Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: ARC
Pages: 370
Reason Read: Received for Review
Rating: Also in this series: Everbound,
Neverfall,
Evertrue
My Thoughts
I loved EVERNEATH so much. It was interesting, intriguing, sad, happy, moving, every emotion imaginable. Interspersed with a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades, I felt as if I was there, living what the characters lived.
I was anxious the entire time I was reading the story. It wasn’t a bad anxious. It’s just that I was hooked from the very beginning so I wanted to know what was going to happen to Nikki. There was no way I could possibly understand what she was going through, but I could feel her pain. I was invested in her character and I wanted her to feel happy again.
I really liked Nikki. Even though she came back to the Surface drained of all her emotions, I thought she still came across as strong. Although she was sad and wished she hadn’t gone to the Everneath, she owned her part in it. She didn’t blame her family or friends, even though other teenagers in her stead probably would’ve. That made her a very likable protagonist.
I absolutely loved Jack, Nikki’s boyfriend before she went to the Everneath. I don’t know exactly what to say about him other than he’s a strong, selfless, and unconditionally loving character. I loved how loyal he was to Nikki and that he’d go to any lengths imaginable to help her.
I normally hate love triangles, so I wanted to hate Cole but I couldn’t. I also wanted to love him, but I couldn’t. I had a very strong love / hate relationship with him. Even knowing from the beginning that he was an Everliving, I was unsure of his motives. I’m excited to see what there’s in store for his character. I’m also super excited to see how my feelings for him change if they even do.
I love how the book ended and I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel. There’s so much potential for this story.
To Kill A Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 323
Reason Read: Banned Book Week
Rating:
My Thoughts
Wow. How do you say something about a book that has already had everything said about it? I feel so inadequate to give TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD a review it deserves.
I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book. I really feel like I missed out not having read this in high school like I was supposed to. I feel like I missed out on a lot of discussion and analysis. I know I understood the more obvious points and I also know that I missed a lot in the symbolism because I didn’t have a teacher to guide me through the journey presented in this story.
I’m glad I finally read it. It was extremely well-written and I enjoyed it immensely. It definitely made me think because its message is so profound. I loved that this story illustrated that people aren’t who they seem to be or who people make them out to be, just like Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
The characters in this book are extremely memorable. I loved Scout’s tenacity and sharp wit. I loved Jem’s stubbornness, especially when it came to protecting his family. I loved Atticus’ kind and nurturing nature. I also loved how solid he was. I also loved Calpurnia and what she brought to the story. She helped prepare the children to see the injustice presented in this book. And, I even loved the small time we had with Boo.
My emotions were on a roller coaster as I read Scout’s story. I really loved that Lee ended the book looking at the positive, even though most of the events that take place in it are enough to leave you feeling angry. Lee did a great job of portraying the hypocrisy and double standard there is with racism. She also did a fantastic job of portraying the honorable people during that time who tried to stamp out racism as best as they could.
I really loved being in Scout’s head. I loved the innocence and youth factor she gave. I don’t think the story would’ve been the same or as profound a journey as it was had we been in any of the other characters’ heads. Even though I realized the injustice this story presented from the get go, my eyes were still opened as Scout’s were opened to the injustice around her.
Crossed
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #2
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 367
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: Reached
My Thoughts
Just like with MATCHED, I really enjoyed reading CROSSED. I love Ally’s writing style. It’s so poetic, beautiful, descriptive, and concise. The descriptions of the setting were so vivid. I could actually imagine being in Southern Utah, her inspiration for the setting. And, even though her writing doesn’t lend to a fast-paced or action-packed story like other dystopian novels, I think her story is much more thought-provoking, which lends to more intriguing discussions and thoughts about oppressive governments.
While the previous book was told only from Cassia’s POV, this one was told from both hers and Ky’s. (It has me wondering whether we’ll get Xander’s POV in the next one.) I loved getting inside of Ky’s head, getting to know him better. He’s so much deeper than I had already gathered from only Cassia’s view of him. It was also nice to learn what he really thought of Cassia. And, at the same time, knowing his thoughts of Cassia is more heartbreaking since she’s still uncertain about Xander.
I don’t want to wait for the third book. I want to know who Cassia chooses and what happens to the Society and everyone involved now. Needless to say, I’ll be anxiously awaiting for the third book’s release next year.
Ella Minnow Pea
Author: Mark Dunn
Genre: Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
Knowing ELLA MINNOW PEA wasn’t my typical read, I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. For the most part, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the story was a clever idea. It was a lot of fun to see how the language evolved as a new tile fell off the statue. Not only was it fun to see this change, but it was also frustrating to see the council members become more and more controlling.
Near the end when almost all of the letters had fallen off the statue, I felt like I was playing a game of Mad Gab, trying to figure out what the characters were writing. It was fun and a little bit funny.
The book was written in an epistolary style as the characters write each other about the changes happening on the island. I thought this style was very conducive to telling the story well. However, the style got old after a while. When most people write, they write more formally than they speak, especially those concerned with language like the citizens of Nollop. (I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that the Nollopians actually speak the way they write.) Anyway, because they all write so formally, I felt like I was reading one voice throughout the entire novel. I had a hard time picking out who was writing the letter until I read the close.
Because of the lack of character development and the use of overly flowery language, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I think I would’ve if it had been written in a non-epistolary style. I do think it’s worth a read just for the sheer fun of seeing how the language evolves under the extreme circumstances the citizens find themselves in.
The Iron Witch
Author: Karen Mahoney
Series: Iron Witch #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Pages: 314
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I really wanted to like THE IRON WITCH because the premise was so intriguing. It had a lot of potential, but the execution just fell flat for me.
I didn’t feel like the few entries from Donna’s journal really added anything to the story because the third-person POV was limited not omniscient. With or without the journal entries, we didn’t get any of the other characters’ POV. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. I liked Xan, but I wish I would’ve gotten to know him better. I had hardly any connection with Donna and absolutely none with Navin. I didn’t care whether Donna saved him.
I also didn’t feel like I was given enough information. I felt like important information was just glossed over and not explained. I don’t mind not getting all the answers, but I felt like I didn’t get any answers. At this point, I’m not sure I want to read the rest of the series.
Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: ARC
Pages: 370
Reason Read: Received for Review
Rating:
Also in this series: Everbound, Neverfall, Evertrue
My Thoughts
I loved EVERNEATH so much. It was interesting, intriguing, sad, happy, moving, every emotion imaginable. Interspersed with a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades, I felt as if I was there, living what the characters lived.
I was anxious the entire time I was reading the story. It wasn’t a bad anxious. It’s just that I was hooked from the very beginning so I wanted to know what was going to happen to Nikki. There was no way I could possibly understand what she was going through, but I could feel her pain. I was invested in her character and I wanted her to feel happy again.
I really liked Nikki. Even though she came back to the Surface drained of all her emotions, I thought she still came across as strong. Although she was sad and wished she hadn’t gone to the Everneath, she owned her part in it. She didn’t blame her family or friends, even though other teenagers in her stead probably would’ve. That made her a very likable protagonist.
I absolutely loved Jack, Nikki’s boyfriend before she went to the Everneath. I don’t know exactly what to say about him other than he’s a strong, selfless, and unconditionally loving character. I loved how loyal he was to Nikki and that he’d go to any lengths imaginable to help her.
I normally hate love triangles, so I wanted to hate Cole but I couldn’t. I also wanted to love him, but I couldn’t. I had a very strong love / hate relationship with him. Even knowing from the beginning that he was an Everliving, I was unsure of his motives. I’m excited to see what there’s in store for his character. I’m also super excited to see how my feelings for him change if they even do.
I love how the book ended and I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel. There’s so much potential for this story.