Jemisin raised a few interesting moral quandaries over the course of the story and seemed happy to let the reader make up their own mind about whether they agreed with the characters actions or not. The characters were not all that likable, they did grow on me a bit towards the end, but the were complex. Overall I was a bit disappointed and will not be reading the sequel.
My enjoyment of this book was not helped by Sarah Zimmerman. She had a fluent and pleasant voice, but made no effort to differentiate between dialogue and and the rest of the story. The result was the book was read in a monotone. View all 4 comments. Sep 02, Stuart rated it it was amazing Shelves: A challenging and excellently-crafted work Originally posted at Fantasy Literature N. Jemisin is my favorite fantasy author of this decade. What makes her so distinctive is her incredible world-building skills, strong and complex characters and themes, and insistence on avoiding the overused conventions The Killing Moon: What makes her so distinctive is her incredible world-building skills, strong and complex characters and themes, and insistence on avoiding the overused conventions of the genre.
In the land of Gujaareh, power is divided between the priest class, the royalty, and the military. But the priest class is the most powerful thanks to its Gatherers, specially-trained priests who harvest dream blood from the sick, dying, and corrupt and use it for healing the sick and injured. Gatherers take the suffering souls and escort them to the dream world of Ina-Karekh. It is a sacred duty and considered an honor to be sent to the next world. This extends even to the corrupt and criminals, for which it is considered an act of mercy.
This theme of euthanasia, or death with dignity, is woven throughout the book. So is the potentially corrupting influence of wielding power in the name of the greater good. The story centers on several main characters: The political struggle between the city-states of Gujaareh and Kisua is played out among individuals at various levels of society, and the motivations of both sides are complex and convincing. It is a fully-developed and engrossing world, since the political involvement of the Hetawa priests is so pervasive in Gujaareh. When Ehiru and Nijiri begin to uncover corruption that points to the leaders of the Hetawa itself, they are forced to question the principles upon which their whole lives have been devoted to.
We also are shown the political system of Kisua and its Protectors, who are opposed to the use of dream-gathering as they consider it dark and corrupting magic. Many of the most astute social observations come from the diplomat Sunandi, whose role as a spy for her kingdom serves as convenient device to reveal details of the world organically as the story unfolds. There is certainly a flood of neologisms at the beginning of the book, which creates some confusion, so readers will likely be flipping to the glossary to get their bearings something audio listeners cannot do , and the author eschews exposition in favor of throwing readers into the story from the beginning, then letting us slowly piece together the world and characters she has created.
I actually prefer this approach, because it allows the reader to be rewarded with insights into the world without slowing the pace much. She also is quite subtle in describing the sexual dynamics of the characters - it is only by mid-story that we discover that same-sex relationships are part of the social fabric in some cases. This becomes particularly poignant for two of the main characters, but I will say no more. There is also a lot of exploration of gender politics and the roles of women in the two societies, something I look forward to when reading her books because she refrains from stacking the deck to favor a given agenda.
Instead, her characters are complex in their motivations, and there is a lack of cookie-cutter heroes of villains. Our understanding of the main characters grows throughout the story, as they themselves evolve and struggle with thorny ethical and political struggles. Much of the pleasure of the book derives from the slow reveal of the social, religious, and political details of the two societies, so I will not spoil it any further. Suffice to say that Ms. Jemisin has clearly thought it out in great detail and could probably create many stories in this world.
But The Killing Moon is self-contained and comes to a dramatic conclusion, though whether it is satisfying or not I will leave to the reader to decide. There is a second book set several years after called The Shadowed Sun, which features some of the same characters but introduces new cultures and perspectives, and dives even further into gender politics and the role of women in this ancient imagined culture.
At this point I plan to read everything Ms. Jemisin writes, as she has earned my respect and admiration with her challenging and excellently-crafted work. View all 7 comments. Oct 03, Algernon rated it really liked it Shelves: Jemisin was already established for me as a very promising newcomer on the fantasy scene, with her Inheritance series.
I was both intrigued and apprehensive about her decision to try something completely different for her second outing, thinking of some rock bands who put out an excellent debut album, only to follow with a lukewarm, rushed second, containing outtakes or failed experiments. But I like her courage to explore new subjects and not stick with one successful setting for an endless number of sequels. The Killing Moon was a lot slower in winning me over than The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms , probably because the learning curve is a lot steeper we are thrown literally into the middle of the story , this new project is more ambitious with three major characters and several secondary ones sharing a rotating point of view, the worldbuilding, the political situation, the magic system and the historical background all needed to be explained before I could get to the meat of the story.
The story itself reminded me of Daniel Abraham and his Long Price quartet, probably due to the lyrical prose and the careful characterization, the moral dillemas that are central to both epics. I found similarities also in the magic system, based on human psychic powers, in Jemisin case derived from the dream world.
The raw power of people's dreams can be collected either willingly by donations or forcefully as punishment for crimes committed or at the death bed as a final blessing from the gods. Gatherers are the most powerful practitioners of the art, and because magic that heals is not so different from the magic that kills, they are heavily regulated by laws and traditions, as well as restricted in number. Ehiru is one of only four Gatherers in the city of Gujaareh, and his failure to perform an apparently routine task against a shady foreign merchant will mark the starting point of an investigation that would shake the very foundations of the world.
Ehiru will be assisted on his quest by his apprentice Nijiri and by the Kisuati envoy Sunandi, a spy who can prove to be either an ally or an enemy. This duality is present in Ehiru himself, his actions being liable to interpretation as either assassinations or holy acts.
My favorite moment of the book is the dialogue between Ehiru and an old lady with an incurrable disease on the theme of assisted suicide it's already quoted here on Goodreads The world is centered around the city state of Gujaareh, a metropolis modelled from the cities of ancient Egipt, where the desert is made livable by the bi-annual floods of the river, and where power is shared between the prince regent, the incarnation of the Moon Goddess Hananja as the executive power and the priests of Goddess as the spiritual leaders and the legislative power.
The neighbouring city state of Kisua is the original source of the Hananja cult, with the Gujaarati as a splintering sect who immigrated over disagreements about the use of dream magic. The Kisuati believed the dream magic too dangerous to be allowed, and had it replaced with a rigid form government by technocrats. The landscape is completed by various tribes of desert raiders and oversea barbarians. Once the world and the characters have been established I began to greatly enjoy the story and the moral dillemas posed by the interactions between Ehiru and Nijiri on one hand and Ehiru and Sunandi on the other.
I will not reveal here the nature of the adversaries, only leave a mention that it was a very powerful duo that had its motivations and background convincingly developed, although their decisions I found mostly abhorent. The emotional intensity of the novel reached levels similar to the ones from the Inheritance series, mixing the personal revelations of individuals to the larger conflict. I wold go as far as saying I prefer the new book for the toning down of the romance elements and descriptive sexual passages, that seemed tacked on and slightly unnecessary in the author's debut novels.
The Killing Moon has its share of sexual tension and heartburn, but I found it more subtly rendered and more credible, both for Sunandi in her contact with the Prince and for Nijiri in his infatuation with his mentor. Luckily for me, the second book in the duology is already out, so I can jump right in after this promising start. May 18, Traci rated it it was amazing Shelves: I'm really struggling with my rating here.
I loved this book. The whole time I was reading it I had that magical feeling going when we read a new favorite book, one of many and many, for the first time. But my conscious is questioning whether it deserves a full five score. For now I'm saying yes. But for any objectiveness you can bring it down to four and a half if you wish. I'm definitely not going to try to explain the plot. But let's just say for w I'm really struggling with my rating here.
But let's just say for world building alone Jemisin deserves a perfect score. For language and atmosphere, perfect score. When I read her books I feel as though I am reading a dream and so I found it fitting that this most recent one deals so heavily in the dream world. I loved that there was no right or wrong. There are differing views in this book but never once are we the audience told to think. I love that the world is just familiar enough but never an exact copy. I love that Jemisin strays away from the tradition mode of European fantasy.
And does so in a way that is completely different.
This story could not have been told in any other fashion. Jemisin has a great talent at bringing life to unique fantasy cultures. Not to say it was perfect. I do think Jemisin needs some improvement with characterization. Although this book did a better job of this than her previous works. She can definitely create awesome characters, they just could use more of a human touch.
But more like this and I'll be a longtime fan. I know some readers found her first series a little heavy on romance but I can reassure any potential readers that this is high fantasy. I recommend this to fans of Jemisin's first series, obviously. Fans of Jaqueline Carey. And, don't shoot me, George RR Martin. Honest, the political aspects of this book is much stronger than her others. I'm just sorry it wasn't longer.
See a Problem?
Even though there is at least one more book planned, this one does have an end. And seems as though it could be read as a standalone. Apr 15, Simona Stoica rated it it was amazing. Oct 07, Chelsea rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a fantastic book. So far, it appears that there will only be two books, this volume and the next, titled The Shadowed Sun , which I'll be acquiring as soon as it comes out, which is thankfully on a payday for me. The growth in her writing is extremely evident. Her distinct authorial voice is still th Wow Her distinct authorial voice is still there, but sharpened and honed into the tool of a seasoned storyteller.
The characters are well-wrought, especially Nijiri. I was first struck with the cover art, I have to admit. It's gorgeous, and Orbit did a fantastic job with the printing. The glossary is extremely helpful. This is definitely one of those books where the reader is dropped into the world and expected to start picking up on things, though the fall isn't as jarring as with Gardens of the Moon.
Factions, paths, bloodlines, and nations are referenced by their names right away, with none of the over-explanation I've grown to dislike in fantasy. One of the nice benefits of this is the ability of the storyteller to keep the story about the characters, and not about the world. The scope of the story is told within two related countries, relieving us of the need for a map, and having to familiarize ourselves with endless nations, kings, cities, etc Don't get me wrong, I love a good map, but it's nice to just read something without trying to remember which king ruled which place or what god was in charge of which area blah blah blah blah.
She offers bits and pieces of the history, mythology and law through the book which help familiarize the reader without ever veering into "Well, Bob The magic system is well-imagined and draws on many different ideas which might be familiar to readers already. She combines the physical body, dreaming and sleeping, divine power and emotional power into one succinct system and ably demonstrates the good and bad sides of the magic. She explores the addictive nature of magic and power, which I found very compelling. She delivers the same deft exploration of two cultures, the Guajareen and Kisuati, which are just similar enough to be enemies.
Jemisin's chops in this regard are one big reason I am a fan of hers. She really understands how a culture works, right down to the food, and how it shapes interactions between members of the culture and outsiders. The only possible criticism I have is that there could have been more action. Though it's easy to view her as a Serious Author Writing Serious Things, she actually handles action scenes very well. I hungered for more after it ended. Add action to the list of things Jemisin writes very well, in addition to romance The Broken Kingdoms , culture shock, food, art, and tweets.
In short, highest possible recommendation for this book and this author! I look forward to the release of Shadowed Sun, and anything else she writes. Dec 12, Stefan Bach rated it liked it. They were steeped in its necessity, proud of its benefits, dismissive of its consequences. It was impossible to understand Gujaareh without understanding the source of its power.
A priest who grants peace of eternal dream to those who are corrupted by malice - but for the first time falters in his sacred duty and now has to deal with guilt. Do you demand more of yourself than you expect of them? That narrowness of purpose makes him the greatest of your brethren, but it also leaves him ill equipped to handle the schemes of the corrupt. This is why we think you strange—you do this and you see nothing wrong with it.
As I said, worldbuilding is fascinating in its uniqueness with beautiful mythology and rich history. Book is filled with little stories of world's conception like the story of a Sun chasing two Moons. It's a bit graphic for public description, so let's just say it has a happy ending. D My only complaint would be names. Or simply giving insufficient explanation of certain social, theological or any other concept, which can harm the book itself.
And sadly that was exactly the case here. Yeah, sure, make your imagination vivid and running wild, and choose some other name instead of George for your main male character. Running through glossary on every second page certainly can distract you from enjoyment. All in all this is a unique gem of this genre. Jemisin work did not disappoint. Nov 12, Donna rated it liked it Shelves: This was the first book in a two part series, but strangely enough, the way it ended, with everything tied up neatly, it felt like a standalone. I read it after The Broken Earth Trilogy, even though this series came before that one.
And I could not help comparing the two, with The Broken Earth books coming out the winners. I had thought those books grim, but this book was even more so since it lacked the abundant humor in that other series, which took the edge off the hopelessness of that world. As for the world depicted in this book, it is like an alternate version of ancient Egypt and the law of the land is peace at all cost, but sometimes the price is very high, even war.
There is a magic system in place which is facilitated by dreams. Gatherers are those who can both heal and destroy lives through the dreams they produce, depending upon whose lives they are dealing with and the range of their skill and control. But for those deemed corrupt, they are sentenced and given no choice in being terminated in such a manner. But what happens when those judging who are corrupt are corrupt themselves? And what happens when those doing the terminating allow their feelings to corrupt the process, turning dreams into nightmares? The world-building in this story was good, but not nearly as detailed or fantastic as what the author did later with her Broken Earth series.
But like that series, she had an interesting magic system and sympathetic, diverse characters. Though all of the main ones were male except for a pivotal female character who had little development and was somewhat unlikable. How different this was from the female dominant books in The Broken Earth Trilogy who displayed grit and had me rooting for them.
The Second Chance Hero (Forever Love, #4) by Jeannie Moon
Instead, I await whatever the author writes next since she seems to be gaining strength a book at a time, as time goes on. View all 5 comments. It takes some time to get into the story, as it starts with a whole new creation myth for an exquisite world, new and unknown concepts. I heartly recommend reading the glossary at the end before starting the book, as it may considerably ease your immersion into the story. I loved how each chapter begins with a quote from Hetawa's Law or Wisdom, helping you better understand the society and its system of beliefs.
The characters are exceptionally well written, all complex and layered, with flawed a It takes some time to get into the story, as it starts with a whole new creation myth for an exquisite world, new and unknown concepts. The characters are exceptionally well written, all complex and layered, with flawed and sometimes almost evilish heroes and villains with motives far from just evil.
Even so, I couldn't completly relate to any of them, but, as I have a very high sense of justice, I was quite dissappointed of the lack of luck and the continuing challenges a certain character was subjected to. Jemisin manages to tackle a various number of topics, more or less sensitive: But who knows what I get instead, if I stay?
Maybe time to see a new grandchild. Maybe a good joke that sets me laughing for days. Maybe another handsome young fellow flirting with me. Ehiru steadies her with shaking hands. Until the very end. If these are all the memories I get for eternity, I want to take as many of them with me as I can. View all 6 comments. May 19, Arielle Walker rated it really liked it Shelves: Most lands can tolerate only a few, and those die young. Jemisin's universe is utterly immersive, her world building solid, and the details she gives us actually stay consistent - without info-dumps or hammer-over-head obviousness.
It's heartbreaking to realise how few fantasy books there are available, still , with a POC as a main character. It's heartbreaking to realise how few books there are available, still, that aren't utterly whitewashed, heteronormative, eurocentric - the fantasy genre just happens to be particularly at fault. But this book completely shatters all those hideous cliches, and proves wrong any possible excuse that could be made for why fantasy books "have to be" so Set in a world inspired by ancient Egypt, these characters are fully formed, culturally sound.
Race isn't explicitly made a point of, but simply accepted. There is some mention of how the few white Northerners in Gujaareh burn in the sun, and some surprise that a highborn Prince has lighter "lowercaste" skin note "light er ", not "light". There is no sense whatsoever of "ticking diversity boxes", as happens so often especially in Hollywood but that's a whole long rant in itself. On a similar note, how exciting that bi-sexuality is not only accepted, but utterly normal!
The system of magic feels wonderfully new, even when it uses ideas that we have seen before - a brotherhood of "priests", dream magic etc. The author clearly knows more about her world than she lets on, meaning that it feels like a genuine place. We are never given too much information, but rather left to imagine a world that is both alien and familiar.
She also explores some very interesting points about life, about the right to choose when to leave - and the right to choose when to stay. Jemisin doesn't tell the reader what to think, only lays it out for us to decide - which for me is the entire point of the whole debate. Maybe another handsome young fellow flirting with me I want every moment of my life, pretty man, the painful and the sweet alike. At times I did feel my attention drift away and would have to put the book down for a while - but only to return again, eager to continue.
Jan 24, Lily rated it really liked it Shelves: I've liked fantasy, or at least the idea of it, pretty much since I could read. Some of my favorite and least favorite books fall under that category, and the latter caused me to steer clear of the genre for the last few years. I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it i I've liked fantasy, or at least the idea of it, pretty much since I could read.
I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?
This book reminded me that there's no better escape than immersing yourself in an imagined world, yet it also proved that "escape" isn't synonymous with an easy way out. You might end up somewhere at least as complicated as wherever you're escaping from, and you can't rely on anyone being there to hold your hand as you figure out how the world works. In The Killing Moon , the world of Gujaareh is revealed through a combination of vivid details and judicious gaps.
Which is a decent approximation of how people interact with the real world. This review is going to be a bit of a cop-out because I barreled through this book in the wee hours of the morning before my dissertation was due which should give you some idea of how the book affected me , so here are a few of the components that made it stand out: Thank you, NK Jemisin, for restoring my faith in the worlds of high fantasy, and the characters who inhabit them.
I would ease this for you if I could, but I have no peace left to share.
The Temporary Wife
I still have love, though. As much as you need. This is a book I picked up hoping to love but it didn't quite work for me. I have read the Broken Earth trilogy by this author and loved that, but this series written before that one just felt a little lacking in some areas for my liking. We focus on a world where people who are known as Gatherers have the ability to 'Gather' people and send them along to their deity. They do this by entering the dreams of the person who needs to be 'Gathered' and then guiding their soul along the pathway to t This is a book I picked up hoping to love but it didn't quite work for me.
They do this by entering the dreams of the person who needs to be 'Gathered' and then guiding their soul along the pathway to their dream-goddess. They are supposedly an impartial form of punishment, they are not owned by the crown or powered by any but good and bad. They stand only for justice. We follow one of the gatherers who is well-known and well thought of because of his skill.
He is a member of royalty who was taken in by the Gatherers when he was a young boy, and he has grown to believe in everything they stand for utterly. When our main characters meet they do so in an awkward way, with one being sent to kill the other, but we follow their discussion and it leads up to believe there is a lot more than first meets the eye.
Add in all the magic of the world and the influence of Egyptian culture, and you have what could be a wonderful start to a duology Sadly, the characterisation and world-building didn't go as far as I wanted in this series and I think N. Jemisin's newer series shows massive progression in these areas. Sometimes she even thought of her Aunt Ashley as her mom. Because her aunt loved her that much.
In the corner was a chair that faced the window. So Amy could sit and talk to God about her family in heaven—any time she wanted. Next to the chair, against the wall, was a bookcase full of everything that reminded Amy of her childhood. A teddy bear her daddy gave her when they went to the fair the year before the car accident. A small treasure chest full of notes her mom had written while Amy was growing up. Notes just for her. Because taking time to put her feelings on paper was important to her mother.
Amy took a break from packing for the trip. She sat on the bench at the end of her bed and stared at the bookcase. There were also a dozen framed photographs scattered on the different shelves. Photos of Amy and her mom, Amy and her dad. One of both her parents and her all snuggled up on the couch on an ordinary day. Back when they thought they had forever. The one of her whole family. Her parents and three sisters and her. They had been getting pictures taken for their Christmas card and the photographer had already snapped a million shots.
Amy stared at the image across the room and let it fill the broken places in her heart one more time. She could still hear her mother telling their story. How her mommy and daddy had been praying for a child when a social worker told them about Amy. Of course, Amy was just a little baby back then. But her birth mother had been a drug addict, and at the last minute the woman decided to keep Amy.
The littlest olive-skinned sister in the group. But as soon as her parents adopted Heidi Jo, they got a call from the social worker. The woman was on drugs again and she had been arrested. Which meant not only Amy but also her two older sisters were available for adoption. Her parents were thrilled and pretty much overnight they went from having no children to raising four little girls.
Clarissa, Chloe, Amy and Heidi Jo. The first three all tan with pale blond hair. They were the closest four sisters anyone ever knew. Amy stood and walked to the bookcase. A layer of dust dimmed the black frame. She picked up the photo and lightly brushed the edges clean, then she looked again at the people she missed so much. Her mom and dad were on either side of Amy and her sisters. The girls had their arms around each other and they were laughing. Laughing so hard that this picture had turned out to be the best that day.
For a few seconds Amy closed her eyes. The sound of her family still filled her heart. She blinked and her eyes focused on Clarissa. It was Clarissa, her oldest sister, who had said something funny that day. Whatever Clarissa had said, the day instantly became one of their favorites ever. It was good to have these memories. That was something Aunt Ashley talked about a lot. And it mattered a great deal. Amy returned the frame to its spot in the bookcase.
Then she stooped down. The bottom shelf was filled with eight photo albums. She would always be grateful to her aunt for saving them. Every item and picture mattered. They were all she had left of her old life. Before the car accident that took everyone else in her family home to heaven. Yes, she understood what it meant to be a survivor. At least, until she finds him flirting with someone else. When the penultimate werewolf scene finally happens, I actually laughed out loud.
Apr 27, Myvampfiction added it. I love to read, and I can generally find something that I like in just about any book. Unfortunately, once in a full moon is not one of those books, so this review will be very short. The plot is boring. Boy gets bitten by wolf. Girl falls in love with boy and vows to help him find a cure. Blah, been there, read that. With the popularity of werewolf books, it is really important to come up with an engaging plot, and this book just doesn't do that. The characters are horrible.
Celeste is too perfect to be true. She gets good grades, volunteers at the local nursing home - basically your all American girl. She's dating Nash, the most popular jock in school because she doesn't want to disappoint her friends. Yes, Celeste is a character who basically lets her friends dictate every aspect of her life. Do people really shun others because of what part of town they life in?
For being such a good girl, Celeste picks horrible friends - they are superficial, snobby and down right irritating. There were times I could stomach Celeste and even Brandon, but the rest of the characters made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork. The love story falls completely flat. Celeste knows she isn't in love with Nash, so it isn't shocking that she would fall for Brandon. But, this girl falling for hero boy plot line is just so over done. That wouldn't be so bad, except that Celeste falls in love and apparently swallows a pathetic pill.
When Brandon returns her cell phone, she doesn't want to put it down because he had touched it. It really does make me sad to leave a book review this negative, but there really isn't anything I can pull out of the book to redeem it. Needless to say, I don't recommend you running out to buy this one. For only the second time, I am giving a book 0 fangs. Mar 17, Jennifer rated it did not like it Recommends it for: Recommended to Jennifer by: I take the 5th on this one.
A student loaned me this book yesterday and there's a story in that too and I thought it might provide a pleasant diversion. I'm fond of werewolf tales Sharp Teeth, Bitten, etc. However, a few chapters into this, the writing was so horrific Schreiber, for god's sakes, "Show, don't tell. I skipped to the end and the last scene was so laughably awful that I'm glad I didn't waste the time getting to it. I'll think of something diplomatic to tell my student Arghhhh. I'll think of something diplomatic to tell my student who said if I liked it that she had the whole series but I don't have to be diplomatic here.
Nov 10, Danny rated it it was ok Shelves: I wanted to read this book because I absolutely adore this cover The story sounded interesting enough, so I started with big hopes in this book. Let's start with the nice things I have to say, the cover is gorgeous right? There is a werewolf, there is some mystery, there is a girl and some romance. Celeste has a normal and perfect life, has the "right" friends, dates the perfect handsome guy who's in the Football team. Then a Stranger moves to t I wanted to read this book because I absolutely adore this cover Then a Stranger moves to town and she's fascinated by him.
Things are getting strange and weird when Celeste is caught in a snowstorm and surrounded by wolves. Brandon, the new guy rescues her from the wolves, gets bitten and then disappears. Celeste cannot hide her interest in him anymore and starts lying to her friends to be near him. Still, nobody can know that she sees him, because he's from the wrong site of town. Her friends simply wouldn't accept him.. Talking about good friends here Ok , so far so good. I really tried to like this book and I stopped in the middle to pick it up again later with the hope I'd finally like it.
I was so annoyed by Celeste!! She's supposed to be 17 but she's behaving like a child. She's the most childish character I met for a long time. I was changing my head several time, I simply couldn't believe what she was saying and how she was behaving. She fells in love for the first time, and I get it.. Brandon I liked a bit more, but he was just not deep portrayed to me to care. But he also had some great lines.. You are kind, popular and beautiful" Something along those lines I didn't care enough to bookmark the quote What the heck has popular to do with trusting someone???
The fact that I didn't like the characters and that they were most of the time childish and boring made it hard for me to like the book. The dialogues were premature and I had a hard time reading on to be honest. In addition, the plot was kind of predicable and the ending totally anticlimactic. I'm sure there are people who would love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it is more suitable for a younger readership. It's a very young YA, I guess, and I'm just not interested. Besides the simple writing style, everything is told to the reader instead of shown, and there doesn't seem to be genuine personality with the characters, more of stereotypes.
I'm not that into the plot summary, either, so it's best if me and this book part ways Marking as DNF. I'm not that into the plot summary, either, so it's best if me and this book part ways. Oct 08, Heidi yabibliophile rated it it was ok. My middle schoolers will love it but it was too cliche and "flat" for me. It's basically Vampire kisses turned around and with werewolves. Characters didn't really speak like teens speak. Also, characters fall in love without really having a conversation.
There is kind of a love triangle but I found that whole aspect awkward. Again, it will fly off my shelves but I don't know that I'll read the subsequent books. Jun 28, Jenn, Reader of Things rated it did not like it Recommends it for: I have no clue. Recommended to Jenn, Reader of Things by: Got them for a series review. Pull it together, Jenn. I just, I can't even I need a minute to get over the fact that this book even got published. I don't even know where to begin dealing with this.
Okay, so, assuming you've read the synopsis of at least the first book, you'll learn that this is your basic girl-in-small-town-falls-for-werewolf-outsider story. I say "basic" because this story embodies almost every book cliche I know of. They are as follows: And did I mention that she already had a boyfriend at this point? Then remember, she's only spoken to this guy once Celeste is all like: Do I look stupid to you? The only thing I could remember was that Abby was athletic and Ivy was prissy. I still can't tell the difference between Dylan and Jake Abby and Ivy's boyfriends.
I've never read a book and actually been confused about whether or not it was a love triangle. I guess Schreiber was going for the whole "forbidden love" angle, but in the end it just seemed like a bunch of shallow teenagers from different sides of a river. She's ditzy, slutty hypocrite. Abby isn't really any better. Just a bit less slutty I think.
- Dangerous Passions, Deadly Sins: Learning from the Psychology of Ancient Monks;
- ?
- The Second Chance Hero;
I saw her parents VERY few times throughout the books, and really, if my kid was randomly leaving at night, spending hours who-knows-where and dating a werewolf, I'd make it my business to know! Brandon lives with his grandparents. I think they entered the story maybe one time. I'm not saying that all the questions have to be answered and it HAS to be neat and tidy, but there needs to be something accomplished, something that made it worth reading all three books. The cheesy romance wasn't even cheesy, it was just stupid. There were also some grammatical errors, and the dialogue sucked.
Like, it was so bad. Nobody that I have ever come into contact with speaks how these people spoke. Schreiber, there's these new things, they're called contractions. You should give them a try. But it wasn't just the lack of contractions. The writing itself is awful. It's so shallow and amateurish and the descriptive wording is just lame.
You don't need to keep telling us. The fact that this was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins just shocks me. They usually publish legit books. This is just pathetic. The plot isn't even a real plot, just one giant run-on sentence. It this wasn't an e-book, I would've thrown it against a wall or onto concrete or into a lava pit or something.
And if you're wondering why I read all three books if I hated them so much which you will, 'cuz that's how people are. You can't accurately review what you haven't read, idiot, and 2 If you don't read the bad, how can you appreciate the good? In Conclusion, Major disappointement. Finishing this series may have been the most difficult thing I have ever done. I think I just lost faith in humanity.
Oct 11, PhobicPrerogative rated it did not like it. What was the plot of the story? A boy running around naked with a goatee, ripped abs and a sprinkling of hair? A girl avoiding her friends just cause she likes someone from the wrong side of town? Celeste was an awful heroine. Throughout the book, she couldn't stand up to her own beliefs and preferences, and she didn't tell her friends that she liked Brandon Her friends were another matter. It was creepy that Screw it. It was creepy that the clique-y circle had their lives revolve around each other: Celeste cared too much about what they thought of her that I wanted to smack her senseless.
I wish the author had redeemed her a little, but I was pretty convinced that Celeste was ashamed to be seen with Brandon, although she said otherwise. Her friends, I also found, were pretty useless. If Celeste had turned out to be a main character without an entourage, the story would have still worked out. I don't know what value the girls brought to the story except a snobbish attitude and a missing dog who resembled a pumpkin. I should have felt more towards Celeste and Brandon's relationship, but I didn't. They moved fast, their love was unconvincing, their interactions were strange and her descriptions of their kisses was too weird.
Brandon was the only character I liked, but he really didn't bring much to the table except an argument of back and forth telling Celeste to stay away for her own good, et cetera et cetera. Perhaps I felt stuck in the mentality of Celeste being so weak and annoying for not admitting to dating Brandon that I was unable to think of how good they were together. Also, the werewolf phenomenon in the book was just too No ferocious fangs that dripped with drool? The werewolf in this book could speak in a seductive tone at that and he had a sexy goatee.
I wanted a wolf that resembled something on Being Human. Lastly, there was a lack of something impressive about the writing that left me wanting. And the ending did not thrill me enough to want to read book two. Feb 06, Alyssa hoffmaster rated it it was amazing. Couple of things I want to point out that I really liked about this book: I loved how at every chapter there was a picture of the moon, and I loved the cover. It was so intriguing looking. Ever since I read the plot I was hooked. Celeste and her best friends made a bet to go to the psychic on the other side of town, her two best friends get the normal fortu also reviewd on my blog: Celeste and her best friends made a bet to go to the psychic on the other side of town, her two best friends get the normal fortunes told to them, but when the psychic tells Celeste to be away of the kiss under the full moon, it will change forever.
She finds it strange and wants to get out of there as fast as she can. Then the other things that the psychic predicted came true and she started to become afraid. But then the new kid, Brandon comes to school. Because the girls won the bet Nash has to invite Brandon to the party. Brandon is the new kid, very mysterious and he seems to want to be left alone. Celeste starts finding him intriguing and then she starts hanging out with Brandon, Flirting a little here and there. She starts comparing Brandon and Nash. They start meeting in secret and there little flirtatious acts turn into love.
When Celeste ignores the psychic and kisses Brandon under the full moon she witnesses something him turn into something else. But Celeste tries to convince Brandon of what he really is. I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this book. But I loved it! I have read her previous series: Magic of the Moonlight which comes out in December: That's the only reason I read this book. I mean, what's more romantic than a kiss under the full moon? And why would it change someone's life forever? Why beware a kiss? That's how this author's powerful; she makes the reader ask questions that will only be answered by reading the book.
At first, with all the bad reviews on this book, I didn't really want to read it, but, as you can see by my review, I did read it. The writing was beautifully woven from the first word you read, until the last word. It kept me up at night, thinking about what would happen next, imagining different scenarios. Will they get together? Will she choose tern, stupid and selfish Nash, or beautiful, nice, selfless and caring Brandon? I think it was easy to know she'd choose Brandon, right? As I previously wrote in this review, Nash is tern, stupid and selfish.
He only began being nice and a bit caring to Celeste when she didn't want to be with him anymore. How stupid is he?
- To the Moon and Back!
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Even though Celeste was a bit too to He had such a cute personality! The cover really was pretty That's all I have to say about it; sorry. So, I heard there's another book in this series Nov 13, Julia rated it did not like it. I was in a werewolf book mood so I searched up werewolf at my local library and sadly I found this. The book is horrible. I read the rest of the books too and they are horrible also.
She is one of my main problems. I don't get me "Beware a kiss under the full moon, it will change your life forever. I don't get me started on her annoyingness if that is even a word and her stupid mind.
Please can someone hand me a piece of duct tape to tie her up. Or a nice birthday present, push her off a cliff. Well expect for Celeste Her personalty is full of stupidity and being annoying. What is with the goatee? Is he Shaggy from Scooby Doo? The other characters Even Ivy and Abby were stupid. They were bad friends also like their best friend, annoying.
Nash, please can someone shut him up also?!?! One small little scratch from a wolf? Also he just becomes hairy with teeth? At least in Teen Wolf which is a werewolf show I highly recommend they get awesome powers. So if you see this in a bookstore, get it and throw it into a fire I cried while reading this I was really prepared to like this even though I knew it would be a fluff book. About halfway through I tried throwing in the towel, but ended up stranded on the couch with my 80lb pitbull using my lap as a pillow sooo I grudgingly finished it.
First I rented this for the werewolf sighting - what I really wanted! I am deadly serious. The ch I'll be honest. The character of Celeste is a waste of space. Brandon saves her from a pack of wolves and she won't even admit to anyone that he saved her. PLUS, it takes an eon for her to get around to even saying thank you.