Reviews written by Kelly Goodwin

Stunningly beautiful metaphors used to describe Juliette's inner turmoil and surrounding landscape was not enough to save Shatter Me from a powerless heroine, a nonexistent plot and weak world-building. I tried I tried I tried to relate to Juliette. Having grown up abused and unloved, then thrown...

It's not very often that I find myself sitting in stunned speechlessness after finishing a book. It's even less often that I find myself enjoying the middle book of a trilogy more than its predecessor. Hallowed has effortlessly managed to accomplish both of these things while cruelly leaving me to...

A relatively fast-paced murder-mystery plot with likeable, if slightly stereotypical, YA characters and an interesting spin on the classic werewolf mythology makes Hemlock stand out amongst its peers! With the government officially announcing Lupine Syndrome - or the werewolf virus - Hemlock immediately separates itself from most...

With intriguing-sounding characters and a plot full of potential, my hopes were high for Arson. Where I found the characters to be less than compelling, and the plot's potential was never truly reached, I am walking away feeling slightly disappointed but hopeful for Arson's sequel, Ashes. Arson...

A look into the emotions, motives and schemes of Carter's Greek gods and goddesses, The Goddess Legacy provides great insight and depth into their lives before Kate. A relatively quick read, I was surprised by how much was explained in regards to plot points from the...

Before You Go is a gorgeously written tale about the kind of heartbreak that only comes with the passing of a loved one. An omniscient and mostly numb protagonist did distance me as a reader, but being well-paced, I found Before You Go to be a mostly enjoyable read. ...

While I enjoyed The Golden Lily, after the dramatic conclusion to Bloodlines I was expecting more plot tension, danger and immediacy in The Golden Lily. With Sydney's obliviousness to the multitude of social cues surrounding her, little information about the conflict back at Court and a human villain, I was...

Oozing with untapped potential, The Alchemy of Forever was a good read. The pacing was well-done and Sera's constant fear of being found by Cyrus added a heavy dose of suspense. But a slightly underwhelming protagonist coupled with a non-menacing antagonist tries The Alchemy of Forever and finds it wanting....

There were certain aspects of The Little Woods that I really enjoyed - the boarding school backdrop, the mystery surrounding the unexplained disappearances, the intrigue and allure of Cally's new friends - but there were other aspects - the author's copious usage of a thesaurus (did you catch what I...

Scars was a tough read, not only because of its subject matter - sexual abuse, homophobia, domestic violence, cutting - but because I wanted so badly to like it and it just didn't move me the way I had been expecting. My main issue with Scars was...

*As always, I try my best not to include any spoilers. But if you haven't read Divergent, you will find some spoilers for it in this review, and I found it was virtually impossible to review Insurgent without some minor spoilers for it. Before I can properly...

A whirlwind tale of revenge and romance, Lies Beneath is the gripping tale of Calder White - a boy looking for revenge for the death of his mother, who finds forgiveness and love in the arms of the daughter of the man he's sworn to kill. I...

All These Lives took me by complete surprise. I would never have imagined that I would like such a snarky and sarcastic protagonist, or that I would empathize with her guilt over being very much alive when her sister is walking a fine line between life and death. I thought...

I'm going to preface this by saying that I very rarely read contemporary YA. After finishing Night Sky I'm asking myself why that is, because I couldn't put it down! I loved that the story was told from Jameson's point of view, as a male PoV...

Of Poseidon is my newest guilty pleasure. Superficially, it's a light and heart-warming tale, laced with mystery and intrigue. But when read with a critical mind, the subtext definitely brings up some troubling themes. The history surrounding the Syrena was fascinating, and I have to give Banks...