Asylum by Madeleine Roux

1 Star

I'm not sure if I can give this book a full rating, seeing as I only got about 50% through before deciding I wouldn't waste another second of my life on this story.

(From 53% through)

Maybe liked PG-13

Language: PG-13 (Uses of d*mn, sh*t, h*ll)

Sex: PG (One character asks another "Did you get any?" in reference to a date)

Violence: PG (I don't know. I guess things happened at the asylum)

Drugs/Alcohol: G

     I found this book at Goodwill and picked it up because, hey, I heard people liked it. Now I know that it was at Goodwill for a very good reason. This is a story about 16 year old Dan Crawford who gets to go to this program for smart kids as they take college classes for 5 weeks. The hitch though is that the kids are housed in an old mental asylum that the college is converting into a dorm. Shenanigans ensue. 

     Usually, I'm very good at reading books until the very end, even if they're terribly hard to get in to. I rarely ever DON'T finish books. I didn't get into Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children until about 120 pages in, but I persevered because I happened to like the characters and I knew it was going somewhere. I could tell from the very first page. However with this book, I disliked it from the very beginning. The book felt like it just wasn't going anywhere. I can't exactly put my finger on why I felt this way, but I just know that I didn't remotely care about where the characters were going and what was going to happen to them.

     I came into this book expecting to read something with a real YA flair. I expected the writing to be more engaging and thoughtful, but instead I got a book that sounded like it was written by twelve-year-olds. These characters are supposed to be the smartest kids in their school year as they prepare to go off to college. Instead, they sounded juvenile. I just wanted to shake them. The writing style came off as boring. It didn't take a lot of thinking. I found my eyes glazing over before I would lose my place. (Then I would just think, oh well. There's literally nothing I'll miss, before going on to the next page).

     From the very start there was not one single character I cared about. Dan was literally the most boring character I've ever read in my life. His friends Abby and what's-his-face weren't much better. (What's-his-face is Jordan. I just looked it up). They're so bad that I forget their names. I feel like there was something that made Dan different from everyone else, but I can't remember for the life of me what that something was. If you don't constantly remind the reader what it is that makes your character tick, they're going to forget it and move on and the character's just going to become Joe Average without any sense of humor or any drive. What makes a good book is having a character that has a goal in mind to achieve. Dan had nothing.

     The plot wasn't good either. It dragged. And it dragged. And it dragged. The author tried to weave mysteries into the chapters and tried to end them on cliffhangers, but honestly...I didn't care. It wasn't engaging enough. It didn't feel real to me. It didn't feel like something that could be going on with real people in real places. There was this whole scene with the Three Musketeers sneaking into a locked office and finding all these old pictures. They were supposed to be creepy. They weren't. Then there was this whole thing with the serial killer which I guess we were supposed to care about. I didn't. And just to add to the mystery, Abby's aunt may or may not have been a resident there. Ooooo. Still don't care. 

     Not to mention that the old pictures through out the book had absolutely nothing to do with anything happening in the chapters. 

     I honestly don't have much more to rant about. I only read through it halfway and I already forget half of what happened, so we'll just end this review here.

*Check out my other reviews --> here <--
*Sign up to receive notifications when I post more reviews!

adjö,

lauren

The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

4 Stars

*Adorable Wyverns named Osbert ahead*

Book Rating: PG

Language: G

Sex: PG (There's an instance where a man is trying to grope the main character. Multiple innuendos by one character-Jasper-towards Clara. Often speaks of "taking her to bed," "making a dishonest woman out of her")

Violence: PG (Caravans are burned down. A horse breaks his leg and is shot. Two other people are shot. A man is physically aggressive towards his wife and son).

Drugs/Alcohol: G 

     Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a good book with unique historical premises. I succumbed to the story in this book as would be expected. The story follows Clara, her sister Maren the Mermaid, and childhood friend O'Niell. When Maren begins to change, slowly craving salt water more and more, legs slowly fusing together into a tail, Clara and Auntie Verity know Maren must reach the ocean quickly or else she will die. O'Niell and Clara decide to make the journey through the late-1800's east coast to the sea to save Clara's sister.

     I'll get the bad part out of the way first. The reason I'm giving this book four stars is because it was difficult to get into. It was a lot of character and world building without much action. I didn't REALLY start reading until the halfway point. There wasn't much action to get you hooked, but I think that might be the point of the book. It was slow, but more realistic of what could happen to ordinary (or in Maren's case, not so ordinary) people.

     There are so many things I loved about this book, from the late-1800's Appalachian vibes to the unique characterizations thrown in with some mythology. I'm constantly on the search for books that take place in an interesting time of history. Most cover the Victorian Era or World War II (which I love, by the way), so my interest was definitely piqued when the history came from a small mountain town somewhere on the east coast close to the turn of the century, complete with traveling entertainment and caravans with Gypsies and exaggerating salesmen. It was everything I wanted to read about but was never able to find. I loved how one half of the family (Scarff and O'Niell) traveled around all year in a caravan selling their wares only to come home to the mountain for one week every year.

     Not only was the backdrop for the story enchanting, but so were each of the characters. Even the "bad guys." I loved Auntie Verity and Scarff. Both were quirky and clearly in love. The story they told Clara, O'Niell, and Maren of how they came to them by Stork, apple tree, and seashell was enchanting in and of itself. Any child would fall in love with the wonderment of it all. Not to mention the family's pet Wyvern Osbert who is more like a big dog than a dragon. (I mean, he likes to swim around in the fountain in the yard like a cute little dragon puppy).

     The three children (well, teenagers) Clara, Maren, and O'Niell were each unique. I've found that sometimes it's easy for authors to fall into the rut of making every single secondary character extremely well-rounded and interesting but failing to do the same for their main character. This was not the case for Carrie Anne Noble. Clara had a clear sense of her emotions and had just enough spunk to make her feel like a believable teenage girl living up in the mountains in late-1800's America. I really found myself enjoying the voice she had throughout the novel. I believed her despair as she watched her sister slowly disappear day by day and struggle with her love for O'Niell as she watched his obvious affection for Maren. She would undoubtedly be someone I would befriend in real life.

     O'Niell was just as charismatic, if not more. He was sarcastic and witty, yet brave and noble at the same time. Being Scarff's adopted son and traveling around in a caravan selling wares his entire life, he picked up some things along the way. I loved how dramatic he was. He was constantly putting on magic shows for Clara and Maren and constantly entertaining them with his theatrics as he told them stories of his adventures with Scarff.

     As you reach the halfway point in the book, we meet Soraya, Dr. Phipps, and Jasper again. By far, Jasper was the one who made me think the most. He was interesting...a little complex. He was flirtatious and likable, but every once in awhile you would see this dark side that he kept well hidden. Even when he's being kind, I always got this creepy crawly feeling. He was well written. I won't spoil anything, but he really kept me reading.

     On top of the excellent characterization, the writing style was poised and elegant. I'd almost compare it to Maggie Stiefvater's in The Raven Boys just a little more personal in a strange way. It had a lot more emotion is each sentence. But first person always feels more personal anyway.

     Ultimately, this is a book about friendship and family and when faced with adversity, what one would do to save the person they love most in the world.

"There is no word for the emotion between pity and love, or for the one between longing and sorrow. Just as words cannot describe what I feel right now, something between envy and shame, and between compassion and disappointment."

*Go check out my other reviews --> here <---

*Sign up to receive notifications when I post more reviews!

adjö,

lauren

That Boy by Jillian Dodd

JJ REYNOLDS IS THE LITERAL WORST

1.5 Stars

Book Rating: PG-13

Language: PG-13 (Multiple uses of sh*t, one f*ck, multiple d*mn, h*ll)

Sex: PG-13 (Things get pretty steamy on several occasions between the characters. No actual descriptions of the "act," just a lot of making out)

Violence: PG (one guy gets a black eye. There's a pretty traumatic car crash that we don't actually witness as the reader but we're there for the aftermath)

Drugs/Alcohol: PG-13 (Tons of underage drinking. I'm wondering if that's all these kids do. Lots of talk of getting completely hammered and the main character talks about getting drunk and being taken advantage of by a boy)

     This book follows the journey of JJ (Jadyn) Reynolds from fourth grade into adulthood. I thought this was an interesting premise because you don't usually find 300 page books that cover such a huge span of time.

     You know, I enjoyed the plot of this book. It was a quick read and had an interesting storyline, as in following a main character for twelve years. The writing was simple which I hope will get me out of my reading rut and into reading something more complex. I liked watching the three main characters grow up together. I thought it was an interesting dynamic. 

     The real downer for me in his book was that JJ was the most immature, whiny, arrogant, entitled little worm. I like her POV's when she was in elementary school through ninth grade because the things she thought and how she spoke were absolutely believable. I could see myself in her 7th grade POV. But as she gets older, I don't see her mature at all. She's snotty and bratty and her only thoughts are about how she's going to get drunk this weekend and hook up with this guy because he's a total smoke show. She just didn't have any depth. The only time I was able to see her as a real human being was when she was out playing football with Danny and Phillip and when she was crying on her parents' bed. She was just SO shallow. She's got a new guy every month, makes out with whoever she likes...I just....She was always talking about how she would never be one of those girls who always croons over the boys and how hot they are, BUT THAT'S LITERALLY ALL SHE DOES. 

     Honestly, the downside to this book was just JJ and the writing (SO BAD, SO JUVENILE) which would amount to JJ's thoughts. So really JJ was the only thing to drag this book down into the depths of Hell. 

     I was okay with both our secondary main characters, Danny and Phillip. Both had different personalities that really made the book a lot easier to read. But they were both just f-boys. I loved the relationship the three of them had together and how easy their relationship was. Danny was the football star, playboy, sweet, devious one and Phillip was the smart, caring, grounding, think-before-you-act one. Both of their dynamics with JJ were interesting. (Lol. If only I liked her). 

     I can say though, this author really knows how to write chemistry. I mean, Danny and JJ's chemistry was through the roof. Like those two were like actual electricity together. I loved reading their chapters. I feel like JJ was more believable and human as well when she's with Danny. I feel like if she was hanging out with him throughout the book, I would like her better. (Now if only the writing were better and JJ didn't sound like a 12 year old 24/7).

     There is one thing that REALLY bothered me about this book though. I felt like, especially in the college years, things started getting a little uncomfortable to read. JJ would go on and on about getting drunk and finding someone to take advantage of her. There was this one line which really disturbed me. I don't know if the author is just uneducated on how these things may sound to people who are very aware of how rape culture works nowadays but she turned this line into something JJ found "sexy."

"You know I haven't quite figured out if I should attack you or go into business with you." 

     This is said while at a college party where things are getting pretty heated between JJ and an older student. They're drinking. She's already pretty intoxicated and girls are being told that they're worth nothing if they don't get down and dirty with one of the boys at the party. It just rubbed me the wrong way. A lot of what JJ said rubbed me the wrong way as she talked about hoping to get taken advantage of and "going up to his room where he could have his way with me." I don't know. I feel like it was just classless with no concern for people that have actually gone through this and experienced something where someone just "had their way" with them.

     If you want a quick read with not much substance, this is the book for you. If you're not a fan of that, move on to bigger and better things. I know I will.

     "I sigh big." (pg. 208) <---A clear example of the terrible writing

*Go check out my other reviews ---> here <---
*Sign up to receive notifications when I post more reviews!

adjö,

lauren

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

5 Stars

Book Rating: PG-13

Violence: PG-13 (This is a really dark story. Some of the violence was very descriptive as the Soviet Union punished the Lithuanians. It's not a great book if you're queasy when it comes to violence)

Language: PG (Mild language)

Sex: PG/PG-13 (There is no sex described in this book. However, because of how the Lithuanians were treated, there are allusions. One woman sells herself to the soldiers in order to feed herself and her child. One soldier gropes a teenager when she undresses to shower...)

Drugs/Alcohol: G 

     This book was heartbreaking. I don't know any other way to describe it. This was eye-opening to the troubles of the Eastern-European countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia during WWII. When thinking of the war, I automatically think of Hitler, Stalin, and the mass genocide of the Jewish people. I never realized that Eastern-Europeans faced a genocide of their own by the Soviet Union.

     The story follows fifteen-year-old Lina Vilkas, her brother Jonas, and her mother who are taken from their middle-class home late at night by the NKVD which was the Soviet secret police. From Lithuania they are taken to a beet farm in Siberia by cattle train where they are forced to stand together in a crowded space for days on end. 

     The thing about this story is that it was totally and completely about the suffering of this family and the people around them. There were several points throughout the book when I had to sit back for awhile and put it down. There was one thing after another as Lina recounted what had happened to her and her family. The thing about suffering is that sometimes it just brings you down to a place of darkness and you need a moment to collect yourself enough to continue on. I wish I had the adequate words to describe how this book made me feel. I felt shocked as I read about this part of history that had never been introduced to me. I felt sadness for Lina as she watched as those around her withered and died. There was an ache in my chest as the book came to an end as I realized what these characters had been through in 320 pages. 

     There were strong characters throughout, but the one who carried the story was Lina's mother, Elena. I have never read a book where I was completely captured by the mother figure. Elena proved what being a parent was all about: Constant sacrifice. Even in the face of so much adversity, Elena constantly reassured their children that their father would come for them, that they would all get out as long as they stuck together. When food was scarce and Jonas was sick, Elena would sacrifice her rations for him until she was nothing more than a walking corpse. I admire her beyond words.

     It's difficult to find a book that speaks to me on so many different levels. Each individual character went through a transformation during their year and half through the novel. Each one was changed. Some characters, villainous in the beginning were seen to possess kindness and understanding that was only seen in glimmers through their hard outer shells. This book really emphasizes that not all people are as they seem. Good people on the outside can have darkness on the inside and people who seem dark and ugly on the outside can be the ones to help others survive due to good deeds done with low whispers and serious faces.

     I read Salt to the Sea late last year and thought it was such a monumental novel that was able to express a side of the war I hadn't learned about in a deep and impactful way. Between Shades of Gray has done the exact same thing. It is inspiring and a book every person should read to fully understand what we have always been fighting for: the basic human right of freedom.

*Go check out my other reviews ---> here <---

*Sign up to receive notifications when I post more reviews! 

adjö,

lauren

I'm SO Bad at Blogging

I have not time for anything apparently. Maybe it's just because of all the English essays I have to write in college. It's so much writing all the time and I feel overwhelmed with the whole process. 

Isn't it funny how I can love actual writing, like I can write three whole books, but I come up blank when I even begin to think of writing an academic essay? Ugh. 

Honestly, this is just a filler to make it look like I'm not a total failure at this whole thing. So here, enjoy this picture of my dog.

NaNoWriMo Participation

Fun fact, I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo this year! I honestly don't know what I'm doing. All I know is that I have to crank out 50,000 words by the end of November. Yikes.

I already have a good start and I'm hoping this writer's block will go away and I'll actually be able to write and put away Netflix. (Though I'm right in the middle of the Vampire Diaries and the angst is killing me). I have no idea how I'm going to find time to actually write, (and get the proper motivation), but I'll try. That's all that matters, right?

I'm subscribed to several booktubers that are participating this year. Kat O'Keefe in particular really inspired me to try. She's always so excited about it, every single year, and that inspires me to pick up my pen and start another book. I've already written two full books, so if I'm able to connect with my characters and the story line, I'm sure I'll figure it out. 

Does anyone have any NaNoWriMo advice or stories for a first-timer like me?

Happy writing!

Judgment Day: E-Book Edition

     There are two types of people in this world. Those who hate e-books, and those who love them. I have, for the most part been on the side of highly disliking them, not hating them, but very close to. My reasons? Well, the reasons were simple. I just happened to like real books better. Many book lovers, such as myself, have a deep loathing for e-books. Many of those reasons are that we all think that real books are better. Period. The end. End of discussion. 

     My arguments are always the same. There's nothing better than holding a REAL book in your lap. For me, I like to see how far I've come in the book, how big of a chunk I read in one sitting. It's a form of pride for me. I like to see how much I read, how far I came in a book in just the span of a day. I guess it's just that competitive streak in me. I won't say I'm proud. ;) I also like the weight of a book. It feels like you're holding something of substance in your hands. There's the smell, (I especially love used books), the texture, and when you hold a book in front of your nose instead of a Kindle, Nook, or iPad, it looks like you're doing something intellectual and worth-while. And let me not forget to mention the BEAUTIFUL covers such as those from Clockwork Princess, Islands of the Blessed, and Tiger Lily.

        Now e-books on the other hand, people tend to argue that you can carry thousands of books in your pocket and you don't have to worry about how much space you left in your bag for you to fit all your gargantuan books. (I'm looking at you mom). I see the point in that, but an e-book isn't as impressive as seeing all your books lined up on your shelves. I take pride in making my bookshelves look endearing and I can spend hours just looking at it and admiring my handiwork. I recently installed the Kindle app on my iPad. I'm not going to say that I totally hate e-book form now. I've gotten loads of free books from BookBub and some are actually very good. I recently just downloaded Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds for only .99 cents.

     Yes, I'm reading a book off my Kindle app right now. Yes, in some ways I find it beneficial, and yes, I intend to buy the books I enjoy from e-book edition in a hard copy. I don't think that e-books are the spawn of the devil, but I do take issue that they're replacing regular books and that they could potentially be the only kind of books we'll be able to get in the near future. 

    So, with that being said, who wants to open a bookstore with me?

     ~Lauren