oliviah9's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS!!!
This series turned out to be pretty good. I was very skeptical in the beginning about how much I would enjoy these books. But, I actually did!!!
This book was very well written. And the ending was just...WOW!! It was a highly enjoyable read :)
This series turned out to be pretty good. I was very skeptical in the beginning about how much I would enjoy these books. But, I actually did!!!
This book was very well written. And the ending was just...WOW!! It was a highly enjoyable read :)
reveriesociety's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay, but I expected more. The scenes seemed rushed. No time to build up tension so when the conflict was ressolved I was: And that was it?
Jessie was just on the sidelines in this book. Alexi was the one who did everything. He might as well has been the protagonist of this book. Meh. If this had been a middle book, it'd have been more acceptable, but as the end of the sequel... it fell short.
Jessie was just on the sidelines in this book. Alexi was the one who did everything. He might as well has been the protagonist of this book. Meh. If this had been a middle book, it'd have been more acceptable, but as the end of the sequel... it fell short.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book, I don't know if the whole "Derek in our heads" thing was fully finished, but the ending was really good!
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
2.0
So scattered in plot because of the different points of view there is no climax and the defeat of the villains and the challenges is contrived and rushed. For fans only.
rayne's review against another edition
3.0
I hesitated between 2.5 and 3 stars for this one. I have to agree with others here. The last two books just did not do this series justice. Especially the ending. It just came out of no where. What was with that!!! I would have rathered a recap of where each of our lovely characters ended up - to finish if the series nicely. This ending just left it all out there. Anyway, it's over now.
rebeccajane's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, what a roller coaster of emotions. I got 'my pietr' back just fir him to go crazy soon after. Oh my. While some things seemed to wrap up suddenly, like Dmitri, Nadezdha and Alexi, Nadezdha's involvement with Wondermann ect, it did end quite nicely, although it's a shame about Marlaena. But not everyone can have a happy ending. Nice end to a great series.
chlojo's review
3.0
To be honest, this book is a bit of a disappointment compared to the first three. I still kind of enjoyed it but with the first three I was reading as fast as I could, waiting completely on edge for the next to be ready for me to pick up from the library but the prequel to this and this book just weren't half as good as the others. I don't know what it was but:
-The way Pietr broke through the cure was a bit of a disappointment to me. One minute he was human, then Jess was pushed off the cliif and he turned into the werewolf. I liked the idea but it just seemed to sudden with little explanation.
-At the end, when Alexi had suddenly found the perfect cure - WTF was that? One moment they didn't have it, the next they did!!! I think Delany should have explained that bit a bit more, adding a small chapter from Alexis, POV perhaps.
Spoiler
-The way Pietr broke through the cure was a bit of a disappointment to me. One minute he was human, then Jess was pushed off the cliif and he turned into the werewolf. I liked the idea but it just seemed to sudden with little explanation.
-At the end, when Alexi had suddenly found the perfect cure - WTF was that? One moment they didn't have it, the next they did!!! I think Delany should have explained that bit a bit more, adding a small chapter from Alexis, POV perhaps.
shutupnread's review
4.0
Review from my friend (Holed Up In A Book): http://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2015/02/13-to-life-series-2-5-by-shannon-delany.html
First of all, I would just like to say that this is going to be a review only on the books 2-5 simply because I read the first book in this series a million years ago (2010) when it first came out.
This journey throughout this series has been, to say the least, a series of ups and downs. There were times when I was extremely frustrated at the characters and other times when I just wanted to hug them all. The main protagonist – Jessica Gillmansen – is a frustrating character to love. Sometimes I agreed with her wholeheartedly and sometimes, I did not. What I can say though is that she certainly sticks to her principles even through the toughest of times. Any lesser character would have bent and have been swayed by either the circumstances or the pressure of others. She is strong-willed and tough and ultimately, that is why I love her. She cares tremendously about her friends and family and will do whatever she can, whether physically or mentally, to help.
The other main protagonist – Pietr Rusakova – Jessica’s other half, is another story altogether. I get it – he’s hot, he’s gorgeous – I just can’t see it. His attitude, his personality and his overall choices throughout the series leads me to speculate if he really is the right guy for Jessica. This was shown especially in the last two books when he was “cured” and when Marlaena’s pack appeared. The way how he treated Jessica was detestable. Honestly, it wasn’t until towards the end of the last book when I was more convinced that the attraction between Pietr and Marlaena was only a chemical reaction. Throughout that entire book, I was simply thinking “what a douche”. I was honestly convinced that they had fallen in love and Pietr would totally dump Jess. Fortunately, to some degree, that was not the case. I guess this was good news for Jessica. Plus, not to mention, in the beginning, due to circumstances, Pietr had to keep up appearances and date Sarah, Jessica’s supposedly best friend at the time, while actually seeing Jessica and sneaking kisses in dark corners. That is already a huge no-no in my book. He’s basically cheating on his supposed girlfriend. A**hole status right there.
Max, Alexi, Cat and Amy were very well-developed and I loved them all. Max always had his flirtatious attitude that I had come to love and would always come through when you needed him. Alexi was the older and dependable big brother even though he was human and therefore, not blood related. Cat was ferociously awesome with her attitude and personality. Amy was the best friend that I never had. She was supportive and loving.
The writing and the flow were a little strange. I believe the first few books were written solely from Jessica’s point of view and later, the last two books had a mix of point of views. I think it would have been better if the author had stuck to one way of writing rather than changing things up.
The ending, oh goodness, the ending. Of course, everything ended up working well but it felt rushed especially with the perfected cure part and the last chapter where Jessica woke up thinking it was all a dream? Where did that even come from? The ending just seemed off.
Overall, the series is decent if you like werewolves and Russian boys.
First of all, I would just like to say that this is going to be a review only on the books 2-5 simply because I read the first book in this series a million years ago (2010) when it first came out.
This journey throughout this series has been, to say the least, a series of ups and downs. There were times when I was extremely frustrated at the characters and other times when I just wanted to hug them all. The main protagonist – Jessica Gillmansen – is a frustrating character to love. Sometimes I agreed with her wholeheartedly and sometimes, I did not. What I can say though is that she certainly sticks to her principles even through the toughest of times. Any lesser character would have bent and have been swayed by either the circumstances or the pressure of others. She is strong-willed and tough and ultimately, that is why I love her. She cares tremendously about her friends and family and will do whatever she can, whether physically or mentally, to help.
The other main protagonist – Pietr Rusakova – Jessica’s other half, is another story altogether. I get it – he’s hot, he’s gorgeous – I just can’t see it. His attitude, his personality and his overall choices throughout the series leads me to speculate if he really is the right guy for Jessica. This was shown especially in the last two books when he was “cured” and when Marlaena’s pack appeared. The way how he treated Jessica was detestable. Honestly, it wasn’t until towards the end of the last book when I was more convinced that the attraction between Pietr and Marlaena was only a chemical reaction. Throughout that entire book, I was simply thinking “what a douche”. I was honestly convinced that they had fallen in love and Pietr would totally dump Jess. Fortunately, to some degree, that was not the case. I guess this was good news for Jessica. Plus, not to mention, in the beginning, due to circumstances, Pietr had to keep up appearances and date Sarah, Jessica’s supposedly best friend at the time, while actually seeing Jessica and sneaking kisses in dark corners. That is already a huge no-no in my book. He’s basically cheating on his supposed girlfriend. A**hole status right there.
Max, Alexi, Cat and Amy were very well-developed and I loved them all. Max always had his flirtatious attitude that I had come to love and would always come through when you needed him. Alexi was the older and dependable big brother even though he was human and therefore, not blood related. Cat was ferociously awesome with her attitude and personality. Amy was the best friend that I never had. She was supportive and loving.
The writing and the flow were a little strange. I believe the first few books were written solely from Jessica’s point of view and later, the last two books had a mix of point of views. I think it would have been better if the author had stuck to one way of writing rather than changing things up.
The ending, oh goodness, the ending. Of course, everything ended up working well but it felt rushed especially with the perfected cure part and the last chapter where Jessica woke up thinking it was all a dream? Where did that even come from? The ending just seemed off.
Overall, the series is decent if you like werewolves and Russian boys.
kellyhager's review
2.0
I enjoyed the first four books in this series, but for some reason, this book was very hard to get through. It almost felt like Shannon Delany just wanted to get through this last book so that she could start a new project.
In the prologue, we keep being told that Jessie is not like ordinary girls. The repetition of that annoys me no end, especially because she's like so many teenage girls. One of the biggest examples of this is ALSO in the prologue, when she admits that Pietr isn't as attractive to her now that he's not a werewolf anymore. Without his uniqueness, he's just not as interesting. Still, she's determined to make it work because, after all, a promise is a promise.
But that's not the most annoying thing. (SPOILERS FOLLOW.)
After Pietr DOES turn back into a werewolf, he imprints on Marlaena. Please, authors, can we declare a moratorium on imprinting? It was gross when Jacob did it and now it's just annoying. PLEASE STOP.
And the ending was ridiculous. I'm sorry, but it was. (SPOILERS AGAIN) In the last chapter, she wakes up and thinks her mom's alive again, which means that everything with Pietr didn't happen. And then she sees Pietr and realizes that no, her mom's still dead. And she's all, oh, thank goodness. Because dead mom is sad but no Pietr would be TRAGIC.
The rest of the series was entertaining but I didn't like this book. If you loved the rest of the series and need to see what happens next, go with it, but otherwise, save yourself.
In the prologue, we keep being told that Jessie is not like ordinary girls. The repetition of that annoys me no end, especially because she's like so many teenage girls. One of the biggest examples of this is ALSO in the prologue, when she admits that Pietr isn't as attractive to her now that he's not a werewolf anymore. Without his uniqueness, he's just not as interesting. Still, she's determined to make it work because, after all, a promise is a promise.
But that's not the most annoying thing. (SPOILERS FOLLOW.)
After Pietr DOES turn back into a werewolf, he imprints on Marlaena. Please, authors, can we declare a moratorium on imprinting? It was gross when Jacob did it and now it's just annoying. PLEASE STOP.
And the ending was ridiculous. I'm sorry, but it was. (SPOILERS AGAIN) In the last chapter, she wakes up and thinks her mom's alive again, which means that everything with Pietr didn't happen. And then she sees Pietr and realizes that no, her mom's still dead. And she's all, oh, thank goodness. Because dead mom is sad but no Pietr would be TRAGIC.
The rest of the series was entertaining but I didn't like this book. If you loved the rest of the series and need to see what happens next, go with it, but otherwise, save yourself.
More...