BookSelf

★★★★☆ I really liked this, but I didn't love it. The Writing and World-Building I really liked how this book goes into some more mature themes, like motherhood, apathy, abuse, and depression, but found that in the third part, where it should have climaxed and been at its literary peak, I found it somewhat lacking. There were some characters whose arcs weren't really completed. I did, though, really appreciate the return of the Trademaster, though he did feel rather stereotypical and cliché. The Characters Claire: I really loved Claire. She made an excellent protagonist for the majority of the book. Einar: I seriously freaking love Einar. I only want the best for him! I just want him to be happy and loved! ❤❤❤ Gabe: He was a bit too similar to Matty to really feel like anything special, though I did like him. Alys and Benedikt: They were so cute!!! The Trademaster: A little tropey, a little Trumpy... Conclusion I liked ...

★★★★★ While the plot issues with Gathering Blue weren't resolved in this one, it stood on it's own better as a story. I loved Matty in this, and all the other characters too, like Seer, Leader (who's totally Jonas), Jean, and Kira from Gathering Blue. The themes of immigration and acceptance, of social sickness reflecting in nature were very well done and relevant. I wished there had been a bit more in some areas, but found myself deeply engrossed throughout and read it all in one sitting (it is very short though, so that isn't exactly a bragging point). I'm excited to read Son now, which is considerably longer than Gathering Blue and Messenger, possibly even combined. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★☆☆ It was interesting, but didn't hold my attention much, especially compared to The Giver. To be completely honest, it felt like half a book, and the first half only. It was unresolved and, to use a pun in line with the subject matter, had several loose threads. Besides that, Kira was rather boring as a protagonist. Even when she learned horrible things about her world, she remained content to stay and be a part of the system. I loved Matt and Thomas though. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★★ I first read The Giver in the summer before 8th grade as a school required reading. Most books I had to read for school were met with disdain or disinterest from me, with few exceptions (I didn't like to be forced to read; I enjoyed the choice). The Giver was the exception to define all exceptions. I knew there had been times in the past—terrible times—when people had destroyed each other in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction. The Writing and the Worldbuilding Lois Lowry is spectacular at giving deeper meanings to shorter books. She doesn't require all the pomp and circumstance to tell a meaningful, profound story. The Giver was told in such a way that made a strange and apathetic world seem almost good, almost necessary, while also championing a world more similar to our own. The ambiguity in that, the possibility to lean in either direction, in addition to the interpretive ending (though, not anymore, given the Quartet,...