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polar_fox's Reviews (92)

Restore Me

Tahereh Mafi

4.25

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Ignite Me

Tahereh Mafi

4.75

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Unite Me

Tahereh Mafi

4.0

hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Unravel Me

Tahereh Mafi

4.5

adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Shatter Me

Tahereh Mafi

4.0

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

S.

Doug Dorst, J.J. Abrams

2.75

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I wanted to like this book but unfortunately didn’t. I think it was way too convoluted; it tried way too hard to be some wise and mysterious piece of literature that people might want to analyze later (what the characters in the margins do).

After I finished it, all the twists and turns in the book felt pointless, like

S. searching for Sola, even though he didn’t even know her, and S. eventually finding Sola. Sola didn’t have any answers at all, which was disappointing. The only thing that was somewhat interesting was S. killing the agents. However, as a reader, I didn’t find it particularly satisfying because I knew the same amount of information that S. knew. Combine that with no purpose of where it was heading, and you get a bored and frustrated reader.

The characters in the margins - Jen and Eric - did not impress me with their story. There was less of the flirting and more of the whining. I knew where their interactions were heading, but I hoped their journey would be more defined and satisfying.

I’m glad I read this book solely for the experience. Many things are still hazy in my mind because they weren’t explained. I guess the most unfortunate thing is that I didn’t (and don’t) want to reread the book to figure out what it was all about. The beginning was interesting, but the middle and the end were SO SLOW. The ending felt abrupt, like the authors didn’t know where or how to end all of this mess. Overall, the book felt directionless and was a huge slog.