Erak's Ransom (Ranger's Apprentice #7)

1. Interesting that this book breaks the mould somewhat in that it jumps backwards in time to events before books 5 and 6 when Will is in his final year of apprenticeship.
2. Starts off differently at a wedding!
3. And we are in a new part of the world,  a new desert climate in what appears to be equivalent to Arabia (a change from pseudo Western Europe and Scandinavia in the previous books), and it's cool to see how the rangers react to the new environment 
4. It's nice to see a full cast (less Alyss) and it's interesting that we are slightly off chronologically because we know and have foresight as to how some aspects of each respective character's journeys are resolved (because that resolution occurs in books 5 and 6) but this book acts as a gap filler for lack of a better phrase (it's certainly not filler material). This doesn't exactly spoil it I suppose but it's interesting nonetheless to observe the dynamic between say Will and Evanlyn
5. Although we haven't seen Gilan properly or at all (I can't recall) for a long time!! Long meaning since book..2?
6. "Would you trust him with your life Halt? Then trust him with his own"
7. It's hard to sympathise with Erak's situation given he was raiding a foreign land and caused his neighbours to get involved...
8. There's a part where Will is on his own again - not sure I enjoyed it that much
9. Tactics associated with chasing a party are on display, as are dessert battle tactics and espionage
10. Nomad and desert culture and customs are also explored.. including water discipline 
11. It gets exciting in the last third of the book
12. The formula of the story is kind of the same - Will hatches and executes a strategic plan to save everyone
13. Some of the events are quite coincidental or work out too easily for our heroes - which is not unexpected 
14. I did like the end game scenario which was a rescue from execution
15. The bittersweet situation with Evanlyn kind of continues but is only mentioned very briefly
16. I'd say it's no better or no worse than the previous couple of books..well ok maybe a bit better because there is a moment where Halt is heavily reliant on Will and it makes for a nice moment eg 4.15-4.25/5. Decent book. But I probably liked Battle for Skandia ie. Oakleaf Rangers better

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone

1. My dad bought me this book in 2000 in Los Angeles- I can't believe I'm re-reading it
2. I had forgotten how much the Dursleys were a part of Harry's life but JK Rowling does a great job of setting the scene. Uncle Vernon Dursley does however appear to be trying to do what he thinks is right (keeping Harry away from magic) but he does it in all the wrong, disrespectful and most abusive ways
3. Didn't remember that Mr Dursley sold drills or that there was a West Ham fan in the book - funny how that is a detail that jumps out to me now but not when I first read it
4. I had also forgotten JKR's conversational tone was so engaging - that's probably the secret sauce to her success
5. Hermione was really annoying but the turning point was quite clearly "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.  There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve foot mountain troll is one of them."
6. I think one of the great things about this book that captivated readers was the attachment we felt to Harry, Ron and Hermione: all didn't quite fit in, in a way. Harry the orphan and bullied all his life; Ron feeling the pressure from his siblings in his family; Hermione being too smart which made her a bit of an outcast. That three misfits could be strong close friends is the type of magic we all yearn for in our own lives and is somewhat nostalgic.
7. Having a powerful artefact- the invisibility cloak is always the usual trope one would expect; so is our main character having a hidden sporting talent (in Quidditch..)
8. Add the context of magical mysteries waiting to be solved (Voldemort's impending return and his connection to and reason for trying to kill Harry) and the backdrop of dealing with coming of age style problems at school (think: bullies, bad teachers; good mentors and friends; growing up; exams...exam results...), and you can see how people are attracted to HP
9. Also,imagine having a whiz friend like Hermione all throughout high school!! Except for the part where she complains "but there's no wood!" And that's why she needs the quick thinking of the other two. 
10. That the "final test" or end level was a gauntlet of challenges set by some of the professors was pretty cool. But it felt a bit rushed particularly the chess part.. but I suppose that was to keep us moving along as we raced towards the end. 
11. I distinctly recall Dumbledore's jellybean line "Alas, earwax!" from my first read 
12. It was a bit too easy for Harry to beat the boss of this book..
13. However the villain concept / theme was a good one and I liked his..duplicity
14. Hagrid the ever present friendly giant was heart-warming 
15. Dumbledore's immense wisdom and omnipresence is a bit too unexplained for my liking - it's interesting how I never queried this when I was a kid - but now I'm asking: why did he leave if he supposedly knew there was trouble aloof and he was encouraging Harry to tackle it on his own? Did he want Harry to give it a go, only for Dumbledore to know that Dumbledore would need to save him? Perhaps it was intentional and designed to train Harry (being part of his all knowing plans) but it seems a bit much. Nonetheless Dumbledore's words of wisdom and calmness are a nice part of the story
16. Harry longing for his parents is always a tender spot of the book and series.
17. Spoiler: The crazy points allocation to Gryffindor at the end was rigged and hilarious.
18. Fred and George frequently mentioned in passing as comedy relief.
19. It's a shame that Harry is not going back to a family that loves him over the holidays (I can remember some of what comes next)
20. Even so I can't wait for the next book
21. I say: this is a solid 4.3-4.5/5

A Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy - Liu Cixin

1. Quick thoughts on the trilogy as a whole. 
2. Liu is one of those writers who makes you realise the reason why you liked Sci-fi in the first place: it's the idea that this is not necessarily all pure fantasy, because at least part of it could become true in the future.  Even if you can't imagine aliens making contact with humans, you can imagine us travelling at 1% the speed of light; dealing with game theory at the cosmological level or what hibernation and future tech might look like 200 years from now; you can also understand how humans might react to the crises of future generations that are space- event triggered and also human caused and the moral quagmires that result from the same.
3. But he takes this even further and makes it a story about the meaning of life and our existence in this universe, and he approaches it from his Chinese world view which makes it interesting 
4. The first two books are so far removed from the last book that it is just crazy - the former are just there to give context to the crazy events that happen later on in book 3. Book 1 was a puzzle; book 2 was a game of cat and mouse and strategic thinking at a universe level; book 3 was about the Earth in the fight for its life and purpose.
5. In the end, the way I see it - it's a trilogy about the fragility of human life and how small we are in the universe, including relative to the laws of physics
6. It's probably a 4.4 or 4.5 out of 5

Death's End (Remembrance of Earth's Past #3)

1.  Starts off very differently to book 2 - there are distinct  chapters that jump between time periods,  including,  surprisingly, time periods that have already been explored in books 1 and 2.. and someone is narrating this story - as if outside of time itself - by reference to history 
2. It makes for a more fluid and exciting read
3. Book 3 tries to fill in some of the gaps by telling a story that runs in parallel to the events of books 1 and 2. We get a bit more insight into a sister project that coexisted at the same time as the Wallfacer project and into some of the technology and research that occurred in an attempt to catch up our tech with that of the Trisolorians, including the development space travel and hibernation... and the sister project tests the limits of what it means to be alive. 
4. Interesting and refreshing concepts are delved into (in addition to concepts already traversed in the first two books), at both the scientific, moral and philosophical levels including: 

• expanding the black forest concept of the universe; 
• the uneasy but prosperous alliance and exchange of cultures and information between two galactic races; 
• consequences of unethical decisions made in response to moral dilemmas in the previous book (including for the so called "dark battles" in outer space between those spaceships who felt they were cut off from humanity and made tough calls to survive); 
• having the Earth as a spiritual anchor (ie. Humans assume they will be attached to Earth for life but what if that assumptionis false); 
• astronautic psychology; 
• flaws with Earth's deterrence system; 
• the evolution of the Trisolorian's strategic thinking; 
• the importance of choosing the right swordholder and the probability of deterrence; 
• the risk of not developing your technology fast enough to compete with other civilizations; 
• can two space civilizations coexist with one another?; 
• is it possible to convince the universe to leave us alone ??!; 
• the effect of being watched all the time and having everything recorded..; 
• strategies to deal with a random alien attack; 
• life near Jupiter and the other gas giants and the various details and designs possible for living in space cities; 
• the high stakes involved for choosing the right path of technology and making sure you develop the tech in time; 
• slowing down the speed of light and the consequences of that on the passage of time (including the theory of relativity) and the creation of black holes..; 
• building mini universes;
• expanding and collapsing universes and starting from scratch..
• Weaponising basic laws of physics and mathematics  - what if the universe started with 10 dimensions and was being slowly downgraded to 1 dimension?
• Making the "good" choice can doom civilization - the universe apparently does not care
• Technology is double edged and the same tech can kill or destroy entire civilizations 

1. I can't pretend I understood every detail. I was lost towards the end of the book. The concepts can be very intense and detailed.
2. Hilariously Australia gets a significant mention including Warburton of all places. Imagine the UN moving to Sydney and the world moving into Australia as it becomes a super power overnight (think of all the immigration issues)...Liu is well researched and can describe Australian towns and the outback and the origins of parliament house...
3. Liu also makes a very big crack at guessing what entering the 4th dimension through the 3rd dimension is like and his imagination is insane. He introduces concepts such as dimensional strikes which include collapsing the nth dimension into a n-1th dimension 
4. There is a magical part of the book that is all about how to communicate a secret message when all your enemies are watching! Imagine trying to smuggle a life and death message to an ally right in front of your enemy who will kill you if they think you've betrayed any aspect of the critical message. This is another favourite theme of mine that was done very well!!
5. The ending is quite somber, reflective and bittersweet all at once. It's quite hard to describe. There is basically an air of "life is unpredictable" and "life is fragile" to the ending - or life is subject to physics
6. Spoiler - Yun Tianming and Cheng Xin are starcrossed :(
7. It's quite a supercharged book. The first 60-75% is an intense roller-coaster ride but in the final 25% it gets more contemplative and you start to think about the bigger questions like the meaning of life and where we come from
8. I'd say it's a solid 4.5/5. Even if you aren't one for understanding all the scientific details, Liu's imagination and visualisation of the future is to be respected and contemplated. I think the first two books are clearly a setup for the last book. 

The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice #6)

1. This is the second part to book 5, and follows Flanagan's trusted / usual formula of doing things in pairs.
2. There are interesting dynamics at play here and the story is fun - this time Will and friends try to raid a castle to save his childhood friend- the tactics involved for castle raids being very different to any situation previously encountered by Will especially since it's his first major mission in charge and without Halt's guidance
3. Some of the dialogue or small talk is a bit cringeworthy or it feels like it belongs to the wrong era
4. One aspect of the story regarding Will's allies for this mission also seems a bit too convenient and unbelievable
5. But I can ignore those two points which are relatively minor and kind of excusable for a kid's book
6. The ending is satisfying but a bit too conventional. I still liked it though
7. While I wanted to see more of Halt it was nice for a change to see Will acting independently 
8. The battle tactics were also done well, as usual - and the secret messages of the Couriers was neat to see.
9. The villains of this book were quite weak though and a bit of a let down- I didn't like how it was too easy to beat them. 
10. Would probably give it a similar score to book 5, say 4.1-4.2. I feel it's just part of the same story as book 5 and all it does is provide a resolution 

The Sorcerer in the North (Ranger's Apprentice #5)

1. Note: do not read the back cover and the title of book 6 - they both contain spoilers which is kind of silly
2. We fast-forward a few years to a time when Will is a qualified ranger, and it takes about 40 pages for real drama to kick in. 
3. Was a bit frustrating not being able to see Seacliff Island on the map..
4. Some of Flanagan's conversations are again showing their age and seem archaic
5. There's a bit more subterfuge, disguises, espionage + cloak and dagger in this book, particularly as the Diplomatic Service get involved - this makes for a nice change. We see Will partnering with his childhood friend (sweetheart?) Alyss who is in the Service
6. Will is also embroiled in a tense and dire situation as he travels to the outskirting fiefs of the land - as he tries to unravel the politics of Macindaw castle and figure out the relevance of that to ghosts and spirits found in a nearby haunted forest 
7. A key theme is things don't always appear as they seem
8. Ending is clearly a set up for book 6 which is unsurprising by now as Flanagan seems to like to do books in pairs
9. I found this quite enjoyable as it featured new surroundings, focused on Alyss and showed Will fending on his own again including in disguise ..but it was not as good as the first two books. 
10. Would probably give it a 4.2-4.3/5

The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth's Past #2)

1.  "Make time for life, because life won't make time" 
2. Do remember the title of the book and pay close attention to the opening chapter (as boring as it initially seems) - it's a metaphor and explains the basic concept as to how the Trisolorians can be defeated!! But you can probably guess at least half of the solution well before the end..
3. The first 100 pages were frankly a bit dull and slow-going but it's actually quite interesting to see how it all fits together by the end - apparently, from what I've read,  most people found this to be the case too
4. I love the idea that there are 4 "Wallfacer" humans tasked with creating secret stratagems in their mind to save the earth (that only they know about); and there are 4 "Wallbreaker" humans / cult members (working for the aliens) tasked with finding out what the stratagems are. There is plenty of smoke and mirrors in that regard and I really enjoyed that.
5. I particularly enjoyed how the committee overseeing the Wallfacers are sceptical of the Wallfacers' plans, yet have to fund and accept the fact that they can't know everything about each Wallfacer's plan because those plans need to be kept secret from Aliens who are listening to and watching everything the humans are doing - it's kind of like being Merlin in a game of The Resistance:Avalon - Merlin doesn't want his identity to be found out or the Minions / bad guys win!
6. The idea of hibernation - sleeping for hundreds of years and waking up in the future - is a very interesting concept and the exploration of what the world should look like in centuries from now was done really well. 
7. There are some aspects of the book which ..kind of.. fall into what I or others would typically describe as the slice of life genre - these are the initially boring bits. The main character Luo Ji seems to spend a lot of time enjoying his life and abusing his position as and the near unlimited resources available to him as a Wallfacer - there are also some other random characters who talk about the alien crisis which is Liu's way of showing us a different angle of the crisis as experienced by society eg the urge to flee before the aliens arrive ie escapism, and later the surge of complete foolish overconfidence on the part of the human race.
8. However it becomes quite interesting/exciting when you realise Luo Ji is being targeted specifically by the aliens and they appear to consider him to be the greatest threat - so he has to dodge all these assassination attempts - and he has no idea why but slowly guesses why and it becomes quite cool when he..appears..to start truly planning a strategy to defeat the aliens.
9. The game theory and prisoner's dilemma concepts being applied at a cosmic scale are fascinating to read but it takes a long time to get to that point...it suffices to say that the book certainly makes you think about what's out there in the universe and how Earthlings would be viewed/perceived/treated by others if there are indeed others out there, and the high stakes involved to survive in the cosmos (...the dangers of the dark forest indeed...). It's a great fleshing out of a thought experiment as to how to deal with other lifeforms in space. 
10. Score: probably not as strong as the first book (but could have been had it been less convoluted): I say 4.2-4.4/5

Oakleaf Bearers (The Battle for Skandia) (Ranger's Apprentice #4)

1. A solid addition to the series. Whilst the first 50-100 pages was slightly slower, I enjoyed the further exploration of the geography and world of RA
2. It's better than book 3 but that's probably because of: 1) the fact that all of our characters are finally reunited and working as a team; and 2) just as books 1 and 2 were meant to be one book, it appears book 4 is merely the second half of book 3's story - it concludes the story arc of the search for Will and Evanlyn. 
3. (Although books 1-4 feel like 1 big book or saga really split into 2 sections)
4. One of my favourite themes of shaky alliances is explored well in this book
5. Plots, counterplots, archery and battlefield tactics and coordination make for great reading in the last part of this book! The feels!
6. Some of the earlier dialogue appeared to me to be a bit..cheesy and skewed towards eg young readers or antiquated views re the traditional role of girls and boys, but I turned a blind eye to that. 
7. It's particularly uplifting to see Will regain his fitness, and it's interesting to see a new enemy and country brought in the series (including their tactics, military structure and way of fighting) - also interesting to see Halt's backstory weave into their introduction
8. We also learn more about the Skandians and their country, fighting style and attitudes (building upon what we learnt since book 2) which adds to the flavour of the series in addition to what we know of Gallica
9. I have to say though that the Skandian's rudimentary knowledge of fighting / war tactics seems a bit too unbelievable and naive. Halt is certainly a tactician but some of his advice is common sense
10. Our main characters also finally get the reward, closure and payback us readers have been looking for - with everyone caught up with their exploits since book 2 and 3 - though not without a twinge of bittersweetness at the end
11. Minor gripe: the title of the book is a bit weird - why Oakleaf Bearers? Seems a bit more anticlimactic and evocative than previous titles
12. I'd probably score this 4.25-4.4/5
13. The Battle for Skandia is a much better title (America only apparently)

The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice #3)

1.  Didn't like it as much as the first two books but still a great addition to the series. The first half of the book was not as good as the last half but perhaps that is normal. 
2. I was half wondering how John Flanagan would be able to sustain the super high standard - and here's my answer. While this is still very good I think it was lowered here 
3. However I loved how Halt's and Horace's feelings for Will (including those of friendship, loyalty) are explored early on
4. It was awesome to see the world map expand and new Kingdoms traversed
5. It's also fun to see Horace develop including in his interactions and friendship with Halt
6. Will and friends continue to be split and the challenges they face are quite different now - broadly, without spoilers, there is a greater focus on survival not in the sense of battle but on more primal aspects and re: fundamental threats like hunger, the elements, captivity... and more relating to captivity
7. There isn't really a big supervillain in this book to be defeated so again this book strays from the formula a bit but there is a mini villain
8. I enjoyed it - perhaps the City of Rats from DQ was more enjoyable at this relative juncture (again, continuing this clearly not apples to apples comparison of the two series)
9. The story was focussed more about raw physical survival (including looking for Will) than battles, messages, strategies and tactics - which I guess I didn't like as much. I prefer the latter. 
10. The ending is satisfactory but is a clear set up for the next book
11. Maybe a 4 -4.1/5

The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2)

1.  An excellent sequel by John Flanagan. Was apparently meant to be part of the same larger book as the Ruins of Gorlan but that got too big so it was split into two
2. Continues what the first did well and explores one of my favourite themes being "your team is only as strong as your weakest link"
3. Will and team stumble upon a key strategy of the enemy and decide to take the initiative to sabotage it, despite only being apprentices and outnumbered. There are high stakes and they are deep in enemy territory.
4. Espionage concepts: the importance of procuring and conveying key information to those in charge is a theme that is continued here -- Including the lack of information parity and lags in obtaining critical information (ie. travelling long distances with an important message to communicate/deliver, and that information needing to be updated gradually over time as more information comes to light)
5. More elements of the world map are explored, which I loved. 
6. The ending, including all the battlefield heroics and stratagems, surprised me and made me want to go straight into book 3.
7. Score: probably a 4.7-4.8/5. I liked this better than Deltora Quest's book 2 (if I am allowed to make the comparison)

The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past #1)

1. Definitely a hard science fiction book. If you are one for details and describing scientific concepts, particularly at the atomic level, look no further than Liu Cixin. His creativity and explanation of scientific concepts, and integrating it into a cohesive plot, is amazing. 
2. It's very quirky with a distinct Asian style of writing and humour - some parts of the book don't feel expressed in natural English form (and unsurprisingly, given this has been translated from Chinese)
3. It was fascinating to see how the three body problem (as it is known in theoretical physics) was approached and explained with real physics concepts.
4. I couldn't put the book down for the first 100 odd pages but thought the introduction of a video game as a plot device to explain the three body concept was very...weird. I didn't really like it at first. However, after more reading, it made sense and made for fun reading. By the end everything fit together perfectly
5. The integration of the three body problem with the concept of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution was very well done.
6. That Liu can imagine how Earth would respond to alien life,  and how alien life could respond to Earth's existence, together with conceptualising the technological advancement, strategic thinking, culture and traits of these aliens,  and the way in which he philosophises about this hypothetical situation is a wonder to behold. 
7. The concept of communicating and travelling over long distances - light years -and aliens interfering with Earth life also made for very epic and interesting reading
8. Loved the quirky character Da Shi and his interactions 
9. Without spoiling too much I loved how Liu integrated the concept of cults, secret societies and conspiracies with the concept of aliens, military strategies and survival...it isn't just a sci fi book- it is equally a book about how to save the world and the meaning of being human
10. Chinese culture was also explored to a great extent which I liked 
11. Pacing issues are my only gripe about this book. Can't say I understood all the scientific technicalities but I enjoyed it. 
12. Overall probably a 4.4-4.6/5. It was amazing.

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan

1.  Can't believe I hadn't heard of this RA series when it was made by another prominent Australian author and the publication of which overlapped with Deltora Quest
2. I actually liked this first book more than the Forests of Silence (DQ#1), but that's perhaps an unfair comparison as DQ's books are very thin compared to the RA series - there's more room to explore in RA
3. RA is about espionage in medieval times in a place apparently resembling the modern day UK. It's a pretty cool concept. 
4. I loved how Flanagan explores the concept of adventure, growing up, coming of age, those that appear to be "weak" being actually quite strong... and comradery through adversity I suppose.
5. It was interesting to see the village crafts being divided into different sections (not an uncommon theme in these sorts of books but I liked how the different areas were explored early, with a focus on knights and rangers)
6. I am keen to see the world map expand and/or used more in the novels to come - wished there were more detailed locations on the map that corresponded to the story
7. The way in which the rangers tracked targets and journeyed over long distances was well described and I felt like I was going on the actual journey
8. There were a few moments early on where I wasn't quite used to Flagan's writing and humour but I got used to it and really enjoyed it
9. Not sure of the exact score yet but I'd say 4.5-4.7/5 

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (Millenium Trilogy, Final Book 3) and Milennium Trilogy thoughts

1.  This book is the longest of the three but by far the most exciting. There is little down time in the introduction unlike in the other two. It just follows off from the events of the last book.
2. Book 3 deals with the immediate fallout of Book 2, and has strong spy, espionage and cover-up (in the interests of "national security") themes, as Salander and team prepare for her trial. 
3. It's fascinating to see the forces working against her to silence her; and the "forces of good" (even those not immediately known to her) on her side trying to expose the truth.
4. The ending is incredibly satisfying and feels like one is playing a scene from Ace Attorney - where the bad guys get completely owned. Admittedly the ending is predictable but I like seeing justice being handed out. 
5. I also enjoyed Salander's complex personality and her convoluted relationship with Blomkvist.
6. If there was less sexual content I might be tempted to call this my favourite book...
7. I was surprsingly gripped from beginning to end.
8. 4.75/5

Overall score and thoughts for the Millenium Trilogy: the trilogy makes for a diverse read as a whole. You, respectively, get in each of the three books: a murder / crime mystery; a (framed) fugitive on the run story; and a trial or judicial process that's rigged by secret agents with cloak and dagger subterfuge sub-plots and cover ups happening in the background. They are all a bit different. The use of a media entity, the Millenium magazine, and its journalists, coupled with the world of hacking, makes for an exciting plot device. The two areas synergise with each other and help to complement the story of our complicated heroine with a tragic past. 

I would say that this is an excellent gateway trilogy into the respective "disappearance / mystery cold case", "I've been framed" and "spy" subgenres of what can be essentially or a bit too simply classified as Crime fiction (although spy novels are probably a separate category of their own). I did not enjoy the sexual content or the violence in the series, but I understand the context and why it was done. The first two books are a few tiers below the last book (IMHO). The third book sits in a tier of its own and higher than the others. 

What does that mean? Well it means it's a solid and satisfying series overall. 4.3/5

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium Series, Book 2)

1.  Book 1 focussed on Lisbeth Salander's detective and hacking skills which were deployed to solve the mystery of a girl who had disappeared, in partnership with journalist Blomkvist.
2. This book builds on that foundation but in a more dramatic and higher stakes context - Lisbeth is apparently framed for some murders she did not commit. She is on the run while mostly everyone is out to catch her (save for a few who sit on her side of the fence).
3. It took about 200 pages for the book to actually start diving into the main plot and for the blurb at the back of the book to actually come about - which is crazy, drawn out and certainly took far longer than the first book. The 200 pages was essential context but it probably could have been condensed into half the amount.
4. I liked the build up to the end, particularly how the police and investigators tracking her down are biased and assume she is guilty --- but then slowly realise there is evidence that points the other way; I did however feel like the end was a slight letdown and a bit too easy for our heroine. I liked how Lisbeth is largely working on her own this time and is communicating digitally with Blomkvist, which makes for a very different teamwork dynamic this time around.
5. Because this had a higher stakes feel to it, I enjoyed the second book more than the first one overall, but felt the ending was a lot less satisfying than the first book.
6. Score: 4.15/5

Books I have read (and re-read in some cases) recently

Brief thoughts so I don't forget. Not edited / proofread in detail!

 Keys to the Kingdom - Garth Nix [second read]

1. Bittersweet and unusual ending that half makes you want to read it all again (but the bittersweet part makes you think twice about doing so - maybe when my daughter grows up and wants to read it with me)
2. Height of series for me was around Drowned Wednesday and Sir Thursday where the usual / classic formula of Arthur fights villain was turned on its head. 
3. Thematically I quite enjoyed how each part of the house to some extent fit the powers of the keys and the seven deadly sins of each villain.
4. It was a shame that Superior Saturday did not get more air time as a villain; similar story with Lord Sunday. The last two books did feel slightly rushed. The fights / focus on villians re: Saturday and Sunday were short. Even Mister Monday got more air time than them (as a proper "boss" or "villain" fight) . However, it was clear that Lord Sunday posed a very steep difficulty challenge for Arthur and I was worried for him at one point.
5. I also felt like Lady Friday was the weaker point of the series - that part of the house and her powers are slightly weird and did not fit as thematically
6. The ending - is one that I hated at first but looking back on it, it is quite a clever ending from Garth Nix and one I have learnt to enjoy
7. Wished they would have explored the Will and the Old One in a bit more detail, specifically the suggestion that the Will (without spoiling anything) may have been up to no good and/or hiding things from Arthur. A confrontation with the Will would have been nice at some point, but I understand the counterargument is that the Will was just a manifestation of a process that Arthur just had to accept - as in real life - and it is just too bad that there was no closure.
8. 4.2/5 - some very rough rankings: Mister Monday (4/5), Grim Tuesday (4/5), Drowned Wednesday (4.6/5), Sir Thursday (4.6/5), Lady Friday (~3/5), Superior Saturday (3.9/5), Lord Sunday (4.5/5)

Deltora Quest 1, 2 and 3 - Emily Rodda [second read]

1. Easily my favourite fantasy series so far, even if childish and simplistic
2. Each villain or obstacle is somewhat satisfying, albeit sometimes short or solved a bit too simplistically.
3. The heroes tend to get out of trouble too easily, but I suppose that is to be expected for a series such as this.
4. Thematically I love how each book in DQ1 covers the recovery of a gem and that even when Lief finds all the gems, it is not so straightforward fighting the enemy in the last book and there are more puzzles to be had
5. DQ2 was obviously not as strong as the first, but still satisfying I think. Emily Rodda has a great way of revealing hidden histories and combining this with the spirit of discovery and exploration that comes from maps.
6. DQ3 was probably better than the first - the idea that the Shadow Lord had planned a back up plan that acts as a double-bluff trap was amazing (if you do nothing you will die; if you do something about it, you will die too).
7. Emily Rodda is definitely the master of puzzles, riddles, exploring the importance of forgotten history and knowing how to make a kid's adventure feel full of purpose and grand
8. Should have scored each book as I read but I read it too many months ago to remember precisely. But let's say DQ1: 4.7/5; DQ2: 4.2/5; DQ3: 4.9/5
9. Overall score for all 3 Deltora Quest series: 4.8/5

The Three Doors Trilogy - Emily Rodda

1. The plot twist by the end of the Third Door is probably greater than any plot twist in Deltora Quest. It just so dramatically changes everything that you want to read the books again from the start.
2. Rye's clumsiness with his bag of powers has a certain charm to it. And there is a certain mystery in the way in which he was given the powers  
3. The culmination of twists in book 3 is insane.
4. I probably like this series a lot more because of the references to Deltora Quest and the Shadow Lord (it is set after DQ3), which probably makes me a bit biased. But it can be read on its own (but I would suggest reading DQ first)
5. Books 2 and 1 are also quite different to one another, but I enjoyed seeing Rye progressively teaming up with more team members as the series went on.
6. Golden Door (Book 1): 4/5; Silver Door (Book 2): 4.1/5; The Third Door (Book 3): 4.5/5
7. Overall score: probably a 4/5

Rowan of Rin - the Journey (all 5 books in 1) - Emily Rodda

1. Emily Rodda does it again - the puzzles in DQ are this time replaced with riddles and poems (lots of poems - to the point that you do get a bit sick of them.........."not again!!!!!!!!!!")
2. The best parts of the series imho are Books 1, 3 and 5 - Book 3 (The Keeper of the Crystal) is my favourite (maybe a 4.5/5), but the ironic thing is that it is the book that has the least impact on the broader plot of the series.
3. Book 2 I felt was the weak point but still interesting (maybe a 3.5/5). Book 4 is OK (say a 3.8/5) but I felt the way it was resolved was a bit too easy or convenient, given all the circumstances and what they were up against. Since I am giving scores maybe Book 1 - 4.2/5 and Book 5 - 4.3/5
4. Rodda is again great at focussing on forgotten histories. The key themes of this series to my mind are: belonging, don't underestimate people - the strong are weak and the weak are strong, the natural order of things, hidden secrets from the past have effects on the present day.
5. I probably liked this series less than the Three Doors trilogy, but am not quite sure. It's a different type of series that focusses more on the village of Rin and the bad things that happen to it that need to be overcome, so it makes it a very different type of adventure vs DQ and the 3D trilogy. 
6. The ending does have a certain poetic harmony to it and makes you think about the series as a whole.
7. I would also score this series around a 4/5.

Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins

1. Had fun reading it but too bittersweet for my liking - the main characters just end up being completely jaded at the end
2. Thoroughly enjoyed the games and arena moments - which made book 3 quite a different type of book
3. Gale to me represents what Katniss could have had if life was ideal and she was dealt a fair hand. But the war and real life got in the way.
4. Catching Fire (Book 2) was my favourite
5. Quite enjoyed the dynamic between Haymitch and Katniss in Book 1, in the sense of Katniss guessing what Haymitch was up to behind the scenes as a sponsor
6. I am neutral about the love triangle between Peeta and Gale
7. I would have liked to learn more about the districts and each of the contestants - I don't think this was explored in too much detail (including which district correlates to which state of the US - I know this is revealed in TBoSaS movie but it would have been nice to read more about it).
8. Difficult for me to give scores to each of the books, after knowing the ending. The feeling I have about the series as a whole completely supersedes me giving scores to each of the books - I would give the series a 3.8/5 or 3.7/5. The first two books are probably closer to a 4/5 (without knowing the ending).

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins

1. Clever book, but again too bittersweet for my liking
2. The backstory of Cornelius Snow seems too unbelievable and how he fell out with his cousin Tigris isn't apparently explained
3. The way in which Snow and Lucy Gray's romantic journey is portrayed was something that I read with dread because I knew it was all going to fall apart somehow.  
4. I did enjoy the games themselves
5. I would score this a 2.9/5

Divergent Series - Veronica Roth

1. I don't know exactly why but I think I like this better than the Hunger Games.
2. There is a plot twist at the end regarding the main character - while I have mixed feelings about it, I feel that this is a better ending than the Hunger Games
3. The different factions are interesting.
4. I read this too long ago to remember specific thoughts but I do recall thinking the last book was not as enjoyable as the first two - the plot twists felt a bit rushed or non-sensical.
5. Overall I think I'd give it a score of 3.9/5

Contest [second read]

1. A very clever debut novel from Matthew Reilly
2. I wish some of the alien powers were explored in more detail - some only got passing mention
3. Exciting action packed book
4. 3.6/5

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Series, Book 1)

1. Very violent - a bit too much for my liking but I understand the broader point the author Larsson appears to be making - there is too much unacceptable sexual violence against women. I liked how he gave the heroine her revenge.
2. I thoroughly enjoyed the synergy between Lisbeth Salander and Blomkvist, and I always particularly enjoy seeing a strong female protagonist who is bright.
3. The mystery / investigative part of the novel was amazing.
4. The book took too long to get into the swing of things. I think the first 5 or so chapters can be skim read.
5. Score: 4.1/5

The Gathering - Isobelle Carmody

1. First 50 pages was kind of boring but I surprisingly enjoyed this book
2. It's a fantasy fiction book set in early 90's Australia about some kids who are grouped together and called for a special purpose - to defeat an evil in their school. 
3. The book focusses on the concepts of fate, "the forces of good and evil" and the past repeating itself. '
4. Whilst set in a school setting (which is intended to be realistic), there is an added element of surrealism and mystery regarding how to defeat the evil blended into it that makes for an enjoyable read.
5. Score: 4/5