really cute!

After watching the Maze Runner movies, I was interested enough to want to delve into the books, so I began the adventure with this one. We are immediately thrown into the fray, following a kid named Thomas who has no memories, just like every other "shank" in the glade. Dashner creates a mostly fascinating book, with strong characters, and I think he did a good job on it, but it almost feels as if it's missing something. I would say the thing The Maze Runner lacked most of was, as a reader, I somewhat feel a bit detached from the characters. But overall, this was a nice dystopian novel, and I'd recommend to anyone in middle school and above who's looking for a sound read.

Wolf Stalker is one of those books that you can't find anything bad to say about, but it's not Newbery award material. It has some charm to it, with somewhat interesting characters with whom you can relate to, accompanied by a nice, stable plot, but it doesn't stand out from the hundreds of thousands of books out there, and it'll probably never think about it now that it's done and read. You're being too harsh, you say, what with the plot being about saving a supposedly-bloodthirsty wolf, uncovering secrets, a grumpy foster kid, and an evil dude, but even with all those features, Wolf Stalker just isn't phenomenal or mind-blowing, although it does have a good message about preserving the world we live in and the animals that live in it with us. I liked it, and I'd say ages elementary through middle school will enjoy it.

I found Adrift after a desperate search of my library for a book that might heal a bit of the heartbreak from the ending of the Throne of Glass series., and since it was short and had a decent-looking storyline, I grabbed it and started reading. You can't go wrong with a book about five teens stranded at sea with no hope of survival, right? WRONG. Don't get me wrong, I like a fast-paced book, but Adrift was had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it plot. It felt like the author just tossed the story upon you without a second thought for character development. It definitely would have done better as a longer novel. But I have to give Mr. Griffin credit; the story is what it claims to be and nothing less. It was realistic in gristly details and had an ending that just sums up how life goes: The main characters don't always get the girl, not everyone lives, and it's not always just forgive-and-forget. I found Adrift in the teen section, but anyone could read it. It's only 228 pages, so I didn't lose much, but this book didn't leave me feeling like I'd gained anything, either.

I'm a bit late for this review, since I've already finished chugging through every entrancing page of Queen of Shadows and am soon going to be on to Empire of Storms. You'd think I'd have forgotten all 448 pages of Crown of Midnight, but no. Crown of Midnight continues weaving the enticing web that Ms. Maas begun spinning in the first installment of this series (which I highly recommend you dive into if you haven't already). Celaena is now freed from her toiling in Endovier, but she's still a slave to the vile King. Well, a disobedient slave. She's dancing on a fine line between life and death by sparing and then smuggling her targets out of Rifthold. But her own isn't the only life at risk. When something shocking and horrible comes to pass, Celaena's world is torn apart. As Celaena's bloodlust grows, something else grows with it. Something dark. Since I'm almost done with this whole series, I can promise you that Crown of Midnight is only the beginning of a wondrous, charming, bitter, tear-wrenching series, but as a whole, it will shock you. You're not going to be able to let go long enough to stop reading. Definitely not for elementary age range because of language and sexual innuendo, but teens will LOVE. You've been warned—and encouraged.

I'm a bit late for this review, since I've already finished chugging through every entrancing page of Queen of Shadows and am soon going to be on to Empire of Storms. You'd think I'd have forgotten all 448 pages of Crown of Midnight, but no. Crown of Midnight continues weaving the enticing web that Ms. Maas begun spinning in the first installment of this series (which I highly recommend you dive into if you haven't already). Celaena is now freed from her toiling in Endovier, but she's still a slave to the vile King. Well, a disobedient slave. She's dancing on a fine line between life and death by sparing and then smuggling her targets out of Rifthold. But her own isn't the only life at risk. When something shocking and horrible comes to pass, Celaena's world is torn apart. As Celaena's bloodlust grows, something else grows with it. Something dark. Since I'm almost done with this whole series, I can promise you that Crown of Midnight is only the beginning of a wondrous, charming, bitter, tear-wrenching series, but as a whole, it will shock you. You're not going to be able to let go long enough to stop reading. Definitely not for elementary age range because of language and sexual innuendo, but teens will LOVE. You've been warned—and encouraged.