Reviews by Ali

How to Lead a Life of Crime

8:00 pm 4 March 2013

This was a fun read, with equal parts snarky humor and much darker undertones. The plot was fast-paced and exciting, and I have always been a sucker for boarding school-type settings. The early parts shortly after Flick arrives at the academy had a similar feel to the beginning of [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899]. While the main character is male, there are some seriously bad ass chicks around. I only had a few complaints: Flick can at times be so cocky its bordering on unlikeable. Fortunately those moments are short-lived and he redeems himself in his more vulnerable moments. Also, there is a fair amount of swearing in this book, which I don't mind, but any time "fuck" is said its f---. That really started to annoy me to death after about the 15th instance. If you want to say "fuck" just say it!

The Dark Unwinding

8:00 pm 22 February 2013

Overall a good read, just can't say that I loved it. The plot was good, but I thought the first roughly 50% of the book was pretty slow. The characters of Uncle Tully and Mary Brown were my favorites, but I felt like some of the others, like Lane and Davy, could have used a more development.

Gone Girl

8:00 pm 7 February 2013

Wow, that ending. I enjoyed this book the whole way through but I am so angry at the ending! Although, I'm sure that's completely the point. Overall, a great read. I loved how it really makes you think about the ...glamorization?...of crime in America lately. Admittedly, I am a fan of those 48-hours and Dateline type shows, though I can't stand Nancy Grace! But in those situations public perception means so much when it should really mean nothing. I also loved the theme in the novel of facades. How you can paint any picture you want the world to see...whether it be how your parents see your marriage and even so far as the facade we present to the one person closer than any one else. Does anyone just have one authentic self that they're showing the world?

Lucid

8:00 pm 26 January 2013

WOW. This book. There is so much that I could say and want to rant and ramble and process, but for the sake of being spoiler free I feel like there's hardly anything I can say at all. Just know that I highly recommend this book!

Unspoken: The Lynburn Legacy

8:00 pm 24 January 2013

3.5 stars. Overall, a good read. My favorite part was the main character Kami was and what a distinct voice she had. It was refreshing to read about someone with a unique personality. Most of the characters were really well done. I though that the plot was interesting, but a little weak at times. While I enjoyed the humor and lighthearted dialogue most of the time, it often seemed at odds with the mysterious and ominous things going on in the story.

The Crown of Embers (Girl of Fire and Thorns)

8:00 pm 17 December 2012

I really really really loved this book and I am beyond bummed about facing the long wait for the next one. The characters were wonderful and Elisa is probably one of my all-time favorite heroines. She is strong and determined but also is a real girl who gets sweaty! The secondary characters were great too...Obviously Hector was wonderful but I especially enjoyed reading the friendship between Mara and Elisa. The romance has been bumped up a notch from the previous book, but it was the kind of romance that I root for, not roll my eyes at. It was wonderfully written. Sometimes books just really resonate with you, for one reason or another. While realistically I know that this book is not without its flaws, I honestly can't think of anything negative to say about it!

Masque of the Red Death

8:00 pm 14 December 2012

Overall I thought that this was a good, but not great, novel and start to the series. I think that the use of Poe's short story for the basis of this book was a great idea. However, I feel that what was keeping this novel from being really great was the world-building and plot. While the setting and imagery was really good and different from anything I've read recently, I at times had a hard time following the plot. For example, there is a rebel group known as the Malcontent that could use a ton more development so that the reader understands their motives. Even after finishing there are still some points that I'm not exactly sure on, but I won't go into that here to save anyone from spoilers. This book does include a love triangle, but I didn't have nearly as many eye rolls as love triangles normally induce for me. All that said, I am definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Imaginary Girls

8:00 pm 6 December 2012

Wow. This was a great novel. Eerie, mysterious, surreal, and really unlike anything I have read before. I stayed up until 3am last night finishing this book and I haven't been able to quit thinking about it since. Some people will not like this because the plot is anything but straightforward and the characters are completely flawed. Even after finishing the book you will not have all of the answers. Also, Nova Ren Suma is a really talented writer and this book had some truly beautiful (and beautifully creepy) passages. I lost track of how many highlights I made in my kindle. I definitely recommend Imaginary Girls.

Lies: A Gone Novel

8:00 pm 3 December 2012

3.5 stars. Like other reviews have said, this book was a little weaker than the previous two. I have always enjoyed Grant's use of multiple POV, and still did with this book, but this time it felt like it was stalling the plot a bit. I also feel like the ending could have been done a bit better. The plot was interesting overall, but it wasn't resolved as neatly as it could have been. The last chapter was there to spell out for the reader what exactly had just happened...not exactly the neatest ending. The negatives aside, I did enjoy this book and will absolutely be continuing on with the series. There were quite a few loose ends, but I expect that in the middle of a series. It probably also helps that I am reading this at a time where the next two sequels are readily available, lol. The characters here got some much needed development, particularly Mary, Astrid, Sam, and Diana.

The Diviners

8:00 pm 18 November 2012

Great book. I loved the combination of the 20's scene with the paranormal and sometimes really scary. Can't wait for the sequel!

American Psycho

8:00 pm 8 November 2012

This book is incredibly hard to review. At times I wanted to throw it across the room in absolute disgust at what I'd just read, and at other times I just wanted to give up out of boredom. There are pages upon pages where absolutely nothing happens besides the most mundane and shallow activities and conversations of everyday rich person life. I'm sure it goes without saying but the murder scenes were completely disturbing and more graphic than anything I have read in my life. That said, it wasn't a particularly scary book, likely because Bateman narrates everything in a very detached way. Even after finishing it, there is much of this novel that I don't fully understand. It's the kind of book that leaves you to make your own conclusions about what was actually going on. While I honestly can say that I did not enjoy reading this book (I don't think anyone could, and that's probably Ellis' point) there is no denying that it is a good piece of literature. Here's my favorite line:"...there is an idea of Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there."

The Casual Vacancy

8:00 pm 14 October 2012

Like most others, I never would have picked up this book had it not been by JK. It's very hard for me to put a star rating on this book, or even put together my thoughts on it, because its so unlike anything else I've read before. I'll try my best! For one thing, this book was absolutely nothing like I expected from the title and description that we got a few months ago. There is little to no plot whatsoever- it's all character study. There are many characters but once the introductions are done they're easy to keep track of. Every character is flawed and to be honest, pretty unlikable. They are realistic, but in a very harsh way. They exemplify some of the worst parts of reality. The ending was extremely sad and had me teary-eyed. While it was not necessarily what I would call an enjoyable read, I liked it enough to keep going through all 503 pages. The writing itself was great and there are some really beautiful lines in particular.

Impulse

8:00 pm 17 September 2012

Another good read from Ellen Hopkins. The writing as ever was beautiful. The way she can say so much in so few words always amazes me. I will say that I predicted the ending about 2/3 into this book, but I don't think it was intended to be a big twist ending.

Girl of Nightmares (Anna Dressed in Blood)

8:00 pm 6 September 2012

Overall I thought this was a solid follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood. While I thought the first half of the book tended to drag, the latter half was a lot better. It was a good story and a good end to the series, but this book just didn't suck me in the way Anna #1 did.

The Fear. Charlie Higson (Enemy)

8:00 pm 29 August 2012

Enjoyed this one just as much as the previous 2. Can't wait for the sequel!

Glass

8:00 pm 15 August 2012

Anyone who enjoyed Crank should enjoy this book equally as much. Although "enjoy" really seems like the wrong word, because these books are not exactly pick-me-ups. But they are an interesting look into the all too real world of addiction. Crank and Glass are similar, but Glass is not just more of the same. I'd say that where Crank is a look at a girl transforming from normal teenager to drug-user, Glass is what happens when she is fully in the grip of addiction, even with so many reasons to leave the drug behind (new baby, having already gone through detox, working towards a GED, etc.). Glass is a lot like an episode of "Intervention", but you never hear the happy music at the end to know that the addict went on to live a happy, clean life.