She knows that her mother's death was not by fire. She was murdered. But no one believes her. Grace has been sent to live with her grandfather on Embassy Row, a line of embassies representing various countries. Her grandfather is the American ambassador to Adria. However, her troubles follow her when she thinks she sees her mother's killer, the man with the scar on his face. I love a good mystery/thriller. This book has adventure along with a surprise twist that I never saw coming. I think I still need to reread this book to make sure I got the ending right. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, See How They Run, and the third one in the series is titled, Take the Key and Lock Her Up. Allusions anyone?
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This is the third in a trilogy. So you will want to read The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials first. So Thomas made it out of the Scorch Trials alive, but he's now locked up because he has the virus. Surprise, surprise, everyone has the virus. It's just that he and some of his friends are immune to its effects, a.k.a. "Munies." Unfortunately, Newt is not immune, but that doesn't mean that Thomas will leave him behind. He and some of his friends get out of WICKED headquarters and head for the city, but the trials seem tame compare to the real world with so many under the Flare's control. Will they ever find a cure? Will they ever be safe? This book was such a disappointment after The Scorch Trials. I will have to say that I did not enjoy the ending, and I felt like Dashner killed off characters he couldn't find a way to save. There is no happy ending in this, and I have to say I struggled through most of the book. When it ended, I had to say, "Really? That's it." I thought there was another book, and there is, but it's a prequel, so no luck for the characters that were killed in this last book. This is the third in the series. So you will want to read The Selection and The Elite before reading this review. America has survived so many tests and trials, attacks from other girls, attacks from rebels, a whipping, and now she must make a choice. Will she fight for Maxon, or will she marry Aspen? Is this about duty or love? How can she be a part of a kingdom that she does not believe in, a kingdom based on a caste system she knows is wrong? Will she even have the chance with rebel attacks coming so frequently? Okay, I have to give it to Kiera Cass. After making America very unlikable in The Elite, she made a great comeback with The One. I don't know how I feel about authors killing off characters sometimes, but in the end, it made America a more sympathetic character, one you could relate to and not so caught up in the drama of being picked. She even made Celeste more likable. I have to say this book made up for the second one. So if you lose heart in The Elite, this one makes up for it. This is the sequel to The Selection. If you don't want any spoilers, read that book first before reading this review. America Singer has made it to the Elite in the Selection. There are only five other girls left to be Prince Maxon's bride. Yes, she's realized that she cares about Maxon, but she's not so sure about being a princess. With the rebels, she's also starting to realize there are more dangerous things than her rival's nails. But now, Aspen's back in the picture. This was my least favorite of the Selection series. I was so mad at America for stringing both Maxon and Aspen along. By the end, it wasn't who should she choose, it was who will take her now? I'm hoping for a better ending. So since both of the guys are still willing to put up with her at the end, I guess I will go through one more book. It's every girl's dream to be a princess, right? Not for America Singer. She's only wanted to save enough money to marry her true love, Aspen. He may be in a lower caste, but he's all she's ever wanted. Then the call goes out to every girl to put their name and face in for a selection to be the wife of Prince Maxon. Urged by her parents and even her boyfriend, America puts in her name, knowing that she will never be chosen. And then she is. So I will admit that I did not want to read this book because of the cover. Girls in prom dresses, sigh, no thanks. But I have to say that I enjoyed getting to know the characters and was interested in some of the plot twists. So I decided to pick up book number two. As far as dystopia goes, it's not the Hunger Games, but it does have some exciting scenes in it. This is the sequel to Maze Runner. So you might want to read that first before reading this review. After the Maze, Thomas and his friends are thrilled to have a place to sleep and food in their bellies. Soon they will be able to go back to where they belong. That's until they go to sleep. When they wake up, the world is worse than before, and this test will make the Maze look easy. I loved the sequel. I have to admit it took me a while to follow everything in the Maze Runner. But now, I've already picked up their lingo and the story line, and I'm ready for the next chapter. Every time I think I know what is going to happen, then Dasher throws in something new. I still have very little idea of what is going on, but I want to know, and the Death Cure will be on hold soon. Yes, this is the second of four. This middle school has no idea what is about to happen when they get a new substitute teacher. Rush Revere seems different right from the start, and it is not only the fact that he has a talking horse with him. He can travel through time, and he takes two students, Freedom and Tommy, on an adventure right back to the 1620s for a look at the Pilgrims and their beginnings in America. For the most part, the story moved quickly, and there were several near-death experiences. Limbaugh does a nice job of bringing you into the story. However, the characters seemed wooden to me, and the jumps back and forth through history make the story choppy. I know the author does not want to bog down the reader, but a little continuation would be good. This would be a good read for those who enjoy history and more action than character. What if the world was not that what you thought it was? What if you took a test that would let you help make the world a better place? What if that test took you to a place you never knew existed? That is the start of Becker Drane's new life in the Seems. I'm always impressed with fantasy writers who are able to create a whole world that does not exist and have it make sense to the readers. They have every detail mapped out and planned out. I also enjoyed (and was slightly frustrated) over the details that would be "another story." (You'll understand when you read the book.) I have to say the plot did drag some because the storyline kept bouncing from one place to another, and I was listening to this on an audio CD so sometimes it was hard to follow. Not one of my favorites, but still an interesting read. You will want to read the others in the series, Divergent and Insurgent before reading this review.
The coup of the factions is successful, and now Tobias's mother, Evelyn, leads the factionless that has taken over the city. But even though Tobias and Tris thought the factions were evil, they don't know if Evelyn's system is any better. Anything about factions has been stripped from people, and they are punished for wearing clothing that resembles the faction uniforms. Now Tobias and Tris are determined to find a new way through the Allegiant, a group who is thinking of returning to the old way of factions. They join together to find out what the message from Edith Prior, Tris's ancestor, was all about. Such build up, and such a let down. I am going to be brutally honest and say I wish I had never started this series after reading the ending. If you did not like the Hunger Games trilogy ending, you will absolutely hate this one. Roth certainly built up the momentum and left you hanging, chasing down every turn, and then...what? So without giving away the ending, let's just say I was not pleased. There is some sense of conclusion at the end, but it is not where I would have gone with the story. Sorry, I like my semi-happy endings. You will want to read the others in the series, Delirium and Pandemonium before reading this review.
Lena can hardly believe that Alex is alive. After falling in love with Julian, she doesn't know where to turn. At the same time, her best friend, Hana, is preparing to marry the mayor, and life seems to be working out just as she planned after her cure. Will either of them find happiness or safety in a world that is at war? Sorry to say that I did not enjoy this final book in the trilogy. There was too much thought process and not enough action for me. Also there was a lot more swearing (though there was some in the first two) in this last book. The ending for me did not make me feel like the story was wrapped up, and I kept waiting for something more that was not there. |
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June 2021
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