Hey everyone! Today we're going to be pivoting a bit to discuss my current obsession- the Nancy Drew computer games.
While we're all doing our part to be safe and stay home, I got a bit nostalgic and started working my way through Nancy Drew games old & new, which of course led to me wanting to rank the games. Because duh, that's kinda my MO.
I'm going to be doing several posts relating to these games, but THIS ONE is special. This post will serve as my updating ranking/tier list of the Nancy Drew games, which will be updated whenever I finish a new one. I'll also include a brief note (as brief as I'm capable of being) about why it's placed where it is. However, I'll also be posting reviews/discussions for each individual game as I play them, so that I can discuss my opinions in more detail without clogging up this post. When I post a review, I'll update this post so that this post is as up to date as possible. I also plan to slowly start posting reviews/discussions of the games that are already on this tier list, so that I can talk about them in more detail.
Lastly, a couple of things before jumping into the tiers. Firstly, some of these games are ones I played recently, and others are ones I haven't re-played since childhood, so there are some I remember a lot better than others. Secondly, I tend to think of these tiers as if they're grades and treat them as such, so keep that in mind!
Unplayed Tier
As should probably be obvious, these are the ND games I haven't played yet, so feel free to make recommendations based on your own favorites as well as which ones you think I'll like based on my current opinions!
#6- Secret of the Scarlet Hand
#9- Danger on Deception Island
#15- Creature of Kapu Cave
#16- White Wolf of Icicle Creek
#18- Phantom of Venice
#20- Ransom of the Seven Ships
#22- Trail of the Twister
#25- Alibi in Ashes
#27- Deadly Device
#30- Shattered Medallion
#31- Labyrinth of Lies
#32- Sea of Darkness
#33- Midnight in Salem
F Tier- No Thanks
None of the Nancy Drew games are outright bad, but the ones in this tier are my least faves.
Haunted Carousel- I wanted so much more from this. More "Haunted," characters that were actually interesting, a compelling story, all of it. I honestly found it just kinda boring and didn't really love playing it.
D Tier- Meh
The title says it all. Meh. I don't have strong opinions on them, but they're below average.
Secrets Can Kill- Frankly, I never finished this one because I got to a point where it stopped working on my computer. But until that point, I had very little opinion on it and decided to go ahead and put it on the tier list just because.
The Final Scene- This is one I only played years ago, but this is the least memorable of all the ones I played in the past. I don't remember much of the overall plot and only remember vague details of the culprit, and some of the locations. That's it. It didn't leave a lasting impression.
Danger by Design- The first half felt like it was holding your hand, but the second half felt like it kicked you out and left you there to die. The plot never fully came together for me, and I don't think it made amazing use of the location. I mean it's in PARIS. I just didn't find this one super compelling across the board.
Tomb of the Lost Queen- I just didn't really enjoy this one. I wasn't super into the premise, and didn't really enjoy a lot of my time playing the game. Also-- worst overall group of characters in any game. All of them were boring. However, I liked the way the tomb expanded as puzzles were solved.
C Tier- Average
Much like a C grade, it's average, passable, aight, but nothing special. Like a 7/10ish
Secret of the Old Clock- This is one I played when I was younger, and I remember liking it, but I don't have super detailed memories of it.
Ghost Dogs of Shadow Lake- Similarly, one I played when I was younger. I think a replay could move this one up, but even though I remember liking it, I don't have super detailed memories.
Shadow at Water's Edge- I wanted to love this one because the Japanese setting is great and it's billed as the most difficult and scariest ND game, but I found it frustrating and non-intuitive instead of difficult. It gets major points for the setting and scares, and some for the characters too, but loses points for many of the puzzles and the excessive sudoku and nonograms.
Legend of the Crystal Skull- Much like SAW, I wanted to love this one because of the setting and premise, but despite generally liking the puzzles, I found them easier but equally frustrating. I also didn't love the back and forth between Bess and Nancy.
B Tier- Really Like
Much like my grades in school, a B is pretty good, but not amazing. I could make an argument for some of these going into A tier, but this is where they've landed.
Ghost of Thornton Hall- I first played this one a few years back, so I've forgotten a few things, and although it's not going to be an all-time fave, I really enjoyed it. The setting is great, and I liked the overall mystery. Don't have a huge memory of the puzzles, but overall it's one of the spookiest ND games and I really like it.
Captive Curse- This is the one I'm most likely to move up. The maps are confusing, but I enjoy the premise and setting, the mini-games are my fave and I quite like the characters. It has several flaws, namely all the loose threads in the story, but it's just one of those games I find myself drawn to.
Stay Tuned for Danger- Now this is a throwback. I haven't played it in probably 15 years, but I have such a vivid memory of this game, the locations, and even some of the puzzles. Perhaps it's the nostalgia, but I remember quite enjoying this one.
Message in a Haunted Mansion- TBH, ditto what I said about Stay Tuned for Danger. I remember the mansion like the back of my hand, that's how vivid my memory of this game is. Once again, could be nostalgia, but I really enjoyed this one too.
A Tier- Love
We have one more tier left, so think of these as an A as in like... a 93% lol. They're some of the best ND games but not quite faves enough to get to the untouchable tier.
Secret at Shadow Ranch- This one was so hard to rank, because I played it when I was younger and obsessed with horses, and this was my favorite ND game. I don't think I'd be quite as in love now, so I've moved it down a tier, but couldn't move it much further given all of my fond memories with it.
Warnings at Waverly Academy- This is THE premise. Want to get my attention? Give me a boarding school and sabotage (preferably murder, but we don't get that here). The setting, premise, characters, and even mini-games are all on point. I wish it were a touch less linear, but otherwise it's a slam dunk. Justice for MEL. Secret Spy- THE CHARACTERS. I enjoy spy stories, and this game has one of the strongest premises in the whole series, but Zoe and Alec (mostly Alec) really clench this. Alec's moral ambiguity is so fascinating, and I loved trying to figure him out. Furthermore, interesting puzzles and great mini-games round this one out really nicely.
Haunting of Castle Malloy- Despite a lackluster ending, I found this one largely really enjoyable for the sheer fact that every aspect of it was solid across the board. Great setting, interesting characters, fun mini-games, clever puzzles. I have some complaints but they're relatively minimal.
S Tier- the Untouchables
The best of the best, the creme de la creme. My favorite and IMO the best ND games.
Treasure in the Royal Tower- When I think of ND games, I think of TRT. I replayed this recently and although it's not as complex as some other high-tier games, it. holds. up. It deserves S tier on the power of the elevator shaft/library sneaking alone. That's the most iconic part of any ND game ever. Sure, there's some magic of nostalgia at work. But it's also very clever, enjoyable, and still incredibly memorable even today. ICONIC.
Curse of Blackmoor Manor- I haven't played it in many years, but I have fond memories of it, and it was probably my favorite as a kid. I love settings like this, and had a lot of fun playing it.
Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon- Brilliant. Rather than solving a series of unconnected puzzles, the whole train is one big puzzle that you're slowly piecing together. Everything fits together so logically and cleverly. This is truly the posterchild for how brilliant ND games are at their best.
So that's my full tier list ranking of all of the Nancy Drew games I've played! Like I mentioned at the beginning, I plan to update this whenever I post a review/discussion of a newly-played game. Hopefully in the near-ish future, I'll begin posting reviews/discussions for the games I've already played and finished, so if there's one where you're really curious about my detailed opinion, let me know! I'll make it a priority.
Hey, y'all! This is the sixth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.
If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:
So, originally, I was going to only have one list that was unranked, but I got into this list and was having a ton of trouble ranking them. So once again, I have a list of favorites, with a few distinguished as my ultimate favorites (which will be at the end of the list). The rest are in alphabetical order. It's been a while (a whole year!) since I've ranked these, and there are a ton of newcomers and a ton that have slipped off the list, so this list is very different from the ones that have come before it.
Game Theory
[first time on the list]
I've been subscribed to Game Theory for quite a while, but didn't really watch anything but their FNAF theories until about March, when I started to really get into gaming videos. I really like a bunch of their videos, and have seen almost all of the Game Theory series. I also really got into their GTLive streams, especially when they were doing the Until Dawn series. They were definitely one of my most-watched channels in 2015, so it had to be on the list.
Jacksepticeye
[first time on the list]
Because it's been almost an entire year since making a list of my favorite YouTubers, I forget that this is the first time that many of my current stand-by favorites have been on the list. That's the case with Jack/Sean. I first started watching him almost a year ago, after beginning to watch Markiplier. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I've since fallen in love with his personality and his commentary style. He definitely isn't one of those YouTubers where I watch every single video that he posts (because he posts 2 videos a day-- many of which are part of long-running series) but whenever I notice that he's played a game I'm interested in, I know I have to watch it.
Markiplier
[first time on the list]
Just like Jack, I forgot that Mark had never been on this list before, because of how much of a standard his channel is in my life now. I first discovered him like many people- because of his FNAF videos, and it was a good six months before I bothered to watch any of his other content. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I had already started watching him when I made last year's list, I just hadn't gotten super into him yet. But he became a quick favorite and I think that he's just genuinely a great guy on top of having a fun personality and sense of humor.
PBS Game/Show
[first time on the list]
Now, you're probably wondering why TWO channels on this list are devoted to gaming analysis/criticism. But PBS Game Channel and Game Theory are two very different channels. Game Theory tends to focus on the logistics of a game, whereas PBS Game Channel tends to look at the outside implications of the game, such as social repercussions and influences (feminism, race issues, sexuality, etc). This is why I tend to slightly prefer PBS Game Channel- I love all of the social discussions that go on, especially the feminism discussions. Either way, this has quickly become one of my favorite channels, and I'm always quick to click on a new video when it pops up in my subscription box.
PBS Idea Channel
[2nd time on the list. #5 last year]
This may only be its second time on the list, but I've been watching Idea Channel for over a year and a half. Mike Rugnetta, the host, is one of my absolute favorite humans. He's hilarious, witty, sarcastic, and super smart, on top of being geeky, musical, and just all-around super cool. His discussions are always really interesting and typically based in pop culture, which is one of my favorite things. So yeah, I really enjoy Mike's stuff.
Smosh Games/ Smosh Franchise
[5th time on the list. #2 last time]
While I took a bit of time away from Smosh this year, I always find my way back again, and this was no exception. I have watched Ian and Anthony since way back in 2007, and while I used to love their sketches, I tend to prefer the stuff where it's just them and their actual personalities (AKA the content on Smosh 2nd Channel and Smosh Games). Typically, my favorite of their channels is Smosh Games (big surprise, given the rest of this list), and my favorite series is Game Bang.
Superfruit
[4th time on the list. #1 (tie) last time]
I love these two. Like a lot. They've clearly fallen from my top spot, but they're still right up there near the top. The thing is that their channel tends to go through periods of really awesome videos, followed by slumps. And lately, I feel like they've been in a bit of a slump. I haven't been as excited by the videos popping up in my sub box, and I'm not sure whether that's because I'm not in the mood for it (always possible) or because their content isn't as exciting lately. Either way, slumpiness aside, I love these two and they're adorable and are right up there near the top.
WatchMojo
[3rd time on the list. Not ranked last time]
I've been watching WatchMojo for quite a while, and even though they fell off the list last year, they got right back on, because I've been watching them a lot throughout 2015. It's one of those channels where I don't realize how much I watch (because it's on so many different topics) but then when I take a step back, I realize that I watch this channel a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. Ultimate bae: Dan/Danisnotonfire and Phil/AmazingPhil!
[5th time on the list, #1 (tie) last time]
Just like last time, I've combined these two into a single slot because they're basically a package deal. On top of that, the videos that I most look forward to from them are their DanAndPhilGames videos. I especially love Dan over Phil, but my favorite videos are absolutely the ones that they do together. I love the dynamic that they have going, and I get excited whenever I see one of their videos pop up in my subscription box. Their friendship is adorable, and I love them.
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
Hey, y'all! So, I finally jumped on the Hunger Games bandwagon, and as I like to do with any series once I finish it, I decided to do a discussion post on the series as a whole. But first, allow me to explain why it took so long for me to start the trilogy in the first place.
One of my non-reader friends recommended it to me back in like 2009. But since he wasn't really a big reader and had no idea what type of books I liked (besides Harry Potter), I basically ignored his suggestion because I assumed that he didn't really know what he was talking about. Good job, Kristen. Anyway, then it started getting a crap ton of hype, and being the hipster that I am (not), I avoided it like the plague. And then, by the time that it had died down a little, I started hearing not-so-great things about Mockingjay, and got spoiled for the love triangle, as well as the fate of an important character. So I thought, "why bother reading it at this point?" and ended up watching the movie for The Hunger Games without reading the book. Not my proudest moment. Anyway, I found it on TV again recently, and it sparked my interest to finally read the trilogy. And let's be honest, at this point it's just kinda embarrassing to not have read it. So I did. Let's talk about them, shall we?
For each book, I'll do a bit of a non-spoilery discussion (for the people like me who are SUPER late to the party), give my rating, and then talk about some spoilers. At the very end, I'm going to briefly talk about my feelings about the series as a whole, without any spoilers.
The Hunger Games
I cannot stress enough how much I regret the fact that I watched the movie before reading the book. It's one of the few times I've ever done that, and I never want to do it again. I think that if I'd read this book without knowing anything about what happened, I'd be sitting here giving it a full 10 out of 10 stars. But alas, I knew almost everything that was coming, so I anticipated most of the twists. And believe me, this book has plenty of twists. I think that the world Suzanne Collins created is really interesting and clever. The Hunger Games (the book, as well as the actual games) is/are so fast-paced and exciting. I quickly connected with Katniss because I felt like I connected with her more than I've connected with most other YA main characters.
My favorite characters by far in this are Cinna and Haymitch. I love Katniss as well, but Cinna and Haymitch just take the cake. Cinna is absolutely brilliant, and when he says he's betting on the girl on fire, I melt. And if you took away the alcohol, Haymitch is just the male version of me. I love him. He's just so snarky and sarcastic.
I ended up giving The Hunger Games 9.8 stars out of 10. I think that if I'd just gone into this blind, it would have been 10/10.
I think one of my favorite parts of The Hunger Games is the relationship between Katniss and Haymitch. They understand each other in such a unique way, and I loved that. I also really loved all of the political trickery that they came up with in the end. It sets up Catching Fire so beautifully.
The one thing that I had totally forgotten about (or maybe they had changed it in the movie, I'm not sure. It's been a couple years since I've seen the end of the movie) was the way that they narrowed the final 3 down to the final 2. I just couldn't remember how Cato died. And so the mutants were a real surprise.
At the end of this book, I remain firmly Team Gale. (I won't let you know yet where I stand now, but you'll learn more of that below.) I like Peeta, but I think he's a bit... slow. Gale and Katniss are so similar, and he can keep up with her and challenge her. Peeta is nice and all, but he just seems too simple for Katniss. Plus, I have a habit of falling for guy friends, so I like it when a book character does too.
Catching Fire
Don't read any further if you haven't read The Hunger Games! I have to talk about events of The Hunger Games to discuss Catching Fire.
There were elements of this book that I liked better than The Hunger Games, and elements that I didn't like quite as much as The Hunger Games. The one part that I really enjoyed was the continuation of the political trickery. It just continues to get better and better, and I just couldn't get enough of it. The second half of the book was what I didn't love quite as much as the first book. It wasn't that I disliked it-- in fact, I really enjoyed it! But it just didn't quite live up to the bar that the first book set.
Also, on top of the characters that I already loved, I just fell in love with Finnick. Whatta cutie.
I gave Catching Fire 9.25 stars out of 10. I still really enjoyed it, but the second half made me like it just a touch less than The Hunger Games.
Getting more specific, when I said that the second half didn't live up to the standard that The Hunger Games set, I was speaking specifically about the Quarter Quell. I definitely thought that the 74th Hunger Games was more fast-paced and exciting than the Quarter Quell. I did think that the Quarter Quell was very cleverly crafted with the clock, and I thought that was really cool. But I just didn't think it was as exciting as the games from the first book.
The thing that I did really love was all of the stuff that Katniss had to do to keep herself from getting killed by President Snow. Even though I absolutely hate politics in real life, I always love reading about all of the crazy politics in dystopian novels. And this is possibly one of the best examples of crazy politics that I've seen in a dystopian book.
At the end of Catching Fire, I'm still team Gale, even though my resolve has been slightly shaken due to the fact that he seems to feel like he deserved Katniss. Peeta was at least upset that Katniss didn't love him because he had been under the impression that she did love him, and he was hurt. But Gale just felt like because he knew Katniss and was friends with her that he deserved to be with her. And that makes me upset.
Mockingjay
Don't read any further if you haven't read the previous books! I have to talk about events of the previous books to discuss Mockingjay.
I've found with trilogies that the third book can often take the trilogy in a very different direction from the first two books. Mockingjay had a very different tone and direction from the first two books, and it took a little while to actually adjust to that. And I didn't like it quite as much as the first two.
That's not to say that I disliked this book, however. I actually really enjoyed it once I got past that initial change in tone and direction. I thought that there were several really clever aspects to the plot, and really liked how the line between right and wrong was a bit blurred.
Overall, I thought that the majority of the book was good. Not amazing, but good. I did, however, think that the end was really great. Not only was it the ending that made the most sense, but I also just really liked it.
I gave Mockingjay 8.5 stars out of 10.
Honestly, to me, the best part of the book was when Katniss put an arrow through President Coin. I hated her almost more than I hated President Snow. Honestly, I hated the government of District 13 just as much as I hated the government in the Capitol. It was just such a huge shift from the Hunger Games and the strategic politics to life in District 13, the propos/acting, and the full-out rebellion.
I was so insanely upset when Finnick died. I felt like his death was just kind of brushed over, even though he'd been a fairly important character and had helped Katniss through tough times. He deserved much more than the two sentence death scene that he received.
The whole sub-plot of Peeta being brainwashed into thinking that Katniss was the enemy was really interesting and unexpected. I already knew that he and Katniss were going to end up together, so I was really curious as to how Suzanne Collins was going to resolve that. And I was really happy with the way that everything ended, even though it did include her and Gale not ending up together. After everything they went through, it just wouldn't seem right for Katniss to end up with anyone but Peeta.
Series as a Whole
I definitely think that The Hunger Games is one of those trilogies that starts really strongly and goes downhill. HOWEVER, I don't think that it has as steep of a downhill slope as most other YA trilogies. I mean, obviously, I gave my least favorite book in the trilogy 8.5/10 stars, so it's not like I thought that any of the books were bad or disliked any of the books. That's very different from the Divergent trilogy, where I gave 10 stars to the first book, and dropped to an 8 & 7 for the last two. And the further removed I get from the series, the more I want to drop that 7 to a 6 or 5. While this trilogy wasn't quite as consistent as the Across The Universe trilogy, I did think that it was one of the most consistent trilogies that I've read.
I'm not going to say where this ranks among my favorite series/trilogies, because I'm planning on making a post listing my favorite series (since I already have posts about my favorite stand-alone books). But be on the look-out for that post sometime soon... although it might not be until March. We'll see.
So, that's it for my discussion on The Hunger Games Trilogy! What are your feelings on these books? Love them? Hate them? Haven't read them? Let me know down in the comments!
I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date.
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Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
Hey, y'all! So, the making of this video has been a very, very long process. It's been pretty much a year in the making. Throughout 2014, I've kept a running ranking of every single book I read. Each time I finish a book and give it a rating, I add it to my list and put it in the spot I think it deserves. And finally, at the close of 2014, and after finishing my last book of the year, I finally have the list complete and am ready to rank my 2014 reads.
This list will include all of the books that I read this year, excluding re-reads. Because that just wouldn't be fair to the new books I read this year, since I re-read several of my all-time favorite books this year. I've also ranked every book on an individual basis, rather than lumping a series or trilogy into a single spot. This also means that it's not just books released in 2014. As long as I read it for the first time in 2014, it counts, regardless of when it was released.
On top of this, I also made a video where I discussed my top 14 reads of 2014, so once that goes live on YouTube, that video will appear below. Without any further adieu, let's jump into the list!
#33: Looking For Alaska
by John Green
Rating: 4/10
I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but I really didn't like this book. I know a lot of people really liked it, but I just didn't. I didn't like any of the characters. I felt like Alaska was trying way too hard to be the stereotype of the cool introspective girl. And I really hated Pudge. I hated Pudge. And none of the twists surprised me. I just was not impressed at all.
#32: Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 6.5/10
I really don't get all of the hype surrounding this book. I liked the rest of the trilogy a bit more, but this first book just isn't that great. I thought that the stream of consciousness writing was interesting, but I thought that Tahereh Mafi tried to be too metaphorical for her own good. Some of the metaphors were just really really dumb. And on top of that, the instalove was ugh and it really felt like nothing happened.
#31: Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Rating: 7/10
People like to say that Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 are the big, important, classic dystopians. In my opinion, this is by far the worst of the three. The world wasn't developed enough for me, and the first 3/4 of the book wasn't very interesting. And even when it did get interesting, I wasn't super invested in it. And the whole book is just Bradbury's commentary about how he thinks TV will destroy your life, which is just silly now.
#30: Allegiant
by Veronica Roth
Rating: 7/10
This was definitely my least favorite in the Divergent trilogy. I just wasn't a fan of the direction that it took the trilogy in. I liked both of the first two books, but then we got to this book and I just wasn't feeling it. And not just because of that thing that happened at the end. I didn't like the thing that happened at the end, but it wasn't what made me not like it as much. There were unnecessary deaths, characters acting out of... character..., and I hated the dual perspective. I didn't hate the book, but I just wasn't impressed with the way the series ended.
#29: Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
Rating: 7/10
This book was just... weird. And not really in a good way. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't exactly like it. Nor will I probably re-read it. It was alright. It was certainly interesting. It just really wasn't my thing.
#28: The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Rating: 7/10
With The Giver, I had some of the same problems that I had with Fahrenheit 451. I thought that the world wasn't developed enough for me. It's also a really short book, so I didn't feel like I had enough time to care about the characters either. The plot was mildly interesting, but it wasn't nearly exciting enough for me.
#27: You Are Not So Smart
by David McRaney
Rating: 7.5/10
I thought that this book was very interesting. As a music and psychology major, I found all of the different concepts to be really interesting. However, I had the same problem with this book that I tend to have with most non-fiction books. Because it's non-fiction, it lacks that excitement and curiosity and the "whoa what's gonna happen next?!?!" factor that fiction books have. Some of the things that get me so invested in fiction are the plot and caring about the characters, and those don't really exist in a non-fiction book. That being said, I really enjoyed the author's voice. He was amusing, funny, and sarcastic. It was one of the most entertaining voices I've read in a non-fiction.
#26: Horrorstor
by Grady Hendrix
Rating: 7.5/10
This was a very quick, fast-paced read. It kept me interested and intrigued the whole way through. The formatting was really cool as well. However, the actual story didn't feel very unique. The characters were very basic. It felt like there wasn't really much of a plot. It just felt like a quick read with no substance.
#25: Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
Rating: 8/10
This is a good book, but it's definitely a step down from the first book. I thought that the plot was fast-paced and exciting and that it was a nice continuation of the trilogy. My biggest complaint was that the relationship drama got on my nerves. Overall, it was a perfectly good book, but nothing particularly special.
#24: Unravel Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 8/10
I was really disappointed by Shatter Me, and this was a definite step up from the first book. I really appreciated the character development and actually became invested in the series. This book isn't incredible, but it's good and I did enjoy it. Although, there is one quote that I really hated and felt the need to share:
"Sometimes I wonder about glue. No one ever stops to ask glue how it’s holding up. If it’s tired of sticking things together or worried about falling apart or wondering how it will pay its bills next week." Seriously, that's possibly the most ridiculous quote that I've ever heard. Why would ANYONE wonder how glue is paying its bills? It's glue!
#23: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs
Rating: 8/10
I went into this expecting a really creepy, mysterious book, and I got something very different. That doesn't mean that I didn't like it. I definitely enjoyed it. However, it was a very slow book. If we were getting a ton of world-building, I would have enjoyed that. Even though we did get some character development and world building, I thought that it wasn't nearly enough to sustain the large chunk of the book that was slow. The last couple chapters were really great because they finally became more fast-paced and set the scene for the next book. But overall, though it was interesting and I enjoyed it, I wasn't overly impressed.
#22: 172 Hours on the Moon
by Johan Harstad
Rating: 8/10
I think I expected a little too much from this book. The first half was very slow. A couple intriguing things happened, but the first half just took a while to get through because it was very slow. And then when we got to the second half, it seemed like everything happened almost instantaneously. There was no suspense, it was just one thing after another happening. And not in a way that felt fast-paced and exciting, but rather in an underdeveloped "This happened. And then this happened. Next this happened." way. I'm not sure if that made sense, but it was hard to explain. I've complained about this book quite a bit, but aside from the pacing and some really annoying instalove, I enjoyed it. It kept me guessing. I had no idea what was going on until it was revealed. And the ending was really impressive too. Overall, like the other 8 starred books, I liked it but wasn't overly impressed.
#21: Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
Rating: 8.5/10
This sequel was definitely better than the first book. Some really cool and exciting stuff actually went down in this book. Rather than just seeing the kids and learning about them, we actually get a really cool adventure. We got to explore this really interesting and unique world that Ransom Riggs has constructed within our own world. I think that the one drawback for me with this book, and the series as a whole so far, is that I don't feel personally connected with it. I've read so many books where I fell in love, cried, had book hangovers, etc. and I don't get that at all with this series. I enjoy them as I read, and I was interested enough that I decided to continue on to the second book after reading the first, but I didn't feel any need to have the third book ASAP or have any extremely strong feelings afterward. And it wasn't hard for me to pick up my next read. That's a real test for me. When I really love a book, I dwell on it for days after finishing it, and often need at least a day to move on, if not more. And when I do move on, I'm still thinking about that other book. With this one, I easily detached myself and continued to my next read.
That was a very long explanation, but I hope that someone else out there knows what I'm talking about here.
#20: Carrie
by Stephen King
Rating: 8.5/10
This is a book that really makes me question liking vs. appreciating. And I think that for me, I appreciated this more than I actually liked it. Which is why it didn't get a slightly higher rating. I really loved the way it was written. Sometimes, I don't like King's writing style. But it really worked in Carrie. I loved the back and forth between the plot and the interviews, book excerpts, etc. after the incident. I thought it was really well done. However, I can't see myself reading this one again. I didn't fall in love with it, but I did think that it was pretty good.
#19: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 8.5/10
This was definitely my least favorite of The Hunger Games trilogy. By itself, I think it was pretty good and I had only a few problems. However, it was just such a huge shift in focus and tone from the first two books that I had trouble enjoying it as much as I might have if there had been more buildup to the conclusion of the trilogy. I'd heard that a lot of people disliked it, and while it's my least favorite in the trilogy, I didn't hate it at all, and did enjoy it, even if it wasn't my favorite.
#18: Ignite Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 9/10
This was, by far, the best book in the Shatter Me trilogy. While I definitely wasn't blown away by this series, I did really enjoy this last book. I loved the growth that the characters displayed. I flew through this book, and really came to care about several of the characters. Also, I did come to appreciate the love triangle present in the trilogy. I think that it was really well done. I do wish that we had gotten more world-building though. While the romance was the important factor in the trilogy, we did get a little back-story in this book, and I wished we would have gotten the full back-story while Tahereh Mafi was at it. Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid conclusion to the trilogy.
#17: Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Rating: 9/10
I think this is another of those books where I lean closer to "appreciation" rather than "like". Maybe it's because it's hard to fall in love with such messed up characters, maybe it's because it's not in my normal genres, who knows? My point is that even though I probably won't re-read it, I'll definitely recommend it to others. I really enjoyed Part 1, because it kept me the most intrigued, with the "did he or didn't he" plot. This book was really well-written and intriguing, and I thought it was pretty good.
#16: Shades of Earth
by Beth Revis
Rating: 9/10
Although I love all three of the books in the Across The Universe trilogy and gave two of them the same rating, this one gets slightly lower because of my slightly more mixed feelings about it. I fell in love with the setting/world surrounding our characters in the first two books, and was sad to not be within that in this one. It also took the series in a completely different direction. And that's not a bad thing! I thought it was a really great conclusion. However, the tone shift and the setting change made me question whether I truly didn't like the changes or if I was just trying to adjust to changes (because change is not my forte). In the end, I thought it was a really good book, but it did take me a while to adjust to the things that were different.
#15: Across The Universe
by Beth Revis
Rating: 9/10
Like I said, this one and Shades of Earth are mostly equal. I had one major complaint with this book, and it was that I figured out who the villain was when I was about 30 pages in. I figured out their identity so easily that I was halfway convinced that Beth Revis was going to go "NOPE!" and make someone else the villain. But alas, she did not. However, I feel like this didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book, because the world is just so well-developed and insanely interesting, and I loved it. I just wish the villain wouldn't have been SO obvious.
#14: City of Lost Souls
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 9/10
This isn't the worst book in The Mortal Instruments series, but it is probably my least favorite. So that should tell you how much I love the series, since it got 9/10. I'll be vague in an attempt to avoid spoilers. My favorite character isn't exactly themself throughout most of this book, and that made it really hard for me to read it. Most of the time, I just wanted to throw it against the wall, because I hated what that person was doing. Also, on top of that, some relationship drama goes on that did not please me at all. Ugh it upset me. If you've read it, you know.
#13: 1984
by George Orwell
Rating: 9/10
This is my second favorite of the big 3 classic dystopians, although I do tend to go back and forth about whether or not I actually like Brave New World more than this. 1984 has one of those endings that I'm not a huge fan of story-wise, but I really like the statement that Orwell was making with it. Overall, the world was really great, and I really enjoyed it.
#12: Clockwork Angel
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 9/10
It's my least favorite book in the trilogy, but it still gets 9 starts because the trilogy is just that good. Seriously, I absolutely love the Infernal Devices trilogy. The characters are great, the world is amazing, and the plots are awesome too. This one is slightly less amazing than the other two, but not by a lot.
#11: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 9.25/10
There were some things that I liked better in Catching Fire than in The Hunger Games, and some things that I liked better in The Hunger Games than in Catching Fire, so I found it difficult to decide on a rating for this. I really liked all of the political strategery in Catching Fire. It was really clever and exactly what I love from dystopians. However, *HUNGER GAMES SPOILER AHEAD!!!* I didn't like the games as much in this book. Although they were definitely more cleverly designed, I thought that they weren't as fast-paced. Overall, the book was really great, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
#10: A Million Suns
by Beth Revis
Rating: 9.5/10
A Million Suns is easily my favorite book in the Across The Universe Trilogy. The entire trilogy is really great, extremely underrated, and leagues better than most of the young adult trilogies that are getting a ton of hype right now. And this book is definitely the best of the trilogy. There are so many secrets that are revealed, and there are so many issues going on with the ship and the characters. It's just an extremely awesome book, and possibly the only trilogy I've read where the second book is the best in the trilogy.
#9: Clockwork Prince
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 9.5/10
Before we even get into the book, can we just talk about this beautiful cover? This is, by far, my favorite of the Infernal Devices covers. It's just so pretty, and it has Jem on it. And who doesn't love Jem? (Idiots, that's who!) Anyway, this trilogy just gets steadily better and better. You find out so many things about the characters in this book, and the plot just gets more complicated, and I couldn't help but love every second of it.
#8: Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 9.75/10
Yes, I know that my star rating is extremely specific here, but I just felt like it was better than a 9.5, but not quite a 10. And 9.75 is kinda my cut off for giving books 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads (fun fact that I thought I'd just throw in there for you). Anyway, although I tend to enjoy contemporary novels, they're by no means anywhere near my favorite genre. But I fell in love with this book and these characters. Cath is just so incredibly relatable. When I went to college, I was basically Cath. I was really introverted, wrote fanfiction, and didn't really want to deal with meeting new people. And I feel like a lot of young adult readers are really similar to Cath, and a lot of them are also closing in on the time that they'll be going off to college as well. All of the characters are just so real and lovable. I really like this book.
#7: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 9.8/10
I really wish that I had read this book before watching the movie, because I think that would have given me the full enjoyment of this really great book. If I hadn't known the way it ended, the twists and turns, and the deaths, I think I would have given this 10/10. But either way, this was a really fast-paced book, with lots of twists and turns, and I really enjoyed it.
#6: The Diviners
by Libba Bray
Rating: 9.8/10
I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this book going into it. I'd heard a lot of people raving about how great it is, but I was a little skeptical about if I'd like it because historical fiction isn't really my fave (unless it has paranormal/fantasy elements, which explains all of the historical fiction on this list) and I'm also not a huge fan of the 20s in general. It's not that I hate the 20s, but rather that I generally prefer the current time unless the different time setting makes a huge difference. But I absolutely loved this book. I didn't think it was as creepy as everyone thought it was, but that's not really a good or bad thing. I loved the paranormal elements, I thought the characters were great, and I even loved the setting. And I can't wait for the second book to come out in April. Can it be April already, please?!?!
#5: Divergent
by Veronica Roth
Rating: 10/10
I fell head over heels in love with this book. I started it and just could not put it down. I fell in love with the world and the plot more than anything. It's just such and interesting and exciting and fast-paced read, and I absolutely loved it. I just wish the rest of the series was as good as this one.
#4: City of Heavenly Fire
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 10/10
If Cassandra Clare knows how to do one thing, it's how to write an amazing conclusion to a series. Every single series conclusion that she's written has been absolutely incredible, and without question, the best book in its series (including City of Glass, since that was originally supposed to be the conclusion of The Mortal Instruments). As I was reading the last bit of this book, I was just sobbing because it was so beautifully bittersweet. And I loved the tie-ins with the Infernal Devices.
Even though I've already listed a few 10 star books, the top 3 on the list are my ultimate, absolute favorites of the year...
#3: Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Rating: 10/10
This book tho... THIS. BOOK. It's so absolutely incredible. OASIS is just basically the coolest thing ever and all of the 80s references are fantastic, and the world is so insanely interesting, and it's so fast-paced, and all of the puzzles are so awesome, and I seriously can't say enough awesome things about this book. After I finished it, I wanted to read something else just like it, but it's such a unique book that there wasn't really anything similar. So this was so amazing that it actually put me into a reading slump. Too great. Love.
#2: The Bone Season
by Samantha Shannon
Rating: 10/10
I first saw The Bone Season in a book haul that Regan from PeruseProject did, and the second that she put dystopian and fantasy in the same sentence, I was sold. I immediately went online and bought a used copy and then read it over Thanksgiving break. It was amazing. All of the different types of clairvoyance are so cool, and I fell in love with the characters. It was just so incredible. I need the Mime Order like NOW. I don't want to wait a month. It's my most anticipated book of 2015.
#1: Clockwork Princess
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 10/10
This book. This book. THIS BOOK. This was more perfect than any conclusion that I could ever have thought of. The epilogue was probably the best epilogue I've ever read. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it a million more- Cassandra Clare knows how to write the perfect conclusion to a series. It was beautiful. It was (dare I say)... perfect. I read it in a single day and was sobbing for at least half the book. It was too amazing. I loved it.
So there you go, those are my rankings of all of the books that I read in 2014! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What were your favorite reads of the year? Let me know in the comments!
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