Diane

I didn't like it quite as much as the first book, but that's only to be expected with the second book in a series. Lots of awful stuff happens. The villains are established as even more evil than before. The lovers are separated by oceans of complications and emotional debris that has to be worked though before they can find common ground where forgiveness might be possible. Through it all, there is hope. I can't wait for the next book. Laini Taylor an incredible writer and this story is compelling!

I couldn't finish it. It started out okay, but then it got worse and worse to the point that I didn't care how it ended. Sex and violence and unspeakable acts are just not for me.

This author is an expert word master. Her words roll off the tongue like poetry. Juliet does grow into a stronger character by the end of this book because her propensity for self-loathing, personal pity parties were getting annoying. She also said, "What?" after absolutely everything anyone said to her. It made me want to slap her and tell her to pay attention. Don't get me wrong, I did sympathize with her horrible past and her odd power to harm others, but I got tired of her wallowing in misery. I will read the next one because Ms. Tahereh has a remarkable talent for imagery.

This is an interesting, well written story that is held together by optimism in the face of adversity. I enjoyed most of it. However, there were some very gruesome details that I would have preferred not to know. This is one of those "suffering" books where we have to float along with Pi and the 450 lb Royal Bengal Tiger, Richard Parker, through an ordeal as the only survivors of the tragic sinking of a freight ship filled with zoo animals and Pi's family. Now, I truly feel like I've been out to sea for 227 days. I would have jumped into the ocean if the author hadn't continued to dangle hope in front of me.

This book was a fun, well-written read. The alternate historical reality was brilliant, the characters were interesting, and the villains were evil personified. The magic was intriguing. My only problem with it, was the violence, which was off the charts and the gory details got old by the end of the story. I found myself zoning out during the final battles. One of the evil villains used the f-bomb more than I wanted to hear it, but he was justifiably evil incarnate so I guess it was his nature.

I knew what I was getting into when I bought this book. It's one of those books that will rip out your heart and shred it simply because you looked past the cover and got sucked into the story, allowing yourself to suffer with the fictional, though very real, characters.

Yes, it's the three p's: poignant, powerful, and painful. So why will you allow yourself to be tortured emotionally? It's all tied together with hysterical, though often morbid, humor. Laughing while you're crying is cathartic. It forces us to face our own mortality. Death is scary. Mercifully, most of us don't know when it will come knocking.

I have absolutely no choice, but to give it five stars. It's a "cancer perk."

A very precocious 11 year old girl saves the world from agents of chaos who wish to take over the world using ancient Egyptian curses and magic to aid their cause. Fans of Rick Riordan's "Red Pyramid" should enjoy this book.

I thought it well written, filled with fun characters and interesting Egyptian lore. At first, she seems to have the most neglectful, clueless parents in the world, but they redeem themselves in the end. She is given an impossible task by the head of a secret society which opposes the chaos agents. We have to grant extreme poetic license in order to suspend reality to a world where an 11 year old girl could be asked to do such a thing in complete secrecy with no outside help other than the Egyptian gods. Other than that, I found it delightful as I'm sure children 10 years and up will.

This is an "Ugly Duckling" coming of age book. Alina is an orphan. Her best friend and playmate doesn't see her beauty until she finds her "power" to call sunlight. (Yeah, it's a weird power, but it makes sense when you listen to the book.)

At first I was kicking myself because she was pining and whining for her orphan comrade who was looking elsewhere for love. I HATE jealousy and the angst that comes with it. Then she meets the mysterious "Darkling" and the plot thickens.

The ending is left open for a second book. If there isn't a second installment, it deserves only 4 stars because things are left unresolved.

After listening to the prologue, I thought I'd made a horrible mistake purchasing this book. However, I kept reading. It was better seen through the eyes of the "poison princess" than through those of the serial killer/evil "hermit" guy. There was a colossal amount of teen angst which threw me to seek solace in other books on a few occasions. Yes, you could say the story's love angle gets dicey and terribly intense with bickering and jealousy, the kind that I hate. I loved the Southern culture and the Cajun influence. The writing was excellent. The characters were interesting. The dystopian world was filled with disgusting survivors, totally devoid of any redeeming qualities, who made you lose hope in the human race after the apocalypse. I'm not sure I'll purchase the next installment. I'll have to wait and see how I feel when it comes out. It was a painful listen!

This was the best book in the trilogy. Jacinda got her act together and stopped being a vacillating, angst-ridden mess. The characters matured to some degree, and the loose ends were tied up in a tidy knot. I'm glad I persevered through the first two books.