Incomplete Tales

Never would I have expected that ending, I mean all the signs were there but I WANTED to be blind to them. :'(

Still, an AMAZING read, I want to pick it up and read this bittersweet tale again

Reading this almost a year after it came out, that’s pretty early for me!

First of all, thank you Ransom Riggs for creating such a spectacularly different story, seriously if anything it was so refreshing.

I am so glad this series is less horror and takes a turn into more paranormal!

The world building was great, albeit I may have skimmed some chapters, and the characters felt so very real in what they were going through.

Like I mentioned, I found this to be such a unique tale and I can’t wait to read other stories by this author. My only gripe is that the chapters are a tad too long to read in one sitting, but it’s only a personal preference of mine as I’m a bit of a slow reader.

What a fantastic start to a series!

Even though I wanted to go in with little expectations, the hype around this series was just too real. This book was creepy and mysterious yet still had me grinning as I got to know the peculiars. The fantastical elements were intertwined so well with the plot and it has me so excited for both the movie and the rest of the series!

DNF

This is immensely better of an adaptation of the novel than Clockwork Angel manga, albeit I had to ignore how it portrayed Magnus and Henry -.-. I felt all the feels, cried about it just as I had reading the book, so I’d say it translates pretty well! With maybe a few more chapters, this could be further detailed (I would’ve appreciated chibi Will doing the duck dance). 

I still wouldn’t recommend reading the manga alone without having read the books. The novels definitely have a lot more descriptions and scenes that were cut that add so much to the story that we miss out in the manga, but it's still a great way to delve back into the world.

A very different read for me, but nonetheless I was intrigued all throughout. Still not sure whether or not I agree with or wholeheartedly like the main two characters, and a little confused by that ending which was left a bit unresolved.

I have no idea how to begin this review, nothing I can possibly say will adequately measure how beautifully enchanting the writing was. Without looking at the context and any possible controversies surrounding how this book came to be, I thought this novel was a mesmerizing read from start to finish.

Our main character Chiyo had such a fascinating life journey, from becoming an orphan to her relative-to-the-story end in New York City, I didn’t realize but slowly I found myself disliking her choices throughout the book. After a while, her decisions made me like her less and less, especially with some choices that may have seemed manipulative and twisted had it been from a different voice. One of the first decisions she made which I instantly disliked was her ability to give in to the life of a geisha so easily as she did.

“I dont think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.”

“If a few minutes of suffering could make me so angry, what would years of it do? Even a stone can be worn down with enough rain.”

I think one of the great aspects of this book was definitely the hardship endured during the War, and how its effects trickle down to even the smallest of villages to large towns like Gion.

While there weren’t many twists and turns in this novel, there was certainly a sense of uncertainty where our main character will end up, or what will happen to her. At most parts, the readers can always tell what is to happen but it’s like a slow train wreck where you’re helpless to do anything but to look.

Chiyo’s relationship with the Chairman, the main love interest of a kind, was slow simmering in its entirety where the ending felt slightly unrealistic. I wholeheartedly was engrossed in Chiyo’s relations with others in her okiya, especially with the elders and Hatsumomo and Pumpkin. While we as readers can see from Chiyo’s POV, as an outsider she really is no different from other geishas imo regarding how she manipulates for her desires whenever she wants.

Obviously I can’t disregard the discrepancies between the way Japan is portrayed, the fact that the author of this story is someone non-Japanese writing as a memoir, or how it was slightly inspired from a true Geisha who did not want so much involvement released publicly through this book and said author disregarded her wishes.

Characters were so fleshed out, even the minor ones and I wanted to hug them all.The transformation Bryce and Julie went through was so realistic and adorable, just wanna gush over them both.

5/5 overall and enjoyed every minute of it! I get smiles just thinking about Bryce and Juli, now off to watch the movie adaptation.

I was just not feeling this book at all. Maybe this trilogy as a whole was disappointing. Even for a fantasy, the resolutions felt very unrealistic and frankly, half-assed attempts at wrapping up the story. 

Now I don’t think it’s a horrid waste of time. I’m sure younger audiences will find this captivating for a short period of time, which is why it receives a 2/5.

I thought this book was alright, it certainly had some great plotlines! The main character was very badass, but other than that there was not any more to her than meets the eye. Could’ve done with some better narrations at times where the book itself was violent but the wordings seemed juvenile! Once again, some really great plot points including just about everything from the fantasy genre from Gods and magic to dragons and other mythical creatures. And also a world of gladiators that was why I primarily chose this book to win. I liked the concept essentially, but it seemed all over the place by the end of the book. Side note, a LOT of easy solutions to problems for the main character.

Disappointing read and another cover buy. The book wasn't very capturing and was more on the juvenile ya side than I had expected. Another faerie book letdown, maybe it's just not my kind of genre. I also thought the main characters Kit and Morgana had absolutely no chemistry and they may have been better off friends than be forced into insta-lovey doveyness. 

Let's just say I found myself skimming near the end.

It was a pretty decent premise, but none of the characters were developed enough for me to want to know more of them. I will still be continuing on with the series to see if the story gets more detailed.

I just finished this book this morning and found it a spectacular Halloween read. Such a good balance of suspense and the historical setting aids the creepy atmosphere immensely. Will be reading more from this author in the future!

We all love a sass mouth. Especially in a situation where said sass mouth should probably be smacked over the head for their horrid timing. This book is placing the sassiest of sass mouths on a genius astronaut botanist and following his journey to survive on a not so survivable planet.

This novel has been the greatest gift to humanity in the form of science fiction. It is laugh out loud funny, and if you try to explain what you’re laughing at, well good luck because you’ll just come off as very sinister and probably in need of some help. Yes, this book is hysterical but the jokes are usually morbid and yet still manage to not come off as annoying. Kudos to Weir for finding that balance!

I’m in love with space. Have I mentioned that? I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut (doesn’t everyone?) and my heart shattered in high school when I realized physics and me do not get along. So I may or may not be living out my dream with this book. Anyway, there is some doubt in me as to how they’ll translate that humor into the upcoming movie; especially with the trailer -THAT GIVES EVERYTHING AWAY- which focuses more on the survival aspect and gives off some serious tones, kind of like Interstellar. Also, Matt Damon as Watney? Really?

I really want to mention how EASY this book was to read. I mean it is adult fiction and I always go in a little daunted. But, the flow of each chapter and the back and forth from NASA on planet home to ARES crew members to Watney on Mars was seamless and left me wanting more from each perspective. I’m not saying this was an easy to understand read though. The math! And the calculations! It was confusing but the intense desperation of the plot made me forego how idiotic the scientific aspects made me feel. I’m glad it wasn’t dumbed down is what I’m trying say.

I loved this book. That’s all I have to say. And the last two chapters are absolute perfection. You will be holding your breath the entire time. Then again, anything with space and/or Russia is hard to dislike, ever, imo.

FIVE STARS

Maybe a bit spoilerish:

I wasn’t ready for this book, maybe a bit of a reading slump unfortunately. I had thought this would be the perfect way to get back into good reading since I loved the King of Attolia. But maybe I was hoping for more Gen or even Attolia, but Sounis was not that great of a perspective to read from, at least halfway through the book.

I guess the journey aspect follows through as it has throughout this series, but the abductions and running away from Sounis felt hard to believe, compared to the Sounis we met in The Thief. There wasn’t any emotional connection with him, even when he was drilling the fact that he desperately needed to find his mother and sisters (the ending when they met up at the end was underwhelming compared to how desperate he was throughout the book to know if they were alive).

The book got more interesting once Sounis met up with Gen, Attolia, and Eddis after which heading out to get kidnapped again! Which is fine since this time, it was all part of the plan.

I suppose you will really have to push through this book to get to the essential political controversies, which lacked in detail until halfway through the book.

I kinda of loved the very last chapter though; it showed the great relationship between Gen and Sophos that we also see in the prologue/beginning chapters of the book. It bothers me greatly that we won’t be seeing Gen and Attolia until the next unpublished novel, which comes out whoknowswhen.