Review: The Selection

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again! Today we'll be talking about The Selection, by Kiera Cass!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Prince Maxon has just come of age, which means that it's time for the Selection--a competition between 35 girls to win his heart and, subsequently, the crown. It's the chance of a lifetime; one that America Singer wants nothing to do with. She knows what she wants--a future with Aspen, the love of her life, even if it means spending it in poverty.

Against all odds, she's chosen as the representative of her province, and is whisked into a world of ball gowns, fancy jewels, and life in a glittering palace. Nothing is what she imagined it to be--not even Maxon, who isn't nearly as stiff as he appears on TV. Slowly, she finds herself falling for him, realizing as she does that her ideals for the future are shifting, as well.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Do we have a tally going for the amount of books read in one sitting this year? No? Well, we should.

This year is quickly being filled with these kinds of reading experiences, and I am in no way complaining! Stories like these are the reason reading is so exciting! They're never intentional, of course--more of an oops-I-accidentally-read-300-pages-in-one-day-might-as-well-finish kind of experience. But that's also what makes them fun!

To be honest, I was a little iffy about this book going into it. Judging from the premise--a girl who competes against others for the prince's affections--it sounded a lot like The Bachelor on steroids. Still, I had heard good things about it, so I picked it up nonetheless.

Do you ever buy a book, intending to read it right away, only to leave it on your shelf for months, collections dust? And then, when you finally DO get around to reading it, the only thought going through your mind was, "Holy crap this book is amazing WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG??"

That. This book was that.

As cheesy as America's name is (Singer? Really?), I really liked her as a character. She knows what she wants out of life and is more than willing to fight for it. While stubborn at times, she's able to admit when she was wrong. And she's so full of compassion, I just know she would make a great queen. (She and Maxon have to get together. They must.)

Speaking of Maxon--God, how adorable is he? He's so socially awkward, yet at the same time so caring and kind and such a gentleman. He obviously cares about his people, too, judging from his quick actions to enforce a food bank type of system for lower caste families. He and America would / will make an amazing team--talk about a power couple!

I think Illéa's scoiety structure is super interesting. A lot of those dystopian-esque books take place way in the future, and even though this one techincally did (it takes place after WWIV), it didn't seem like it. Their technology was about the same as ours; not too advanced, but not described as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, either. It's just like ours, except...well, slightly different.

But that's what makes it so interesting! It parallels our society in a way that's so simliar that we can easily picture it and relate to it as easily as we can our own lives. It takes the things that are already wrong with our society--we're talking wealth distribution, homelessness, poverty--and emphasises them. It places further rules and restrictions, turning it into a bigger and more obvious problem.

Yes, there's something wrong in this imaginary world. But there's something wrong with our world, as well--all this book does is reflect on it and bring attention to it, in an interesting and compelling way.

STAR-Y BIT

This book earned a 5 star rating from me very quickly. Although it could have used some distance from the traditional topes we're used to in YA dystopians, it was still a great read!


What were your thoughts on this week's read? Be sure to discuss down in the comments!

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: We Were Liars

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! Today we're going to be talking about We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

The Sinclairs are a rich family. They are a beautiful family. They are a perfect family.

The Sinclairs never grieve. They never break. And they certainly never fight.

Every summer, the head of the family meets his children on their private island, just off the coast of Massachusetts. Every summer, the first born granchildren reunite on the beaches.

They call themselves the Liars.

It's what the Sinclairs do best.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

This book was a lot different than the books I normally read. It's no secret that I tend to lean towards the light, fluffy, happy romantic comedies.

This book was none of those things.

The narration style is different from what I'm used to, which isn't a bad thing...but isn't exactly a good thing, either. The narrator is seventeen years old, but from the way she narrated I'm not quite sure she sounds like one. That being said, there's something about her extensive use of metaphors and descriptions that makes for a very interesting read.

I think my favourite aspect of this book was Cadence's personal fairy tale retellings. I loved how they allure to her life and sort of gradually build up to the reveal of her accident. They change and get gradually darker in tone as the story progresses, while still remaining consistent in theme and format. It was a unique contribution to the tsory that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Lockhart's use of foreshadowing is top-notch. The shocking twist at the end was completely unexpected, but not completely out of the blue, which is exactly what you want from a book like this. I'm especially impressed that I didn't guess the ending beforehand (I have a bad habit of doing that...).

But for the love of God--couldn't the Liars have thought out their plan a little more? I mean, I know that they were only fifteen, but this is just plain common sense we're talking about, here. Schedule a meet-up time beforehand, or make a signal, or just stick together from the beginning! Really.

But I did enjoy the final air of mystery that the ending left us with: was Cadence seeing ghosts, or was she just hallucinating? Everybody seems to have their own theories about it!

THE STAR-Y BIT

I don't think I've ever struggled with a rating so much. In the end, I settled with a 3.75--a very well written and compelling read, but a little dark for my tastes nd not much reread value, either.


What were your thoughts on this week's read? Let me know in the comments!

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: All I Know Now

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! This week I've got a book written by one of my favourite online personalities--All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

For many, Carrie Hope Fletcher is already a familiar name. She's touched the hearts of thousands, through chilling performances as Eponine in Les Misérables, her quirky and charming YouTube videos, and her long-running blog entitled All I Know Now, rightfully earning her the title of everyone's honourary big sister.

Now, she's ready to conquer the literary world, as her ever popular blog becomes a work of published nonfiction. From dating to friendship, bullies to the ever-terrifying future, this 22-year-old offers advice as she reflects back on her own teen years, what she thought she knew, and all she knows now.

She may not know everything, but who really does?

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Another nonfiction book! Who'd have thought, eh?

I've been looking forward to this book for quite some time! I've been actively watching Carrie's videos for upwards of two years now, and she rarely disappoints! Her videos never fail to put a smile on my face and improve my mood immensely. So, needless to say, when I heard that her boundless energy was going into a book, I was extremely excited!

Confession time: I cheated a bit to get my hands on this book. It was released in the UK--and only the UK--in late April, whereas the North American release isn't scheduled until September. We all know that I suck at waiting, so waiting an extra four months while so many others were already displaying it proudly on their shelves simply wasn't gonna fly. So while my fellow North Americans lamented over the wait, I went on to the Book Depository and sneakily ordered my copy online.

(I'm sure some other people did this, as well. The UK-based, free-shipping-worldwide website isn't exactly a secret. But I felt sneaky nonetheless.)

Knowing ahead of time that it is an advice book, I went into it not expecting to find use in everything, and I was right. Like any advice, you should take what you need and leave the rest--I had no need for advice on friendship or how to deal with bullies. But even so, I genuinely believe that there's something in here for everybody--I, for one, rather enjoyed the section on following your dreams. Carrie has become somewhat of a role model for me, and hearing her advice and thoughts on a subject that is rather important to me was something to take inspiration from. 

So even though this is marketed towards teens, don't be afraid to pick this up if you're a "grown up". I'm sure you'll still enjoy it!

The only real issue that I had with this book was the chapter length. More often than not, I felt like the chapters were too small, and they felt too compact for my liking. I also thought a lot of them had rather abrupt endings; they could have used a couple extra closing thoughts before moving on to the next chapter.

Even so, Carrie's anecdotes were wonderful, and her narration style made it feel like I was reading transcripts from her actual videos--very natural and well done!

THE STAR-Y BIT

If you need a gift for a teen or young adult, this book is definitely the way to go! I give it a solid four stars.

Be sure to leave your own thoughts on this week's book in the comments below!

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Saint Anything

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again!

This week, I'll be reviewing Sarah Dessen's newest--Saint Anything. Enjoy!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Sydney has always been the invisible one, living in the shadow of her charming and self-destructing brother Peyton. Even now, after a drunk driving accident lands him in jail and a young boy paralyzed, Sydney feels lost amongst the endless lawyers and court dates. To her parents, she is the least of their concerns.

Then she meets Layla, self proclaimed expert of boys and french fries. With her comes her older sister Rosie, graceful and beautiful beyond compare; her mother Mrs. Chatham, sweet with a heart of gold, never letting anyong fall through the cracks; and brother Mac, quiet and oh-so-observant. They welcome her immediately, and accept her into their world filled with pizza, lollipops, and bluegrass music echoing into the late summer nights.

As Sydney enters this world, struggling to balance it with her old one, she begins to find her place. A place where she feels accepted, loved, and anything but invisible.

THE REWIEW-Y BIT

Have you ever read a book that just gave the feeling of a familiar setting, the whole time? Because to me, Saint Anything felt like a cool summer night, the kind perfect for s'mores and bonfires, with a cool breeze that was just refreshing enough to bring the hot temperature down, but not so much that you needed to dig up some layers. Just...perfect.

It's hard to pinpoint why it felt like that for me.Maybe because the bulk of this book was read in one night, with a window open in my bedroom while the sun set to provide just the breeze I was talking about. Maybe it was because my favourite scene, with the carousel and the talk of Saints and the blue grass festival in the living room, gave off that same vibe.

Either way, I really loved this book.

There's something satisfying with starting a streak of fantastic books, and this book did just that. While I didn't finish this book in five hours (like my last read), it was finished within 36 hours of being bought--something that only ever happens when a highly anticpated book meets and/or exceeds my expectations.

I'm no stranger to Sarah Dessen books. And once again, Dessen's characters shine brightly throughout the book, from french fry connoisseur Layla to slightly condescending, self-proclaimed music expert Eric.

And then there's Sydney.

Before the story even starts, Dessen sets the tone for Sydney's journey with a chord-striking dedication:

"For the invisible girls

and for my readers, for seeing me."

Sydney's desire to be seen for herself, and not for her brother, is so real and relateable for so many people. It's a great quality of all of Dessen's stories that make them so good.

I love the way that Dessen portrays the parents of her characters. A common danger in YA lit is to have the parents mysteriously MIA for the majority of the book, or to have them clueless or useless for just as long. Or the parents are immediately turned into the enemy, mean and strict just for the sake of being mean and strict.

But Dessen doesn't write them off, keep them in the dark or antagonize them for no reason. No, her protagonists don't often get along with their parents...but how many kids do? The difference here is that the parents are human--they make mistakes, but they're trying their best to do what's best for their children. Throughout the story, Dessen's protag often has a second parental figure in their life, an impartial third party who sees both sides of the story.

For Sydney, that's Mrs. Chatham.

Mrs. Chatham sympathizes with Sydney; she knows what Sydney's going through. But she also sees and understands where her parents are coming from, the motivations behind their actions. And it's because of this dual understanding that Sydney is able to reconcile with their parents by the conclusion.

The book wasn't without its issues, of course. My biggest problem was that the whole Eric-and-Sydney storyline is kind of lost throughout the climax and resolution. He's hinted at having feelings for her for a good portion of the book, right up to the point where he asks her out, and then...nothing. She avoids giving her answer, and the issue is never brought up again. Not when Sydney and Mac's secretive relationship was revealed, or when Eric and Layla rekindled their pre-plot romance. I even forgot about it, too, until the cover was closed after the happily ever after. Now, I'm left to wonder.

I also thought that the relationship between Sydney and Mrs. Chatham was extremely underdevelloped. They had their moments, of course, but I feel like their bond could have been used even more throughout the story than it was. 

THE STAR-Y BIT

Forgotten and misused plotlines aside, Dessen's newest quickly earned another five stars from me. Saint Anything has already made it onto my reread list!


Until later,

- Justyne