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apireading's reviews
541 reviews
La 5e vague by Rick Yancey
5.0
Extremely dark and nerve racking, the 5th Wave is a real page turner. I was not convinced after reading the synopsis but this book went beyond my expectations. I really loved how the story was told by different characters, strongly different but all linked in a way. The vivid narration puts you in a state of perpetual stress and fear. As teenagers and young adults they swear they doubt they fear they discover the life in the angle of the apocalypse.
Rick Yancey succeed to tell a great story by the angle of the apocalypse venue of e.t. on Earth but without falling into clichés and weird sci-fi beasts with four heads that look like snakes. He trapped the character (and the reader) in a smart way, and succeed to make everyone doubt about the others.
Cassie was at first a quite boring character but became in the flashback more interesting. She was the sad and depressive suicidal girl and then the determined warrior with a purpose : save her brother. But my favorite character was definitely Ben 'Zombie' Parrish. His evolution, his actions, everything about him made me love him a every page I read.
This book was quite an adventure.
Rick Yancey succeed to tell a great story by the angle of the apocalypse venue of e.t. on Earth but without falling into clichés and weird sci-fi beasts with four heads that look like snakes. He trapped the character (and the reader) in a smart way, and succeed to make everyone doubt about the others.
Cassie was at first a quite boring character but became in the flashback more interesting. She was the sad and depressive suicidal girl and then the determined warrior with a purpose : save her brother. But my favorite character was definitely Ben 'Zombie' Parrish. His evolution, his actions, everything about him made me love him a every page I read.
This book was quite an adventure.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
5.0
What the hell on earth was this book ? Why can't I give him ten stars instead of five ? The Maze Runner is more than addictive it's like your life depends on it. You think about it every second, every minute, every hour and when I said to myself 'stop now take a break' I was only able to wait five minutes before jumping on it again.
This book, its characters, everything about it is so perfect and well-written that I hurts. Literally. The chapters are shorts, full of action. At the second you start reading you are prisoner of this books like the characters trapped into the maze. You hold your breath at every line, and every chapter takes you higher like a sweet drug. I'm trying to find flaws but I can't. I'm probably still in the heat of the moment because I just closed it, but I can assure you that you will not be disappointed by it. Everyone is talking and praising about it and it deserves all the good feedback it has.
The ending was really strange and I was pretty perplexed by the turns of events. I really hope that does not announce something too opposite of the first book because all the back story of it is describe in the last ten pages. I have high expectations on the second book and I hope I will not be disappointed by the post apocalyptic universe we seem to go into.
This book, its characters, everything about it is so perfect and well-written that I hurts. Literally. The chapters are shorts, full of action. At the second you start reading you are prisoner of this books like the characters trapped into the maze. You hold your breath at every line, and every chapter takes you higher like a sweet drug. I'm trying to find flaws but I can't. I'm probably still in the heat of the moment because I just closed it, but I can assure you that you will not be disappointed by it. Everyone is talking and praising about it and it deserves all the good feedback it has.
The ending was really strange and I was pretty perplexed by the turns of events. I really hope that does not announce something too opposite of the first book because all the back story of it is describe in the last ten pages. I have high expectations on the second book and I hope I will not be disappointed by the post apocalyptic universe we seem to go into.
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
1.0
You always have to try before you can critizise. This is my mojo and sometimes I regret it. With the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, "pink novels" are becoming famous and well-assumed by YA readers. I really don't mind sexuality at all in book and this kind of books but it has to be well written and justified.
I'm not complete honest : Beautiful Bastard is addictive and you always want to continue to see how it goes. But the characters are really stupid and very cliché. It is not even pleasant to read this "supposed to be" hateful relationship. Even them seems not to understand what the f**k is going on in their mind when they have sex. And they have. A LOT. At the beginning, they have intercourses every twenty pages but when you overtake the middle of the book, they have sex every ten pages. This book is written by women, that's clear and they don't seem to know men and how they are physically and in their mind. Bennet Ryan is the stupidest character I ever see and I strongly advice him - or the two writers - to consult a doctor really soon because being able to be hard all the time is a real medical problem.
The back story of Chloe is literally poor : orphan in a big city but a successful business woman ready to do anything to succeed. How cliché is that ? I know, it is not the point of the story but this is really a poor effort. She is boring, irritating and unbearable.
However the system of changing the POV of characters every chapters is quite interesting but misused in this book. This book seems successful although it is not very different from any other pink novels that our moms were reading in the late 80's. Too bad the plot was promising.
I'm not complete honest : Beautiful Bastard is addictive and you always want to continue to see how it goes. But the characters are really stupid and very cliché. It is not even pleasant to read this "supposed to be" hateful relationship. Even them seems not to understand what the f**k is going on in their mind when they have sex. And they have. A LOT. At the beginning, they have intercourses every twenty pages but when you overtake the middle of the book, they have sex every ten pages. This book is written by women, that's clear and they don't seem to know men and how they are physically and in their mind. Bennet Ryan is the stupidest character I ever see and I strongly advice him - or the two writers - to consult a doctor really soon because being able to be hard all the time is a real medical problem.
The back story of Chloe is literally poor : orphan in a big city but a successful business woman ready to do anything to succeed. How cliché is that ? I know, it is not the point of the story but this is really a poor effort. She is boring, irritating and unbearable.
However the system of changing the POV of characters every chapters is quite interesting but misused in this book. This book seems successful although it is not very different from any other pink novels that our moms were reading in the late 80's. Too bad the plot was promising.
Le voleur de foudre by Rick Riordan
4.0
A book for kids did you say ? What the heck, this is probably one of the best universe ever create. I always was a mythologic addict especially when I was really young so I have to thank Rick Riordan to adapt such incredible myths into the 21s century. Percy Jackson is although a very likable character, strong and determined (and probably too mature for his age, I never believe during the book that he was actually 12 years old).
I enjoyed the beginning, especially the presentation of the Camp Half-Blood, the personality of each character depending of their parents, the creatures, the activities. I was although surprised how clever was the plot for a children book. I was actually surprised for how the thing to turn out at the end ! The fusion between the human world and the antic greek universe was awesome (the Olympus on the top of the Empire State Building, the Underworld underneath Los Angeles, etc.).
Many actions, many places, many characters everything goes very quickly in this book which makes it a real page-turner. I was just starting it I was already two hundred pages later. I'm really looking forward to see what is coming next, which new characters will be involved, which mythological creature or story will take place.
+ : this book is greater than the movie which is a very very very poor adaptation not even faithful to the original script and storyline. It's a shame because it has everything to be very successful.
I enjoyed the beginning, especially the presentation of the Camp Half-Blood, the personality of each character depending of their parents, the creatures, the activities. I was although surprised how clever was the plot for a children book. I was actually surprised for how the thing to turn out at the end ! The fusion between the human world and the antic greek universe was awesome (the Olympus on the top of the Empire State Building, the Underworld underneath Los Angeles, etc.).
Many actions, many places, many characters everything goes very quickly in this book which makes it a real page-turner. I was just starting it I was already two hundred pages later. I'm really looking forward to see what is coming next, which new characters will be involved, which mythological creature or story will take place.
+ : this book is greater than the movie which is a very very very poor adaptation not even faithful to the original script and storyline. It's a shame because it has everything to be very successful.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
3.0
Mrs Dalloway is one of those lyrical book which makes you travel through the different characters living a day waiting for the end of the day to go to the famous party of Mrs Dalloway.
And I was waiting for it so hard that it was a surprise when I discover that the party is thirty last pages of the book.
It was marvelous, well-written like a poem with all those descriptions which make you feel like you feel, smell, hear and taste everything in the scene. It reminds me the genius of Marcel Proust capable of doing such a thing.
But Mrs Dalloway is although a critic of the decadence of the rest of nobility in the beginning of the 19th century. The best character to show it was Peter Walsh who was although my favorite. Peter Walsh show no mercy and give us through his eyes the ridicule of those people, living for nothing but the gossips, the parties and their clothes.
The timeline is short (about seven of eight hours maybe) increasing the feelings. You are trapped and you want to live this day with all the characters. I will certainly read it again.
And I was waiting for it so hard that it was a surprise when I discover that the party is thirty last pages of the book.
It was marvelous, well-written like a poem with all those descriptions which make you feel like you feel, smell, hear and taste everything in the scene. It reminds me the genius of Marcel Proust capable of doing such a thing.
But Mrs Dalloway is although a critic of the decadence of the rest of nobility in the beginning of the 19th century. The best character to show it was Peter Walsh who was although my favorite. Peter Walsh show no mercy and give us through his eyes the ridicule of those people, living for nothing but the gossips, the parties and their clothes.
The timeline is short (about seven of eight hours maybe) increasing the feelings. You are trapped and you want to live this day with all the characters. I will certainly read it again.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
5.0
Wow.
I don't know where to begin because it's all very fresh in my mind and I just closed the book. The Fault In Our Stars has made me feel so many things I haven't felt in a book in ages. And it affects me as a reader, as a person, as someone who likes to write. In every way, John Green has proven to be one of the greatest writer of the YA genre.
Hazel is a complex but truly comprehensible character. She is a very weird compilation of a fighter, a pessimist and a realist. I always think to be this kind of weird girl and I think you don't have to be sick to rely on this kind of personality : you just have to hate something in your body, or have a hate-love relationship with it to understand why this girl is so complex. She is not a hero, or has an extraordinary way to compensate her illness by being super smart, or super dedicated to help the others, etc. She is just an average normal girl who never asked to live in her condition. And like every girl, her gloomy and morose personality explodes when she fell in love with a boy.
And this boy … He is not like every other boy. Augustus is the most beautiful male character I ever read (and the tears comes out of my eyes while I'm writing about him). And the tragedy is that Gus is perfect (handsome, cultivated, funny, corky) but his perfection could seem wasted because of his sickness. It is what you think at the beginning. But he is not. He's still perfect, beside and with his sickness. His soul is pure even if he has defaults, even if you can understand why Hazel is so reluctant and angry at him by his selfish way to hardly want to be reminded. Who can blame Augustus ? No one wants to be forget. But he was aware in his last letter to Van Houten that he will not be forgot through Hazel, through his love for her and vice versa.
I love how the adults are depicted, every one of them as his way to deal with the the sickness, but everyone has the same way to deal with the death of a child : it is the great tragedy for a parent. It reminds me of a quote by french writer Jean Genet that I could translate "To live it is to survive from a dead child". The parents are only presented by their role of parent and when Hazel's mom asked to her husband if she will continue to be a mom even when Hazel will die, it broke my heart.
It's not by luck if TFIOS touched so many people around the world, why so many people has cried and laughed while reading it, but because it's so much more than a love story about two sick adolescents. It is a lesson, a slap in your face to make you realize that you have accomplished, what you are, what you want to share with the people you love, and maybe how lucky you are to be alive now. So I will just finish this non-sense review by saying … thank you John Green, thank you so much.
I don't know where to begin because it's all very fresh in my mind and I just closed the book. The Fault In Our Stars has made me feel so many things I haven't felt in a book in ages. And it affects me as a reader, as a person, as someone who likes to write. In every way, John Green has proven to be one of the greatest writer of the YA genre.
Hazel is a complex but truly comprehensible character. She is a very weird compilation of a fighter, a pessimist and a realist. I always think to be this kind of weird girl and I think you don't have to be sick to rely on this kind of personality : you just have to hate something in your body, or have a hate-love relationship with it to understand why this girl is so complex. She is not a hero, or has an extraordinary way to compensate her illness by being super smart, or super dedicated to help the others, etc. She is just an average normal girl who never asked to live in her condition. And like every girl, her gloomy and morose personality explodes when she fell in love with a boy.
And this boy … He is not like every other boy. Augustus is the most beautiful male character I ever read (and the tears comes out of my eyes while I'm writing about him). And the tragedy is that Gus is perfect (handsome, cultivated, funny, corky) but his perfection could seem wasted because of his sickness. It is what you think at the beginning. But he is not. He's still perfect, beside and with his sickness. His soul is pure even if he has defaults, even if you can understand why Hazel is so reluctant and angry at him by his selfish way to hardly want to be reminded. Who can blame Augustus ? No one wants to be forget. But he was aware in his last letter to Van Houten that he will not be forgot through Hazel, through his love for her and vice versa.
I love how the adults are depicted, every one of them as his way to deal with the the sickness, but everyone has the same way to deal with the death of a child : it is the great tragedy for a parent. It reminds me of a quote by french writer Jean Genet that I could translate "To live it is to survive from a dead child". The parents are only presented by their role of parent and when Hazel's mom asked to her husband if she will continue to be a mom even when Hazel will die, it broke my heart.
It's not by luck if TFIOS touched so many people around the world, why so many people has cried and laughed while reading it, but because it's so much more than a love story about two sick adolescents. It is a lesson, a slap in your face to make you realize that you have accomplished, what you are, what you want to share with the people you love, and maybe how lucky you are to be alive now. So I will just finish this non-sense review by saying … thank you John Green, thank you so much.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
4.0
What can you tell about Mindy Kaling that has been already tell?
This flawless human being has made me laugh every chapter of her autobiography (which clearly looks like something I could have written, with half part own life and weird thoughts about everything). Her vision about herself, society, guys and girls is so accurate and basicaly common 80% of the feminine population. There is no gender stereotypes out there, just a lists of real things that should be changed or should stay exactly to live in a cool society. I've read this book generaly oustide (on the train, on the benches of the faculty) and it was so hard not to be seen laughing like a giant whale.
I was not very aware of Mindy's mind and humor until I watched The Mindy Project because I only knew her threw The Office and I can not say I was very fond of Kelly Kapour. Moreover I was not even aware that she wrote many episodes of the shows. I regret my late interest in her work and life because she is a new role model to me, perfect in every way of being a woman and a comedy writer.
If you're looking for something very fun and cool to read, and real stuff you can rely on, you should read Mrs Kaling biography. It is worth every page, peny, and you will learn a lot about her (of course) but can learn about you too, even men and women. I was not suspected such a good surprise.
This flawless human being has made me laugh every chapter of her autobiography (which clearly looks like something I could have written, with half part own life and weird thoughts about everything). Her vision about herself, society, guys and girls is so accurate and basicaly common 80% of the feminine population. There is no gender stereotypes out there, just a lists of real things that should be changed or should stay exactly to live in a cool society. I've read this book generaly oustide (on the train, on the benches of the faculty) and it was so hard not to be seen laughing like a giant whale.
I was not very aware of Mindy's mind and humor until I watched The Mindy Project because I only knew her threw The Office and I can not say I was very fond of Kelly Kapour. Moreover I was not even aware that she wrote many episodes of the shows. I regret my late interest in her work and life because she is a new role model to me, perfect in every way of being a woman and a comedy writer.
If you're looking for something very fun and cool to read, and real stuff you can rely on, you should read Mrs Kaling biography. It is worth every page, peny, and you will learn a lot about her (of course) but can learn about you too, even men and women. I was not suspected such a good surprise.
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
4.0
Addictive. Fantastic. Very exciting. This sequel has kept all the promises of the first book and even more. Despite the lack of action in the first part of the book, the relationships were far better than the first one especially between Rose and Dimitri. You can not avoid the clichés and the basic criteria of the teacher/student relationship (and it was pretty meh in VA #1) but in this one it was wayyyyy to good. It was realistic, powerful, heartbreaking and exciting. And even if their love story is slow down and puts in danger because of two antagonists Mason and Tasha … you can't hate them because they are two awesome characters.
Tasha and Adrian were the new characters that I loved veeeery much. I understand now all the fuss about Adrian, and please someone indicate me the door for the fangirl reunions of Adrian Ivashkov ? Well, I have to admit that his character's mysteries were a bit predictable. It was pretty obvious he has this "ability" and the shared dreams with Rose were not that mysterious. But he is pretty badass and I'm glad he's staying in the following books. And I hope we will see more of Tasha because she's an amazing female characters.
And I have to say something about female characters : I did not change my mind about Lissa who I adore (yes it's surprising but I still think she has a pure and beautiful heart and she shows she can be incredibly charismatic as a political figure) but Rose was … Well she was a bit a pain in the ass sometimes but every time I started to disagree with her I was sympathizing with her two pages later. I think she is so credible as a "fantastic" character that she has flaws/qualities like everyone else and that's why she is so likable. But I think her weird attitude will be explain as the last pages seems to indicate.
I expected more magic, I had it. I expect more strigoi, I had them. Well basically this book has the perfect recipe I was hoping for.
Tasha and Adrian were the new characters that I loved veeeery much. I understand now all the fuss about Adrian, and please someone indicate me the door for the fangirl reunions of Adrian Ivashkov ? Well, I have to admit that his character's mysteries were a bit predictable. It was pretty obvious he has this "ability" and the shared dreams with Rose were not that mysterious. But he is pretty badass and I'm glad he's staying in the following books. And I hope we will see more of Tasha because she's an amazing female characters.
And I have to say something about female characters : I did not change my mind about Lissa who I adore (yes it's surprising but I still think she has a pure and beautiful heart and she shows she can be incredibly charismatic as a political figure) but Rose was … Well she was a bit a pain in the ass sometimes but every time I started to disagree with her I was sympathizing with her two pages later. I think she is so credible as a "fantastic" character that she has flaws/qualities like everyone else and that's why she is so likable. But I think her weird attitude will be explain as the last pages seems to indicate.
I expected more magic, I had it. I expect more strigoi, I had them. Well basically this book has the perfect recipe I was hoping for.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
4.0
A great sequel for a great first book. The action on this one was a bit predictable but the new character introduced (especially Tyson which has already a place in my top 3 of best characters) are really really great. I still love Riordan succeed to put a modern element in the myths, how the mythical characters are settled in a new context (such as Circee or Tantal). I still have this strong feeling of compassion for Luke and I love how he's not depicted as "black and white" character : yes he is bad, yes he is lethal and cruel but his intentions and his background story justify his behavior and I feel a lot of empathy for him. I'm pretty sure he's hiding so many things that he has not shown everything and I'm pretty sure too that he will do something very heroic in the future. There is the same scheme with Clarisse which I like very much because she is a complex character despite the cliché tomboy we thought she was. I was very happy about that part.
Sea of Monsters still has all the elements I loved in the first book : many action, no time to rest, awesome action scenes, and a diversity of captivating places and plots. Like I said I found the plot especially about the golden fleece pretty easy and predictable but it didn't ruin my pleasure at all. I although enjoy how Percy is not flawless especially humanly, how he treats people and his brother : he makes mistakes but he tries his best. Well, he is a kid growing up.
Sea of Monsters still has all the elements I loved in the first book : many action, no time to rest, awesome action scenes, and a diversity of captivating places and plots. Like I said I found the plot especially about the golden fleece pretty easy and predictable but it didn't ruin my pleasure at all. I although enjoy how Percy is not flawless especially humanly, how he treats people and his brother : he makes mistakes but he tries his best. Well, he is a kid growing up.
Matched by Ally Condie
2.0
what the f***k did i just read tbh ?
Well I read it quite easily I was very into it and it did not bother me to go back to it but maaaaan ... WTF is this narrator ? Cassia Reyes is the MOST awful, annoying, stupid, selfish, coward character EVER. I mean alright you have always lived in a system that control everything you are, everything you eat, think, do, but is it a reason for being so incredibly dumb ? And it bothered me the first time ... it made me ill at ease the second ... but EVERYTIME she makes a decision it always has the purpose to make HER happy. Are you serious girl ? Are you even aware how to love someone ? Do you know you have to put their interests BEFORE yours ?
So yeah, let's talk about the love triangle because of course it has to be a cliché-boring-usual love triangle in this story. Besides my hate for Cassia, Xander and Ky (the two others men involved in the love triangle) are quite enjoyable. They are brave, smart, loyal and quite charming in their own way even if they are prototype (the sexy crafty popular guy and the dark rebel one ... yes ... i swear there are). I was yelling against my book HOW CAN YOU LOVE THIS STUPID GIRL ?
Well I suppose she is heartless because she comes from a family of robots. The Reyes family are litteraly the weirdest guys in town. First of all you think "oh yeah they are quite rebel, these dad is cool he has hidden a thing from the authority for the love of the grand-dad" and the second you are "wait what ... this lady has turned down a innocent family TO PROTECT HER ASS AND BE HAPPY ..." And the little brother - what is wrong with this little dude ? Are you seeing a therapist ? Are you on drug ? Running like a nutnut "I'M GOING TO THE SWIMMING POOOOOL I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEEEEEEM".
This dystopian world was - at the beginning - interesting and I was very curious to find out more about the Society etc. But more and more I was progressing, the more and more incoherent it was. I did not understand a single f***k about the geography of that universe. Lands ? Cities ? Oria ? WHERE AM I ? And the end ... The entire structure of the book ... Everyting seems to come from NOWHERE. The end is closed in 4 pages. Litteraly FOUR PAGES LIKE the mom received a message and "I'VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE WE HAVE TO GO BYE" and that's it. Cassia is leaving, by herself, with a compas she doesn't know how to use, a dozen of pills she has to eat before one month and a poem in her head. That's it girl ? Really ? You're going to find the love of your life in a country you've never been ? You are 17 and you've never left home, your parents, you don't have any money, food, ressources and you're going to a place where there is a war ? ... ARE YOU HIGH ? ON DRUGS ? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GIRL ??????????
Omg this book was not hard to read but reconsider it, all this story was pretty ri-di-cu-lous. I think I have been completely fooled. To summarize, it was a joke.
Well I read it quite easily I was very into it and it did not bother me to go back to it but maaaaan ... WTF is this narrator ? Cassia Reyes is the MOST awful, annoying, stupid, selfish, coward character EVER. I mean alright you have always lived in a system that control everything you are, everything you eat, think, do, but is it a reason for being so incredibly dumb ? And it bothered me the first time ... it made me ill at ease the second ... but EVERYTIME she makes a decision it always has the purpose to make HER happy. Are you serious girl ? Are you even aware how to love someone ? Do you know you have to put their interests BEFORE yours ?
So yeah, let's talk about the love triangle because of course it has to be a cliché-boring-usual love triangle in this story. Besides my hate for Cassia, Xander and Ky (the two others men involved in the love triangle) are quite enjoyable. They are brave, smart, loyal and quite charming in their own way even if they are prototype (the sexy crafty popular guy and the dark rebel one ... yes ... i swear there are). I was yelling against my book HOW CAN YOU LOVE THIS STUPID GIRL ?
Well I suppose she is heartless because she comes from a family of robots. The Reyes family are litteraly the weirdest guys in town. First of all you think "oh yeah they are quite rebel, these dad is cool he has hidden a thing from the authority for the love of the grand-dad" and the second you are "wait what ... this lady has turned down a innocent family TO PROTECT HER ASS AND BE HAPPY ..." And the little brother - what is wrong with this little dude ? Are you seeing a therapist ? Are you on drug ? Running like a nutnut "I'M GOING TO THE SWIMMING POOOOOL I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEEEEEEM".
This dystopian world was - at the beginning - interesting and I was very curious to find out more about the Society etc. But more and more I was progressing, the more and more incoherent it was. I did not understand a single f***k about the geography of that universe. Lands ? Cities ? Oria ? WHERE AM I ? And the end ... The entire structure of the book ... Everyting seems to come from NOWHERE. The end is closed in 4 pages. Litteraly FOUR PAGES LIKE the mom received a message and "I'VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE WE HAVE TO GO BYE" and that's it. Cassia is leaving, by herself, with a compas she doesn't know how to use, a dozen of pills she has to eat before one month and a poem in her head. That's it girl ? Really ? You're going to find the love of your life in a country you've never been ? You are 17 and you've never left home, your parents, you don't have any money, food, ressources and you're going to a place where there is a war ? ... ARE YOU HIGH ? ON DRUGS ? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GIRL ??????????
Omg this book was not hard to read but reconsider it, all this story was pretty ri-di-cu-lous. I think I have been completely fooled. To summarize, it was a joke.