In the Afterlight Mini Review

In the Afterlight is the third and final installment of The Darkest Minds trilogy.

Wow. This was a stunning conclusion to one of my all-time favorite series. The characters grew a lot and everything was wrapped up so nicely. In the Afterlight is definitely the most dark and heavy book of the series. Compared to The Darkest Minds, a lot more things need to be solved in this book so it makes sense that it wasn't as light-hearted. There are a few comedic/happy moments but there isn't a lot. However, the ending was incredibly satisfying. There were no loose ends, everything was concluded perfectly. If you haven't read The Darkest Minds series yet, what are you waiting for?

Until Next Time,
Hana

To All the Boys I've Loved Before Mini Review

"Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letter that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved--five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control."

This was such a cute book! It was so sweet and fluffly and fun and a great read in general. I loved the family dynamic. In YA literature the family tends to be there only when it's needed but in this story, Lara Jean's family is a big part of her life. The cultural diversity was great. Not only is Lara Jean, half Korean, but her traditions and culture also play a big part in her life. The romance was cute but I felt it was superficial. I wanted to learn more about the relationships between all the characters (Josh and Margo, Peter and Gen). It was also really predictible and Lara Jean's decisions annoyed me sometime. Overall, however, this was so much fun to read and I cannot wait for the next one! 

Until Next Time,
Hana

The Lunar Chronicles Series Review

Hey guys!

I just finished Cress this morning and thought I would write a full series review.

4/5 stars

Overall, I liked this book. It was a really interesting take on the Cinderella story. I never really liked Cinderella because she was so weak but in this retelling she was a lot stronger. However, there were points where she just refused to stand up for herself and it annoyed me so much. I also really liked how the government in this book wasn't something to be afraid of. For once in a YA novel, I actually wanted the current government to stay in power. The backstory of the Earth and the Lunars and how everything came to be was really interesting as well.

What I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was too abrupt. And the "plot twist" at the end was so obvious. 50 pages in and I already new what the plot twist was. Kai and Cinder's relationship also didn't make much sense. They barely spent any time together and it was just too quick. Kai just suddenly started pining after her and I think it would have been a lot better were Kai more involved and not just there for most of the book. Even though he said he wanted to change things, he wasn't actively doing it. He was mostly complaining.

4/5 stars

Scarlet was such an improvement from Cinder. I did enjoy Cinder but this was definitely better. I really liked the characters in Scarlet. Cinder (the character) annoyed me a lot in Cinder (the book) but she was so much more badass in this one. I liked Cinder and Scarlet equally but I liked Scarlet and Wolf's relationship better than Cinder and Kai's. There's just something about the whole "mysterious bad boy" quality Wolf has that appeals to me. And Kai and Cinder's relationship never felt real to me. Kai also had more of a personality in this book but I wish we got to see more of him. When Thorne was introduced I was a bit weary but overall I think he added a fun element to the novel and he reminded me a lot of Captain Jack Sparrow. I think these books are a lot more about the characters themselves than about the plot but it's still really interesting. I really liked how everything connected in this book and how the ending was a proper ending.The way the story left all the characters was really satisfying and I'm super excited to read Cress. The only negative thing I have to say is that the beginning was a bit slow and it took me a while to get into it but other than that I loved it.

4/5 stars

This was a very frustrating but entertaining book. I got so much second-hand embarrassment from Cress. Literally every other thing she did made me cringe. Wolf really annoyed me in this book. He was very whiny and mopy, I get why but still. I really wish we got to see more of Scarlet in this one. I also felt that Thorne and Cress's relationship was very superficial. It just didn't make sense to me and then the sudden character development towards the end was strange. What I did like, however, was Cress's badass hacker skills; that was pretty freaking cool. The whole book was pretty action-packed and there were no boring parts. We got a glimpse of Winter and I'm really excited to find out more about her. She seems very interesting and I have a feeling she might be my favorite character. There was one scene at the end that was just sooo cute and the way it ended makes me look forward to Winter. 

Overall:

This is a really fun series. It has its flaws and definitely isn't one my favorites but I would highly recommend it. It's action-packed, has (a very small amount) of romance, and is overall very interesting. I love Marissa Meyer's spin on the fairy tales. I cannot wait for Winter. I just wish I didn't have to wait 14 months for it... :(

The Maze Runner Movie Review (Spoilers)

I think The Maze Runner was a pretty good movie, but just an okay adaptation. I rate is 8.5/10 stars. I'll start off with what I did like. The casting was great. I felt Dylan O' Brien was a perfect Thomas. The cast was a lot more diverse (less white people) than typical YA movies so that was pretty awesome. Thomas is also a lot more likable. In the book he was annoyed me a lot and was just too angsty while he was less so in the movie. Speaking of angst, this was quite the angsty movie. But I liked that. The movie seemed a lot darker. I read the book for the first time last week and while reading I didn't feel like it was as brutal, actually seeing everything play out made me realize how dark it actually is. The banishment scene freaked me out and seemed so primitive. I also really liked how the Glader slang was toned down. In the novel, it's very "in your face" which would have been confusing in the movie for those who haven't read the book. Another change they made that I liked was that they took out the whole telepathy thing. I think towards the end there was a scene with telepathy but it was only hinted at. I didn't think the telepathy made sense in the book but I haven't read the rest of the series so it might be explained in those books. In the movie, less time passed. I think Thomas was in the Maze for 5 days max while in the book he was there for two weeks. It made a lot more sense, translated to film, to do that.

Now onto what I didn't like. The characters were lifeless. They had more personality in the book (not that much more), but aside from Thomas and Minho, the characters were really flat. There were also quite a few plot holes. It didn't really make sense to me to not have the medicine to save people stung by Grievers until the end. The Changing is what justified Gally's hatred toward Thomas so in the movie it seemed quite random. Also, I didn't see the point of saving Alby. In the book it made sense because he could have been saved. However, in the movie it clearly stated that whoever was stung would die. At that point, the medicine hadn't been introduced so Minho was pretty much dragging Alby back to the Glade to die when it made more sense to just abandon him and save himself. Because of this, it also didn't make sense for Thomas to try and save Alby. Prior to that scene, Alby and Minho went to trace Ben's footsteps. What was the point of that? He's obviously going to be dead so it made no sense. I also didn't like how the Cliff was taken out of the movie and how easy it was to escape. What I liked about the book was how they got out of the Maze. It was so badass in my head but the way the scene played out on film failed me. Also, where the hell did Gally get a gun in the end and how the hell did he even get out of the Maze? And finally, why did Thomas and the other Gladers trust the people who took them away so quickly? They didn't offer any explanation for their actions... There were more plot holes but I don't remember the rest. Aside from the plot holes, I really enjoyed the movie and I definitely recommend watching it.

~Hana

The Maze Runner Book Review

Hello~

The Maze Runner follows Thomas, a boy who wakes up surrounded by strangers who, like him, have lost all their memories. They live in the Glade, the center of the Maze: an always-changing maze with no way out. Then a girl arrives and everything changes.

After watching the trailer for the movie I knew I just had to watch and read it. I did enjoy this book, but I didn't love it. What I did like about the book was the plot and backstory. I thought it was really interesting and intriguing. The book is very visual and Dashner does a great job bringing the setting to life. I also loved that Thomas's storyline didn't center around the Teresa. Of course, Teresa is a key player in the book but the novel wasn't just a debate about if they're going to become a couple or not.

I don't think Thomas was a great character. He was extremely repetitive and constantly complaining. Some of his thoughts were childish and just annoyed me and he tried too hard to be comedic. I also felt that Chuck was really not needed. Thomas and Chuck's relationship just seemed forced and that one scene at the end just didn't make me feel anything because of this. The only character I really did like was Minho, but even then I got annoyed. I also didn't like the pace of the book. A lot of people think that the beginning is really slow but I think it needed to be that slow in order to set up everything properly. However, I felt the last quarter of the book was just way too fast. It was difficult for me to really understand what was going on (and I just didn't want to take the time to read it slowly).

I'll probably read the rest of the series at some point but not any time soon. I'm really excited to see the movie though. :)

~Hana

The Iron Trial Mini Book Review

Hello!

It seems that I'm always finishing books at one in the morning.

The Iron Trial is a middle grade book that follows Callum Hunt. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he passes the the Iron Trial he will be admitted into the Magisterium and that can only mean bad things. Call tries his hardest to fail but is unsuccessful. He is accepted into the Magisterium but that's only the beginning...

I don't have much to say about this book. It's definitely middle grade but it's really fun and intriguing. The characters are wonderful. There isn't a whole lot of plot in this book but it does a great job setting up for the rest of the series. The plot twist at the end was definitely unexpected and I can't wait for the next book. I really enjoy Cassandra Clare and Holly Black's books so I was not disappointed. I was expecting it to be obvious who wrote what part as it is in many other cowritten books but the writing flowed well and it was as if one person had written it. If you like fantasy and Percy Jackson, you'll probably like The Iron Trial.

~Hana :)

Isla and the Happily Ever After Mini Book Review

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the third and final installment of the Anna and the French Kiss series. Isla has had a crush on Josh since her freshman year. After a random encounter in Manhattan, Isla realizes that a relationship with him could be possible after all.

While this wasn't as good as Anna and the French Kiss, I really enjoyed it. I could really relate to Isla. A lot of people were annoyed by her insecurities and at points I was too, but for the most part I've had similar worries and I totally understood where she was coming from. I really liked Josh as well. We get to know so much more about him than in Anna. I loved the conversations between Isla and Josh. However, I felt that it was definitely insta-love. It came out of nowhere and was way too convenient. One of my favorite parts was when all the characters from previous books came in. I love how Perkins always ties in her past characters. There was one scene with all the characters that just made my heart melt (if you've read Isla you know what I'm talking about). The ending was very satisfying and so adorable. I definitely recommend checking out this series.

Until next time!
Hana