Review: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Liz has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed town. But Liz has an escape plan to attend an uber-elite college, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to college. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

This is one of those books I just knew I was going to adore. I heard about this book earlier in the year and picked it up pretty much as soon as it came out. A couple of my friends have read it and loved it too, so I was reassured that this one would be for me!

And I wasn’t wrong – I ended up adoring this book. I listened to it half on audiobook and half read the physical version depending on what I was doing. I’ve never actually read an audiobook before but I loved the experience and narrator, and it was a great thing to have on while I was driving!

I never needed this race, or a hashtag, or the king to be a queen. 

This book was so full of emotion. It made me actually laugh out loud in places and almost cry in others. I loved Liz as a main character and so many elements of the story made me feel for her in various ways. There is a big focus on friendship groups and family, which I loved. Liz lives with her grandparents and her little brother, and I adored the scenes that included them. Their relationships were portrayed beautifully.

The friendships were so well portrayed too. I felt up and down about Liz’s main friendship group and the high school drama in general, but by the end of the book I made peace with any annoyances I’d had and I felt like the issues between friends had been handled well. I also loved the friendship between Liz and Jordan because, yes to platonic male/female friendships! The relationship was also so lovely and I really enjoyed reading about it but it not being the main plot worked well.

The discussions of race and lgbtqia+ issues were also so brilliantly written. It introduced and handled these complicated social issues so well and was so readable (that feels like the wrong word, but I can’t find the one I’m looking for!), especially for an audience of young people who may be only just learning of these issues.

I was born royalty. All I had to do was pick up my crown.

Overall, this book was fun and entertaining but also tackled important issues and made me so emotional. It was diverse and beautiful and I really loved it!


★★★

4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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October Wrap Up + November TBR

I managed to read a few more books in October than I did in September, and I’m pretty happy with 7! That means if I stay on track and manage to read just one extra, I’ll easily finish my Non-Binary November TBR. I also read all 4 books on my October TBR!

Books I Read in October

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Mara Dyer believes life can’t get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

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Goodreads | Waterstones

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree.
But then… who does what they’re told?
Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time – helped by the spoiled prince of the kingdom, a dancing bear, a very grumpy hunter… and even the stars above them.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Seventeen-year-old Margot Allan was a respectable vicar’s daughter and madly in love with her fiance Harry. But when Harry was reported Missing in Action from the Western Front, and Margot realised she was expecting his child, there was only one solution she and her family could think of in order to keep that respectability. She gave up James, her baby son, to be adopted by her parents and brought up as her younger brother.
Now two years later the whole family is gathering at the Vicarage for Christmas. It’s heartbreaking for Margot being so close to James but unable to tell him who he really is. But on top of that, Harry is also back in the village. Released from captivity in Germany and recuperated from illness, he’s come home and wants answers. Why has Margot seemingly broken off their engagement and not replied to his letters? Margot knows she owes him an explanation. But can she really tell him the truth about James?

I really loved Serpent & Dove and it was definitely my favourite book this month. My least favourite was The Retribution of Mara Dyer, and the whole series was really just okay for me.

Books I Want to Read in November

The Bone Witch – Rin Chupeco
You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson
Boy Queen – George Lester
Radio Silence – Alice Oseman
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callendar
I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver
Wonderland – Juno Dawson
Once and Future – A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy

All of these books are the ones on my non-binary November TBR, and I’m so excited for all of them!

What did you read in October and what do you want to read in November?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper (#1) by Kerri Maniscalco

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

I read this with my lovely friends (and colleagues!) Amy and Jo and I really liked it. Amy has been wanting us to read it for a while because it’s her favourite series ever and I’m so glad she did! We buddy read it over 2 weeks and we all loved reading it together.

I’m not usually one for historical fiction at all but this one was more steampunk horror which I loved the aesthetic of. The Victorian Gothic vibes worked so well and I loved reading about the city of London in the late 1800s. It felt like the perfect set for this book!

Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower.

Audrey Rose was my absolute favourite and I loved her as a female main character. She was so ballsy and brave and was such a strong character that I fell in love with her instantly. Some of the lines she came out with even in the first few chapters were amazing and I loved her for it. The way she defies societies norms is great and I really admired her as a character. This is exactly what we need from YA fiction for young female readers!

I also didn’t feel like the love interest took away from her character or the plot at all, I’m glad it was more of a side addition to the plot rather than the main plot. In fact, I really enjoyed the plot and I thought the element of her being a female ‘detective’ looking for Jack the Ripper. It had a real mystery element to it that intrigued me so much, especially in the last 50 pages or so! I didn’t know who Jack the Ripper was either, and was constantly kept guessing.

You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.

Overall, I really loved this book and I can’t wait to carry on with the series! The only slight thing I struggled with was the actual cutting up of the cadavers, which I honestly think I found more difficult because I’m vegan! But it only got me a couple of times and I really enjoyed reading it despite those very few scenes.

★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Stacking the Shelves #29

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!

Hi everyone and welcome to another week on Stacking the Shelves! This week, I received a preorder and Blue gave me a book in exchange for a few things, thank you Blue!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered.
There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal.
Once you’re inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die.
El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school’s many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions – never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school.
Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it… that is, unless she has no other choice.

This is the book Blue gave me as they decided it didn’t sound like something they would enjoy, so handed over the Illumicrate edition to me! It’s so pretty and the naked hardcover is lovely too, and it sounds like something I’ll love.

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Goodreads | Book Depository

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

I also had a pre-order for this special edition of Caraval. I love this book and I already have a couple of editions of it, so I couldn’t resist this one. It is so beautiful and comes in a red slipcase!

What have you bought recently?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (#3) by Michelle Hodkin

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Mara Dyer had no idea that it would end like this.
She desperately wants to believe that there’s more to the lies she’s been told and doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She never gave much thought before to how far she would go for vengeance, but with loyalties betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and when fate and chance collide it seems the time for retribution has arrived.

Wow, this book was a mess. It left me so unsatisfied and confused. I had mixed feelings about the series so far, but I enjoyed the second book a lot more than the first. I was still feeling good for the first half of this one too, we seemed to be following a good, linear narrative leading us in the right direction. Mara was on a quest, a road trip. It felt structured and I was really enjoying the plot alongside the creepy vibes. And then it all…went to crap.

I can’t even begin to describe how much this seemed to jump around. It was almost as if the author latched onto an idea only to discard it a couple of pages later and mess up the plot completely. It really got on my nerves after a while, honestly.

Everyone’s a little crazy.

The best part about this book for me was the friendship of Stella, Jamie and Mara. I really thought they made a great ‘found family’ and enjoyed reading about them a lot. Their friendship felt real and close. I also can’t deny this book really made me emotional a couple of times, if slightly annoyed at the same time (you’ll know which scene I mean if you’ve read it!), so the author must have been doing something right.

It’s a shame the plot let this book down so much, because so many other elements I did quite enjoy! I just can’t overlook how messy and undecided it felt. I was left with so many questions and loose ends that felt like they should have been tied up earlier.

Some people just hide it better than others.

Overall, I’m glad I managed to read this series before Halloween, the creepy scenes were perfect and I really enjoyed them. These books have also been super quick to get through and the last one was no different – I definitely won’t be picking up the Noah Shaw spin off, though!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Stacking the Shelves #28

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!

For the first time since my book ban started, I’m finally on top of these posts and I feel like it’s paying off, even if only slightly!

I only received one book this week, and it was a proof copy through work that I’m super excited for! This book looks amazing and I can’t wait to read it.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be. 

What have you bought recently?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Blog Tour + Review: A Clock of Stars by Francesca Gibbons

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree.
But then… who does what they’re told?
Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time – helped by the spoiled prince of the kingdom, a dancing bear, a very grumpy hunter… and even the stars above them.

Thank you to Kaleidoscopic Tours and Harper Collins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun! I don’t read much middle grade, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this. It follows the story of two sisters who find a hidden door to a world. It had such Narnia vibes which I loved and felt perfect for Autumn.

The characters were great and I thought they were very well written. We had so many people to be introduced to: the sisters, Miro and the rest of the royal family in this mystical land, and their enemies, the skret. The skret felt like such cool monsters but I adored how they ended up being so much more – having their own story which was interwoven with the land and the royal family themselves. The two sisters were such lovely characters and it felt so bittersweet to leave them at the end of the story.

Some of my favourite parts of the book were the parts travelling across the land, which sounded beautiful and fantastical. I loved the tree-houses and the castle itself, with the rich descriptions working well alongside Riddell’s beautiful drawings. I loved the adventure aspect, with the plot being so fun and entertaining as they discovered more and more about the world.

My only slight complaint is this book seemed quite long (especially for a middle grade!) and the plot did lose me slightly at times. Other than that, this is definitely worth a read and I can see a younger me loving it!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Stacking the Shelves #27

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!

Hi everyone! Today’s post is a bumper one because it’s been my birthday this week and I was lucky enough to receive some books. I’ll start with ones I pre-ordered or bought, and then move on to the others I was gifted!

Goodreads

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.
These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.
This beautiful collection includes stunning full-color illustrations of each story.

I had this gorgeous edition on pre-order from Illumicrate and it arrived on my birthday! It was such a lovely present for myself.

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Goodreads

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

I also had this arrive, which I ordered for the non-binary readathon in November! It’s our group book for the readathon, and I’m super excited.

Birthday Gifts

The Stalking Jack the Ripper Series Hardcover Gift Set (Hardback)

Goodreads | Waterstones

In this spine-chilling gothic murder mystery set in gritty Victorian-era London, a resourceful lord’s daughter named Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her brilliant friend Thomas Cresswell find themselves inescapably embroiled in the investigation of a ghastly serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

My mum gifted me this gorgeous set, on recommendation from my lovely friend Amy. We are going to start reading it alongside our friend Jo tomorrow, and I’m super excited!

Pride (Paperback)

Goodreads | Waterstones

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.
But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

The rest of the books were gifted to me from my gorgeous boyfriend, the first of which I picked up in a bookshop in the summer and he saved for me! I’m super excited to read this.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Learn about identities, true histories, and anti-racism work in 20 carefully laid out chapters. Written by anti-bias, anti-racist, educator and activist, Tiffany Jewell, and illustrated by French illustrator Aurélia Durand in kaleidoscopic vibrancy.
This book is written for the young person who doesn’t know how to speak up to the racist adults in their life. For the 14 year old who sees injustice at school and isn’t able to understand the role racism plays in separating them from their friends. For the kid who spends years trying to fit into the dominant culture and loses themselves for a little while. It’s for all of the Black and Brown children who have been harmed (physically and emotionally) because no one stood up for them or they couldn’t stand up for themselves; because the colour of their skin, the texture of their hair, their names made white folx feel scared and threatened.
It is written so children and young adults will feel empowered to stand up to the adults who continue to close doors in their faces. This book will give them the language and ability to understand racism and a drive to undo it. In short, it is for everyone.

I also picked this up at the same time and it looks so good and it is beautifully illustrated.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth – four “little women” enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England The charming story of the March sisters, Little Women has been adored by generations. Readers have rooted for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo’s hand, cried over little Beth’s death, and dreamed of travelling through Europe with old Aunt March and Amy. Future writers have found inspiration in Jo’s devotion to her writing. In this simple, enthralling tale, both parts of which are included here, Louisa May Alcott has created four of American literature’s most beloved women.

He also picked me up this lovely copy of Little Women! I haven’t ever read it, and I’ve really wanted to for years, especially since watching the 2019 film a grand total of four times in cinema!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

She will become a legend but first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning …
Diana is desperate to prove herself to her warrior sisters. But when the opportunity comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law to save a mere mortal, Alia Keralis. 
With this single heroic act, Diana may have just doomed the world. 
Alia is a Warbringer – a descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies, mortal and divine, determined to destroy or possess the Warbringer. 
To save the world, they must stand side by side against the tide of war.

The last and by no means least, he managed to get me this rare signed copy if Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo. I feel so very lucky 🙂

What have you bought recently?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (#2) by Michelle Hodkin

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Mara Dyer knows she isn’t crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. 
Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she’s not unstable and doesn’t need to be hospitalised isn’t easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability… before anyone else ends up dead!

This book was somewhat better than the first one. Mainly in the fact that I didn’t roll my eyes quite as much as I did for the first book. As Mara doesn’t spend any time in school, the tropes seem to be slightly less prominent. Which meant I cringed slightly less, and enjoyed it slightly more.

The creepiness level is still up there, and I loved it. In fact, if the third book is anything like this one, I’m slightly worried about reading it while home alone! Some of the scenes are really chilling, and the horror is written really well, I can’t deny it.

If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them.

I also loved the twists and turns in this book. It wasn’t all perfect, and I did predict one or two things that were going to happen. But most of the aspects of the plot twists I didn’t get and they left me reeling. I loved the ending, and the last 150 pages or so were full of twists that kept me gripped until the end. The writing is pretty good, but choppy at times.

The characters were…okay. They filled their roles and did their jobs. But no one really overly impressed me. I sympathised with Mara a lot, and she’s probably my favourite character in most ways. Noah melted my heart and also managed to really annoy me. Their relationship seemed all over the place but both refused to even attempt to sort it out or talk things through, which got on my nerves after a while.

If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.

This series continues to tug me in two directions. It’s still annoying me and has a lot of problems, but also grips me and the plot if so fun and so entertaining, I’m definitely going to read the last one and see what it has in store for me!

★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (#1) by Michelle Hodkin

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

Firstly, I’m so glad I decided to save this book for spooky season. It was absolutely perfect for a Halloween-y, fall read. It is deliciously haunting and creepy. But that’s….kind of where the good stuff ends.

The first thing I realised about this series is it did not age well. If you’re wondering how different a book can be in just eight years, choose one set in a private high school with every 2012 trope and cliche going. Welp. Some of the sentences in this book (for example, one along the lines of ‘what an overdramatic thing to commit suicide over’) made me want to throw it at a wall. I almost DNF’d it multiple times. I’m pretty sure this stuff wasn’t appropriate even back in 2012. So, why didn’t I just put it down?

Thinking something does not make it true.

I can’t deny this book is gripping. It made for a super quick page turning read. I flew threw 100ish pages a day, which is pretty good going for me. In places, it is spine tingling, and once I got through the first 200 pages, I found I could overlook most of the problems and mostly enjoy this book for the cringe-fest it is.

I expected to hate Noah, but in fact I struggled with Mara herself more. She’s just kind of annoying. And I get it, she’s broken, and the story would be boring if she just….got the help she needed. But like most of this book, her temperament is another thing to overlook at times.

Wanting something does not make it real.

So overall, this book was okay. I’m giving it 3 stars for now, but it’s definitely a low 3. I got through it quickly and I will be carrying on with the series, and I am intrigued by where it will lead. If you think you can overlook all the cliches and tropes of bad boy, broken girl and high school drama for the haunting undertones, you just might enjoy this book.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

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