I loved, loved, loved The Raven Cycle to pieces and had such high expectations for this book. There were parts in it that I really enjoyed, like the glimpses we got from Gansy’s and Blue’s lives and the parts were Ronan were with Adam, but sadly those parts were way too few. Instead, this book introduced many new characters, which I didn’t connect to at all. And for a majority of the book, they are siloed, and it’s unclear what role they have in the story and how they connect to the plot. What I did love about this book though, was that we got to see more of the Lynch brothers. Matthew is completely adorable, and I appreciated to get to know more of Declan. In The Raven Cycle he was a bit diffuse and one-dimensional, but here he really comes to life. Ronan however didn’t shine as much as he did in The Raven Cycle. There was such a remarkable character development for him throughout the series, especially in the last book where he opens up and truly allows himself to love Adam. But here he felt a bit subdued somehow.
I think the main problem is that this book suffers from the ‘first book’-syndrome, which is such a shame as it really didn’t have to, considering that it’s a spin-off from The Raven Cycle. I still love Ronan and his dreamworld, but I missed the rest of the old crew and their chemistry a lot. Luckily, the story got better in the end though, and I will definitely continue reading this series even though this first book was not exactly what I had hoped for. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Maggie Stiefvater
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Some books open up a new world to you. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is one of those books. It’s pure book magic in its combination of the beautiful, poetic language, the way nature plays such an important role in the story (Delia Owens is a wildlife scientist and you can really feel her love and respect for nature in the book from the way she describes the marsh and its flora and fauna) and the fascinating, multi-dimensional characters that you immediately root for. This book left me both speechless and breathless, and full of every emotion from overwhelming joy to a broken heart. It’s a book that I will never forget. I’ve had this book on my TBR list since it was selected for Reese’s Book Club in 2018, but for some reason, I’ve delayed reading it. Perhaps I was afraid that it would be overhyped, having received such amazing reviews and being so talked-about, but let me tell you it’s not! I’m kicking myself for not reading this one sooner! It’s worth every praise, every love, every mention it has received. It was love at first page for this book. I read it feverishly in one sitting, not able to put it down for a second, until I’ve finished it all.
Where the Crawdads Sing is a mix of a coming-of-age story of an abandoned child–a Tow Sawyer in the marshlands–a murder history keeping you in suspense, a beautiful and tragic romance and a celebration of nature. Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl, has survived for years alone in the marsh after being abandoned by her mother and siblings, and tormented by her sadistic father. From the age of ten, she’s taught herself cooking foods, motoring boats, striking deals with tradesmen to fill her stomach, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Seen as an outcast and being loathed by the dwellers in the nearby town, she’s learned to avoid almost all human contacts. Thinking she knew what loneliness meant and how to handle it, she was proved wrong when Tate, a boy from town, entered into her life, teaching her to read and write and treating her with respect and love, only to leave her grief-stricken when abandoned her for his better future. Experiencing a new painful loneliness, Kya vowed herself not to allow anyone else in her life anymore. But fate had other plans and her life took an upside-down turn with the entrance of handsome and famous Chase Andrews, followed by his suspicious death, for which Kya is accused. I can’t even try to express how much I love this book! Actually, ‘I love this book’ is such an understatement. This story has absolutely blown me away. Delia Owens has managed to paint a beautiful picture and story unlike any others. The writing is so beautiful and poetic. The characters are so fascinating, authentic, original and lovable. The descriptions, the world-building and the wild setting of the marsh teaching us that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps is absolutely amazing. Simply put, this book is pure magic and I cannot recommend it enough! Rating: 5 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Delia Owens 3/14/2020 0 Comments The Gravity of Us by Phil StamperDespite the cover and the title, The Gravity of Us is not set in space. Instead it is a well-grounded, contemporary, YA story following social media-savvy teenager Cal as his life gets turned upside-down. When Cal’s father is unexpectedly chosen for a NASA mission, the whole family suddenly finds themselves moving to a compound for astronauts and getting sucked into a reality show that becomes their lives. At the compound, Cal meets and quickly falls for another astronaut’s son, Leon, at the same time as he struggles with the disappointment of not being able to follow his carefully planned career path, and discovers some ugly truths behind the program that’s brought his family to Houston. The book started off in a wonderful way in New York, where we got to see Cal’s life with his best friend Deb and his work with the video account and his passion for fact-based journalism. But after the move to Texas, I had some issues with Cal and how he acted, especially towards Deb. I really missed her and would have loved for her to get a bigger part of the story, and didn’t like the way Cal ignored her problem after she’d always supported him. The way Cal treated Deb made him come across as self-centered, shallow and less likable, unfortunately.
I also have some objections when it comes to Cal’s relationship with Leon. It all felt a little too fast and like they ended up falling for each other simply because they were the only teenagers around. I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them and Phil Stamper didn’t even make me believe that they would be interested in one another. There was no spark between them whatsoever, so the romance part was a huge let down, sadly. What I did appreciate in this book though was the honest and sensitive way in which Leon’s depression was described. I really liked that Leon set boundaries and that Cal respected them. It felt very authentic the way Leon couldn’t just be “fixed”. There is no simple solution, and not even love will suddenly make a person “cured” and all happy again. I also liked that Cal questioned his sexuality and how Phil Stamper provided a bit of backstory on how Cal and Deb used to date, before becoming friends. There were two parts of the book that I loved absolutely most. The first was the wonderfully geeky NASA stuff, and how the scientists were given a chance to talk about their work and their passion for science. And the second was the humor that made this such a wonderful and light read, despite the heavy topics. I really loved the idea of combining science with a reality show, first love, complicated family relationships and all the 1960s references and the cassette hunting. Overall, I felt a bit let down by this book when it comes to the main character not being very likable and the romance being very badly executed, but it was nevertheless an entertaining and cute read. Kudos to Phil Stamper for the original story and for keeping it light and fluffy at the same time as it managed to deal with some heavy topics like mental health issues such as Leon’s depression and Cal’s mom’s anxiety. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Phil Stamper |
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September 2023
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