madscalc's reviews
139 reviews

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

5.0

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

2.0

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

1.0

Okay so I have a lot of thoughts about this one. I was really excited to read it, just based on the cover summary. A girl allergic to the world. I've never read anything like that before, and apparently the author hadn't either because she didn't know how to write it. Usually if I don't like the plot of a book, I can just focus on how wonderful the writing is, but that wasn't the case here. I found the story rushed, forced, and generally just not very good. It read like a first-draft, like the author wrote everything out of order then didn't read it through afterwords to make sure it made sense. It was very love-at-first-sight cliche. The relationship between Madeline and Olly could've (should've) been developed further, instead of

Spoiler

them meeting 2 or 3 times then going off to Hawaii. They barely knew each other!!

. And I would've liked more interaction between Madeline and her mom. Their relationship is already established prior to the book beginning, and Madeline talks about her all the time, but we don't really meet her mom until the end when the thing happens. I have opinions on that too.

Spoiler

Honestly, I would've liked the book a lot better if that plot twist hadn't happened. Not everything has a happy ending. It really disappointed me that Madeline was never actually sick. It just felt really forced cough like most things in this book cough and I didn't buy it.

RATINGS OUT OF 5
Writing: 1.5
Characters: 3
Plot: 2
Overall: 1

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

5.0

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

4.0

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I expected much more of this book. I've heard so much about it, and I had high expectations. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was raw, honest, and unoriginal. There was nothing spectacular about it. It was a teenage cancer story. There are thousands more like it. It was an okay read, but not particually special.

RATINGS OUT OF 5
Writing: 4
Plot: 2
Characters: 3
Overall: 3

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

1.0

This was a typical love story with a predictable plot. The characters were bland, and didn't stand out. It read like a 12 year old's fanfic.

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

2.0

I have lots of feelings about this book. I was so excited to read it, and reserved 2 hours for reading because I thought I wouldn't be able to put it down. This was not the case. The idea was great, but the characters weren't super fleshed out. There was little to no exposition, and you had to wait the entire book for more context on how the characters were related to Tyler. It was a great idea, but poorly executed.

OVERALL STARS
Writing-3
Characters-2
Plot-3.5
Overall-2

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

4.0

It went a little slow in the beginning. I read Six of Crows first, so I knew Leigh's writing style. If you're not prepared to read a few chapters before deciding if you want to continue reading, this is not the book for you. The world building was excellent, and I loved the characters. Leigh's writing was beautiful; I was truly amazed by the Little Palace and Alina's struggle with letting go of her past. She was a wonderfully conflicted character. She was human, not willing to accept what she wanted, not willing to lose control. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

4.0

I loved this book. It was poetic, silly, honest, angsty, and it resounded in my heart. I've seen other reviews say that they didn't like all the metaphors and descriptions, but they only made me love I'll Give You the Sun even more. I thought the format was great, how it's written in alternating POVs (Noah at age 13 and Jude at age 16). I found the twins to be great characters, with well-developed quirks. Jude has her "bible" (a book written by their grandmother filled with superstitious rules) and Noah has his invisible gallery. I admit, the relationships between Noah and Jude with Brian and Oscar, respectively, were a bit instaloveish. Noah and Brian spend the entire summer together, and Noah is still pining three years later. Jude meets Oscar and her boycott instantly disappears. I definitely recommend I'll Give You the Sun for anyone who has a heart.

RATINGS OUT OF 5
Characters: 4
Writing: 5
Plot: 4
Overall: 4.5