papalbina Olten, Switzerland

It's an excellent book, well written in the first person. It's a estrange, discontinous dialogue between Clay and the girl talking in the tapes, but that's what makes the book interesting and new. Wanting to know which one was the next story/reason for what Hannah did thrill me and I could stop reading. I could hardly wait until Clay's tape.

Probably because it is in English and I'm quite weak here, I couldn't identify the moral of the story very clearly. It was dim in a lot of excuses and "reasons". I felt sorry for Clay when he began to feel responsible and that's where I think the story wasn't very clear at the end. The responsible one was Hannah herself and nobody else. But like I said, probably my English didn't help to get that part (I should read it in Spanish, perhaps I change my mind in that point).

In my opinion the book represents quite good the systems theory in a lay way. It wasn't written with that objective, but I think it's a good example for this theory: what does the system to the individual and the other way around? I will give the book to my boyfriend and see what he has to say... He's the expert about this theme.

Anyway, the book is good and I recommend it to everybody, even if you don't like YA literature.

I have loved the original tale of "Beauty and the Beast" as long as I can remember (Disney retelling is one of my favourite movies), so that for me not to like this book was quite difficult.

The main character, Adrian/Kyle, is very strong defined, which actually wrongs Linda (aka Bella) who blurs within Kyle's transformation into a good person. You kinda feel sorry for her instead of being impressed for her strength and her will. Anyway, Adrian is the central point of the novel, you grow with him, you hate him for being a jackass, but end up loving and wanting to comfort him by the time Linda is not yet part of the story (especially if you have in your mind the actor who is playing this role in the upcoming movie: Alex Petyffer *¬*).

The one thing I didn't like is that besides being narrated in first person is not a diary and the repetition of facts and thoughts of the narrator is very annoying, especially during the last part of the novel, where it seems that the author didn't find a better way to show you Adrian's hopelessness than repeating the same things (and formulas, like the "I wanted to tell her, but I didn't") again and again.

But altogether it is a good book, a very fine entertainment for an afternoon at home and the perfect recommendation for those people who loved this tale or any fairy tale. BTW: the chat conversations are hilarious xDD

Ok, it is a f******* trilogy and one quite bad. That first book was one predictible event after another, except perhaps for Henry's death towards the end. But first being the Gate instead of the Guardian, being the Angel, the One, finding out who are the keys and who was guarding the list... Please!! I was bored to death. I forced myself to finish it quickly to begin with another book that urges me more, but in other moment it would have taken me weeks to finish such a boredom. 

There are two mayor problems in the book: one, the main character is not appealing at all. I couldn't see her as the heroine, although she is a Mary Sue in big letters, and I couldn't connect with her. She left me completely cold. I felt more close to the bad sister than to her. 

The second problem is how the story is told. First person is tricky and I think it was not the correct decision for this kind of story.  It is not fluid and stops in completely unneccesary details (descriptions, thoughts), boring the lector. And sometimes I have the impression I was reading a movie, not a script, a movie. When something, say a room, is shown in a movie, it is for a reason who spoils a bit the surprise the room's role itself. Well, in the book it happens exactly the same again and again and again, for example how they happen to find the information. In the moment Sonia tells her birthday is on the first I knew that Louisa's was on the same day and that they were the keys about 50 pages before the one telling the story knows it, hello!? 

It isn't a good book and I don't have any intention of getting the rest of the books when they're out. I will try to get rid of trilogies for some time...

Just finished the first book: Luckyly I was not that stupid and superficial when I was fourteen and luckyly I didn't read the book at that age. I don't think I could make it in the adulthood healthy after reading that ¬¬

I would prevent my little sister from reading that, although the book was enjoyable and funny sometimes and I kinda like her at the end. I was a little disappointed to see that the Georgia in the movie and the Georgia in the books is not the same person at all. The one in the books is selfish, superficial and dimwit. The Georgia in the movie learns from her mistakes and becomes a little more mature than she was at the beginning which it's the right way.

It's not that I only like books that lecture its readers, but I just hope that the girls who read this book are more bright and see beyond boys, make-up and dyed hair.

Finished second book: I still think the same about these books. I give the book two stars because Georgia can be a laugh sometimes xD

I needed more time to read this book than I expected. I wasn't in the right mood when I began, I think.

The book is very good. Howl is so crazy like in the first book, and Sophie is more mature, but I missed more jokes with Calcifer... Anyway, the leading role in this book belongs to Charmain Baker, which is cute and clumsy and an ignorant about life... although it isn't completely her fault xDD She is funny in her way, especially when she admits that she doesn't know how to do something very common (like washing dishes xD) - but Peter is funnier with his failed spells xDD

It is very recommended for those people who loved "Howl's moving castle", although "House of many ways" can be very confusing. The descriptions of the ways inside the house can be annoying especially if you have the same problem like Peter with left and right xDDD

Because it was English, easy to read and there was this connection with the original Jane Austen's "Persuasion" (which I read some weeks ago), I loved it. And Melissa Nathan's style was so fresh and light and at the same time sarcastic (although she was not so mean with her heroine like Austen was).

Although there are some characters I didn't like and some actions I couldn't see as credible, the main characters, incl. Cass, Annie's sister Victoria and her husband, Charles, were very interesting and funny and sweet (love Victoria's "that's my boy" to Berties when she's flying to New York). Love to see the paralelisms with the original novel and trying to discover them was fun. At the other hand, perhaps because the story is set in our time I had the impression that this Annie is more fragile and sweet that Jane Austen's, which gave the new one more appeal and made her more lovable (although she is less relaxed and shows much more unhealthy anger, what kind of era are we living in? v.v).

Anyway, I ought to recommend this book to everybody, especially those people who read "Persuasion" and loved it...

It was charming and very interesting to read. Although the action and most interesting things happen toward the end of the book, I like it. I like especially at the beginning Victoria Holt's writing. It was detail-rich, but not boring. The only thing I didn't like and sometimes make me think twice if I wanted to continue reading was the recurrence of some phrases and passages in the text, like "I want to know what happened to me in those six days of my life" or "the Night of the Seventh Moon" or other points about characters and facts that are repeated over and over and over and over again...

The characters are quite good developed, especially the heroine, Helena Trant (or Lenchen). I found quite amusing Frau Graben and loved the children. Maximilien... Hmmm! No, I didn't like him, but he is the type of character I detest... The count, on the contrary, I found very interesting, despite being a stereotype.

In resume: it is an interesting book and it is worth to read it.

I didn't like very much the first one, but the second, third and fourth ones get better, but with ups and downs. I like Ann Brashares' writing style. It's fresh and dynamic.

In the first book Tibby was my favourite character, but right now after reading the four books Bridget Vreeland has overtook the position. She is my sport idol and with her ups and downs I learnt to love her. I like her lack of scruples, I love her "I want to live the present" and her self-confidence and her sharpness. I like this character.

Lena is too dull for moments (especially with all the story with Kostos v.v) and Tibby has lost her power. The only one who remains like she was at the beginning is Carmen: Good Carmen and Bad Carmen. She is selfish, mean, sometimes, but she is so funny.

All the four books have brilliant moments. I would recommend these books to anybody who likes light growing-up stories.