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emilymahar's reviews
483 reviews
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
3.0
Life As We Knew It was an interesting depiction of what the future could be like after a natural disaster like the one in this book. It focused on the main character, Miranda, and her family and close friends.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Miranda, which I feel like was one of the reasons why I didn’t love the book. If you can’t love the main character, then it’s hard to continue on reading.
Other than that, I thought the rest of the book was just OK. It had potential to be turned into a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, but the author decided to keep it realistic sci-fi, which talked about the family’s everyday life in their house. One thing that I did like about the book was how it was written in journal entries. It helped us better understand how Miranda was feeling, and it was also something different than what you see in a lot of books.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with how the story progressed and never really reached a climax.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Miranda, which I feel like was one of the reasons why I didn’t love the book. If you can’t love the main character, then it’s hard to continue on reading.
Other than that, I thought the rest of the book was just OK. It had potential to be turned into a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, but the author decided to keep it realistic sci-fi, which talked about the family’s everyday life in their house. One thing that I did like about the book was how it was written in journal entries. It helped us better understand how Miranda was feeling, and it was also something different than what you see in a lot of books.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with how the story progressed and never really reached a climax.
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
4.0
One of my favorite genres to read, besides dystopian and fantasy would have to be sci-fi. This was a mix of both dystopian and sci-fi, so I ended up being thrilled to read this one!
Waverly, Keiran and Seth are the three main characters in this book. I really liked Waverly as a person, and I liked reading about her. One thing that made this book a little more sci-fi and a little less dystopian was the lack of romance. There was a hint of a love triangle between the three main characters, but there wasn’t much. I’m hoping that there will be more in the next book.
There was lots of action throughout the book, and I like how it switched points of view every few chapters. I thought that the story was interesting, and that it was something different that I haven’t really read before. At some points it did slow down and get a little boring, but the parts where that happened were very minimal.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I have to add one thing: TEAM SETH! :)
Waverly, Keiran and Seth are the three main characters in this book. I really liked Waverly as a person, and I liked reading about her. One thing that made this book a little more sci-fi and a little less dystopian was the lack of romance. There was a hint of a love triangle between the three main characters, but there wasn’t much. I’m hoping that there will be more in the next book.
There was lots of action throughout the book, and I like how it switched points of view every few chapters. I thought that the story was interesting, and that it was something different that I haven’t really read before. At some points it did slow down and get a little boring, but the parts where that happened were very minimal.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I have to add one thing: TEAM SETH! :)
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
5.0
I loved this book! When I heard what it was about, I knew that I had to read it! Who doesn’t love a good dystopian world where chocolate and coffee are illegal?!
The book follows Anya, the daughter of a big “crime boss” while he was still alive. Anya was a great character. She’s very strong-willed and stubborn, which makes for a great BA girl! :) This book had so many things that I liked about: romance, action, and the all around futuristic dystopian feel.
The romance between Anya and the new guy, Win is so sweet. I must say that Win is a great character, and one of the many reasons why I loved this book as much as I did. Add the fact that their romance isn’t allowed by Win’s father, who also has some control over ‘s Anya’s fate, and you get a really great story!
All I have to say is that it’s New York City in 2083, and there’s lots of crime. That means lots and lots of action! It was great to read about a more realistic dystopian with not as much fake stuff, but something that could possibly happen in the future. The action wasn’t the main character fighting the bad guys, like in some YA books. But instead, Anya uses her head to cause some conflict and get out of some tight family situations.
And of course the dystopian element showed through, as the main character is a girl and it’s set in the future.
There are so many things that I could say about how much I loved this book, but that could take me forever! So, for anyone that is into dystopian, but wants something that’s a little different from your typical kind, definitely check out this book!
The book follows Anya, the daughter of a big “crime boss” while he was still alive. Anya was a great character. She’s very strong-willed and stubborn, which makes for a great BA girl! :) This book had so many things that I liked about: romance, action, and the all around futuristic dystopian feel.
The romance between Anya and the new guy, Win is so sweet. I must say that Win is a great character, and one of the many reasons why I loved this book as much as I did. Add the fact that their romance isn’t allowed by Win’s father, who also has some control over ‘s Anya’s fate, and you get a really great story!
All I have to say is that it’s New York City in 2083, and there’s lots of crime. That means lots and lots of action! It was great to read about a more realistic dystopian with not as much fake stuff, but something that could possibly happen in the future. The action wasn’t the main character fighting the bad guys, like in some YA books. But instead, Anya uses her head to cause some conflict and get out of some tight family situations.
And of course the dystopian element showed through, as the main character is a girl and it’s set in the future.
There are so many things that I could say about how much I loved this book, but that could take me forever! So, for anyone that is into dystopian, but wants something that’s a little different from your typical kind, definitely check out this book!
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
5.0
What a great way to start out the summer! Even though I didn't read this after summer had started, it got me wanting to have summer be here sooner.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and read it so fast. I loved how it was a story about finding yourself and all about friendship. It had a good message about following your heart. It was funny at some parts, sad at others, and that's what made it such a great read. The characters were so amazing. How could you not love Meg and Alexa? Bev was a wonderful main character, and she was nice to read about. Colby, the narrator was also great to read from his POV. This is one of the books that I've read where the narrator was actually a male and I liked that! It was something new and different for me.
Overall, you should go run to the store and buy this book right now! It totally deserved that 5 star rating, and it took me all of two seconds to rate it that! Awesome book, perfect for summertime!
I really enjoyed reading this book, and read it so fast. I loved how it was a story about finding yourself and all about friendship. It had a good message about following your heart. It was funny at some parts, sad at others, and that's what made it such a great read. The characters were so amazing. How could you not love Meg and Alexa? Bev was a wonderful main character, and she was nice to read about. Colby, the narrator was also great to read from his POV. This is one of the books that I've read where the narrator was actually a male and I liked that! It was something new and different for me.
Overall, you should go run to the store and buy this book right now! It totally deserved that 5 star rating, and it took me all of two seconds to rate it that! Awesome book, perfect for summertime!
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
5.0
SPOILER-FREE SERIES REVIEW:
This is my favorite series to read for summer ever!!! I loved it so much! Everything about the series is perfect. The characters and the setting were the best part, though. Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah have been friends forever and that's what makes this love triangle so good to read. Also the fact that Conrad and Jeremiah are brothers...I couldn't choose a side for Belly to be with if I possibly tried, although I am happy with who Belly ended up with in the end.
Cousins Beach makes all the books feel summery, even if certain parts weren't set during summer. They are super quick, and I didn't want them to end! I couldn't put any of the books in this series down at all, and stayed up (too) late reading them!
Overall, AMAZING summer reads!
This is my favorite series to read for summer ever!!! I loved it so much! Everything about the series is perfect. The characters and the setting were the best part, though. Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah have been friends forever and that's what makes this love triangle so good to read. Also the fact that Conrad and Jeremiah are brothers...I couldn't choose a side for Belly to be with if I possibly tried, although I am happy with who Belly ended up with in the end.
Cousins Beach makes all the books feel summery, even if certain parts weren't set during summer. They are super quick, and I didn't want them to end! I couldn't put any of the books in this series down at all, and stayed up (too) late reading them!
Overall, AMAZING summer reads!
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
5.0
SPOILER-FREE SERIES REVIEW:
This is my favorite series to read for summer ever!!! I loved it so much! Everything about the series is perfect. The characters and the setting were the best part, though. Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah have been friends forever and that's what makes this love triangle so good to read. Also the fact that Conrad and Jeremiah are brothers...I couldn't choose a side for Belly to be with if I possibly tried, although I am happy with who Belly ended up with in the end.
Cousins Beach makes all the books feel summery, even if certain parts weren't set during summer. They are super quick, and I didn't want them to end! I couldn't put any of the books in this series down at all, and stayed up (too) late reading them!
Overall, AMAZING summer reads!
This is my favorite series to read for summer ever!!! I loved it so much! Everything about the series is perfect. The characters and the setting were the best part, though. Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah have been friends forever and that's what makes this love triangle so good to read. Also the fact that Conrad and Jeremiah are brothers...I couldn't choose a side for Belly to be with if I possibly tried, although I am happy with who Belly ended up with in the end.
Cousins Beach makes all the books feel summery, even if certain parts weren't set during summer. They are super quick, and I didn't want them to end! I couldn't put any of the books in this series down at all, and stayed up (too) late reading them!
Overall, AMAZING summer reads!
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
This is a great book for all those that love fantasy! I loved this book! Before I start talking about the story, I must comment about the cover. Is it not so cool!? The cover was what drew me into reading it.
Ok, back to the story. The world of the Grisha is very cool. There are so many awesome things about it. There's the Shadow Fold, and the mysterious Darkling! Then there's our main character, Alina who is an orphan, and her best friend (who she kind of wants to be more) Mal. As you're reading you're taken further into the world of the Grisha and the Darkling, with Alina.
I loved Alina, but my favorite character was for the majority of the book the Darkling. He was very mysterious, and strong, and made me want to learn more about him. Alina of course came in a very close second place. She was a real character, and she wasn't one of those characters that is like "Wow, I have a cool power, I'm amazing!", but instead she was confused and reacted just as a normal person would. Mal, I'm afraid, went from me loving him, to hating him, back to liking him, then loving him again. I really wanted to like him, but there were things restraining me. But at the end of the book, I liked him much better (you'll know why if you've read it)!
Overall, this is a wonderful fantasy book, and I'm looking forward to entering the world of the Grisha as soon as possible!
Ok, back to the story. The world of the Grisha is very cool. There are so many awesome things about it. There's the Shadow Fold, and the mysterious Darkling! Then there's our main character, Alina who is an orphan, and her best friend (who she kind of wants to be more) Mal. As you're reading you're taken further into the world of the Grisha and the Darkling, with Alina.
I loved Alina, but my favorite character was for the majority of the book the Darkling. He was very mysterious, and strong, and made me want to learn more about him. Alina of course came in a very close second place. She was a real character, and she wasn't one of those characters that is like "Wow, I have a cool power, I'm amazing!", but instead she was confused and reacted just as a normal person would. Mal, I'm afraid, went from me loving him, to hating him, back to liking him, then loving him again. I really wanted to like him, but there were things restraining me. But at the end of the book, I liked him much better (you'll know why if you've read it)!
Overall, this is a wonderful fantasy book, and I'm looking forward to entering the world of the Grisha as soon as possible!