paper_queen's reviews
83 reviews

Initial Response
...Lindsey is awesome.

High Lights
- I've been a HUGE fan of Lindsey Stirling ever since I watched her video Elements. I've been hooked ever since, and, naturally, I was really excited when her book came out.
- It really just reminded me that celebs are people too. (Though, she says she's not a celebrity by any means, but in my eyes she is.) She's just a normal girl who's doing what she loves. And that's a huge inspiration to me.
- I love the close relationship she has with her family, which you just don't see very often in business. It made me love her a ton more for that. (Her sister actually co-wrote the book with her!)
- I just love how much her love of music is evident. That she would go through all sorts of embarrassment and humiliation (on live TV) to pursue her dream? That's awesome.

Low Lights
- Guys, I can't say anything bad about this, honestly. It's just a great, inspiring, funny book.

Conclusion
If you're a fan of Lindsey, or even if you're not, this is a heartwarming autobiography that I think anyone trying to pursue their dream will find very encouraging. I highly recommend! 

Initial Response
I just...I love this series to much.

High Lights
- This world, guys. THIS WORLD. It's faaabulous. It sucks you in from the very first page and keeps you captive until the very end. I should really read more magical realism because I LOVE THIS.
- I love how lyrical and poetic and gorgeous the writing is, while also being totally relatable, with perfect metaphors and phrasing. It's punchy and crisp and I love it to bits.
- THE CHARACTERS. I could go on for eons about the characters, but you probably already know by now that I love them with all my heart. I also really like how we're kind of getting each of the boys' stories spanned across the series. This time, we got to see mostly Adam's story, and it was FASCINATING. I always had a soft spot for him, but this book just made me love him sooo much more. It was so lovely.
- THAT ENDING. WAS INSANE. The epilogue just about gave me a heart attack. XD
- Just...all the emotions that this book gave me. I want to soak them all in and treasure them forever.

Low Lights
- As always, there was a lot more language than I cared for, which was upsetting, but it didn't detract from the story too violently.

Conclusion
If you've read the first two books, and you've loved them as much as I have, then you are surely going to read this one and love it just as much. I am SO PUMPED for the finale!! :D

Initial Response
Oh my word...WHAT EVEN.

High Lights
- I don't even know guys. It was amazing. Amazing. A++ sequel, 11/10, highly recommend.
- My brain is not functioning properly, thanks to NaNo, so this is the review you all get.
- I guess...if you read the first one, you read this one?
- *thumbs-up*
- Noah is precious, can we get more Noah, please? He was like, barely in it, and I need more of him in my life.
- These characters, man. They are just wonderful in so many ways. The Gray Man is my favorite hit man, hands down. Ronan is Ronan, and that's okay. Gansey is so confuzzled and he just wants things just so and just give it to him. He needs some semblance of peace, please.
- Adam is adorable. <333
- I can't with this series. Done.

Low Lights
- There's the swearing...really kind of disappointing. There was so much of it, it really upset me. But if you can look past that (and a few other, minor suggestive things), it has a heart of gold.

Conclusion
*brain is dead*  What even is this review trying to be, I'm sorry my brain is just fried okay. If you read the first one, you're probably gonna wanna read this one. It'll just happen like that. I had only planned to give The Raven Boys a try, and now I'm hooked. READ THE BOOK AND BE HAPPEH. :) 

Initial Response
Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO STINKING MUCH.

High Lights
- Okay, so I can't coherently put my thoughts together, so I'm just going to be really basic and say I LOVE EVERYTHING.
- THE CHARACTERS. AGGGHHH.
- THE SETTING. PHENOMENAL.
- THE WRITING STYLE. SOOOOO GORGEOUS AND I'M IN LOVE AND I WANT TO READ EVERY MAGGIE STIEFVATER BOOK THERE IS NOW.
- so yeah everything pretty much.

Low Lights
- Not of fan of the swearing, but that's a minor detail that doesn't ruin the story for me.

Conclusion
Wow, so was that even a review? XD No, not really, but GUYS. THE WRITING STYLE IS MAGICAL. IT WILL SUCK YOU IN. I'm so glad I gave this book a shot, because I'VE FOUND A NEW FAVORITE. Sorry for this ranting, explosive, caps-locked filled nonsense. XD Please, just reeeead the booook. 

Initial Response
Well...that was pretty awesome.

High Lights
- This needs to be said...Nimona and Blackheart's relationship is SO. AMAZINGLY. GOOD. I LOVED it. Blackheart is soooo cool and Nimona is...well, she's herself, I suppose. XD
- It's a GRAPHIC NOVEL. I loooove graphic novels.
- The whole shapeshifter idea was really cool.
- I really just loved the feel of this book, you know? It's one of those books where you're reading it and you're just like...this is so FUN!
- Also, Doctor Blitzmeyer is awesome. Yeah.

Low Lights
- I had a few minor issues with this book.
- One, being the mild violence portrayed.

Which makes sense, since...Nimona is actually a...monster-thing and all...

I'm just really squeamish about that kinda stuff.
- There were a few swears, but nothing horrible.

Conclusion
It was a really fun, riveting read! There were a few parts I didn't agree with, which knocks off half a star, but all in all, it was a fun, quick read! 

Initial Response
There were a couple of goodies in that collection, and I'm glad I read it. :)

High Lights
My favorite stories were:
- El Destinos // a three fates retelling set in the 1840s in Texas | SO HEARTBREAKING. But so BEAUTIFUL. I would love to see how this story ends!
- High Stakes // a magic realism story set just before the Civil War | I WANT THIS TO BE A WHOLE BOOK. AGH. Such a cool idea, with warlocks, wizards, vampires, werewolves, genies, SO FABULOUS.
- Gold in the Roots of the Grass // a semi-magical story set during the Gold Rush | It's Marissa Meyer, of course I'm going to love it. And I did. So adorable, yet sad. It leaves you wanting more.
- Hard Times // a small story set in the Great Depression | I love it. This was one of the only real historical fiction stories that I loved (real being...no magic or mythical beasts XD). I felt the characters were really memorable, for such a short story, and the ending just made me smile. :)

Low Lights
- The other stories were pretty good as well, but nothing I very much had anything to say about. A couple of them I didn't even read because I knew I wouldn't enjoy them.

Conclusion
If you'd like to give this book a shot, I think it's worth it. There are a few really neat stories hidden in it, and if you love historical fiction, I'd consider giving it a try. Grab a copy from the library and see what you think! 

 

Initial Response
Such gorgeous artwork...

High Lights
- I LOVE Brian Selznick's style of writing! With pictures mixed with prose, you find so much more hidden meaning behind the words, and the pictures really bring the words to life. It's the perfect symbiotic relationship. :)
- The story was quite strange, starting off, but I loved the generational progression we get to see. The pictures were so well done and the story flew from the pages and played as a movie in my head.
- I didn't want to stop reading! It made me keep turning pages, even when I should've been sleeping. The simplistic, matter-of-fact style of writing really drew me in.
- The characters were so unique and memorable. The Marvels, with their dramatic madness, Joseph, a spunky, stubborn school boy, Frankie, a total rebel with a cause, and Albert, the grumpy grandfather figure. I loved them all dearly.
- That ending. *smiles* It just felt so right, if a little sad. It really felt like the curtains came down and the lights went out, leaving you warm and happy with it's satisfying ending. ^_^

Low Lights
- Nothing major I can think of. It was just a charming read.
- I will say, I probably would have given it a higher rating had I read it when I was younger. I would have LOVED it as child.

Conclusion
If you're looking for a quick summer read with mystery, drama, and a touch of whimsy, this might be a story for you. ;) 

Initial Response
Well. That was. Interesting?

High Lights
- I really loved Roza! I thought she was strong but still human, and she had the best lines in the book. XD
- Finn was a little sweetie, and Sean was a marshmallow underneath his cold exterior. Roza and Sean just AGH made my heart flutter. They were definitely my favorite couple. Sean and Petey were adorable too!
- I really liked the setting! A little country, almost hick-ish town, with strange characters and some perhaps magical goings-on. It was unlike any genre I've ever read and I'm still kind of dazzled by it.
- I loved how the story was told. We didn't quite get the whole picture, but the more you read, the more you figured out, like a picture slowly being revealed. I thought Roza's backstory was just fascinating,

and I loved how Finn had face-blindness! I thought that was a really neat thing and something you don't see in books. I loved how it tied so wonderfully into the story.

- The kidnapper was SO CREEPY. Really terrifying, but he was the kind of villain you loved to hate.
- The writing style was very unique. I loved how the author described simple things and wove everything together so brilliantly. Words began to have distinctive meanings, and you knew when the characters said them it was special. I loved it.

Low Lights
- I think my main issue with this story was the lack of explanations. It was too confusing for me. I understand that most of the story was supposed to be interpreted by the reader, but I felt everything was really murky and hard to figure out. Scenes just happened and left me wondering...Why did that happen? What was the point of that? Where did it take the story? Everything was so mysterious and unexplained.
- What bothered me most was the lack of explanation about the kidnapper. I was just waiting and waiting to figure out who he really was, what was really going on, but...it never came. Or maybe the answer was just over my head. XD I did like him as a villain, however, I wished that he would have been characterized a bit more, given a bit of personality, and more a motive rather than just 'I'm kidnapping this girl because she's the most beautiful.' Blah. He was rather bland (he's even called that several times in the book), and I like a strong, purposeful villain.
- Maybe this book is too complicated for me. Maybe I'm missing a deeper message. But it just didn't strike a chord with me. I wish there had been more magic in this book. When a book says it's a 'magical realism', I'm watching out for magical happenings and characters using magic as an everyday tool. I didn't get that in this book. I wish that the romance hadn't been a majority of the book (that one is mostly just personal. I'm not much into romance.)
- I also didn't appreciate the few sex scenes dropped in for...seemingly no reason. I get it. They like each other. But we're just jumping right in? Really? There was also a lot of unnecessary language that upset me.

Conclusion
In closing, this really wasn't a horrible book. I did enjoy it. The characters were fun, the setting was lovely, but it just wasn't the book for me. But if YOU want a sweet, dreamy love story, with a bit of a sinister twist, I'd recommend this one to you.

Initial Response
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CURRENTLY CANNOT BREATHE HELP.

High Lights
- Abigail is a fabulous main character. She's hilarious and witty and I just really loved her.
- JACKABY IS SO WONDERFUL I CANNOT BEGIN TO EVEN
- I loved pacing. The moments of action were fun and then the bits of dialogue had me laughing out loud
- Jackaby's apartment is the best. Just, yes.
- The ending was very satisfying for me and may I just say,

CHARLIE AND ABIGAIL ARE ADORABLE TOGETHER OKAY.

- The villain was also really chillingly written, which I liked. The ending was very exciting.

Low Lights
- It was quite gruesome at some points, which was upsetting.
- There was some language that I remember. Not very much, but still.
- Some of the parts were scary, such as

the ending

, the crime scenes, and such. But they definitely didn't take away from the story.

Favorite Quotes
“Maybe if you would bother reading a book once in a while instead of hurling them about every chance you get, you would have put the pieces together yourself by now.”

“Does this smell like paprika or gunpowder to you?”

“It wasn’t that I did not believe in ghosts; it was that I believed in them in the same noncommittal way that I believed in giant squids or lucky coins or Belgium. They were things that probably existed, but I had never given any occasion to really care one way or another.”

“I have ceased concerning myself with how things look to others, Abigail Rook. I suggest you do the same. In my experience, others are generally wrong.”

“That the battles are usually in her head does not lessen the bravery of it. The hardest ones always are.”

Conclusion
This book was absolutely fabulous. I have no words. None. If you haven't read this yet, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and READ IT. I will definitely be reading the second one...and the third...and all the short stories in between... :D Thank you so much, Deborah, for recommending this!! <3

I really, really wanted to like this book. But...It just didn't. make. sense.

Everything happened so quickly, the pacing was really weird. As soon as we reached one place/setting, and we finished processing what was happening there, we were in another, different place. We never got a chance to really explore the different gods and goddesses realms. Which is really a bummer because THEY WERE SO COOL AND CREATIVE. I wanted to spend soooo much more time at them than we actually got. (Albeit, there were some...stranger places...like

the 'Cloud' where the god of the sky lives, who was eaten by this giant data worm and has been stuck there for...who knows how long...and then our main character gets eaten, and then...he gains all of the knowledge of the world? Which. Makes no sense at all, but we can roll with that, sure, why not.

The characters were...meh. Buzz (which is short for Buzzard, of course) was a fairly good main character. His motivations were relatable, and he was pretty funny. Nothing very exciting or unique about him. Mary was pretty cool, she had a funny personality, but was a bit flat. Also, this book takes place in the UK. So all of the characters have British accents (except for Mary, she's an American exchange student), which I thought was kind of cool.
 
This will probably sound weird coming from me, but I actually liked the parts that took place at the school. I thought it was just really funny and realistic and I kinda wish more had taken place there because it was such a well-written setting.

The ending...

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't this epic, climactic battle. There was a twist, which I usually like, but this one, I just didn't really care about. In the end, it's revealed that Loki is not the man in the chair, but actually just the underling of another god, Tyr, who was actually the bad guy the whole time woooow. I dunno. It fell kinda flat for me.

Overall, the beginning of this book was good, it had a great setup, interesting story, the plot was taking an interesting direction...and then the middle was just...crazy. Stuff was happening so fast and with little to no explanation before moving on to the next scene and...it was really disconcerting. By the time it was the end, I just wanted to know the outcome, not really caring very much about the characters involved. It's really sad, because this book sounded so. so. good. And I LOVED The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards SO MUCH. I guess I was just hoping this one would be as good.

Also, little side note...it's not even exclusively Norse gods. It's a mix of Roman, Greek, a whole bunch of other mythologies. I was kind of disappointed by that, it kinda ruined my suspension of disbelief. And despite the blurb, LOKI IS HARDLY IN THIS BOOK. AND I AM NOT A FAN.