I loved this book. The best part was the giant spider. I love spiders.

I originally picked this book up based on the cover and the idea of two juxtaposed characters. They are sisters? One is a redhead, one is a pale blonde? One sister is a queen and one has powers? Sounds kind of like Frozen! I loved the idea of this book but the characters made it hard to love. They were very flawed and constantly questioned themselves and their “power.” I typically enjoy the theme of “coming into ones powers” but these characters struggled to ever do that. They also were consistently thwarted by older people and listened to their elders for most of the novel instead of standing by their own decision making. In the end it was a good story and I will most likely read a sequel if they have it but I wish the characters were a little better. Maybe in the next book!

Fun plot line and very enjoyable characters but the ending was predictable.

My first step into the fantasy realm. I’m addicted.

This book had so many original concepts that I would give it five stars on a scale of five just for that The concepts range from what might happen after a first contact with another world to string theory to glimpses of Chinese culture. Those with a science or math background will absolutely love this book. No such background, like me? No problem - this books gives you a glimpse into the China of the Cultural Revolution and the suffering of its citizens during those turbulent years. I highly recommend this book, which is the first book of a trilogy.

Love

This book was different than what I usually read. The book starts off with a main character that has little to no idea what is happening to her or the people around her. The book doesn't start to reveal what is happening until almost the end. This leaves the plot confusing and ultimately somewhat hard to understand what is happening at times. The narrator was very unreliable and the other characters were kind of shallow. I wished that there were multiple POVs that way the reader had a better understanding of the plot. That said, I will say the book had me on the edge of my seat most of the time and it was a quick read. I'd say it read like a suspense/mystery/thriller novel for 75% of the book and the other 25% is dystopian and Sci-Fi. It wasn't a book I would read again but I enjoyed it for the short book it was.

Good concept, somewhat boring execution. Wanted more murder and drama and less pinning.

V.E. Schwab has been on my TBR list ever since This Savage Song was released, but I hadn't gotten around to reading anything by her yet (so many books, so little time). I picked up the Extraordinary graphic novel, and really liked the storyline. It reminded me a little of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman mixed with the Harper Connolly series by Charlaine Harris. I love fantasy/dystopian, and this story made me want to move Schwab's novels up on my reading list.

My son likes the Seb Spider!