Wednesday, June 10, 2015

The 100 by Kass Morgan (a book with a number in the title)

Although I am not the biggest fan of Sci-Fi books, I really liked how this book was set up; characters both on earth and on on the spaceship colony. I liked reading from all of the characters and realizing how all of them were connected. I thought the story moved very quickly and I cannot wait to watch the TV show because this book was practically written for TV. The format was perfect for a television show because of the almost constant revelation of information and the cliffhangers due to the shifting point of view. All of the characters were very likable even though they were all "criminals". The only character I didn't really like was Bellame. He just seemed rude and did everything in his own self interest. He was reckless and cared for no one but his sister. Clark didn't seem to have a problem with him even though he called her a Pheonix bitch. I think the only reason she ended up liking him was because she was angry with Wells. I also cannot wait to read the second book because this one ended in such a cliffhanger; the group was split up and Walden was in danger.

MY RATING: ****

Monday, June 1, 2015

Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee (a trilogy)

 I received a copy of the last book in this trilogy, The End of Days, for review so I decided to reread the first two books to refresh my memory. I remembered really enjoying the first book but not loving the second one. When I reread them I think I liked them more than I did the first time. Maybe it was because I marathoned the series but I didn't have any big issues with the second book when I reread it. I was concerned about the final book because the trilogy had originally been pitched as a five book series but was cut down to three books. I was worried that it would be a rushed ending and that it wouldn't be a satisfied conclusion. However, I was surprised and didn't think it was rushed at all. I do think that if the series had been the original five books that some parts could have been drawn out and developed a bit more but I really enjoyed it as it was. The only thing I thought was rushed was the fact that it was never truly clarified why the angels came to earth in the first place. It can be inferred that the reason they came was because of Uriel and his plan to become the messenger but that was never really confirmed or clarified. I really like how the tension and romance between Penryn and Raffe was explored a bit more in this book. I was frustrated by the second book because they were separated for so long, so I really enjoyed that the two of them were back together, I also really liked the conflict that arose between them because their races were at war. I found it realistic because they might be able to trust eachother with their own life but when it comes to the fate of their race they were conflicted. Their romance wasn't too sugary and it was realistic for the apocalyptic atmosphere. Even though I knew there was a chance that they would choose their race over each other I was really hoping there would be a way to meet in the middle. I liked the way that Susan Ee combined the best of both of their worlds as a resolution to the problem; Raffe gave up his angel wings in order to save the human race but he was still able to keep his demon wings and his ability to fly. The angels also finally left Earth but the Watchers were able to stay behind even though it wasn't the real apocalypse. I also liked how the problem with Penryn's sister was resolved. I would have been skeptical if they had just been able to reverse the things the angels did to Paige. I liked that she was still the person the angels made her into but she was able to adapt to a semi-regular diet. I thought the action in the book was entertaining and bad ass and I really loved the final battle between the angels and the humans, I was a bit worried at first that Raffe was being forced into the blood hunt but he ended up helping Penryn and the humans take down Uriel. I was a bit confused when Penryn said her idea was a talent show but I thought that it played out very well. The actual show was beautiful and moving, especially the ballet scene with the lost troupe members, and I thought it was a good way for Penryn to unify the humans and keep them calm until the battle. Then, like a boss, she turned the talent show stage as a weapon  against the angels which was ingenious. Overall the ending was great and it summed up everything in a realistic way. The only other weak point was that after Raffe lost his wings and Uriel was killed they decided to make Michael the Messenger. If that was an option all along, why didn't Michael return earlier? He never made an appearance in any of the books but he was the solution to the angels' problems. As a whole the series is very unique and is a great read. I highly reccomend the series because it is underrated and despite it being cut back into a trilogy I think the story has a great finish.

MY RATING :*****