Short and Simple Review I listened to this book on audio.
This series was raved about all This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Short and Simple Review I listened to this book on audio.
This series was raved about all over a couple of years ago. Well, it took me a couple of years, but I finally got around to finishing the series.
Now, I didn't love books one and two as much as everybody else. I liked them, but I didn't love them. While reading book two, I questioned whether I wanted to continue the series. But then that book ended in a cliffhanger, so I begrudgingly checked out this book. And I am so glad that I did! While in the last book I figured things out early on, this book kept me on my toes. There were so many twists and surprises in this book! I feel like I just can't talk about this book without spoiling things, so I'll just say that, wow, this was a great end to the series....more
MY THOUGHTS After reading, and loving, A Week without Tuesday, I immediately wanted to read the next book in the series! This book had an entirely different tone than the previous two books, but it takes the world of story in an entirely new direction and discusses some more difficult topics, all while still in this fantasy world.
Tuesday can't write. The words won't come to her. Her mother is in the same boat. But it's not just writer's block, they're grieving. Tuesday's father has died suddenly and she is having trouble getting herself to write. But they can't stay away from the land of stories. While Tuesday's mother goes into the land of stories to try and bring herself back, Tuesday is taken by Loddon, a character who thinks that Tuesday is his writer.
While the last two books were fun reads, this book takes a completely different turn. Tuesday's father dies before the start of the book (this is not a spoiler), so the book begins with us seeing the grieving family. When I read these scenes, it hit me hard, and I knew that this book would not be the same as the others. This book honestly just captures grief in such a different way, but it still felt authentic. It shows how grief can make everything hard, even making it hard to do the things you usually love to do. The land of stories even illustrates how it affects the writing process, to the point where the author's world is frozen. It made the book read like a fantastical book, while also making us able to relate to the character's journeys.
Like the other books in the series, this book approaches storytelling in a unique way. I wasn't sure how it would be expanded after the fantastic last week, but it does do a great job. We see more about how a story is created in this world in the first place, and the unfinished books in the world. We see how much the characters affect the authors, and not always in a positive way. I wondered about unfinished/abandoned books ever since they were briefly mentioned in the library in the first book. It was fascinating, and even a little frightening, seeing how this was shown in the book!
The main characters are so well-developed in this book. There are some minor characters that felt like they were there just to move the plot forward (example: Collette), but many of the main characters, and even characters that show up again from previous books, felt even more developed. They have grown and changed since book one. Tuesday certainly has changed and we see her as a very different person from the start of this book to the end. I really loved Tuesday's and Serendipity's relationship. In this book more than others, both Tuesday and her mother are going through their own journey's and they really must come together. We even learn more about Serendipity's childhood.
The ending was absolutely beautiful. It was incredibly sad and boy did it make me cry (I'm teary-eyed just thinking about it), but it was such a fantastic end to the book. Even though it was sad, it did warm my heart and was just the perfect end to the series.
IN CONCLUSION Overall, I am a bit sad that this series is over with. This was such a wonderfully imaginative series and I am so glad that I picked it up! I didn't like this book quite as much as A Week Without Tuesday, but I still loved the book and I think it was just a beautiful end to the series. I think this series will stick with me for a while. ...more
MY THOUGHTS After reading Finding Serendipity, I immediately put this book on hold at my This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
MY THOUGHTS After reading Finding Serendipity, I immediately put this book on hold at my library because I enjoyed it so much. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this even more than the first book and that this is my first 5 star read of 2020!
Just as Tuesday is becoming a writer, writing is taken away from her. Famous writers across the world are disappearing and then appearing in remote places far from home. So, Tuesday's father has forbidden her and her mother from writing, in fear of the same happening to them, but you cannot avoid writing and the place stories come from. Vivienne Small, the main character of Serendipity's books, is noticing that something is wrong with her world and calls for Tuesday and Baxterr. There is something wrong with the land of stories and if Tuesday doesn't fix it, that means no more stories can be written.
I absolutely loved the premise of the first book, Finding Serendipity. I loved how it was a book about books, but it focused on the craft of writing, and it was an imaginative take on how authors create their stories. But the adventure in the last book didn't fully capture my attention. I loved it, but I still felt the need to take breaks. I did not want a break from this book! I read it beginning to end in one afternoon because the adventure was so compelling!
This book really expanded the universe of writing from book one. We only really got to see the library and Vivienne's world before, but now we see how all of the writers' worlds are spaced together, and the danger that occurs when they get too close! It made for a very thrilling story! We also learn more about the Librarian, as well as who helps run the land of stories. It was just so imaginative, seeing how the land of stories functioned. I still have a few questions in regards to the worlds: Do screenwriters and playwrights create worlds here too? What about fanfiction? If someone writes fanfiction, do they create their own world or does it combine with the original world? I can't help but be curious about this world!
As thrilling as this book was, it was also quite amusing! The world is not as fun as the first book (although, there were also dangers in book one!), and there were very deadly situations, but it was all written in a rather amusing way. This book is written with that classic middle-grade charm that makes reading fun, even if you are anxious about the characters surviving a situation. Like the last book, this book also followed multiple characters, occasionally showing the real world while events happened in the land of stories. In the last book, I didn't feel as tense because we found out early on that the mother was okay. This book has tense moments on both sides, so the switches between worlds added tension and made me really want to keep reading!
IN CONCLUSION Overall, I loved this book and I already put the next book on hold at my library! I honestly wish this land of stories would exist, because how fun would it be to be literally taken to another world, a world you have created (of course this sounds more fun when you're not writing a dangerous book)! But I'll just have to not-so-literary be taken to another world when writing....more
Short and Simple Review Like the last two books, I also listened to this one in audio. AlThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Short and Simple Review Like the last two books, I also listened to this one in audio. Also like the last two books, the audio was fantastic.
I loved Louisiana's Way Home and when I first started this book, I was not sure if I would love this book as much. In Raymie Nightingale, I liked Beverly, but I was not very curious about her. Yet, as I kept reading (or listening to) this book, I found myself drawn into her story. Like the last book, we do not see the three friends together. This one takes place four years after Raymie Nightingale and two years after Louisiana's Way Home. Beverly has been friends with Raymie for these four years but after her dog dies, she takes off. This book shows Beverly as more than just the tough girl she was in the first book, but the voice was distinctly hers. Running away, she has to act like she is older, finding a job and a home, escaping from what she feels like she has to escape from. It is interesting that we never really know what she wants to run away from. Yes, we do technically know because we know how Beverly feels at times, but her dog dies before the start of the book and her mother is also not in the book. Even without them being there, we still understand their impact, just like we understand the friendship between the Three Rancheros without them being together. I do find it interesting that the book touches on grieving for a pet because I feel like that type of grief is not shown in books a lot (usually the pet dies at the very end so we do not see the people grieve and even if it is shown earlier in the book, it does not show the emotions). Like the last book, the characters were phenomenal. I loved Iola, the elderly woman Beverly ends up staying with, and I loved Beverly's friendship with Elmer! The ending was phenomenal and it made me sad to end this trilogy! I wish I could see more from these girls!
Overall, I really liked this series. I liked how each girl got their own book and how the books grew with them. I do not know which one is my favorite, but probably either Louisiana's Way Home or Beverly Right Here. Someday it might be nice to go back and read this series rather than listen to them. I do recommend this series....more
Short and Simple Review I listened to this book on audio and, like Raymie Nightingale, thThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Short and Simple Review I listened to this book on audio and, like Raymie Nightingale, the audio was fantastic. I finished it fairly quickly. In Raymie Nightingale I found myself the most curious about Louisiana. Her situation seemed very strange. She has a confident personality but she does not quite understand everything. Since I was so curious, I was excited to dive into this book from her POV. Right away Louisiana's Grandma tells her that they are leaving town. Louisiana does not get to say goodbye to her friends (this book takes place two years after Raymie Nightingale), so this book does not feature the three friends together. I liked learning more about her history and her situation, and some things Louisiana learned along with me. Her voice and personality are also a lot different than Raymie's. Louisiana is very innocent about many things, but she oftentimes pretends to be an adult, which she should not have to do (and she is put in this situation multiple times in this book). In this book, we also see that she sometimes has an unusual way of looking at things, and this too felt true to her character. I loved the cast of characters (even though some were not likable). I especially loved the Allen family. Like the companion book, this does touch on some heartbreaking moments, but the ending is heartwarming. Overall, this is a great book....more
MY THOUGHTS I've made it to the last book in the series! This had a lot more going on thanThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
MY THOUGHTS I've made it to the last book in the series! This had a lot more going on than the previous books, but I still don't think it was as great as the first book in the series.
Cassie is now Balthazar's wife and she fears the day spring comes and Balthazar wakes up to impregnate her. She spends her days locked in the marionette cabinet, her nights outside under the stars. But she's not giving up, she's found a secret location where Ettinette, Balthazar's first wife, tried to escape. At the same time, Ethan is alive, but he is in the other dimension and far from Cassie.
While the last few books have been lackluster because nothing happens, this book has a lot happening. Almost too much because I wasn't sure what was happening sometimes. The pacing is fast, and some times things felt too coincidental (i.e. a person they know just happens to be there when they need them). Like the last book, we occasionally get Ethan's perspective. He has to journey from Canada to Maimi in the frozen world, but almost all of this is skipped over. We also see some short chapters from Tobias' and Jessamine's perspectives, which I liked because they do need closure in their stories.
This book combines many of the elements of the previous books. Many of the locations make a return. The parallel universe aspect is much larger in this book than the previous book, which made it a lot more interesting. There are also quite a number of twists and surprises along the way. I alluded to events feelings coincidental, and that comes partially from the fact that almost every character that has appeared in this series makes an appearance in this book. I do think Anya Allyn has a lot of interesting ideas, though. Really, this is unlike any other series I've read before, and she's created a very unique series. I just wish it was more focused.
While I have previously struggled with Cassie's character, she has certainly grown throughout the series. She has been in incredibly frightening situations, and she handles them with a lot more strength and bravery than I ever would. This book further explains that Cassie was always meant to be a part of this mess which, again, bothers me. I'm not the biggest fan of books that say characters are fated to do such and such. I prefer it when they are ordinary people put into extraordinary situations. When characters are fated to do something, it makes their strength less outstanding, because they were always going to do it.
Now, about that ending. The ending is a huge surprise and a huge risk. It's the kind of ending that may upset quite a few people. (view spoiler)[ So, Ethan is killed by Balthazar and then Cassie later drowns while killing the serpent queen. The last chapter flashes to another dimension with Cassie moving to Australia with her family (including Prudence). I didn't dislike this ending, maybe I would have been upset if I were more attached to the series (especially the romance). It did confuse me a bit because the serpent queen says that Cassie will remember everything in her life and it will haunt her, but then she doesn't. Prudence seems to though. Does this also mean that Cassie (and everyone else) are doomed to repeat everything all over again in each world? Or is this a world that they will live peacefully in? It is an interesting way to end a series, but it left me with more questions. Also, this is the third book I read this month in which the main character dies, so you know, I'm getting tired of these dark endings. (hide spoiler)]
IN CONCLUSION Overall, this was an interesting conclusion to the series. I don't know whether I'm glad I continued this series or not, but, again, I think the author has some fantastic ideas. I just wish they were more focused. Book one is by far the best in the series, and I think the original concept got lost along the way. I don't know if I will read more from this author or not. I kind of want to see if she has any other interesting ideas and whether her writing has grown since this series, but I'm worried I'll just end up disappointed....more
MY THOUGHTS After the end of Paper Dolls, I wanted to keep reading the series. This book wThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
MY THOUGHTS After the end of Paper Dolls, I wanted to keep reading the series. This book was a little lackluster and wasn't really what I expected it to be. It had some interesting ideas, but it took a long time to get there.
Cassie doesn't know who to trust. The family that she thought she could trust, turned out to be part of the group that entrapped her in the Dollhouse in the first place. And Ethan, the boy she thought betrayed her, is back and has told her that she is from another dimension, a dimension that is in chaos. Her world is frozen, a world of ice, with serpents feeding on everyone. It's completely unrecognizable. Cassie, though, is back to being trapped, now in a castle instead of a Dollhouse. She and Molly are sent to the frozen world to find the book, but they end up in a lot more trouble.
After the end of Paper Dolls, I expected this book to focus on parallel worlds. That's part of why I continued, I'm a sucker for books featuring parallel worlds, but that wasn't the focus of this book. Cassie occasionally travels to the frozen world, but most of this book was, well, nothing. Not much happened. I actually was tempted to give up on this book, but I kept on reading because I paid for it.
Part of my disappointment comes from the synopsis. The synopsis has some frightening elements, but, I kind you not, none of that happens until the last 20% of the book. The rest of the book is mostly everyone trying to find the book, which is getting a bit old. I do think the last 20% was really interesting, and a lot more like what I expected from the book. It is incredibly frightening, and I really wanted to find out if Cassie would be okay.
This book is also in dual POV, showing some scenes from Ethan's perspective. It's interesting to see things from his perspective, but I really didn't care. I'm sorry, but Ethan isn't really that interesting of a character and I never felt chemistry between him and Cassie. I think there's romance in this book, but I say romance lightly because, well, I don't know how to explain this. Suddenly the characters are in love with each other, but I never feel a build and there's never real confirmation that they're a thing, they're just suddenly a thing. Also, while I like, Cassie, this book makes her seem like she's someone special and I don't really like that. In Dollhouse, it seemed like Cassie was in the situation because she was in the wrong place, wrong time, but now the book makes it sound like she was always meant to be a part of this. I don't know, I just preferred her being an ordinary girl that got sucked into this mess.
IN CONCLUSION Okay, I know I have a lot of nitpicks, but I did end up liking this book, mostly because the gothic elements picked up the last 20% of the book. I think this is becoming a guilty pleasure series, because I don't really enjoy reading these books, but I think Anya Allyn has a lot of interesting ideas, so I want to see how things turn out. Because of the monster of an ending, I am continuing the series....more
Jessica (Goldenfurpro)
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