First half slow, but worth the read!
581249
The first half was pretty slow in my opinion, a little hard to follow with the back and forth dates, but the twists at the end are worth the read for sure.
2812617
Though this book started a little roughly for me, I fought through it and wound up glad that I did! It had a VERY satisfying middle and end. A little tweaking could have made the beginning more engaging, but overall the book works.
1936460
This book was really good read.  I admit, there were some slow parts, and it took me a little while to  finish the book.  But, I'm glad I stuck with it.  It lost my interest for a little around the middle.  But, I am hooked with this series!  I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.  Just stick with it!  Ready to start on the second!  Enjoy!
963636
Very slow going through the first half of this book! I almost stopped reading at this point, but I'm glad that I continued on, as this story finally becomes extremely enjoyable with plenty of action. Thus I'm looking forward to reading book #2 of this trilogy!
1839461
The Wonder had a slow start but picked up in the second half.  The small number of characters gave the author time to develop their individual stories which contributed to the complexity later in the book.  I wasn't sure I would stay with it in the beginning but i'm glad I continued.  There was such a sadness in this tale of a fasting young girl but Donoghue brings the reader finally into the light.
3534375
This trilogy started out rough but got better. As one of the other reviewers put it, it was like reading two different stories. The first part seemed to drag a bit and I thought about stopping. But the more I read, the more interesting this story became. So, if you can plow your way through the first half of the book, the payoff is pretty good.
3553060
Four stars. The first half was excellent, worthy of 5+ stars. The second half, though, dragged. At first I thought it was because the second half moved into the areas of history I'd experienced personally, and thus I didn't find it as interesting. Then I thought no, the writing was better in the first half. Perhaps it is because when we look back on our earliest memories, they are more vivid and powerfully remembered. The strength of this book was you could hear Clinton's voice as you read, it was as if he was right there in the room talking. For those who like Clinton of course, this is a definite plus. One thing that definitely came through was the easy-going, likeable, and nonjudgmental personality. I enjoyed his description of the women in his life, particularly his mother and Hillary. Such memorable quips as how his mother came to like Hillary better when she stopped caring so much about how Hillary looked, and Hillary started caring more about how she looked made the book feel warm and alive.
2774278
A bit hard to get into, but then a wonderful read!
2038672
Prospero's Children is a great book, one of those books that begins at one point in time, and does an infinity loop back to that point. This book starts slowly, and builds up a roaring fitting finish.
I don't like giving away plot details but suffice to say, yes, this book is worth reading. About halfway through I started to wonder, "where is this book going?" And kept reading. I'm of the belief that patience is eventually rewarded, and in this case, yes, we do find out the answers to Ferns questions.
At first I didn't like Fern. Thought she was a brat and controlling. As the search for the key progressed, I realized that she really did have her family's best interest at heart.  Yet it was also interesting to see how she was put squarely into her place as the child by Alison.
I also enjoyed a different view of Atlantis here. Rather than a shining utopia, I thought it was cool to see such a mythic city portrayed as a corrupt, venial city- almost a metaphor for our own big cities today.
This book doesn't get the 5 stars it should get because I'm a bit perturbed by its ambiguities. (the age transition for one) also the glaring sequel plot holes, which where too obvious to me.
Even still, I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel.
1768311
Good read but I have mixed feelings.  In the first half of the book I was blown away by the author's gift of describing the characters and the scenes...felt like I was there and knew these people and what made them tick.  There is a major shift in the plot about half way through the story and that is when it all changed, at least for me.  In my perception, it was like someone else had begun writing!  In the first half, the depth of it all was incredible but to me, the last half was light fluff and while it had a good ending, the second half just did not have that amazing quality that the first half of the book contained. I know from taking writing classes that ending/wrapping up is one of the most difficult things to do but I was so impressed by the first part.  I hope the author finds her way to stay the course and improve because they show a great deal of promise!
4390547
Enjoyable, although pacing in the first half is uneven.
1446513
Very slow start, it took me quite a while to get interested. I had even quit reading the book twice which I rarely do. Came back to it to give it another chance and found the author picked up speed (and skill) by the second half of the book for an enjoyable read.
132432
Slow start.  It took me about a third of the book to care about the two main characters, but after that it picked up.  Advice on this book - keep reading; don't give up in the beginning.
1153114
Like most have said, the first half of the story moves slowly.  Lots of character development.  The characters were interesting and relevant.  I don't belt out many books a year, so when I kept looking down at my Kindle to see how much I have to read, the number never seemed to climb.  It is a long book. Once the crime happened, then it moved along better.  Definitely some twists that I wasn't expecting and that kept me reading to see what it would lead.
3931139
Well at first I was sorta disappointed about spending $4 on a book that I wasn't going to even finish. But once u get about 25% thru it really picks up, and even I couldn't put it down. It is definitely worth a read, and I will be getting book 2.
244370
To be honest, I found the first half of the book to be very slow moving and I had to struggle to keep reading it.  At about the 58% mark (according to my Kindle app) it began to keep my interest and from that point I found it much easier to read. I understand that it's the first in a series so I imagine that first half of the book was to set the story and provide background.  I'm sure others have discussed the plot so I won't get into that here.  I will say the identity of the "villain" came as a surprise to me.  All that being said, I'm not sure I'll read the next two books in this series.
1880060
A slow start, but builds steam pretty fast - an very entertaining read