Megan @ The Book Babe's Reads

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Looking back at this book, I didn't find it to be very memorable at all. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, Valerie included, and to be downright honest with you? I actually think that I liked the movie more. And that never happens. It was a pretty big disappointment, storywise. I was expecting some big twist, with a terrifying take on an old fairytale - which unfortunately didn't happen. It was kind of blegh.

Valerie's character was like cardboard. I feel like she didn't think through any of her decisions, and really she just had no pizzazz. Even her feelings of  "love" were flat and underdeveloped. Not to mention the fact that the poor girl is an idiot. I'm not even being mean. But really, she is. It seemed like every five minutes, her opinion on who the wolf was changed... and she stabbed her boyfriend. Real smart, sweetie. (Don't worry, he still "loves" her.)

You know what? Now is the perfect time to talk about the feelings of instalove! Blegh! Let us all fall madly in love with each other over nothing! Grrr. Not only did Red Riding Hood have a terrible case of instalove, it also had a love triangle. A badly done love triangle, that basically made me want to eat my ball cap or something. No romance! No feelings! But don't forget, we're madly in love! (Also, I don't remember if this happens in the book - if it did, I rolled my eyes - but in the movie, he tells her that he'll "eat her up". SERIOUSLY.)

The point of view switched several times without warning, and while it wasn't very confusing, it was pretty annoying. It killed me. And let's not even mention how open the ending was - like really bad open. AND THE LAST CHAPTER IS ON THE INTERNET. *RAGE FACE* I'm not even going to pretend that it was a good ending. It was predictable, dumb, and everything I don't want in an ending.

All in all, Red Riding Hood was okay... but I have many rants on it. So it wasn't great - only read it if you like the movie, I guess. Because everything that happened in the book was in the movie - and the book was written to "give more life" to the screenplay. Fail.

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Romeo & Juliet is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays. I just can't get over the stupidity of the entire story, and I really don't find it romantic. Insta-love, then everyone dies. That's a real winner there. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed Anyone But You. I was expecting the humor and the sense of romantic comedy that comes with these girls together, but this was the first book of theirs that I really liked.

At first, I was a little bit confused, and kind of unsure - as y'all know, I don't follow POV switches very well - unless they're very well written. And while the POVs in Anyone But You weren't badly written, not at all, the first switch was very confusing. Not only did it switch POVs, it all switched eras. Like, all the way back to the thirties - and that was a tiny bit disconcerting at first.

I didn't connect with the main character, Gigi, and I didn't really buy the romance between Roman and Gigi - but I'm willing to forgive the instalove. Because, as I mentioned before, the original play was built on insta-love. I would have liked to have seen more development, but I'm fine with what was presented.

I actually liked the scenes from the past, told through Nick's eyes, better than the present day. Nick was a more complex character, and it was nice to see all of the things that tore Benny & Nick apart. The development in that part of the story was absolutely phenomenal! I predicted what the problem would be, but since I'd already read the play... it was okay.

The most interesting part of Anyone But You was picking out names and faces and personalities from the original play - and comparing them. That was a lot of fun. All in all, Anyone But You really wasn't a bad read. I actually really liked it, and it was a wonderful re-imagining of Romeo & Juliet.

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I'm not going to lie and tell you that I thought The Ocean at the End of the Lane was brilliant, though I do think that Neil Gaiman is brilliant. To tell you the truth, until about the last eighth of the book, I thought that this was going to be a two star read. Nothing had really grabbed me, and not a thing made sense to me.

But after I read that last eighth, everything kind of just fell in together, and it all made sense and it was the Neil Gaiman I was used to. So I don't understand why the first seven eighths didn't do that for me. Actually, I think I do... but it makes me seem slightly close-minded. It was the main character. And as far as I can tell, he doesn't have a name. (I didn't notice it while reading, but I'm noticing that now.)

I just... couldn't connect with the boy that this was happening to - it could have been his age, or it might just be that I didn't care for the boy a bit.

My overall thoughts on The Ocean at the End of the Lane, according to my notes, appear to go something like "this is weird" said in different variations, throughout the entirety of the book. Many crazy things happened, and lots of weird ones... and I never really felt like I got the complete story. At one point, my head even started to hurt while reading.

The ending was definitely the best part of it all - everything made sense, and it even gave me a few philosophical questions to ponder, like "are the Hempstocks a representation of the three fates" or "is the ocean made of everything". All in all, this was a very weird read. And honestly, I'd recommend Stardust to you way before I recommended this one.

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Attachments was adorable, y'all. Like, adorable. There aren't words to describe how cute I think this book was, and how much I just... loved it. And everyone in it. Especially Beth and Lincoln, who are ADORBS. And I love Jennifer too. Just all of these characters, I love them all and I have massive feels and OMG I'm smiling like an idiot right now!

The story is told from Lincoln's point of view, and I really liked that. We rarely ever see guy points of view, especially a nerdy, normal guy's point of view. I mean, there's something to be said for the jock/bad boy (and I quite enjoy them) but Dear Lord, when there's a perfectly sweet and adorable boy out there? I'm going to go for him. My love for Lincoln almost surpasses my love for Levi, and the only reason that he doesn't beat him? He's too old for me. But really, Lincoln was just the sweetest thing, and he was adorable and awkward and GAH he's like a male me. Kind of. (Not to freak you out, but there's a note in my notebook that reads "Lincoln is so ridiculously adorable - I want one!")

And Beth? Most of what we know about her is the emails, but dang this girl is hilarious! I loved all of her emails with Jennifer. They were so much fun to read, and you could really see their personalities, even if it's only an email! I liked the fact that Rainbow Rowell could endear us to a character without ever really letting us into her mind - at all. Beth is only ever seen through emails. And it is awesome.

I had so much fun reading this book! Like, loads of laugh-out-loud-OMG-that's-awesome fun! I didn't know that I was capable of loving characters that much, but it was good. It was very good!

I'm gonna go back to Lincoln now - because I love the fact that Rainbow Rowell doesn't write stereotypical boy characters - she writes normal ones. And she writes normal girls too. I love love love that. But the boys... love them. If I met any of them in real life... I'd be after it. Who doesn't love a stout/farm-boyish guy? Really. (Hmm. Maybe I'm the lone weirdo, but whatever.)

The romance between Lincoln and Beth was a really fun, interesting experience. Obviously, for most of the book? Beth doesn't know anything about Lincoln, and he's reading her email. You'd think that would be really weird (and to some extent it is), but it somehow works. It was beautiful and believable and funny and weird. It wasn't too fast, but sometimes it verged on too slow - but it was a good slow.

I'm going to admit that the ending was a little open, but in an "WHY MUST YOU END" way, rather than a "WHAT THAT WASN'T AN ENDING" way. All in all, I really recommend Attachments. Like, insanely recommend, and want everyone to experience the cute. READ IT.

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For lack of a better word, Daughter of Smoke & Bone was...interesting. I enjoyed the dark atmosphere, and the overall uniqueness (chimera!), but there were a few things that could have been better. For instance, the romance was just kind of meh. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't get past the "insta" factor, and for all the explaining involved with that, it was still instalove.

I liked both of the main characters, Akiva and Karou. But I definitely liked Karou more - she had more time for development, and she was a mysterious and highly interesting character. I wanted to know what her secret was, maybe even more that she wanted to know! Akiva was less likable, with his thundersome personality, and his lack of feelings. I don't blame the poor guy, but still.

There was a jarring sensation the first time that I read a chapter from Akiva's point of view (due to having read about eight from Karou's), so that may have had an effect on my overall opinion of his character. Really, I'm not sure what I thought of Akiva. I mean, I don't think that Karou should trust him. His character kind of makes me nervous!

Speaking of characters that make me nervous... Brimstone and Issa did too - but they did it in a good way, that actually made them my favorites. Brimstone... I'd like to see more of him, because his character has an obscene amount of power!

The writing was beautiful and descriptive, full wonderful world development and a few plot twists, but near the end it was just a little confusing. I blame it on the fact that it felt like we'd switched stories entirely. Very strange, but overall I don't think it hurt my enjoyment of the book. I'd recommend reading this one - and I'm interested to see where the next book takes this series!

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"I'm scared of her, and her army, and what she can do. And everyone expects me to be strong and brave, but I don't know what I'm doing. I have no idea how to overthrow her. And even if I succeed, I have no idea how to be a queen. There are so many people relying on me, people who don't even know they're relying on me, and now they're dying, all because of some ridiculous fantasy that I can help them, that I can save them, but what if I can't?"

I originally started to write this review last night, but I could think of nothing to say. Nada. I'm a blank book, and there is nothing written in the pages of my mind that could properly describe exactly how I felt about Cress. But I'll try, and maybe you'll think I have something interesting to say about it.

I went into Cress with some big expectations... I was expecting to be wowed, and to a degree I was. This book takes us deeper into the world of The Lunar Chronicles, with the introduction of new plot and a few new characters. And intermixed with all these new characters are the characters that we know and love, like Scarlet, Iko, Cinder, Kai and Wolf. It was fun to see them again, and I enjoyed their group dynamic, but most of this one was all about Cress, one of the new characters.

Do you recognize the name? You should, it's on the front of the book. Cress was... interesting. I didn't like her as much as I liked Scarlet, but she's right up there with the original main character, Cinder. (If you can't tell, Scarlet is my favorite main character, but that may change with the next book. The peek we got at Winter was AMAZING.) But back to Cress. She's cute, really.  She's very innocent, very naive, and very unsure of herself, but I liked her. She was very nerdy, very easy to identify with... but mostly the epitome of a shy, quiet girl.

Just to screw with us, Thorne is the complete opposite. Cress has built him up in her mind to the point of hero status, which was cute, but unlikely. The glimpses that we got of Thorne show that he doesn't think of himself as a hero. Sometimes, he was, but most of the time... Thorne is just an average, normal kind of guy. That doesn't mean that I didn't like him, though! I did like him. But I feel like their romance was a little bit insta-lovish. Kind of. Like, a little bit. I liked it and all, and I didn't think the romance between them was stupid or anything (I actually thought it was adorable while reading) but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it was just a tad not perfect.

I liked that we saw character growth throughout the book - Thorne definitely became a better person, and Kai grew up a little more. I think he's shaping up to be a great leader - and I respect his character. I didn't get the point of views mixed up, but I do kind of want to call Cress Cinder. I'm not sure why - their characters are nothing alike, but I JUST DO.

Cress was nonstop twists and turns and new plot points - sometimes I felt like I would never be able to keep up, but I managed quite well. I'm really excited to see how this last book will turn out - especially since Winter is SNOW FREAKING WHITE, and OMG. Winter is totally going to rock - she's crazy. Like, "the walls are bleeding, but they don't believe me" crazy, and I'm going to have fun with her. And Jacin! :D

The worst part of Cress? (I hear you all saying "what? Worst part? What are you talking about?") It was the ending. Because now, no matter what I read... I'm stuck waiting on the next book in this series for A YEAR. AT LEAST. All in all, this was a really good continuation of the series, and I'm DYING for Winter.

"You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses."

I've been putting off this review, and to be honest with you, I'm not really sure why. I mean, I liked the book... so I guess I'll just chalk it up to pure laziness on my part, and a serious book hangover. This is the FIRST series to ever make me miss the characters when I closed the book - I kind of wanted to go back and read it all again, just because it was so good! And I don't ever say that lightly.

At first, I was a little hesitant, of course - the ending book of a favorite series is always a little bit rough. I mean, what if it has a terrible ending, or it's *gasp* boring? Thankfully, The Last Olympian was neither of those. There was a fear near the beginning that we might have a "Perachel" situation, but MINOR spoiler, NOPE. (Megan cheers, yes!, then starts chanting "Percabeth! Percabeth! Percabeth!")

Then came a minor issue with Nico, but it's no deal - I actually like the kid. He's so haunted, and maybe his moral compass doesn't always point North, but he's a good kid. I like him, at least!

I also enjoyed the feel of this one - it was a lot different than the other books. Which was... fun. I liked seeing the different atmosphere, what with the war and the sense of impending doom. I never thought that these kids could be very serious, but they really, really showed me! AND Percy really showed me too, because I was starting to doubt that our boy had it in him - but he's got more courage than it seems.

Maybe stupid courage. But courage all the same. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I WAS SMILING LIKE A MADWOMAN AND REREADING.

I'm always surprised by the twists that Riordan throws in, but this one really took the cake! I mean, a few things crossed my mind... BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THEM TO HAPPEN. *fans self* This book almost killed me, to tell you the truth. It was worth it.

All in all, I really think that The Last Olympian was a fitting end to the series - and I'm scared to read the spinoff. But I've been assured that it's amazing...

"It isn't easy being a brilliant inventor," Hephaestus said. "Always alone. Always misunderstood. Easy to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes.People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed."

"Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You're the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don't know your own strength."

It's the two of them, jumbled up and broken apart into confused pieces, and not really understanding, themselves, what they were doing.

"The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It's just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness."

"Don't be afraid of the dark, Cas. But don't let them tell you that everything that's there in the dark is also there in the light. It isn't."

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So, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I'm sure you're all expecting me to have something either completely bad or completely awesome to say about this one, considering the fact that this was one of my personal favorites of the series - but words... fail me. I don't even really know what to say! I was going to say that this was my ultimate favorite of the series, but since I've already read The Last Olympian, that's not true. I think that they're tied for my favorite.

I really loved the beginning of this one - it somehow made a bigger impression on me than all of the others - there was immediately something big going on. It was interesting to have Rachel back, after the part that she played in the third book, but I wasn't really sure what to think of her. (By the fifth book, though... I didn't want her around. PERACHEL SHALL NOT HAPPEN ON MY WATCH!)

Since that little outburst is out of the way... I was feeling kind of... I don't know. Sad because I knew that there was no way that everything I wanted could happen in the last two books? It was making me nervous. But in spite of all that, I REALLY love this series.

The Battle of the Labyrinth was the first book where Percy started to realize that Annabeth was a girl - and OMG, I almost died at the adorableness of that! There was some new developments between Annabeth and Percy, with a little bit of tension and GAH it was amazing.

I love the fact that as Percy gets older, it's shown in the books. He makes more mature decisions, and he has an older voice. I like that. It's not something that really happens very often.

I really liked the new twists and plot devices - there's always something super fun going on in this series, and I LOVE IT. Everyone had a part to play, and it was lovely to see everything playing out. I didn't see the ending coming, and it kind of left me stunned!

All in all, The Battle of the Labyrinth was a great continuation of the Percy Jackson series, and since I've read the fifth book, I can tell you that I'm sorry to see these characters go. (Especially Percy and Annabeth! And Nico. I have a soft spot for the little guy.)