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chapter_adventure's Reviews (801)
This is an anthology of stories that are labeled Steampunk, but I chose to read it for the paranormal challenge because most of the reviews stated that there was only trace amounts of Steampunk elements in the entire book. I enjoyed this book but it didn't rock my world. The first couple of stories had me a little bored. It picked up a bit after that and I enjoyed several of the other stories. Definitely some eerie elements in there and creepy situations that would have had me on edge, but the 'suspense' word in the title is misleading. So, overall a decent read and not a complete waste of my time.I had fun reading this, especially since I haven't read a collection of short stories in years.
Okay! Now this is what I expect from a retelling. First I have to comment on the cover which I think is completely beautiful! Not only do I love the cover but I absolutely loved Howard's version of Wonderland. Alyssa is a spunky, skateboard riding girl, with semi- dreadlocks and a family curse to break. She's so easy to love. She's got spirit and she's smart. She's not one of those characters where you are constantly shaking your head wondering what she's thinking the whole time. She's got it together and she's determined. Jeb is a character to love too. He genuinely wants to look out for Alyssa without getting in her way- even if she doesn't always understand that.
My favorite character was Morpheus, the childhood playmate Alyssa always thought she'd made up. It's hard to tell if Morpheus is to be trusted or not. It seems at times he is helping Alyssa and at other times he's leading her astray. He's sneaky, crafty, and mysterious. Even I found myself falling for his charms!
Howard's version of Wonderland is dark, mysterious, creepy, and totally fantastic. I found myself completely immersed in it. Howard paints a vivid picture of a very different Wonderland than what I grew up with. She weaves the original Alice story and this new Wonderland together in some very clever and inventive ways. She explains many of the mysteries of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland in the most awesome ways!
The book is fast moving and doesn't mess around. I got this book from the library but it is one I would gladly add to my collection. Loved it.
My favorite character was Morpheus, the childhood playmate Alyssa always thought she'd made up. It's hard to tell if Morpheus is to be trusted or not. It seems at times he is helping Alyssa and at other times he's leading her astray. He's sneaky, crafty, and mysterious. Even I found myself falling for his charms!
Howard's version of Wonderland is dark, mysterious, creepy, and totally fantastic. I found myself completely immersed in it. Howard paints a vivid picture of a very different Wonderland than what I grew up with. She weaves the original Alice story and this new Wonderland together in some very clever and inventive ways. She explains many of the mysteries of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland in the most awesome ways!
The book is fast moving and doesn't mess around. I got this book from the library but it is one I would gladly add to my collection. Loved it.
I am just now getting to this series and I already can't wait to get to book 2, City of Ashes. City of Bones is this great mix of the mundane world and the magical world of Shadowhunters-Nephilim, Warlocks, Vampires, etc. I kind of love that the Shadowhunters have runes or tattoo-like marks on their skin that have magical powers. I ate that up.
Clary adapts to her new way of life with the Shadowhunters pretty quickly and I found it really endearing that her sweet and very human friend, Simon, gets his fair share of the action as well. There's a bit of a love triangle going on for a while there and then a major twist. The twist intrigues me and I'm not sure that I'm buying it. I'll be interested to see where it goes in book 2. Although Clary gets to do a little bit of Shadowhunter work, I'd really like to see her grow into a badass fighter as the series progresses.
Jace is a lovable character even though he tries his hardest to be the bad boy. Everyone sees through it and he's kind of that perfect mix between sweet and bad boy. I thought Valentine was a little bit of a tame/lame villain. I kind of expected more from him. There's a little bit of tension with Isabelle, Alec, and Clary and I'd like to see this addressed more in book 2.
This is a fast paced, action packed book and I read it in no time at all. I'm excited to get my hands on the next in the series.
Clary adapts to her new way of life with the Shadowhunters pretty quickly and I found it really endearing that her sweet and very human friend, Simon, gets his fair share of the action as well. There's a bit of a love triangle going on for a while there and then a major twist. The twist intrigues me and I'm not sure that I'm buying it. I'll be interested to see where it goes in book 2. Although Clary gets to do a little bit of Shadowhunter work, I'd really like to see her grow into a badass fighter as the series progresses.
Jace is a lovable character even though he tries his hardest to be the bad boy. Everyone sees through it and he's kind of that perfect mix between sweet and bad boy. I thought Valentine was a little bit of a tame/lame villain. I kind of expected more from him. There's a little bit of tension with Isabelle, Alec, and Clary and I'd like to see this addressed more in book 2.
This is a fast paced, action packed book and I read it in no time at all. I'm excited to get my hands on the next in the series.
Growing up in a house full of girls has not always been easy for Jess Aarons. So imagine his surprise at the unconventional and strong friendship he forms with new girl, Leslie Burke. His mother is preoccupied with his teenage sisters and his father seems to adore his baby sisters, while refusing to show an ounce of tenderness to Jess himself. Constantly feeling alone and isolated, Leslie makes him feel like he matters. She is intelligent, imaginative, and encouraging. Unknowingly, she helps Jess find courage and hope. Together they create the magical world of Terabithia and crown themselves King and Queen. In Terabithia, anything is possible and imagination rules. The confidence they gain through Terabithia and their bond with each other, allows them to face any kind of conflict at school or home. When a terrible tragedy takes Leslie away from Jess, he must adopt Leslie’s fearlessness and find a way to accept losing her. This is a book for adolescents and adults facing the small and big challenges of life and finding ways to overcome them. Bridge to Terabithia is a wonderful, thoughtful, and sensitive book that will instill in readers the meaning of true friendship.
I've struggled with this entire series. For the most part I like the book and the previous books and had no problem getting through them. But there have been several things that have bothered me about them too. The Death Cure was no different and I knew that going in to it. Mainly, I have a problem when too many things are conveniently explained and when other things are never explained or explained poorly. These things have been constant throughout the entire series. I'll be honest, I never really ended up hating WICKED as much as I think Dashner wanted me to. It was never really fully explained why they were so bad. The explanation for everything seemed to be that they 'lied.' I get that Thomas was just a kid when he started working with WICKED, but was he forced to? It seemed that he was recruited for the greater good and so he agreed to go through the trials to help find a cure, but now that's a bad thing? I don't get it. Am I missing something? I kind of think this calls for a discussion. If you were asked to basically be a research subject in order to save the human race and find a cure and no one else could do it quite as well as you could, would you agree to it? I guess, toward the end of the series I was just sick of the whining and complaining and poor explanations for everything. I was never fully convinced of anything in these books.
First off, isn't that cover beautiful? I love the black and white sketch. It's going to be a little difficult talking about this book without giving away the plot. I really enjoyed this book. Such a different twist on a tale of dragons. I've only read books in which the dragons are side characters, not talking main characters. Plus, the dragons were portrayed as unable to empathize or really sense the feelings over other people. They also couldn't fall in love themselves or really feel much of anything. It was puzzling to them always having to take the human form to fit in and abide by the treaty. I really liked Seraphina's story and I'm anxious to see where it goes. Particularly with her relationship to Prince Lucian Kiggs. I don't want to give anything away but I expected something different in the end. I thought Seraphina's relationship to her uncle, Orma was sweet and added a tricky element to the plot. I also thought the addition of music- and Seraphina's incredible musical talents was a nice addition. I sped through this book and enjoyed every minute of it. I will be reading the next one in the series (Dracomachia.) I would highly recommend this one!
Hmmm. Okay, I am not normally amused by this kind of pointless and/or vulgar humor. Not because it offends me, just because I don't typically think it's very funny. I like wit and cleverness- and this is not that. This is just random banter and wild tangents. But, the author is a blogger and it interested me to see what this book was all about. I did find myself laughing out loud in some sections of the book and I was mildly amused at others. I also just felt plain annoyed at times with the run on sentences and the disconnected feeling. There's absolutely no point to it and it's not your run of the mill memoir. It's completely out there and exaggerated to make it funny. But this is the charm of Jenny Lawson to many of her readers. In the end, I enjoyed the book and it did keep me entertained, but I probably would never recommend it to anyone- only because most people I know would be offended by the content.
Where was this book when I was a confused freshman in college? I really enjoyed this collection of letters. Many of which, felt as if they spoke straight to my younger self. I wanted to be a botanist but was afraid of the chemistry classes I would need to take. I chose a different route instead. It was one that I loved but had I read this book ten years ago, I may have ended up a botanist after all. Wilson addresses all the fears and trepidations of entering in to the field of science, pursuing your passions, and finding a way to become successful doing so. It was like sitting down with a much admired professor and having him tell you that the sky is the limit. I found the addition of his own personal experiences to be very entertaining and interesting. Although this book is geared toward students thinking of pursuing careers in science, much of the advice given could be helpful for any undergrad student looking for encouragement in their chosen path. I very much enjoyed this book.
