Romance

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Author
Green, John
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" is a heartwarming and pleasant YA novel that explores a variety of themes like love, illness, and essence. This particular story follows the narrative of Hazel and Augustus, two teenagers who battle cancer and embark on a journey of love and self-discovery together.
I rate "The Fault in Our Stars" 3 out of 5 stars for its easy readability, enjoyable narrative, and the extremely important message it conveys about cancer awareness through Hazel's and Augustus' characters. It is an incredibly nice, short book to read, particularly for audiences who are young adults. However, compared to some of the other books I've read, it doesn't delve as deeply and lacks the complex storytelling that I often seek while reading. While it certainly has its lovely positives that I enjoyed, the book, in my opinion, falls a little short in terms of depth and construction, which is why I choose to give it a 3-star rating.

Reviewer's Name
Caroline

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom

Author
Bardugo, Leigh
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Crooked Kingdom is a sequel to Six of Crows, both of which are set in the Grishaverse. It is the story of how Kaz Brekker and his crew as they try to con Jan Van Eck out of his money before he builds an empire with the deadly substance, parem.

As with the last book, the characters are the standouts. Every member of the cast is fleshed out, and you can understand every decision they make. Jesper, Matthias, and Wylan are the standouts in this book. Each of them continue on their arcs in a natural way that leaves their characters feeling complete. Jesper realizes that many of his problems come from hiding his true self as a grisha. Matthias finally sees the beauty in the grisha. Wylan overcomes his father's influence and sees him for what he is.

The plot has constant twists and turns, but is still easy to follow. As the story progresses, the challenges the group faces continually grow more difficult. The characters have to change their plans multiple times to keep up with the growing influence of their adversaries. This story markets itself as a fun fantasy heist, and it more than succeeds in that. It might not say anything particularly meaningful, but it has a few nice messages sprinkled in there.

My main problem with this book is with Inej. Her arc was more or less completed in the last book, and this book doesn't have much for her to do. There's a brief crisis where she believes Kaz only keeps her around because she's useful, but that's resolved rather quickly. She has a rivalry with a character named Dunyasha, but nothing is done with that either. She beats Inej once, then loses the next time they fight. It doesn't make Inej grow or change. It just exists. It might not have bothered me so much if it wasn't built up as this incredible rivalry. I felt that the book wanted her to remain one of the main characters, but had to make up excuses for her to still be in the spotlight.

However, that one critique is rather small. Overall, Crooked Kingdom is a delightfully fun book. I would recommend it to any Grishaverse fans, fantasy fans, or heist fans.

Reviewer's Name
Rose

Book Review: Illuminae

Author
Kaufman, Amie
Rating
2 stars = Meh
Review

This book was interesting. It takes place in 2575 so way in the future and includes a planet invasion and a plague. It was also written in the transcripts of files and emails, so even though it was a long book it was a quick read. It was slow at the beginning and a little hard to get into because of the different way of writing it, but it eventually got good. I was interested for a while, but then it just got confusing again. I also did not enjoy the main character or the way she acted, her character development just stopped making sense. I’m not sure if I would recommend this book, I think if you want a legit sci-fi novel you should read this, but be prepared to focus try to transcript emails and codes.

Reviewer's Name
Cara

Book Review: Atonement

Author
McEwan, Ian
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

"Atonement" is the story of thirteen year old Briony and her misunderstanding of the world. It begins in the Tallis household in 1935. Obsessed with fantasy and books, she sees sinister motivations in the blossoming romance between her sister and the son of the family's house cleaner. When something terrible happens, Briony makes a mistake that will change the lives of everyone around her.

The characters in this story are all well developed, but Briony is the stand out in this regard. Her motivations straddle the line between clearly defined and mysterious. She has a clearly defined character, dramatic, self centered, and eager to please. Cecilia and Robbie are less defined, but still sympatheic and interesting. I found Robbie slightly unpleasant in the second half of the book, but it was understandable considering the circumstances.

The plot cannot be properly discussed without getting into spoilers. However, it unfolds in a clear manner. All the plot points are set up before they happen, and given proper foreshadowing. At the end, there is a plot twist. Since I highly recommend this book, I will not be spoiling the twist. However, I will say that it makes everything else that happened in the book unclear (in the best possible way).

This book contains a depiction of rape, extreme violence, and rather gruesome hospital scenes. If any of these subjects upset you, I would not recommend this book. If you are able to handle these topics, and you appricate books that focus on pyschology and character exploration, I would definitely recommend this book.

Reviewer's Name
Rose

Book Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author
Han, Jenny
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

To all the Boys I’ve loved Before is a coming of age novel. Lara Jean Covey writes love letters whenever she has a crush so intense she doesn’t know what else to do. She has five in all, and keeps them all in a blue hatbox for her eyes only. Until by accident someone sends them out and her life spirals out of control

This was an interesting take on love letters as she only wrote them to get over a crush and not to confess her feelings. I enjoyed Lara Jean’s personality throughout the book and liked the supporting characters as they developed. This book is a good focus on grief and letting go as her older sister is off at college and now she’s the woman of the house since her mom died years prior. I feel like I could connect to Lara Jean a lot as she is scared to try new things and makes a realistic approach on growing up.

Reviewer's Name
Cara

Book Review: The Brothers Hawthorne

Author
Barnes, Jennifer Lynn
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

The Brothers Hawthorne is an extension of the Inheritance Games trilogy about the brothers Grayson and Jameson. After the events of the main series, Jameson gets a call from his biological father to break in to an infamous casino in London. Grayson on the other hand, gets called to Phoenix to break his half sister out of jail and prevent her from and her twin sister, from gaining valuable information.

This book was very good! The inheritance games is an amazing series, but it was so interesting to hear the brothers’ point of views and their own adventures. This book brings back old mysteries and unanswered questions from the final book of the inheritance games series that I totally forgot about! Jennifer Lynn Barnes is also writing another book that will take place after this one bringing a new story and mystery. The brothers were very funny in this book and it was so much fun to read it from their perspective! If you liked the inheritance games is this absolutely a book you should read!

Reviewer's Name
Cara

Book Review: We Were Liars

Author
Lockhart, E.
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

We were liars is a young adult drama/thriller. It’s about the seemingly perfect Sinclair family and their summer private island. Cadence Sinclair is the heir to the Sinclair fortune and going to the island during the summers is what she looks forward to during the year. However, after an accident and two summers missed on the island, Cadence returns with little memory and a suspicious feeling.

This was an overall good book to read. It got a little slow at times, but it was not predictable and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will say I was expecting a predictable ending but the plot twist completely blew me away! It’s also not very long and a quick read but with a lot of emotions. E. Lockhart did a good job at making me feel things. I laughed, I cried, and had more than one jaw dropper. I would rate it a 3 just because it got a little boring and confusing, but I would recommend!

Reviewer Grade: 8

Reviewer's Name
Cara

Book Review: Winter

Author
Meyer, Marissa
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

This book was the absolute perfect ending to the Lunar Chronicles! There was so much action and fairytale elements in the book that were all easy to follow, and fun to read! Marissa Meyer was a genius when she incorporated an adaptation of a sci-fi Snow White, while still be able to keep the story flowing and add growth to the characters. It is important to read the series in order, but Winter was by far my favorite in the series!

Reviewer's Name
Cara

Book Review: Looking for Alaska

Author
Green, John
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

Looking for Alaska details the story of a kid who, in his pursuit of something new and, in the aim of sucking the marrow out of life, fails to recognize the plain truths of the people around him. He is entranced with the interesting world of Culver Creek, the mystical boarding school of his father's youth. He aids his roommate in pranks and grows closer with friends Lara, Takumi, and mysterious Alaska, all the while oblivious to her deep underlying hurt. At its heart, Looking for Alaska is about being blinded by one's own expectations to the point of pushing away important friends. The story itself, though somewhat meandering in its execution, is quite well-written, and John Green portrays a realistic, captivating, and unique cast of characters.

Reviewer's Name
Samah

Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author
Owens, Delia
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

Where the Crawdads Sing, written by Delia Owens, detail the fictional account of Kya and her survival in the marsh of North Carolina. After her mother is beat one too many times by her father, Kya's mother leaves, leaving Kya to fend for herself - against her abusive dad and the wilderness. Kya learns the value of self-reliance, she falls in love with the marsh and its functions and importance to the ecosystem. She also, however, feels the urge of having human company, and her adventures of falling in love (and back out) are incredibly detailed and heart wrenching. My favorite part about this book was the imagery; the way simple things, like leaves falling off of a tree, were described it felt as if I was standing right next to Kya, watching the leaves fall with her.

Reviewer's Name
Finn