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Cut Me Free

Cut Me FreeTitle: Cut Me Free
Author: J.R. Johansson
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
Format: ARC
Pages: 320
Reason Read: ARC Review
Rating:

My Thoughts

When I first heard about CUT ME FREE, I was worried it would be too hard to read because it was about child abuse. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. I’m so glad I did because I absolutely loved it. The story, writing, everything about it was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The story was so intense. I wanted to finish it as soon as I started reading it.

Johansson wrote this story in a way so that it wasn’t too graphic, but it still got the pain and sadness across. She also brought some hope into the story so it wasn’t all depressing. And, at the same time, she wrote believable characters that made you feel what they felt.

I felt so many emotions. I was so sad for Piper, Sam, and Sanda. I was horrified that people could do this and think it was okay. I’m angry that people do this and I was scared that something would happen again. Finally, I was relieved when Piper and Sanda found each other.

Piper was a great character. I loved reading her perspective. It was truthful and hesitant. Because she didn’t have a normal upbringing she questioned herself and her motives. I also loved Cam. I loved that he took an interest in Piper and he could tell that she was scared and didn’t trust anyone. I loved that he pushed her, but not too hard because he knew she needed time to heal.

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The Return Of The King

The Return Of The KingTitle: The Return of the King
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Series: Lord of the Rings #3
Genre: Classic, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Pages: 432
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating:

Also in this series: The Two Towers
My Thoughts

I’ve finally finished The Lord of the Rings. It was such a fun journey to experience reading this for the first time. I’m so glad to finally have read this series.

THE RETURN OF THE KING was such a great ending to the series. Even having seen the movies, I was still on the edge of my seat, wondering how things would end. I was surprised by the amount of things that were different than the movie, especially the whole part with the Shire.

Just like with THE TWO TOWERS, I didn’t like the way the book was split. I wanted the chapters to be interspersed. But, I was glad that the “fellowship” did get back together in the end for a few chapters. It’s interesting to me that only one member of the fellowship perished. I actually really liked that once the ring was destroyed, there was still a lot to do and wrap up. There was a real ending and not just a 20-page epilogue.

I really liked how everything wrapped up. It seemed that all the characters got what they deserved in the end, good or bad. I got teary-eyed at the end because I was saying goodbye to characters I had grown attached to. It was just a fantastic epic tale from beginning to end.

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Cinder

CinderTitle: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 390
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

Wow. Just wow. Why do I start these series before all the books are published?!

I had heard CINDER was awesome, but I really didn’t realize how awesome it was until I read it. I absolutely loved it. I especially loved the concept of this retelling of Cinderella. I loved the sci-fi / dystopian feel Meyer gave to this classic story. It helped bring the story to life and give it new meaning.

Going into this, I had heard that the plot was very predictable. I was worried that would make me not like it. On the contrary, while I figured out the big secret about 40 pages in, it only made me want to keep reading. I wanted to find out how the characters found out. I wanted to find out what this would do to the story if anything. I just wanted to know what happened. I was completely 100% entranced by this story.

I absolutely adored the characters, even Queen Levana, the antagonist. Cinder, herself, was awesome. She was strong yet vulnerable, confident yet shaky, pretty yet damaged. She had a lot of depth to her. And, Prince Kai. Oh how I loved Prince Kai. He was awesome as Prince Charming.

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The Two Towers

The Two TowersTitle: The Two Towers
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Series: Lord of the Rings #2
Genre: Classic, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Pages: 352
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating:

Also in this series: The Return of the King
My Thoughts

I’m not sure how to review THE TWO TOWERS. I have a lot of feelings about it and I’m not quite sure how to word them. I can say that some of my feelings are mixed. Overall, though, I liked it a lot.

I loved how epic the journey is. I loved how complex everything is. While I enjoy simple stories, I really enjoy complex ones that have a lot of facets to them. You can tell Tolkien really thought through the overarching story and not just the current story in the current book. As I said in my review of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, I really loved Tolkien’s writing style. I didn’t at first when I started THE HOBBIT, but it’s grown on me. I have to admit, though, that I was a little happy there were less songs this go around.

I still love Sam. I think he’ll remain my favorite to the end. And, I love Faramir. He’s so honorable, slow to react, intelligent, and compassionate. I loved every scene with him in it. He’s such a stark contrast to Boromir. He’s now my new favorite secondary character.

I didn’t like the way the book was split. Having two “parts” in the book is fine, but I didn’t like that the first half was just Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin, and the second half was just Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. I wanted the chapters to be interspersed. It might have made it a little harder to follow, but I think it would’ve made it more intense. And, at the same time, it would’ve cured the cliffhanger ending. I really hope I don’t have to wait until the second half of THE RETURN OF THE KING to know what’s going on with Frodo and Sam.

Why did Tolkien have to add giant, creepy spiders to the story?! Shelob totally creeped me out. I’m going to have nightmares! At least, that’s over with and I can enjoy the ending without worrying about her anymore.

I’m very excited to finish this trilogy. I can’t wait to see how it ends book-style.