paper_queen's reviews
83 reviews

This was probably the most confusing, crazy, and wild book I've ever read.

The characters were kind of...odd. Christopher was annoying at times. I disliked Niya VERY much. Jumar was my favorite character out of all of them. Well...and maybe Arne...

This was a SUPER thick book, and I'm proud I pushed through, but I had a lot of problems with it;

I thought the sex scene felt totally weird and forced. I mean...why? Another reason I disliked Niya...

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There was more swearing than there should've been. I mean, the characters are fourteen-year-olds! I found some parts to be gruesome and some of the descriptions were gross too. But...I thought the storyline was really interesting. I loved the fact that Jumar was invisible. That was really cool and fun to read. All in all, I really enjoyed this, even though it was a little odd at times...

Wow, that only took me forever to read. XD

I liked it well enough. There was a lot of back and forth, will-they-won't-they with Adrian and Nova, and that got a bit old a bit quickly.

ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE DIE AND I'M NOT OKAY WITH THAT?!? LIKE?!? MY SWEET BOY CALLUM? EXCUSE ME?!

I liked how the stakes were raised, the ending was nerve-wracking and kept me turning pages. I don't know how to feel about the epilogue just yet...very mixed feelings about that.

But overall, I like how this wrapped up. A bit open-ended for my taste, but it was a good conclusion to this trilogy.

Initial Response
Well...that was the ABSOLUTE WORST CLIFFHANGER I'VE EVER READ.

High Lights
- Adrian is still a precious bean. Still wonderful. Still adorable.
- Nova is still Nova. Gruff, but also secretly sweet and cuddly.
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OKAY BUT CAN THEY JUST TELL EACH OTHER ALREADY. PLEASE. THEY NEED EACH OTHER. Well...maybe...maybe that would end badly, considering that ending, but...PLEASE. THEY NEED TO BE A COUPLE.

- I'm also loving the little budding romance of Oscar and Ruby. Oscar is such a dork and Ruby is awesome and they make like the CUTEST couple. <33
- I really loved seeing a bit more into Adrian's home life, that was really interesting. The Everharts are the perfect picture of a dysfunctional family and I love it.
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OH GOSH ACE IS TAKEN. AAGGHHH. NOT OKAY. And when Nova was so close...it hurts my heart. :(

- I loved the introduction to Agent N, I think it adds a really interesting plot point that really changed things up.

And stupid Genissa and her team got what was coming to them, so HA. YES.

- Callum is precious. I love him so much. Why wasn't there more of him. Please tell me he's going to be in the next book. PLEASE.
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Also, WINSTON. Even though he's a super villain IT STILL HURTS MY HEART TO SEE HIM LOSE HIS POWERS. *cries a river*

- Basically just Adrian and Nova are adorable. This book could really just be titled Adrian and Nova Being Adorable.

Low Lights
- ...Buuuuut. Despite my love for the adorable couple-ness, it kind of felt...like nothing was really happening? Like, there were some good action sequences, but...I don't know, I feel like the whole story was based on Nova getting the helmet. And while that's fine, and important...I was kind of wishing for a little more.
- Also, YOU CAN'T END A BOOK LIKE THAT. That is not okay. Nothing was resolved, even more questions were raised, and NOW I HAVE TO WAIT. I feel like a good book resolves at least most of the problems that were raised in it, but Archenemies...did NOT do that.

Conclusion
This was a fun, superhero read! Seeing all the different abilities and supers was really neat, and as always the world-building was intriguing and really pulled you in. Though I maybe would have preferred more meaningful action, the Adrian/Nova romance was super cute and it makes me really excited to so how this story will end!

Initial Response
...GOODNESS. That was INTENSE.

High Lights
- EVERYTHING, BASICALLY.
- Peter is still Peter. And I still loved him.
- I LOVED reentering the world of Neverland, and this time with some new worldbuilding! It was really neat to see how things had changed.

The bottle of poison that seeped into the lagoon, and then EVERYWHERE. Totally evilly delightful form of worldbuilding.

- I just really love all the creativity. It's so cool, playing with all sorts of different ideas and things.
- The Lost Boys and Wendy are still hilarious. XD
- THE PLOT TWISTS. (Okay, I admit, this is a re-read, but the first time I read it, I remember being ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED at the twists. It was so much fun. :D)

RAVELLO. I HATE YOU BUT I LIKE YOU. I've always had a soft spot for Captain Hook, and this made me so confused and a muddled mess of feels. It's a complicated thing. XD

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PETER TURNED INTO HOOK. This is AMAZING and makes TOTAL SENSE, but I don't know if it makes me hate Hook/Ravello even more or less. GAH HELP.

- Also, points for the fun, whimsical narration and writing style. Such a delight to read. :D

Low Lights
- Um...I don't really have any?
- There were a few gross parts, but...yeah, it wasn't a big deal at all.
- So...NOTHING.

Conclusion
This was SO much fun, and I'm SO glad I re-read this book! Peter Pan was always a favorite of mine, and this book just makes his story a thousand times better. <3 If you love Peter Pan, pirates, or books, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.

Initial Response
That was really, really cute. *sighs happily*

High Lights
- I love me some snarky, sarcastic characters, so Kate was really fun to read. I found I related to her quite often. If she was a real person, I would LOVE to be her friend. (Which is funny, because Kate's friend in the book is named Maddy. XD)
- All the police interaction and such was really cool to see. It was much more laid-back and normal than I thought it would be. Kate and the policemen were really like friends.
- All the references. I just loved them. It feels like a little inside joke when authors put those in there and I love it.
- I really love this writing style! It flowed so well and I had a little movie playing in my mind the entire time.

Low Lights
- The book as a whole was a little slow for a mystery/crime book, but I don't really read a whole lot of crime books, so I guess I don't really know pacing.
- Some relationships I felt were left a bit open-ended.

DJ WHY?!?!?

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- The Christian element of this book really only came into play during the last half of the book. Which wasn't a bad thing at all, but I guess I was just expecting more.

Conclusion
All in all, this was a fun, quick read. The characters were memorable, the story was realistic, and I loved it all so very much. 

Initial Response
THAT WAS SO CUTE. ^_^

High Lights
- Okay, first off...THE WORLDBUILDING. OH MY WORD. SO AMAZING. :D All of the different villages in Furthermore were so unique and well thought out, and even though they were crazy and illogical, I loved them so much. A village where people don't move, a town where everything is two-dimensional...I won't spoil every place for you, but there are so, so many cool villages.

I also find it absolutely fascinating the fact that Furthermore is a bloodthirsty, violent, man-eating world where every turn you could die suddenly and in the most unexpected way. That. That was interesting.

And the people there! So many interesting characters! I couldn't begin to describe them all, but I will say, Tim, paper fox, and Isal are my favorites. :)
- Alice is such a darling of a character! I loved that she was an accurately portrayed twelve-year-old. She is definitely a more mature twelve, but twelve nonetheless. Her bouncy energy and curiosity had me smiling more often than not. And her relationship with Oliver? SO ADORABLE.

Well. Not at first. And then not a while after. But when they truly learn to be honest and trust each other, they're friendship is so pure and wonderful. <3

- OLIVER. I have too many words too say about him. He's mouthy, he's sarcastic, he's cocky, but he's also sweet, and misunderstood, and actually just a smol sad bean who needs love.
- These two's friendship is seriously goals. I really appreciated that this was a friendship, not anything more. Because we don't have enough of those in books and it was really refreshing.
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The fact that FURTHERMORE KNOWS ALL AND SEES ALL. Alice and Oliver's whole journey being planned out ahead of time, unbeknownst to them, was such twist! It made everything just a little more intense and epic. (Part of the reason I love Isal. Because she's the one who's blunt and puts this knowledge out there for them. XD)

- All the neat items were so fun! Rulers to measure time spent in Furthermore and a literal pocketbook full of people's pockets were my favorites. :)
- THAT SWEET AS SYRUP ENDING. I couldn't imagine a better ending for this story, honestly. I loved it to pieces. <333
- Paper foxes are my new favorite thing.

Low Lights
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As I mentioned in a previous spoiler, some (okay, most) of the people of Furthermore have some...human-eating tendencies... There is a somewhat reasonable explanation for this, and nothing is ever shown, but just a warning.

- This is not an important point, but as I was reading, I got the sense that this book maybe should've been marketed as a YA novel. The story was more childlike and playful, suited to younger people, but the tone and writing style felt much older than a middle grade reading level.

Conclusion
If you're looking for a fun, whimsical, fluffy read with AMAZING worldbuilding and memorable characters, you might consider picking this one up. I honestly enjoyed it a good deal more than I thought I would. A lovely gem of a book.

Initial Response
Well that was probably THE MOST TENSE BOOK I'VE EVER READ. O_O

High Lights
- I really liked the characters! I thought they were all really unique and Kenzie was a wonderful main character. They were all really well rounded and I grew to love all of the different personalities, some crazier than others... (*cough*Mia*cough*)
- The whole idea was really neat! A giant prison floating in space that houses the worlds' deadliest super-powered teenagers. I mean. C'mon. That's pretty epic.
- THE TENSION. IT. WAS. SO. THIIIICK. I'm pretty sure I hurt the poor book I was gripping it so hard. XD

But seriously, I was NOOOOOT expecting this to be an alien book! Like, whhaaa?? Did NOT see that coming!! I still loved it, despite that though. I thought the aliens were really well thought-out and interesting. They asexually reproduce? With weird gross slime? And they're super intelligent with their own language and technology? Kinda weird, but I can dig it!

Low Lights
- Okay.

WHYYYYY did Tyler have to die. What. Why. No. That didn't have to happen. I would've been understanding of Matt. It was really sad, really traumatic, but it was fine, really. BUT TYLER. IS. FOUR. TEEN. Um but excuse me no.

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I was...kind of upset this wasn't more about the super-powered villainous teens, if I'm being honest. XD I was really expecting like a superhero book, maybe a bit sci-fi, but instead I got...a thriller with aliens. Which was fine! I really actually enjoyed it, despite not really being all that into sci-fi. It was really a great book! I was just kind of wishing for an epic villain/superhero-in-space adventure.

- I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary swearing. It was really stilted and odd and didn't really fit in to the dialogue all that great, like it was thrown in there just so it would be there. So that was a bit disappointing. :P

Conclusion
Despite not being all about the sci-fi genre, I really loved this book! I'm glad I dipped a bit outside my regular fantasy books! If you're looking for a really intense, sci-fi thriller (with a surprise twist, oh wow), consider jumping into this one!

Initial Response
Aww...that was so cute!

High Lights
- Copper was a great main character. And I love how she actually had an interest (knitting). You don't see many MC's with hobbies very often. At least I don't.
- Questrid was a favorite character. He's just an all-round super nice guy. :)

Also, it makes me so happy to know that he's actually LINDEN, AUNT RUBY'S SON.

- Ralick made my life, pretty much. He was the best part of this book. Totally sarcastic and hilarious.

Which is why it was SUPER SAD when he got all chewed up by the wolf cub!!! But I guess it's okay, since the wolf cub is kind of like a new Ralick now.

- The worldbuilding was really cool, and I wouldn't mind reading a whole series about how the different Wood and Rocker people live and use their abilities.
- Also, there's a dragon, which pleases me greatly.

Low Lights
- I didn't really like how unresolved the fighting with the Rockers felt. Like...Granite is still mad? Hello? Isn't that going to be problematic?
- I also didn't like how totally fine Copper is with her parents finally, randomly coming into her life. It didn't really seem realistic. I mean, I know you'd be happy to have your parents back...but you don't really know them, not really. It just seemed really, I don't know, rushed? But I am nit-picking this a bit since it is just a MG book.

Conclusion
This was a fun re-read! Copper is a funny, great main character, and the setting is really intriguing and I'd love to know more! If you're looking for a light summer read, this might be the book for you. 

This book is not what I was expecting. Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors, so, naturally, I thought I would love this book. This book, though not as good as some of her other books, was a very enjoyable read.

Aza has the most amazing singing voice, one of the two things that everyone in Ayortha wishes for. But she does not possess the second, which is beauty. not even close. Her skin is milk pale, and her hair frying pan black. But when she ends up in the new queen’s castle and is asked to be her lady-in-waiting, Aza is hesitant, but then realizes what a benefit it would be to her family, who runs a small inn, in the village below. But when Aza is asked by the queen to do a very dangerous task, she finds herself wrapped up in a mystery full of love, beauty, and danger.

This retelling of the Snow White story, at least I thought, was very different from the classic tale. At times, I even forgot that it was a retelling, but then I would remember and be like ‘Oh yeah!’ The romance was also way more complex then in the original story. Obviously though, since the original story is the most predictable and sappy story line.

But the part where Aza takes the apple, I was a bit taken aback. Aza ‘dies’ and gets taken into the magic mirror, where an evil man lives. That part weirded me out a bit, but thinking back, it was not that scary.

There were many twists in the story, some I suspected, some I didn’t see coming. and I also thought that the story got better as it got along. I felt that some of the characters got stronger and developed into better characters as the story went along. I would like to make a point though, if you do not like singing, this book may not be for you. There is lots of singing. The characters sing/talk throughout the book, there are songs scattered all over in the book, and singing is a big part of the plot line.

I would like to say again that the story was not predictable. At one point, I even thought that another boy liked Aza. It was suspenseful at many points in the story. It kept me guessing.

The characters were so great and memorable! Aza was such a great heroine and I really liked her and felt her sadness. Prince Ijori… he drove me a bit nuts. He was so sweet in the beginning and I was just warming up to him.. and then something happens… and then I hate him! By the end of the book I’m still angry at him, but I guess I can forgive him… Weirdness must run in the family, because Queen Ivi made me half crazy. She made me have compassion for her, and other times, she made me so angry! unlike Aza’s family and the gnomes. Yeah, did I mention there are gnomes? They are so cute and funny and I would not mind living with them for a bit… In conclusion, the story was very good, not one of my favorites, but still very good.

Initial Response
Huh. That was pretty cool.

High Lights
- CARLOS IS MY FAVORITE. Seriously, he was my favorite character in the book.
- Steven is also awesome.

Except when he just stands and stares and doesn't take action. Then, not so much. Also...WHO ARE HIS PARENTS?

- I loved all the different settings! We moved from Hong Kong, to France, to Africa...I felt like I was traveling the globe along with the characters. ^_^
- The idea of the zodiac giving special abilities was really cool.
- The ending made me SUPER curious...

CLIFFHANGGGGGGGGER. :P WHO IS THIAGO. LIKE. I NEED MORE.

- Also, THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE AMAZING.

Low Lights
- I didn't particularly like Jasmine. She just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. :|
- I wish there would've been more...I don't know, characterization? It is a large cast of characters, but I just wish we could've gotten to know them all...separately. I get a sense of their person, but not enough to satisfy me. (Which may be addressed in the next book, but still.)
- In my opinion, it honestly would've been a better movie than a book. The whole time I was thinking, This would probably make more sense in movie form. And that's probably because it was written by STAN LEE. It would be an awesome movie, just saying. Marvel should seriously option it.
- The writing style felt a little jarring to me. It didn't flow very smoothly.
- There was a lot of action. And I'm TOTALLY an action girl, but...Some kind of break, maybe? It just felt like it was thing after thing after thing, with no rest for the characters. I'm down for torturing the poor characters (...that...sounded really bad. XD), but, c'mon. Give them at least a little break.

Conclusion
This review makes it seem like a bad book...Whoops. It's not. It's a really fun, action-packed book. Marvel is my fandom, so I HAD to pick this one up. And though I wasn't blown away, I wasn't necessarily disappointed either. It's just a fun book. I might consider reading the next book. We'll see.