It's Saturday, and that means that today I'll be showing you what I've been reading this week.
(Finished) The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater
Wow. This was good. A little too violent for me in places, but stunningly unique. No clichés here! I'm not entirely happy with the ending. Dying and being resurrected once was improbable, but then he had to go and do it again, and . . . I'm just not convinced he's still Gansey, if you know what I mean. But anyway, I liked how this last book continued to add depth to all the characters, especially Ronan. How it brought in Henry Cheng again. How the problem grew much huger and darker than I thought it would and then was resolved and tied together.
The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann
This was one of the books on my summer Middle Grade TBR list. I love the premise–"What if creativity were forbidden?" And I love the setting–dystopian Quill vs. utopian Artimé (Artimé is just the most beautiful name ever, isn't it?). But pretty much everything else about this book was . . . meh. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, but not in a good way. Mr. Today was basically a reincarnation of Dumbledore and the students sniped at each other and dramatically misunderstood one another and had crushes on one another just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Also, the POV kept jumping around mid-chapter. The book was written in third person, but it would randomly zoom in on different characters. This made it feel like there was no main character.
It was a fun read, though!
Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
YES. YES! YES!!! This is one of my new favorite books. It's fresh and fairytalish and the characters are perfect (Sophie! Howl! Calcifer!! <3 <3). I love the theme of "no one is what they seem."
(Currently reading) The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1), by John Flanagan
I want to reserve final judgment until I actually finish reading it, but so far I'm not very impressed. The story is predictable and the writing tells instead of shows. (You know the old writers' advice, "Show don't tell"?) And–this is worst of all–I don't really like the characters. But we'll see. Hopefully it'll get better.
So what about you? Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
(Finished) The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater
Wow. This was good. A little too violent for me in places, but stunningly unique. No clichés here! I'm not entirely happy with the ending. Dying and being resurrected once was improbable, but then he had to go and do it again, and . . . I'm just not convinced he's still Gansey, if you know what I mean. But anyway, I liked how this last book continued to add depth to all the characters, especially Ronan. How it brought in Henry Cheng again. How the problem grew much huger and darker than I thought it would and then was resolved and tied together.
The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann
This was one of the books on my summer Middle Grade TBR list. I love the premise–"What if creativity were forbidden?" And I love the setting–dystopian Quill vs. utopian Artimé (Artimé is just the most beautiful name ever, isn't it?). But pretty much everything else about this book was . . . meh. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, but not in a good way. Mr. Today was basically a reincarnation of Dumbledore and the students sniped at each other and dramatically misunderstood one another and had crushes on one another just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Also, the POV kept jumping around mid-chapter. The book was written in third person, but it would randomly zoom in on different characters. This made it feel like there was no main character.
It was a fun read, though!
Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
YES. YES! YES!!! This is one of my new favorite books. It's fresh and fairytalish and the characters are perfect (Sophie! Howl! Calcifer!! <3 <3). I love the theme of "no one is what they seem."
(Currently reading) The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1), by John Flanagan
I want to reserve final judgment until I actually finish reading it, but so far I'm not very impressed. The story is predictable and the writing tells instead of shows. (You know the old writers' advice, "Show don't tell"?) And–this is worst of all–I don't really like the characters. But we'll see. Hopefully it'll get better.
So what about you? Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
I still need to read The Raven King and Howl’s Moving Castle. I’m glad you mostly liked both of them!
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely both worth reading!
DeleteOooooh I almost spoiled myself by reading your review of the Raven King. But glad to hear it isn't cliche - I'm still a little terrified to touch Maggie S.' books, especially after disliking Shiver when i read it in Middle School.
ReplyDeleteBut, i think i should give her books another try after reading rave reviews of this particular series :)
Oops, I should have put a spoiler alert in there! Sorry!!
DeleteI haven't read Shiver, but I've read The Raven Cycle and The Scorpio Races, both of which I adored, although Maggie Stiefvater is a little violent for me in places. Her characters and plots, though! Masterfully crafted!