Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians

TITLE: Crazy Rich Asians
Book 1 in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy
AUTHOR: Kevin Kwan
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Romance, Contemporary
PREMISE: A woman finds out the man she is dating is in fact a member of one of the richest families in Singapore....
MY REVIEW: Unless you've been living under a rock or something, chances are high you've at least heard about Crazy Rich Asians. The movie has been big this summer. I saw it, and honestly, I get the hype. Seriously, the movie is gold, go see it if you adore rom coms or any kind of family drama stuff.
I read the book right before seeing the movie it was honestly just as delightful. I will warn, the writing...is not the best. It kind of jumps from POV to POV and is awkward in some places. But the characterization, the self-aware humor, and entertaining family drama all make up for it. There's also some pretty interesting commentary on things like classism, racism, and various other topics. I also actually liked the footnotes. They provided some interesting information that I wasn't aware of. So not only are you getting an entertaining read, you actually get some interesting tidbits about Singapore and its culture.
So count me in on the Crazy Rich Asians hype train. I can't wait to read the rest of the books and see the sequel, whenever we get it. Also: if you have not seen the To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie yet....do so. It's wonderful.
WHO SHOULD READ: Rom com fans, Jenny Han fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five wacky families

Book Review: Proxy

TITLE: Proxy
Book 1 in a series
AUTHOR: Alex London
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Dystopian
PREMISE: Two boys from different sides get caught up in a rebellion in a dystopian future.
MY REVIEW: This is one of those books that has been on my radar for awhile, it just has taken me awhile to get to it. Look, there are a lot of books I want to read okay? My TBR list would make you weep from the sheer size of it.
For the most part, this is pretty typical dystopian stuff. Once again, I notice it talks about class issues and privilege better then Sandcastle Empire did. I know, I know, one day I will stop ranting about that book. But today will not be that day. One thing that really sets it apart from other dystopians is the dynamic between Knox and Syd. There are definite inspirations drawn from The Whipping Boy here and it works rather well.
This is not a unique book by any means, but it is interesting, has a solid plot and issues that it brings up and talks about fairly well. Looks like the author has another book coming next year that looks interesting and there is a sequel to this book. I look forward to eventually reading both.
WHO SHOULD READ: those looking for LGBT dystopian books, fans of The Whipping Boy and Feed, Dystopian fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five interesting dystopian societies

Book Review: More Than This

TITLE: More Than This
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Science Fiction/Mystery
PREMISE: A boy wakes to find himself in a strange world...
MY REVIEW: This book....I'm not even sure how to go about describing this book. The best I can come up with is...a YA version of the Matrix...sort of. I'm reminded a lot of We Are the Ants by Shawn David Hutchinson (have I mentioned you should read that book? Because you should read that book). The premise is weird and difficult to explain, but the important thing about the book is not even really the premise, it's the character journey taking place within the premise. Wow. That got deep...
There is lots of character study within this book. It all wraps into the mystery of what exactly is going on and whatnot. I have a feeling this is one of those books that is not going to be for everyone. It's very slow. Things tend to get frustrating sometimes when you try to figure out what's going on. It's got that very Patrick Ness quality to it where it's weird and you're not sure what's happening but...you're enjoying the journey if that makes sense.
So this is one of those books that's hard to know if I recommend it. It is very quirky and I'm not sure if it'll be everyone's cup of tea. Luckily it was mine. Note to self: finish up the Chaos Walking Trilogy. I really do need to get on that and then I believe I will have read all of his books except for the one that is coming out soon (it was supposed to be out in May but apparently dates got mixed around and now it's in the fall...).
WHO SHOULD READ:  Patrick Ness fans, fans of We Are the Ants, those that like odd books
MY RATING: Four out of Five interesting ideas

Series Review: Flavia de Luce

SERIES: Flavia de Luce
ORDER OF BOOKS IN SERIES:
1) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2) The Weed That Strings the Handman's Bag
3) A Red Herring Without Mustard
4) I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5) Speaking From Among the Bones
6) The Dead and Their Vaulted Arches
7) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
8) Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd
AUTHOR: Alan Bradley
PUBLISHED: between 2009-present
CATEGORY: Packaged and sold as adult fiction, I say it's middle-grade but what can you do?
PREMISE: In 1950s England, in a small town, a precocious girl solves mysteries using logic and a love of science.
MY REVIEW: So last year I finally sat down and read the first book of this series and promptly fell in love. Since then I've been playing catch up and after getting to the eighth book last month, I finally am caught up. I'm still very much in love with it too.
Flavia de Luce is sort of a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Miss Fisher pushed into the body of a tween. The result is a delightful main character. On top of Flavia is a colorful cast of family members, and small town characters, who are all very entertaining. Basically, it's like one of those BBC mystery shows in book form, starring a awesome little girl.
The last book left off at quite a place so I'm very eager to get my hands on the next book which is coming out in September.
WHO SHOULD READ: Sherlock Holmes fans, BBC mystery show fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five awesome main characters

Book Review: The Lady and Her Monsters

TITLE: The Lady and Her Monsters
AUTHOR: Roseanne Montillo
CATEGORY: Non-Fiction
PUBLISHED: 2013
GENRE: Micro-History/history?/Biography
PREMISE: A look into what life in Mary Shelley's time was like as well as her life and things that influenced her and the writing of Frankenstein.
MY REVIEW: This was a pick of the month from The Mary Sue Books and More Club over on Goodreads (hi, to any Mary Sue members reading this). I was a little late to reading it (it was for January) because I wanted to get A Vindication of the Rights of Woman done first. I figured that'd be a good lead in book for it. I was right, it was. Because it let me know what happened to Wollenstonecraft after that book. Spoiler: it's really sad.
For the most part, this was very informative. There are things in here I had no idea about when it came to Mary Shelley. It also has made me super interested in the upcoming movie about her. Sometimes it wandered a bit too much for my taste (I didn't pick up this book to learn about random doctor who did this which probably inspired Shelley). But it is highly readable and very informative. Which at the end of the day is most of what I ask from my non-fiction.
WHO SHOULD READ: Mary Shelley fans, Frankenstein fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five lady authors who deserve more recognition

Book Series Review: The Heroes of Olympus

SERIES: The Heroes of Olympus
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
PUBLISHED between 2010 and 2014
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade/YAish
GENRE: Fantasy/Adventure, Mythology Tie-in
PREMISE: The demi-gods of Greece and the demi-gods of Rome's worlds collide as a force threatens to tear the world apart.
MY REVIEW: So, once upon a time, back when I first started this blog actually. I read The Lost Hero. I had just devoured the Percy Jackson series and I honestly, really liked it. But then.,,I forgot to read the rest? It's not a reflection on Mr. Riordan at all. These books are great. I just got into the Kane Chronicles, and then I had so many other books to read, that keeping up on this series sort of fell by the wayside. Especially after he started publishing two books a year.
But Magnus Chase came out and that reminded me that I have not read the rest of these and I started to feel guilty. So I went on a two month binge of the books. I enjoyed every minute of it. Reading these reminded me of why I loved the Percy Jackson series, way back when. I love that Riordan paid attention to the criticisms of the lack of diversity and instead of throwing a temper tantrum or crying PC police conspiracy, he went "you know...good point" and actually put diversity in the next books. Whether or not the diversity was good representation, is probably debatable, but I appreciate that he did it.
If you are familiar with Percy Jackson or the Kane Chronicles, this series follows the same sort of pattern. It's still immensely enjoyable. I love the spins on mythology that Riordan puts in it. I now am super pumped for the Apollo series and I'm reading Magnus Chase as we speak.
WHO SHOULD READ: Percy Jackson fans, Greek mythology fans
RATING FOR SERIES: Four and a half out of Five demi-gods getting stuff done

Book Review: Written in Red

Title: Written in Red
Book 1 in the Others series
Author: Anne Bishop
Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2013
Premise: A human prophet finds refuge in a area designated as protection from human law under the species known as The Others.
My Review: I've been meaning to read Bishop for YEARS. I keep hearing how awesome her stuff is. Reading this one, I'm definitely looking into more of it and get why she has a huge following.
This series is a bit simple at first. It's a bit like True Blood where supernatural creatures are known to humans and the world is different as a result. Only it's about ten times more darker then True Blood (no sexy vampires. The fantasy creatures here are treated as legit scary and not romance fantasy fodder). The world is much more complex and the relationship dynamics are less romance focused and more character relationship focused. So...it might be a tad slow moving for some. I admit, it slightly stalled in some places.
But overall, I'm kind of in love with this series now. I'll definitely be looking into more Anne Bishop in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: Anne Bishop fans, urban fantasy fans, True Blood fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five awesome world settings

Book Review: Vicious

TITLE: Vicious
AUTHOR: V.E. Schwab
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY:Adult
GENRE: Urban Fantasy/Superheros
PREMISE: Victor and Eli were best friends who started experimenting with powers. One became a villain, the other became a hero hell bent on destroying everyone with powers.
MY REVIEW: So I've been a fan of Victoria Schwab's for awhile now. Turns out V.E. Schwab is in fact the same person, she just uses her initials for when she does adult fiction. Her adult fiction seems to do better then her YA fiction, which makes me wonder if there is some credit about the idea that people will only look at your fiction if they don't know right off you're a woman. If so...that's sad.
But onto the book. I loved it just as much as the Archived series. It has complicated characters. It does great meta commentary on superheros and good vs evil and you all know how much I dig meta commentary in books.
Personally, I feel the ending left room wide open for a sequel but it seems Schwab has moved on to another series that has finally been getting the buzz she deserves. I can't wait to read it.
WHO SHOULD READ: Darker Shade of Magic fans, Archived fans, comic book fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five masks

Book Review: Americanah

TITLE: Americanah
AUTHOR: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Realistic Fiction/drama
PREMISE: A blogger who writes about race in America goes back to her home country of Nigeria and encounters her old flame.
MY REVIEW: A book like Americanah is an odd sort of book to review. It's not what I would call a commercial sort of read. This is a very thinking type of book. It is literally designed to make you think. I personally love books like that, but I also have to be in the mood for them and know they aren't to everyone's taste.
If you're the type to go into a book for plot/story...this might be a tough book to get into. Plot wise it wanders and is very slow. The characters are also all complicated. The gems of this are really the topics it brings up and it's examination of American culture and race. The blog posts in it are especially on point and I was pretty much going preach during all of it. It brought up issues I myself was slightly aware of but never really thought of, such as the issues between black Americans and black Africans. Like I said, it's a very thinking kind of book.
So...I don't know. If you like thinking books then I absolutely recommend this one. If you just read for entertainment purposes (which is nothing wrong!) then you might be bored with it. If you're interested in racial issues and don't mind slow stories then I say go for it. Especially if you've read and loved Adichie's stuff.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Half a Yellow Sun, those interested in racial issues, those interested in stories dealing with Nigeria, literature fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five on point blog posts

Book Review: Clockwork Princess

TITLE: Clockwork Princess
Book 3 in the Infernal Devices Trilogy
AUTHOR: Cassandra Clare
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Historical Fantasy
PREMISE: Will, Jem, and Tessa face off against Mortmain for the finale...
MY REVIEW: This review will be short because honestly...I don't have much to say about this book. My feelings on the MI series will probably always be conflicted. On one hand: I get a kick or two out of them. On the other hand: series has gone on way too long and has gotten stale as a result.
This ending is a perfect example. Because frankly...nothing happened here that I wasn't expecting. About the only surprising thing was Jem becoming what he did and that...honestly felt like a cop out. I kind of would have preferred if he had died because that kind of cheapened all the Jem feels. Plus again, Tessa doesn't have to choose! She gets time spent with both! But not at the same time, mind you.  Sigh. Please keep in mind, I say this as someone who was rooting for OT3 Will/Tessa/Jem because frankly Will and Jem loved each other just as much (if not more) as they loved Tessa. She admitted to loving both! Yet, we can't get OT3? Really? As far as I'm concerned, it happened anyway. To heck with canon.
So this spin-off is done. But apparently we're getting two more. Like I said: it's gotten old. I really wish Clare would write something else (on her own. I don't know how much of that book she wrote with Black was actually her idea. I'll probably be able to tell when I read it though. Black and Clare have pretty different styles). But it seems to not be. But I just seriously can't quit this series despite how stale it's gotten so you'll probably see a review of those up when they come out. I'll probably also do a review of Heavenly Fire soon as well because this series has honestly just become habit reading for me. Hmm...it seems I lied about the review being short. Guess I had more to say then I thought.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of MI (still into the books)
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five whatevers

Book Review: Vengeance Bound

TITLE: Vengeance Bound
AUTHOR: Justina Ireland
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Mythology referencing
PREMISE: A girl who has to carry out the will of the furies tries to lead a normal life...
MY REVIEW: This one was...interesting. It's one of the few YA books using furies that didn't make me roll my eyes hard so kudos there, author. But like most of these YA books regarding furies...it grapples with the concept and tries to hard to make it NOT about furies.
When this book was talking about the morality behind the killing and whether it was justified, I was digging it. But every time it got a little too dark it was as though the author was afraid to scare her audience or something and suddenly it was "look at the cute romance that came out of nowhere and has little to no basis!" Yeah. The dreaded insta-love. When it wasn't going on about that, I found this book interesting. I could have done without the completely unnecessary villifying of Amber as well (seriously, what was the point of that plot? It was gross and not needed).
So...I give the author points for trying to discuss the morality of furies. I just don't really think she went as far as she could have because she focused too much on insta-love and drama. So it wasn't bad...but it could have been better.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Fury, fans of greek mythology
MY RATING: Three out of Five mythology creatures running amok

Book Review: Fangirl

TITLE: Fangirl
AUTHOR: Rainbow Rowell
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA (or New Adult in some circles but I'm not getting into that)
GENRE: Realistic Fiction, Romance
PREMISE: Cath goes off to college and experiences all those firsts in college.
MY REVIEW: My descent into becoming a Rainbow Rowell fangirl continues with this book, which I pretty much picked up immediately after reading Eleanor and Park. Because after all, if I liked Eleanor and Park which was a romance that is not usually at all my thing, I was sure to like this which is about well...being a fangirl. Lets face it: I have experience with that ;looks at blog title; ;sips soda;
Luckily, this did not disappoint. I think I related more to this one then Eleanor and Park too. Sadly though, I did not have a roommate in college as awesome as Cath's. But the whole writing fanfiction thing? Yeah. I get that. In fact, I'm writing fanfic now, so I might have projected feelings on this book a little too much. But I suspect that was Rowell's devious plan all along, so job well done.
So basically, the hype around this one is well deserved. I can't wait for whatever Rowell has in store for us next.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Eleanor and Park, fans of John Green, contemporary fiction fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five characters I possibly relate to, way too much

Book Review: The Rules

TITLE: The Rules
Book 1 in the Paper Doll series
AUTHOR: Stacey Kade
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Romance
PREMISE: A girl with strange gifts poses as a normal high school student while on the run from a government facility.
MY REVIEW: First, sorry for my absence. Reading has gotten away from me this month and honestly...I haven't been really motivated to post reviews lately. I don't know what it is. I still love to read and have found some awesome books lately...it's just I go to review it and....I just shrug. I'm trying to get out of this rut. I really am. So reviews may be random in the coming months.
So this was one of those series I meant to check out last year but never got around to it. It's by the author of The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy which I loved and highly recommend. This one...was good but had a few issues that made me not like it as much as the Ghost and the Goth. Mainly, my issue was the treatment of the popular girl who was literally every stereotype of the bitchy popular girl (although to her credit, Kade did try to put in there that most of her behavior came from family issues and insecurity). After the fabulousness that was Alona, this girl was kind of a punch in the face. So it had some trope issues in it.
But for the most part, this was a good fun ride. It had a few twists that took it in ways I wasn't expecting and it did have interesting character dynamics going on. It's a solid start to a interesting looking series. The next book is available now.
WHO SHOULD READ: Ghost and the Goth fans, fans of shows like CWs StarCrossed
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five alien girls going to high school (poor things)

Book Review: Eleanor and Park

TITLE: Eleanor and Park
AUTHOR: Rainbow Rowell
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Realistic Fiction, Romance
PREMISE: Eleanor starts a new school and meets Park on the bus, starting an unusual relationship along the way...
MY REVIEW: So last year was pretty much the year of Rowell in YA. This book was recommended by John Green and suddenly everyone was talking about her. Then Fangirl was released and she was very quickly everyone's favorite. Reading this, I definitely understand why she became so popular (and I think she would have become popular without John Green's help by the way, I hate the people who are going around saying that).
As I've mentioned several times...I'm not into realistic fiction all that much. So I think the fact that I managed to get into this, says a lot about the book. Honestly? I kind of like Rowell's stuff more than John Green. Sorry, but I do. I'm not trying to start any battle by saying one is better then the other. I just honestly get into her stuff more then I got into Greens. I'm reading Fangirl right now and the feels I'm getting are pretty ridiculous. Hell, the feels I got from this one was pretty ridiculous, but that was because of all the eighties stuff and the nerdy conversations about comics. I kid you not, I also once had a conversation with a guy in high school about the sexism in comics, though in my case it was me trying to point out the sexism in Spider-Man, not X-Men.
So, if you're a realistic fiction fan, I highly recommend this book. Even if you're not, I recommend it because of how much I think people can relate to it in some way.
WHO SHOULD READ: John Green fans, Romance fans, Stephanie Perkins fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five cassette players

Book Review: Champion

TITLE: Champion
Book 3 in the Legend Trilogy
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
PUBLISHED: December 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Dystopian
PREMISE: Day and June fight for the future of their country.
MY REVIEW: THIS is how you end a trilogy. I loathe doing that comparison thing people like to do with stuff because I think it's unfair to compare books that are usually trying to accomplish different things. However, I just read Allegiant and I can't help but compare that unsatisfying ending with this very satisfying ending and well...I think the fact that I'm highly satisfied with this ending, while I'm still trying to figure out what that ending to Divergent even was,l says enough.
Everything was brought to a head here and it is done wonderfully. We get to see consequences of actions, we get to see how far these characters have come, and hey look, a love triangle that's NOT ANNOYING. Granted, it was kind of unnecessary as most love triangles are, but at least I saw why it developed and the series didn't waste all my time with it because the characters all had way more important things to worry about like the future of the Republic.
Overall a satisfying, if a bit bittersweet, of an ending that is actually very fitting for this series. Legend may not be the loudest dystopian ever or even the most original dystopian, but it definitely is memorable and well done. I look forward to whatever Marie Lu has in store for us next.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Legend and Prodigy, dystopian fans, Hunger Games fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five

Book Review: The Private School Murders

TITLE: The Private School Murders
Book 2 in the Confessions series
AUTHOR: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: Tandy's adventures as a detective aren't over. Now she not only has to clear her brother's name, but solve the murders of local private school girls, and figure out what happened to the boy she fell for but can't remember.
MY REVIEW: Patterson books can always be kind of off and on for me. Luckily, this series seems to be one that is on. True, the mysteries are pretty normal thriller wise but are interesting enough to keep reading.
What keeps me interested in this one is the interesting character of Tandy. She very much reminds me of Veronica Mars and that is not at all a bad thing (yes, I'm a Marshmellow). The interesting family dynamics as well as the colorful cast of characters (C.P. is the best) make the rather normal mystery more fun.
No, it's not the most original thing in the world. But if you are in the mood for a sassy girl detective mystery, this definitely fits the bill.
WHO SHOULD READ: Fans of Confessions of a Murder Suspect, Police TV procedural fans, James Patterson fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five sassy detectives

Book Review: Allegiant

TITLE: Allegiant
Divergent Trilogy Book 3
AUTHOR: Veronica Roth
PUBLISHED: October, 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Dystopian
PREMISE: The Divergent trilogy comes to a close as Tris and her friends take their last stand...
MY REVIEW: I'll be the first to admit, my feelings regarding the Divergent Trilogy will probably always be mixed. I never loved it as much as the rest of the YA community seemed too, yet I never felt the hatred towards that I've seen some aim its way. Honestly, to me, the trilogy is just kind of there. To me, it's always been a entertaining, but rather average dystopian. Which is why I wasn't a bit surprised when the movie turned out to be entertaining, but average.
The third book is...pretty much the same. World-building is still a mess (in fact, I kind of think it became messier with those nonsense explanations for the factions). Ultimately, aside from what happened with Tris at the end...it was pretty damn predictable. Actually, what happened with Tris was the first time I actually felt this series went outside the very firm dystopian formula it was in. Unfortunately, it happened way too late for me to really say it made the series more powerful.
When it comes to this trilogy, I'll probably always be shrugging when people ask me how I feel about it. But honestly, this one has become so huge, I don't really think any misgivings I have on the trilogy will make a difference. It's going to be around for a few more years, particularly because we are apparently getting two more movies.
WHO SHOULD READ: Divergent fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five shrugs
RATING FOR TRILOGY: Three and a half to Four out of Five (because I honestly can't make up my mind between these two ratings)

Book Review: The Fiery Heart

TITLE: The Fiery Heart
Book 4 in the Bloodlines series
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Vampires
PREMISE: Sydney and Adrian try to navigate being in a relationship.
MY REVIEW: At this point in time, there's probably not much I can say about Bloodlines/Vampire Academy that I haven't already said or that you haven't already heard. Just know, I'm very much a fan, so this review is biased.
As an installment this one...stalled a little. Honestly, not a lot happens till the last fifty or so pages which leave you on a rotten cliff hanger (evil, Mead, EVIL). So I advise patience while reading it. Although, if you're into this series for the Adrian/Sydney, you'll probably love all the couple moments.
So, a slow installment till the very cliff hanger like end. Good for fans of the series. Everyone else has probably already made up their mind if they want to bother with this or not.
WHO SHOULD READ: Bloodlines fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five tatoos

Book Review: What's a Witch to Do?

TITLE: What's a Witch to Do?
Book 1 in the Midnight Magic Mystery series
AUTHOR: Jennifer Harlow
PUBLISHED: 2013
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Mystery, Romance, Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: A witch tries to figure out who's trying to kill her while nursing an injured wolf, preparing for her sister's wedding, and taking care of two kids...
MY REVIEW: I had picked this one up not realizing that it is actually a bit of a spin-off series of another series called F.R.E.A.K.S. However, the author does give enough info where you can figure out the gist of the world so it doesn't really matter if you haven't read that series.
As far as these cozy mysteries go, it was cute. I got a kick out of the humor. The MC wasn't irritating. It's readable. It's just...very stuck in the cozy mystery formula so I'm not sure how much it's worth continuing because this formula can get stale fast.
But if you're in the mood for a cute romantic story featuring witches and hot werewolves and need your fix, this one should do the trick.
WHO SHOULD READ: cozy mystery fans, F.R.E.A.K.S fans, urban fantasy romance fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five flustered witches

Book Review: The Offering

TITLE: The Offering
Book 3 in the Pledge Trilogy
AUTHOR: Kimberly Derting
PUBLISHED: December 2013
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: Charlie brings an end to the war in her country...
MY REVIEW: Honestly, I've always had mixed feelings when it comes to this series. If pressed, I will definitely say I prefer Dertings other series, The Body Finder for sure. So if you want a better example of how well this author can do, I would go for that series.
Mostly, my issues is the world-building because this world is still confusing to me two books later and that's...not good. Story-wise....it's not bad. Not the most original thing in the universe but I don't feel like I'm wasting my time with it either. It makes for a decent library read series.
As an ending this book did okay. It wasn't horrible. But...it also didn't really shock or surprise me either. Other then one minor character death that made me sad, I wasn't too shocked by what went down here. So again, mixed feelings. It's not a bad series or anything...I'm just not overwhelmed when I read it. Especially when I know this author can do much better.
WHO SHOULD READ: Derting fans, fans of Pledge 1 and 2, fantasy fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five shrugs