Series Wrap-Ups

These books are both the final books in their respective series and since I don't feel like I have that much to say about them (I've been lukewarm on both series from the beginning) I figured I could lump them together for you here without getting into too much trouble. :D And since these are sequels I'm not going to provide official summaries because I don't want to give away any spoilers.

That said, my thoughts on The Forgotten Locket can be summed up in a few words: boring, overly-complicated, insipid (which means bland or without flavor). This was my favorite book in the series though, so you can tell from that how much I really didn't like the first two (The Hourglass Door and The Golden Spiral). This one finally dives into the time travel aspect of the plot, but it does so without helping readers along or explaining the complicated premise of Lisa Mangum's time travel theory. Since I'm not a huge fan and have only read the previous books once I felt completely lost at times. I felt like all the complications and time twists were a bit pointless and I could spot several MASSIVE GAPING logic holes in the plot. That, and I've never really loved the romance between Abby and Dante. Blame that on the fact that my past makes it unlikely that I will ever be swayed by a smooth-talking Italian. I disliked that some of the characters I actually liked (Abby's family and friends from the "real" world) were not in this book at all. Anyway, I felt like Lisa Mangum was trying to be overly epic and grandiose and "save the world!" but it come off too heavy-handed for me. A little comic relief would have helped, but there was none. I don't recommend this series. With all the great YA lit in the world, there's no need for you to waste your time on this series.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is a significantly better book, just based on the quality of the writing and the plot. Despite that, I've never been overly fond of this series. It is about werewolves, so I'll just get that out of the way right off the bat. It's probably the last werewolf/vampire book I'll read (unless something new comes out with majorly positive reviews) because I'm way sick of them. I'm just... ready for something new. This book wasn't unpleasant to read, however. Maggie Stiefvater has a beautiful way with words and poetry and song lyrics have always played a bit part in her plots. I like that. Another pro for this book is that all the overly-mushy teenage obsessive teen love stuff is all out of this series' system. Grace and Sam have settled into something very real feeling and much more palatable to read. I liked the way it ended (which I won't go into details on). I'm glad I finished this one up, but I can't say that it's on my to-buy list.