Review and My Favorite Quotes/Lines - The Trials of Apollo: The Burning Maze

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

5 out of 5 gnomes

Oh, this series makes me laugh, cry and pretty much every feeling in between.

It feels both dark yet light at the same time. I know there has been death in this series and Riordan's books before but this book really hurts. I think it hurts so much because it will make you feel like just maybe none of the characters are safe.

Yet the humor and heart is still there too. I continue to feel that this series will forever alter the characters from previous series and this series too.

It feels like there's no way this ends well/happily for them but I'm continually surprised in each book. You'll find yourself just caring so much about these characters and not just the main characters, all of the characters. 

The characters and their quest will draw you right into the story.

Once again I adore this series and can't wait to see what happens next.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines

“Pretty sure?” Meg asked. “Like last time, when we walked into a bathroom and surprised a Cyclops on the toilet?”

“May the gods defend me from heroes with duct tape. And heroes always seem to have duct tape.”

“TRY THE FRAGGLE ROCK!” I yelled. “Fragaria,” Meg corrected. “WHATEVER!”

“Don’t think about it, I told myself. Dreams aren’t necessarily true. No, I answered myself. Only the bad ones. Like those.”

"That could be my life motto, I thought: He takes a lot of damage."

"The longer I was mortal, the more affected I was by even the smallest loss. I hated being mortal."

I tried not to weep or wet my pants. I succeeded at one of those. I’ll let you decide which.

"With the goddess of plants, insignificant-looking things could be very significant."

“The night is young,” she said. “We could all stab him together.”

"I’d never had a scar before. I wished I could see it as a badge of honor. Instead, I feared that now, whenever I looked down, I would remember the worst night of my life."

"I wondered, not for the first time, why we Greek deities had never created a god of family therapy. We certainly could have used one. Or perhaps we had one before I was born, and she quit. Or Kronos swallowed her whole."

"I found myself crying. It was ridiculous. Gods don’t cry."

"I blinked. “Is that an order?” “It’s a promise.”

"Perhaps this quest had ended on a suspended fourth chord. We still had much to do."

"I would be Apollo. I would remember."

Review/My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Puddin'

Puddin’ by Julie Murphy

3 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

* Page 349 aka where I actually wrote a note on my kindle yelling at a character:

                           “YOU ARE BEING RIDICULOUS!!!”

I love a lot of the quotes/lines from this book but not how the story fits together a lot of the time. I mean I do love the characters but the story just felt off at times.

The initial conflict is good but Millie herself is way way too forgiving about the incident that brings her and Callie together.  I don't know, it just kind of felt like especially at the end that there should have been more. I would have like to see more of both Millie and Callie's projects/plans. 

The bright spot in the whole story was the reinforcing of friendships and some new friendships. There's also one very cute relationship that starts up that could have been delved into/given even more space in the story that I really loved.

The whole third act could have been longer or maybe moved to the middle so everything had room to breathe/go more in depth. The dual point of view is done well. I just cared a lot more about one character than the other.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“Maybe it’s different for everybody, but people like my grandparents? Their opinion of the world is shaped by the person who delivers their news. That’s real responsibility, and I don’t take that lightly.”

“Like my mama says, if it smells like bullshit, it probably is.”

"I try not to cringe. Dog-earing a book feels like a violation of some sacred unspoken rule."

"He chuckles. “Prepare for the life you want, mija, not the one you have, right?”

“Do something respectable,” she says. “Earn respect. Simple.”

“Well, I hear these things are very moisturizing,” I say. “And better to look like a serial killer than actually be one, right?”

“Y’all need to get on the damn internet or something. Amanda is asexual. Aren’t you, Amanda?”

“But I don’t do it to become some after-picture version of myself. I do it ’cause it makes me feel good. You know that, right?”

"If somehow each person in the world is only allotted a certain amount of good luck in life, I’m scared I’ve spent all of mine tonight."

“I don’t say things to make people feel good. I say them because they’re true.”

“Sometimes being fat and finding clothing is like trying to ice-skate in the desert.”

“No,” I say, my voice dead serious. “Not everyone wants to change the world.”

“I look at the five of them. These girls were never the friends I asked for, but they’re definitely the friends I needed.”

“And why is everyone always trying to take money away from libraries? Aren’t books sort of the reason we’re even in school at all?”

Review/My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Leah on the Offbeat

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

5/5 gnomes

This book made me fall in love with Becky Albertalli's writing all over again. After reading all the books in the Simon universe it's great seeing how everything and everyone fits together.

I'm really happy that Leah got her own book and was happily surprised to see how everything ended up. Seeing Leah's point of view is great and explains a lot of what she was feeling in the first book.

Really adore the humor and love in this book. It's full of all the feelings pretty much. It gives you a look at characters that you know already and adds more depth to them all.

Overall the relationships and characters are so well done that you'll just fall right into the story and want these characters to all be happy.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines: and trust me this book is filled with a tonnage of great quotes.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“I’m basically your resident fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore.”

"And I have no idea if she’s kidding."

"So, now I’m wondering how hard you can side-eye someone before your eyes stick that way. Permanent side-eye. It’ll look great with my resting bitch face."

“Am I the worst person?” “Well, no,” says Simon. “That would be Voldemort.”

“Oh my God, of course!” She hugs me, and it’s like hugging a flower. It’s like that with skinny people. I’m always terrified I’ll crush them."

"Maybe that makes me a creepy little vampire, but I can’t help it."

"And I’m the worst kind of Slytherin. I’m the kind who’s so stupidly in love with a Gryffindor, she can’t even function. I’m the Draco from some shitty Drarry fic that the author abandoned after four chapters."

“We love cussing. But we say the fucking g. I don’t want to hear that apostrophe, Mom.”

“Wait, let me try again.” I clear my throat. “I guess, exclamation point.”

“Well,” she says, “it appears that Garrett made our prom dinner reservations at the American Girl Bistro.”

“I think you can rent dolls,” Bram points out. “For the meal.” “I’m renting a doll,” says Simon. “Guys, I’m so fucking sorry.” Garrett covers his face."

“You keep running away.” “You keep finding me.”

“That’s right,” Abby says. “We went above and beyond for you, Simon.” “So, you’re welcome,” I add. “I’m shook,” Simon says, and Bram pats him on the arm.”

Book of the Week - The Burning Maze

I'm just a chapter in so far but I can already tell I'm really going to like this book. I adore this series and am loving all the characters old and new, especially Apollo. I don't have a clue how the series will end but it's leading to some very intriguing developments so far.