A review by merlin_reads
Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction by Carrie Ryan
3.0
Ok, this is going to be a little different review wise. I'm going to review each individual story, then the average will be my actual book rating.
1. Gentlemen Send Phantoms by Lani Taylor: 5 stars What a way to open the book! I've never read anything else by Lani Taylor but this made me want to. Such an adorable story of how a Prophecy leads girls to their match. And when it ended, I wanted MORE!
2. Burned Bright by Diana Peterfreund: 1 star I did not like this story at all. The religious aspect of it totally turned me off right from the beginning, but I finished it.
3. The Angriest Man by Lisa McMann: 3 stars I really liked the writing style of this one. It was a great storytelling, however, I did not understand the story at all.
4. Out of the Blue by Meg Cabot: 3 stars Out of the Blue started off very interesting. A tale of twins who were recruited by another species to help further earth's advancements. But then it turned comical - which wasn't horrible because it kept me amused. Wasn't amazing, but entertaining.
5. One True Love by Malinda Lo: 2 stars The writer created a very vivid storyline that was easy to follow. But it felt extremely dragged out and then the climatic ending scene a little over dramatic.
6. This Is a Mortal Wound by Michael Grant: 2 stars Nothing special about this one. Told in a futuristic San Francisco where technology rules everything. The protagonist was arrogant and not likeable to me, made it hard to root for him.
7. Misery by Heather Brewer: 3 stars I loved the start of this, the mysterious town of Mystery and the "gifts" its inhabitants receive each year. I really liked the character of Alek. I rooted for him when things got crazy...but then the ending happened, and it seemed like a cop-out when I figured out what it was. Took it down a star from it's original 4.
8. The Mind Is a Powerful Thing by Matt De La Pena: 3 stars The neurotic tendencies of Joanna made this a fun read. She was so paranoid about her fortune of something bad happening to her that it affected everything she did. It wasn't deep, but the ending was interesting and made me want to know what happened to these characters after it was all done.
9. The Chosen One by Saundra Mitchell: 4 stars This was a beautifully written story about taking another's fate into your own hands, and therefore changing yours. And I loved, loved, loved the character of Valerian. The ending actually had me grinning like a fool.
10. Improbable Futures by Kami Garcia: 3 stars Okay plot. Kind of weirded me out by being set in a traveling circus (those things just creep me out), so I think that didn't help my focus while reading. But it was good, nothing special.
11. Death for the Deathless by Margaret Stohl: 4 Loved the setting in France. The two main characters were both intriguing and I loved reading about both of them. The prophecy portion was slid in so under the radar, that by the time I fully understood what was happening, it was over.
12. Fate by Simone Elkeles: 3 stars The story of Carson and Willow. Not sure what it really had to do with prophecies. But I enjoyed it. Was a cute little read.
13. The Killing Garden by Carrie Ryan: 5 stars Wow. This story and it's setting. The relationship between father and daughter and Emperor and his "Gardener" and then Gardener and condemned. Everything about this story was just so good. I don't know why, but this story affected me a little more than the others.
14. Homecoming by Richelle Mead: 4 stars And the story that everyone wanted the book for. I enjoyed this little glimpse into the lives of Rose and Dimitri. The return of some of the characters from Rose's time in Russia was also nice to see. I didn't find it amazing but it was a nice read.
1. Gentlemen Send Phantoms by Lani Taylor: 5 stars What a way to open the book! I've never read anything else by Lani Taylor but this made me want to. Such an adorable story of how a Prophecy leads girls to their match. And when it ended, I wanted MORE!
2. Burned Bright by Diana Peterfreund: 1 star I did not like this story at all. The religious aspect of it totally turned me off right from the beginning, but I finished it.
3. The Angriest Man by Lisa McMann: 3 stars I really liked the writing style of this one. It was a great storytelling, however, I did not understand the story at all.
4. Out of the Blue by Meg Cabot: 3 stars Out of the Blue started off very interesting. A tale of twins who were recruited by another species to help further earth's advancements. But then it turned comical - which wasn't horrible because it kept me amused. Wasn't amazing, but entertaining.
5. One True Love by Malinda Lo: 2 stars The writer created a very vivid storyline that was easy to follow. But it felt extremely dragged out and then the climatic ending scene a little over dramatic.
6. This Is a Mortal Wound by Michael Grant: 2 stars Nothing special about this one. Told in a futuristic San Francisco where technology rules everything. The protagonist was arrogant and not likeable to me, made it hard to root for him.
7. Misery by Heather Brewer: 3 stars I loved the start of this, the mysterious town of Mystery and the "gifts" its inhabitants receive each year. I really liked the character of Alek. I rooted for him when things got crazy...but then the ending happened, and it seemed like a cop-out when I figured out what it was. Took it down a star from it's original 4.
8. The Mind Is a Powerful Thing by Matt De La Pena: 3 stars The neurotic tendencies of Joanna made this a fun read. She was so paranoid about her fortune of something bad happening to her that it affected everything she did. It wasn't deep, but the ending was interesting and made me want to know what happened to these characters after it was all done.
9. The Chosen One by Saundra Mitchell: 4 stars This was a beautifully written story about taking another's fate into your own hands, and therefore changing yours. And I loved, loved, loved the character of Valerian. The ending actually had me grinning like a fool.
10. Improbable Futures by Kami Garcia: 3 stars Okay plot. Kind of weirded me out by being set in a traveling circus (those things just creep me out), so I think that didn't help my focus while reading. But it was good, nothing special.
11. Death for the Deathless by Margaret Stohl: 4 Loved the setting in France. The two main characters were both intriguing and I loved reading about both of them. The prophecy portion was slid in so under the radar, that by the time I fully understood what was happening, it was over.
12. Fate by Simone Elkeles: 3 stars The story of Carson and Willow. Not sure what it really had to do with prophecies. But I enjoyed it. Was a cute little read.
13. The Killing Garden by Carrie Ryan: 5 stars Wow. This story and it's setting. The relationship between father and daughter and Emperor and his "Gardener" and then Gardener and condemned. Everything about this story was just so good. I don't know why, but this story affected me a little more than the others.
14. Homecoming by Richelle Mead: 4 stars And the story that everyone wanted the book for. I enjoyed this little glimpse into the lives of Rose and Dimitri. The return of some of the characters from Rose's time in Russia was also nice to see. I didn't find it amazing but it was a nice read.