Golden Son by Pierce Brown
This series shows no signs of slowing down in it's excellence! I thought it lived up to the first installment: still emotional, gripping stuff with great pacing and plotting. Darrow is a hero for the ages. It got a teeny tiny bit mired in battle scenes, but I'm confident it will be one of very few trilogies that are great start to finish.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
I mentioned picking this one up for my son after he plowed through the Amulet Series, and unsure of how he'd mesh with 90s teen girl angst. Well, he freaking LOVED it, as did I! It was equal parts horrifying (all the dental stuff poor Raina has to go through), heartbreaking (oh, teen insecurities whilst dealing with major dental woes), and hilarious. Naturally, my son latched on to the hilarity and sibling rivalry stuff while glossing over a lot of the teen girl drama. Meanwhile, I latched on to the memories of being an early 90s teen, while also having major empathy for Raina's mother. This true tale of the author's early life has something for everyone and I can't recommend it enough.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
I really wanted to love this YA action/romance, but the characters were very two dimensional and the prose was eye-roll inducing for my taste. ("...brushing his thumb across her cheek with the warm caress of a summer breeze.") It's basically the bones of Twilight set in Arabian Nights, but not as good. Womp.
I really wanted to love this YA action/romance, but the characters were very two dimensional and the prose was eye-roll inducing for my taste. ("...brushing his thumb across her cheek with the warm caress of a summer breeze.") It's basically the bones of Twilight set in Arabian Nights, but not as good. Womp.
I'm Glad About You by Theresa Rebeck
Man, this was not at ALL what I was expecting from the happy looking cover and description: comedic? more like tragic! and tender? more like gritty and harsh. It is rather angsty, depressing fare about the toxic relationship of the two main characters who are kind of star crossed lovers, as well as all the toxic relationships with which they surround themselves. The characters are frustrating, use way too many F bombs to be taken seriously, and there are just so many uncomfortable scenes. It would make for good book club fodder on questions like what would you sacrifice for love? for religion? for happiness? It was also an eye opener about misogyny and fame, but I wish I had been warned!
The Girls by Emma Cline
I just finished this NetGalley ARC and will publish my review soon, but short version: it was super intense, and RIVETING.
Man, this was not at ALL what I was expecting from the happy looking cover and description: comedic? more like tragic! and tender? more like gritty and harsh. It is rather angsty, depressing fare about the toxic relationship of the two main characters who are kind of star crossed lovers, as well as all the toxic relationships with which they surround themselves. The characters are frustrating, use way too many F bombs to be taken seriously, and there are just so many uncomfortable scenes. It would make for good book club fodder on questions like what would you sacrifice for love? for religion? for happiness? It was also an eye opener about misogyny and fame, but I wish I had been warned!
The Girls by Emma Cline
I just finished this NetGalley ARC and will publish my review soon, but short version: it was super intense, and RIVETING.
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