July 02, 2019

Taste the Books: Review Morsels #13 Seanan McGuire, Matthew Green, T.E. Carter


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...

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
(Wayward Children #4)

★★★★

So you think it's easy to write a world made of gingerbread and cotton candy? Think again. Because you have to make it solid (pun intended). This installment of the Wayward Children series has the levity of whipped cream and the hardness of a thick chocolate bar (which shouldn't come as a surprise, since Confection is a Nonsense world underpinned with Logic). There's so much world-building in just a few pages - not to mention, we start on good old Earth, and even visit the Land of the Dead. BTSS is your classic quest adventure in a unique universe, and we couldn't have a better spokesperson than Cora, the fat girl with an athlete's body who was once a mermaid. Or a better, more diverse (in every sense of the word) companion cast. Plus, McGuire even addresses an issue I had since Book 1 and provides closure!

Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)


★★★★

Rated 4.5 really.

You know you're reading a good book when there's a whole chapter about poop and it doesn't gross you out 😂.
But seriously. Is this a MG book? an adult book? I think it's both (though I actually wouldn't recommend giving it to children, if it makes sense). It's a great story about the friends we make up when we're kids and scared and/or alone, except they're not less real for that, and even have feelings and ideas of their own. It's an equally great story about an autistic little boy whose smarts ultimately make up for his lack of social skills - if with a "little" help/nudge. And it's an equally great story about courage and sacrifice, and about the way a kid like Max impacts a family - because you can love someone and still not be able/want to see the truth about them. Budo's simple language makes him accessible (and even more real as a kid's creation), and still his insights about the world and the adults in it are spot-on. And I may have teared up a little here and there.
(My only issue: an instance of fat-shaming from Budo, and his unhealthy - if understandable, since he doesn't eat - stance on food). 

Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)

I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter

★★★

Rated 3.5 really.

At first we're only in the rape room with Ellie - the one who got murdered because, in the end, she didn't stay quiet - seeing a number of victims come and go through her eyes. And I get it, it's necessary; but to me, it doesn't pack the punch one would expect. Then the story slowly starts to spread its wings, and finds its voice. This is an important book in so many respects - not only about rape culture, but also about those girls no one sees before it's too late; and about privilege, and all the people (not necessarily girls) who get left behind. On the other hand, despite all the gut-wrenching quotes I kept marking, I don't think that the staccato writing style does this story justice - hence my rating. Still an important book though.

Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).

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?

16 comments:

  1. I need to continue with the Wayward children series. As you know, I liked but didn't love the first but I hear what was missing for me becomes the focus.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  2. I cried a lot reading I Stop Somewhere. When my suspicions were confirmed, I think I bawled. It was much darker than I normally read, but I still liked it.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, definitely not a feel-good book. But stories like this are needed.

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  3. I was interested in Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend until you mentioned a chapter about poop... :(

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    Replies
    1. Haha, but please don't let it discourage you. I gross out easily (though I have mustered a high tolerance of gore), but that wasn't as tacky as you would expect. The main human character is an autistic kid who, as you may imagine, needs to follow a strict routine in order to feel safe. So he makes sure to use the bathroom at home every morning before going to school, but sometimes a "bonus poop" happens, and he has to use the loo at school, with his "imaginary friend" keeping guard in case someone comes in and hears him...doing his business. One day, though, the wrong person hears him and...you'll have to read the book to know what happens next LOL. But seriously, it's a (bitter)sweet book, poop or not!

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    2. I had a friend in high school with Asperger's, and his routine was definitely very important for him. I really appreciate they cover situations in the book like this because they are a very real part of the struggle people go through sometimes. It might not be a cute or pretty thing to write about, but definitely real!

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    3. Yep, and believe it or not, it's a cute chapter...despite the topic it covers LOL.

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  4. "This installment of the Wayward Children series has the levity of whipped cream and the hardness of a thick chocolate bar (which shouldn't come as a surprise, since Confection is a Nonsense world underpinned with Logic)."

    Ohmygosh, that metaphor works on so many levels. 😂

    Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend sounds really interesting! As always, I'm looking forward to your full reviews!

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    Replies
    1. I don't know what possessed me when I wrote that metaphor LOL. But it does apply! Which better book?

      Thanks hon!

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    2. I loved that line too - so perfect! Roberta, your writing style always makes me smile (oops - a rhyme!)

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    3. Awww, thank you! Love the rhyme LOL. Which reminds me...you said in your other comment that you used to write poetry etc....now I'm curious! No pressure of anything of course - but are you planning on sharing some of it on your present blog?

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  5. Beneath the Sugar Sky sounds like it has a really unique world. Isn't it interesting how some books can be middle grade and yet just as great of a book for adults? It's a shame when you can see the potential in a book but then the execution just doesn't do it justice.

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    Replies
    1. You haven't read the Wayward Children series? Because while it doesn't have any of your beloved mythical creatures, I do think it's quirky enough for you to be able to enjoy it.

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  6. Wow the universe for beneath the sugar sky does sound unique. Great reviews!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! That one is part of the Wayward Children series, a portal fantasy with unique elements.

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