Re-read: This was more fun as a re-read. Knowing what to expect plotwise made me enjoy the characters and the dialogue more. I'd rate it 3.5, but stilRe-read: This was more fun as a re-read. Knowing what to expect plotwise made me enjoy the characters and the dialogue more. I'd rate it 3.5, but still rounding down to 3 because I still have major issues with this book. Mainly, that it suffers from second book syndrome. It doesn't answer any of the questions and conflicts set up in Carry On and at times it just feels like a filler adventure. It's disappointing that not even the problems set up here are resolved. And I still think it was cheap to ended it with a cliffhanger when the series wasn't announced as a trilogy. Also, I can't for the life of me enjoy Agatha's storyline. Sadly, even though I was having a great time revisiting Wayward Son, the ending is so rush that I ended up feeling underwhelmed again. My biggest issue is that I still hate how there's not even one sincere conversation between Simon and Baz. However, I adore these characters and the world, so instead of devouring it having this big hopes for the supposed 'only sequel' of one of my favorite books, this time I took the time to enjoy it as it was. Which was an okay book that failed in many aspects, but that tried to explore the idea of a happy ending. Of what happens after the hero saves the day. And that, as a concept, is really interesting to explore.
Original review: 2.5 stars
Rainbow... what happened? Aw man, this was it. This was the book I wanted, the first one on my list of most anticipated books, since 2017 actually, when it was announced. I pre-ordered the audiobook, I have the HC on my way, but I couldn't wait any longer so I also bought the ebook to read today, as soon as it was available. I WAS READY. And no, I don't think it was me hyping this book up. I genuinely thinks this book was... a real disappointment. I'm trying to justify this as the problem with it being a road trip book, but honestly? It was such a mess, it was boring, random, with barely the same heart and humour that Carry On has in abundance. I mean I did laugh a few times, but the characters didn't shine, at all. There was literally, except for Agatha (although her story is so ridiculous), no growth, no progression. Simon and Baz start the book in this awkward, really dark place, and they end up in the same way with literally no conversation, or attempt of, to resolve shit. And yes, the book mainly takes place in a week, but come on. They've been struggling for a year now, the relationship is clearly messed up, but there was NO development. I feel like this is the cheap attempt to justify a third book (view spoiler)[ These two are obviously struggling with their own identity plus their relationship, and I get how depression works and it's not cured in a week, but this is a book, so I was expecting, not a magical solution and happily ever after, but at least ONE conversation about their feeling. ONE. At least coming clean about their feelings and having one healthy moment between each other. And there's nothing! Baz at least deserved an explanation for Simon's cold and hot behaviour towards him (hide spoiler)]. Penny also had this weird plot line where she starts doubting herself more and more and she's stuck in this weird, dark place as much as Baz and Simon are. And I also believe there was no growth from it oh, third book, come and save and RESOLVE all the issues that were never touched in this book, and with that I apparently mean the whole second book. The plot, because it was scattered and all over the place with the road trip aspect was so boring. Like, yay we get to see more of the magickal world and creatures, but naaaay, I really didn't care for them at all. Those were like the worst filler characters, to be forgotten soon.
Anyway, SECOND BOOK SYNDROME AT MAXIMUM LEVEL (and I wasn't expecting this to be a second book in the first place! Which, you would have tell me yesterday that this whole book was a set up for a third one and I would have jumped and shouted out of joy, that's how much I loved Carry On. But this book was so meh, I feel like you can skip it and buy the third one when it's released a few years from now. Just know: THEY ARE DEPPRESED AND ESTRANGED. That's it) Ugh, more than the disjointed plot, and to be honest, the whole 'cult' thing that's so dumb (which made Agatha's chapters such a drag to read), I am most disappointed with the lack of character growth. Miscommunication, and the lack of any possible conversation between two characters in an established relationship in the span of hundreds of pages, made me frustrated as hell. ALSO IT ENDS OUT OF NOWHERE. OUT OF NOWHERE. It's like this whole book was the really long and unappealing first half of another book which I guess it's the intention with the whole epilogue in the beginning and prologue at the end . This installment is the emptiness that comes after the hero's journey is complete. The lull, the existential crisis. But, there was no resolution of anything, and no answer from any of the threads that the first open left open either, like Simon's mom. So yeah, I get it's the second book, but we shouldn't need to read the third one to have all the issues settled, the second book should stand on its own too. And it doesn't. It really feels like when a book is split into two movies and you're like but whyyyyy? Ending it halfway through the story is frustrating as heck, there's no resolution and it just feels so cheap . And there was literally no resolution for ANYONE or ANYTHING. Rainbow, it seems like you didn't even try...
You guuuuuuuuys. I'm so sad, and mad, and bored. I'm only rounding this up to three stars because... maybe a foolish sense of loyalty to Carry On? I dunno....more
4 stars! Re-read (2023) quick thoughts: Damn, I forgot so many things lol. Which is crazy because this is my third time reading this book and yet, I wa4 stars! Re-read (2023) quick thoughts: Damn, I forgot so many things lol. Which is crazy because this is my third time reading this book and yet, I was enjoying it like the first time. It's a great YA space adventure. The pacing is good, the main character, though at times a bit.. cringy (sorry Spensa) is someone you are constantly rooting for. The setting is so fun and there were some laughs and good intrigues. Yet, I still wish we'd have more development with the friendships and relationships. Spensa is isolated, and the reader feels it. Because I do know what happens at the beginning of the second book now (view spoiler)[ Spensa getting separated to live her own little adventure outside of Detritrus (hide spoiler)] it is unfortunate we don't get much of Spensa and her flight team together. And although I didn't have many issues with how the story progressed, I do feel the book it's about 60 pages too long for what it is.
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Re-read (2020)! My feelings are the same, this book is a fun, quick adventure. Little repetitive, but still engaging. I had, to my surprise, forgotten the whole epilogue, so good thing I re-read this book before going for the sequel. Still 4 stars! -------
Original review (2019) Oh, Sanderson, how I miss ya! It's been a long time since reading one of my favorite authors, but this time I didn't pick up a Cosmere book, but his newest YA, sci-fi series. And it was a blast! A teen outcast is trying to avenge the memory of his father, branded a coward, by trying her best to become a pilot and defeat the Krells, an alien race, to protect her world, Detritus. To become a pilot she needs to enter the pilot academy, but it's a hard experience. Most classes only graduates with two student, between casualties and drop outs. Spensa, however, needs to do this. Needs to prove herself and show the world she's not a coward and avenge her father's name too. This book has 510 pages and honestly it reads so quickly, I thought it was going to take me at least 3 weeks to finish it, but nah, I was enjoying the story from the beginning and I want more right now. However, I do feel like there was a bit of repetition, and I do wish some of the secondary characters were more developed. Especially because I'm so used to the amazing, legendary Sanderson banter. Mistborn has so many laughs, and Wax and Wayne are my favorite idiots. Plus, given that the MC, Spensa, goes to flight Academy and she forms loyal bonds with people her age, everyone risking their lives to protect one another, I was waiting for more camaraderie. Which... there wasn't a lot, honestly. Or at least, nothing that memorable. If I had read this book when it came out last last November, the characters? The young supporting cast? They would all be a blur of the same to me.
I guess that's one of the main causes I'm not giving it a 5. Well, that and the fact that there wasn't anything really epic. I know this isn't a fantasy book like the ones he so magnificently writes, but still, the few reveals here were a bit underwhelming. Also I have questions! And I hope they are answered in the next book. Anyway, Spensa and M-Bot are my favorite pilot/ship pairing since Han Solo and the Falcon, I really hope NO ONE MESSES WITH THAT SHIP....more
3.5 stars In my dreams, I'm running around in circles atop a cliff, but there's a boy in a red hat catching me every time I try to jump off.
So now 3.5 stars In my dreams, I'm running around in circles atop a cliff, but there's a boy in a red hat catching me every time I try to jump off.
So now I've read Alice Oseman's three novels. I know I still have a couple of novellas and the Heartstopper graphic novels that are all related to the Solitaire characters. I gotta say though, I feel a bit sad that I didn't love this one more. Because, when I read Radio Silence a few years ago I loved it with my whole heart. I still do, although maybe I need a re-read. Or maybe it was just that I needed that story in that moment of my life. Or maybe it is just that good and just because I didn't love her other two books, it doesn't mean Radio Silence wasn't an amazing novel. But anyway, I didn't like I Was Born For This at all, and this one, it was okay. And now I'm here, wondering what Oseman as a writer means to me.
Her characters are all lost, and a little sad. And I like that. Even if Tori was a bit too much in the beginning. Even if sometimes it caused me a little bit of anxiety reading about her behaviour. Sometimes, just like with Angel in IWBFT, I found the quirky/weird responses to basic human interaction way too unrealistic. And sometimes, not as much as I'd have liked it, but sometimes, there'd be a line there that would just resonate with me. Truly.
Oseman characters are ones who wander with uncertainty, and they're all young students who don't belong in the conventional world. Who, in their own little way, look for acceptance even when they can't admit to themselves how flawed they are. And I get that. So, Oseman's little worlds are ones that I'm always gonna be interested in knowing. Even if at the end I don't end up loving the book as a whole. Because I get it. And I get the references, the geeky stuff, the online humour, the necessity of losing one self in fandoms. I get the sudden happiness and the constant longing, and I think Oseman is such a good writer when it comes to that. I just, I think I needed more. Sometimes things are too vague, or the ending deserved more time, or there is a constant repetition of the same kind of actions/dialogue/teenage existential trouble that makes me not enjoy the book as much as I should. Still, they are really good, and Alice is 3 years younger than me so, damn.
Anyway the book is about Tori, and her time in Year 12, where she stops feeling like she belongs, in her school, with her group of friends and just in general. And she's getting tired of pretending. She's doing her best trying to help her brother fight his illness, and she also meets a new guy, Michael Holden, who will be an annoying, but endearing friend that'll teach her a couple of things about herself. It is also about how her life changes when "Solitaire" starts hacking into her school and slowly their pranks evolve to something more dangerous.
It is said in the book that not every moping teenager has to be compared to Holden Caulfield. And I find rather funny how no one has read the book but Tori is still dreaming about him, the catcher. Of course, with that in mind, the book is not a coming of age story. Not really, and Tori is not hating everyone and calling all adults phonies. But the prejudice is there, and the anger, and the resignation. But, we were all teenagers once, and even when we grow up, we know how universal that is and how most of us, we're just making shit up as we go. The thing is, how utterly sad and comforting is when we realize that truth. And that's what Tori explores in the novel I guess, one of many things anyway.
I like the characters enough to continue on with the other related stories. I wish there was more of Charlie and his troubles. I wish there was more of Michael and his sadness. Maybe that's what bothers me the most. The potential to explore some of the secondary characters and how little we got sometimes....more
4.5 stars The last few pages were wild! I'm honestly so surprised rating this so high, gotta admit I didn't have high hopes for the story, because sure,4.5 stars The last few pages were wild! I'm honestly so surprised rating this so high, gotta admit I didn't have high hopes for the story, because sure, first book was fun, but it had many instances of lazy writing and I just thought the sequel would be focused mostly on the romance and, oh man was I wrong.
The story develops in such an amazing way, the different Faerie factions and threats to the Crown are actually menacing, and I wasn't sure how the story was gonna go. There were actually stakes, poor Jude had a pretty rough time here. What I love was that there were so many antagonists, well, unreliable characters that add so much to the fun of this book. I feel like Black did an amazing job developing the Fae mythology and nature, and of course the politics, way better than the first book, and I dunno, I was obsessed listening to the audiobook (cause my pre-order didn't arrive, of course) and now I can't believe I have to wait a year for the last book (is it a trilogy? I hope not), because the ending was so savage, but I loved it anyway. Mostly the reason this ended up as a 5 and not a 4, were the last couple of chapters. Made me feel all the emotions. (Watch me regret giving it 5 stars in a few days, low-key this became a guilty pleasure.)...more
"Sethe," he says, "me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow." "Sethe," he says, "me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow." ...more
THIS IS MY FOURTH TIME RE-READING THIS BOOK?! CRAZY! 4.25 stars! Don't know, it's such a fun story and I love the characters so much. Sure, it's not pTHIS IS MY FOURTH TIME RE-READING THIS BOOK?! CRAZY! 4.25 stars! Don't know, it's such a fun story and I love the characters so much. Sure, it's not perfect but who cares, it's a fast paced YA fantasy with twists and turns and so much focus on family relationships and the little of romance there is, well, Holly Black knew how to write it. It's a little bit ironic how underwhelmed I was the first time I read this, I had no idea how much I would end up loving this world. Will I ever properly review this book though? Let's wait and see!
Second read: I was not expecting this re-read to be as fun as it ended up being. So, even with all the flaws, and believe me this book has plenty, I'm changing my rating to 3.5 stars, rounding it up to 4 on GR. -------- Original review: This was a fun mess. Many reveals and plot twists, though in my opinion they were not well executed. But hey, it was fun and quick to read. I wish things made more sense though, I wish I could have believed some of the character choices and where the story ended up going. I kind of feel like this book should have been at least 50 pages longer, so the characters, especially Jude, could have been more developed. Everything happens so fast and many things feel rushed, especially the ending, so I cared very little for relationships and betrayals, which is kind of the appeal of this book. That being said, it was entertaining and I'm for sure reading the next one. But to everyone out there saying that this book is like Game of Thrones... Y'all crazy. (Actually, it kind of feels like every YA high fantasy has the exact selling point nowadays and *sighs* it's always so disappointing.)...more
3.5 stars The best thing about this book is the illustrations, which is weird to say because...I'm finally admitting it: I am not a fan of Riddell's ar3.5 stars The best thing about this book is the illustrations, which is weird to say because...I'm finally admitting it: I am not a fan of Riddell's artwork style! So that should tell you, I just find this very average. There's the typical Gaiman eeriness and his little fairytale twists, but it's not his best, not at all. I read it first 4 years ago, now re-reading it again it left me with the same feeling, I wish it was longer, wish it was more developed, wish it had a better story to tell, because there was so much potential there. Especially with Gaiman's Snow White characterization, I wanted more from her. Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend it unless you're interested in the illustrations....more
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