Title: Waiting for Normal
Author: Leslie Connor
Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Young Adult
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 290
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I didn’t know anything about WAITING FOR NORMAL going into it, except that it was on the cusp of being a middle grade / YA novel. It is definitely not my typical read because I don’t really like reading realistic fiction very much. (I want to escape from the trouble in the world when I’m reading not be reminded of it.) However, I’m glad I gave this one a chance. It gave me a good look, maybe not completely realistic, into what it’s like to live in a broken family with a mother diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder who isn’t on medication and doesn’t want to help herself.
I felt bad for Addie during the whole book. And, I’ll admit that I cried a few times. I just kept wishing she could have a more stable life, and a more watchful, caring mother. I’m glad she had the good people she did in her life. And, I’m glad she didn’t end up in the system like so many children in her situation do. I’m also glad she was as resilient and resourceful as she was.
On the flip side, I also felt bad for Addie’s mom. Mental illness is hard to live with. And, if someone suffering from mental illness takes medication, unlike Addie’s mom, it may help but it’s not a cure. I wish Denise had had more support around her as well. I know she needed to want to help herself, but when your mind isn’t quite right, you don’t know how to help yourself or that you even need help. This was my biggest hang up with WAITING FOR NORMAL. Sure, the story is about Addie and how Denise’s illness affected Addie and those around her. I think, however, it would’ve been more powerful had there been support for Denise as well, instead of just showing the ugly side of mental illness. Maybe that would’ve made it even more unrealistic and that’s why the author chose not to go there.
Mania
Author: J.R. Johansson
Series: Night Walkers #3
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult
Format: ARC
Pages: 408
Reason Read: ARC Review
Rating:
My Thoughts
I’ve been really excited to read MANIA because I’ve wanted to know how th trilogy ends. I wasn’t disappointed in the least. It was a wild ride.
Even though we learned about the different types of Night Walkers in PARANOIA, we learned more about their society and what life is like for them. The politics involved were very intriguing. In MANIA, not only are we in Parker’s head, but we get the addition of being in Jack’s head too. I really loved getting to know him better and learn what his motivations were. It was easy to tell the two apart because they both think so differently. And, they both added a lot to the story. It gave it a new dimension that I wished was there during previous two as well, but I understand why that couldn’t be the case.
I expected a lot of the things that happened in the story. But there were a few things that I didn’t expect and I was quite surprised about. I thought MANIA was a fantastic ending to a great series.
Waiting For Normal
Author: Leslie Connor
Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Young Adult
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 290
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I didn’t know anything about WAITING FOR NORMAL going into it, except that it was on the cusp of being a middle grade / YA novel. It is definitely not my typical read because I don’t really like reading realistic fiction very much. (I want to escape from the trouble in the world when I’m reading not be reminded of it.) However, I’m glad I gave this one a chance. It gave me a good look, maybe not completely realistic, into what it’s like to live in a broken family with a mother diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder who isn’t on medication and doesn’t want to help herself.
I felt bad for Addie during the whole book. And, I’ll admit that I cried a few times. I just kept wishing she could have a more stable life, and a more watchful, caring mother. I’m glad she had the good people she did in her life. And, I’m glad she didn’t end up in the system like so many children in her situation do. I’m also glad she was as resilient and resourceful as she was.
On the flip side, I also felt bad for Addie’s mom. Mental illness is hard to live with. And, if someone suffering from mental illness takes medication, unlike Addie’s mom, it may help but it’s not a cure. I wish Denise had had more support around her as well. I know she needed to want to help herself, but when your mind isn’t quite right, you don’t know how to help yourself or that you even need help. This was my biggest hang up with WAITING FOR NORMAL. Sure, the story is about Addie and how Denise’s illness affected Addie and those around her. I think, however, it would’ve been more powerful had there been support for Denise as well, instead of just showing the ugly side of mental illness. Maybe that would’ve made it even more unrealistic and that’s why the author chose not to go there.
ArchEnemy
Author: Frank Beddor
Series: The Looking Glass Wars #3
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Pages: 370
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I’m glad I’ve finally finished The Looking Glass Wars trilogy. It was a fun retelling of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS by Lewis Carroll.
Having finished the entire series, I still don’t think third-person omniscient was the best way to write these stories because the story jumps from character to character too quickly and often. I wanted more detail and the stories and characters to be fleshed out a bit more. I didn’t feel like I connected with anyone besides Alyss. I also wish there was a little more romance because what was in the story was very surface-level. I think there could’ve been more without taking anything away from the story. This is probably because I felt like there was too much going on–way too many plots. Despite all of that, the overall story was fun and I’m glad I read the series.
ARCHENEMY was the best out of the series in my opinion. I loved that everything came to a head from the previous two books and we finally got to see how everything resolved. I also liked how everything ended.