2.5 stars I want the book back that I was presented with in the beginning. Within the first hundred pages, everything went smoothly and I found that I2.5 stars I want the book back that I was presented with in the beginning. Within the first hundred pages, everything went smoothly and I found that I was invested in the characters and I was following the story. But...what happened?Suddenly the entire story went from one extreme to the next, all too fast for me to appreciate and that was one of the biggest let-downs.
Essentially, our main character, Alina, lived her entire life with this dormant ability that she did not know she had. Turns out that said power is the alleged "key" to destroying the Shadow Fold, which apparently needs to be done. Now one thing that really irks me in dystopian novels is when the world needs saving and that heavy burden lies completely on the shoulders of our main character. It just isn't fair in the slightest, and that ups the ante beyond belief causing the reader to have sky high expectations of the main character. And when these expectations aren't met, that is a no-no. From the start, Alina did not seem like a strong enough character to be tasked with this, and she pulled the short end of the stick at seemingly every turn. She just could not catch a break, and for that I felt a little bad for her, really.
Alina needed more development within herself first. And that is what I feel most authors don't usually execute successfully. The MC needs to be worthy and deserving of such a task like saving the world as they know it. It should not just be something thrust upon them like an ugly sweater. They should be ready, physically and mentally, to accept the task, although there really isn't any other option.
Throughout the read I had noticed Alina not thinking for herself more times than I felt necessary. Countless times she would take the word of another, even over her own feelings on the matter. This just made me feel detached from her and I stopped trying to decipher her thought processes because she had none. She could have just as well said screw all of you and did her own thing like a normal person with extreme powers that can prove destructive if put in the wrong hands. It was almost like Alina didn't really care much about what would become of her, as long as she had someone by her side. Which brings me to my next point.
I am all for romance, especially romance in a dystopian world. It's a good thing to have a little reprieve from all of the politics and mumbo jumbo of the world they're surrounded in and be presented with a good love story on the side. But only if it makes sense. Throughout the entire read I was nervous because Alina had pretty much everything to lose because she didn't really have much to begin with. She was an orphan and she met her love interest, Mal, while in the orphanage she grew up in.
But this does not mean they have to try to be together!
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The crush Alina admits to having on Mal was so misplaced. It was definitely something that, in my opinion, dragged this book down when it didn't need to. I felt that the closeness they had from growing up together should have been made into something else, not turned into an awkward kiss down the road that hits you in the face, then you're like, "Oh. I guess this is what's going on now?" As if this book wasn't already going in a million different directions.
Then there's the Darkling. It's all in the name, folks. Alina managed to get herself into a love triangle that didn't make much sense, because our one corner of the triangle, Mal, was off somewhere tracking some stag. Which, if you've read this, is somewhat comical that he was tasked with finding it.
All in all I took hardly anything away from this story, and I eventually just couldn't wait to be finished with it....more
This. Was. Amazing. Really. All of the feels. Every single feel you could possibly feel was in this here masterpiece. And Mindy McGinnis is a fellow OThis. Was. Amazing. Really. All of the feels. Every single feel you could possibly feel was in this here masterpiece. And Mindy McGinnis is a fellow Ohioan! Ugh, I love her and this book so much. I can't possibly say anything to do this novel justice. It was gritty, realistic as hell, and scary. Survival was not the only problem Lynn faced. She is the most relatable character ever. She's extremely strong. There were so many situations in her world which she could've complained about and she never did. Not once. Lynn is so inspiring and just amazing and I'll need a long time to even process this work of pure genius....more
There is never a dull moment in Coldtown. What a unique spin on vampires, this was. I enjoyed this book so so much, and it's a stand alone. It's amazinThere is never a dull moment in Coldtown. What a unique spin on vampires, this was. I enjoyed this book so so much, and it's a stand alone. It's amazing how much world building and character development Holly Black managed to fit into this story.
There was always something going on, and some parts were slow, but I easily got past that what with the constant danger and shit going on.
I loved Gavriel, so much. I loved Tana, and how wholly brave she was. This would have been a five-star book for me, if there had been more romance because Gavriel was just amazing, can I have a Gavriel of my own? Where can you find one? And if Pearl hadn't been such a dumb-ass.
But all in all, this story consisted of a phenomenal cast of characters each dealing with their own problems. Coldtown was unlike any world I've ever read about, and it was entirely original. It's hard to find a good vampire story as of late, and I struck gold with this one. Everyone should read it.
The vampires, the world, the characters, all original. I couldn't compare The Coldest Girl in Coldtown to anything else I've read, which makes me happy. Seriously, go and read this....more
In The After really did it for me. I love, love, loved the beginning and middle. The world building was phenomenal and was definitely somethi3.5 Stars
In The After really did it for me. I love, love, loved the beginning and middle. The world building was phenomenal and was definitely something that's hard to find now in the post-apocolyptic novels I've been reading lately. The author definitely did a perfect job fitting the seemingly complex and yet intriguing world of Them in only a small amount of pages.
And what could possibly be done to make this book more awesome, you ask?
Sign language.
I am a huge fan of sign language, I want to learn it so badly. And the fact that Amy and Baby used this method of communication for years adds to the wow factor of this story.
I love Baby. I feel like she was a tremendous character and addition to the story; I feel that without Baby, the story would have been more on the typical side. To me, having a young child behave as Baby did- no complaining, crying, anything- is just so unbelievable, I loved it even more.
The relationship between Baby and Amy was nothing short of admirable and perfection. It definitely rubbed me the right way; Amy would do anything for Baby and I feel that goes both ways.
I definitely did not like Amber. I hated her in fact. She really bothered me, and by the time she was introduced, I was already completely immersed in the read, and I was all like "No, bitch. Nah. There's the door and the electric fence. Don't let it hit you on the way out into the After." But Baby liked her, so I tried to.
But then there's Rice and (view spoiler)[Mom (hide spoiler)]. I don't know if that's a spoiler or not, but I like to be extra cautious. But anywho, Rice was a tricky fella. I couldn't really say if I liked him or not. I don't like how our MC clearly can't be there at New Hope and has to leave and yet he's always saying how "Dr.Reynolds won't like that!" but then "Nvm Amy, lol. I like you, you're cute." I just felt like he was a tad wishy-washy and inconsistant.
*This part may be a spoiler? But if so, a very mild one. *
So the way Amy and Baby were brought to New Hope was kind of odd. They're practically just walking and then get taken by this ship that was previously thought as the spaceship that They came from. Understandably so. I just noticed that the reasons for the Guardians coming in and swooping up random humans were unknown to me, if it was said I must have missed it.
But when they got to New Hope, I could smell the danger from a mile away. Although more often than not, the supposed "safe haven" where people go to be "safe" usually are not safe. And I feel like I stood corrected with New Hope. It just didn't seem right, or if it was then it was definitely too good to be true. I would have been happy if New Hope didn't even exist, and Amy and Baby just lived in the After like they were doing.
So who's the director of this New Hope? Mom. I kind of suspected that, which is why I was sad at the sudden predictability of the story after the "rescue". When they were out in the After, I was always on edge wondering what was going to happen next.
Now Amy's mom really bugged me. I disliked her because of her cold shoulder throughout. I knew she wouldn't help Amy. It was always rules, rules, Dr.Reynolds, more rules. You would think she would be the exact opposite after thinking her daughter was dead for years. Whether she went to look for her or not, I'm not sure. I could have missed that part.
But anyway! This book was definitely a breath of fresh air because it had so many different aspects to it, and they all went seamlessly together for the most part. I can't wait to get my hands on In The End.
I loved this so much. Lucky is such a special character that i hold near and dear. Seriously, read this book if you haven't. I loved this so much. Lucky is such a special character that i hold near and dear. Seriously, read this book if you haven't. ...more
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