Setting:
(3/5) The Flock stayed in the School for a while in this volume and I liked that we got to explore it a bit and learn more about it as well as ITEX.

Story:
(4/5) I enjoyed this volume far more than the previous one. The plot felt less hectic to me, although there were revelations that came out of no where, as always. It's safe to say that you can't really guess what will happen next with this series. We also finally find out what the School and ITEX's plans are, although there are a lot of things that are still a mystery (as usual) - like the voice in Max's head (ahh it's annoying me, what is it!).

Artwork:
(5/5)

Main Character:
(5/5) Max seems to be realizing her feelings for Fang in this volume. It's also odd to note that Max wants to save the world. I mean, I understand why she wants to do it, but it seems like she's being played by the higher-ups. Instead of trying to save the world, she should try to stop them.

Characters:
(5/5)

Angel: It's been hinted in the previous volumes that Angel is more devious than she seems. In this volume, we finally get to the bottom of that, although the ending left it unclear once again.

Fang: There is some progress with Max and Fang's relationship. I think it's pretty clear that they care for one another (romantically). What makes their romantic relationship interesting is that even if they weren't interested in each other romantically they'll always mean something to each other and will always have the strong bond all the Flock members have with one another.

Ari: I felt really sad for Ari in this volume. He was always shown as an antagonist, a villain, but Ari is being used just like the Flock with no regard to him as a person. I really want him to join the Flock, it will be interesting to see how they interact with one another if he did.

Dr. Martinez and Ella: They both appear once again, which I'm glad for. The Flock seems to have enemies everywhere and I'm glad they have allies as well, otherwise this series is going to get tedious real fast.

Originality:
(2/5) ITEX's plan was just, I don't know.. extreme? It seems like it's been done before and other villains had a similar plan. I don't see it often enough, which makes it a bit interesting, but it's still kind of ridiculous. It's becoming painfully clear that this series is just a mash up of overused ideas and concepts with no real originality except for the randomness and the shoving of all these overused things into one story.

Overall:
(24/30) I enjoyed this volume more than the previous because the plot felt less hectic and we finally had some insight on what the antagonists want.

Setting:
(3/5) I knew this was coming: the Flock are once again on the run. They never stay in one place for too long. I really enjoyed them having a somewhat stable environment and I just hope in the future they stay in one place instead of moving all the time (worthless hope as I've read the novel series and that does not happen)!

Story:
(3/5) The first third of the volume was pretty good, but it started to get really crazy after that and the revelations were all over the place. It was decent enough, but it had to be my least favourite volume so far.

Artwork:
(5/5)

Main Character:
(5/5) We see that Max really can't trust anybody and nobody is safe but the rest of the Flock. I also felt, as I constantly do while reading this series, that Max has to deal with so much as the leader of the Flock. There really is a lot of pressure on her, but we know Max refuses to break despite all this.

Characters:
(3/5) The most prominent of the characters for me in this volume was Ari, we saw him in a different light and we realize why he's so fixated and angry at Max. There was also this twist with Anne that just came out of nowhere and I really didn't like.

Originality:
(3/5) At this point, I think I can say nothing is really original about this series. What does makes it different is all the stuff that is packed in, all the revelations that come out of nowhere, and how fast paced it is. While this is different, it loses its charm and becomes tiresome after a while.

Overall:
(22/30) The plot and revelations are all over the place. This is where it starts getting as crazy as the novel series.

Cover:
This was the old cover and I thought it was OK. They redesigned the covers, and although I do like these new covers, I'm irritated about all these cover redesigns they decide to do in the middle of a series. Most of the time, it seems it's because the cover didn't reflect the story well. Isn't it somebody's job to make sure that the cover does represent the story? It's getting irritating, especially if I have the older covers. How many times can someone fail at getting the cover to represent the story well? A lot of times, apparently. (Sorry about the little rant there).

Writing:
(2.5/5) It wasn't badly written, but it wasn't anything exceptional, unique, or noteworthy.

Setting:
(5/5) Where the book shines the most has to be the setting. Across the Universe is set in the distant future on a spaceship called Godspeed. The lives of the people within the ship, the containment area where people are frozen to be awakened one day, the technology, the rulership, well everything! It was all clearly very well thought-out. The ship, Godspeed, with its limited space in comparison to earth was very jarring and I felt Amy's claustrophobia constantly, like the ship was pressing down on you, trapping you, and you constantly felt caged. Also, the people of Godspeed lead very different lives and had very different views compared to that of Amy, who had lived a different life back on earth and there was this constant comparison between the two.

Plot:
(3/5) The plot was OK; it was a bit difficult for me to get into. It didn't leave me at the edge of my seat and I was bit disappointed with it. It just didn't feel very gripping and couldn't catch my attention for long, which was disappointing as I was expecting so much more considering how many people seem to love this series.

Main Character:
(2.5/5)
Amy: I have to say I didn't like Amy very much, I felt she was very full of herself. Her character just wasn't that great in general. There wasn't anything distinctive about her, no real pattern of a personality, just the kind of thing you'd come to expect when you think of a bland main character. But Amy did irritate me quite a lot, maybe it was because of how sure she was of herself but I'm sure it was because of Elder's obsession with her.

Elder: I liked Elder a whole of a lot better than Amy. He was ignorant of what it was like on earth and even within Godspeed. As he slowly starts to comprehend what's going on, you see him shift as a character, slowly trying to become stronger, as well as growing to understand what it truly means to be a leader.

Villain:
(4/5) There was more than one villain in Across the Universe and what I liked about them was that they both weren't very stereotypically evil. Their beliefs and how they reached those beliefs were very well thought out. Not to say they didn't have villainous traits like ruthlessness or power hunger, but I'm saying as characters, as villains, they were layered.

Other Characters:
(3/5)
The other characters were OK, but I didn't really like any of them in particular (there's usually one character I love or semi-love). It was interesting to see their character and beliefs taking into account their lives on Godspeed, but they were just overall boring in my opinion.

Romance:
(1/5) OK, the largest lowlight of the book for me was the romance. Or, more accurately, Elder's obsession with Amy. You see, the people on Godspeed are mono-ethnic; they all have olive skin, almond eyes, dark hair and eyes. Amy, however, was frozen and accidentally awakened before her scheduled arrival. Amy has red hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a totally different point of view from the people of Godspeed since she was born and raised on earth. Amy didn't seem to have much feelings for Elder, although I could see it growing. Elder, on the other hand, was completely taken with her and I didn't see it as love or that kind of mumbo jumbo. It seemed to me he was fascinated by her because she was exotic (mainly because of her looks), because she was different. A curiosity, a kind of person he's never seen before, and honestly I see his fascination for her as mostly just culture shock.

Overall:
(21/35) I was disappointed with Across the Universe considering how many people seemed to love this series; the plot nor the characters were gripping. The setting was pretty well done though, and if you're interested in the science fiction genre (especially if you're new to it), this might be a good introduction that's not too intimidating.

Cover:
Truth be told, the only reason I wanted to pick up this book was because I loved the cover. I didn't really know what it was about. I also like the fact that you're not sure if the boy is hugging or drowning her (but I'm pretty sure it's the former as he's trying to stop her from drowning - not literally).

Writing:
(5/5) At the beginning, Mara writes a letter that seems like it was written some time in the future. The rest of the book is written in first person past tense. Mara is reaccounting her story to us and I feel that narration in itself is very important as the story continues on in the sequels.

Mara's narrative is a very, very personal one. So personal that when I read it, I felt and saw the world from her eyes on a very deep level and the hallucinations felt as real to me as it did to her. The flaw with first person has always been that the story is filtered through the eyes of the main character and what you see is, quite possibly, not very accurate. That is especially true in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and is, well, what I felt the whole book revolved around.

Setting:
(2.5/5) Mara moves from Laurelton, Rhode Island to Miami, Florida and there she starts a new private school. Now the setting wasn't anything special and I found student life at the private school to be, well, stereotypical. There wasn't anything new or fresh.

Plot:
(5/5) OK, the plot had to be one of my favourite parts of the book. It was all over the place (in a good way). I could not even attempt to guess what would happen next, and I felt like I got shattered each time a new revelation was made. I was just completely swept away by the story and it was all the more distorted with Mara's hallucinations, so you're always never quite sure if what's happening is real or not as you see the story unfold through Mara's eyes.

Main Character:
(5/5) Mara's best friend and boyfriend died in a building collapse and Mara does not remember this incident and what occurred on this day when she wakes up at the hospital. She's left with post-traumatic stress disorder and is constantly hallucinating, unable to tell the difference between reality and her hallucinations. Mara's wasn't a character with a unique or distinctive personality really, but her hallucinations, how her grasp on reality slowly unravels, now that is what makes her an intriguing character. Every step of the way I felt like I was unraveling with her, there was just no way I could tell if whatever happened was real or not, I felt just as helpless as her.

Villain:
(4/5) One of the antagonist was this very stereotypical girl, who hates Mara because of the interest Noah (this popular boy at school) shows for her, that's the reason I'm giving this a 4. But throughout the book, we're not sure who the main antagonist is. As we get closer and closer to the end of the book, it gets even more confusing. This whole mystery of who's behind the recent disappearances is just as as distorting as Mara's hallucinations as Hodkin's keeps throwing us off course.

Other Characters:
(4/5)

The Dyer Family: I really enjoyed that Mara's family (her parents, older brother, and younger brother) played such a central role in the story. They were a firm part of Mara's life and their life has also been thrown off course because of Mara's post traumatic disorder. Despite that, they try their best for her sake and help her in any way they can and I loved the close bond they shared as a family.

Noah: Although I did enjoy Noah's character and the author seemed to try to give him depth and layers, the largest let down about him was that his character was pretty stereotypical. Popular boy, uses girls like tissue papers, rich, his past, seems to like the main female lead for no concise reason compared to other girls. However, as revelations that connect him to Mara were made, his character started feeling more original to me.

Romance:
(3/5) Like I said, I didn't understand why Noah fell so hard for Mara and vice versa. It happened way too fast and wasn't that great to read about in the beginning half. After some important revelations concerning Noah and Mara were made later on in the book, their romance starting getting better as they faced many problems that came with these revelations.

Overall:
(28.5/35) Although it has some stereotypical elements, what made The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer such a great read was the mystery, a plot that you have no hope of predicting, and the story all seen from the eyes of a main character that can't grasp reality, and every step of the way I felt like I was slowly unraveling with her.

Cover:
I like the red theme of the covers, but this one isn't as great as Cinder's. At first glance, I didn't notice that the hood is connected to a figure. I'm curious to see what the next covers will look like. With Cress (which is based off Rapunzel), it could be her long hair. However, in Cinder, she was mentioned to have blond hair. Winter (which is based off Snow White) is obviously a red apple.

Writing:
(3/5) Because of the third person narrative, it's pretty easy to tell who's point of view I was reading. It's pretty annoying in other books when in the beginning it's hard to distinguish whom your reading from.

Setting:
(5/5) Most of Scarlet was set in France. I loved Scarlet's setting, not necessarily because it was set in France, but because of the futuristic world! Like Cinder, I was swept up away all over again by the world Marissa Meyer had created. I loved the idea of the Lunars, the gadgetry, the five unified countries of the world, the cyborgs, the androids, the ships, well basically everything! You remember those wolf-like creatures that we briefly saw in Cinder? Well, if you hadn't already guessed, we're told a great deal about what they are exactly and their purpose.

Plot:
(4/5) At first it was hard to adjust to Scarlet's point of view and I favoured Cinder's over hers, but I gradually grew to enjoy Scarlet's story just as much as Cinders! Unlike Cinder, the plot wasn't as predictable, but once again I was swept away by the story.

Main Character:
(2.5/5)

Cinder: Honestly, Cinder isn't that great of a character. She is quiet and well spoken, but good-hearted and in her own way, confident. Just to put it plainly, I thought she wasn't anything new or original when you compare her to other heroines and I noticed that more in Scarlet than I did in Cinder. I was still on board with Cinder throughout the story though, and I wanted to know what would happen to her next.

Scarlet: Scarlet was a bit hard to adjust to. This was mainly because I was more loyal to Cinder and after months of anticipation for the next book, I wanted to know more about what would happen to Cinder. Scarlet is reckless, stubborn, and has a temper. She would not let anybody or anything stop her, as admirable as that was she tended to act before thinking. Again, like Cinder, this isn't that original of a character. But as the plot continued, I was swept away by Scarlet's story.

Villain:
(4/5) What I like about Levana the most is that she rules people through their love and adoration for her, rather than fear, as most villains do. Sure, it's an illusion and forced, but it is different. There's also one chapter near the end that's from her point of view. It hinted more about Levana and I'm interested in knowing more about her. We'll probably find out in Winter as the main character in that one is her step-daughter.

Other Characters:
(4/5)

Captain (self proclaimed) Carswell Thorne: I loved Thorne; he's probably my favourite character. He was flirty, vain, a troublemaker, and sometimes infuriating, but he provided plenty of humour and I liked his interaction with Cinder (Cinder's P.O.V. probably would have been boring without him). I'm looking forward to more of that, as well as his interactions with other characters, in the future books.

Wolf: Wolf was mysterious, but he didn't give off a cliche kinda of vibe despite appearing to be a loner and giving off that "stay away from me" vibe. He was awkward, nervous and often fidgeted a lot which I found endearing.

Kai: Kai is probably the worst character in the book when you think about it, because all he amounts to is "nice". However, I didn't hate him and enjoyed the couple of chapters from his perspective.

Iko: Iko was another favourite character next to Thorne. She's just so lovable! I hope she stays in her current state (you'll know what I mean) in future books.

Romance:
(4/5) Sadly, Kai and Cinder did not meet at all in Scarlet, but I thought that was for the best. There's plenty of Wolf and Scarlt and although it happened within a period of a couple of days, it really did not seem like insta-love to me. It's probably because the moments between them felt so genuine and the plot felt more like weeks than days.

Overall:
(26.5/35) A wonderful continuation to Cinder that is just as good and introduces some characters that I'm sure you'll root for. As with Cinder, the world and plot remains to be what I love most about this series!

Cover:
I think the cover stays true to the book with the dress, the castle, the dagger, and I just noticed Ivan (the hawk)! I tend to prefer fantasy book covers to be illustrated because they give off a better feel of the world.

Writing:
(2.5/5) The writing could have been better but was engaging enough.

Setting:
(2.5/5) Again, with most fantasy books, there was nothing new nor special about the setting. It was just the usual you'd come to expect when you think of a stereotypical fantasy setting. But I did like the idea of the gypsies as I rarely see them featured in books.

Plot:
(3/5) The prologue was cringe-worthy because it was basically about a prophecy of this "Gypsy King" that will untie the tribe and bring peace to the lands. Prologues with prophecies are just beyond overused and, in my opinion, better discarded. The rest of the plot was, as I said, engaging enough even though at times predictable. Though I didn't see the twist there in the end and am curious about what will happen in the sequel.

Main Character:
(3/5) Persephone (always loved that name by the way) is our main character, she's a stubborn slave who dreams of freedom and seems to have an affinity and love for animals (that particular bit was my favourite part of her character). She wasn't without a personality, as most protagonist tend to be lately, but she wasn't anything I haven't seen already. But as I've said, I enjoyed her affinity for animals.

Villain:
(1/5) Poor tragic past, a thirst for power, ruthless, evil in the most overused, tedious, and stereotypical way you can think of. Let's just say that Regent Mordecai was the biggest lowlight of this book.

Other Characters:
(3/5)

The other characters were OK, though I especially liked:

Azriel (also really like the name): Azriel was charming, dashing, and I enjoyed his interactions with Persephone though I did find the humour with Peresphone's animals disliking him to be a bit forced.

King Finnius: The young king of Glyndoria, he was kind but ignorant of the outside world and I'm curious to see what will happen next with him after the revelation at the end of the book.

Cur, Ivan, and Fleet: Persephone's animal companions who have a fierce loyalty and adoration for Persephone and vice versa.

Romance:
(4/5) Although Persephone and Azriel's banter seemed forced at times, I enjoyed the bond they gradually grow for one another.

Overall:
(19/35) Nothing new nor really original, but it had a decent plot and I'm curious to read the sequel after the cliffhanger revelation in the end.

Cover:
I know a lot of people didn't like the old cover for Shatter Me (I was one of them) because it didn't represent the story well and that's why they redesigned them. I believe these new covers better suit the series.

Writing:
(5/5) Warner's point of view was different than Juliette's (writing wise), but once again I believe Mafi did a splendid job in giving her character his own voice and I understood Warner on such a deep level as I had with Juliette in Shatter Me.

Setting:
(5/5) The novella was set in Sector 45, I suppose that should be obvious. The largest difference between this and Shatter Me was that in Shatter Me, Juliette was closed off to the world and we didn't see what it really was like on the outside. In Destroy Me, we saw more of the people's living conditions and their everyday lives. Although it wasn't much, only one or two scenes, I got more of a grasp of the world.

Plot:
(5/5) I was sucked into this novella from the first sentence and although nothing much happened, I couldn't stop reading. I believe this novella was mostly about understanding Warner. It didn't add anything to the overall plot of the series but it gave us a deep understanding of who and what kind of a person Warner was, plus we see a lot of character development with him compared to the first book (this really should have all went under Main Character).

Main Character:
(5/5) Warner was my favourite character in Shatter Me, so of course I was ecstatic when I heard there would be a novella from his point of view. Every action, everything that Warner did in Shatter Me is explained. Why he did what, for whatever reason. How he felt when he shot Fletcher and why he shot Fletcher. Why he's so obsessed with Julitette. How he feels about Juliette. About his father, his childhood and even a little about his mother. In the end it doesn't excuse everything he's done, but it gives an understanding of Warner's character and I sympathize with him more than I ever did in Shatter Me. And after reading Destroy Me, I think he understands Juliette more than Adam ever will, because her life and childhood was somewhat similar to his own. After I read Destroy Me, I doubt their will be any character who I'll like more than Warner, except possibly Juliette, but I'll have to see what Unravel Me will bring. The only problem is we still don't find out Warner's name!

Villain:
(4/5) The villain of the story, Warner's father - Supreme Commander Anderson, was nothing new nor special. A villain with no remorse whatsoever, but the reason why I didn't rate him lower was because I believe Mafi portrayed him very well. I mean, you could imagine this kind of guy living and breathing. Although I still prefer Warner as an antagonist because he was more of an interesting character and had more depth.

Other Comments:
This novella also includes two chapters from Unravel Me, an excerpt from Warner's Files (which is his log on observing Juliette), and profiles for Juliette, Warner, Adam and Kenji.

Overall:
(24/25) This really adds nothing to the story, so you don't really have to read it. But if you're a fan or like and want to know more about Warner, then this is for you!

Cover:
Fantasy covers with models aren't usually the best of ideas. I mean come on, does the person on the cover look very comfortable or formidable in those clothes? No, it looks like they posed for it (which they obviously did). That's why illustrations are better for fantasy books.

Writing:
(2/5) The writing put me off to begin with, it's not very well-written. The descriptions are very cringe worthy: She searched the shadows that surrounded them, briefly looking up at the stars bright as diamonds against the black sky. Yeah, sadly the writing was frequently like this throughout the entire book, but after a couple of chapters in, thanks to the plot, I ceased to care. The only thing I really liked about the writing was the four different point of views.

Setting:
(2/5) Medieval settings, very overused. Honestly, I wouldn't have cared if an authors did use medieval settings if they were descriptive and somewhat enlightening, like it seemed that the author researched and not wrote it from the top of their head (Maybe she researched. I don't know? The setting just didn't seem to be very defined). There could have at least been a somewhat original spin that divides it from the norm.

I also didn't really like the idea of the kindred (four extremely powerful orbs that hold the four elements within them). Powerful objects like these are either plot devices or just really boring to read about. Besides, I still don't understand where in the world they came from (perhaps I overlooked that part, but I don't think I did). Someone had to create them, right? Maybe more will be revealed in the next book.

Plot:
(4/5) The prologue started off with the above quote. What happened was just so, I don't know, like I've read it a thousand times. A prophecy, powerful baby is born, etc. So to say the least, I started shakily with this book and didn't have much hope for it. But after a couple of chapters in, I was absorbed in the four point of views and all the other characters that tie in with them (I really love the little index in the beginning that listed each character, who they were, and which country they're from). The end really had me interested in what would happen next to our four characters.

Main Character:
(4/5)

Honestly, the characters were nothing original, but I still liked them:

Cleo: Cleiona (her nickname Cleo really shook you from the fantasy setting sometimes) is the second princess of Auranos, who's used to getting her way. Passionate and reckless, she means well but tends to not think things through.

Jonas: After witnessing the murder of his older brother, Jonas is determined to get revenge as well as to change things for the poor nation of Paelsia. Sometimes I just wanted to shake him for looking at people in such a delusional way, making others seem evil when they were not, and having such trust in others who were clearly not to be trusted. He was pretty naive but at the same time also quite clever, he didn't let emotions get the best of him (most of the time anyway) and thought about things deeply.

Lucia: My least favourite character out of the four. She was very studious and I guess kind, but overall could have been better. I'm hoping there will be more development with her in the future.

Magnus: I really love the name Magnus, probably because it reminds me of Magnus from The Mortal Instruments series. Magnus was probably my favourite character. He's the heir to Limeros and was coldly raised by his parents. He's very withdrawn to everybody but his younger sister Lucia. I'm very curious about (and dreading) what the author is going do to him, he really seems to have the potential to be a hero or a villain (possibly a villain more).

Villain:
(3/5) The villain was OK. You know, the usual power hungry sort. I didn't hate his character and I suppose he could have been worse but I still feel like there's something lacking from him.

Other Characters:
(4/5) The other characters consisted of people related in some way to Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus. I liked the supporting characters just as much and I'm dreading that author will probably introduce more later on (I never seem to like characters introduced in later books as much the first ones).

Romance:
(4/5) There are two main romances going on: one was with Cleo and Theon (her guard). It happened a bit too fast, but I really enjoyed it, though I was quite shocked what happened later with this relationship. The other one was Magnus who was one-sidedly in love with his sister. I feel that was the main reason the author put the prologue in there (you'll know what I mean).

Overall:
(23/35) The world and writing was nothing special, but the plot and the shifts between the four main characters really had me absorbed in the book. I'm curious about what will happen to all of them in the next book, Rebel Spring (I really hope there isn't too much rebellion and uprising, I tend to get bored of those fast).

Cover:
I LOVE the covers for this series, although I'm honestly not quite sure what this one has to do with the books. I'm dying to see that last book's cover!

Writing:
(5/5) Taylor just has beautiful, storytelling, writing that I can't help but adore. I also love how she always starts each part. Days of Blood & Starlight starts with:

Once upon a time,
an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.
And its snap split the world in two.

Setting:
(5/5) We see a great deal of the world of Eretz (there's even a map at the beginning of the book; I love maps) and even the empire of the Seraphim. Again, what I absolutely adore about this series is the idea of the chimera and seraphim. I just love learning about all the types of chimera and more about the seraphim and the world of Eretz in general. This book takes us deep into the heart of the world and the war between the two races. The book just gave off the feel of helplessness, pain, and emptiness of war, and I give high props to the author for so convincingly conveying the feelings of the hatred and the effects this war had on the chimera and seraphim.

Plot:
(5/5) At first I really wanted to see Karou again, but the story kept distracting me from this, it was just so good!!! It told from quite a few point of views: Karou, Akiva, Zuzana, Liraz, Ziri, Sveva, and Jael. Usually, I always prefer one point of view over the other, but all these perspectives were equally captivating and all their plots exciting. I also have to say that Taylor didn't lose her touch with the second book (like many authors seem to); the second book was just as good as the first!

Main Character:
(5/5) I was very curious about what Karou would be like after the events of Daughter of Smoke & Bone (if you remember the very important flashback). I wondered if she would still be the Karou I knew or if she would be another person. I think Taylor gave us the best possible answer: she's both. As Karou herself put it:

" She was who she was. It was just the slightest bit disorienting, a brief vibration between two selves that would always be separate, like two yolks in one shell. "

At first, I believe Karou was very stupid, but then again it was a flaw. She isn't perfect, she wanted to close her eyes and ears to what was happening around her, and although that's wrong, I'm glad the author made it that way. Because isn't that such a normal reaction? Nobody's born fearless, selfless, righteous, or honorable. It's something we have to work very hard to achieve. I liked seeing Karou develop and try to do what was best for her people.

Villain:
(5/5) When you read the book, you see that neither race is evil, as the other so venomously believes. There are good characters on both sides just like there are bad ones. There were antagonists on both the chimera and the seraphim's sides.

What's interesting to note was that the main antagonist was someone introduced in the second book, Jael - Jorem's younger brother. Usually, characters introduced after the first book tend be bland and irritating, but Jael was a really good antagonist in the sense that the author portrayed him extremely well and he wasn't cliche or 2-dimensional. Jael has a hideous scar on his face and when I first learned that I thought, great, a hideous antagonist (surrounded by these beautiful seraphim), this isn't starting out well. But the scar honestly helped characterize him more, explain his reasoning, and well, served more of a purpose besides making the villain look hideous.

Other Characters:
(5/5)

All the characters were extremely well done and I loved all of them:

Akiva: I know that Akiva is our secondary character, but Karou is our first. And what I liked about Akiva's role in the book was the he was the one that was trying to end the war and bring peace between the races. Not Karou. Why is it always the main character who has to act first?

Liraz and Hazael: Akiva's siblings played a bigger role in this book and we constantly saw them in Akiva's POV. There was even quite a few chapters from Liraz's perspective. I loved that because I really wanted to learn more about these two.

Zizanna and Mik: After Karou vanished, Zuzana, along with Mik (there was one chapter from his point of view), tries to find her best friend again. Zuzana is such a feisty and energetic character that really lightens the mood in the book.

Ziri: A Kirin who once knew and followed Karou around when he was little. Ziri has seen war his entire life and we see how that affects him from his point if view. He's so experienced in war and in a lot of ways, mature beyond his yeas, but at the same time a little naive and not very knowledgeable when it comes to things outside war.

Sveva: A naive young Dama chimera (the smallest the of the centaurids as well as the fastest, their lower body is that of a deer) who is captured along with her sister by slavers.

Romance:
The book was mainly about the war and the world so there really wasn't any romance, plus Karou can't forgive (she has every right not to) Akiva for what he's done. I'm positive romance will play a bigger role in the next book.

Overall:
(30/30) If you loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone, then you'll love the sequel! The sequel was just as breathtaking as the first!

Cover:
It would have been nice if it matched the covers of the rest the series, but since it's a short novella and not one of the main books, I suppose it doesn't really matter.

Writing:
(1/5) The writing really surprised me...it was so bland and poorly written. I don't think the author was trying at all and I sincerely hope that the main books of this series aren't as poorly written.

Setting:
(1/5) Nothing special nor good, just a 2-dimensional backdrop.

Plot:
(2/5) The story was set five years ago, before the events of Wake and mostly centered around Daniel's back story (who I believe is a major character in Wake). It was also intertwined with two other characters, Aggie and Lydia. As far as the plot goes, it wasn't really that great nor was it outright horrible. Just boring I guess, and although I haven't read Wake, I'm guessing not that important (these novellas never really are). Wake starts right after the end of this novella.

Main Character:
(2/5)

Daniel: 15-year old Daniel is the responsible one when you compare him to his older brother, and tries to keep him out of trouble.

Lydia: Comes from a family of witches but doesn't seem to have any power herself.

Aggie: A beautiful siren with a mission.

The characters weren't that great, but again, not horrible. I didn't really care for any of them, except possibly Lydia.

Villain:
(2/5) We didn't see the antagonist (or antagonists I guess) until the end, both I believe are also major characters in Wake. I'm a bit curious about a couple of things they mentioned, like their past lives.

Other Characters:
(1/5) I didn't like Daniel's brother and the other teenagers in it, they were just so stereotypical. The only other important character was Delia, Lydia's grandmother, who was better, but also pretty stereotypical when you think about it.

Overall:
(9/30) I only recommend this if you're already a big fan of the Watersong series or want to learn more about either Daniel or Aggie.