Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for a blogging event in 2015. And Karen from For What It's Worth started praising my short recs/recaps 😊. Just to be clear, I'm NOT taking a break from writing long reviews - no such luck LOL. But while I'm making up my mind about a new book I've read, I might as well give you the short version 😉. Just be warned - this feature will be VERY random! So, here goes...
A Room Away from the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma
Rated 4.5 really.
A haunting (and haunted) tale that blurs the line between earthly and supernatural - even more than The Walls Around Us did. I understand why it seems to confuse some readers, but I also think almost everything can be explained away with the magical (if creepy) place at the center of the story creating its own reality bubble...except for one "small" detail that doesn't fit the scheme. Either way, another exquisitely written, breath-stealing, heart-wrenching, bittersweet, all-girl masterpiece by one of the most gifted YA authors of today.
Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)
(Please please please pretend you didn't see the dreadful cover. There's beauty inside, I swear).
McGuire builds on urban legends we all have heard of, and expands/adds layers to them (sometimes literally, since her ghost roads exist on multiple levels) with skill, humour, depth and a lot of heart. Though this isn't technically a novel but a series of short stories, they're often connected enough to provide a sense of unity, and even when they don't...you won't probably mind 😉. Surprises, foes and friends old and new, and a compelling protagonist who bridges the gap between YA and adult, will warm any supernatural/ghost fan's heart out there.
Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)
The Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse
★★★Compelling but confusing. This is one of those books where you should pay attention to details in order to be able to understand what's going on, but you can't dwell on them because you need to know what happens further...except that "further" more often than not morphs into "before" or "yet again, but in a different manner". And even if - like me - you love time loops, each time it feels like you've only half-digested what info you got. Also, the time-travel aspect is a bit out-there, almost crossing into magic territory. An entertaining read that will leave you with questions, and whose potential isn't completely fulfilled.
Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)
So, have you read/are you planning to read any of the above? And if you have, what do you think of them? Do you post mini reviews? Do you like to read them?
You are really good at these mini-reviews. They are short, but actually told me a lot. Looks like a decent batch for you, especially the first two. It's good when go-to authors continue to dazzle you.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "You are really good at these mini-reviews. They are short, but actually told me a lot."
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really means a lot to me.
I've read Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't like the sibling relationship, and the entire story was a little hard to follow. However, I've been really curious about this book, and I've seen some positive reviews for it! I'm definitely going to give it a shot one of these days. ;)
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Suma's books are so divisive - you either love them or hate them. I've loved them all so far...especially The Walls Around Us.
Delete"A haunting (and haunted) tale that blurs the line between earthly and supernatural - even more than The Walls Around Us did."
ReplyDeleteI'd read anything by her, but I'm so here for this!
"(Please please please pretend you didn't see the dreadful cover. There's beauty inside, I swear)."
I actually don't hate the new covers! It was the ones with weird 90s-looking people on them that bothered me. 😂
"And even if - like me - you love time loops, each time it feels like you've only half-digested what info you got."
I thought she did a really good job with that. I didn't feel like the loops were too repetitive, since she kept drawing our attention to different things in each loop. It's only once we put them all together that we get a full picture.
Looking forward to your full reviews on all of these! <3
Weird 90s-looking people? I suppose you mean the original version and the audiobook of this one? Because the sequel just came out last year, so there wasn't any previous version with people on it. Funny, I didn't get the '90s vibe LOL - though after your comment, I can see a slight similarity with some old Pike covers 😂. Either way...we'll just have to agree to disagree on this...these covers look dreadful to me haha.
DeleteSome people hated the time loops in The Echo Room because they got bored - they apparently felt like they were reading the same story again and again. Now, like you, I actually think the loops had the right amount of different details to keep the story going...but I don't know, I wasn't enthralled. Maybe I would have liked this one better on screen (though, on second thoughts, I wouldn't look forward to seeing giant cockroaches 😖).