nindie's reviews
28 reviews

Evolution by Teri Terry

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The whole trilogy gave me such strong emotions that I was intensely affected by the books, storylines and characters' actions. All three of them were enjoyable to read!

What I Liked About The Book

After reading all the books, I noticed how well thought out and planned the plot was. Although I predicted most of the story with my theories while reading the trilogy, it still was amazing! In the third and final one, Evolution, since the previous books explained most of the details, I just sat back and read without thinking of theories, which made the experience even better in particular ways. It was cool that there was still plenty more to learn about the science behind everything that happened within the trilogy. Some moments in the book made my jaw physically drop because I was not expecting it, or I was shocked at the behaviour/actions of certain characters that you might know who I'm talking about after reading! Quite obvious who if you are reading this review and have already read the first two books in the trilogy. I found some of the characters introduced in this book amusing and likeable, having the same opinions as me and saying funny comments here and there.
I was so glad when Iona ended up surviving since many of the characters I like the most die throughout the trilogy. I'm talking about Spike mostly. I still cannot get over his death.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

Personally, the parts dedicated to only Kai and Freja's chapters were incredibly dull, and I didn't care much about them compared to other characters' chapters. But this is most likely because I found Freja very annoying in certain scenes, and I have grown to get a bit frustrated/annoyed with Kai as the trilogy progressed. Sometimes they both wouldn't understand different perspectives, which then did lead to misunderstandings throughout the story. But, again, that's what being human is, in a way. One final thing to discuss is the ending. Only now and then, in the last part of the book, I felt that it rushed into the end. The behaviour and actions of Alex/Xander were dismissed and brushed over after
his death. One scene that gives me this impression is when Shay began informing him about what would happen, and she was acting casually around him as if nothing had happened. Sure, this might be because time had passed, but still. Have to lowkey agree with Jenna that Alex/Xander deserved a more painful departure because of all the horrible stuff he did.

In Conclusion

Overall this was an incredible ending to an excellent trilogy! I would recommend this trilogy to many people if I knew enough who would like the genres and moods of it!!! <3
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Deception by Teri Terry

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a rollercoaster, especially at the end! My first five-star read!

What I Liked About The Book

Practically everything! The plot was so engaging and addictive to carry on reading until I finished. I read most of it all today! A factor I appreciate with the series so far is that I'm actually learning about science in addition to the characters and plot simultaneously. I adored most of the new characters and was saddened when one thing happened to my favourite one. Although I did predict most plot twists halfway through the first book, Contagion, some plot twists shocked me to the point where my jaw dropped every time. I was constantly trying to think of what could happen next because of how engaging the book was! Utterly amazing!!!

What I Didn't Like About The Book

Everything was perfect, and the only thing that points out is some of the characters are very dislikable, but that adds to the story, so technically, it isn't something to degrade the book in any way. It proves that the book is so good since I felt pure hatred for a few moments and the decisions that they were involved with them.

In Conclusion

The best book I have read so far, and I am so excited to read the third and final book of the series to see how it ends!!!
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Contagion by Teri Terry

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book was addictive, and I found myself so attached to it that I was making up so many theories in my head and even talking out loud whenever something big happened. I wished I did finish it all in the same week, but I had to wait a month until picking it back up to finish it because of my recovery from my recent surgery.

What I Liked About The Book

The constant change in the plot kept me captivated by the book and made me continue to read for hours. I find it extremely interesting how all of this pieces together and the journey the characters make throughout the book. I wished I did annotate while reading because piecing together what I think happened was fun, and I have many theories on what happened and who is who. Overall the plot was well thought out. Some of the characters are very likeable too! A thing I love in books is when it has multiple perspectives, and this did not fail to deliver that. I loved how every chapter was from the perspective of the different main characters. It kept me interested in reading and helped me want to find out more. Another thing is I love how much research and effort went into writing this book. It clearly shows in the writing and story.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

There aren't many things that I disliked about this book. I only have one problem with it, I can think, from the top of my head.
I found it quick how Shay and Kai started romantically liking each other. I felt that they only knew little things about each other. Plus, mostly, they were trying to find information about Callie whenever they were together. I found it a bit fast for my liking since I didn't see that much romantic connection at the point when they started liking each other in that way and doing coupley stuff.
Other than that, everything else was great.

In Conclusion

One of the best books I have read so far! I would recommend it to anyone who loves some Sci-Fi or Mystery with added Romance. I can't wait to start reading the second book in the series next!
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Off With Their Heads!: All the Cool Bits in British History by Andrew Pinder, Martin Oliver

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informative medium-paced

3.0

I found this book to be like a more detailed version of a Horrible Histories book that would include facts about everything to do with British history. People who like Horrible Histories would like a book like this if they want a brief on the years that made British history.

What I Liked About The Book

It was a kind of quick read that included enough information and detail for me to understand each bit of history. The added illustrations were pleasant to look at, too, while reading.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

The book could have included, explained and discussed more history in the periods. Mainly I felt that the bit about modern Britain was a bit rushed. It skipped over modern British history, and it would have been nice to read more information surrounding those bits in history.

In Conclusion

Overall this book is not too bad for learning facts about periods in British history. A great alternative for Horrible Histories books although not as good. I'm probably a little biased about that.
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Measly Middle Ages by Terry Deary, Martin Brown

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

This book is perfect for anyone who likes a fast-paced, informative, creative, and bizarre book about history. Every Horrible Histories book is this for them from describing the collection like this. Although it is more of a children's book, teens and adults can enjoy the collection of books too. For example, I enjoyed this as a teen.

What I Liked About The Book

As a child, I enjoyed watching Horrible Histories, the tv show, and now and then, I rewatch all the episodes (that include the original cast, though) to relive that. Reading this was another way of reliving my enjoyment of Horrible Histories. The books and tv show has given me a passion for history, and this book fuelled it in a fun way. It was nice to read some bits that the show included, and some bits are vividly in my head. The little comic strips, illustrations and quizzes are a nice touch for a book like this, and it's always nice to see stuff like that. Also, A+ for all the sub-titles! Of course, Horrible Histories has the best titles.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

Unfortunately, often when a joke appears, I don't find it funny at all but understandable since it was made years ago and made for a different audience from some like me. Another thing to mention is how the quizzes have too many questions in one area. It makes looking at the answers a bit harder since there are so many answers to check. Other than that, I don't think there is anything else to bring up in this section.

In Conclusion

The Middle Ages isn't my favourite to learn about, but Horrible Histories makes it entertaining in its unique way. Overall this was a decent read, and I miss my old Horrible Histories books that I sadly lost.
A Brief History of the Tudor Age by Jasper Ridley

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informative slow-paced

2.5

Although I rated this book 2.5 stars, it was still decent in terms of going over the Tudor period. It includes different chapters surrounding different topics and images for further detail.

What I Liked About The Book

I enjoyed the variety of topics within the book, which made reading it a bit less dull. Usually, I find books hard to finish if many things aren't explored or have enough variety to make them engaging enough for me to finish reading, so this was good enough for that. As I mentioned earlier, there are pictures in the book. I enjoyed the little illustrations on some of the pages too. Compared to another book on Tudor history I read recently, the chapters weren't too long to the point where I stopped reading one halfway through. My stopping points were usually after a chapter or two since it didn't take too long to read them in one go.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

I only found some of the chapters interesting to learn and read about, while other topics made me a little bored. Just my personal opinion, though. Another thing is that they could have separated areas into different chapters.
An example in the book that I found was in the last chapter, which was about Tudor men and women. The last few pages discussed a lot about Catholics and Protestants. The author could have made a whole separate chapter for that topic. With Catholics and Protestants, there was a chance to explore it more thoroughly if it was a chapter by itself instead of stuffing it into the last one, where it doesn't fit as well compared to the other discussions within the chapter.
The last thing I want to add is, in some cases, stuff was being over-explained or under-explained quite often.

In Conclusion

It is quite a slow read, but I managed to finish it within a few days of on and off reading. And a few things need to be worked on to improve the contents and quality of this book. For its time, it isn't bad. This book is for anyone who would like to learn about the Tudor period, including many topics, this book is for you.
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The Stuarts 1603 to 1714 by Andrew Langley

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informative fast-paced

3.0

This book is for anyone who likes a short read that would educate them briefly on the Stuarts surrounding the monarchy, trade system, architecture, science discoveries and more.

What I Liked About The Book

I liked how it was a short read that provided a brief on what happened during the Stuart period. It was nice to see pictures to make the pages more colourful and to show what cannot be said. For example, how people looked, illustrations of inventions etc.

What I Disliked About The Book

It was a bit too short, and I wished there would have at least been two pages on each topic/section to add more information about them. Nothing stood out to me as something I would remember except the bits I already knew before reading the book.

In Conclusion

It was an okay quick read about the Stuarts, and I enjoyed it to pass the time and add to my reading goal. My favourite page(s) in the book was the one(s) discussing people and their homes. The images were a nice feature, and I liked the insight into the architecture and home life!
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

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challenging informative slow-paced

2.0

If you're obsessed with anything to do with Henry VIII's wives and their lives, then this is the perfect book to read. I'm not obsessed with particular parts of history since I like a range of stuff mixed in one broad category. I like reading and looking into anything to do with the British monarchy, but for me, this was too much information at once. It was like a massive info dump, and it overwhelmed me so much that I got into a bit of a reading slump. What made me pick up this book was that I was interested in learning more about the wives, but then I didn't know my reading preferences that well when I bought the book. This book made me realise that long history books are not my thing.

What I Liked About The Book

There were a couple of things I liked about the book, such as how we see each personality of the wives and how they affected many things during the Tudor period. The book showed how each wife impacted history in their ways. Plus, this book gave me more insight into what happened and what was going through their heads at the time. Because of this, it made me think of them more as genuine people than personas in history that I thought behaved far from an average person.

What I Disliked About The Book

A major thing was the length for me. It would have been better if the book was split up into separate ones instead so it could be easier to read. By the section about Anne Boleyn, I felt pretty worn out reading the book since it was just too much information at once. Another thing relating to the Anne Boleyn section is that it went for a very long time to the point where the last four wives had half the amount of pages written about them individually in comparison to Anne Boleyn. The third thing that I disliked was that sometimes the book would speak about stuff that wasn't about the topic of the book that much, which wasn't important for me to know as much. Also, with the writing sometimes there would be repetitiveness in terms of sometimes the same things would be pointed out multiple times. It got a bit annoying seeing how many times stuff got pointed out when I processed that information the first time. And finally, something that isn't that much of a big deal but worthy of pointing out is the images. The placement and organisation of the images were a bit weird to me since some of the images were mentioning stuff that was far later mentioned in the book. It would have been better if all the images were split separately in places where they were mentioned or where the images related to the text a bit more.

In Conclusion

Although this would be handy for me if I ever needed to use this for research in my history lessons or personal research, it just wasn't for me. And I mostly love Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr out of the six wives! Maybe next time, I'll try not to go for non-fictional books that are 400+ pages because this tired me out by the end, and I just wanted to finish it quickly without giving up on it because that would mean I would waste my money.
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