Falling Kingdoms Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. This review is going to be very different from all the other reviews that I have written. The first thing I won't be doing is summarizing the book in the story line section like I normally do. Second the characters section will be really long. (I mean they are normally long, but not as long as my story line section depending on how many characters there are.) Third a lot of the summarizing will be in the characters section. There were so many events in this book and I enjoyed every single second. I did not want to put this book down at all! I was so intrigued by every scene. I connected with every character except for a few...but I will talk about that later. My heart is wounded by this book. I am also very angry with a lot of things that have happened in the book! Now on to characters…I warn you...this may be long! I honestly can’t wait to read the next book. (I’ve already started reading it!)

Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Alright, let me just start by saying that I loved the four main characters of this book! I didn't hate a single one of them. A lot of people hated a certain character, but he really wasn't all that bad. They felt real to me. I was able to connect with them on a personal level. I love when authors are able to do that to their readers! I loved being in each one of their worlds.

Main characters; characters I loved:

Cleo- She is the youngest princess of Auranos. She was an interesting character from the very beginning of the book. She really wasn't like a typical princess at all. Cleo was very adventurous which I really loved that about her. She was not the next in line for the throne. In fact, her older sister, Emilia was. Cleo cared so much about her father and sister. She loved them dearly. Honestly throughout this whole book I actually felt bad for her. The first reason being is that she is betrothed to someone who she can’t stand. I can’t stand him either. (He will be receiving his own honorable mention under characters I absolutely hate.) He did something so horrible that it makes her sick to her stomach. She actually feels horrible about what happened. She has nightmares about it. Her father felt it was the best for her and the Kingdom of Auranos. After that she finds out that her sister is dying. Her sister tells her the story of her first love. Cleo finds out interesting information. Cleo asks her father go to Paelsia again after the tragic events that took place there. He told her not to go. She disobeys her father and goes to Paelsia anyway with her best friend, Nic. She gets kidnapped by Jonas (one of the other four main characters). He locks her in a shed. The love of her life saves her, but ends up getting killed in front of her by another main character. Cleo goes home depressed. My heart broke for her in those moments. Her sister, Emilia, ends up getting sicker and sicker. There is a war waging between Auranos and the other two Kingdoms Limeros and Paelsia. Her sister ends up dying in the middle of the war. Her father ends up being killed. He dies in her arms right after he gives her a ring that belonged to her mother. She didn’t deserve all that she had to go through. I really felt bad for her. My heart broke for her throughout this whole book.

Jonas- He is the younger son of a wine seller in Paelsia. He is considered to be a savage. Paelsians are basically poor people. He was one of those. I did feel bad for him, but other times I wanted to punch him in the throat. I still loved him though. I understand why he was the way he was. His brother was killed in front of him by Cleo’s fiancé. He was supposed to be attending his sister’s wedding that day. That was completely ruined by the death of his older brother. He wants to see the chief of his town so he ends up using his daughter to do so. Jonas wants to wage war on Auranos for the death of his brother. He talks to the chief about that. He ends up kidnapping Cleo. He is surprised by the reaction he gives her about his brother. Then he ends up joining the war between Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia. He sees a little 11 year old boy killed in front of him. He ends up killing many people also. His chief gets his throat slit though I don’t think he feels that bad about that. That is very understandable. His chief honestly was the biggest ignoramus in this whole book. (He will get his own honorable mention under characters I hate!) In my opinion Jonas did have to live a hard life. The death of his brother really affected him. He looked up to his brother. He shouldn’t have been lost in the way that he was. Jonas was a strong character throughout the book.

Magnus- A lot of people hate Magnus, but I am not one of those people. To be honest I feel really bad for him. His father is the whole reason he is the way he is. His father was abusive towards him as he was growing up. That shaped him into the character he has become. He’s in love with someone that he shouldn’t be. Alright…let me explain the reasons that I don’t hate Magnus. His father cut him on his face with a knife in Auranos when he was seven. He now has a scar from his ear to his mouth because of it. His father has beaten him countless times. (Even his sister has seen it happen.) That really angered me. Another reason I can say I really don’t hate him is because he let one of his maids go after his father was torturing her. I know that Magnus actually did kill Theon…the boy that Cleo loved, but Magnus feels horrible about it. His heart later turned icy because of rejection. I know that’s by his adopted sister, but it was a little weird. So to be fair Magnus isn’t that horrible of a person! Others hate him…he’s not what they say he is. If only people would actually feel empathy for someone that had to deal with that much abuse. That should be the normal reaction, but no. People are honestly jerks to this poor boy. I felt horrible for him. He was also a strong character as well. I did love him!

Lucia- She is the prophesied sorceress who is said to have control over all of the elementia. She learns that she is will be able to use all four of the elements. Lucia was sweet in the beginning. I was not a big fan of her towards the end. She eventually is told that she is not related to the Damoras by blood. She is told that she is a sorceress. She is used in the war by her father to break a spell on the doors of Auranos. At the end she is passes out after breaking the spell. She is the reason that so much death and destruction has happened in Auranos. She is the reason that Cleo’s father has been killed. That really made me not like her as much as the other characters in the book. I still love her, but I don’t love her at the same time. She isn’t someone that I actually hate. I just slightly dislike. I don’t really feel as bad for her as I should.

Characters I absolutely hated:

Aron- He is the worst of the worst. He was so horrible. I wanted him dead from the get go. He doesn’t feel bad for killing an innocent man. I’m sorry, excuse me, you should feel bad for killing someone. I hate him with a burning passion. I really wish he died in the explosion.

Gaius- He can’t call himself a king. He is nothing. He is worthless. I wanted him dead throughout this whole book for the way that he treated his son. He even killed another one of his other children. He rules his kingdom with an iron first. He kills innocent people and tortures people. That was hard to read. I can’t stand this man. I really hope he dies in one of the other books!!

Basilius- I’m happy this jerk died. He had children sacrificed in his name. That was purely disgusting. I was glad when his throat was slit. It really proved that he was nothing. He was just a fat, lazy ruler, who let his own country starve!!

Favorite Quotes: “You must draw from that strength. You must increase it. And you must hold on to it because sometimes that small glimmer of inner strength is all that we have to help us press forward through the darkness.”

“Follow your heart wherever it leads. Appreciate life, Cleo. It's a gift that can be stolen at any time.”

“So my happiness that you're safe is more powerful than any anger. Love is stronger than anger. Love is stronger than hate--stronger than anything. Remember that.”

“Allow your heart to have faith no matter what. It's what will give you strength in troubled times.”

Writing Style: 5 stars out of 5. A lot of heartbreaking scenes, but I loved it. I couldn’t tear myself away! This ending also left my heart angry and broken!

The Outsiders Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. I loved every second of this book. The book made me laugh. It also made me cry. This really painted a picture for me. It showed me what it was like to live in the 60s. Also it painted the picture of being in different social classes. Things are still the same this day and age. It's sad that people treat each other like this. There really is no reason for it. We are all different. We are all human. It shouldn't matter which social classes we are in. We should really all get along.

Warning: There will be a lot of favorite quotes for this book! This is my favorite book in the whole entire world!

2nd Warning I will probably be reading this every year once a year! It will be my all time favorite book forever.

3rd Warning Some minor spoilers!

I'm also going to be buying the 50th anniversary edition from Barnes and Noble! Now I have two different versions of this book! They are both on my book shelf right next to the other S.E Hinton books that I own.

I now own three copies of this book! I also bought the Nook version! :)

Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Ponyboy, the narrator, was my favorite character. I could imagine him really well. He was young, but he was smart. He was imaginative. He loves books and movies just like I do. He didn't feel loved by his oldest brother, but at the end you really learn that his brother loves him. I could really connect with him. Losing his parents must have been hard on him. I don't know how he was able to get through something like that. I can't imagine what would happen if I lost my parents. I just know I wouldn't be able to handle it as well as he did.

Johnny was an amazing character also. I loved that he was best friends with Ponyboy. He was described as a puppy that was kicked down too many times. I really agree with that description. He was abused by his parents. He got beat up by a group of Socs! He became really quiet because of that. That could really shut anyone down. He was quiet, but he was down to earth at the same time. He didn't want to be like his parents. He actually wanted to get an education. I could relate to him also. His death made me cry...so much... (especially watching it in the movie...)

Sodapop was a loving brother to Ponyboy. He would always come to his brother's rescue. Ponyboy had a deep connection with him. It was nice seeing the bond between Pony and Soda. I really wish he was in the book more. It must have been hard on him being the middle sibling.

Darry the oldest brother...he had to grow up way to fast. He had to take on the responsibilities that his parents had. He worked too much and too hard. Pony couldn't connect with him all that well. Pony felt that Darry didn't love him, but Darry loved him so much. He didn't want to lose his brother. That was why Darry was so rough on him. I understand and connect with Darry because I am an older sibling myself.

Dally was rough and tough. He went to jail, but he really did have a soft spot for Johnny. He was an interesting character. You really could learn a lot from him. He helped Johnny and Pony although you wouldn't expect that out of him. His death was unexpected so I really fell in love with him.

Two-Bit was the funniest character in the book. He really does have a sense of humor. He was the whole reason I laughed during the book. His reactions to Pony were funny.

Steve...he's not my favorite character, but he did change a lot at the end of the book. You can tell that he actually cared about Pony although he thought Pony was a kid and a tag along.

Favorite Quotes: “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.”

“I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be.”

“It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.”

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.”

This poem is really by Robert Frost, but it was in the Outsiders. So I will be adding it as one of my favorite quotes, but also my favorite poem ever. I hate poetry normally. The proper title for this poem is "Nothing Gold Can Stay". As most people do not actually know this. I only know because I wrote a paper about Robert Frost for school. (As I've also said I don't really like poetry all that much.)

"Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down today. Nothing gold can stay."

“You get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you...”

“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.”

“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.”

"Things are rough all over."

“He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he'd die someday.”

“Dally was so real he scared me.”

Writing Style: 5 stars out of 5.

I have read this book about 100 times. I could never get tired of it. It's my favorite book in general.

P.S. S.E. Hinton is the one that inspired me to write. I have loved writing since I was like 11. I had started my first novel then. I don't write it anymore, but I have come up with other ideas. I just have to execute it. Thank you so much S.E. Hinton for being a big inspiration for me. I really appreciate it! :) <3

Handle With Care Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. This book was amazing. It was also an emotional roller coaster. Willow has Osteogenesis Imperfecta or "Brittle Bone" disease. Her bones break really easily. She has a lot of those throughout the book. She's smart for her age. She's only five. She has more wisdom than everyone else in the book. I feel so bad for her through most of the book. Her mother, Charlotte, finds out that her OB GYN could have told her from the beginning that Willow has this defect. Charlotte decides that she is going to sue her best friend. Her husband doesn't agree with the decision. He ends up being on the side of the defense. Sean ends up trying to get a divorce, but they reconcile. On the side Amelia, Willow's half sister, feels depressed because her best friend isolates her because of the lawsuit. She ends up self harming herself and having bullima. It's very hard to see a young girl go through all this. She didn't really get as much attention because of Willow. She feels alone. It's hard to see. I really enjoyed this book in general. The ending was completely heart breaking...I didn't expect the ending.

Characters: 5 stars out 5. Willow, she's really cute! Brittle bone is really serious. I enjoyed her character until the very end. Her death really hurt me. I just couldn't handle it. Amelia at times could be a little brat. I feel bad for her, but she could have acted better. I wish the people in her school didn't isolate her. Charlotte was a strong woman throughout this whole book. Suing her friend was hard for her. She just wanted to be able to support her child. At least you know how much she loved Willow. She wanted to provide the best for her. Sean, I understand why he made the decisions that he did. He felt what his wife was doing was wrong. He was a cool character

I wasn't a fan of Emma Reece. She got the whole school to go against Amelia. I wasn't a fan of her whole family except for her Dad. He was the nicest of the family.

Writing Style: 5 stars out of 5. Amazing as always. I really enjoyed the ride no matter how hard the story was. Thank you, Jodi Picoult, for the fabulous ride.

2020 update: Still also loved this book. One of my favorites from Jodi Picoult. I can read this story again and again....since I just love it so much. Same with Nineteen Minutes. The controversial topics are what makes the books great.