Review: Love and Other Man-Made Disasters

Review:

 

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

I snagged a copy of this one from my Hatchette Children’s auto approval at some point last year. It’s a cute light hearted contemporary, easy and quick to read, but only okay for me. There was nothing particularly outstanding about it.

 

It wasn’t a bad book by any means, just a little bland for my tastes.

 

It tells the story of 17 year old Juno who’s on a skiing trip with her family, her mum and mum’s second husband and her two annoying twin step brothers. Juno’s very nervous and seems to be freaked out about everything. She’d much rather spend her holiday at home with books and studying but her mum has decided she spends too much time studying and needs to get out into the real world. Juno would rather be anything else.

 

After a disaster at beginners skiing mum gets her private lessons from a good looking instructor who appears to be around Juno’s age nick-named Boy. The bulk of the story is Juno and Boy getting to know each other and become something more than friends. They have some nice snarky banter between them, Juno struggles with developing feelings for a romance that will probably go nowhere. At the same time she finds herself making friends with Tara, the young woman assigned to look after their cabin – cooking and cleaning, etc.

 

The novel deals with Juno’s worry at the increase of adventure in her life as she makes new friends and has new experiences at the same time dealing with her mum and her added new family. It had some fairly good emotional depth. Juno was a likeable enough character and the family interaction was quite believable.

 

Boy just irritated me, that name for one thing drove me up the wall. I’m guessing it was meant to be cute, but it was really just annoying. He wasn’t a bad character either, just had stupid name. You do actually learn his real name right at the end of the book and considering you can understand why he would have a nickname. But I didn’t like the nickname and that sort of sapped my enjoyment of the story whenever Boy was in the scene.

 

A quick contemporary read. Only okay for me. Not something I would read again.

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1603395/review-love-and-other-man-made-disasters

Review: All The Missing Girls

Review:

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

This will be short review because I read this some weeks back and to be perfectly honest I remember very little about the book other than I really didn’t like it much. The mystery itself of what happened to the two missing girls so many years apart under the circumstances was interesting enough that I actually did finish the novel.

 

From what I remember about the plot the main character is coming home to help her brother with the sale of their family home after their father has moved into a nursing home. The first girl who went missing some ten years ago when the MC was a teen was her best friend at the time. Sometime after she’s arrived a second woman goes missing, this woman had always been on the fridge of the MC’s group of friends when they were growing up.  The first missing girl, the best friend, was outgoing, lively, popular and a colossal bitch who knew how to push everyone’s buttons. The police investigation was limited as it’s a small town and she’s an 18 year old girl with a reputation. Possible she just said to hell with everyone and ran off.  But her legacy is still present in the town as a few of the friends of the MC and the girl are still living there.  The second woman who went missing has a faint connection to the first girl and to the MC. There’s connections there, and the MC finds herself digging into what happened to the second one, bringing up memories of the first girl and figuring out the connection between the two disappearances. And managing to ruffle some local feathers while doing so of those who would rather just forget about the first girl. Getting herself reacquainted with old friends and people she’d put in the past as well.

 

The actual writing itself wasn’t bad at all, nice and descriptive, the area and the setting were easy to picture. Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything about the characters that really stood out. In fact I can’t even remember their names. I certainly didn’t like any of them.   The biggest problem I had with the novel was that the method of storytelling was immensely confusing, told in a backwards fashion, counting backwards in chapters. Which I didn’t get at all. To be fair the actual reveal of what happened was fairly surprising, I didn’t guess at all before-hand.  

 

While I do like mysteries, this one just didn’t work for me at all. Thank you to Netgalley and Corvus, Atlantic Books for approving my request to view the title.

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1602688/review-all-the-missing-girls

Review: Daughter of the Burning City

Review:

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

I had no idea what to expect with this one, and was pleasantly surprised to find out I completely loved this book. Definitely on my top ten for this year so far. Its premise and characters are so unique and interesting, and it appears to be a stand-alone, which is rare in YA fantasy.

 

This fantasy novel tells the story of Sorina, an illusion worker at the Gommorah travelling circus. Sorina has no eyes but she can see. She creates illusions. The illusions she creates are so real they have become almost as real as real people, to her, they are her family, and together they perform the carnival freak show. Each illusion has it’s own special ability. Sorina has also the adopted daughter of the festival proprietor. She is the heir and will take over running the whole show one day.

 

The festival is travelling across their land, they are from Down Mountain and travelling Up Mountain. The Up Mountain people appear to be the rich snobby people. There’s a war brewing between the two factions hinted at throughout the novel. Sorina’s illusions are being murdered. Each stop a different illusion dies and the novel tells the story of Sorina’s investigation into the Murderers and the truth behind the Gommorah Festival.

 

The writing is incredible, it’s quite a dark fantasy really. Sorina becomes enamoured with another illusion worker – a poison worker, Luca who’s unique talents make him impossible to kill. His show involves festival goers paying to try to kill him. The characters are all so different and well written. The plot is very twisty and impossible to predict. I was very surprised when the truth was revealed.  Sorina learns quite a few shocking home truths as her investigation progresses. The family connection was brilliant, how they all came together, not without drama and plenty of emotion wound through as various family members were brutally murdered.

 

Not a lot to recap as it would be really spoilery. There was hints of a romance but it wasn’t the sole focus of the plot and the characters were all delightfully diverse as well. Really interesting world building as well. A political undercurrent later on as the war brewing takes alarming shape. Morally questionably acts. It was quite violent in parts.

 

Over all it was excellently written. A fantastic read. I loved it so much I bought a finished hardback.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for approving my request to view the title.

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1596473/review-daughter-of-the-burning-city

Review: Words on Bathroom Walls

Review:

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

Never expected to get approved for this one and was quite surprised and pleased when I was. (I so rarely get approved by Random House). Really impressed with the book as well. (Always kind of makes me feel a bit guilty when I get approved for something by a publisher I don’t get approval from and then find I don’t like the book. Thankfully not the case this time.)

 

This novel tells the story of teenager Adam who suffers from schizophrenia. Adam has quite a unique personality, he knows he’s schizophrenic. He sees illusions, people who aren’t there but the interesting thing I found was while each of these illusions of his seem to have their own personalities and speak to him, he’s actually quite aware of the fact that these people aren’t real. They seem to be some form of emotion he can’t express.

 

The novel follows Adam as he struggles with his illness and a new experimental treatment drug and starting at a new private Catholic high school. Dealing with the bullies, the geek who winds up becoming a good friend and the girl he has a crush on who becomes a friend and something more.

 

The novel is told in diary entries through Adam’s therapy sessions – he refuses to speak to his therapist and writes down what’s been going on in his daily life. He’s got a brilliantly blunt tell it how it is attitude, and can be deliciously snarky. Added in some complicated family drama – dad not in picture, mom has new husband. The mom’s new husband was actually pretty decent if a bit dim. Though step dad’s mom was a nightmare.  Some interesting ideas on faith as well considering Adam attends a Catholic private school without being too preachy.

 

Quite realistically handled as well, I though. Some deep emotional turmoil, a sweet romantic storyline as well.  Well handled, without being sickly sweet, fair amount of drama, but not too over the top. Ups and downs, sad and funny. Likeable characters, believable parental involvement. A really good read.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s for approving my request to view the title.   

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1594211/review-words-on-bathroom-walls

DNF: Cleopatra's Shadow

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

Comes under the category of sounded like a good idea at the time, but I can already tell after just a few chapters this is not one for me. Ancient Egypt is one of those historical periods that absolutely fascinates me, which is why I requested this novel. But I simply don't see myself sticking with it. Not rating because I've not read enough to really judge. 

 

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK. 

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1593731/dnf-cleopatra-s-shadow

DNF: The Locksmith's Daughter

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

I snagged a copy of this one when it was a Read It Now on Netgalley. This was a case of it sounded like a good idea at the time. I was looking for something different than what I usually read and this one caught my attention immediately. I'm quite fascinated with Elizabethan period drama but I'm just not getting into this one. I'm not rating because I don't think I've read enough to rate, just enough to know that at the moment it's not for me. I may pick it up again at another time.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin (Australia), TEEN / MIRA.

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1589652/dnf-the-locksmith-s-daughter

DNF: Defy the Stars

Review:

I received a copy from Netgalley.

 

Another one I was really looking forward to but after about 100 pages turns out I just don't like it. I'm not interested in the plot, there seems to be a bit of a religious theme at the beginning which I really didn't care for at all. I'm not connecting to the characters, and after not being overly thrilled at having to read more, I called it quits. Just not for me.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for approving my request to view the title.

Original post: sunsetxcocktail.booklikes.com/post/1589651/dnf-defy-the-stars