Picked this up in the library today. The premise was interesting, but the romance fell a little flat for me -- she just fell for him too quickly, and then spent the rest of the book wondering when she could see him again. I didn't really feel compelled to finish reading.
The Reluctant Heiress
A bit of a fluffy, light easy read. No real surprises here, but pleasant enough.
1
Cracked
I picked this up on a whim and was immediately drawn in. I usually can't stand first person, but Meda makes it work -- a great, strong, funny character. The focus on Meda's friendships rather than some insta-love is also refreshing. I love how her total, shameless self-centeredness turns into genuine caring for her friends.
Clean Sweep
Definitely very different and unique origin story on vampires and werewolves. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away, mainly because I just didn't feel the same connection to the characters that I do in some of Andrews' other works. Admittedly, this is a relatively short read, though, so I didn't get as much time with the characters. The ability to read this online as a serial was very nifty, though!
Making Money (Discworld Novels)
[b:Going Postal|64222|Going Postal (Discworld, #33)|Terry Pratchett|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347809016s/64222.jpg|1636617] is one of my all time favorite Pratchett books, but I wasn't quite as enamored of this one. It was funny to see how much hope and belief everyone had in Moist, but on the other hand, his accomplishments this time around didn't seem quite as lively and surprising as in Going Postal.
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive)
3.5 stars. This is a long, long book. And honestly, I think it could have been much shorter and worked. The really interesting stuff comes at the end. That said, once it got good, I was totally gripped.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Lots of profanity and violence, quite dark -- Lynch keeps raising the stakes. When you think things can't get any worse, it gets worse. I love Locke and how daring and brilliant and loyal he is.
The Rithmatist
3.5 stars, rounding up.This definitely had a distinct YA feel to it. While Sanderson's other stuff really carves out its own place in fantasy, this tended to follow more conventional YA patterns. It was still well written and enjoyable; I love the Joel/Melody team.
The Grand Tour
2.5 stars.I think the letter device worked better with the two of them on separate adventures - having Kate and Cecy directly corresponding was more fun and personal. In this one it felt more imbalanced, since Kate had a personal journal where she tended to talk about intimate moments with Thomas, and Cecy had a deposition. The plot dragged, not really picking up until the end, and I feel like both the cousins' relationship and the romantic relationships fared better in the first book.
Warbreaker
Wow, I loved this. My favorite of Sanderson's stuff so far -- so many excellent plot twists, I couldn't put this book down. I love how much both Lightsong, Siri and Vivenna grow and change by the end of the book -- Siri and Vivenna's role reversal is so well done.
1
Openly Straight
3.5 stars.Rafe has a great voice that drew me in right away. I picked this up and read the whole thing in one sitting. I loved Rafe and Albie and Toby. Rafe and Ben's relationship, though, didn't quite work for me - I couldn't quite believe it. I loved their earlier friendship but the agape/eros stuff seemed a bit forced. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Definitely gives me vibes of [b:Almost Like Being in Love|239092|Almost Like Being in Love|Steve Kluger|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348413499s/239092.jpg|231609].
The Crimson Crown (A Seven Realms Novel)
3.5 stars.I didn't unconditionally love this series, but it got better as it went on, and the last book was a satisfying finish. It reduced a lot of issues that I had with earlier books - there was much more action throughout, the love triangle was reduced in that Raisa and Han at least knew what they wanted, and it was nice to see Raisa and Han being competent.
The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms, #3)
3.5 stars.Unlike the first two books, which I somewhat plodded through, this one was interesting enough that I actually wanted to know what happened next. Seeing Raisa being queenly and taking charge was a nice treat.
Exiled Queen, The (A Seven Realms Novel)
Definite improvement over the first book; I found their training and school intrigue to be more interesting. The main thing I hated was the love triangle.
The Demon King (Seven Realms, Book 1)
Very slow to develop and only got interesting in the last fourth or so. I'll try reading the next one to see if I like it better, but I didn't really feel compelled by any of the characters or all of their dalliances.