Love and Peaches

Love and Peaches
written by Jodi Lynn Anderson



Love and Peaches is just like the rest of the series--extremely slow paced, but with some good storylines here and there. It's not amazing, but not bad either. I feel like the characters reached their emotional growth potentials a long time ago, and a lot of this was just reaching, trying to stretch them as far as she could. I honestly think Jodi Lynn Anderson would have had a great book if she'd smushed all three books into one, making for a fast-paced, exciting, and dramatic read. For once, it was Birdie's story that I found extremely boring. She was previously the one character whose story I liked. This time around, both Murphy and surprisingly, Leeda, were the interesting ones. Murphy's doing the same old Murphy thing, so her ending was pretty much the greatest thing ever. Leeda actually did grow as a character for once, or maybe it was in her all along, but it was great to see a mature Leeda who cared about something other than herself. I do thank Anderson for caring enough about her characters and readers to put in a sweet little epilogue.

Rating: 3.5/5

3 Willows

3 Willows
written by Ann Brashares



I have mixed feelings on 3 Willows. One one hand, while intended to be extremely obvious, the willow metaphor that extended through the whole book was amazing. The story itself is pretty great on its own, but coming from the Sisterhood author, it's a little...cheap. Some of it just feels like a rip-off, and while the references to the Sisterhood itself are pretty cool, they also do seem like a marketing ploy. Anyways, it was interesting to see the three characters grow and develop. I started out really liking Ama over the other two, but as the book progressed, Ama's character seemed to mold into a stereotypical teen instead of a unique kid, and strangely enough, it was Polly whose story unexpectedly grabbed my attention. Not once while reading did I enjoy Jo's story or attitude. 3 Willows employs quite a few of those really overdone situations (random fling=the guy you'll see in 5 minutes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, etc.) but there is some sparse new-ness you could find if you dug deeper. I recommend this book to younger teens, particularly those who haven't read Sisterhood. Unfortunately, it's Ann Brashares most devout followers of the Sisterhood series that *did* get into this book, and to us, it's Sisterhood v2.0, the lame version.

Rating: 2.5/5

The Undomestic Goddess

The Undomestic Goddess
written by Sophie Kinsella



From the beginning, it's easy to detect your standard Kinsella novel. A successful woman finds herself facing some unexpected change. She falls in love, some bad event happens, they break up, and then a few chapters later, everything's peachy. Now ordinarily, Kinsella puts enough personality into the book that makes it okay, but I don't know, something was just lacking in this one. I felt like some of the characters had great potential, but were ignored, like Freya or Sam's breakdown brother, Peter. There were parts that were so predictable that it got, quite frankly, boring. It's an interesting idea, but everyone knew how it would turn out, and all the flip-flopping in the end was absolutely unnecessary. There was just too much lacking in this book, plotwise, characterwise, just overall, for it to have been a truly enjoyable read.

Rating: 2.5/5

Not actually related to books, but...

Hey everyone,
No review with this post, just wanted to take a moment to post about the museum's awesome new blog:
http://virginiadiscoverymuseum.blogspot.com/

Check it out when you get the chance, and I'll have a review up later today :)

The Midnighters Trilogy

The Midnighters Trilogy
written by Scott Westerfeld

The Secret Hour



Scott Westerfeld comes up with a fascinating new world in his Midnighters series. It's a brilliant concept to begin with, and one that only Westerfeld could ever have come up with. The book begins with an ordinary girl, and as she learns of her new life in the "secret hour", so do the readers along with her, providing a unique and relatable point of view. While the first novel of the series sets up for an amazing plot to come, on its own, it's nothing special. The writing, particularly the descriptive portions, is at times sloppy and weak, and too much of the focus is put on Jessica (although you do get to know and love all of the other characters as well). Nevertheless, it's worth working your way through, if only for the fact that the next two books will blow your mind.

Rating: 3.5/5

Touching Darkness



Touching Darkness significantly advances the plot from where The Secret Hour left off. All of the characters' stories are told in much more depth, and they are all developed as characters, particularly Melissa, Rex, and Dess, where we mostly only got Jessica in the first book. There is, amidst all the character development, plenty of significant plot development going on, although as a bridge between the first and the last, it does get a little dull sometimes. The dullness, however, is necessary to build up to the stunning conclusion delivered in Blue Noon. I really noticed in reading this particular one the differences between other book series and the Midnighters series. It's not very clear cut at all, it's not one good guy vs. one bad guy. The books introduce a whole new dynamic of a group of kids battling not only their inner demons, but a TIME, an hour, making for a fantastic story. Touching Darkness continues with the series stupendous suspensefulness and plenty of plot-twists everywhere.

Rating: 5/5

Blue Noon



Now here is a man who knows how to end a series with a bang, quite literally. While some of the incessant recapping gets to be incredibly annoying, the plot is moved along really well. You know the characters now, so the things they do make more sense, although Rex & Melissa, v. 2.0's characters are still gradually being advanced. Much like Breaking Dawn, I love how the focus is on logic vs. 'let's go kill things!' Things are thought out, plans are made, and it all involves actually thought and regard for history instead of running into battle, killing things left and right with no clear cut plans whatsoever. Those books just annoy me. Way to bring thinkers into your books, Westerfeld! Loose ends are tied up, and the story is brought to a bittersweet, open-ended close, bringing things full circle. I found myself thinking multiple times of the series as a whole. What if it had been five books, one per character, instead of just the trilogy? Will we ever get a short story or another book even for what happens afterward? My only complaint, in the end, is that we never got to learn much about Jonathan's life, why he thinks the way he thinks, what his home life is like. Not much at all. Nevertheless, it is a mostly satisfying conclusion that I think everyone was happy with.

Rating: 5/5

Final thoughts:
The Secret Hour is for exposition, Touching Darkness is for character, Blue Noon is for plot. I advise you to read them all for a full helping of amazing storytelling.

Same Difference

Same Difference
written by Siobhan Vivian



I started out completely disliking this book. The main character came off as completely shallow, describing and judging peoples' clothing obnoxiously, discussing her rich kid life as if it was no big deal. It was only later that I found out that the book is designed to make you hate her, and in a way, to make her hate herself, setting up for all the big changes she goes through. One thing that struck me from the beginning was the setting--an art camp. I believe I've read other books set at art camps, but this is the first that actually describes their exercises and not just life at camp. It's written in a way that both experienced artists and complete novices would understand what is going on in her art world. It's just incredibly unique as a book. The characters, too, are extremely three dimensional. I have jotted down in my notes "Fiona would have been a good main character", but going back, I don't know, I kind of feel like she already was. The book was more about her than anything, and I love that. This is why I was disappointed by the ending, where Fiona, the character that so much revolved around, got no resolution whatsoever. The book clearly has its ups and downs, but overall, it's one worth picking up.

Rating: 4/5

The Secret of Platform 13

The Secret of Platform 13
written by Eva Ibbotson



The Secret of Platform 13 is the book everyone reads once they've finished Harry Potter and are dying for more. I first read it in a 4th grade book club, complete with brownies and all, in which I thought it was a good read, but entirely too forgettable. I still do think that Which Witch? is Ibbotson's best work by far, but this story is an engaging one as well. I could go on and on with the plentiful and slightly obvious Harry Potter parallels, so I'll spare you for now. I recommend this quirky read for children, but with slight caution. The description gets heavy at times. There is almost no in-depth characterization, with a large cast of characters that can get confusing. Worst of all, though, is the extreme predictability. The other things are minor aspects, they are obstacles that are easy to get past. It's just slightly disappointing to see that what you thought would happen from the very begin, does end up happening, no twists or anything to make it even the slightest bit more interesting than you thought it would be. This isn't to say that it's not a good read, or a boring one, just that there are minor things that might get irritating.

Rating: 3.5/5

What's Your Story: The Postcard Collection

currently reading: Such a Pretty Girl
want to read: Jaclyn Moriarty's just-finished new ghost story! But, y'know, it has to be edited and published and all that. *sigh*
reading next: Touching Darkness

What's Your Story: The Postcard Collection
contributions from various authors, Waterstone's workers, and Waterstone's customers.



While the What's Your Story? collection is a great collection of stories, I doubt many people actually used the stories as postcards. I would imagine most bought their copies for the same reason I did--J.K. Rowling's little HP-Prequel-That-Isn't. While I enjoyed the stories, I have to say, my enjoyment was severely limited by some of the authors' atrocious handwriting (YES, JKR, I am looking at you!). If you're going to write a widely-hyped story, make it legible, won't you? I was highly surprised by some of the other stories. Rowling's was great, but so was say, Lauren Child's. I'm not familiar with any of her other work, but her mini "story" was adorable, and a postcard that one could easily see themselves sending. Most amazing of all, dare I say more amazing than Rowling's Marauderlicious tale, were the Waterstone's employee/customer submitted ones. While the others were good stories, these were the ones that really had me laughing and crying and rolling madly on the floor.

Rating: 4/5

There's No Place Like Here

There's no Place Like Here
written by Cecelia Ahern



I regret to say that I received this book two years ago and just now managed to actually read it. It was my first ARC and I put it aside and it sat at the very bottom of my TBR pile for the longest time. Until this time of year, when I've been trying desperately to get everything out of that box and I finally decided to give this seemingly thick, impossible-to-get-through book a shot. Boy, do I hate myself for waiting so long to read such a literary work of genius. Remember in your school days, when teachers always told you to "show, not tell"? Cecelia Ahern does this, and does it flawlessly, with writing that is not at all awkward like much "good" writing seems to be, nor is it childish. Everything flows. All the words fit together as if they were each handpicked to play the part they are assigned. Coupled together with crazy good characterization, a plot as unique and captivating as they get, this contemporary fantasy should be a must-read for anyone considering themselves a true reader. As long as it is, I got through this book in one long sitting, absolutely refusing to put it down. Cecelia Ahern is the literary genius I have been searching for.

Rating: 5/5

I Was a Teenage Fairy

I Was a Teenage Fairy
written by Francesca Lia Block



Getting into I Was a Teenage Fairy was a hard task. At the very beginning, the reader is suffocated by a mass of description and plunged right into a confusing, out-of-focus, plot. Soon, though, the haze clears out and a message begins to form. You'll find yourself wondering pretty existential questions throughout this read. Who--or what--is Mab? Is she a figment of Barbie's imagination? Is she Barbie herself? Is she supposed to symbolize all or none of us at all? While there doesn't seem to be much other than a rough outline of a plot in this book, it's still an enjoyable read--far better than Block's Weetzie Bat series. It's still filled with the same kind of hazy wording, but there appears to actually have a point, while Weetzie really didn't. There is a point to the stories that are being told, and it is a hauntingly poignant one.

Rating: 4/5