Take a photo of a barcode or cover
aprildiamond's reviews
144 reviews
The Map of Stars by Laura Ruby
5.0
And so concludes the only series so far where I thought every book was 5 stars.
This final episode was incredible. I couldn't put it down. The questions get answered, the stakes get higher, and everything (literally everything, even from the first book) gets connected in the most intense way possible.
Theoriginal timeline was WAY too real. That was the first place where I was DEVASTATED, man. It was so sad. And then the ending,,,, I cried omg. I felt everyone's pain. Ava's, Tess's, Theo's, Jaime's. And I think it makes sense. The king's secret move is castling, after all.
This is how I think everything happened:
In the original timeline, Renee is killed/targeted (I don't think it was an accident) so she sends the note and the design to Tess and Theo. They use it to go back to the Industrial Revolution, become the Morningstarrs, create the Cipher, and fix everything.
In the Cipher timeline, which is the one we've been following, the original problems are gone but there are still issues, like how Renee is still dead, Slant, Hunter, etc. However it's nowhere near as bad as the catastrophe of the original timeline. This time Jaime and Ava go back.
In the final timeline, I don't think they go all the way back?? Maybe it was just Ava because Jaime seems that he got there right from where the first book starts. Like, he's confused and out of it, still thinking it's the Cipher timeline. Theo (and probably Tess too) seems like he's about to remember everything, going through instances of deja vu. Overall, this is the final and correct timeline because those new problems have been erased, no Slant, Renee is alive, 354 W 73 is still up. So it was necessary for both the twins and Jaime to go back for EVERYTHING to be correct.
Not sure if this is correct, just how I thought everything worked.
There are so many meanings to this book, and I couldn't even begin to get into them all. But one that really hit me was when Hunter Roberts tried to blame all the problems on the Morningstarrs despite them fixing everything. Of course it wasn't their fault, they saved the world from destruction, but he didn't live that, so he would never know what could have happened and so blamed them for his personal gain. It was WAY too real.
The writing, the themes, the emotions, and most of all, the sense of hope through the chaos that you get from this book, they were all beautiful. I would give this book more stars if I could.
(side note my headcanon Ava is Janelle Monáe because, I mean, look at her. she'd be perfect wtf)
Anyway as I've said a million times this series is amazing. And I'm so sad that it's over but it's been a good run :)
This final episode was incredible. I couldn't put it down. The questions get answered, the stakes get higher, and everything (literally everything, even from the first book) gets connected in the most intense way possible.
The
This is how I think everything happened:
In the Cipher timeline, which is the one we've been following, the original problems are gone but there are still issues, like how Renee is still dead, Slant, Hunter, etc. However it's nowhere near as bad as the catastrophe of the original timeline. This time Jaime and Ava go back.
In the final timeline, I don't think they go all the way back?? Maybe it was just Ava because Jaime seems that he got there right from where the first book starts. Like, he's confused and out of it, still thinking it's the Cipher timeline. Theo (and probably Tess too) seems like he's about to remember everything, going through instances of deja vu. Overall, this is the final and correct timeline because those new problems have been erased, no Slant, Renee is alive, 354 W 73 is still up. So it was necessary for both the twins and Jaime to go back for EVERYTHING to be correct.
Not sure if this is correct, just how I thought everything worked.
There are so many meanings to this book, and I couldn't even begin to get into them all. But one that really hit me was when Hunter Roberts tried to blame all the problems on the Morningstarrs despite them fixing everything. Of course it wasn't their fault, they saved the world from destruction, but he didn't live that, so he would never know what could have happened and so blamed them for his personal gain. It was WAY too real.
The writing, the themes, the emotions, and most of all, the sense of hope through the chaos that you get from this book, they were all beautiful. I would give this book more stars if I could.
(side note my headcanon Ava is Janelle Monáe because, I mean, look at her. she'd be perfect wtf)
Anyway as I've said a million times this series is amazing. And I'm so sad that it's over but it's been a good run :)
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
4.0
1) I love political intrigue plots
2)Unreliable narrators are a thing of beauty and this book handles it perfectly
2)
The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
4.0
Can't believe Artemis actually starts having emotions here... and so the character development begins
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris
4.0
Not bad! It's a cute, short, middle grade (or younger?) book about magic, friends, and a heist. And heists are my favorite genre.
It also reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society at times, but that's a good series to take after.
It also reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society at times, but that's a good series to take after.
The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
4.0
Not one of my favorites of the series but I can't deny that it got super intense.
Also Opal is so unhinged this book and she only gets worse wow
Also Opal is so unhinged this book and she only gets worse wow
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
4.0
Despite the 2 months and forced hiatus that it took to finally finish this book, I really enjoyed it.
The middle section does get long, but I wasn't ever bored while reading it so I have no problems there.
And mythology+sci-fi is a genre I never knew I needed and now I need more, because it's honestly the coolest concept ever.
The middle section does get long, but I wasn't ever bored while reading it so I have no problems there.
And mythology+sci-fi is a genre I never knew I needed and now I need more, because it's honestly the coolest concept ever.
The Black Circle by Patrick Carman
4.0
I really appreciated the existence of double agents, the beginning of character development for both Hamilton and Irina, and the family mysteries starting to unravel. This is probably my favorite so far.
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
4.0
4.5 stars
Another hit from the Rick Riordan Presents series!
If I had to choose which of these books captured the essence of the Percy Jackson series the best, I would have to say this one. It's the combination of a quest through monsters, gods, and mythology and the special brand of humor that really does it.
I love the unique set of characters and I'm excited to add more to the ranks as the series progresses. I'm also really intrigued by the whole Sleeper thing so it'll be cool seeing where that goes.
A note: I've known that representation in books is so important, but I've never personally had that experience. I felt so seen during some parts of this book. If middle-school me had had this book, things would have been so different, so I'm glad that middle grade readers today have access to stuff like this, where they can see protagonists who look like them and who have similar experiences.
Another hit from the Rick Riordan Presents series!
If I had to choose which of these books captured the essence of the Percy Jackson series the best, I would have to say this one. It's the combination of a quest through monsters, gods, and mythology and the special brand of humor that really does it.
I love the unique set of characters and I'm excited to add more to the ranks as the series progresses. I'm also really intrigued by the whole Sleeper thing so it'll be cool seeing where that goes.
A note: I've known that representation in books is so important, but I've never personally had that experience. I felt so seen during some parts of this book. If middle-school me had had this book, things would have been so different, so I'm glad that middle grade readers today have access to stuff like this, where they can see protagonists who look like them and who have similar experiences.
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
4.0
-A quest with 3 equally unique main characters
-A monster villain who is wayyy too human sometimes
-A fake prom
-Cool superpowers and related superweapons
-Navajo mythology
-Hot Cheetos
Put them together and you get the very fun ride that is this book!
(I wish this had a sequel but sadly it doesn't seem like that's in the plans)
-A monster villain who is wayyy too human sometimes
-A fake prom
-Cool superpowers and related superweapons
-Navajo mythology
-Hot Cheetos
Put them together and you get the very fun ride that is this book!
(I wish this had a sequel but sadly it doesn't seem like that's in the plans)