Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Amazon Goodreads

This is the first book in a series - the second being Hollow City

Goodreads Blurb:

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

Ok can I just say how long it's been since I've read the world "peculiar"?? I just love that word :)

One of my favorite things about this book is how the author used REAL pictures and integrated them into the story. That made me feel like I could travel where the main character did and everything would be there! Well not there because of the ending... but you know what I mean.

Also, I love this idea of peculiar children living in loops of time. I don't know HOW the author thought of this but I'm glad he did!

After hearing that little speil, you're all probably wondering why the heck I didn't give this book 5 stars. Well the answer is really quite simple. It just didn't take me there. I found it hard to picture the scenery (obviously the stuff that isn't in the pictures). I would often have to go back and reread all the room descriptions to try and form a picture.

I suppose it's really two reasons actually... I was REALLY confused when the whole 'time travel' thing was explained (jumping from loop to loop). I think that could have been elaborated on. Or maybe it's just in the next book... who knows? Well obviously the people who've read it but I haven't gotten that far yet!

Oh and one more thing that I loved! I loved the idea that Miss Peregrine brought up. How the children are actually 80 something years old and yet they still are children. It shows that life experiences are all part of growing up and these children didn't have those.

“She moved to pinch me again but I blocked her hand. I'm no expert on girls, but when one tries to pinch you four times, I'm pretty sure that's flirting.” 

“I didn’t know what to call it, what was happening between us, but I liked it. It felt silly and fragile and good.” 

“Sometimes you just need to go through a door.” 

“How many times have I told you? Polite persons do not take supper in the nude.” 

“I did love her, of course, but mostly because loving your mom is mandatory, not because she was someone I think I'd like very much if I met her walking down the street.” 

“Forgive me. I continue to underestimate the breadth of your ignorance.” 

“Stars, too, were time travelers. How many of those ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had been born but their light not yet come this far? If all the suns but ours collapsed tonight, how many lifetimes would it take us to realize we were alone? I had always known the sky was full of mysteries—but not until now had I realized how full of them the earth was.” 

“When someone won't let you in, eventually you stop knocking.”

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.” 

Hidden by Sophie Jordan

Amazon Goodreads

This is the third book in trilogy by Sophie Jordan.
Goodreads Blurb:
"Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy."


I'm actually going with a 3.5 on this one mainly just for one reason. I really loved the other books in this series but his one just seemed, I don't know... less grounded than the other ones. For example, when Ms. Jordan was writing scenes with any of the characters in their dragon forms, I couldn't distinguish whether they were actually human or dragon. I realize they are the same on the inside and their emotions and all that are the same. Just the way you she wrote it... Like how she didn't use dragon anatomy (is that the sciency word for it?). She would say for example, "he wrapped her into a hug, his hands cupping her face" when he was actually a dragon. This just confused me and I'd often have to go back and see what form they were really in.

Other than that, I really liked this book. It's such an original idea (at least that I've read). The main character retained all her personality and didn't undergo a major unrealistic personality change throughout the books.

Really, I don't have that much to say honestly. I liked the ending although it almost seemed a little thrown together like it couldn't possibly be the end of the series. I loved the ending scene though, that was beautiful :)

3.5 stars.

Oh and P.S. all the covers in this series are beautiful!

"“Hi," I return, gesturing to the fish. "Nice catch."
"Yeah. I'm kind of impressed with myself. I always thought redheads were sexy."
"Ha-ha. I meant the fish."
"Ah. Yes.” "

"“Then again, there’s nothing simple about Will. I think back to what he can do—bend earth, resist shading, his immense strength—and it’s glaringly inaccurate to consider him a human. But then I can’t think of him as a draki either. And this strikes me as sad. Will doesn’t belong anywhere. Not among humans. Not among draki.
But he belongs with me. The conviction is still there, as senseless and dangerous as always, seeping into my bones, my heart. A fact I wouldn’t change even if I could.” "

“Before I sought truth. Now I seek justice.” 

Finding What Is by Tabitha Vohn

Amazon Goodreads

This is a stand-alone book by Tabitha Vohn
Goodreads Blurb:
"Willie has always lived an unconventional life. Surrounded by the sensual, ethereal images of her artist-mother, she fantasizes about the half-wolf, half-human, but all-gorgeous face that stares out at her from her mother’s wall, and drinks in her mother’s stories of past lovers and adventures. She shares her home with a man who calls himself “uncle” (who stalks her through the house, naked). Her closest friends are a band of misfits who’ve forged their own way in life-including Xavier, who has carved his name in her soul- and her heart is torn between him and a college professor, a fellow artist who wants more than a student-teacher relationship. 

Willie stands on the brink of womanhood poised to follow in her mother’s footsteps, with a gleaming future as an artist looming before her, and a maturity beyond her years that has enabled her to be the protector and caretaker of others, a mender of wounds. But as a devastating illness rips her mother from her life, Willie is left bereft of a home and of a sense of self. Guided only by her instincts, Willie wanders from her Professor’s arms to the home that Xavier shares with his live-in girlfriend Nicole (who insists that they can “share”). Her path becomes a search for peace, for family, for a love that’s real, and for her place in this world. 

Finding What Is chronicles the journey that we all must take-to find ourselves, to reconcile our past, and to get back to that place we once called home."

Wow. I mean... just wow. I seriously loved this book. I just... I don't I know ok? *deep breath* Let's do this.

The heartache the main character has to go through throughout the course of this book is incredible. It's people like this that inspire the rest of us to keep going. The main character, Willie, is truly trying to find herself through everything that just keeps piling up on her. You'd think after a while, she'd just say screw it but she keeps going. That was truly amazing to me.

Also, just a little side note, reading this book made me want to read poetry again. I gave it up a while ago but I'm taking it back up again!

I literally could not put this book down. I read until 3am. I actually put off writing a review because really, I don't know what to say.

Now be warned haters-of-love-triangles, there is a love triangle in this book. But it isn't really the typical love triangle. There's art, passion, abuse, and sharing mixed in. It's so much more complicated than the typical "I want you to be mine not his!" and "No choose ME!!". Willie was abandoned and found again. To be truthful, the thing I loved most about this book was the cover and the title and how completely it wrapped up the entire story. I mean, have you SEEN the cover?! Amazing *wipes tear away*

So back to the point, the plot. It was fabulous. Like I already said, I couldn't put it down until it was done. And even then, I had to just sit for a minute and digest everything. It made me cry, laugh, and gasp in total shock. I was completely immersed. That's what a good book does to me. I forget about my world and I'm in the book's reality.

I highly recommend this book. 5 stars.

“I was thinking of how, when we think of loss in our life, how our sense of ‘home’ was the first thing to go. You know, we lose that place of childhood innocence, of feeling protected. And so many of us spend the rest of our lives trying to reclaim that place called home, that life made simple again.” 

“Sometimes skin to ground [is] the most comforting place; nowhere to go but up.” 

Just After the Fall by Eric James-Olson

Amazon Goodreads

Thank you to the author Eric James-Olson for a free copy in return for an honest review!

I just learned 10 minutes ago that this is the 3rd book in a series.

Blurb:

Before the destruction of Farm-Colony 984, Lawrence and Maria were security guards, lovers, inseparable companions. Maria was positioned in the Main Building during the attack. Lawrence watched the building explode. He watched from a distance and there was nothing he could do. In, Just After the Fall, Lawrence is thrown into a hostile wilderness pursued by Armored Drone Soldiers, befriended by the savages he was trained to kill, and haunted with doubt as to whether Maria was really there when the farm went up in flames. Just After the Fall is a story of betrayal and redemption. It is a story of love and searching for those left behind. Just After the Fall is a novel that exists within the same world as the novels: But the Angels Never Came, Farmers and Cannibals, Whom Cain Slew, and Short Stories from the Year 2065 and the Decades that Followed. The books and stories are written to be read in no particular order. Each story reveals more about the characters during different times in their lives. The roles of the characters are different in each narrative. The protagonist in one may be a minor character in another. Just After the Fall features the characters Lawrence and Maria.

This book was... strange.  Not a bad strange though.  Just a... different strange.  Think a variation of Brave New World.

So I didn't know this was part of a series when I first started reading it.  So while I was reading it, I was thinking "where's the world-building?!" because there was pretty much nada in the whole book (there was... 2 chapters I believe).  Buuuuut, now that I know that, I think I can reasonably assume there is some world-building in the other 2 books.

Back to the book.  I really loved Lawrence and Maria's relationship in comparison with the other people.  Like in Brave New World, "everyone belongs to everyone else" therefore there are no true marriages.  But Lawrence and Maria were as good as married.  They were totally committed to each other.  Basically the entire book was centered around Lawrence and Maria finding each other.  Somewhat.   Which brings me to my next point.

The biggest reason I rated this 3.5 stars is because there didn't seem to be a main plot.  There were plenty of co and sub plots but there wasn't a dominant one.  Now some people may like this kind of thing.  Me?  I find it hard to focus on the book then and it isn't as intense for me.  So there's that.

The other reason is the flow was kind of... I don't know... off?  There was a bunch of jumping backward and forward in time which sometimes made sense and sometimes didn't.  The one time change I enjoyed was when it would switch back to the lecture hall scene after or before an important scene in the 'present'.  This gave a lot of meaning to the book and made a lot of things about their society and just about the book's message clearer.

So overall, this is a good book, just not really my cup of tea.  But as you know, I don't base my ratings solely on whether I like it or not.  The writing really was very good as well as the message which is what will matter to all you in the long run!

"Lawrence nodded his head. “George died for the existence of sin, for without right and wrong, regardless of who defines right and wrong, men cannot co-exist."

"'These people were savages before Abraham brought them this religion of his. With El, he has created order. With El, he has created community. With El, he has created morality, a real morality with real consequences for transgressors. With El, he has
pulled this multifarious assembly of desperate fugitives out of a state of nature and into a state of collective peace and cooperation.'”

“'It was a lie,' he whispered. He said this to himself and he said it again with growing intensity, 'A lie. A lie! It was all a lie!' he shouted with his head tilted back, and his eyes wild with savage fervor."

“'I know I know. Even if there were a million other women.'
'That’s right now, you hear. Even if there was a million girls, I’d be lookin’ at you.'
'Silly man.'
Lawrence put his arm around Maria as they continued down the trail."

'When we first came to the wilderness there was only survival. There was no right or wrong. We had nothing. We knew nothing. In the wilderness,' Chet laughed, 'the moralist is the first to die. But Abraham brought our morals back to us. He brought law and order. He brought a belief, a shared goal, a reason to live. For that I forgive him.'"

The One by Kiera Cass

Amazon Goodreads

The One is the final installment of The Selection series by Kiera Cass.
Blurb:
The highly anticipated conclusion to Kiera Cass's #1 New York Timesbestselling Selection series, The One will captivate readers who love dystopian YA fiction and fairy tales. The One is the perfect finale for fans who have followed America's whirlwind romance since it began--and a swoon-worthy read for teens who have devoured Veronica Roth'sDivergent, Ally Condie's Matched, or Lauren Oliver's Delirium.

The Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she entered the competition to become the next princess of Illéa, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen--and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

Find out who America will choose in The One, the enchanting, beautifully romantic third book in the Selection series!

The second book, The Elite, was such a flop for me that I had my doubts about this book.  I have to say can't believe I ever had them.  America finally grows up in this book - YAY!! *claps hysterically*  This is an amazing day :D

Ms. Cass keeps you guessing until the very end as to who America will pick or rather, if Maxon will pick her over Kriss (we all know by now that the other girls aren't really in the running... right?).  I don't want to give too much away but let's just say the stakes shift about halfway through when suddenly, America isn't really the one choosing anymore.  I was Team Maxon all the way ever since the second half of The Selection.  I won't tell you if America and Maxon end up together because that's basically the whole point of this trilogy but I will say I was fairly satisfied with the ending.

The ending tied everything up and was really suspenseful and kept me engaged until the very end of the epilogue.  I'm actually hoping Ms. Cass will write a novella that takes place after the epilogue because it really doesn't say what happens with the country and the rebels and all that.

Speaking of the rebels, there were some big revelations in this book.  Both relating to the rebels and not (but the rebels ended up causing the largest waves).  This book was CHOCK FULL of plot twists!

There are also plenty of tears shed.  I'll warn you up front that quite a few characters die (most of which I've come to love... especially that one girl... you people who've read this book know of whom I speak...).  There's tons of drama.  It's a good drama though.  Not at all like The Elite drama where, in my opinion, America was being whiny.

I seriously don't have anything else to say... it was just amazing.  Like I'm speechless.  So five stars!

Oh and P.S. if you caught the whole blue, red, and white thing with the covers, you're awesome!  All of the covers are beautiful!

P.S. Ms. Cass is writing a novella entitled The Queen which tells the story of Queen Amberly!  So excited!!

“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”

“The best people all have some kind of scar.” 

“America, my love, you are sunlight falling through trees. You are laughter that breaks through sadness. You are the breeze on a too-war day. You are clarity in the midst of confusion.

You are not the world, but you are everything that makes the world good. Without you, my life would still exist, but that's all it would manage to do.

You said that to get things right one of us would have to take a leap of faith. I think I've discovered the canyon that must be leaped, and I hope to find you waiting for me on the other side.

I love you, America.

Yours forever,
Maxon” 

“This isn’t happily ever after.
It’s so much more than that.”

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Amazon Goodreads

This is the second book in the Lord of the Rings series.
Blurb:
The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King.

These books require a certain mindset that is very different from the mindset of a reader reading a light YA book such as Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  First of all, it uses a fair amount of oldish speak and lengthy conversations that can go on for several pages.  The trick is to really read the words and not just sort of skim/fast-read them.  You have to pay attention to every word.  I was able to attain this mindset about halfway through the book.  After I was able to do that, the world just came to life for me.


J.R.R. Tolkien definitely has a different writing style.  You wouldn't think it would be very descriptive but it is.  He tends to use personification as well as metaphors to build his world.  If you read a descriptive line and then close your eyes, it's fairly easy to imagine.


I actually saw the movies before I read the books and I think that actually helped me instead of hurting my perseption of the book.  Yes, there were some major differences (like how Faramir actually wasn't a total crazy person who was power-hungry just like Boromir).  But unlike other books, I was able to spot those differences and clearly separate them in my mind from the books.  So I was still able to enjoy the books while having the movies to lean on if I ever couldn't really visualize something.


When I looked at the page count, I couldn't believe it.  322 pages?!  It felt like 500!  This book is just lengthy.  Even though it isn't very long literally, it takes a long time to read.  Maybe it's just me.  I couldn't read it very fast mostly because the pacing was just that slow.  The only fast part was near the end.  It just seemed like everything was happening underwater in slow motion.  So that's why it's four stars and not five.  This truly is a master piece and plenty of lessons can be learned but it just dragged on and on and on for me.

I almost forgot about the characters!  Sam is one of the best friends anyone could have.  He stays with Frodo through the thick and thin and even at the end, he is willing to share the burden.  Even though he's just Frodo's gardener, he's evolved to so much more.  Frodo truly couldn't have gotten far without Sam.  My other favorite character is Legolas.  I've always loved the elves and Legolas is no exception.  He's just so awesome and wise but also admits when he's wrong and is willing to learn.

“Don't go where I can't follow!” 

Four stars for excellence in every way except pacing!

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

 “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.” 

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”

 “There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” 

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Amazon Goodreads

This is the second book in the His Fair Assassin series the first being Grave Mercy.

Blurb:

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

I just love this series.  Seriously.  Granted, this book had more emotion in it rather than politics but it was still amazing.  I actually liked this book better than the first one in the series for that reason.

The setting is amazing - I can picture nearly every scene in my head just from the words on the page.

I just love assassin books in general.  The main character is so strong.  However the book finds ways to find cracks in the assassin's armor to keep it real.  I mean, no person is perfectly impenetrable and aloof.

"Jewels can be replaced, cousin.  Independence, once lost, cannot."

The one thing I disliked about this book is the old cliche that a guy and a girl go on a journey together and end up falling in love.  Seriously.  I've never read one book where the main character goes on a trip with the opposite gender and doesn't end up with them either in the middle for at least a little bit or at the end.  It's crazy and annoying and I was almost wishing that Beast wouldn't still love Sybella for the secrets she kept.  I know it's mean of me...

"I cannot tell her I have been moping over a broken heart when I have worked so hard to convince her I have no heart at all."

Speaking of Sybella's secrets, I thought it was just incredible how she's still living with herself after everything she went through.  Her childhood was absolutely horrendous.  Just when I thought she was done revealing secrets about her past, another one would pop out of her mouth.  It was insane!

"And just as love has two sides, so too does Death.  While Ismae will serve as His mercy, I will not, for that is not how He fashioned me.  Every death I have witnessed, every horror I have endured has forged me to be who I am -- Death's justice."

The flow was excellent.  It kept me up reading until 1 am!  It isn't all fast-paced but there is a sense of urgency behind everything so it never gets boring.

“I am left with the conviction that an avalanche would be easier to dissuade than that man.” 

Overall, it was well written but that cliche about Sybella and Beast's relationship knocked off a star.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Goodreads

Amazon

This is actually a 3.5 book for me, following GR's rating system (and mine too people!). I liked this book and I sort of really liked this book. Therefore, a 3.5!

Stephen King has a very different writing style that has evolved over his years of writing. In this stage of his career, he took on a mysterious, metaphorical style/theme. So much is left to the reader to reason out on their own. Everything about this book is covered in shadow.

This is also one of those onion books. You can read it and say "Omg SO confusing! I don't get it! What's the dude's name again??" or you can say "I just looked into a never ending pool of unspoken wisdom. Mind-blown.". I had a little of both actually. Which is why I loved and hated it at the same time. When I first started reading, I was beyond confused. I haven't read many books that are mysterious as this one so it was difficult to get into the right mindset. However, once I read this passage:

"The greatest mystery the universe offers is not life but Size. Size encompasses life, and the Tower encompasses Size. The child, who is most at home with wonder, says: Daddy, what is above the sky? And the father says: The darkness of space. The child: What is beyond space? The father: the galaxy. The child: Beyond the galaxy? The father: Another galaxy. The child: Beyond the other galaxies? The father: No one knows. You see? Size defeats us."

It just struck me then what I hadn't grasped throughout the entire book. This concept of the universe moving on. That life is a concept of thought. That our world is always temporary. Nothing is ever really permanent. Just as everything must have a beginning, it also must have an end. Now different people may perceive this book and it's message in different ways, my way being one of billions. The point is that it isn't a flippant book.

It's because of all that that I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. It was very well written with a fairly good plot. By fairly good I mean I loved it but in some places, the timeline skipped in weird places or went to fast or too slow for my tastes. Anyway, I'm not rating it 3.5 stars for some ulterior motive or because I'm 'deducting stars' or anything. I just liked it. That's it. I will be reading the next one to see what happens to the gunslinger on his quest.

Deadlands by Kayla Jo

I'm sitting pretty between a 3 and 4 star on this.  I suppose I'll start with how I discovered this series.

*mind cloud* It all started a few months ago when I was cruising Amazon's free books.  I came upon a book by the name of Everwild written by the one and only Kayla Jo.  Because it was free I was like "what the heck" and bought it.  I was impressed by the storyline and such and decided to get the next one (Deadlands) and read it!  And here's where we collide with the present!  See my review of Everwild HERE.

This book was saved by the plot.  Without the amazing plot, I probably would have given it a solid 3 star, possibly even 2.5.  The writing was just so stiff!  I never got lost in the story, having to focus too much on making sense of the dialogue that sometimes didn't use contractions when appropriate.

Also, it seemed to me that the author kept forgetting how mature she wanted all the characters to be.  Especially Willow.  One minute, she'd be so deep and philosophical and the next, she'd be screaming and panicking because a bunch of birds blocked her way.  It was like she's incapable of thinking without Declan and even with him, she's pretty hopeless.  She was just so weak and squeamish!  EVERY LITTLE THING had her screaming and squealing and whatever else.  It got so annoying after a while.  Also, there were such obvious things that she couldn't reason out by herself!  Like how the Elves referenced "The Three" and Willow couldn't possibly fathom what THAT meant.

With all the aside, the rest was pretty good.  The plot was just excellent.  There were so many plot twists and adventure.  The ending was perfect as well.  Not necessarily a cliffhanger but it still made me want to read the next one!

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Hello!

Hello everyone!  I'm Laura!  *waves excitedly* This is my first book blog and I'm so excited to start but if I screw up, don't be surprised.  I have NO computer skills... *shrugs*  I'll read virtually anything except hardcore non-fiction.  So don't go giving me chemistry textbooks to read because you will be REJECTED!  Everything else is fair game.  I read anywhere from 1 to 5 books a week depending on how dense they are, how good they are, and how much time I have!  Reading is basically my life and only hobby... :)  I have waaaaaay too many favorite books so I'm not even going to TRY to list them here!  I'll create a post about that sometime soon...  You can contact me either in the comments or at lauraew333@gmail.com!

Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs

I'm going with a 3.5 on this one. Honestly, I don't have much to say about it. It's one of those books that when you're reading it, you're totally absorbed and then when you finish you say "What just happened?" I do remember the ending though! I really liked the ending... it wasn't a crazy cliffhanger but it wasn't a dead end that didn't make me want to read the next one. The whole concept of the book is still very intriguing to me but it all seems so far away. I never get totally lost in it. I'm always aware it's just a story and even the girl's problems seem far away from them. I don't really know what I mean by that but that seemed like the right thing to say so I'm going with it.

I promise a more logical review on the next one... 3.5 stars.