Thanks so much Midas PR for a copy of both Furyborn and Kingsbane!
In a way I'm glad I missed reading Furyborn when it initially came out. It just meaThanks so much Midas PR for a copy of both Furyborn and Kingsbane!
In a way I'm glad I missed reading Furyborn when it initially came out. It just means I got to read it and Kingsbane back to back. Unfortunately, now it means I have to wait an agonizingly long time for the third book.
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So, what can I say about this wonderful book? Claire Legrand has a beautiful way with words. Every page is gorgeous. Every chapter meaningful. I loved it.
It was impossible to read Kingsbane slowly. The story picks up from book one seamlessly, and keeps the same high quality characters and tight intense story telling.
I've mentioned it before, but I prefer books written in third person rather than first person. Recently a lot of the fantasy novels I've read have been in first person so getting such a wonderful book from my favourite POV was just what I needed.
We not only get the standard Rielle and Eliana chapters from Furyborn, but we also got a handful of chapters from the perspective of the other characters. Most notably Simon and Corien.
The character development? Perfect. We see Rielle slowly becoming more and more unhinged and Eliana accepting her fate as we delve deeper into this story. Since we technically know how Rielle's story ends, this is more about the journey getting there than finding out what happens at the end. But who knows? There's still one more book so anything can happen!
I was sold on this book the moment I saw the cover. It's magical, ethereal, straight up This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
I was sold on this book the moment I saw the cover. It's magical, ethereal, straight up gorgeous.
And then I found out it was about time travel and I was extra sold. I don't even know how many times I've shouted into the void about my love for time travel, but I do know that I will never get tired of stumbling upon new time travel stories.
This isn't the sort of time travel book where there's a lot of sci-fi elements alongside the time hopping. There's no fancy time machine, no spaceships, no futuristic aliens. At times, it reads like a contemporary novel following Hallie's journey in Paris working at Millie's bar. But then, just like Hallie, you get ripped from the present and thrust into a new time, forced to navigate the era.
Each time period had a different vibe matching the atmosphere. Each one better than the one before it. And that first chapter. What a great opening!
However, I do wish we got to see more of the future from the first chapter where the world is literally ending. It felt so desperate and hopeless.
Hallie was a great choice for a main character. She lost her way in life and Paris (time travel and all) really set her on the right track to finding herself.
Being set in Paris, there was of course French scattered throughout the book. It definitely made me work hard recalling my six years of mandatory Canadian French classes to work!
Overall: fantastic plot, fantastic characters, and fantastic time travel. Paris Adrift is a unique and worthy addition to the time travel genre!
Thanks so much to Rebellion Publishing for providing me with a review copy; and be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
How to Stop Time is a book that is going to be talked about for a while. It made headlinThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
How to Stop Time is a book that is going to be talked about for a while. It made headlines when Benedict Cumberbatch signed on to star in the movie adaptation before the book had even been released.
After reading the description and seeing it virtually everywhere, of course I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Tom is old. He looks forty but is actually more than four hundred. He's part of a small group of people who age about fifteen times slower than the average human. But being blessed with a long life is more of a curse than a gift — you are guaranteed to lose all that matters to you and falling in love is the ultimate rule you can't break.
The plot is told through two stories: present day London following Tom as he starts his new job as a history teacher, and multiple snapshots of Tom's past where we get to see famous moments in history like the plague, Shakespeare, and 1920s Paris.
It's a wonderful novel; surprisingly short, but captivating nonetheless. I can see why the film rights were snatched up before the book hit the shelves!
How to Stop Time is type of book that stays with you days after you've finished reading it.
Thanks to Canongate Books for a copy through NetGalley.
I've said it before: my weakness is stories that mess with time. The Other Us definitelyThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
I've said it before: my weakness is stories that mess with time. The Other Us definitely isn't as timey-wimey as that Star Trek episode "Tapestry", but it fits the bill just right when it comes to a light paradoxical story.
Forty-six year old Maggie is unhappy. Her daughter left home for university. Her marriage to Dan is stale. And she keeps wondering what would have happened if she ran away with her old university flame Jude on the night Dan proposed.
"What ifs" hi-jack her thoughts. Would her life have been any different? Would her life have been any happier?
Except.. one morning, she wakes up and she's no longer forty-six. She's in her twenty-one year old body.
The Other Us follows Maggie's life as she's thrust between two splintered timelines: an alternate life with Dan, and an alternate life where she ran off with Jude. We see how her decisions affect the course her life should have taken and the consequences that follow in these two new realities.
I found myself flip flopping between which of Maggie's lives was the better one. Both had positives and both had flaws. About halfway through, I just figured why not both?
Maggie was a good main character who managed to hold it together (for the most part) during her jumps in the alternate timelines. She wasn't perfect — definitely a bit petty — but it was great to see her grow up and learn from her past mistakes as she relived them over again.
The ending could not have been better! It was the closure Maggie (and I!) needed after being flung back and forth so many times.
I received an advance reading copy for the blog tour. It's out in UK stores now so pick up your copy for a wonderful weekend read! (Book Depository / Amazon Canada / Amazon UK)...more
Who's the bad guy? That's the question on everyone's mind when flipping through th3.5/5 - This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books
Who's the bad guy? That's the question on everyone's mind when flipping through thrillers. Sometimes, the answer is so painfully obvious it's embarrassing, and other times you're guessing until the final word. Thankfully, I See You fell into the latter. I was 100% convinced it was Person X and I don't think I've ever been happier to have been wrong.
I See You is a novel you can breeze through easily in an afternoon. The first chapters were a bit on the rough side with too many unnecessary tangents from main character Zoe's point of view. However, that may have been intentional. Zoe wasn't supposed to be exciting. She was supposed to be a mundane, dull, average woman going about her day-to-day life. It was when Zoe got thrust out of her comfortable world into a whirlwind of panic that the story began to shine.
We get introduced to Kelly, the police officer investigating Zoe's case, and she steals the story. In fact, I wish we had a few extra chapters with Kelly as the focus as she felt a much stronger character than Zoe; Kelly's chapters had a bit more substance and mystery. She was a tough character with a complicated past that seeped into her present.
I'm not a fan of dual-POVs where the characters aren't narrated in the same POV—Zoe's chapters were in first person and Kelly's in third person. For me, I would have enjoyed the story more if both characters were in third person. Zoe's internal thinkings slowed the book down, making it a bit monotonous in a few areas where the tension could have been ramped up.
However, with that said, the tension is fantastic! It built up without me noticing, and I had to take a small break when when my knuckles turned white from clutching my book too hard. After a few cups of much needed tea, I finished the book in one go for a superb finale!
Maybe you're all better at guessing who culprits are, but I'm SO happy I didn't figure it out. That killer twist in the last chapter made it all worthwhile.
One of my most anticipated books for 2017, Flame in the Mist did not let me down!
Mariko is the daughter of a famous samurai and is about to be married to a prince. On the way, her convoy is viciously attacked by bandit group the Black Clan. As the only survivor, she escapes into the night but desires answers and revenge. Disguised as a boy, Mariko infiltrates their ranks.
Flame in the Mist was marketed as a Japanese retelling of Mulan. The similarities are there if you squint, but I found the Mulan comparison a bit of a stretch so I hope no one gets disappointed at the differences.
Renée had previously released the The Wrath & The Dawn series, but I must confess that Flame in the Mist is my first book of her's that I've read. Her duology has definitely moved closer to the top of my to-read list!
The writing style is so lovely with a fantastic attention to detail, but not at all excessively descriptive. AND it's written in third person, which is my personal preference and also a bit of rarity in the YA genre.
It was an easy, riveting read. I got through it in one sitting during an afternoon!
I had high expectations and low expectations stepping into Caraval. Everyone who's4.5/5 - This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books
I had high expectations and low expectations stepping into Caraval. Everyone who's read it has been gushing over what a masterpiece it is. But then it was also endlessly compared to The Night Circus. Confession: I didn't like The Night Circus, so I was concerned that I just wouldn't be the target reader for Caraval. Within the first few pages, it was clear that I was going to fawn over it.
"Remember, it's only a game..."
Is it just a game? Is any of it real? Like the players, it certainly didn't feel like a game judging by the amount of times my heart rate increased. I loved discovering new clues alongside Scarlett, stumbling into roadblocks, and overcoming seemingly life threatening obstacles. I haven't been swept away in such a carousel of a story in a long time and am delighted I got to experience such an adventure in Caraval.
Stephanie Garber is a beautiful writer. Her sentences strung together so fluidly, painting a fitting picture for the Caraval world she created. Scarlett, Tella, and Julian jumped off the pages straight away. She wrote such a strong opener with well developed, three-dimensional characters; I was sucked in immediately and had no choice but to stay up and read until the small hours of the morning.
The twists were clever and not too over the top, bringing the final chapter to a satisfying conclusion. I believe there is a sequel planned, but I felt a good deal of closure with the ending as it is (but I am definitely going to be first in line to step back into this world!)
Caraval may end up being one of the biggest YA books of 2017. And rightfully so!
Thanks so much to Hodder & Stoughton for giving me a copy to review through NetGalley!
I've mentioned it before, but my weakness is characters overthrowing the governin3.75/5 - This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books
I've mentioned it before, but my weakness is characters overthrowing the governing power. I've also been reading a ton of YA fantasy lately so naturally Frostblood has been on my radar for a while now.
Since moving to England I get 10x more excited whenever Canada is mentioned anywhere, and with author Elly Blake being Canadian, I got extra eager to read it.
Overall, Frostblood was an enjoyable read and a solid addition to the YA fantasy genre. While some parts were predictable, I spent a great couple evenings doing nothing but turning the pages, engrossed in Ruby's story. The pacing didn't slow down throughout so you can fly through it quickly - it's the perfect book for a Saturday afternoon binge read!
The first 100 pages were jam packed with information and events, but the writing was solid so following along wasn't difficult or confusing.
However, a lot of YA fantasy cliches appeared throughout:
- Guardian dies leaving main character all alone - Brooding YA Hero who clashes with main character - Wise man - Trains to use powers - Prophecy - Chosen one - Arena battle
I am 100% fine with cliches as long as they are done well, and I do feel in Frostblood they were good additions to the story. Apart from one: the Arcus/Ruby romance story line. I know some readers live for the ships, but I'd rather have no romance at all than a seemingly forced romance. Their romance subplot felt strained and compulsory rather than natural and genuine. After the halfway point in the book, I would skimmed those scenes until the main plot came back.
I originally received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for a review, but I just couldn't resist picking up a copy when I went back to Canada in January. So my review is of the finished Canadian copy rather than the eARC.
The first thing I heard about Wintersong was that it was a Labyrinth retelling. Now, wheThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
The first thing I heard about Wintersong was that it was a Labyrinth retelling. Now, when I was a teenager I was OBSESSED with David Bowie and watched Labyrinth an embarrassing number of times (those tights omg). My Grade 12 art final was a massive pencil drawing collage of David Bowie throughout the years. So to say I was looking forward to this book is a massive understatement.
Even if the Labyrinth connection were not there, Wintersong would still have been high up on my to-read list. Music, magic, romance all in 18th century Austria. It sounded masterful. And it was. Music played a huge part and you could feel it seeping through the pages. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, it was almost like a symphony itself.
Liesl was instantly likeable as the main character. She was smart and brave, foolish and stubborn, and fiercely loyal. I took a bit to warm up to the Goblin King but once I did, I wanted to protect both him and Liesl at all costs.
Wintersong is all around gorgeous. The cover is gorgeous. The story is gorgeous. The writing is gorgeous.
At just over 500 pages, it's not the shortest of books, but you can read through it quickly without realising. But be warned, the ending will take your feels and shake them to the core.
You know a book is good when you read the entire thing in one sitting without realising. This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
You know a book is good when you read the entire thing in one sitting without realising. It was dark and gritty, dealing with themes you don’t always find in YA books.
Last year I read Monster by CJ Skuse and it was a rollercoaster of fear. The Deviants was similar in the sense that it started out fairly civil but then, a “thing” happened and before you know it you’re sucked into this twisted maze of tension.
Ella was the perfect main character for this story. She’d been through far too much hurt in her life and it made her jaded and slightly twisted herself. You rooted for her even though she wasn’t perfect and did some horrible things to other people.
The format was unexpected: each chapter ends with an unknown character asking Ella a question. I kept guessing as to who it was Ella was speaking to until the very end (that plot twist!).
CJ Skuse has a fantastic talent at creating terrifying, real villains. The type of people who most certainly exist in this world — and that’s what makes them even scarier. The Deviants wasn’t an easy book to read. It was raw and real with some fairly graphic scenes, and the characters go through so much (it’s a bit hard to say what without spoilers).
CJ Skuse will now be my go-to author for YA suspense! I’m (im)patiently awaiting her next book.
Thank you so much HQ Young Adult for sending over an advanced reading copy!
My face hurts from smiling so much. The Upside of Unrequited is the cutest book to ever cute.
It was a fantastic coming of age story about learning to My face hurts from smiling so much. The Upside of Unrequited is the cutest book to ever cute.
It was a fantastic coming of age story about learning to accept yourself. Filled with diverse characters, sisterhood, and concerns people go through every day, it was a terrific portrayal of real life.
Upside is Becky's second book, her first being Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, one of my favourites and also so ridiculously adorable. It's hard to not compare Upside with Simon since they technically are related books. Not a sequel or prequel, but more of a side-quel. Plot-wise, I felt Simon definitely has the edge. I felt more happened overall in Simon, but that's not to say Upside wasn't good. It was still an adorable rollercoaster of fun.
And for the Simon fans: Simon, Abby, and Nick make perfect cameos.
With two fantastic books written, Becky Albertalli is on her way to becoming one of the defining young adult authors of this decade. I cannot wait to see what her next book brings!
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House UK Children's for an advance copy!...more
I've been counting down the days to Traitor to the Throne ever since finishing Rebel of tThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
I've been counting down the days to Traitor to the Throne ever since finishing Rebel of the Sands last year. Rebel was one of my top 5 books from 2016 - a fantastic debut and a gripping a story, one that stayed on my mind even after reading nearly 50 books afterwards.
Traitor started a tad rough for me. During the first few chapters I found myself focusing on trying to remember who is who from book one (as much as I loved it, it has been a year since I've read it). The list of characters at the beginning detailing the most important facts about them was super helpful and probably saved my life. However, if you have read Rebel rather recently, you'll have no trouble jumping right in.
Once I got my characters sorted, it was one big thrill ride. I love love love Amani! She's a no-nonsense bundle of joy who won't hesitate to pull a gun on you.
Alwyn Hamilton's writing was already good in Rebel, but in Traitor I noticed a definite improvement in her style, making this a 500+ page book of top notch story telling. It was more pronounced, more.. Alwyn Hamilton.
"No more tricks, just a good old-fashioned rescue."
Traitor to the Throne has it all: a fantastic cast of characters, prison breaks, shoot outs, romance, humour, and a whole lot of feels. I loved it. It was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel.
Stealing Snow was one of my most anticipated reads for 2016. A retelling of The Snow Queen by2.5/5 This review can also be found at Dana and the Books
Stealing Snow was one of my most anticipated reads for 2016. A retelling of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen sounded so exciting and exactly what I needed, but I can't help but feel a bit let down.
Danielle Paige's technical writing style is wonderful. She's whimsical, magical, not overly wordy - everything I love in an author - but the story itself fell flat for me.
I think the main problem for me was that I couldn't figure what this story wanted to be. Was it a romance? Was it a fantasy? Was it a heist story? Was it a coming of age story? Was it an overthrow-the-throne story? Instead of focusing on one or two of those, we got a tiny bit of everything which made it feel underdeveloped and thin.
The first few chapters, which took place at the mental asylum, I found pretty decent. However, they could have been outstanding if a bit more time was spent developing Snow. She seemed too 'sane' to be constantly kept in an institution with her only illness being that she sometimes bites people. We also meet Bale, her boyfriend, at this institution who snapped her wrist after their first kiss. Despite the abuse, Snow vows to save him when he gets dragged into the magical realm of Algid.
Onto the boys.
There were WAY too many boys. I'm all for romance in books, but I couldn't see how the three boys moved the plot forward to feature so strongly. First Snow loves Bale, then she loves Jagger, then she loves Kai (all within the first 90 pages), then she loves Bale again, and then she loves Jagger. The love-rhombus was far too prominent in the story and took too much time and focus away from the actual plot.
Kai seemed unnecessary to the story progression. Cutting him out may have put the focus back on Snow and her journey and make it less cluttered overall.
Snow is supposed to be bringing down the King and working on her powers, yet she fawns and gushes over boys throughout the story.
"I was going to be his robber girl."
This was the quote that made me lower my rating down to 2.5.
Instead of spending pages on the romance, we should have been given insights into how Snow developed and mastered her powers. She seemed to have got the hang of how to manipulate snow and ice so quickly that I was sure I had accidentally skipped over a chunk of pages. One page she was struggling, then next she was able to perfectly control the snow.
The phrase "for a beat" or "after a beat" was used too many times throughout the book. Enough for me to notice the repetition.
Now, that was a lot of negatives so I come bringing a basket of positives!
I probably will carry on with the next book as I am curious what will happen to Snow. I'm a sucker for Throne Battle stories and this certainly fits the bill.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a fan of Danielle Paige's writing style. I do believe I'll give her Dorothy Must Die series a chance because I have heard fantastic things about that series. I have a feeling that series shines a bit brighter than this one.
And I leave you with my favourite quote from the story:
There aren’t an abundance of Canadian history novels of this type, so I jumped on this boThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
There aren’t an abundance of Canadian history novels of this type, so I jumped on this book like Torontonian spotting a Tim Horton’s on a long road trip.
I loved the overall story of the book. Long historical epics are awesome. Long historical epic about Canada are even more awesome.
References and settings in places I have actually visited helped me picture and get more involved with the story. However, I did feel a disconnect from the characters. I didn’t get emotionally attached to any of them; I was just there on the sidelines watching them do their thing.
Despite the distance from the characters, it was still an interesting read (especially for someone who has an interest in Canadian history and Native Canadian history).
At just over 700 pages it’s by no means a quick read. I read it slowly over the course of a couple months, but it wasn’t the length that made me read slowly, it was the density. Some chapters glazed over important events with several years passing in the span of just a few pages. I wanted to experience events with the characters, but instead it was just a paragraph of explanation and then moving on to the next thing. Unfortunately, it made for a bit of a dry read in places.
It was not at all a character driven story. None of the characters stood out to me and by the end of the book they had all meshed together. I wish it were longer so we could get to know the characters, flesh out events instead of glossing over them.
I love historical epics. The longer the better. But this one definitely should have been longer. If it were longer (or split into two larger books), we could get the experience of both an interesting, epic plot, as well as the characters who drive it. Instead, at times I felt like I was reading a non-fiction account of the history of two families and the ramifications of deforestation.
Interesting, yes. Captivating, no.
Thanks so much to HarperCollins UK, 4th Estate for approving me for a copy on Netgalley!...more
I need to be upfront: Connie Willis is my all-time favourite author and I love her. Her bThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
I need to be upfront: Connie Willis is my all-time favourite author and I love her. Her books are perfect.
I waited an agonizing six (SIX!!) whole years to get my hands on this book and it was worth it. I would wait another six years to get this sort of amazingness again (well, I’m incredibly impatient person so while I would wait, I wouldn’t do it quietly).
Crosstalk was one of her lighter and hilarious books. It wasn’t gutwrenching like Doomsday Book or Passage; it had a similar tone and atmosphere as To Say Nothing as the Dog. Like all of her books, there was always a sense of urgency and panic. Mix that in with trademark Willis wit, missed messages, franticness, and hiding from people and you’ve got exactly what I love about her books.
The EED was an interesting — and also slightly terrifying — piece of tech. It actually reminded me a lot of Deanna Troi’s Betazoid abilities in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Crosstalk was an adorable and comedic experience. While I didn’t have a book hangover that lasted a week like I did with Passage, I turned the last page with a huge smile on my face. She is one of the few authors who can give you a heart attack with tension but then make you laugh out on the next page.
When I was an eight-year-old girl, my mom forced me to watch Operation: Annihilate! SinceThis review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.
When I was an eight-year-old girl, my mom forced me to watch Operation: Annihilate! Since then I've been obsessed with Star Trek. Not too long after discovering the greatest TV show ever, I found out there were novels! So there I was, in Grade Four, fervently reading about Captain Kirk's adventures while my classmates were reading Goosebumps by R.L. Stine.
When I saw Miasma appear on NetGalley, I was thrilled to get a chance to read this enovella as it's been quite a while since I last read a Star Trek story.
Miasma takes place post Star Trek V: The Final Frontier with Kirk and crew on a routine mission transporting a group of diplomats. On the way, Uhura picks up a looped transmission in an unknown language from a nearby planet, but due to the planet's dense atmosphere they cannot scan to determine if this is a distress call or a warning. So they send an away team to investigate, but of course it's never that easy.
Since this was a novella, the plot was short and concise and had no unnecessary subplots. It actually felt very much like an original series Star Trek episode. Greg Cox was able to keep everyone in character - I had no trouble picturing Nimoy, Shatner, and Kelley in the situations and the dialogue matched up well to each character.
Despite having read numerous Star Trek novels, I haven't actually read any of Greg Cox's stories. I do have a number of his books on my To Read list so I will definitely be bumping them up a few notches now that I know he can write a competent Star Trek novel.
At just under 100 pages, Miasma is a perfect quick afternoon read for any Star Trek TOS fan!
Unfortunately physical copies aren't available since Miasma is is only sold as an ebook. You should pick up your own copy!
I received a copy of Miasma from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Marissa Meyer has recently become one of my honoured auto-buy authors. I read Cinder about a year and half ago, not really expecting much, and surprised myself by obsessing and devouring the rest of the Lunar Chronicles Books in record time.
I read Alice in Wonderland ten years ago and the Disney movie was one of my favourites when I was little. So, given that Heartless is an origin story for the Queen of Hearts written by Queen Marissa Meyer, no surprises that this was pretty much the most anticipated read.
Within just the first few chapters, I found myself constantly hungry due to the delicious food descriptions. Makes me wonder if Marissa Meyer is a great dessert chef herself! "Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"
Cath was a wonderful character, complex and torn with emotions, going from a kind and innocent girl to the harsh queen we know so well.
The Cath/Jest romance could be categorized as instalove, but I do feel under the circumstances it worked. They meshed wonderfully and I was rooting for them from their very first meeting.
All of this is set to the wonderful world of Hearts, a quirky world, and a delight to immerse myself in the weirdness!
While I enjoyed Heartless, I didn't love it. It was not as magical as the Lunar Chronicles. In Cinder, I was sucked in just by the first few chapters. With Heartless, I didn't have the desperate need to keep reading. I read it over the course of a few weeks (I read Cinder in pretty much one go). "How different everything could have been if you had thought to ask me that before."
However, the last fifty pages were heartbreaking and perfect.
Marissa is a wonderfully witty author. Her style has become more pronounced in Heartless and I cannot wait for her upcoming book, Renegades.
If you've never read the series, it's essentially The Bachelor/The Bachelorette set in a dystopian future and with royalty. I also suggest you stop reading this review if you haven't read the series as there are spoilers for the first four books here.
The Heir (Book #4) takes place twenty years after the first three books and we find ourselves thrust into another selection. Except this time the girl chooses from a group of boys. The girl, Eadlyn, is of course the daughter of America and Maxon—the subjects of the first three books.
The Crown (Book #5) picks up where The Heir ends: right after we find out America has had a shocking heart attack and then follows Eadlyn to the end of The Selection.
Yes, the whole premise of this series is totally corny and there isn't anything spectacular about the actual writing itself, but it's so adorable and addictive. It's kind of like watching bad reality TV, you know it's bad, but you keep looking for more because you enjoy it on some strange level.
Overall, I did find it a great conclusion to the series. It was definitely predictable, but I think if Kiera Cass ended it any other way it wouldn't have worked, and I would have walked away feeling like all the time I put into reading this series was a waste.
All of the books in the series are quick reads, but I found I got through The Crown much faster than the others. It was very short: 278 pages. To put that into perspective, the four other books are all more than 300 pages. Since this was the last book and it was so short, it felt rushed.
I like who she ends up with but I wish we had more build up and a longer look at the relationships between all of the guys who were left in The Crown. Again, I feel this final book was far too short for a series closer. I wanted more side plots, more tension, more of a conclusion.
Yes, these five books have been drawn out when it really could have been just three, but I don't care. I want more.
I want to experience another Selection.
Thanks so much to HarperCollins UK Children's for approving me for a copy on Netgalley!
This Secret We're Keeping is a student/teacher romance done right!
The story is told with two narratives: Matthew's POV in 1993 (the teacher) and then Jess's story (the student) in the present time. We get to see how the relationship came to be, the scandal surrounding out, and the emotional turmoil when they meet once again seventeen years later.
It's definitely a character driven story and thankfully the characters were wonderfully fleshed out (even Jess's dog felt real!). With superb characterization, the POV shift flowed smoothly from chapter to chapter and I never once felt disjointed within the narrative.
Student/teacher relationship novels are often side-eyed, but Rebecca Done did it wonderfully. She took a taboo topic that could have been so sleazy if in the hands of a lesser author and made it into a fantastic story. She didn't romanticize anything; it was wrong, it was illegal.
At nearly 500 pages, I felt it was just teensy bit long for what the story needed—a good 25 to 50 pages could have been cut and the story would be as good.
However my little nit pick should not put you off whatsoever, this is a fantastic contemporary read and definitely worthy of a few hours of your time!
This Secret We're Keeping is Rebecca Done's debut novel and I am so excited to see what her next book will bring!
Thanks to Michael Joseph (Penguin UK) for providing me with a copy from NetGalley!
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