it wasn't really a plot twist. The characters had even mentioned it at one point. But it was still an amazing way of writing the actual reveal that they were one. We knew for almost half the book, but the reveal was so well-written that it didn't even matter. I truly loved this book, it is now one of my top favorites that I've ever read. The fact that even though she remembered nothing about him, and still went after him was cute. A seven year old child hearing about this lonely prince that you can only see one night a year and saying "I want to marry that man" and later on she finally finds out the truth, and that she did at one point marry that man. And she will do it again. I loved that it tied up all loose ends, telling how she was able to beat The Kindly Ones in a way that actually made sense. Yes it's a fantasy book, but there was still actual reason behind it. It wasn't just oh yeah she magically fixed things that she'd screwed up in a past life. There was a real way she did it and there was really no way The Kindly Ones could have went back on what happened. They'd lost and she'd won. She got to be with him in both lives. Only in this one, people didn't think it was wrong and try to stop them. We don't ever see the marriage or what happens with the festival but we can all tell that the two of them did indeed marry. And I find that cute. It's kind of like that saying that you'll always meet your soulmate in every lifetime. They changed the times and everything was different, yet they still met and still married in another life. They lived two lives with each other and met in both. It was the perfect mix of fantasy and reality.
I loved this book from beginning to end. There were hints to what was going to happen with the two guys, hints that they were one so it wasn't really a plot twist. The characters had even mentioned it at one point. But it was still an amazing way of writing the actual reveal that they were one. We knew for almost half the book, but the reveal was so well-written that it didn't even matter. I truly loved this book, it is now one of my top favorites that I've ever read. The fact that even though she remembered nothing about him, and still went after him was cute. A seven year old child hearing about this lonely prince that you can only see one night a year and saying "I want to marry that man" and later on she finally finds out the truth, and that she did at one point marry that man. And she will do it again. I loved that it tied up all loose ends, telling how she was able to beat The Kindly Ones in a way that actually made sense. Yes it's a fantasy book, but there was still actual reason behind it. It wasn't just oh yeah she magically fixed things that she'd screwed up in a past life. There was a real way she did it and there was really no way The Kindly Ones could have went back on what happened. They'd lost and she'd won. She got to be with him in both lives. Only in this one, people didn't think it was wrong and try to stop them. We don't ever see the marriage or what happens with the festival but we can all tell that the two of them did indeed marry. And I find that cute. It's kind of like that saying that you'll always meet your soulmate in every lifetime. They changed the times and everything was different, yet they still met and still married in another life. They lived two lives with each other and met in both. It was the perfect mix of fantasy and reality.
Crave by Tracy Wolff
2.0
**Spoilers**
What the fuck did I just read- What even was half of this book. The first half was just "oh my god I love him but he's such a bad boy." Like what the hell? And than when it did get to the actual plot of the story it was like seriously? What was even going on with the story. It was so all over the place. There was like no real chronological order, it just jumped around wherever it wanted. The plot never made sense even at the very end. Of course we know Grace loved Jackson and was friends with Flint and didn't want to stop being friends with either but seriously? We make this weird love triangle type thing where she loves hanging out with Flint but loves Jackson and can only hang out with one. Than we throw that entire subplot away to say "oh yeah Flint was trying to kill her the entire time and she didn't know it." As for what Grace even is, stick with your original plot instead of changing it halfway through the book. One minute she's "entirely human and definitely not a witch or anything special." To than being all of a sudden "something that could be used to bring back the dead, and it had to be her?" Most of the book was either just teenage angst that made it hard to read. (And this is coming from a 17 year old. I definitely have seen and know about teenage angst.) And when the book did have actual action it was just like why? The whole book was very confusing and hard to understand the full way through. During parts of it I actually had to stop and laugh at it for a good while before I could even go back to reading it because it was just that funny. THE BOOK ISN'T MEANT TO BE A COMEDY! Yet it was that funny that I was laughing almost throughout the entire book. I will read the rest of the books just to see how this supposed romance works out because so far this series is just hilariously funny and unserious.
What the fuck did I just read- What even was half of this book. The first half was just "oh my god I love him but he's such a bad boy." Like what the hell? And than when it did get to the actual plot of the story it was like seriously? What was even going on with the story. It was so all over the place. There was like no real chronological order, it just jumped around wherever it wanted. The plot never made sense even at the very end. Of course we know Grace loved Jackson and was friends with Flint and didn't want to stop being friends with either but seriously? We make this weird love triangle type thing where she loves hanging out with Flint but loves Jackson and can only hang out with one. Than we throw that entire subplot away to say "oh yeah Flint was trying to kill her the entire time and she didn't know it." As for what Grace even is, stick with your original plot instead of changing it halfway through the book. One minute she's "entirely human and definitely not a witch or anything special." To than being all of a sudden "something that could be used to bring back the dead, and it had to be her?" Most of the book was either just teenage angst that made it hard to read. (And this is coming from a 17 year old. I definitely have seen and know about teenage angst.) And when the book did have actual action it was just like why? The whole book was very confusing and hard to understand the full way through. During parts of it I actually had to stop and laugh at it for a good while before I could even go back to reading it because it was just that funny. THE BOOK ISN'T MEANT TO BE A COMEDY! Yet it was that funny that I was laughing almost throughout the entire book. I will read the rest of the books just to see how this supposed romance works out because so far this series is just hilariously funny and unserious.
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
3.0
**Spoilers**
I enjoyed this book to a point. I would definitely read it again. I just think the ending was a bit stupid. Its just my opinion, you don't have to think the same. Like she was so afraid to marry this guy, than she did suddenly marry him anyway. He dies two weeks later, and there's never an explanation as to why or how. Kind of suspicious if you ask me. I'm thinking maybe the guy did kill him so that he could marry her. That still was something that put me off with this book too. She loved Peter, he left her and than she suddenly marries her friend that she'd literally never shown any sort of affection or actual loving to other than obviously as a friend. It was just a bit weird and kind of rushed that she suddenly decided to marry him and be with him. I feel like she kind of gave up what she wanted for what he wanted. What she wanted was gone, and he wasn't coming back. So it seems like she just decided to give someone else what they wanted since she couldn't have what she wanted. She lost everything, the lost boys and Peter. The only people she'd had fun with and felt safe with. I just can't see her suddenly marrying not one but two people after that. For a 15 year old that would have been traumatizing. To lose everyone she cared about and suddenly be married off twice. I just can't see it making sense. So in that sense, I give the book 3 stars because it did keep my attention the whole time. It just had an ending that I didn't personally care for or enjoy that much.
I enjoyed this book to a point. I would definitely read it again. I just think the ending was a bit stupid. Its just my opinion, you don't have to think the same. Like she was so afraid to marry this guy, than she did suddenly marry him anyway. He dies two weeks later, and there's never an explanation as to why or how. Kind of suspicious if you ask me. I'm thinking maybe the guy did kill him so that he could marry her. That still was something that put me off with this book too. She loved Peter, he left her and than she suddenly marries her friend that she'd literally never shown any sort of affection or actual loving to other than obviously as a friend. It was just a bit weird and kind of rushed that she suddenly decided to marry him and be with him. I feel like she kind of gave up what she wanted for what he wanted. What she wanted was gone, and he wasn't coming back. So it seems like she just decided to give someone else what they wanted since she couldn't have what she wanted. She lost everything, the lost boys and Peter. The only people she'd had fun with and felt safe with. I just can't see her suddenly marrying not one but two people after that. For a 15 year old that would have been traumatizing. To lose everyone she cared about and suddenly be married off twice. I just can't see it making sense. So in that sense, I give the book 3 stars because it did keep my attention the whole time. It just had an ending that I didn't personally care for or enjoy that much.
Waste of Space by Gina Damico
3.0
**Spoilers**
The book was more like a play script which I thought was cool. It showed that it was really meant to be a tv show written into a book. The only possible thing left showing what had happened to those kids. The plot was interesting but it didn't always keep your attention, sometimes things moved a bit slow and kind of hard to be fully interested in. It was a weird book but interesting. Not probably something I would read more than once though. I did find the ending to be pretty interesting, almost sounded like Titania went to the fake planet she'd made up in her mind. So that kind of, to me means that she died. She left and ended up being hit with a bullet or something and died. With her sister being dead it's kind of hard to think that she'd actually ever see her again unless she died too. The other planet that she'd gone to never seemed to be a real planet so it would be weird for a bit portal to just have shown up like that. But one big plot point that makes me really not like the book that much is what Clayton had said to her earlier on. What did he ever tell her that caused her to be so freaked out? What caused her to act like that and make everyone avoid her? I don't get that part at all. It just makes no sense. And so I rate it 3 and a half stars. It would have been more if the plotholes were fully filled and there weren't missing things that should have been added to the book.
The book was more like a play script which I thought was cool. It showed that it was really meant to be a tv show written into a book. The only possible thing left showing what had happened to those kids. The plot was interesting but it didn't always keep your attention, sometimes things moved a bit slow and kind of hard to be fully interested in. It was a weird book but interesting. Not probably something I would read more than once though. I did find the ending to be pretty interesting, almost sounded like Titania went to the fake planet she'd made up in her mind. So that kind of, to me means that she died. She left and ended up being hit with a bullet or something and died. With her sister being dead it's kind of hard to think that she'd actually ever see her again unless she died too. The other planet that she'd gone to never seemed to be a real planet so it would be weird for a bit portal to just have shown up like that. But one big plot point that makes me really not like the book that much is what Clayton had said to her earlier on. What did he ever tell her that caused her to be so freaked out? What caused her to act like that and make everyone avoid her? I don't get that part at all. It just makes no sense. And so I rate it 3 and a half stars. It would have been more if the plotholes were fully filled and there weren't missing things that should have been added to the book.
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
5.0
**Spoilers**
This book was amazingly written. During chapter 17 I started to piece together about Logan a bit by the fact that it mentioned he came up as a ghost and not a human. But I had no idea the sheriff would be the one selfish enough to kill all those kids. And he seriously thought he'd get away with it in the end. It was an amazing ending and a really great book. I loved reading every page. It was so good I stayed up all night to finish it once I got really into it. The book was amazing and took so many twists and turns you never knew what was going to happen next. The characters had real raw reactions to everything that could be seen as realistic too. They didn't just act normal when they'd just had an argument, that's something that really bothers me in books. When people give them stupid reactions and suddenly they're friends again. This book didn't do that, they worked through the problems and didn't just ignore it. The whole concept of the Dark was really interesting. Brandon carried it for so long, and when it realized he wasn't going to stay in a town long enough for it to find any hatred, it left and found someone else to do its bidding. It was so interesting to read through everything, and usually I hate those stupid backstories because they take so long and have nothing to do with the plot, but this one was really well-written and did actually affect the plot. If Brandon hadn't told Ashley it probably would have changed a lot of things. She wouldn't have understood and probably wouldn't have stayed with Logan the way she did. The whole world was against them and they still stuck it out and got together in the end. It was a really cute ending how they got to be together doing what they wanted to. And Logan finally got the closure about her dad Brandon being so far from her almost her entire life.
This book was amazingly written. During chapter 17 I started to piece together about Logan a bit by the fact that it mentioned he came up as a ghost and not a human. But I had no idea the sheriff would be the one selfish enough to kill all those kids. And he seriously thought he'd get away with it in the end. It was an amazing ending and a really great book. I loved reading every page. It was so good I stayed up all night to finish it once I got really into it. The book was amazing and took so many twists and turns you never knew what was going to happen next. The characters had real raw reactions to everything that could be seen as realistic too. They didn't just act normal when they'd just had an argument, that's something that really bothers me in books. When people give them stupid reactions and suddenly they're friends again. This book didn't do that, they worked through the problems and didn't just ignore it. The whole concept of the Dark was really interesting. Brandon carried it for so long, and when it realized he wasn't going to stay in a town long enough for it to find any hatred, it left and found someone else to do its bidding. It was so interesting to read through everything, and usually I hate those stupid backstories because they take so long and have nothing to do with the plot, but this one was really well-written and did actually affect the plot. If Brandon hadn't told Ashley it probably would have changed a lot of things. She wouldn't have understood and probably wouldn't have stayed with Logan the way she did. The whole world was against them and they still stuck it out and got together in the end. It was a really cute ending how they got to be together doing what they wanted to. And Logan finally got the closure about her dad Brandon being so far from her almost her entire life.
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
4.0
**Spoilers**
The book was really good. Interesting till the end and a really big twist nearing the end. You would have never expected that a ghoul had anything to do with what was going on. I did expect the other members of the band to be apart of some kind of ghoul hate group and honestly suspected them the minute Val went missing. But never thought that Cole was any part of it when we found out he was a ghoul too. Especially because he was so nice to her and seemed to genuinely like her. Though her and Celeste were the cuter couple and were definitely who I wanted to get together. He kind of just came in and suddenly entered, ruining what Celeste and her already had going when she saw the two kissing. I felt really bad for Celeste in that scene, seeing someone you love kissing someone else is a terrible feeling. And that was one thing the author did really well. Showing the emotions that they were feeling throughout the entire book.
The book was really good. Interesting till the end and a really big twist nearing the end. You would have never expected that a ghoul had anything to do with what was going on. I did expect the other members of the band to be apart of some kind of ghoul hate group and honestly suspected them the minute Val went missing. But never thought that Cole was any part of it when we found out he was a ghoul too. Especially because he was so nice to her and seemed to genuinely like her. Though her and Celeste were the cuter couple and were definitely who I wanted to get together. He kind of just came in and suddenly entered, ruining what Celeste and her already had going when she saw the two kissing. I felt really bad for Celeste in that scene, seeing someone you love kissing someone else is a terrible feeling. And that was one thing the author did really well. Showing the emotions that they were feeling throughout the entire book.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
5.0
**Spoilers**
Rereading this for the first time since 4th grade was amazing. Even though I knew Luke was going to be the one to betray them it was still amazing to read such a well-written book. I love Rick Riordan and the entire series that he's written so I went back to reading it again now that the show was coming out and the fandom is coming back. It's nice not only getting to read these amazing books again but get to talk to other people who love these books just as much as me. If you hadn't read them before you would have never guessed Luke, I was a bit suspicious of Grover at first since he was Percy's closest friend. I doubted that Luke had anything to do with it. Up until the shoes and the whole scene where they tried to pull Grover into Tartarus I thought nothing of Luke being the one. But when that happened it was weird and I started suspecting that maybe Luke had something to do with the whole thing. Overall one of my favorite series to read again now that I'm older.
Rereading this for the first time since 4th grade was amazing. Even though I knew Luke was going to be the one to betray them it was still amazing to read such a well-written book. I love Rick Riordan and the entire series that he's written so I went back to reading it again now that the show was coming out and the fandom is coming back. It's nice not only getting to read these amazing books again but get to talk to other people who love these books just as much as me. If you hadn't read them before you would have never guessed Luke, I was a bit suspicious of Grover at first since he was Percy's closest friend. I doubted that Luke had anything to do with it. Up until the shoes and the whole scene where they tried to pull Grover into Tartarus I thought nothing of Luke being the one. But when that happened it was weird and I started suspecting that maybe Luke had something to do with the whole thing. Overall one of my favorite series to read again now that I'm older.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
5.0
**Spoilers**
I loved this book just as much as the first one. I loved the old Greek mythology it brought in with Nobody and how he stabbed the cyclops. I really truly found the brother bond that Tyson and Percy had cute. I felt bad for Tyson at first when Percy was embarrassed of him and being rude but in the end they ended up having a really cute brotherly bond. It's nice for Percy to know he isn't alone. And even though he left to go to the court of his father and take an internship they still show how much they love each other. And Percy has his shield/watch to remember him by. He has riptide from Chiron and the shield/watch from Tyson. Both two people who made an impact in his life. Another scene I really loved was the Circe scene. I thought it was genius that she turned him into a guinea pig rather than an actual pig. It was a cool twist on the way the original myth goes. Like she said though, pigs are harder to take care of. Especially when she had an entire pirate crew there. The entire book was really cool and definitely glad I got to read it all over again without remembering much from the book.
I loved this book just as much as the first one. I loved the old Greek mythology it brought in with Nobody and how he stabbed the cyclops. I really truly found the brother bond that Tyson and Percy had cute. I felt bad for Tyson at first when Percy was embarrassed of him and being rude but in the end they ended up having a really cute brotherly bond. It's nice for Percy to know he isn't alone. And even though he left to go to the court of his father and take an internship they still show how much they love each other. And Percy has his shield/watch to remember him by. He has riptide from Chiron and the shield/watch from Tyson. Both two people who made an impact in his life. Another scene I really loved was the Circe scene. I thought it was genius that she turned him into a guinea pig rather than an actual pig. It was a cool twist on the way the original myth goes. Like she said though, pigs are harder to take care of. Especially when she had an entire pirate crew there. The entire book was really cool and definitely glad I got to read it all over again without remembering much from the book.
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