Independent Study- ♥♥♥♥♥

Joelle Charbonneau- Independent Study

310 pages

Some parts of this book move a little slower than the first book, but I still really liked it. The setting at University is much different that it was in the testing, but some of the same vibes still come through. You get an even deeper look at the system Cia’s world has created. I think some of the intense interest there is because of what her world says about ours. The way we live now, all the choices we make, the leaders we put faith in… that almost brought the end of the world. They are now dealing with the fallout of our mistakes. Some of it feels like it could happen, we could be pushed into that situation. While I have always loves dystopian novels, this one feel the most realistic of a future for us. It’s scary, but fascinating to watch how things are rebuilt.

Cia goes through a lot of character changes. It is something that was interesting, but at times hard to watch. I really felt for this girl. Tomas doesn’t seem to have the same personality and inner conflicts that Cia deals with, but that’s almost understandable. The two of them have such different perspectives on things. They are from the same place, but some experiences just seem to color the world differently for them. Tomas was a little less endeared to me in this one. I didn’t dislike him, but I didn’t like him as much as in The Testing.

The writing is really well done again. The way the information comes in keeps the story interesting without feeling like it is dragging. I have a few minor complaints about the plot, but they don’t take away from how much I like the book. I like her choices of imagery a lot, and her word choice even more so.

The ending was also really well handled. It gives a clear end to the major ark in this book, setting up the next book, and still leaves you mostly satisfied. Based on this book and the previous one, I am really interested to see what other kinds of things Charbonneau has written!

Rating:

♥♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review (including spoilers), click here!

The Testing- ♥♥♥♥♥

Joelle Charbonneau- The Testing

325 pages

I had been wanting to read this book for a while. I wish I would have picked it up sooner! I really liked the setup of the story. While it isn’t a mystery, exactly, there is a lot of information that is withheld. It all kind of trickles in. The world Charbonneau is interesting, and so far only parts of it have been revealed.

I like the way human psychology is explored. There are a lot of points in the book that showcase the lengths people are willing to go for their own survival, and the lengths others are not willing to go. It puts morality on the line and bends it. Some of the choices are difficult, and they make you wonder what you would do if you had to make the same choice. Others seem easy… until you add in that your life in is danger.

Cia is such a great character! She is smart, thoughtful, and introspective. She also has a tendency to underestimate herself in most aspects of her life. She is relatable in such an amazing way. All of her actions as she is preparing to leave for the testing are very telling about her and her morality. Watching all of it being pushed to the limits was hard, but interesting.

Tomas is a typical popular boy, until he isn’t. The depth of his character was surprising to me. I guess that shows my bias. He brings a lot of interesting twists to the story. He is also a pretty solid character that makes the story better for being there.

The story was relatively fast paced, and kept my interest the entire time. The lulls in action were completely made up for with new information about the world and the people in it.

Rating:

♥♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review (including spoilers), click here!

Domination- ♥♥♥♥

Jon S. Lewis- Domination

277 pages

Domination fit well as the conclusion to this series. Its pace felt better to me than the other two, and its ending is satisfying. Sure it would be nice to hear more from CHAOS, but I'm ok with where we left things.

Colt really came into his own here. You really get to see him round out as a character. Even though he is still young, he really starts to decide who he is and what his values are.

Dani was still a little disappointing to me, but she was better in Domination. I would have been happier to see more character progression from her. It almost feels like she was most put to the side and forgotten about after the first book.

Oz was lack luster in this one. The changes and trials I was expecting just weren't there. It bothered me quite a bit, but I still like him as a character. I felt like more could have been done with him in this book.

The hardest thing to deal with in this book was the resolution of the major ark. There was an awful lot of buildup and then it just... ends. More time should have been put into that resolution.

All in all I like the book and the series, and I would be very happy if at some point another book was released!

Rating:

♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review (including spoilers), click here!

Alienation- ♥♥♥♥

Jon S. Lewis- Alienation

274 pages

Reading this book gave me some perspective on Invasion. I guess with Invasion I kept expecting to see other planets. That doesn't seem to be the goal of this series. This isn't about traveling around, it's about the impact those other places can have on Earth. I'm kind of disappointed, but the story is still good!

Alienation gives you a much broader understanding of CHAOS and their technology. Most of it was pretty interesting, some of it I couldn't understand. I don't really hold that against the book, more so against my understanding of STEM as a whole. It makes the world more appealing and definitely more dangerous.

I really like how Colt is developing as a person. He seems to be coming into his own and figuring out the kind of person he wants to be. He's starting to accept that some of the things done to him in childhood can't be changed now, and he's moving forward. This book was full of revelations for Colt, and it really pushed him to be better.

Danielle on the other hand... I'm not thrilled with her. She went from being this strong willed badass to practically cowering in the corner. Maybe the third book will change that. I really hope it does. While I understand having to give your characters flaws, they can't be perfect, that kind of personality change didn't really help move the story forward it just made me not like her so much (which is sad!).

Oz was just Oz. Throughout the course of the book he didn't really change much. It isn't a bad thing, he's kind of an awesome character. I would like to see him improve himself some in the next book, and I have a feeling he will go through the self-revelation process that Colt did in this book.

The plot was solid, though a few things didn't seem to add up. The third book might hold those answers (I'm still looking for some answers from the first book). The third book will be the last, and I feel like there is a lot of little mysteries that need to be cleared up. I wish there was a little more closure from this book, but I know why there wasn’t.

Rating

♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review (including spoilers), click here!

Invasion- ♥♥♥♥

Jon S. Lewis-Invasion

336 pages

This book has a lot of great aspects, but I felt like the story progression was a bit slow. There were several times it just felt like too much filler was happening. This kind of books often requires a lot of set up, world building, and explaining, and all of that stuff is good with me, but there were just a few too many lulls for my taste.

All of that aside, I like Colt. He is an interesting character with an interesting history. The little stuff that bothered me about him just go to strength him as a character. It makes him more realistic and more relatable. They are human flaws not writing flaws.

Dani is also a really great character. She felt the most authentic to me out of all the people in this book, she could be a main in her own right. Her sense of humor is pretty fantastic too. Colt and Dani balance each other so well, and their dynamic was definitely refreshing to read.

I didn't want to like Oz, but I did. He's kind of an ass, but in the best possible way. He is able to be overly silly and weird (in a good way!) then turn around and be serious and kind of badass. I did end up liking what he brought to the table.

The plot is a little... lacking. It doesn't feel like there was that big of an ark, and I don't feel like it was resolved enough. Even though it is part of a series, and there are more books to read, it seems like more should've been accomplished.

Overall, I liked the book and have high hopes for the second book!

Rating:

♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review, (including spoilers) click here!

Strike- ♥♥♥♥

D.J. MacHale- Strike

I have more thoughts on this books than the other two combined I think! Overall, this book is a lot better than the previous two. The writing, while still not great, is much better. There was a lot more showing instead of telling. I felt much more connected to the characters, and actually cared about what happened to them.

This is the final book, so you figure out what the goal of both sides is. I was close to guessing, but not quite on the mark. I feel like that will be the case for most people. The ending of the book is solid. Based on the course of the book I didn’t think I would be happy with how it ended, but I was. It fit it a really good way.

There are still some things that didn’t sit well with me. I don’t want to go too much into detail because of spoilers, but it mostly boiled down to the medicine they have. I just didn’t like it. They mention the medicine in other books, and you get to see even more of it here. It doesn’t ruin the book, it just feels wrong as you go along.

This book is getting an additional heart from me because this was the way the whole series should have been written. The intensity was much better, the characters were written better, it was just better.

Rating:

♥♥♥♥

For a more detailed review (including spoilers), click here!

Storm- ♥♥♥

D.J. MacHale-Storm

I have a lot of the same complaints with this book as I did with Sylo. The intensity was missing, some of the phrasing was awkward and wordy, and the characters just aren't likable enough.

Again, this story has such a fantastic concept with these great opportunities to capitalize on it and MacHale seems to miss them completely. When you mix in the botched attempt made to write in a love story.... it's just not that great. The attempt at romance really bothered me. It just doesn’t seem to fit with the story that’s already being told, it doesn’t add good content to the books, and I felt like it was all pretty cringe worthy.

I have the give the book credit for the last roughly 90 pages. The intensity picked up and the writing came across much better. It felt so much more authentic, and allowed me to bond with a few of the characters.  I know I said it after Sylo and was let down, but maybe there is hope the third book continues in the same vein that Storm ended.

Rating:

♥♥♥

For more detailed thoughts (including spoilers big and small) click here!

I had some help with this one! Spade wanted to help me read this book and he had some feedback!

Sylo- ♥♥♥

D.J. MacHale- Sylo

I’m struggling a little with what to say about this books. I liked it, but there was just something about it that felt off.

The entire book is a mystery. You follow along as the main characters try to figure out what is going on. I felt like the author was trying to give off intense vibes sometimes, but they just didn’t really work. The entire book moves along at a pretty steady pace. It’s not slow, it’s just not exciting. Events that should have been heart stopping were just a little more interesting, but it didn’t have that page turner quality.

I think the concept is fantastic. It’s set in a very realistic world, with relate-able characters. The problem is… I just don’t care about some of them enough. There are a couple that I feel attached to though. A few deaths hit me harder than others (not a spoiler, you can tell from the first paragraph that lots of death is coming). Only one of them gave me true sadness. The rest didn’t really bother me that much. I felt worse the other people had to handle it than truly sorry for the loss. I feel like there needs to be more focus on developing the characters and showing us who they are.

That all said. I did like the book. I will be starting the second one (probably later today). I am hoping as the series goes on the character depth will increase and I’ll get to rate the books higher.

Rating:

♥♥♥

For more detailed thoughts (including spoilers big and small) click here!

The Grisha- ♥♥♥♥♥

By Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone

Siege and Storm

Ruin and Rising

Six of Crows

Crooked Kingdom

I've been debating whether or not to put this up, I decided the series was too good not to. In the future books will be reviewed individually, and I might add a final post to cover the series as a whole. This series I finished before I decided to write about them, and since lines blur between books easily... I decided to do them all at once. When I started my journey with the Grisha I didn't read them in the correct order. Overall nothing was ruined (just a few minor plot lines), but I suggest reading the Grisha trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising) before reading Six of Crows and its sequel, Crooked Kingdom.

I really loved these five books for so many reasons!

1. There are so many important issues addressed and discussed. Slavery, human trafficking, racism, sexism, poverty, and grief just to name the big ones. It adds a lot of depth to the story, and it shows how all of these issues can impact individuals and society. Greed is a pretty big one too. The entire Unsea (something you learn about very early in on in the Grisha trilogy) is the result of one man's greed. It's all written and handled beautifully.

2. In the Grisha trilogy, you love the villain but hate them too. For me, a sign of a great writer is someone that can make you care about their villain. You realize they are a villain and need to be stopped, but at the same time you feel for them and know where they are coming from.

3. The characters are easy to connect with. There's a lot of them (over 20), but each of them will get a special place in your heart. It doesn't feel over bearing. It feels natural.

4. It’s well written. The only complaint I have is it's written in third person. I'm not of huge fan of third person, but that's personal preference. All of the plots arch perfectly. There isn't really any lulls in the books. All of it has a purpose. Filler wasn't needed, the story was good all on its own.

5. The relationships feel authentic. So many times you read stories and it seems no matter what happens each couple is immediately forgiving (or at least too forgiving). That doesn't really happen here. The progression of the relationship is realistic. The fights are dealt with. Lines are drawn in the sand. It made rooting for them feel so much better.

6. The complexities of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom were intensely satisfying. I'm usually really good at picking up clues and guessing plot twists before they happen. I never hold that against a book; it’s just something I like to challenge myself with. These two books? I was nowhere close. The twists and shifts in power were impressive to watch unfold. I feel like every time you read it you will find hidden gems you won't believe you've missed.

Ok, on to the stuff I was less than happy with.

1. The ending of the Grisha trilogy. It wasn't awful, there were just a few smaller things that got under my skin. I felt like there were two alternative ways the major plot arch could've taken to make it sit better with me.

2. I feel like Crooked Kingdom's ending left a great launching pad for another book. From what I understand Bardugo said she may come back to the series, but she may not. That could be why it was left the way it was. It isn't a bad ending, it just left you with some questions about the future.

3. I would have liked to see a little more background on the Suli. Again, it's not a major problem, but I think it would have enhanced the connection to one of the plots.

In summary, I highly recommend these books. The few things that bothered me were minor, and the good greatly outweighs it!

Rating:

♥♥♥♥♥