It’s been an interesting week, to be sure. We got DUMPED with snow here, and we had a 2-hour delay AND a snow day, all in the same week. WHOA.
I finally finished up the Watchmen TV series (AAAAA), got through a much better library haul than last week, saw Birds of Prey last night (super fun!), got to a really fun spot in my main WIP (almost 70 pages now), and as a result of all the snow delays, got to post a lot more! Pretty good week, I’d say.
I found this tag at A Little Haze Book Blog, and it looked absolutely adorable, so I figured that I’d give it a go! đ
– QUESTIONS –
What book kept you up all night reading?Â
I don’t read at night often, but the most recent example I can think of was Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams. Not necessarily action-packed or anything, but I just COULD. NOT. STOP. LOOKING. AT. MIKE. ALLRED’S. GODLIKE. ART.
What book made you scared to go to sleep?
Uh…not sure if I can answer this one. I honestly can’t remember any book, not even something from my childhood, that made me scared to go back to bed. Guess that’s because of my tendency to stay away from horror, so…
What book almost put you to sleep?Â
Urgh, this book…we had to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond in sixth grade, and it was easily the most boring book I’ve read to date.
Which book had you tossing and turning in anticipation of its release?Â
Without question, Soul of Stars. Since the moment I first finished Heart of Iron, I absolutely hungered for the sequel, for lack of better word. I’m so glad it delivered.
What book has your dream boyfriend?Â
uh…
Weeeeeeeell…
I suppose this is only a half-answer, because I really don’t have any book boyfriends. But I will give props to Leigh Bardugo in Shadow and Bone for making the Darkling sound drop-dead gorgeous, no matter how much of a manipulative creep he turned out to be. Villain crushes, guys, villain crushes. I dunno.
What book would be a nightmare to live in?Â
Don’t get me wrong, fighting monsters sounds pretty fun (maybe?), but once the B.P.R.D. comics hit the Hell on Earth arc, I kept thinking to myself, sheesh, I am so glad that we’re not living in a post-apocalyptic near-anarchy with giant monsters bursting forth from the ground.Â
What book has a nightmarish cliffhanger?Â
It’s been a few years since I’ve read Dare Mighty Things, but I particularly remember the cliffhanger hitting me like a sledgehammer.
What book have you actually dreamt about?Â
I mean, dreaming about The Search for WondLa trilogy was practically inevitable, seeing as it made up a huge chunk of my childhood.
I think I dreamed about it a few months ago, actually. There was a movie adaptation of it, and they used an animation style that looked kind of wood-cut. They also omitted a few key characters. Not sure why, but my brain really can’t be reasoned with.
What fictional monster would you not like to find hiding under your bed?Â
Going back to Shadow and Bone, I’d say the volcra. [shivers] guhhh…
I tag anyone who wants to participate in this tag!Â
Today’s song:
“In an interstellar burst,
I am back to save the universe…”Â
That just about wraps up this tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn’t prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.
Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her “lucky” break came at the expense of her mother’s life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death – by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky – she would never be normal again.
Now she’s the target of Death’s ravens and an innocent boy’s life is on the line. When Nate Holden – Abbey’s secret crush – starts to climb Alaska’s Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.
And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.
Eh…I’d be on board, if not for the veeeery forced-looking romance. Also, buff dudes on book covers never fail to make me cringe, so this one’s a no from me.
VERDICT: LET GO
2. The Pledge (The Pledge, #1), Kimberly Derting
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
Okay, yeah, this looks like the byproduct of the great Dystopian YA Craze of the 2010s, but at least the whole system with languages actually seems fairly original.
This was going to be the year Normandy Pale came into her own. The year she emerged from her older sisterâs shadowâand Kiera, who became a best-selling graphic novelist before she even graduated from high school, casts a long one. But it hasnât worked out that way, not quite. So Normandy turns to her art and writing, and the âtruth commissionâ she and her friends have started to find out the secrets at their school. Itâs a great idea, as far as it goesâuntil it leads straight back to Kiera, who has been hiding some pretty serious truths of her own.
Ooh, this sounds like some arty, contemporary fun! Still in!
Colourful, raw, brave, rich and fantastical – this mermaid tale is not for the faint-hearted.
Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn’t exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.
Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.
But along with Lorali’s arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory’s bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?
Another hapless victim of my insatiable hunger for quality mermaid literature. But at second glance, this one seems mediocre, at best.
Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it â these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.
The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?
Oh boy…did somebody say formulaic?
VERDICT: LET GO
6. Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna, Lorna Schultz Nicholson
One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious â and that happens a lot. The meaning of âappropriate behaviourâ mystifies him: he doesnât understand most people and they certainly donât understand him.
The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.
Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.
Hmm…I’m all for the autism spectrum representation, but the utilization of it feels like a plot device…no bueno.
In the movie version of Ameliaâs life, the roles have always been clear. Her older brother, Toby: definitely the Star. As popular with the stoners as he is with the cheerleaders, Toby is someone youâd pay ten bucks to watch sweep Battle of the Bands and build a âbeach partyâ in the bathroom. As for Amelia? Sheâs Toby Andersonâs Younger Sister. Sheâs perfectly happy to watch Tobyâs hijinks from the sidelines, when sheâs not engrossed in one of her elaborately themed Netflix movie marathons.
But recently Tobyâs been acting in a very non-movie-version way. Heâs stopped hanging out with his horde of friends and started obsessively journaling and disappearing for days at a time. Amelia doesnât know whatâs happened to her awesome older brother, or who this strange actor is thatâs taken his place. And thereâs someone else pulling at her attention: a smart, cute new boyfriend who wants to know the real Ameliaânot Tobyâs Sidekick. Amelia feels adrift without her star, but to best help Tobyâand herselfâit might be time to cast a new role: Amelia Anderson, leading lady.
I sense one of those rare coming-of-age novels that doesn’t involve a girl meeting a boy in order to change herself…*rubs hands together*
Seventeen-year-old “Hank” has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything –who he is, where he came from, why he’s running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or “Hank” and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of–Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead’s remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.
Megan Bright and Jackson Dawes are two teenagers who first meet each other on the hospital ward where they are both being treated for cancer. Megan is scared and worried about her illness, but Jackson seems to be an old hand, having been on the ward for ages. And everybody loves Jackson! He is a whirlwind of life and energy, warmth and sparkle. Megan will need to borrow some of Jackson’s extraordinary optimism to face her and Jackson’s future. A moving story of first love and a remarkably powerful debut novel.
Yikes…whoops, must’ve stepped in a puddle of The Fault in Our Stars ripoffs…
Everyone agrees that the paparazzi are the scourge of the earth. They’re low. They’re despicable. They’ll do anything for that perfect shot. And yet…how long could you go without your Us Weekly fix?
Meet Josephine Foster, or ‘Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo knows that the public-and the stars-have a symbiotic relationship with the paparazzi. She doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on a major undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett-teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her-at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: fine portrait photography classes, and maybe even quitting her ‘zo gig for good.
Everyone at the retreat wants to know: what Ned’s in for? But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment . . .
Bad photography puns aside, this looks cute.
VERDICT: KEEP
RESULTS:Â
KEPT: 5
LET GO: 5
Another successful TBR cleaning! Hopefully I can let more go next time, but I’m glad I caught some of the awful stuff that had piled up in the dark recesses of my TBR…
Today’s song:
This is the cutest little video!!!
That just about wraps up this post! Have a lovely day, and take care of yourselves!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been attempting to scour the older reaches of my TBR. Zenn Scarlett has been on my TBR for ages, and I’d forgotten about it for a year or two before deciding to pick it up, in hopes of an inventive new twist on a sci-fi book. In theory, it had loads of potential, and while it delivered in some aspects, a select few flaws unfortunately dragged the rest of the book down with them. Quite entertaining, at the end of the day.
Enjoy this week’s review!
Zenn Scarlett
For as long as she can remember, 17-year-old Zenn Scarlett has made her home on the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars, a veterinary clinic that specializes in alien life forms. In her rigorous training to become a professional exovet, Zenn must wrangle all manner of bizarre creatures. But strangest of all may be the unusual occurrences that have been popping up all over the clinic–several animals, many of them potentially dangerous to Mars’ human population, have been found outside of their enclosures under mysterious circumstances. And with growing unrest from Mars’ towners about the off-world wildlife, Zenn, with the help of her uncle, Hamish, the clinic’s insectoid sexton, and Liam, a towner boy who can’t hide his feelings for her, must convince the populace that these animals are worth saving.
Despite the lowish rating on Goodreads (currently at a 3.44), I was immediately hooked on the premise.
Let’s start out with the positive aspects of the book. It’s pretty clear that Schoon is a biology nerd, and it shows in the best way possible. He’s taken so much care into creating a plethora of fascinating alien life forms, even going so far to dish off some Latin names for them. Kind of unnecessary, but it did make the circumstances seem a little more real. And while I loved all of the critters, I had one major problem with them: almost all of them were described as mammalian or mammal-like.
Okay, don’t get me wrong, mammals are cool, but to have almost all of the alien species be mammalian sounds preeeeetty preposterous. At least there were a few creatures that were reptilian, or outside of the animal kingdom altogether, but that took away from my excitement.
Beyond that, Zenn Scarlett as a whole felt unrefined. The writing was rather choppy, and often times clunky and unpleasant to read. The plot twists were predictable from the start, and while I liked the possible connotations of commentary on xenophobia, it felt far too easy to figure out. It might have been a bit more tolerable if this was geared towards a younger audience, but Zenn Scarlett is branded as young adult, as opposed to middle grade.
Going off of that, I really did feel like this could have passed for middle grade–and I don’t say that in a degrading way, but the characters and plot seemed easy enough for that age range to swallow. Zenn herself could have been anywhere from 12-15, from the way she acted and spoke, but I had a bit of trouble believing that she was 17. But if I can stretch my imagination for aliens, I can try to suspend my belief for that. Either way, I didn’t feel attached to her, or any of the other characters. I suppose they were a bit cliched, but it almost seemed intentional. Even Hamish, who was the only one of the bunch that I liked (I guess I have a soft spot for bumbling alien sidekicks), was a little tropey, at worst.
Finally, I felt that this novel could have been cut by about 30 pages. The storyline came to a satisfying conclusion, but abruptly transitioned into another plotline that could have been saved for book 2. A cliffhanger would have actually been a good thing, in this situation.
All in all, a premise that lost some of its potential along the way, but entertaining all the same. Three stars for me.Â
Zenn Scarlett is a part of a duology, followed by Under Nameless Stars. I’m unsure if it was meant to be longer or not, but that’s where the series has stopped as of now. I don’t think I’ll read book 2, but it’s got a higher rating than book 1, so I suppose that might count for something.
Today’s song:
(You ever just have the urge to…go into a parking garage and have a dance-off with a bunch of your clones?)
(LADIES NIGHT!!!)
That just about wraps up this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a lovely rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
I found this tag over at Kayla’s Wordsmithy (thank you!), and I thought that I’d give it a try! I haven’t given as much love to fantasy lately, so I figured this would be a nice change. The tag was originally created by The Book Worm Dreamer.
RULES:
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
Link to the creatorâs blog (thebookwormdreamer.wordpress.com) in your post
Answer the prompts below â all fantasy books!
Tag 5 others to take part
Enjoy!
5 STAR BOOK
The last fantasy that I rated five stars was The Demon World, the sequel to The Smoke Thieves. I know I blab about this one a lot, but hey…
Several butt-kicking women
Romance
Demons
What’s not to like?
ALWAYS GOING TO RECOMMEND
Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy is the ideal gateway to YA fantasy, and a richly-imagined, heart-pounding ride from start to finish.
OWN IT BUT HAVEN’T READ IT YET
Um….shoot, I think I’ll have to skip this one. Everything that I’ve bought recently I’ve already read, and not much of said book haul is fantasy.
WOULD READ AGAIN
I’m devastated that I borrowed Other Words for Smoke at the library, because this was an absolute MASTERPIECE.
IN ANOTHER WORLD
Fennbirn, the island setting of Three Dark Crowns is lush and rife with detailed mythology. A true feat of literature, in that respect, and an unforgettable series. The whole system with the Queens and their gifts is incredibly fascinating.
BACK ON EARTH
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (another five-star fantasy for me) is set in both the human city of London and London Below, a magical and unpredictable underbelly of the city, where all manner of strange creatures lurk. What a gem of a book âĽď¸
(Since I’ve already posted once today, just head over to this week’s Goodreads Monday if you’d like to see today’s song. đ)
I tag anyone that would like to participate! I never know if the people I tag will end up participating in the tag, so I’ll just open it up to anyone who wants to. đ
Thanks so much for reading! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Hey there, fellow bibliophiles! Hope you all had a good week. âşď¸
Aaaaand now it’s February. Wow. January was an odd month for me, filled with a whole plethora of ups and downs. But hey–I read 21 books, got to about 38,000 words (about 60 pages) in my WIP, and got past 100 followers! What a month, indeed…
I’ve had a bit of a disappointing library haul this week, but I did find a few noteworthy books among the meh, at least. Here’s hoping that this week’s haul will be better. đ¤
This tag was created by  Another Book in the Wall, (oh my God, what an incredible blog name…đ¤Ł), and I got this tag from The Corner of Laura. It looked super cute, so I figured that I’d give it a go!
The Mean Girl | A Book You Canât Help But Rant About
I’ve got a fair amount of books that I’d put in this category, but I’ll go with Samantha Young’s Smokeless Fire.  Lord…this book is practically screaming in agony for an editor’s pen…
The Bro | Your Favorite Sidekick
Without question, Doop from Peter Milligan and Mike Allred’s X-Statix.  He’s just…floating about wherever the team goes, filming everything, knowing everything, and just being straight-up relatable, sometimes, with that tired face of his. I mean, he plays a hilariously big role later on, but I guess you could call him a sidekick.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with X-Statix, here’s Doop himself…
LEGEND.
The Dumb Jock | A Book Whose Cover Is Better Than Its Story
I’ll have to go with Laura Weymouth’s The Light Between Worlds. The cover is stunning and so well designed, but the story was just so…unbearably…boring…
The Loner | A Standalone You Love
Jessica Khoury’s sci-fi retelling of the tale of Anastasia, Last of Her Name, blew me out of the water with its lush writing and worldbuilding. Maybe I should read it again sometime.
The Overachiever | A Series That Shouldâve Ended After Book 1
As much as I love Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, I don’t know if Wayward Son was really necessary, as much as I hate to admit it. It just lacked that emotional punch that defined book 1, and now a third book is confirmed…dunno how to feel about that…
The Class Clown | A Book That Makes You Laugh
Without a doubt, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens. That book made me laugh like no other book I’d read before.
The Outcast | A Unique Fictional World Youâd Want To Visit
As mediocre as much of the book was, I must say, I’d definitely like to visit the Martian Exovet Cloister in Christian Schoon’s Zenn Scarlett. Certainly wouldn’t have any dull days while caring for weird alien critters.
The Nerd | An Author With the Best Writing
Neal Shusterman, without question. Not only is he incredibly clever in every little detail he creates, the writing is all at once heartrending and witty, beautiful and terrifying.
The Prom Queen | An Over-Hyped Book
I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again…Red Queen.  [whips out megaphone] IT’S JUST A SLOPPY LITTLE BALL OF OVERUSED TROPES, PEOPLE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE…
I promise that I didn’t choose this one because both it and the prompt have the word “queen” in them…no pun intended, I swear…[breaks into a nervous sweat]
The Drama Kids | A Protagonist Who Is Melodramatic
It’s been a while since I’ve read Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, but one of my distinct memories of why I DNF’d it was because of how whiny and entitled I found Elliot to be.
The Teacherâs Pet | Favorite Animal Sidekick
Again, I’m turning to the world of Marvel–specifically the world of mutants–because Lockheed is an absolute show-stealer who I must shower with love and appreciation.
Here’s Our Boyâ˘, shown with Kitty Pryde.
The Hipsters | A Book You Love That Isnât In Your Comfort Zone
I’m not an avid fan of neither novels in verse, nor historical fiction. Kip Wilson’s White Rose happens to be both, and I adored its poignant and tragic story.
Aaaand that just about wraps it up! I had so much fun doing this tag!
Today’s song:
I forgot about this song for years, and I just remembered its existence a few days ago. And what can I say except…[loud sobbing]
Have a lovely rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
After Ray Bradbury opened my eyes to the vast world that is older sci-fi, I began receiving more and more similar recommendations on Goodreads. This one, in particular, caught my eye–mostly because of the beautiful cover art, not gonna lie, but what I found inside its pages was so much more. Though dense at times, and not without its flaws, but an incredible feat of literature nonetheless.
Enjoy this week’s review!
Stranger in a Strange Land
Valentine Michael Smith is a newcomer to planet Earth, the famed Man from Mars that has recently captured the public imagination. Curious–and a bit afraid–of what this strange planet has in store for him, he ventures out into the vast world, with the help of  Jill, the nurse who broke him out of the hospital. The more Valentine learns, the more he realizes how different he truly is–though he looks like a human on the outside, he possesses powers far beyond human ability. Powers that could put his life–and the lives of those he holds dear–in jeopardy.
WHEW. Man, what a unique book!
The further you read, the more you realize the level of care that Heinlein put into this piece. Every detail, from the political ramifications of Valentine’s existence, to his native Martian customs, is so wonderfully complex. Of course, that did lend itself to an impressive amount of info-dumping, which made reading some portions of the book a bit of a headache, but hey, at least the guy’s taking the time to think all of this out.
Even almost 60 years on, much of the book still holds up. Definitely not all of it–we’ve still got a heady dose of problematic sexism and such peppered in, but hey, I wouldn’t exactly expect a white guy in the early sixties to be the wokest author on the market, not by a long shot. Not that this makes it okay, but I wasn’t exactly expecting a feminist work from this. But other than that, the writing, the lovely imagery, and the startlingly realistic public backlash to the very existence of the Man from Mars speaks to many of our issues regarding xenophobia today. Even the absolutely scathing commentary on organized religion found within the pages–I mean, the main branch of Christianity that’s evolved in this future world sounds like a religious version of a high school assembly–doesn’t seem far off from what could evolve in the near future.
And beyond that, I’ve always empathized with alien characters. I’ve felt like something of an outsider my whole life, and part of me felt such pain for poor Valentine. Mostly in the first half of the book, at any rate, but nonetheless.
All in all, a solid four and a half stars for me.Â
Before I go, here’s a fun fact: according to John O’Connell’s Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books that Changed David Bowie’s Life, there was almost an adaptation of Stranger in a Strange Land in the early seventies, with David Bowie as Valentine Michael Smith. And by Bowie, I mean ZIGGY ERA BOWIE.
ZIGGY ERA.
I WOULD’VE WATCHED THE EVER-LOVING HECK OUTTA THAT, LET ME TELL YOU…
aaaAAAaAAAaAAAAaaAAAAAAAA
Today’s song:
4:49–4:54: TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN A BIT JUST A WORD OF ADVICE
That just about wraps up this post! Have a lovely rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope you all had a great week đ
After last week’s lethargy, I’ve gotten back on track for my reading challenge of 250 books. (I’m at 18 so far) I crossed several books off of my TBR that’ve been there for a while, and plus, I won’t have to make any excuses for not yet reading Watchmen. (!!!) And speaking of which, I started watching the HBO adaptation of Watchmen, and I ADORE IT so far! I mean, I’m only 3 episodes, in, but…
After reading what’s been released of Green’s Smoke Thieves trilogy, I figured I’d delve farther into her works: namely, the Half Bad series, which I’ve seen get a lot of praise over the years. However, I personally found it a bit of a slog to get through. Green’s signature world-building and attention to detail was still present, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save the book.
God, I sound like a Chopped judge…
Sheesh, I haven’t watched this show in ages…
Enjoy this week’s review!
Half Bad (The Half Bad trilogy, #1)
In a modern, magical London, witches rule the streets. White witches watch over the populace, delivering justice with their healing magic, while the dark Black witches cause chaos.
For as long as he can remember, Nathan has been divided between two worlds. Born of a White witch mother and a Black witch father–and a notorious serial killer, at that–he is on the run from both sides, hunted for his divided identity. Perpetually on the run, he must grapple with his half-and-half identity–and stay alive.
Let’s start with the pros. As always, Green excels with her world-building, creating an intricate society and culture of Witches. The history was thoughtfully explained without much info-dumping. Unfortunately, that’s the one aspect of this novel that I truly liked, other than the descriptive (perhaps a bit too descriptive?) writing.
The plot was largely character-driven. While that isn’t always a negative thing, I wasn’t very attached to Nathan as he grew older. Sure, I felt a great deal of sympathy for the brutal abuse he suffers throughout the novel (that’s what I meant by “too descriptive”), but he didn’t have much of a personality, and I didn’t quite “feel” for him, and I didn’t feel for any of the characters. The side characters, speaking of which, were overtly expendable; they seemed to pass by in a blur, and you only saw them in groups for a good 100 pages or so before they disappeared completely.
But hey. Half Bad is Green’s debut novel. Everyone makes mistakes. Good thing is, she’s come so much closer to mastering her craft since then, producing such gems as the Smoke Thieves trilogy. All in all, I’d give Half Bad two stars. (DNF at about 76%.)
Half Bad is part of a trilogy, followed by Half Wild and Half Lost. There’s also two prequel spin-offs in the Half Bad universe, Half Lies and Half Truths.Â
Today’s song:
I couldn’t care less about this movie, but I must say, there’s some great stuff on this soundtrack! This, Soccer Mommy (“Feed”), and The Aubreys (“Getting Better [otherwise]”, Finn Wolfhard’s new band)…[happy indie rock noises]
That just about wraps up this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
The Bookish Mutant 