I DON'T CARE that the ending didn't make a lot of sense. I'll take it. All I wanted was to not be so angry about Jem, and now I'm not.
Proper review so...moreI DON'T CARE that the ending didn't make a lot of sense. I'll take it. All I wanted was to not be so angry about Jem, and now I'm not.
More squeeing with nerdy delight over this 8-issue (or 2-volume) series. I loved the flashback to the Fourth Doctor and original Star Trek cast. I als...moreMore squeeing with nerdy delight over this 8-issue (or 2-volume) series. I loved the flashback to the Fourth Doctor and original Star Trek cast. I also liked how they intertwined Borg backstory with Cybermen and how Captain Picard's own Borg past played into everything. I just have to ask: Where was Wesley during all of this? Away at Star Fleet Academy? His inclusion would have made this 24309% more awesome.(less)
I squeed with nerdy delight over this series, especially when they flashed back to the original Star Trek cast and another Doctor encounter. I loved i...moreI squeed with nerdy delight over this series, especially when they flashed back to the original Star Trek cast and another Doctor encounter. I loved it, but I had to wonder... where was Wesley?(less)
Not entirely how I saw the characters, but it's an interesting take on the series, especially how the wolf spirits would show through their eyes. I mi...moreNot entirely how I saw the characters, but it's an interesting take on the series, especially how the wolf spirits would show through their eyes. I might continue with the series since I enjoy the books so much and dislike waiting for new ones. (I'm so impatient!)(less)
Honestly, I probably wouldn't have stuck with this book if not for the movies. It reads more like a children's book than an adult fantasy and doesn't...moreHonestly, I probably wouldn't have stuck with this book if not for the movies. It reads more like a children's book than an adult fantasy and doesn't have much dialogue or descriptions. And to think he went from this to the lengthy LotR books. How about a happy middle?
Anyway, I'm going to be a mess at the end of the movies, if it sticks closely to the book. An absolute mess.(less)
Oh, Jason. Jason! How can you be so perfect? Seriously. I knew this book would be good, but I had no idea it would be THIS GOOD.
From the little bit we...moreOh, Jason. Jason! How can you be so perfect? Seriously. I knew this book would be good, but I had no idea it would be THIS GOOD.
From the little bit we’ve been told about Jason before this book, I had no idea how he would be characterized. He was just the shadow-y guy who acted as Raphael’s assassin and spymaster for several hundred years. (He’s really the only guy who can say “I am the night” and actually mean it. That’s right, Batman. I said it.) His backstory ended up being tragic (of course), but how he grows close to Mahiya flows so well it’s almost like poetry.
Mahiya was a complete enigma at the beginning of the book. I’m so glad she complimented Jason so well after we got more from her. Gah, Nalini is such a good character writer. Seriously, she could write an 400-page novel about a rock underneath a river and the water that rushes over it and I’d probably love it because her character development is something I envy like crazy.
While I’m super excited the next book in this series will be back with Raphael and Elena, I’m glad we’re getting to know the other members of Raphael’s Seven. It really helps make you care about the overall arc of the story if you care about more than one or two people involved in the story and just want everyone to end up alive and happy.(less)
Since I adore anything Julia Quinn writes, I had to write this book. It's sort of a "follow-up" to The Lady Most Likely...: A Novel in Three Parts, wh...moreSince I adore anything Julia Quinn writes, I had to write this book. It's sort of a "follow-up" to The Lady Most Likely...: A Novel in Three Parts, which I also enjoyed. There are none of the same characters from the first book, but it follows the same set-up. Three men meet three women in the space of a short time and find love. There's silliness and quips and awkwardness aplenty throughout.
What I liked the most is the pure fun factor from these books. Yes, they're silly and I tend to find insta-love something to roll my eyes at, but in the end, I still read and enjoy these type of books. They're a nice change from the angst-ridden trilogies and dramatic contemporaries that are running rampant in the book industry these days.
That said, I liked almost all of the characters, but Robin and Cecily have to be my favorite because I just liked Cecily from the beginning. She was stately, calm in tense situations, and willing to make the most of a bad situation. Robin had a reputation as a player, but he turned out to be a hopeless romantic when it was all said and done. He believed himself not good enough for Cecily, which is silly. Because no man is good enough for any woman. But it's not about who we deserve, it's about who we choose. And if we choose you, we've deemed you good enough. That's all there is to it.
Since three different couples had to be introduced and fall in love in the space of one novel, there wasn't room for sexy times. But that's okay. I don't read romance novels just for those moments. I read them because they make me want to eat chocolate, drink a mixed fruity drink and sigh over handsome leading men who try to woo the women they love.
I hope these three authors write another novel in this fashion because I would read it and most likely thoroughly enjoy it.(less)
If you’ve read Ender’s Game, which you should because it’s completely brilliant and amazing, then you might have wondered, like me, what happened to E...moreIf you’ve read Ender’s Game, which you should because it’s completely brilliant and amazing, then you might have wondered, like me, what happened to Ender right after. Speaker of the Dead doesn’t answer all those questions, so thankfully we now have Ender in Exile to provide them.
Warning: This review will contain a few spoilers for Ender’s Game.
Picking up where Ender’s Game leaves off, this book deals with the consequences and aftereffects of the events that just transpired. It also ties in Bean’s spin-off series, which takes place while Ender travels in space and Bean stays on Earth.
Most of the book is spent focused on Ender, either through someone’s POV or through his own. Even the parts that veer off him for a bit, eventually come back to him by the end of the book. It’s basically his ‘trying to find his place in the universe’ phase as he travels to different planets and tries to understand his role in basically the genocide of an entire species, one who most likely knew it was coming and did nothing to stop him.
I found Ender to be a lot more contemplative and cunning and almost sassy than I remember him being in Ender’s Game. He’s growing up and becoming someone I quite like. I wasn’t that interested in reading Speaker of the Dead after finishing Ender’s Game, but I found renewed interest in seeing how his journey continues and if he ever reaches absolution from his conscience.
And yes, I did say sassy. The teenage boy has got some sass to him, which comes through only because you know he has a hidden agenda most of the time. I felt like he started to accept his role in being a natural leader, instead of someone who seeks leadership and power, by the end of the book.
As someone who greatly enjoyed Ender’s Game and recommends it to everyone, I’m glad we got a continuation of the book that ties it to Speaker of the Dead and beyond since it always felt like two separate series before. So, if you like seeing what happens after, I’d recommend picking this book up. It’s not as ‘on the edge of your seat’ as Ender’s Game, which is understandable, so don’t expect constant action. In fact, don’t expect much ‘action’ at all, but that’s not what this book is about. It’s not the action book. It’s the after the action book… let’s call it the clean-up book, since that’s what it essentially does.
Now that I’ve read it, I might check out Speaker of the Dead from my local library and try for the rest of the Ender series since it’s been a while since I’ve read a good science fiction in space series.(less)