"Step into a scene and let it drip from your fingers," -M. J. Bush
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I'll start with list the books I DNF'd, and then talk about why, and if I'll pick them back up.
1. Avalanche by Melinda Braun
I had the same problems with this book that I did with Stranded. More on that later.
It just never grabbed me. I'm not sure if I'll finish it. We'll see.
2. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
I've never been a huge fan of this series, but I kept reading because I felt obligated too, and I want every sliver of Lucien I can get. It's enjoyable enough, but this one was just so long that I got disinterested.
I'll probably finish when I get the paperback, because I was just listening to the audiobook.
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And now, onto the reviews!
Forewarning: I've changed my rating system. The first part is the objective part. I weight this category as objectively as I can, taking into consideration plot, characters, writing style, and other factors. The second part is how much I enjoyed the book, basing it on subjective factors such as how much I was entertain, how much I connected to the characters, and other things that I know are my personal preference.
16. Stranded by Melinda Braun
I wasn't a huge fan of this book, mostly because it was pretty mediocre.
I felt the main character, Emma, was not as strong as she should have been. While she wasn't a bad character, nothing about her was particularly distinctive or even very interesting. Nothing about her was compelling enough for me to enjoy or even want to read about her story.
Neither was the love interest, Oscar. Never did the author establish Oscar's backstory, therefore never giving us a reason to connect with him. He never seemed more than his stereotype: the love interest. I was never able to identify why they connected, why they were so drawn to each other. I suppose both Emma and Oscar grew on me eventually, but it took painfully long - longer than it should have.
Ironically enough, the two secondary characters, Chloe and Isaac, were the most interesting. Isaac, perfectly hateable and utterly entertaining, provided for most of the conflict in the novel. He intrigued me more than any character because we knew there was a reason for his dysfunction, and it was all the more satisfying to find out why. Chloe was the sassy and kindred best friend character, but she had this underlying strength and individuality that neither Oscar nor Emma had. Her charisma and reality just came out in everything she did. I found that I enjoyed the scenes most that involved Isaac and/or Chloe - and even better: both.
The writing was another pitfall of this book. While some of the descriptions were scenic and interesting enough, the parts that should have been drawn out in visceral and action-packed detail moved fast and became confusing, taking me out of the moment.
Overall, this wasn't a terrible book. Just mediocre. I enjoyed reading it, especially the interactions between Emma and some combination of Isaac and Chloe, but it didn't add anything new to a genre where the conflict hinges on Mother Nature's shit hitting the fan.
Objective Rating: 4/10
Enjoyment Level: 5/10
The only reason this is below Four Weeks, Five People was because the aforementioned was well-written. Piper Perish was not. In Kayla Cagan's author bio, she mentions that she is a novelist and playwright with a degree in theater. This is pretty obvious from her writing style.
Told in journal entries from January to August, the book is very dialogue heavy, and that's its greatest pitfall. Because it's written with so much dialogue and in the journal format, the characters are very underdeveloped, even by the end. The writing was lackluster and very to the point, detached almost, which is to be expected for a journal. However, with a book about an art student and her struggling in the transition between high school and college, the writing should be as artistic and beautiful as what Piper is creating. Sure, this is realistic to a journal, but nobody really wants to read a journal. They're mostly boring and just a place that someone with the context of their lives can talk and release their feelings. The structure and writing style just didn't work with the context.
Also, the fact of the narrative style being so dialogue heavy really exposes the author for being a playwright, which isn't something that you want to happen. Sure, heavy dialogue works in a play, because that's exactly what a script is: a bare-bones story for the actors to step into. However, this journal narrative style while relying on heavy dialogue just falls absolutely flat in a novel setting.
Consequently, the writing style affects everything else in the book, from the characters to the imagery to the plot. And the characters were another thing.
Marli was unrealistically awful. Sure, maybe she was a sociopath, but then she wouldn't be able to keep a job, or function in a school setting very well. Marli is a person, after all, and should have some redeeming qualities about her that make her seem to be a well-rounded character.
Piper herself was . . . meh. I only liked her so much because I related to her artistic spirit. More on that later. Kit and Enzo were . . . alright. C.J. was contrived, but, considering that he's cheating, I'll let it slide. There weren't really any characters that I truly loved in this book, and that's a damn shame because isn't it the job of the author to make us love the characters.
And I think this is because there was little to no character development. The story hit the ground running, and that's good for pacing but bad for the characters. We were just supposed to assume the relationships characters had, and no one really changed by the end of the story.
The liberal use of alcohol and sex turned me off too. Don't get me wrong, I know that teenagers do this stuff, and quite frequently
The one thing that made this book better than the previous ones was my intrinsic emotional connection to it. Think of it like this: consider your favorite movie as a child. However, when you rewatch the movie as a teen or adult, you realize that the movie, objectively, is not very good. But you still enjoy it because it hits a soft spot, a warm fuzzy from the childhood. That's what Piper Perish was like for me. As a high school senior who is going to leave and go to art school 11 hours away, this resonated with me on that level. I could relate to it, use it as catharsis, and even fantasize a bit.
Otherwise, Piper Perish wasn't underwhelming, but it was just poorly written and constructed.
Objective Rating: 4/10
Enjoyment Level: 4/10
14. Forsaken by Brittney Kristina
Read the full review here.
Objective Rating: 3/10
Enjoyment Level: 6/10
13. One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards
This book wasn't bad . . . just mediocre. It got off to a slow start, and it took a long time for the characters to stick. However, once they did, the last section of the book was un-put-downable.
My only real gripe was that the romance was kind of sappy and heavy-handed. There are much more important things to do and think about than kissing your maybe-boyfriend when you're being terrorized by a killer. Not that I entirely hated the romance, it just was too much at times and the focus seemed unrealistic for the context and tone of the story.
Otherwise, One Was Lost was bland, passable. Nothing about the writing, characters, plot, storyline stood out as anything different than any other survival thriller. Nothing was particularly awful, but also not original or done spectacularly, either. It's the sitcom of television, the $7 takeout of Chinese food, if you catch my drift. Not bad or good, but satisfactory competent enough.
Objective Rating:5/10
Enjoyment Level: 4/10
12. Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu
I'll give Yu credit for the diverse characters and the creation of the idea itself. As mental illness books go, it's not really all that problematic, other than how most of the characters view the camp and the adults trying to help them negatively.
This story was told in 5 different points of view, and only about two of them were distinct enough to be compelling and always remind me of who was talking. Writing in multiple POVs is hard, and Yu definitely missed the mark, here. Not only was it hard enough to remember who was narrating, there were so many characters that sometimes it would take entire paragraphs of dialogue for the "I" to say or think something to remind the reader of who was narrating.
Another problem was that nobody truly got to know each other. The whole idea is that they would form these meaningful relationships, but Yu skipped over the entire part where the characters actually get to know each other. This made the relationships contrived, and seemed to move along way too fast. There was no real character connection to either the reader or the other characters because, even by the end, we know very little about the characters other than their personalities. Sure, small details are given about things in their lives, such as Clarisa's parent's divorce, Andrew's band, and Stella's thing with Kevin. However, these all seemed trivial and they were never treated with the emotional care that they should have been, so the connection fell flat.
The final problem is that it took me way too long to get through this book. I always found myself wandering off, or not really all that interested or invested in the story. And this is because there wasn't all that much conflict. The characters didn't seem to be making progress through the majority of the story, and other than some bickering between Stella and Mason, there really was no discernable conflict. Everything just kind of . . . happened. The whole book was just them at camp.
Andrew and Stella's arc/storyline was the best thing about this book. They were some of the more well-written characters, and Andrew's suicide attempt had a profound effect on not only the characters but my interest level. I tore through the last section of this book. I commend Yu for that at the end, because there was some real emotional breakthrough and developments. However, the tear-jerking ending fell flat for me, because, despite the last act, it wasn't well-deserved. The whole thing seemed contrived and melodramatic.
The only reason this book is this high on the list despite all of my complaints is that I love the concept, and it had so much potential, which is about 25% of the battle. It wasn't poorly written or constructed, it just didn't meet my expectations or entertain me all that much.
Objective Rating: 6.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 5/10
11. Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
I started off this book pissed as hell, at the main character, Lisa. The whole plot hinges on her being awful and self-serving.
However, the developments in the relationships were enjoyable to watch and incredibly realistic. I loved Clark. I'm not entirely sure why, but he seemed the most real and genuine. He was the only character who had his head on mostly straight. Despite Lisa being kind of terrible, she grew on me once she started becoming attached to Solomon outside of her project, and when she felt remorse over the project. Solomon . . . I had a problem with him, and I'm not sure why. Regardless, I loved watching the three of their relationships develop.
Unfortunately, I wanted more from this book. I wanted to delve deep into Solomon's mental illness, and I suppose that's not the point, that 'the power of friendship' is, but I'm not sure that should be the point of a book about mental illness.
My last thought is that there should have been more at the end. The climax felt rushed, and neither did it feel like it was as dramatic as it should have been. The book could have used more at the end.
Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 6/10
10. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
I actually liked this book. I was pretty apathetic about it when I first started it. I hadn't heard much hype, much less what the story was actually about.
Its Achilles' heel, however, was that the author never devotes time to Charles Montfort, and his death is what springboards the plot. The whole time, we're told how much Jo misses her father and how driven she is, and how much her life has changed. But the fault lies in that we, as the audience, are never shown that relationship, so we can't connect. If we can't connect, then there's very little voltage behind the murder that will hook the reader. To argue that Jo and Eddie and their relationship should be driving the plot would be to detract the focus off of what should be driving this murder mystery. Sympathy and loss of the person murdered.
Few other pitfalls were that I predicted the murderer the second time he showed up. Another was that I felt that the ending bit describing the court scene could have been cut down, and replaced with a more intense and clear climax.
However, I did enjoy Jo, Eddie, Oscar, and Fay. The novel was insightful into 1890s New York, and the grimy yet also refined setting added to the atmosphere and my immersion in the story greatly.
Despite its failings, I thoroughly enjoyed These Shallow Graves. I'm getting much more into historical fiction than I thought I ever would. Shoutout to all of the histfic writers changing the game and making this genre less . . . dusty.
Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 7/10
9. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Read the full review here.
Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 8/10
8. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
This was a fantastic sequel. It didn't have that second book slump. And not to mention the wonderful addition of John Ambrose McClaren.
While there still were times when I questioned the actions of the characters because at times it fell prey again to some YA romance cliches, I enjoyed this novel and ate it up like one of Lara Jean's baked goods. The whole series has an amount of depth to it that I appreciate because that can be few and far between in fluffy YA romances. I will definitely be purchasing and reading the next book, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, ASAP.
Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 8/10
7. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
Overall, while this book wasn't perfect, it was exactly what I was looking for concerning a dual survival story. Heart, humor, action, some blood, and a whole lot of personal healing. My rating might change if I reread this, but for now, it stands here.
Objective Rating: 6.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 8/10
6. When We Collided by Emery Lord
This book didn't blow me out of the water, but I really enjoyed it.
My only complaint was that, in the beginning, the romance was pretty instalovey. As the story progressed, that died down and I enjoyed the romance later in the book.
However, this book does many things well. Its portrayal of mental illness is fantastic. The writing is creative, beautiful, and invokes emotion.
Overall, I don't think I have that much to say about this book. I thought it was good. Not great or anything, but I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
Objective Rating: 8/10
Enjoyment Level: 8/10
4. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Objective Rating: 8.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 9/10
4. Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman
Read the full review here.
Objective Rating: 8.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 9/10
3. Kids of Appetite by David Arnold
Sometime last year, I attempted to read Mosquitoland by David Arnold as well, but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get into it. But when I heard about Kids of Appetite, it drew me in a stronger way than Mosquitoland did.
Regardless, it still took me a hell of a long time to finish reading this book. Now that I have, I'm so viciously glad that I did. I think it took me such a laboriously long time is because of the voice, and the way that the story is told. Not that this is a bad thing, but it took a while for it to click. But when it did, I couldn't let go.
The writing in this story was absolutely beautiful - not just the words themselves, but the way they're strung together. David Arnold has this way of taking something so complicated, so fleeting, and making it so real and tangible with his words. It's a beautifully transformative experience to read one of his books, especially this one. God bless David Arnold's writing talent.
I think I pretty much adored everything about this book - the descriptions, the style, the characters. The only reason it's not going on my all-time-favorites list is that it was hard to get into. I'll definitely have to reread it again and see if I have the same experience.
Overall, this was a solid, heartful, and enjoyable book. It satisfied the lover, the writer, the crier, and the dreamer in me.
Objective Rating: 9/10
Enjoyment Level: 9.5/10
2. Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton
Perks of working at a library: getting to read ARCs.
I picked up this book on the ARC shelf in the break room, and I fell in love with it from the first word. The journal entries were honest and funny - truly, I laughed out loud at many parts in this book.
I loved Adam and his story. It was utterly heartbreaking, but his charisma and personality came out through every word, and this just shows the skill with which Julia wrote this book, in describing his mental illness, and the nuances with which he experiences it. This book was incredibly eye-opening because most people know little-to-nothing about schizophrenia and the stigma around it.
I only have a few concerns, and I only point these out because everything else in this book was so beautiful and perfect. I wish we learned more about the side characters, like Maya, Dwight, and even Ian. Adam was so flawed and complex, but I wanted to delve into Maya, Dwight, and Ian, because that would have made the story connect even more. Not that the three of them were bad or underdeveloped, but if the author gave more to the reader, then the story would be even more impactful.
Another teeny gripe is the pacing. On the back cover, it says that the miracle drug is going to fail, but it's not until 3/4 of the way through the book does it begin to do that. To some extent, it builds tension, but on the other hand, it leaves little time to explore the aftermath of Adam's breakdown, and how he heals and changes, which is the point of the novel. If the drug failing was the midpoint, then this would have more accurately represented the back cover synopsis, and, arguably, made a more impactful story because we would get to see him change and heal, and spend more time on that.
Despite my two complaints, I enjoyed reading this book with everything I had. I loved and sympathized with Adam with all my heart. This book was funny and heartfelt and enjoyable and damn near perfect.
Objective: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
AND MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2017 IS . . .
1. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
I almost feel ashamed that I hadn't read this book before. However, this is by far my favorite book of 2017.
I finished it on an airplane, and I cried my eyes out. I cried not necessarily because the ending was sad, but because it was ending, and I genuinely wanted Holden to be happy, and okay. And by the end, he truly found out who he wanted to be, and he was happy with his sister. I wasn't disappointed that we didn't get to see much of his 'healing' journey because you just get a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.
This was also one of those books where not a whole lot happened, but it was still interesting. And it was interesting because Holden was. Salinger has this beautiful way of creating a character's internal monologue that is unique and fits with narrating the story. Another beautiful aspect was how Salinger didn't need to make why Holden was so depressed and dysfunctional that clear. It was engaging with the reader as we picked up on subtle clues that lead us to understand why Holden was this way, and that maybe Holden himself didn't understand why.
There'll have to be another book that grabs me, that makes me try this much to top The Catcher in the Rye. Everything about it was masterfully written, engaging, and lovable. I could talk for forever about how much I loved this book, but then, I'd be a phony.
Objective: 10/10
Enjoyment: 20/10
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Here's to another year of reading!
What was your favorite book you read in 2017?
~The WordShaker
