I didn't realize this was YA (stupid I know) so I'm going to refrain from saying anything critical. All the things I didn't like were probably due to I didn't realize this was YA (stupid I know) so I'm going to refrain from saying anything critical. All the things I didn't like were probably due to it being a thriller written for teenagers. It was fun to read at least and I liked the premise and the supernatural aspects. ...more
Wow I'm so glad I finally read it. I had only read passages of it before but it was totally with sitting and reading the whole thing through. I don't Wow I'm so glad I finally read it. I had only read passages of it before but it was totally with sitting and reading the whole thing through. I don't even know what to say I can't stop crying because of how things are for Charlie and I guess I just wish that they way he was treated wasnt so close to reality. Also it's kind of painful to have to question things like intimacy vs intelligence and self actualization which are brought up so poignantly in the book. I don't even know if anything I'm saying is making any sense but the book really got to me and now I need to be alone to cry and consolidate myself with it and the new ideas it has made me consider....more
I thought this was weaker than the first book in the duology and I think it's mostly due to how corny Shahrzad and Khalid are. I just found it hard toI thought this was weaker than the first book in the duology and I think it's mostly due to how corny Shahrzad and Khalid are. I just found it hard to enjoy the book because of how facile most of the characters seemed to me. I think I've just read enough YA/romance that it's ceased to be enjoyable. ...more
I don't really have strong feelings about this one. It felt easy to read and the pacing was good. I kept wanting to read to find out what would happenI don't really have strong feelings about this one. It felt easy to read and the pacing was good. I kept wanting to read to find out what would happen next. It was way too saccharine at times though and there was nothing really memorable about it. It felt like it hit all the expected notes for a YA novel but it didn't really provide anything unique in a way that would make me think about it after putting it down. ...more
I made the classic mistake of picking a book up without any idea what it was about and I was caught really off guard when I found out it was about theI made the classic mistake of picking a book up without any idea what it was about and I was caught really off guard when I found out it was about the Holocaust. I felt really conflicted because I usually avoid fictional accounts of the Holocaust, because I personally find it to be in bad taste at this point in my life, but I also feel the compulsive need to finish any book I start. I ended up forcing myself to tough it out and read the whole thing.
I did try to give the book a chance but it was painful for me to read. I guess I just don't see what purpose this book serves or what I'm supposed to get out of it. Even if I was just looking at it as a piece of art or exercise in creativity, I didn't find it compelling. The writing style didn't work for me, often times when things would happen in the book they felt really abrupt and the tone/characterization felt really inconsistent. I kind of understand what the author may have been trying to do but I don't think they pulled it off successfully. ...more
I don't really have any strong opinions or feelings about this one. I didn't love or hate it. Felt like kind of a mindless chick lit read. I don't really have any strong opinions or feelings about this one. I didn't love or hate it. Felt like kind of a mindless chick lit read. ...more
Usually after finishing a book I feel annoyed and disappointed by the ending. I think endings are really hard to nail but feel like Mirza did a great Usually after finishing a book I feel annoyed and disappointed by the ending. I think endings are really hard to nail but feel like Mirza did a great job. The ending wasn't satisfying but it has stayed with me and I still feel sort of like the breath has been knocked out of me when I think about it. I did find the book really easy to read in general and it felt like every plot point was thought through and deliberate because it all fits together really well. I do have to say though the dad (Rafiq) was really testing my ability to be empathetic. ...more
I think this book has really good pacing and storytelling, I definitely stayed up all night to finish it. I generally have this problem with thrillersI think this book has really good pacing and storytelling, I definitely stayed up all night to finish it. I generally have this problem with thrillers where I can't do anything else because I can't bear not knowing whats going to happen. I have to rate it three stars though because I just couldn't sit through the descriptions of torture without feeling ill. I ended up skimming them as I got further into the book. I'm sure other people with stronger stomachs might not have had that problem but I kind of felt icky for days after and I'm not sure it needed that level of gratuitous detail. ...more
This was an enjoyable pop math book and I think it does a great job of explaining why math is interesting and engaging. I don't really have any strongThis was an enjoyable pop math book and I think it does a great job of explaining why math is interesting and engaging. I don't really have any strong opinions about this one, I was mostly reading it to remind myself why I enjoyed math to keep myself motivated while studying....more
I really liked the book before this (Iron Gold), but this one wasn't as good. The pacing felt off, the plot felt slow and it was too long. I had troubI really liked the book before this (Iron Gold), but this one wasn't as good. The pacing felt off, the plot felt slow and it was too long. I had trouble paying attention at multiple points because honestly it's kind of boring to read about violence and battle in so much detail. Not sure if I'm going to read #6. ...more
I did like the writing and narrative style of the book but I didn't love it as much as I had thought I would. The premise of the book seemed promisingI did like the writing and narrative style of the book but I didn't love it as much as I had thought I would. The premise of the book seemed promising (I love depressing books) but it didn't resonate with me. It felt strange watching an experience similar to your own through the perspective of someone who is witnessing what's happening, especially when it's told in a way romanticizing something that's quite ugly in reality. Also the explanations they come up with the end seemed ridiculous, they didn't even consider the most obvious one: (view spoiler)[ the girls were trapped inside a house that was falling apart and where they weren't even being fed. They were literally pulled out of school. Wouldn't that make anyone feel trapped enough to give up? This isn't even accounting for the death of Cecilia (hide spoiler)]....more
Liked this one better than Morning Star but not as much as the original book. The build up was good and I felt relieved to be following characters othLiked this one better than Morning Star but not as much as the original book. The build up was good and I felt relieved to be following characters other than Darrow. Honestly the Darrow parts were the most boring and I kept wanting to skim....more
After I read the second one I immediately had to read this one because the ending to the second one made me feel sick to my stomach and I can not stanAfter I read the second one I immediately had to read this one because the ending to the second one made me feel sick to my stomach and I can not stand waiting. I didn't feel like this one was as good as the two before it. All three books have good pacing and I felt completely engrossed while reading. I think what put me off is Darrow, I was already beginning to tire of him during the second book but this one just made him unbearable. It's a shame because I remember I really enjoyed the first book. ...more
I enjoyed it but not nearly as much as the first book. Also Darrow started to get on my nerves honestly, probably because I have some ideological diffI enjoyed it but not nearly as much as the first book. Also Darrow started to get on my nerves honestly, probably because I have some ideological differences in how I think about justice....more
I don't really have any strong feelings about this book. I didn't hate or love it. I can relate to the feelings of nihilism expressed through out but I don't really have any strong feelings about this book. I didn't hate or love it. I can relate to the feelings of nihilism expressed through out but there was something dissatisfactory about the way the plot unfolds. I was just kind of felt left feeling like "is this it?" at the end. Also (view spoiler)[the peeing in/messing with the food just made me want to not eat out ever again (hide spoiler)]....more
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