Book Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Source: OwlCrate sub box (August 2016)

Synopsis:

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Review:

I read this book as part of the OwlCrate-A-Thon reading challenge in February. I gave it a bit of a lower rating on Goodreads because it felt a bit juvenile, a bit more junior high than high school.

I liked this little romance, don't get me wrong. It was cute. Like, super cute. Too cute.

I liked our main character, Lily. She's funny and sweet, and super loyal - all qualities I like to think that I possess. I did not like Cade, and to be honest, I wasn't super fond of her friend Isabel. She's sweet and all, but... I don't know. Something about her I didn't like.

I adore writing letters, it is one of my favourite past-times apart from reading and binge-watching Netflix... So the fact that this story revolves around passing notes in class (uh, yeah, I did that!) and writing love letters, I was into it. I had fantasies in high school of a story like this playing out for real in my life: me writing notes on a desk and somebody answering, and we fall madly in love... *stares dreamily into space* 

So, aside from the fact that the main element of the story is something I love, and the fact that I like and relate to the main character, and dreamt of something similar happening to myself in high school... despite all of this, I couldn't give the book more than three stars, because I didn't like who Lily's secret letter writer was. It was predictable, I saw it coming (I mean, who else could it have been, really?), and I didn't like it. I mean yes, he was a different person in his letters, and yes it was sweet how they seemed perfect for each other on paper, but... I just didn't ship it, ok guys?! 

Like I said, it was super cute. I would highly recommend it to a high school student who loves romance (or an adult who loves high school romance...), but I didn't completely love it.

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

 

 

Source: OwlCrate sub box (February 2016)

 

Synopsis:

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” At first, they’re just momentary glimpses—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

 

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It came in my OwlCrate subscription box in February 2016, and I was not immediately interested in it. In fact, the only reason I read it when I did was because I used it for part of the OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge in February (2017). I was convinced that this would be a weird book, and, in truth, it is. But not creepy weird, just blow-your-mind kind of weird!

I don't know why, exactly, but I've kind of made a habit of not doing any research into the books that come in my OwlCrate box before I read them. I guess I feel like the fact that somebody read it and recommended it is enough. They are a bit hit-and-miss with their books, for me, however. For the most part, they include books & authors that I have never heard of, and the covers don't typically draw me in (admittedly a pretty big factor for me). Some of them have been good, others have not. But I continue to give them the benefit of the doubt!

 

This is not a book I would have picked out for myself, based on both the cover art and the synopsis, but it was actually quite good. It is a bit of a thought-provoking book, and I like when a book forces me to think - not necessarily about hot, current issues, but just thinking in general. Why this book makes you think is because it raises questions regarding the space-time-continuum, and the whole story/situation revolves around an incident that caused a tear in said continuum which needs to be addressed if "he" is to live.

 

Certain aspects of the book were predictable (I totally called Grandmother's identity!), while others were not (did not see that ending coming). I like that type of story: I like not being able to tell what the ending will be right away, but I also want to be able to say, "I knew it!" sometimes.

 

The romance was sweet, the Native American stories were informative and interesting, and while I didn't understand a lot of the scientific parts I definitely appreciated the weird sci-fi elements. I also think that the ending, while unexpected and a bit shocking, is vague enough to be open to interpretation, and that both frustrates and satisfies me. :)

Goodreads rating:

 

Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Source: I had pre-ordered a copy, and then received one in the February OwlCrate box.

Synopsis:

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.  

Review:

I fully expected to love this book from the moment I first heard of it, and I was not disappointed! I have read a few reviews of people saying they found the first half of the book really slow and uninteresting... I can maybe admit that the first 1/3 of the book is a bit slow. Mostly, though, I feel like the slow beginning was necessary to show us where Scarlett and Donatella were coming from, what brought them to Caraval. And I guess I could just appreciate the slow burn, because I knew this book was going to be amazing. It made sense for things to start out slow and gradually pick up pace as the game progressed. (But it's true that things really start to pick up and get interesting once Scarlett goes to the dress shop...). A book doesn't get that much hype, and get featured in several sub boxes, and pique my interest enough for me to pre-order, and not be worth every penny!

 

I loved how strange and quirky the world of Caraval was. The descriptions of the little shops and hidden passages and people, etc. reminded me very much of Alice in Wonderland/ Wizard of Oz, for some reason. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about it that reminds me of The Night Circus, but there are definitely elements of that here as well. I was also strongly reminded of the old TV show Fantasy Island, because of the magical island owned/run by the mysterious Legend (Hello, Mr. Roarke!).

 

The characters were interesting. A lot of people complained about how annoying Scarlett was because she's always talking and complaining about the same things, but I really didn't see it that way. I liked Scarlett for her sense of loyalty and honour, and responsibility. I also enjoyed seeing her loosen up over the course of the story, fall in love, be more daring, and become her own person.

 

I enjoyed the evolution of the romance, and while the ending confused me, it certainly made me want to read the second book (next year!!). I think this would be an amazing movie or TV show someday, by the way. Just saying. Somebody should make that happen. As soon as possible.

 

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: Seven Deadlies: A Cautionary Tale by Gigi Levangie

Hi guys! I decided to try a different approach to book blogging for this post. I've seen some other bloggers format their review posts in this way and I like how concise and clean it is.

 

 

Source: I bought myself a copy

 

Synopsis:

Perry Gonzalez is not like the other kids in her Beverly Hills high school—a full-blooded Latina on a scholarship, living in a tiny apartment with her mother, she doesn’t have much in common with the spoiled, privileged kids who are chauffeured to school every morning. But Perry is a budding young writer with her sights set on Bennington—and her seven deadly stories are her ticket to the Ivory Tower. To pay her way, Perry’s been babysitting (correction: teenage-sitting) and tutoring the neighborhood kids, and she has seen the dark side of adolescence: lust for the “Judas Brothers” that leads to electrocution at a private birthday party concert; wrath that inspires new and perverse family bonds; and greed, in a young Bernie Madoff acolyte who conceives of a copycat Ponzi scheme involving his own grandmother.

Review:

What are my thoughts on this book? Well... I gave it three stars on Goodreads, so my thoughts are not terribly high. It was really the ending that ruined my opinion of the book and knocked it from four stars to three for me.

It starts out with young Perry Gonzalez introducing herself to the Admissions Committee of Bennington College. Even though she is not yet old enough to be applying to college, she felt the need to show how capable, and in need of an escape, she is. She proceeds to tell the tales of seven of her privileged schoolmates who she was charged with tutoring. Each chapter tells one of their tales, and is entitled with the Deadly Sin of which the featured child is guilty.

The stories are a bit fantastical and exaggerated, but entertaining. I viewed them as the title implies: cautionary tales. Fables. Parables. Allegories. Fictional stories with sometimes exaggerated events to warn us of the consequences of our actions. And it would have been perfect to just leave it at that...

However, the author chose to include two letters at the end of the book: one more from Perry to the Admissions Office, with an admission that makes you question her sanity, and the second from Perry's mother to the Admission Officer Perry has been in touch with. It's that last letter that ruined everything.

The tales were fun, and the book was a quick read. I didn't hate it, but I would have preferred if the last two letters hadn't been included, or if they had contained different information.

Goodreads rating: ***

Book Review: The Magician's Lie by Greer Macalister

This was the book from my wish list which I received for Christmas from my parents.

I really liked this book, there was a lot of intrigue and mystery. I did find the development to be a bit slow, and the ending, while I had not completely anticipated the outcome, was a bit of a let-down. I enjoyed the book at the time, but having had some weeks to reflect, I've decided that it was a fun read, but it wasn't as amazing as I had anticipated.


The Amazing Arden had a charming childhood under the roof of her affluent maternal grandparents, until her mother decided to fall in love and run away, taking the young Ada with them. They moved into a country village with big romantic dreams, but their dreams were bigger than reality. Through unfortunate circumstances, Ada's new step-father moved them to his brother's farm where he would work, which meant that his nephew also lived with them most of the time, as he was a farm-hand. Ada's cousin had delusions of grandeur, he was obsessed with Ada, and he believed that he possessed magical healing powers. When Ada has an opportunity to apply to a prestigious dance school, the cousin goes to great lengths to sabotage and scare her. Once she is able, she runs away. After some time working in a big estate house, she finally ends up in New York. It is here that she starts her career as the Amazing Arden, when she joins a traveling magic show/circus, which she later inherits.

This story is told to us in bits, as Arden relays her story to ___, When we first met Arden in the beginning, it was through his eyes, at her final show. Following the show, the body of a man (presumed to be her husband) is found murdered, stuffed into a prop, and Arden has disappeared. When __ spots her on his way home, he grabs at the opportunity to catch this illustrious suspect. He takes her back to his small-town jailhouse to question her, and she proceeds to tell him her whole history.

It was an interesting and magical story, both the history and the "present." The resolution, however, I felt was a bit lacking. I would, however, still recommend it!

It's Monday! What are YOU reading? #2

Hey guys! I'm here with another It's Monday! What are YOU reading? post, hosted by The Book Date! I also just published a summary of the progress I made in February toward my 2017 reading goal, which you can check out here!


So, last week I finished Ever the Hunted (so awesome, I really liked it and can't wait for the sequel!), and this week I am reading Caraval by Stephanie Garber, and still working away at Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery.


Caraval is amazing, I am so in love with the world of the game! It is so strange, marvellous, magical, mysterious...! And, up to this point, I am enjoying the characters and the pace of the story (I'm a little over halfway through).


Anne of Avonlea is just way less interesting and adventurous so I am not as into it, but I am trying to make an effort to bring this book with me when I go places (not difficult since it is pocket-size paperback - I find it awkward to haul around hardcover books, do you?), and to read during my lunch hour (not that I often do read over lunch - we are a small staff who eats together so I feel rude to get up in the middle of lunch to go read alone at my desk...).


Anyway, so that's what I'm reading this week! I'm not sure what will be up next. I did prepare a TBR list for March, but I try to keep it small to give myself freedom for my whims. Do you find that sometimes when you finish a certain type of book, you either want to immediately jump into another book just like it, or else you want to read something completely different? Both happen to me, so we'll see how Caraval leaves me feeling...

Progress Report - February 2017

A couple weeks ago I participated in the weekly meme called It's Monday! What are YOU reading? (read my post here) and mentioned that I would be publishing this post last week, but I didn't get around to it. Whoops! I am going to try to make a habit of posting updates every month to summarize my reading progress.

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've set myself a Goodreads goal of 35, but am unofficially aiming to reach 40.

 

In January I read six books and had aimed, for February, to finish The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, a few OwlCrate books, and some of my more recent acquisitions. It wasn't noted, but understood, that I also intended to read Anne of Avonlea, for my online book club reading challenge. Partway through the month, OwlCrate introduced their first annual OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge, which was to help us get through some of our unread OwlCrate books, and I decided to participate. The requirements for the challenge were 1) to read at least three books, 2) read one fantasy and one contemporary, 3) the one you've had the longest. The challenge ran from March 11-25.

 

So, in February I ended up reading five books: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (finally!), This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (OwlCrate 1: fantasy), P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (OwlCRate 2: contemporary), and The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry (OwlCrate 3: longest owned). I also listened to  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I didn't mention in my January post that I had also listened to The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky.

 

I barely read any of Anne of Avonlea, which I felt pretty bad about, so in March I am hoping to burn through both that and Anne of the Island. I am currently reading Ever the Hunted, I would like to read Caraval and a few others, but I'm kind of leaving it open. There are always books I'd like to read, but then when it comes time to pick up a new book, I'm not in the mood for those. So, we shall see!


So, my total books read in 2017 at this point is 13 out of 35, which is 37% complete - 8 books ahead of schedule! At this rate, I could potentially read over 70 books by the end of the year. That would be awesome! Especially if I could come to terms with getting rid of the ones I didn't love out of those I've read... *wink, wink*

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell

I found my copy of this book at a thrift store, and I was so excited! I had received this beautiful exclusive necklace in my OwlCrate box a few months before, which I adored!, and after finally finding and reading the book this necklace now has so much more meaning to me and I love it.

This was also my first Rainbow Rowell read. My best friend adores her books, so it was high time that I was finally introduced. :)

The story is about the unlikely romance between the big, red-headed, strange Eleanor, and small, quiet, Korean-American Park, and it is quite possibly my favourite love story of all time (well, for the moment, anyway). I try to steer clear of typical high school romance novels because they're usually just so cringe-worthy, and I just don't want to be reminded of that excruciating period of my life. This book, however, did a very good job of keeping the love story sweet and real.

Eleanor, who was living with friends of her mom's for the past year, moves back in with her mom & step-dad. She's the new girl, with a flaming red mane and questionable sense of style. She's an immediate magnet for the wrong kind of attention as she steps onto the school bus, and doesn't make matters any better by trying to find a seat. Park eventually concedes to let her sit with him because he feels bad for her and is frustrated by her weirdness. That's all it took. They continue sitting together, morning and afternoon, and eventually start reading his comic books together. Then talking about music. Then they start talking about other things, start seeing each other outside of school. It really is just the sweetest development. But, of course, all good things come to an end. In this case the end is Park helping Eleanor to run away, and possibly never seeing each other again. Although, the ending is kind of left to interpretation. Which is both fun and frustrating.

I adored both characters of Eleanor and Park. I was initially irritated by Park's parents, but really liked them in the end. Eleanor's family, however, I never really cared for. All in all, if you hadn't noticed, I loved this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Young Adult fiction, contemporary, stories about high school, and clean romance.