Overall, this was a great book. The twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked and the fact that Jenna didn't even know everything about her past or even her present was very intriguing.
The copy that I read from was an ARC, so there were a few typos, but they weren't terrible and were easily overlooked since the story was so good.
The only thing that really bothered me was the line at the end of the book "And best of all, we know that no one's going to walk in on us when we're kissing on my bed and he's got his hands under my shirt, or when I've got mine under his." Ugh...seriously? That does not help the story in the least...
Also, as a friend on Goodreads mentioned, this is a dystopian novel, but set OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. So...that's unusual and refreshing.
The copy that I read from was an ARC, so there were a few typos, but they weren't terrible and were easily overlooked since the story was so good.
The only thing that really bothered me was the line at the end of the book "And best of all, we know that no one's going to walk in on us when we're kissing on my bed and he's got his hands under my shirt, or when I've got mine under his." Ugh...seriously? That does not help the story in the least...
Also, as a friend on Goodreads mentioned, this is a dystopian novel, but set OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. So...that's unusual and refreshing.
I enjoyed reading Gates of Thread and Stone very much. A few weeks ago, I entered a contest to win it and the sequel (The Infinite) on audiobook from the author. Sadly, I did not win, but I decided that I needed to read GoTaS right away, so I put my other books on hold and ordered it from my library. I’m really glad I did!
I found Kai to be a very realistic and believable character. Her feelings and fears were very real and I felt as though I could connect with her through them. When going to search for Reev, her friend, Avan, offers to go with her on the journey. Kai does not want to be selfish and take Avan away from his home to accompany her, nor does she wish to put him in danger. Yet she knows that she cannot do it alone, even though she wishes she could. She is afraid of refusing his help, but she is also afraid of accepting it in case that is not what is best for him.
The romance between Kai and Avan isn’t the instant “falling in love at first sight” that most books seem to have. They have been friends for a very long time, and the quest to find Reev brings them much closer. Kai is unsure of her feelings for Avan and is a bit confused about the whole thing.
The relationship between Kai and G-10 was quite confusing. I definitely don’t like them together romantically.
**SPOILER** When Irra announced that he was Famine, I thought that maybe he was one of the four Riders of the apocalypse, especially when Death and Conquest were also mentioned. However, they are show more Infinites, an immortal group of which there are 70 members. This cleared up the confusion of whether they were the Riders, but I am unsure of why there are 70 and how the author will choose to explain or use this information. 70 seems to be quite a lot of immortals that each have their own specific power. **End spoiler**
That being said, I am very interested to see how the lore continues to play out. I am also looking forward to the development of Kai and Avan’s relationship after the events at the end of the book.
**SPOILER** Kai’s true identity was very predictable, though Avan’s role was a total surprise to me. **End Spoiler**
Again, I enjoyed reading Gates of Thread and Stone very much. It is a story about real loyalty, family and humanity, and has wonderful potential with world building and lore.
Language:
The author made up a word for the world of the book (“drek”), which was used a bunch of times; about 3 uses of “a**”
Sexual content:
The town where Kai lives has many prostitutes, many of which seem very keen on getting to know her brother. However, Kai spends the majority of the book out of her town, so this is only in the beginning of the book.
Kai and Avan sleep very close together when there is no room in the cave they are hiding in
On multiple occasions, Kai thinks about kissing Avan
Kai briefly admires Avan’s butt when he’s in his training uniform
G-10 jokes about hoping Kai was trying to make a sexual request
Kai wishes she and Avan could sleep in the same bed (nothing sexual about it is implied, though)
Kai thinks about bathing with Avan
A boy kisses/tries to kiss Avan
Avan says he “doesn’t care about gender”, implying he is bisexual
Kai and Avan kiss passionately a couple times show less
I found Kai to be a very realistic and believable character. Her feelings and fears were very real and I felt as though I could connect with her through them. When going to search for Reev, her friend, Avan, offers to go with her on the journey. Kai does not want to be selfish and take Avan away from his home to accompany her, nor does she wish to put him in danger. Yet she knows that she cannot do it alone, even though she wishes she could. She is afraid of refusing his help, but she is also afraid of accepting it in case that is not what is best for him.
The romance between Kai and Avan isn’t the instant “falling in love at first sight” that most books seem to have. They have been friends for a very long time, and the quest to find Reev brings them much closer. Kai is unsure of her feelings for Avan and is a bit confused about the whole thing.
The relationship between Kai and G-10 was quite confusing. I definitely don’t like them together romantically.
**SPOILER** When Irra announced that he was Famine, I thought that maybe he was one of the four Riders of the apocalypse, especially when Death and Conquest were also mentioned. However, they are show more Infinites, an immortal group of which there are 70 members. This cleared up the confusion of whether they were the Riders, but I am unsure of why there are 70 and how the author will choose to explain or use this information. 70 seems to be quite a lot of immortals that each have their own specific power. **End spoiler**
That being said, I am very interested to see how the lore continues to play out. I am also looking forward to the development of Kai and Avan’s relationship after the events at the end of the book.
**SPOILER** Kai’s true identity was very predictable, though Avan’s role was a total surprise to me. **End Spoiler**
Again, I enjoyed reading Gates of Thread and Stone very much. It is a story about real loyalty, family and humanity, and has wonderful potential with world building and lore.
Language:
The author made up a word for the world of the book (“drek”), which was used a bunch of times; about 3 uses of “a**”
Sexual content:
The town where Kai lives has many prostitutes, many of which seem very keen on getting to know her brother. However, Kai spends the majority of the book out of her town, so this is only in the beginning of the book.
Kai and Avan sleep very close together when there is no room in the cave they are hiding in
On multiple occasions, Kai thinks about kissing Avan
Kai briefly admires Avan’s butt when he’s in his training uniform
G-10 jokes about hoping Kai was trying to make a sexual request
Kai wishes she and Avan could sleep in the same bed (nothing sexual about it is implied, though)
Kai thinks about bathing with Avan
A boy kisses/tries to kiss Avan
Avan says he “doesn’t care about gender”, implying he is bisexual
Kai and Avan kiss passionately a couple times show less
Five Stars for story and writing, Four Stars for content
Marissa Meyer has managed to write the origin story of the villain in The Lunar Chronicles in a way that the reader can sympathize with her on a certain level, but it is still obvious that she is not a good person. Levana's childhood was very difficult, but it is show to us as an explanation, not an excuse for her behaviour.
I thought the story was very well written, and the characters were well developed for a short novella - even the ones that just appeared in Fairest .
And I really loved how all the little connecting pieces to the rest of the series fell into place and have begun to make even more sense. I can't wait for Winter!
I gave the content 4 starts because there was a lot of talk about Levana's older sister, Channary, sleeping with guards and soldiers, and also a huge part of the story revolved around Levana's odd lust for Evert, to the point where she forced him to marry her...and it was really awkward...
IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED that there is a VERY LARGE excerpt of Winter in the back of Fairest. It's not so large that it cuts into the length of the actual book too much though.
And the inside of the book has a gorgeous illustration of the Lunar palace
Marissa Meyer has managed to write the origin story of the villain in The Lunar Chronicles in a way that the reader can sympathize with her on a certain level, but it is still obvious that she is not a good person. Levana's childhood was very difficult, but it is show to us as an explanation, not an excuse for her behaviour.
I thought the story was very well written, and the characters were well developed for a short novella - even the ones that just appeared in Fairest .
And I really loved how all the little connecting pieces to the rest of the series fell into place and have begun to make even more sense. I can't wait for Winter!
I gave the content 4 starts because there was a lot of talk about Levana's older sister, Channary, sleeping with guards and soldiers, and also a huge part of the story revolved around Levana's odd lust for Evert, to the point where she forced him to marry her...and it was really awkward...
IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED that there is a VERY LARGE excerpt of Winter in the back of Fairest. It's not so large that it cuts into the length of the actual book too much though.
And the inside of the book has a gorgeous illustration of the Lunar palace
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not at all my usual style of book...not the writing or the genre, but I still loved it. The style was very unconventional, which was hard to get used to at first.
Stories of the Holocaust are always difficult, and while The Book Thief is written about a young girl and has a bit more of a playful feel, this book is really no exception.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about The Book Thief is that it is narrated by Death.
I did cry during this book. I cried at the end for Liesel and everyone in her town. Though I am not sure how much of my tears were actually for the story, or if it was mainly because I was returning to school...
Language: There was quite a bit. No f-bomb, though, and the most common was an insult in German, which was used very often - usually in a playful manner.
Sexual content: Rudy keeps asking Liesel for a kiss. [Something else I can't remember right now]
Stories of the Holocaust are always difficult, and while The Book Thief is written about a young girl and has a bit more of a playful feel, this book is really no exception.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about The Book Thief is that it is narrated by Death.
I did cry during this book. I cried at the end for Liesel and everyone in her town. Though I am not sure how much of my tears were actually for the story, or if it was mainly because I was returning to school...
Language: There was quite a bit. No f-bomb, though, and the most common was an insult in German, which was used very often - usually in a playful manner.
Sexual content: Rudy keeps asking Liesel for a kiss. [Something else I can't remember right now]