I actually fizzled out on this one by the beginning/middle of the last book. The first book is great! There is an abrupt change in tone, theme, and setting from the first to the second book and I don't think I ever really got over that enough to keep on with the series whole-heartedly. I recommend reading the first book for sure, but don't get your hopes up on the remainder of the series.

You know that Sesame Street song, “One of These Things is not Like the Other..."

This is a weird one. I'm not really sure where to go with this review. Maybe that's because I didn't ever really know where this book was going. At points it is a love story (a strange one, but a love story nonetheless), at points it has a paranormal thing going on, and then at other points it's some kind of unexplained dystopian/war/end of the world kind of thing. These three themes were jammed together and used when convenient for the otherwise incoherent plot. So, it sounds like I hated it. And I did. But the odd thing is, I also sort of liked it… weird.

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! I'm in. I'm reading everything Elkeles writes. Her writing is funny and sad and her characters are honest-to-god real people, as far as I'm concerned. Hell, I'm calling Niki tomorrow to ask her how she's doing!

I don't care if it's basically the same story with substituted characters and plot points, I LOVE it! Simone could tell me the same story every day for the rest of my life and I would love every minute of it.

I guess I liked it :)

Waitaminute. Now, who is the zombie again?

I really liked this book for the first few chapters. In fact I was so excited about it that I nearly finished the book in one day. However, the more I read past the half-way-point, the more disappointed I got. This book had everything going for it until the main character suddenly became so selfish and callous that I felt she had as much humanity in her as the zombies who chased her. Every time she got something she had previously been desperate to get, she suddenly decided she really did not want that anymore and just threw it away like a piece of trash. She left a wake of desperation and suffering behind her that rivaled anything a zombie could produce. Basically, the main character totally fell apart and became a vapid idiot that would throw her own grandma in front of a bus without a second thought. Seriously disappointed.

Update: For some unknown reason, in spite of the horrible review I gave the first book in this series, I felt compelled to read the second installment. I guess I felt like there was so much *potential* in the premise of this series that I was curious to see if it would be realized. The second book was SO MUCH BETTER than the first! Still only about a 3.5/5, but definately better. I actually LIKE the main character of the second novel. Also, there is a glimmer of redemption for the main character of the first novel that I hated so much. The series still has some serious issues but I now feel like it is a real show more possibility that this author will grow as she writes. I will most likely read book 3. show less

First I would like to mention that I would not recommend reading Ballad without reading Lament first. I read Lament and liked it. So, naturally I wanted to read this book as well. Unfortunately, the marketing department behind this book was the source of my first disappointment. I was under the impression that this was book No. 2 of a series in progress. Nope. This is a companion novel. Companion novels are fine, in fact some of them are great, but I think there is an extremely important distinction to be made between a "sequel" and a "companion." Honestly, the expectation that Ballad would be a traditional sequel to Lament kind of ruined the first half of the book for me. I was fully prepared for more Deirdre and Luke. Again, nope. This book is told from the point of view of James (Deirdre's best friend in the first book) and a new character. It focuses on James so much that half of the time I forgot that Deirdre was even a character. Deep breath. Ok, I'm over the shock. Let us soldier on.

I felt like James was an archetypical character in Lament. Maybe that was just because we did not get to see enough of him though because I loved him and did not find him to be archetypical in Ballad. Once I realized he was to remain the main character of Ballad throughout its duration and that this was not just some sneaky trick, I really fell in love with James' character. He is quirky and fairly well developed. I am not so sure about the rest of the characters though. James is show more definitely the "glue" of this story. Some of the other characters come alive for me at points, but they lose their luster quickly.

I also very much liked the idea of musical savants being supernaturally connected to another world. I think the plot of the story is quite creative. The problem I have with the plot has to do with the fairy part. If you don't like fairy's don't read this book. I don't mind fairy's at all. In fact, I like quite a few of them. However, I do not exclusively read fairy books. I understand there are come common elements of fairy's that seem universally known, i.e., they are allergic to iron among other things. With that said, Stiefvater does what I find that a lot of writers tackling the fairy genre do: assume the reader already knows tons about fairy's and therefore fails to develop certain plot points for those of us who are not down with the fairy rules. For instance, it seems to be a big deal to tell someone your "true name." Ok, but why and where did that come from? Maybe I just missed the fairy bus or something. I have a feeling I may have missed out on some of the better aspects of the story due to a lack of explanation.

There is one more point of major irritation in this book for me. I understand that this book is a companion to Lament, but I do feel like Deirdre's character got lost in the translation. In Lament, I felt like Deirdre was a strong female heroine-type of character. In Ballad, she is not even a shadow of what she was before. This may have been the most disappointing aspect of this book for me because I felt like the essence of Deirdre 's character was abandoned for the sake of a new plot. Many of her actions seemed random, almost as though she was being used as a plot function more than a character. I felt like Ballad-Deirdre did a lot of things that Lament-Deirdre would not have done. This would of course be fine if Lament-Deirdre's character had been given the chance to develop into Ballad-Deirdre's character, but she was not.

Ok, so obviously I was disappointed. But I think if you go into this book fully understanding that it is not a sequel, are open to new main characters, and know enough about fairy's to get by, then you will likely have a much better time with it than I did. show less

Well Planned. Well Executed.

I was very happy with this book. I did not know what to expect of it coming from a completely new author but I was very happy I had picked it up and will be eagerly anticipating more from Derting. This is actually a well written book. Not once throughout the story did I feel like the author was struggling. Rather, I felt like the story was quite well managed and well thought out. There are many twists and turns, all the way to the last page. It is definitely a page turner! I read it over the course of two days and was always eager to pick it back up. Also, I was very impressed with the characters Derting portrayed. Amazingly, they seemed like real teenagers and each character was well drawn and distinct, yet not stereotypical. Fantastic! Character development is usually my main compliant but this book passed with flying colors! I think if you like this book you may also like Impossible by Nancy Werlin.

The illuminations accompanying Blake's poetry should be considered necessary to the reading of his poems. The illuminations are beautiful, descriptive, obviously terribly time consuming and should not be counted as something separate from the words. That said, sometimes it is difficult to read the poems on the illuminations, as they were meant to be read. This book provides the complete illuminations followed by the poems sans illumination, for ease of reading.

I keep thinking this series is going to start losing steam but instead, it keeps getting better! And it was already good to begin with! I am so impressed!

I am so in love with this book that I know this review is going to come out all rambly and blabby, but here goes...

I love this book. I really, really, really love this book. The whole thing seems effortless. Its like the characters burst from the pages fully-formed even though I didn’t quite remember reading any character development. It all just flows together. I thought I was going to get annoyed with reading the same day over and over again and waiting and waiting for a punch line that would surely only show up in the end. It was nothing like that. Every day was important, every sentence edging us closer and closer. It’s the writing. It is so good. It is just ..... GOOD. I love Oliver’s descriptions. I love the things she thinks up to make something make sense. Feelings are described so delicately and so poignantly that I KNOW Oliver has made me understand perfectly what she means. Sometimes complex (or even simple) feelings can get a little lost in the words of a novel but not when Oliver is in control. There is something luxurious about her writing style.

As for the plot itself: brilliant. It is like an exercise in mining the teenage heart. Every relived day takes us deeper and deeper into something of an analysis of the teenage mind – the teenager who hasn’t found herself yet, who is not self-aware and does not yet understand life. Well, she does by the end of the book. God, its so good. I’m going to go read it again right now.

No love, no hate, but a solid LIKE.

I was quite happy with this book. I was eagerly anticipating its release for months and I think I chose well. For me, there are a lot of Young Adult books out there that seem hastily written or that seem like the author is not confident in the direction of the plot. This is not one of those books. I felt Dashner was in control of the plot and his characters the entire time and that this story was well thought out. I liked that I was figuring out the secrets of the Glade right along with the main characters. One warning to squeamish readers: this book is not for the faint of heart. Death is a major topic in this story and is not treated in a "fade to black" manner but rather tackled head on.

The only drawback to this book for me was the writing got quite dense at points. For instance, some may find it hard to get into initially because the Glade and the Glader's are described several times over. I understand that the extra description may have been an attempt to pace the story or to give the reader a strong sense of place, but for me it just took me out of the story and gave me a hard time with the first 50 or so pages. After that though the repetitious description falls to a minimum and the meat of the story starts to kick in.

The characters might be a bit underdeveloped, but not tragically so. There is enough mystery and suspense in the plot to make up for a lack of development in other places.

I definitely enjoyed this book. Cashore seems like a strong writer and I would expect that I will like all of her books. She has a knack with character development. I don't think I have met one "stock" character in either of her books. I feel like I know who her characters are without the aide of the archetypical attributes, to which some authors fall prey. I also enjoy her brand of storytelling. Though a bit laborious in parts as a previous commenter mentioned, I like the balance of focus between the plot and the characters in the book. Some authors let twists and turns bog down a story so much that it is hard to see the characters for the plot (the forest for the trees). Cashore has taken care to write a compelling story with compelling characters. The premise is creative and it does not remind me of other books as I am reading, it is rather unique. This is refreshing as we are seeing a lot of recycling in the Young Adult genre of late with vampires, werewolves, wizards, and the like. Not that vamps, weres and Harry Potter are bad, quite the opposite actually ;), it is just that I am glad to see that the Young Adult fantasy genre is not being pigeonholed into a description of "popular Halloween costumes."

Now, praise out of the way, there are some issues that some readers might find tiresome. There are definite morals to Cashore's stories and at times I felt like I was getting beaten over the head with them. I caught myself on several occasions thinking, "I get it, ok! show more Can we move along?" Then at other times there were elements of the story that felt incongruous with the rest of the book or maybe just over or under played to the point of confusion.

My last critique may be seen as a positive to some readers. Cashore likes tidy little bows at the end of her stories. This is a good thing for most people. The problem is that she makes sure to tie up all lose ends to a point of exhaustion. I feel like she either needs to take care of dangling plot points along the way more often or she needs to just leave some plot points hanging at the end of the book. We are readers, we can make something up! What happens is that the climax of the tale is over and done; however, there is so much book left you find yourself anticipating another twist in the plot. Alas, there is none, only housekeeping. If she stopped the story proper early and included the last 30-50 pages as a Prologue, I probably would not feel this way.

I have given this book a 4-star rating and it would have been a 4.5 if I had the option. Some books are so average or terrible that there is no room to critique them at all. I feel like I have been hard on Cashore in this review but it is only because I think her books are so good that they can handle a healthy critique.

Read it. Read Graceling too. Good stuff. show less

Underdeveloped. Overindulgent.

The characters were lifeless for me. I wanted them to be rich and complex, but they just weren't. Some of the ideas in the book are good-ish. There were some plot elements that gave me hope, i.e., the idea of the government controlling literature, poetry, and music. I loved meeting the characters initially, but ultimately I could not overlook the fact that the characters never got to grow. They remained lifeless and lacking any substance.

The plot seemed skewed to me as well. I love for a good solid romance to be a part of any book BUT it needs to feel like an organic part of the story. The romance in Matched felt awkward. It felt more like the idea for the romance came before the rest of the story and the plot was hastily patched in later. I got tired of the "budding relationship" and just wanted to read a good book instead! If you are tired of the romantic parts of a book, it is no longer romantic; it just becomes overindulgent and tiresome.

If you are looking for a good dystopian book I am afraid you will be disappointed in this one. The focus is overwhelmingly on the romance, and as I have already mentioned, it is not a great one. Perhaps the next one will be better.

Oh, how I loved this book!

I remembered this book from when I was

Sigh...

My love for this series wanes with each installment. The series is being drug out. Like, really drug out. Like, R E A L L Y. D R U G. O U T ! Looking back, I was generally happy with the series up to about book 6 or 7, after that point it becomes more of a task than a pleasure to read. I would give Books 1-4 or 5 a 3 or 4 star rating. After that: beware of meteor shower.

The storytelling is a little odd in the fact that Cast seems to be writing in "real time" or something quite close. Each book covers something like a day or a week. This kind of timeline makes for exhausted characters and an exhausted reader. Nobody has time to breathe. There are only vague reflections on "what we have learned" in these books. If you are looking for something even mildly thought provoking, keep looking. However, if you are looking for something wild and crazy fast paced, go for it. I will say that the romances (yes many, many, many of them) are good.... up to a point anyway. Like I said, the whole thing begins to implode around book 6 or 7.

Wait for it....

I hated the first book. With a passion.

BUT, for some unknown reason, in spite of the horrible review I gave the first book in this series, I felt compelled to read the second installment. I guess I felt like there was so much *potential* in the premise of this series that I was curious to see if it would be realized. The second book was SO MUCH BETTER than the first! I actually LIKE the main character of the second novel. Also, there is a glimmer of redemption for the main character of the first novel that I hated so much. The series still has some serious issues but I now feel like it is a real possibility that this author will grow as she writes. I will most likely read book 3.

I think it should be mentioned that this is not really a sequel, more like a companion novel to The Forrest of Hands and Teeth.

I ordered this book after reading the first few books of the Young Adult series, House of Night, and was not disappointed with what I found. I went back and forth between assigning this book a 3-star or 4-star rating and ultimately settled on 4 stars simply because it is so entertaining. I was always eager to pick it back up and keep reading. There are some ideas expressed on feminism (taking the form of references to the Triple Goddess) in the story line, yet the references are subtle enough that they do not overshadow the main events. In addition to all other P.C. Cast books I have read, this book is not necessarily "well written." I don't imagine people are looking primarily for great writing in the Romance section and that is the case here; however, if you read P.C. Cast's books for her great capacity as a story teller, you will not be disappointed.

This book is a very quick read. Although,I felt the main character could have been fleshed out quite a bit more. Alas, it seems there is a sequel coming, so maybe my wish will yet be granted. I did have trouble deciding how old the main character was supposed to be. From her actions I could guess anywhere from 12-14, but from comments in the book I felt like the author may have been trying to depict her as older. For me the book read similar to a Lois Lowery book: a little stark but a good and solid critique of society. I will be looking forward to further character development of the protagonist in the next installment and hopefully I will find it because this is an otherwise good book! I will definately read the next addition to this series but I could see myself abandoning it if it does not develop a little better.

So. I would like to begin by pointing out and then promptly dismissing the fact that there are some small problems with the book. BUT WHO CARES! I still loved it! Now, for those who are wondering, it is actually a huge deal that I liked this book. If you would refer back to my review of Ballad, you will see that I have had a festering grudge against fairy/faery/fey books for quite a while. They all seem to jump right into the fey-frey without explaining what the hell is going on! Throw in some drivel about iron allergies and some kind of phobia about telling people your "true name" and ta-da: a dumb story that makes no sense. Well, Kagawa actually went to the trouble to throw in a few explanatory sentences. THANK YOU! She doesn't over do the explanations, she includes just enough that you are not left wondering what the crap happened to Tinker Bell.

Much to my surprise, the story was actually original in some of its plot points. There were a handful of scenes that reminded me of a variety of other faery stories but overall, it very much stood apart from similar tales. I also felt the characters were well done. They have very distinct personalities and for the most part stayed true to themselves throughout the book. Meghan was a little all-over-the-place at times, but I felt like that was okish (or at least overlookable) since her character is going through a very rough transformation. I was a little dismayed with Meghan's initial reliance on her "protectors" but was glad show more to see that she begins to grow into her own power. She's no Katniss (yet?), but she is certainly no Bella either. I will definitely read the sequel and most likely all of the books in this series. There is something very rich about the world(s) Kagawa has set up for us. There are a variety of themes and focuses present in the story which sets this book apart from the many other very boring YA books that are only about girl boy=blah,blah,blah. I love meeting all of the new faeries that Kagawa introduces us to and I think the Iron Fey is a REALLY COOL idea. Very apt for our age of wasteful IT-will-save-us tunnel vision. I might put this on my favorites shelf, but I have to read the rest of the books in the series first. show less

I know. I was shocked too...

I don't think I can give a proper review until I finish the next book in the series. But I definitely recommend this book; however, you MUST proceed with caution. It is certainly not your run of the mill romance, and it is not for the faint of heart (that goes for the sexual content as well as the past mental/emotional/physical trauma).

I will add more later :)

I really liked this book, independently that is. I was excited to get into a series when I started this one. The problem is the rest of the books aren't that great (see my review of the series). Poison Study is far and away the best in the series. I don't really think it's a problem though because the book works well on its own. It doesn’t end with screeching cliffhangers that make you feel like you just HAVE to find out what happens next. Boo for unnecessary gasping cliffhangers! Yay for this book!

This book did manage to conjure up a few surprises for me although much of the storyline was also fairly transparent, but not in an annoying or boring way. One of the most important qualities in a book for me is character development. Snyder has her character development firmly under control in this book without having to rely too heavily on archetypes, though they do appear - but that’s not always a bad thing. The plot in and of itself is actually refreshing. It felt like new material rather than so much of the poorly reheated hash that’s out there. But not to fear, this one is no soggy potato!

In response to the whole series:

This series may be my favorite out of all of Harris's books. In the Lily Bard series, the mysteries are always clever and the characters are well developed. They are fun reads but they also have a Very Heavy subject matter and at times are all together alarming. I actually liked that because it made the series more substantial than your run-of-the mill mysteries. I am very glad that Harris stopped when she did with these books. I was left wanting more. You should always want more at the end of a series. It seems like there are so many *forced* serials out there right now but this is definitely not one of them. Each book is good - no fillers - and the overarching storyline matures with each installment of the series.

I gave the first book in this series like -80 stars. I hated it. I was so mad at it (mainly the stoopid main character) by the end that I was sure I would never read the follow up. But I did. And I liked it! What?!? I liked it a lot! Obviously I was shocked.

The third and final book is good. Ryan has actual points that she makes about life and whatnot. I like that the series seems purpose-driven. Perhaps slightly preachy at times, but at least there is meaning. The characters are heavy-hearted and troubled. They have real issues to work out, much more than which college to go to or even how to deal with being unpopular. Both of which are legit issues, but Ryan's characters are dealing in life and death here. Abandonment and sacrifice and human nature, for goodness sake! The issues are beefy and the characters have to scour their souls for answers to unanswerable questions. I love it for that. But, all in all, I don't like it more than the second book, equally maybe, but not more, which is why I am only giving it 3 stars. With the soaring leap in my opinion of the 1st to the 2nd book, I was probably expecting too much from the 3rd book. I was expecting to have my mind blown. Sadly, my mind is still fully intact and I only liked this book.

What kept my mind from being blown? Well, a dragging plot and egregiously copious overuse of very detailed description, down to the last minutia of any person, or non-person, movement at all in anything that happened in the book show more whatsoever. Hmmmmm... Usually description and detail are super great. It builds worlds and makes characters seem real. But sometimes, the descriptions and details become laborious. At times I felt like I was slogging like an Unconsecrated through extraneous sentences, paragraphs, and even whole pages. I suppose this won't be a problem for some people. I like a bit more dialogue with my description. Keeps things snappy. But I am impatient and others are not :)

I suspect I will find myself reading more of Carrie Ryan. I just hope I'm not always hoping for better balance between dialogue and description. I will just keep reminding myself that she has worthwhile things to tell me. Which she does, and I appreciate that. show less

2 1/2 stars is more accurate for me.

I really loved the idea of this book. What a great premise, right? I love sci-fi and I love it even more when I find sci-fi that is accessible to non-sci-fi readers, like this one. It's not so heavy on the science that it will lose people but it is sciency enough to count. Unfortunately, I also felt that the writing - the plot and character development - got really sloppy and even lazy at times. There were some cool twists and surprises, etc., but they didn't really make up for what felt like uninspired sections of the book.

I really expected more out of the romance in this book. I mean, look at the cover! It looks like it is going to be some crazy out of this world (literally) romance that will leave you breathless and swooning. Bring out the bucket of cold water folks because the romance here can only be described as AWKWARD. Like, really awkward. Certainly not of the "I would cross time and space for you" variety. Maybe it will get better in the second book, but I may not be around to check it out.

I was reluctant about this book from the start. It turned out to be better than I expected but it was still no real gem for me. I read this book on Kindle and I think the main thing that got me is that I felt like the story was deliberately being drawn out. Once I reached the end I really felt like my $8-$12 should have included the next book in the series. Outrageous cliffhangers here folks. And I am So. Damn. Tired. of outrageous cliffhangers.

There are two major categories of cliffhanger: (1) a cliffhanger that gently nudges or even demands that the reader carry on with a series, meanwhile staying true to the subplot of the book at hand and responsibly resolving at least some significant portion of the loose ends so that the reader feels satisfied at the end of each BOOK and not just at the end of the SERIES and (2) a cliffhanger that abruptly hacks off the end of a story, leaving absolutly no plot resolution thus making you feel like you just got ripped off. No closure whatsoever. Not cool people.

This book is solidly a cliffhanger of the second variety.

I was a little worried about this series after reading book 4 but book 5 is the perfect rebound. All is well :)

First, I have seen in several places people suggesting that you could read this book without having read Graceling and Fire. That may be true-ish, but I would highly recommend reading them in order: Graceling, Fire, then Bitterblue. Cashore is building a world here, and Bitterblue is really a continuation of that world, and I think it would be a more rewarding read if read in the order published.

My expectations were sky high for this book. I gave it 5 stars, so clearly I was not dissapointed. Cashore is a very good writer and a particularly excelent character builder. I also love that she does not seem possessed with the obsession of abandoning her readers to cliff-hangers as so many current authors feel the need to do. Her books have a begining, middle and ending. A true ending! It is so very satisfying to read a complete book! To have all those loose ends tied up! To not think to yourself every time she publishes a book, "Aw, now I have to go re-read all the previous books so I'm not lost!"

I don't want to say much about the story, but I will mention that is does cover some very disturbing and uncomfortable topics. It is handeled well and I think as long as you go into it knowing that it gets heavy, you will be OK. Although, if you have read the first two, you know by now that Bitterblue's story is bound to be distrubing. Of course, it is quite a beautiful story as well.

Seriously people. These books have stupid titles and stupider covers but it is a GREAT series anyway! I am so glad I finally decided to give this one a try. Vampire Academy was one of those books that I kept coming across in my searches but kept waiving it off as some dumb Twilight fan-fic wanna-be. Not so! The characters are very well drawn, the plot is believable in that vampire/magic kind of way and the dead parts (pun intended) are few and far between. It's a go.

This one kind of drug in parts but I wouldn't let it keep you from the rest of the series.

I read book 1 in this series a year ago, almost exactly. Clearly I was not enthralled. In fact, I had to literally force myself to read book 2. I checked it out from the library at least 6 times between June 2011 and May 2012, before I finally read the thing. Why? Because I HATED Barrons in the first book. And I thought Mac was a vapid, dingbat, idiot. So, naturally, I decided I wasn't going to read the rest of the series. Why torture myself, right? Well, after a year of running across all of these glowing, gushy, omg-I-love-it-and-there-will-never-be-another-series-like-it reviews for this series I decided I needed to see if all these gushers were idiots or if I had just stopped too soon.

I have a feeling I am going to be one of those gushers by the end of the series. It's good. I might even come back and raise my rating to 5 stars. I still get a little annoyed at times with the heavy as lead foreshadowing, but other than that, I love it :) If you find yourself in my position where you read the first one and you are not inclined to continue on with the series, just know that this is one of those rare series where the character actually changes immensely throughout the course of the series. Most characters change somewhat or have some kind of life changing revelation, but Mac turns like six 180's (yes, that's three circles in case you're wondering). She IS a vapid idiot at the beginning, but that changes. I'm still not sure about Barrons... but I certainly hate him less, show more I think. At the very least I am fully invested in finding out about him and Mac and all of the other characters and exactly how this whole mess ends. show less

I have been waiting around for the library to get this one for a while. I thought I would probably like it, but obviously was never willing to pay for it. But, then again, I don't pay for books very often anyway. It was about a 3.5 I guess. I'm not terribly interested in reading the sequel but I did enjoy this one. I may end up reading the sequel sometime in the future.

It was well written enough, the characters were good enough, I think I just may be getting a bit burned out on all these YA's where the relationship is pretty much the ONLY focus of the plot. I mean, yeah, she's waiting on her "purpose" too, but most of the events revolve around boys. I love a good romance in a book, but it is nice when there are other things going on too.