Hello bookworms!! It’s been a while, I know, but time for some quick reviews. I’ve been reading pretty consistently over the past weeks, before bed, in the mornings, around school time and homework – and have managed to hit the 20 mark in the reading challenge. I was hoping to read many more this year, but Grade 12 has slowed me down much more significantly than I first thought. But anyway, I thought I’d combine the most recent reads into a quadruple post, with mini reviews of each.
Turtles all the way Down (John Green)
Let’s make something clear – I love John Green books. The Fault in our Stars made me cry, Paper Towns was lovely, Looking for Alaska was AMAZING, and even An Abundance of Katherines was good. Which meant that the latest book had some pretty big boots to fill. But, even though it took me a very long time to get my hands on Turtles, it did not disappoint. It was absolutely beautiful, and took me only a day to read. I just couldn’t seem to put it down. It had this odd feel of a ‘light read’, and felt really easy to just sink into and continue, even though the content was not light and happy for most of the book.
Personally, the main character was very easy to relate to, even though she was a little insane (maybe that says something about me…), and even though the events in her life were not similar to mine, her way of explaining things was so different than any other character I’ve ever read. It was incredible.
There was also (of course) the classic John Green moments, with the hilarious banter between friends, and random quotes that seem to have no place in a book like this, but make it that much better. Overall, it’s a moving story, featuring some amazing characters and beautiful language that I absolutely adored and would recommend to anybody. By far, my favourite John Green book, and probably my fav book of the year so far.
Defy and Worlds (Claudia Gray)
Another golden find: Claudia Gray’s Constellation series. When Defy the Stars came outlast year, I picked it up only because it looked pretty (shh I judge books by their cover), but soon fell in love with the book itself. Picking up from the annoying ending of the first book, Defy the Worlds is action, action, and more action. There are twists and turns, added characters, new villains, and the same good old partnership of Noemi and Abel. While reading, I enjoyed it just as much as the first book, however looking back on it, it does feel like something was missing. I’m not sure whether it’s because this was the second book, and it didn’t have the same element of pleasant surprise that the first book had, or that it was just missing something that was in that Defy the Worlds… It was still a very good book, and I would recommend to any fans of YA, sci-fi, or fantasy genres.
Truthwitch (Susan Dennard)
Truthwitch is a book that I’ve seen on the shelves of Dymocks or other bookstores for a long time, and been interested, but not enough to buy it. Luckily, I spied it in my school’s library just before holidays began, so I borrowed it out and have since read and finished it. Truthwitch was a pleasant surprise – it was good, enjoyable, easy and quick to read, with some interesting characters. The two main girls, Safi and Iseult were lovely, I loved their conversations and friendship (I really am a sucker for good funny friendships – think Six of Crows style). Before starting it, I had read some reviews that had held high expectations for the book, but then been underwhelmed, but I thought it was rather nice. There’s never really a dull moment, and even a few twists as well. I need to get my hands on the next book.
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Now, I won’t say The Great Gatsby is a favourite of mine, but compared to other classics, it was one of the more enjoyable. I’ve read other old-ish books where it took me a while to get into the story and understand what was going on. I’d forget who characters were, and not really be interested. They also took me a looooong time to read. Luckily, The Great Gatsby is very short, so when I saw it, I believed I could push through it, even if it wasn’t my favourite. However, it was more enjoyable, and easier to read than I thought it would be. I was pulled straight into the storyline, was keeping up with most characters, and the events that occurred interested me. The only thing that means it’s only a good book instead of great, is that I didn’t really see the point. I mean, I enjoyed the story and all, but there didn’t really seem to be a point, or a moral to the story. It simply told its tale, and was finished. So, all in all, The Great Gatsby was more enjoyable than other classics, and is a good story to read, but it’s over and done with once you’ve finished it… That’s my point of view anyway. 🙂
The Book Goddess 