cgreaderbee's reviews
469 reviews

After having read "Neverwhere" and then "The Graveyard Book," I easily decided that Neil Gaiman was an author I would be keeping in my radar. There is something very captivating and pleasing about his prose, and while I only gave "M is for Magic" a 3 out of 5 stars, I know I will continue to hunt down all his work.
Overall, my favorite stories were 'Chivalry', 'The Price', and 'October in the Chair'. And I of course loved revisiting Bod and "The Graveyard Book" crew in 'The Witch's Headstone.' These were my favorites because I found the concepts behind these short stories to be both interesting and comprehensive. I was able to click with the characters and become engaged in where the short story picked up, while also feeling satisfied when it ended.
On the other hand, some of the other stories were a bit too detailed and scattered for me to really get involved with what was happening. In a short story, instead of working up to getting to know the characters, setting, and feel, you are dropped right in the middle of it all and witness only a small segment. For Harry potter fans, very much like when you are dropped into the memories of the Pensive.
With that being said, I felt some of the stories were set up better than others. Other concepts that I enjoyed were those of 'Troll Bridge' and 'Sun Bird'. I was not a particular fan of 'The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds' and 'How to Sell the Ponti Bridge' and 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties.'
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading these short stories and would still recommend it.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I think the problem was that I expected too much from it and I read it with the wrong frame of mind. Overall, I enjoyed the story well enough, but I found the writing to be average and the interactions to be immature. Although, being that it is from the POV of a 12 year old boy, I think that was kind of the point. I can see the appeal of the the book, and I understand why many people related to and enjoyed it. I will probably go on to read the sequels just for the heck of it.

As suggested by my 5 star rating - I really liked this book. After I finished it, it just left me with an undeniable sensation of 'magic.' If I had to chose one word with which to describe this book, that would be it. I wish I had the proper words to describe how well this book was written and everything that I loved about it. Looking over some of the reviews, I was surprised by such low ratings from other readers, but I suppose some of the slower or more detailed parts did not bother me. I would highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from this author.

This was not the best book I've ever read, and I wasn't sure if I was going to give it a 5/5 stars. However, in the end, I decided to do so for the following reasons:
- It was very well written. This is my second read from Ms Victoria Schwab (the first being - A Darker Shade of Magic) and again, I was impressed.
- The concept and story was just so intriguing. There were multiple elements underway, and it kept me interested and guessing throughout the whole novel.
The only thing I didn't love was the main character. I found her kind of one-dimensional and boring at times. But overall, that wasn't enough to bump it down to 4/5 stars for me.
Overall, I felt this book had just enough of all the things I love - world building, adventure, a stretch on an alternate reality, and a little romance.
I look forward to reading the next installment, and I would definitely recommend. :)

I pretty much felt the same about this one as I did the first - I still don't really care for the way it is written, but overall it's enjoyable (and popular) enough that I will keep going with the series. When reading the first book, I just couldn't help but be a little bothered by some of the cheesy, immature dialogue and scenes. I've come to accept that's just the appeal of the book, as it is targeted to a younger reader. However, I read the first book, and this second book I listened to as an audiobook, which I found more pleasant. Rather than harp on the fact that I'm wasting time reading a book that isn't written very well, I was able to just relax and listen to it as if it was a story someone was telling me. For me, it was much more humorous listening to the silly banter and thoughts of Percy and his friends. I plan on finishing the series as audiobooks.

This is my first book by this author as well as my first book written in verse. I really liked the style - it was poetic and very easily devoured. Definitely not a book for everyone, as it's about three teens who are in the process of "recovering" after their attempted suicides, all while the reader discovers the painful, twisted secrets of their pasts as you switch between POV. However, I didn't find this book disturbing or dark. At times I had trouble relating with some of the characters, mainly Vanessa, and I think I most identified with Connor (not to be taken literally, please, lol). I thought the end was a little heavy on the romance, but I think that Hopkins was trying to emphasize the power of human nature's need for love and companionship. Overall, I would recommend this book - it is well written, fast-paced and interesting, and provides a meaningful look into human emotion - depression, anger, hopelessness, fear, love, hate, denial, betrayal, hope ...

Alright, so, this book was pretty good. I was sort of torn between rounding a 3.5 to 3 or 4 stars. When I first started the book, I found it kind of boring and slow. I tend to read more face-paced adventure or fantasy novels, which are my favorite and why I gave this book the rating I did. But this book also had something special. It just about an ordinary boy in a less than ordinary town and his interests and struggles and interactions as he tries to figure out the world. You get to know him, and his family, and the people of the tiny town. And sooner or later you realize that you're invested. The most powerful message to me was - Seriously, don't judge, because you have no idea what that other person has gone/is going through ... whether it's an angsty teen that talks back or doesn't complete a homework assignment .. a tough, irritable coach who has a short fuse and nasty temper .. or a cranky, old librarian lady who gives you an evil look if you so much as breathe too loudly. That was my favorite part of this book by far, slowly discovering that things (and people) are not always what they seem. I recommend it.