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| WITH SPOILERS |

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic for one reason: it has the ability to touch the heart of everyone, of any age.

Coming across this book, I first thought that it will only be centered around the racial injustice it’s so widely known, however, there was a realization soon after that that was only a small part of the book. Rather, it revolves around almost entirely on the lives of Scout (Jean Louise) and Jem as they were growing up in Maycomb in Alabama.

That doesn’t mean though that it was insignificant. For one thing, it made me change how I think about superiority and inferiority, and how the law back then, and perhaps now, were most favorable to the superior, which in this case was the white. This however did not shake the heart of Atticus, Scout’s father who was an attorney, as his belief in justice led him to defend Tom Robinson’s – a black man’s – innocence to the very end of his (Tom’s) death.

Him taking up Tom’s case, which was revolved around him being wrongfully accused of rape on a white woman, meant harsh judgment from others, including his family members, but instead of faltering, he instead taught us to be open minded and develop sympathy, and to understand others’ perspective first before judging [back].

Seeing Atticus overcome these difficulties through the eyes of Scout, who was just a child that has yet to experience the ‘real world’ made this book even more unforgettable. We got to see as well how his parenting style on his two children influenced them a lot.

There were others I heard from before reading this though that this story paints a very heavy picture on the character of Atticus being a “white savior”, but after completing the book, I believe that the purpose behind this was for his good values, genuine attitude, and most importantly, his message (on justice) to have more impact on the readers as a white character himself, especially as racial divide between whites and blacks remains to be a deeply rooted problem in American society. I, for one, saw how much my perspective on so many issues of this world changed after going through this book.

Just to elaborate, I’ll post some of my favorite quotes from him here.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

“...This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience – Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.”

Moving on, as I read through the chapters, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I got to know about their town, Maycomb, through little stories that was included in. We learned about the history of Maycomb, the history of the Finch family, and the lives of Boo Radley, Dill Harris, Calpurnia, and even their close neighbors, like Miss Maudie. This is not something that appears in every novel out there, especially ones in the Young Adult (my comfort genre), as some tends to focus more on the execution of the plot and just centering around two or more main characters. But I think that the functioning of the town as a whole, I guess I could say, was what I liked the most about To Kill a Mockingbird, as it gave me more of the feeling that I was actually there.

I guess it’s understandable that it’s because of how ‘mundane’ and ‘real’ this is that some might have mixed feelings in reading TKAM. Because other than the sudden disappearance of Dill (like he just suddenly left after the sweet moment he had with Scout ><), the case of Tom Robinson not going according to what we all hoped and him dying in the end, and the emerging of Boo Radley’s character in the final chapters, there aren’t really any exciting ‘plot twists’ one would see in a contemporary novel nowadays. Rather, it deals with the very idea of “right and wrong” through stories set in their town.

As for the characters, perhaps one downside is of how little relevance their mother’s death was in the story. There was no explanation on why and how she died, and she was also not mentioned very much throughout the book. Seeing as this was written in the perspective of Scout in all of its entirety, and how she was only just a child, I expected for her to have at least a bit of longing for her deceased mother.

Overall, reading this book was an enjoyable experience. But in my opinion, it’s the type you’d have to go through more than once to gain a complete understanding of. This was only my first time reading it (and without annotating anything) so I’m pretty sure I missed a lot more important messages the book had to offer, however, I definitely think it’s something everyone, especially students should read!

As a parting message, I will leave this quote by one character, Calpurnia, which is one of my favorites.

“It’s not necessary to tell all you know. It’s not lady-like… folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ‘em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn, there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.”

*

MY RATINGS

1+ Did the story develop well? [ 10 / 10 ]  

2+ Were the characters likeable and relatable? Easy to get attached to? [ 9 / 10 ]

3+ Was the setting and world(s) well-built? [ 10 / 10 ]

4+ Did it give so many feels? Did you think about it all the time? [ 8 / 10 ]

5+ Was it enjoyable enough to want to read again? [ 9 / 10 ]

*

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“I think I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them than live because I betrayed you.”

- Scarlet,

Book 2 of The Lunar Chronicles

⭐

QOTD:

WITH SPOILERS

[ Scarlet is a continuation of Cinder, the 1st book of The Lunar Chronicles. ]⁣

In the beginning, we meet Scarlet Benoit, whose grandmother has gone missing, and Wolf, a street fighter with information that could serve as tools to knowing the grandmother’s whereabouts. ⁣

Despite her lack of trust with the stranger, she agrees to let him help in searching for her grandmother, and together they meet Cinder and Thorne, who broke out of prison and is on the run as wanted fugitives.⁣

The four band together to put an end to Levana's rule and to try to put a stop to a wedding that could potentially ruin both the lives of Earthen citizens and Lunars. ⁣

Scarlet is a fast-paced book with more adventures than Cinder, and although I didn’t like it more than the previous installment, it was a very enjoyable read.⁣

1+ Did the story develop well? [ 8 / 10 ]

Like Cinder, Scarlet is fast-paced.

When we got introduced to Scarlet, the building of the story was slow and steady. Nothing much was happening, and we were learning about her grandmother’s disappearance through her narrative.

It perhaps has something to do with Scarlet having a longer length than Cinder, but everything was going at a slower rate, and that’s not a bad thing, since we can really have the chance to see the story unfold.

The middle part of the book, from what I can recall, is when things really started to pick up.

Cinder and Thorne discovered and was, at that point, also looking for Michelle Benoit (the grandmother), Kai is firm in going through with the marriage alliance even though he can’t help but think of Cinder ALL the time, and Scarlet and Wolf finally getting some lead on the grandmother’s location.

It was from that point on that I literally couldn’t put the book down.

The climax was great too, and like Cinder, it ended in an absolute cliffhanger.

I remembered being so hurried in getting my hands on the next book, Cress (which I’ve finished reading by the time I wrote this review), just because I couldn’t get over Kai and that ending. (Also mentioning that IF you’re wondering whether Cress is any different in its ending, I’ll tell you now, it’s not. You’ll be surprised at how much of a cliffhanger the book ended.)

Overall, the story developed well, and the new information about the Lunar world given was enough to satisfy me.

There were some parts that were predictable and easy to guess was headed onto that path, but it was enjoyable reading until the end.

I loved how the story lines came together by the time the story concluded, and for that reason, I give the story development a rating of 8/10, despite its predictability.

2+ Were the characters developed well? [ 7 / 10 ]

In terms of character development, I’d say it wasn’t as neatly done, but it was, for the most part, okay.

Cinder, Kai, and Iko remained as main characters, but we didn’t really see much of them in the book, what with its multiple POVs and all, but I loved the moments they had.

The characters of Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf were done well, and I had a fun time reading about them, however, I fear that there just isn’t a lot to say about their (especially Scarlet’s) personality.

Thorne, with his funny banters and quirky character, served as a comic relief in the midst of all seriousness in the book, and because of that, he became one of my FAVORITES in the series.

Wolf was good too. He was shy and quiet, which was perfect to go along with Scarlet’s toughness, but when speaking of their romance as a whole, it didn’t feel as complete as Cinder and Kai’s crush-love.

Their romance was more of an insta-love. I’m not one to hate on that trope, and I think that if it’s done well, it is just as good as other romances. However, for Scarlet and Wolf, that wasn’t the case.

Their relationship didn’t seem realistic and felt forced, but they did have their own cute moments, so I won’t complain too much.

As for Cinder and Kai, they didn’t appear a lot, but in the scenes they did appear, nothing much was done in terms of their character development.

And unfortunately, unlike what I had hoped, Cinder and Kai didn’t interact (at all) in the book. That doesn’t mean I shipped them any less though. They WERE and still IS my No. 1 ship, and I can’t wait for the day Levana goes out of the picture and they finally get their happily ever after.

3+ Was the setting and world(s) well-built? [ 10 / 10 ]

Just like in the previous installment, the Lunar world still was as magical as ever, and I can’t help but wish I was in their world instead. (Maybe not in Luna, but somewhere in New Beijing.)

Some pointed out that the writing on the wolves wasn’t researched enough and the information given out was not accurate, but as I am not an expert in that, I wasn’t bothered at all.

For those who fancy the subject though, do be aware as you read through.

Anyway, there’s nothing much to say and my rating on the worldbuilding will still be 10/10.

4+ Did it give so many feels? Did you think about it all the time? [ 8 / 10 ]

I can’t begin to describe my emotions as I read through the book.

Excitement, happiness, angriness, a little bit of boredom, but complete enjoyment all the way to the end.

I lived for Cinder and Thorne’s cute interactions, and (apologies to Kai in advance) I couldn’t help but imagine if they were the ones that ended up together instead.

Cinder’s determination and fierce personality + Thorne’s quirkiness and flirty ways could blend together so perfectly and their ship would be so cute, however, my heart will be for #KaiDer forever.

Nonetheless, they make such an adorable side ship.

Scarlet and Wolf’s romance was heart-fluttering in some parts too, but as I said above, it just felt so insta-lovey that I couldn’t ship them as much as I wanted to.

The action-filled scenes were so exciting and so fast and it gave me so much adrenaline, which was the same for Cinder too. Those parts were probably one of the reasons I loved Marissa’s writing so much.

5+ Was it enjoyable enough to want to read again? [ 6 / 10 ]

Not as much as Cinder, but it definitely has the capability to entertain a reader all the way to the end.

But when the time comes for me to reread the series, I’d probably choose to skip this one, and read the other installments instead.

It’s enjoyable though, and I feel like this sequel was the perfect sequel to Cinder.

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"She did not know that the wolf was a wicked sort of animal, and she was not afraid of him."

- Scarlet,

Book 2 of The Lunar Chronicles

⭐

Hey there book lovers, here's my new quote for the new week!

"We have the ability to love each other, no matter our differences. To help each other, no matter our weaknesses."

- Cinder,

Book 1 of The Lunar Chronicles

To read my review on this book, check out my profile!

📌 QOTD:

Cinder is set in a futuristic New Beijing where not only humans exist, but also cyborgs and androids. There is also a whole other civilization living on the moon threatening the existence of Earthen citizens, a plague going on, and a charming, sassy prince. And, oh, it’s a Cinderella retelling too.

As you can see from what I’ve mentioned above, there are a lot of things going on that I didn’t think it was possible for all of it to connect by the end of the story, but it did, and I really applaud the author for that.

Cinder was a very promising start to the series. I binge-read it in less than a week, found myself thinking about it all the time, and Prince Kai was always on my mind, although maybe one of the reasons was for the mere fact that he was a prince? (nothing can stop my love for the royal trope in the YA genre.)

Overall, it was a great book. There are some aspects that could use improvement, but I find those flaws to be completely unnoticeable as you will be too invested in the story instead!

MY RATINGS

1+ Did the story develop well? [ 7 / 10 ]  

As the story is set in a futuristic world, we get introduced to a lot of things. In fact, there were so many explaining and introducing to do that I felt that in some parts, it was only about that.

Several chapters, as I could recall, were only dialogues explaining the Lunar, cyborg, political stuff of the story. It didn’t really bother me, but it would’ve been nicer if the information was given to us in a smoother, more gradual way.

Another thing I’d say about this is Dr. Erland’s purpose in the book. He’s a genius, and I like him very much, no doubt, but I felt that, in some parts, he only served to give information about Lunars and the plague. If it weren’t for him, the story wouldn’t have developed as it did, which makes him an essential character, but I hoped he was given more character, and that he wasn’t just there to be a ‘source of information.’

Like Dr. Erland, Cinder and Kai didn’t really have time to show the full extent of their character as well, but I liked how relatable and realistic they are throughout the story. I guess this was a major reason as to why others didn’t like this book as much as the other ones, but it honestly was okay with me, since this book didn’t have as much pages to begin with. So considering its length, I’d say the character development was enough.

For the overall plot development, yes, it was indeed a bit rushed, but I like a faster pace more than a slower one in a fantasy sci-fi book. So no fault there.

2+ Were the characters likeable and relatable? Easy to get attached to? [ 9 / 10 ]

I find that the major characters in the story, Cinder, Kai, and Iko, are very relatable.

I loved how Kai’s progress from being a prince to the emperor of New Beijing. He knew what he needed to do, yet having to face the burden of all the people in the Eastern Commonwealth at a young age was pressuring, and I’m just glad to see that part of him was shown.

Going with Kai through his beginning life as an emperor and seeing how he was so much more than royalty made him a favorite character for me (and possibly gave him a top 1 spot on my fictional boyfriends list *-*)

As for Cinder who is half-human and half-cyborg, I was surprised to see how much more human she is, considering how she’s almost all cyborg. This can be seen from one point as good, but it could be ‘bothering’ for some who believe that machines aren’t capable of giving more emotions than an actual human being.

Aside from that, Cinder was very likable. She is what I’ll always consider as a prime example of an amazing, tough YA heroine.

I also got attached to characters like Iko and Peony, and I was so sad when Peony died so soon, but deaths are inevitable in almost every book, I guess.

3+ Was the setting and world(s) well-built? [ 10 / 10 ]

Having read the story, I can now understand why people are saying that this wasn’t just another Cinderella retelling. It was completely different from what I imagined it to be.

The world-building was quite rushed, and I had to take in that there’s an evil stepmother, a devastating plague, Lunars who can twist your own thoughts and emotions, and so many other stuff all at once that I literally had to take a minute break to recall everything.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love it though.

I was head over heels over everything the world revolved around, and I just wished the world-building was set up more slowly so that I could obsess about it more.

All in all, amazing job to the author for creating something so original to a work that’s been redone and revised so many times already.

4+ Did it give so many feels? Did you think about it all the time? [ 10 / 10 ]

What I loved most about Cinder is its ability to hook in the reader until the very end.

It didn’t make me stop thinking about how the stepmother was so evil, or how Prince Kai was so charming it’s unfair, or how Cinder could possibly tackle queen Levana and her army of soldiers.

It also gave me a whirlwind of emotions, especially when it comes to Cinder and Kai.

I was happy seeing Cinder and Kai’s friendship blossom, then couldn’t help being overly annoyed whenever Queen Levana appeared with her marriage alliance thing. I swear I knew from the start that Levana would be the one obstacle from my Cinder x Kai ship becoming canon.

Anyway, definitely 10 out of 10 in this area.

5+ Was it enjoyable enough to want to read again? [ 10 / 10 ]

I honestly don’t think I can go on more than a month without reading The Lunar Chronicles again, not just because it’s enjoyable, but also because it was a major reason for me getting into YA Fantasy.

It was a great introduction to YA Fantasy, or generally the Young Adult world, and I can’t recommend this series enough to anyone who’s just beginning in the genre.

So, if you haven’t read this series yet, definitely do!

It’s well worth your time.

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Cycles of the Phoenix by C.A. Nicholas is definitely the kind of book I will not be able to put down once I started it!

Just gave one read of the synopsis and I was immediately set to putting it on my Goodreads reading list.

What kind of thrilling experience would I get from this book?

I don't know, but I'm sure to find out!

To check it out on Amazon, head on to this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/109692658X/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_Pc3VEbNXRSPKS

Want to take a look at it on Goodreads first? Click here!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46035440-cycles-of-the-phoenix

Set in a world where Greek Mythology gods and goddesses exist and have children of their own, The Lightning Thief tells a quirky, adventure-filled story about a trio – Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood – on a quest to find a valuable item that was stolen from Mount Olympus.

As a novel that, I think, is primarily for middle-grade boys, it’s forgivable that it feels more simply written, unlike other books of the same genre. Don’t get fooled, though, as it is a book you’ll want to finish the same day you started it, not because it’s something you can breeze through, but for the reason that you’ll always want to know what happens next!

Aside from that, there were many things I loved about it.

The hilarious chapter titles, the fact that it’s set in our modern world, how the Greek gods stay true to who they are even though they were in a completely different time and setting, and how the characters give off so much potential and personality. . There’s a lot of good than bad that I can think of for this book, you could say.

The Lightning Thief was a great start in the series for me, and I can’t wait to read more of Percy’s adventures.

MY RATINGS

1+ Did the story develop well? [ 7 / 10 ]

The story starts with the introduction of Percy and Grover. We gradually got to know about Percy’s life through his narrative, about his misfortunes with his stepfather (whose name I silently laugh at every time), and how he suffers from ADHD and dyslexia, and with little hints here and there, we soon learned that he wasn’t just the son of a god. He was the son of Poseidon!

Although it took a slightly longer time for the characters to realize Poseidon was Percy’s father, as obvious as it was, I couldn’t have been more hooked once they did realize it, as I figured it wouldn’t be long until we finally get to the quest.

The quest to find Zeus’ lightning bolt was not an easy one. They had to encounter monsters from the underworld. They fell in one of the traps meant for Ares and Aphrodite. The adventures never stopped coming, and even though the book stalled and slowed down at around the middle, reading about them made me want to finish the book all the way to the end.

As the story is brought to a close, we now know who was behind the stealing of the lightning bolt, some people with the names of the-guy-in-the-pit, Ares, and Luke. Not exaggerating or anything, but I kind of saw the 3rd one coming.

2+ Were the characters likeable and relatable? Easy to get attached to? [ 8 / 10 ]

The story mainly follows 3 people. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood.

Percy Jackson was the type of guy I’d crush on in middle school, with the sassy, tough personality of his. His motive throughout the whole journey was to rescue his mom, which is a new one, as the YA Fantasy books I read didn’t have moms. . or parents.

It was easy to love him, and how his disorders – ADHD and dyslexia – were described in a way that it was seen as a strength than a weakness made me love him even more. That’s such an important message to convey toward younger readers, and I’d like to see more of his potential in the next books in the series.

Annabeth and Grover were very cool characters. I love how they were portrayed, and I think they wouldn’t have made it to the end without Annabeth’s strategic personality and Grover’s emotional sensitivity toward things.

And may I just say, Grover is so much like me, with him being an environmentalist and having the need to speak out for animal’s rights!

3+ Was the setting and world(s) well-built? [ 10 / 10 ]

Though others may think of it as being similar to Harry Potter, I didn’t at all! And even though – speaking from others’ judgments – there was some resemblance to the HP series, that would just make me love it even more.

As someone who didn’t read the HP series yet, but watched all the movies, I couldn’t really point out just how many similarities there are. But, in my opinion, when we overlook those small details, it wouldn’t matter as much.

With Greek gods, the camp, the characters, there’s not much I can ask for from this book! It was all uniquely set-up. The world-building was straightforward, not too much information all at once, and as we go through the story, we gradually also learn about Greek mythology. How awesome is that!

4+ Did it give so many feels? Did you think about it all the time? [ 6 / 10 ]

Since this wasn’t typically for my age, I guess it didn’t excite me as much in the start. It was halfway through that I really got hooked, but even then, it wasn’t enough for me to stop and think and wonder about everything. I just read it as I would a good story, and didn’t get too emotionally attached to it.  

5+ Was it enjoyable enough to want to read again? [ 8 / 10 ]

Definitely! When the time comes where I forgot everything that happened, I’ll surely go back and reread their adventures.

Percy Jackson, you lived up to the hype.

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A small fanart of Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson & the Olympians :)

"Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all." - The Lightning Thief (Book 1 of Percy Jackson & the Olympians)

A book dedicated to book reviews written by me, Aeipathy.

Out now on Wattpad!