Review: The Dragonfly Pool
Series: N/A (Stand-Alone Novel)
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Rating: 4/5
Genre: historical-fiction
That was lovely. Ibbotson writes the prettiest stories, with flowers, and dancing and happiness everywhere. But sometimes it can get repetitive. I have read countless stories with a talented, kind, heroine who meets wonderful friends and brave new people and have wonderful adventures. It's like rainbows, ponies and sparkles everywhere. I think after a while, some of her books begin to blur together and the ones that stick out are the ones you read first.That being said, if I had read this book before her other books, I would have fallen into complete and utter love. As it is, I enjoyed the light storyline, and the adventure. Tally, the daring, benevolent protagonist, goes to a boarding school names Delderton, where of course, she meets many interesting and wonderful people. (If you hadn't noticed, wonderful things often happen in Ibbotson's books.) She then manages to convince the school to go on a field trip to the beautiful country of Bergania. Again she meets the kind, caring Prince of Bergania, Karil. Finally, the real action begins, a series of events involving Hitler occurs, some events that are not so wonderful happen, and they are all forced to go on the run. It's exciting, and a whirlwind of fun and friendship.Again, maybe it gets a little too sweet. The repetitiveness of noble royals, brave girls, kind friends, Europe's natural beauty, and especially the arts - it gets a little boring at times. Sometimes the story moved too slowly, and not enough happened. I suppose that sometimes, it worked out, and the book really felt like a calming escape. But sometimes, the overlong descriptions and the cloying "prettiness" was a little syrupy. Ibbotson will always be a great children's writer, but she didn't often write different books, they all follow a similar plot or have a similar happy feeling.I think you can't read too many of her books in a row or you will get exhausted of the repetition. But that being said, I really enjoyed the story. I love historical writing, and the way Ibbotson writes transports me back into the past. The thing that sets her books out are always the messages and characters - love, friendship, caring, and bravery are abundant in her novels. The reader decides whether it is too much euphoria or just the right amount.
Review: My Life Next Door
Series: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Rating: 5/5
Genre: contemporary
You know those times in your life when you just need the cheesiest novel you can imagine? Read this. It's fluffy and cute. It has adorable romance, characters you want to wrap in a hug, a dramatic rising action, and a perfect ending. It's basically chocolate ice cream for the soul. It follows the story of Samantha who watches the neighbors, the Garretts, to escape from her own prderly life. Her obsessive, politician mother overshadows every aspect of her life, and so Sam watches the disorder and family chaos of the Garretts with longing. It's the perfect escape story, and when she finally goes over there she begins to fit into their life. The Garretts are a large family and this massive addition of characters is what makes it so special. All the Garretts, from Joel down to Patsy are perfect and memorable (and George, I love that kid). All of them are quirky, special and have a story. And the relationship that blossoms between Jase and Sam is...enchanting, lovely, and heart-warming. The way they go from friends, to hesitant couple just finding their way, is beyond perfect. It's the cherry on top of the ice cream. Their relationship goes through bumps, but the way they manage to solve everything is, so cute. Also, the way they explore sex and take their time is so precious, I thought I would swoon with happiness.All the characters are flawed, but they are so appealing. The book just sucked me in and as the main action of the story happened, I thought I would explode with worry. The perfect amount of family/relationship drama was added, before ending with a resolution that made me feel fuzzy with feelings. This is chick-lit I would read again. And again.
Review: Fangirl
Series: N/A (Stand-Alone Novel)
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: contemporary
Hmm, I just don't understand why this was so praised. It was good but it was far from fantastic or life changing. It was just cute. I also thought it was really quirky, funny, and original…but at times it was too…boring? Not exactly, but it wasn't very enthralling. The plot was centered a lot on "finding oneself" and character development. Which is great, especially as Cath is painfully shy and very focused on books. She's not outgoing and has trouble without her twin. It was really great to see how Cath begins to mature throughout the book, and make friends on her own. On top of that she has to cope with her sister going crazy, her poor depressed father alone at home, and her own abandonment issues by her mother. I really think the most interesting parts had to do with her father suffering from the breakdowns and her broken relationship with her mother. The family background was deep and definitely had a huge impact on Cath emotionally. Seeing Cath overcoming that and go out into the world was the best part of the book. Other than that…Levi was cute, but there wasn’t enough for me. I didn't fall in love with him, he was friendly and cute. Typical love interest style stuff. Wren I didn’t like, I don't know if the reader was supposed to like her by the end, but she was very annoying and made terrible life choices. I liked Reagan a lot, she was so sarcastic, and she turned out to be a really loyal friend. I think she was a fantastic side-character that I would have liked to see even more of. Bu in general, I didn't really connect with the characters too well. They seemed distant at times. Cath herself was again relatable but sometimes she got annoying. She was constantly pushing herself down, and I disliked how she refused to do the writing project simply because she was so hung up on fan-fiction. Meh.The fan-fiction parts were also good, but I didn't really get the full point of them. I enjoyed them, but they seemed extraneous. The end was unmemorable, I didn't really feel impacted. It was a solid book, but it didn't blow me away like I was expecting. I didn't fangirl over this or feel absolutely required to keep flipping pages as I read it, but I did like it. I am pleased that this was a stand-alone book because it was great as a simple story to read.
Review: United We Spy
Series: Gallagher Girls (#6 - Final)
Author: Ally Carter
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: espionage
**Spoilers for Book Five**Ahh the end to a childhood series is always a heartbreaking thing. The Gallagher Girls series did not start out in the best fashion (in fact I thought the first book was terrible), but it really began to shine as the actual plot built up. These books will always strike me on the juvenile side of YA fiction, but they are so much fun to read. The are light, quick, cute, and full of action.After the end of book five, I was very surprised. It was my favorite out of all of them, and I believe it had a bit of a darker vibe. Cammie struggling to regain her memory after torture was probably more intense than all of the book combined. I had pretty high expectations for book six, but it wasn't as much of a high hitter as I'd wanted it to be. The series took a couple of steps back in this book, but overall it was a satisfying end.The plot was excitable, it took a few twists and turns. It showed us different sides of many characters that we previously knew, and it threw some revelations our way. Again, it wasn't as mature as I wanted it to be, after all that the girls have been though I wanted some more intensity, but it was still good. The characters are all the same people, only this time they are seniors and need to figure out what they will be doing for the rest of their life. I enjoyed how Cammie has to find herself, and really figure out what she want to do. After all, training as a spy leaves you a surprisingly large number of options for the future. Bex, Liz, and Macey are all pretty much the same though. I didn't see too much character development, except maybe with Liz, (we learn some very interesting information about Ms. Sutton). Finally, there's Zach. Still cute and enigmatic as ever, and still grappling with his origins.It wrapped up nicely, and there was a lot that went on, but it ended satisfactorily. I liked the flow of the books, and they are perfect to read when you want something light and easy. Since there isn't much dark content it makes them a little flat to read occasionally, but I would still recommend them.
Review: Allegiant
Series: Divergent (#3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Dystopia
** spoiler alert ** (Plenty of spoilers ahead, proceed with caution.) So basically, there has been a lot of buzz about this book. About the entire Divergent series in general. It's very easy to fall into, and obsess about. But with the third book, it seems as if there have been two general reactions: acceptance and love, and outright hatred. I personally believe it to be mixed. I separated my reactions to the book into two components in my brain: the emotional, involved side and the critical, analytical side - and then I began to decide where my thoughts on Allegiant lie.
Emotional Side: Of course I was heartbroken. It was emotional turmoil, and I did in fact cry. There was a lot going on in this book not only with Tris, but with Uriah and also Four trying to decipher his future. Many people who were clamoring for a happy ending are going to be disappointed. (I did hope for a happy ending.)
That being said.
Critical Side: Maybe I was a little biased and angry when the book was over, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it still just wasn't as good as the previous two. I didn't dislike it only for the end, but for the entirety of the book. For one, the book lost a lot of what made it "Divergent." After the group left the compound to explore the outer world, the book morphed into typical dystopian. I could name so many series it suddenly became similar to: Partials, Birthmarked, (etc.) The plot became centered around genetics and GP's v, GD's. It wasn't that interesting, and the whole plot of the factions and the fate of Chicago was almost pushed to the back.
Then, new characters were introduced, and we were bombarded with either too much information or too little information. The entire backstory of Tris' mother was introduced in a rush, but there was still no clue given about what happened to the rest of the United States. Or even the rest of the world. We were introduced with the mysterious fringe, and the story described the rest of the US as the Wilds, but the characters ventured there about twice. Not much development or explanation there.
The dual POV was interesting at first, but after a while, I lost my interest in Tobias. He made some bad decisions, and overall he wasn't as intriguing as before. I disagree with the need for dual POV. It was probably introduced to show character development and growth, but Tris really should have been the star of the show. She was the one who grew the most, and I really felt like her character found itself. She started the series and she should have ended it. And that brings me to the last point, I didn't think that end was necessary. It wrapped the story up, but it didn't make much sense to me. What did Tris' death prove? She finally realized her desire to live, before she dies? It shows sacrifice? Maybe, but it wasn't truly necessary.
There just wasn't much substance to the story. It was written, and published. It will either be detested or lauded. Many people will support Veronica Roth's decisions with the books - and I do believe that the plot is the author's decision - but I don't agree with the overall direction the book took. I lost the mood and the trend of the books, and felt unsatisfied overall. I don't hate the book, but I certainly don't feel enthusiastic about it, and I don't know if I will continue recommending the series.
Review: Vortex
Series: Insignia (#2)
Author: SJ Kincaid
Rating: 5/5
Genre: science-fiction
I wasn't sure whether to continue this series or not, I could barely remember why I had loved the first book so much. But I did, and I'm so glad, because it all came rushing back.It continues from Tom's view after the events of the last book, and Tom is struggling with understanding his unique power and overcoming his fears. There is a lot of technical jargon at times, but it's okay, after all it is a science-fiction book. But to me, what made this great, was that it was completely hilarious. The characters know no bounds, and are constantly cracking dialogue that makes me laugh out loud. There are very seriously aspects, and interesting plot points, but for me, there was nothing better than the characters and their dialogue.Tom, a sarcastic little thing, takes orders from no one; Vik, the totally ridiculous and inane partner in crime; Wyatt, the socially awkward genius; and Yuri, the gentle giant. The four of them get up to very large amounts of trouble, and it is exceedingly enjoyable. There are higher powers at work, very bad business tycoons, and yet, somehow these kids are succeeding in messing with their plans in a totally demented way. And then, there's Medusa, who I am completely in love with, she is such a strong female character in a book that seems very boy based. Girls, please don't run away! It was written by a woman after all, and she has succeeding in creating a perfect, humorous science-fiction novel, enjoyable for EVERYBODY.I really loved it, is was such good, clean fun, and I really want more people to give this under-appreciated novel a chance.
Review: Shiver
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Paranormal
I really like Maggie Stiefvater and I heard fantastic things about this book. But after thoughtful consideration, I had to knock it down to a three. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing. For one, there was a lot missing that I needed. I liked how Grace and Sam have been watching over each other since they were young, I thought their relationship was extremely sweet. But it happened a little too quickly for my liking. The romance was always good, but it was odd how Sam practically lives in Grace's room and her parents never realize. The lack of adult involvement was rather odd, and I wanted a better explanation of why they behave so odd and distant. Furthermore, there was basically no secondary character development. Forget her nonexistent parents, what about her supposedly best friends? I didn't like either of them, and I didn't get attached to anyone else. Rachel and Olivia were minor and almost a distraction. Isabel is basically the only secondary character I began to like, and she's described as horrible for the first half of the book. It takes a while for the characters to build and become interesting. Finally, I was upset over the lack of explanation we got over the entire werewolf phenomenon. It was barely explained! It was just mentioned as a "disease" set off by the cold, and although we learn some more later, I think there are still some really big holes in the explanation. In the next few books, I expect to have my questions answered, and for some more character depth. However, that brings me to my conclusion. I did like the books. They were light, enjoyable, and romantic. Grace and Sam are very easy to love and to root for. You want them to triumph and be together. Stiefvater is an excellent writer, and although she is a slow world builder, her tales are always haunting and lovely. For that reason, I will be continuing the series and I do recommend it to people who are in the mood for an interesting, original werewolf tale.
