I read WHITE FANG a while back, but it still remains a memorable read—at least to me. ;) As a lover of all things animal (just not talking ones), I adI read WHITE FANG a while back, but it still remains a memorable read—at least to me. ;) As a lover of all things animal (just not talking ones), I admire how London was able to weave a poignant tale told from the perspective of a wolf. While this book had me cringing at the violence, the ending left me in tears.
A clean, middle-grade read that explores the power of reading and education. While it wasn't the fastest novel plot-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed this boA clean, middle-grade read that explores the power of reading and education. While it wasn't the fastest novel plot-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great message, a tough and determined main character, and an easy-to-understand writing style.
Overall, this was a pretty good read! I especially enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book grow older and deal with their own struggles backOverall, this was a pretty good read! I especially enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book grow older and deal with their own struggles back home.
However, the main thing I didn't like about this book (after a re-read) was how this one focused around the main central threads of dating/crushes/marriage. While the Penderwicks were still nostalgic as ever, I didn't enjoy how they were the main things that happened in this book.
This book was basically my childhood. I read it early on and fell in love with the characters (especially Skye!) and setting.
My love for this book haThis book was basically my childhood. I read it early on and fell in love with the characters (especially Skye!) and setting.
My love for this book hasn't changed much over the years, but there are a few things I just didn't enjoy so much story-wise now that I'm older.
For example, Rosalind—a TWELVE-year-old—acted so much older than her age and was even interested in dating a nineteen-year-old (if I remember correctly)?? Even when I was twelve, I wasn't THAT mature (much to my disappointment ;)). Same with her other sisters, except maybe Batty. I had to constantly be reminding myself that they were all younger than they acted.
But besides this book sticking a bit too closely to stereotypes/Little Women characters, it's a lighthearted summer read that I enjoy because of the memories it holds.
With that said, I did NOT enjoy the later books in the series, especially as they got older. The first, second, and third books always remain my favorites—but the last two aren't the best, in my opinion.
Unpopular opinion, I know, but when I first read this book, it just didn't resonate with me. I couldn't sympathize with the characters much, and the dUnpopular opinion, I know, but when I first read this book, it just didn't resonate with me. I couldn't sympathize with the characters much, and the dialogue came across as a bit juvenile and forced to me.
But it's a middle-grade book, so I'm sure it will please its audience. It just wasn't for me, though I hope to re-read this one sometime in the future....more
Honestly, this book was hard to rate. I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in the series, HOPE FOR THE BEST, and I went into this read anticipHonestly, this book was hard to rate. I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in the series, HOPE FOR THE BEST, and I went into this read anticipating high stakes and strong friendships.
This book definitely nailed the strong friendships aspect. The cast of characters was diverse and tight-knit, and I appreciated their family/friendship dynamics.
However, stakes-wise, I found this book pretty lacking. 3/4 of the book the main conflict from HFTB was hinted at, but nothing was brought to light, causing it to drag. Without the stakes and conflict, the story felt like nothing more than characters going through their day-to-day life with a few random events thrown in.
Lafleur set this book in an intriguing world, and I would have loved to see it be explored a bit more. Unfortunately, that wasn't really the case, and I left slightly disappointed. Despite all this, I would be eager to read the next book in the series.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free advance copy from the author in exchange for an honest review....more
*Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an HONEST review. All opinions are my own.*
HOPE FOR THE BEST is a clean dystopian*Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an HONEST review. All opinions are my own.*
HOPE FOR THE BEST is a clean dystopian read. While recommended for YA readers, personally, the writing style seemed more middle-grade to me (with the exceptions of a few parts). Unlike most dystopians I've read, the plot didn't revolve around a teen protagonist rebelling against the government or a love triangle, which was something new.
While I enjoyed HOPE FOR THE BEST, I felt like the plot dragged quite a bit. There were some parts where the MC just speculated on her overall journey, rather than doing anything essential to the plot. And maybe it's because I don't connect well with middle-grade-style third person, but I didn't sympathize very much with the character. She seemed to do a lot of things on impulse and overall just felt bland and juvenile to me. Which hurts me to say, because I really think she had potential to be a memorable female dystopian MC.
However, I did love how this book handled lies. Unlike a lot of books I've seen, where the author didn't show the consequences of lying/deceiving others, the main conflict between the characters in this book was how damaging lies can be in relationships. The MC actually had to learn that lies damage relationships and break bonds of trust.
Unlike other reviews I've read, I liked Nick and how he and the MC struggled with their friendship. While certain scenes toward the end seemed unrealistic (view spoiler)[ like him turning her in, and then a couple hours later coming back for her, then leaving again, and coming back? (hide spoiler)], overall, I liked how their relationship was full of conflict, unlike the MC's relationship with Aaron—he was too perfect and too happy-go-lucky.
And yes. This book had platonic relationships. For once, a middle-grade/YA book with a female main character and two male "sidekicks" of sorts that DIDN'T have any sort of romance between them whatsoever. Definitely refreshing.
However, plot-wise, the end didn't wrap up very well, and I struggled with the believability of some aspects. I don't know why an MC who lies all the time—because that's all she's ever known in order to survive in her broken world—would keep a pendant that almost got her shot multiple times for the sake of keeping a promise to a girl she barely knew.
I didn't understand the importance of the pendants, other than the fact that they were friendship necklaces of sorts (?). If I was the MC, I wouldn't go through all this trouble of being chased by a detective and constantly being on the run just for the sake of a friendship necklace. :P I just felt like I wasn't getting a grasp of its importance, and so I didn't really care about what the MC was protecting. Though since this is a duology, I hope all this pendant stuff will be explained later.
I also struggled a bit with the setting. It's set in a futuristic America, where some cities are fenced off due to a deadly virus (coronavirus, anyone?), others are abandoned, and some are surrounded by walls. They all seemed very. . . normal, at least to me. Too normal. The world-building didn't play a big part in the story, so while it was futuristic, it felt just like our world today. No cool tech or anything. And most of the cities weren't abandoned.
CONTENT WARNINGS: A character smacks another character in the head with a stick, multiple attempted shootings, blood, a character gets his leg stuck in a trap, multiple kisses are mentioned briefly but not described (but not for romance purposes :P), multiple characters get shot and die (not described in detail).
Overall, while I struggled with some of the main aspects of the story, I do feel like this author created a dystopian novel that went against some of the cliches common in dystopian fiction, all while doing it in a clean way. The themes were true and realistic, and there wasn't any language. The writing style was clear and easy to understand, with some pretty quote-worthy lines thrown in. I would feel comfortable recommending this to my eleven-year-old brother and dystopian-loving middle-grade readers....more
In SKYWARD, we see Spensa discovering the truth about what it means to bSKYWARD gave me a story of courage.
STARSIGHT gave me a story of understanding.
In SKYWARD, we see Spensa discovering the truth about what it means to be a hero.
In STARSIGHT, we see her BECOME one.
This book was—dare I say—a worthy sequel to SKYWARD. While I personally didn't like it as much as the first—and that's purely my opinion, because I'm not a fan of super space-ish sci-fi—the themes were so strong and true. The worldbuilding, which played only a small role in the first book, really shone in this one. We discovered so many truths about the Krell. About the stars. And about the delvers.
Spensa comes back in this book, just as strong and fierce as ever. But she's grown a lot from the naive, tough girl from the first book. She tries to do what's right. She messes up. But she keeps on fighting.
And I loved the themes. The main one I pulled from this book was the realities of war. I loved how Spensa was able to see both sides of the story, and how none of them were BAD—they just were all fighting for the same things in different ways. (view spoiler)[ How she was able to make the delvers see in the end. . . and Brade's backstory. . . very well done. (hide spoiler)] Sanderson did a great job on making the characters all sympathetic. . . except for maybe Winzik.
I liked the new characters, but I missed the old ones. Like Kimmalyn. And Jorgen. (view spoiler)[ Weird, because I never like romance in books (or real life XP), but I liked the idea of Jorgen and Spensa. Or rather, I APPROVED. XD Fingers crossed that we'll be able to see both of them in the next book, riding into battle together. Or something like that. *shuts off my fangirly self* (hide spoiler)]
And M-Bot. *sighs* Poor M-Bot. I found him annoying in the first book, but in this one, I actually started to like him. He added color and humor to Spensa's world with his. . . bot-ness.
And oh my goodness, that ENDING. Why?? I need the next book to hurry up soon so I can see what happens next!
Overall, I loved the characters, and by this book, the emotional connection with them—and Spensa—was just so much more there. While I wasn't a big fan of the overall world/scenes, I can't wait for the next book because I would follow those characters to the end of the earth. Maybe. :P
As a fan of Christian dystopian, I pretty much devour any Christian dystopian book I can get my hands on, so thiI have so many thoughts on this book.
As a fan of Christian dystopian, I pretty much devour any Christian dystopian book I can get my hands on, so this was no exception.
Rachelle Dekker's writing style is unlike anything I've seen before—very straightforward and deep. Her worldbuilding was interesting. The community THE CHOOSING takes place in is a place similar to ours, with multiple tiers of society. The council, the Lints (that name makes me cringe every time.), and the ordinary families.
As for what I did like, I liked the way Dekker's writing style subtly portrayed the depth of the human spirit. How many characters were questioning society and their places in it. How some genuinely thought they were doing the right thing for the will of God—leading them to do terrible things (including our very own villain). This created a depth in the characters that I don't see often in fiction, let alone dystopian.
But ultimately, there were a lot of things that stood out to me that just felt wrong. For one, why there would be peace and an answering voice (which I assume is God supposedly speaking) to the villain. It seemed to confirm his actions were right (when they obviously weren't).
About halfway through the book, I considered DNFing it due to how dark it got later on. There was even a semi-detailed scene where an execution happened. Plus the whole thing with pouring bleach down girls' throats to "cleanse" them unsettled me. Maybe I'm just an over-sensitive reader, but I felt like some of the scenes with corpses/violence were too detailed.
And our protagonist. I expected her to be a tough girl, as is common in dystopian books. But she was completely the opposite. She didn't do anything except cry when things went wrong. Her relationship with Isaac was unhealthy, but she continued to let him abuse her and just cried/complained about it to her parents.
Out of all the characters, I think Remko was my favorite. He didn't seem to be a character I've seen a lot in fiction—very quiet and with a stutter—which all the while made him more realistic.
But I wasn't a really big fan of his relationship with Carrington, unfortunately. There didn't seem to be any depth to their romance, and I felt like I didn't see them interact enough to care about what happened in the ending.
Overall, I feel like this book just wasn't for me. I did appreciate the depth of the characters and how the author explored various themes we all struggle with, though, and Remko was such an interesting character.
Namey manages to capture the stunning, but painfully acute emotions of a heartfelt friendship and, eventually, the departure from familiarity.
It's an Namey manages to capture the stunning, but painfully acute emotions of a heartfelt friendship and, eventually, the departure from familiarity.
It's an ode to the sometimes-insane things we do with friends. To all the things we do in the name of friendship. The pain we experience as a result when the time comes to leave it all behind.
To be honest, I was skeptical going into this book, because I was afraid it wouldn't measure up to the first one, but I'm glad to say I was 100% wrongTo be honest, I was skeptical going into this book, because I was afraid it wouldn't measure up to the first one, but I'm glad to say I was 100% wrong.
PAX, JOURNEY HOME doesn't just amplify the events of the first book, it makes them even better with twists I didn't even see coming. Plot-wise, I'd say PAX, JOURNEY HOME had higher stakes and a more obvious character arc while still carrying all the simplistic beauty of PAX.
Once again, Pennypacker weaves heart-wrenching themes, a beautiful storyline, and the bond between a boy and his fox into a story that somehow manages to fit together like a masterpiece.
I do feel like in tone & themes, this book is a lot more mature than the first one. For one, Peter is older. And he's literally lost everything important to him. He's bearing the burdens of everyone he's loved and hurt in the process. He vows to never let anyone in again. At the root of the story is his journey is one of learning to grieve in a healthy way, move on, and through the forgiveness of others learn to forgive himself. A message I think so many of us need even though we don't realize it.
So would I recommend PAX, JOURNEY HOME? In one word: yes. Absolutely. It may not be everyone's thing, but if you're looking for a tear-jerking middle grade that deals with gorgeous themes with childlike simplicity, read. this. book. (and then tell me so we can fangirl/boy about it together ;))...more
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