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With the lack of schoolwork over spring break, I was finally able to read again! I finished 7 books in the course of the week. I was a little disappointed in some of them, so I only ended up with one 5-star review, but I still enjoyed myself nonetheless.
Tiny Dancer by Siena Cherson Siegel: ⭐⭐⭐
A friend recommended this graphic novel to me. I enjoyed it, and I thought the illustrations were quite nice. However, I felt like the plot was somewhat generic. It seemed as though it was intended for younger audiences. Overall, I would give Tiny Dancer 3 stars.
Someday We’ll Find It by Jennifer Wilson: ⭐⭐
I was deceived by the wonderful cover of this book. The art is gorgeous and the color scheme is lovely. However, I was quite frustrated with the main character throughout this whole book. She seemed so much younger than her age and was very oblivious to the tendencies of her somewhat-abusive boyfriend and her absent mother. The writing was very rudimentary and lacked a personal style. I also felt like the summary of “wanting to get out of a small town” was very misleading, because the book had very little about that at all. Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy Someday We’ll Find It.
Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spin the Dawn, the first book in this series was wonderful, and Unravel the Dusk only got better. The stakes were definitely higher than in the previous book, and it was significantly darker, which made me even more invested. I absolutely ached for the main character and her development. The romance was gorgeous, as usual, even though it only really came into play halfway through the book. I thought that the pace was a little too fast, and it might have benefitted from an extra 30 pages to expand upon the ending fight scenes. However, it was refreshing to not be slogging through something introspective, so this isn’t much of a problem for me.
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved the first book in this series, Six Crimson Cranes, and The Dragon’s Promise did not disappoint! The romance was so cute and I adore the main character, Shiori. Lim does an excellent job of making Shiori seem real, and have relatable flaws. I also thought it was a neat choice to bring in a character from Lim’s other series, Spin the Dawn. The character had mentioned in that book that he had met Shiori once, so it was a fun tie-in to Lim’s other works. My only complaint about this book is that the plot got a little repetitive in the first 150 pages, so other than that, it was great! I would definitely recommend finishing the series if you started it.
a lite too bright by Samuel Miller: ⭐⭐⭐
This book had a very creative premise. I liked the journey of discovery as the main plot point. The author did a great job of developing the atmosphere and mood, especially on the train. There were several pieces to the ending, and it was interesting to see how it all turned out. However, I felt like the rest of the plot was all over the place. The side plot about the anarchist group didn’t seem super necessary since it didn’t tie into the ending. It just made it more confusing. Also, I felt like the main character was sort of a terrible person, so it was a little hard to root for him. He didn’t really grow over the course of the novel either, as the summary seemed to advertise that he would. Overall, it was decent and I liked the premise, but I had a few issues with a lite too bright.
Matched by Ally Condie: ⭐
I read this book when I was in 3rd grade, and I did not understand it at all, so I decided to give it another go. It’s one of the unfortunate post-Divergent YA dystopias that includes some or all of the following: a generic “society” that seems perfect on the outside but actually is deeply flawed, a “not like the other girls” protagonist, a bland love interest (blond) contrasted with an interesting love interest (dark-haired), and people being denied some form of basic expression. The premise is so horribly uncreative that I’m surprised I managed to make it through. Cassia’s inner monologue sounds like the TikTok recreation of the soon-to-be-dead mother in every coming-of-age film. Overall, this book was not good.
In The Serpent’s Wake: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was very excited to read this book after Tess of the Road, one of my all-time favorites. Though it was enjoyable, In The Serpent’s Wake was not quite as good as the first. I thought it tried to introduce too many new elements along the journey and so it was a little bit confusing. I think the middle part needed condensed to give more space for the impact of the ending. However, it still had the same hard-hitting emotional beats as the first, and despite my confusion, the ending made me tear up. This series is lovely and I’m so glad I got my hands on the sequel.
