Category: Book Review

Review: Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review13 Comments

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Jandy Nelson meets Friday Night Lights: a sweeping story about love and family from an exceptional new voice in YA. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing’s speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants.

Wow. What an incredible debut! I would never have guessed this book was a debut – the writing is simply beautiful.

This book is like no other. The writing was beautiful in a simple kind of way, and it helped the pages turn so quickly.

I honestly didn’t know how I’d find this book – the synopsis is quite brief and it left me pretty clueless about the book apart from the racial diversity. It really was a pleasant surprise!

“I feel like it might take over, like I might drown in my wanting.”

The characters had real depth to them. The culture flowed and shone throughout the novel, giving the story a kind of magic I don’t often see in YA. The contemporary style didn’t feel like contemporary – it felt like more. Contemporary is simple…this book was more.

Talking about the characters, Wing made for an amazing MC. She was relatable, honest and well, real. She made mistakes, she didn’t know what she wanted and she didn’t try to cover up her feelings to make herself more likable. I also found her incredibly inspirational, brave and heroic. She is my new bookish hero!

But it wasn’t just Wing that I adored. I loved the dynamic in her family and friends. I love how much they were included in the novel. Sometimes, you can read a romance novel without even meeting side-characters. In fact, it’s rare to have real depth to everyone in a story. This book beat all of those sterotypes.

“Like I’ll be nothing but want.”

The plot flowed magically for a book set over a period of months. I lost myself in the time and I couldn’t have told you how long the book lasted. We obviously skipped days and maybe even weeks at times but just like with Windfall, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

Let’s also mention that magical realism! I won’t talk about it too much, but this book features some great little side animals that I thought would find weird and childish but I honestly didn’t. It was lovely.

“Like I won’t be able to think about anything or do anything but just want him.”

Let’s talk a little about the diversity in this book. This book includes people of so many different nationalities and backgrounds – and I loved that about it! But it doesn’t just stop at race, this book also featured an lesbian side-character who I think was represented really well.

Along with diversity, this book also tackled some really important topics – love, friendship, grief, growing up, family, and bullying.

Okay, so I’m sure you’ve gathered there are a LOT of things I loved about this book. I could literally go on and on. So I’ll wrap up with one last thing – go and read this. Please.

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

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Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes.
At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall.
As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined . . . and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

Considering the length of this book (over 400 pages!), I’m surprised how it sped by for me. I read it in around a day, and read around half of it during a 3 hour flight.

I loved a lot of things about this book, but I also had a few annoyances. As contemporaries are, it was pretty middle of the road, I guess. It wasn’t over-the-top with incredible writing and pieces. But it wasn’t underwhelming, either.

Let’s start by saying I felt mixed about the characters. I liked Alice, and I loved Leo and Max. It was great to have LGBT side-characters that didn’t feel there just to make the book politically correct. But Teddy. Ugh, Teddy. I kind of had a love-hate relationship with Alice’s love interest. For one, he turns into a bit of a douche. Yes, he’s only 18 and he’s obviously over-excited about winning so much money. But the way he spends it and strings Alice along quite a bit just got on my nerves.

“We have all sorts of words that could describe us.”

Unfortunately, Alice also annoyed me a little bit in some parts. Yes, both her and Teddy had been through a lot and she obviously was battling with demons of her own. But I felt like she also strung a certain character along because she couldn’t face that Teddy didn’t want her.

However, I loved the concept of this book. YA can be pretty restricted now with ideas and plot lines, so the lottery idea felt fresh and interesting. I also liked the pacing. Rather than go through everything in too much detail day-by-day, the book jumped whole weeks, and it worked. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything and it made the book pass pretty quickly.

“But we get to choose which ones are most important.” 

I also like the topics discussed in this book. It made the book real and relatable, even if it was a little hard-hitting at times.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this one. I really did, and I’d recommend it to romance/contemporary readers! I’ll definitely be reading more of Smith’s work – this one just felt a little lacking and gets a mixed review from me.

★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The Shadow Queen. Book Review #17

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, PeteLeave a comment

Hey everyone!

Hope you’re all well

This week I’m going to talk about a book I read a very long time ago.

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine is a YA High fantasy novel that follows Lorelai, the Crown princess of Ravenspire who’s throne was stolen from her when her evil step mother, Irina, killed her father, the king and began to poison the land with her terrible magic. In a battle between light and dark Lorelai must use her own magic to defeat the dragon-shifting huntsman the Shadow Queen has sent for her and take back the kingdom that always truly belonged to her. Things get difficult, of course when the princess realises that the half man, half beast chasing her is actually a prince, whose mind is being held captive under the wicked Irina’s spell and maybe might not be such a bad guy after all.

This story is a retelling of the childhood classic Snow White and because of that there are some very obvious parallels to the fairytale. But wait, don’t be put off by this and don’t presume that you already know what is going to happen. Because this book is a rollercoaster.

Right from the beginning we are shoved into a fast-paced plot with vivid language that doesn’t give you a second to breathe. The world-building in this book is one of it’s biggest strengths and I think it all comes down to Redwine’s attention to the history of the land and people. She creates culture, folklore and a backstory- all of which contribute to create a society of people that feel life like. My only qualm about the plot and how it’s played out is that although at the start the author goes into a lot of detail about the world’s past- thats really it. I wanted to know more about the universe that this book was set in and I wanted a more consistent approach to the background of what was going on, instead of it all being at the start.

The characters in The Shadow Queen are the stars of the show that is this story. Gushing with detail and depth, each member of the book’s cast brings something different to the table. Redwine, somehow, makes you love or hate her characters as though they are real people you know. There is a deep sense of immersion that we gain through the author’s skilful use of description. The romance in this book is perfectly salty and sweet too. However there were some footfalls at times regarding Lorelai’s family and her past. Once again Redwine talks a lot about whats going on in the present tense regarding characters but rarely gives us details about their pasts- all of which would help to flush out the elephants in the room that are, at times, very easy to spot in The Shadow Queen.

Perhaps my favourite element of the story is Lorelai. These days too many authors are writing princesses in High Fantasy novels as whiny and unnecessarily cold. Lorelai is different, she shows warmth and leadership but she is also a badass and moves through her world knowing what she wants. Her power as an enchantress and the presentation of magic in this book in general must be noted. Redwine in The Shadow Queen has created a magic system that feels fresh, unique and sometimes even plausible. Instead of being able to just shoot fireballs from your hands and then get tired after cough cough, Throne Of Glass, users of magic in Lorelai’s world must ask the elements or the things they are commanding if they can wielded by the magician. For example, if the princess wants to conjure spears of ice from the river she must ask it first and in a beautiful way it becomes personified- it may refuse or argue back if she asks for too much. There is certainly an elegance to magic that isn’t so infinite or unfeasibly strong.

I would recommend this book if you are really into fantasy novels but if not and your simply thinking of dabbling in the genre there are so many other better options cough, cough ACOTAR.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

 

Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

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Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.
Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

Note: Hi readers! I’m back home in the UK now after my week in Madeira. I’ll be blogging about my trip tomorrow but for now I have a bit of a delayed review for you!

I knew I would like this book simply because it’s so cute and fluffy. My lovely friend Sophie recommended it to me and knew I’d love it – and she was right!

I will admit I had a few gripes about this book, but overall it was utterly gorgeous.

“It might not be distance or time that takes you away from people.”

Let’s talk about a few of the things I loved about this novel. There are so many, I think I’m going to have to list them!

♥ I absolutely loved the romance in this novel. It felt slightly like a guilty pleasure, but I found myself utterly wrapped up in it all. I couldn’t help but really fall for these two.

♥ I found the plot really unpredictable and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen until the very end of the book. I think this was helped a lot by the time frame, which was unique as it was set over seven days (I know, I know, this is kind of hinted by the title). Each chapter also showed a countdown to when Sophia was leaving Tokyo (in 7 days and less as the book went on), which added to the plot development!

♥ Which brings me to the setting! Not many YA books are set outside of the UK or USA, so it was really refreshing to have a novel set in Tokyo. I did have an issue with this too though, which I’ll discuss later on.

♥ The last thing that stood out to me was the side characters. Sophia’s friends/family all offered something different to her story, and helped shape the novel a lot!

“Maybe you decide when you let them go.”

As I mentioned above, I also had a few dislikes. One of these is unfortunately to do with the setting – which although I loved, I felt like it could have been used to a better advantage. This is kind of hard to describe, but I just didn’t feel like I was in Tokyo. I love the little touches of the Karaoke and different foods, but I wish the setting had been more inclusive (if that’s the right word!).

I also felt like the ending was a little rushed and had a few loose ends. It was nothing big, but I did notice it a little.

“But I can’t let go yet.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute contemporary but unfortunately felt lacking in a few parts! However, I’d still definitely recommend it for YA romance/contemporary readers.

★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Spoiler-free Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review7 Comments

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Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn’t a lightning strike, it’s the rumbling roll of thunder.
Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. 

I knew I liked Sara Barnards writing and style. But I had no idea how much this book would blow me away.

This book astounded me on so many levels, I don’t even know where to start. I’m just going to have to go through them all.

“Here are three separate but similar things: shyness, introversion and social anxiety. You can have one, two or all three of these things simultaneously.”

I’ll start with the thing that stands out about this book the most. In A Quiet Kind of Thunder, Steffi suffers from selective mutism and her love interest, Rhys, is deaf. They communicate through BSL (British Sign Language). On a personal level, this really resonated with me. My career dream is to work as a teacher or in learning support, so I have actually considered learning BSL or ASL (American Sign Language) in the past. I know basic BSL (the alphabet/numbers etc) and I understand the complete importance and flow of it, and I love how that shone through in this novel.

But BSL isn’t just something that makes this novel unique – although I find it amazing that Barnard chose to write about it. It completely changes the lives of both Steffi and Rhys, and impacts the way they grow together. I really admire Barnard for taking such a big plunge and writing their story. I am so grateful to her.

Another of the struggles Steffi faces is anxiety. As an ex-sufferer myself of separation anxiety and a sufferer of anxiety, I was astounded by how well Barnard wrote about Steffi’s panic attacks and general anxiety. I can fortunately say I have only suffered one (serious) panic attack in my recent years, but this does mean I completely related to Steffi on a personal level.

“A lot of the time people think they’re all the same thing, but that’s just not true.”

All that aside, there were so many other things that stood out about this novel. For one – friends and family! Yes, friends and family are often mentioned in YA. But this novel was just something else. I know from Beautiful Broken Things that Barnard does a good job writing about teenage friendships, but she went above and beyond my expectations with Tem. Tem is Steffi’s best friend, and I love the dynamic between her and Steffi in this novel. It added something fresh and interesting that I really don’t often come across in YA, and I absolutely loved having that relationship in A Quiet Kind of Thunder.

It wasn’t just Rhys and Steffi’s friends that stood out to me. I love the relationship Steffi and Rhys had with their families and how they all bounced off one another beautifully. I also loved Steffi’s interest in animals and Rhys’s love for video games. It rounded out their characters and made the story not just about romance.

“Extroverts can be shy, introverts can be bold, and a condition like anxiety can strike whatever kind of social animal you are.”

So to finish up, let’s talk a bit about the romance. Was it insta? Kind of, but it felt so different. Steffi and Rhys had a lot of issues and faced many struggles. This made their relationship feel layered and somehow much more real. I loved Steffi and Rhys. I loved them falling in love and their adventures together. It was tentative, sweet and it honestly made me cry. I feel honoured to have been welcomed into their world.

Overall? This book really feels special to me. It shows anxiety in a way I haven’t seen before in YA, and showcased an incredibly important story. I fell in love with Steffi, Rhys, Rita (Steffi’s dog) and every other little thing about this novel. It’s one I will hold close to my heart for a long time.

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Spoiler-free Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review9 Comments

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Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora’s brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend’s boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora’s fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life. With little more than the words “be brave” inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must “be brave” if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.

Note: Forgive me for not being here! I’m currently away in Madeira with my family but I’m getting a lot of reading in and here’s my review for the first book I’ve finished since I arrived.

Unfortunately I don’t have my laptop with me, so forgive this review for being a little all over the place! I’ll edit it properly once I’m back off my phone.

I’ll be back home on Saturday, but for now I’ll just be posting reviews of books I’m finishing. Other posts would be too hard without my laptop!

I think the easiest way to describe this book is unique. It’s possibly the most unique YA book I’ve ever read.

This book made me reconsider the boundaries of YA itself. It pushed everything I know about YA aside and created something entirely new and wonderful.

I won’t lie – I found this book a little mixed up. The narrative is some of the strangest I’ve come across. Due to Flora’s amnesia, a lot of the book is deeply repetitive (especially in the first ~100 pages). This kind of annoyed me a little for a while, but I did get used to it and understand how it was vital to the story.

“I am really here. Yet I know I am not.”

I obviously can’t speak for the accuracy of how Flora’s illness was portrayed, but I have to say it felt real. The complex plot really reflected the wild randomness of Flora’s mind, and I really admire Barr for being able to create that.

“I am inside something that must be buried in my head.”

The main thing I loved about this book is it’s complexity and cleverness. I won’t say I didn’t see the plot twists coming – I did guess some – but I also enjoyed the discovery.

However, there were parts of this book I didn’t enjoy. Specifically, Flora’s narrative. Yes, the repetitiveness of her story is vital. It is also incredibly, incredibly tedious. I found her incredibly childish at times and found the writing suitable for middle-grade. Therefore, the “emails” seemed very out-of-place and weird compared to the narrative.

“I am layers deep in my own brain.”

So overall, I didn’t love or hate this book. It was intriguing, involving and I found myself completely absorbed in the story from after around 100 pages. I liked the setting(s), numerous characters and complex plot. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but it’s certainly very intriguing and I’d still say give it a go if you like the sound of the synopsis!

★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Wolf by Wolf. Book Review #16

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete5 Comments

Hello Bookworms!

This weeks review is of one of the coolest books I’ve ever read.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin is a YA historical science fiction novel that imagines a world where the Allied powers never won the second World War but instead the Nazis did. Yael is a seventeen year old resistance fighter and she is going to kill Hitler and finally end all of the pain and terror he has brought forth – she just has to get close enough to him first. With the pack of wolves on her arm, tattooed to remind her never to forget, and her deadly shapeshifting power, the Nazis don’t know whats coming for them.

This book is a whirlwind journey that spans continents and time all in a way so elegantly that by the end you’ll be wondering, did any of that actually just happen? Can anything be so good? The plot itself is dazzlingly unique. There is, of course, some parallels to the cult classic The Man In The High Castle with it’s dystopian Nazi future, but in her YA twist Graudin mixes in an element of sci-fi that fits so perfectly into the story that I can’t imagine the plot without it.

Yael is a shapeshifter. I won’t give you the logistics or the origins because they are just too good to spoil but her bad-assery in this book needs to be mentioned if I am going to give it a fair review. There were so many moments in the story when I was silently cheering on/commending the heroine for her unfailing ability to be awesome. She didn’t moan and she wasn’t annoying- She has a job to get done and she knows how she’s going to do it. She’s a girl with a goal and thats why I love her.

In terms of world building Graudin manages to maintain a seamless dystopia that becomes almost real every time she drops in a new detail. The writer handles the delicate subject of the holocaust and all of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in such a  thoughtful and respectful way throughout her plot and the love story she weaves in the background is my favourite kind: deadly. I won’t give any spoilers about what happens between Yael and her love interest but: The twist at the end!

I truly enjoyed Wolf by Wolf and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced story thats unique and addictive.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Spoiler-free Review: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

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Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.
Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond.
Bad body Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.
Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.
And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about any of them again.
He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.
Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you’ll go to protect them.

Doesn’t the concept of this book sound incredible? I’ve been intrigued by it for so long – I’m so glad I wasn’t disappointed. There are so many elements of this book that could have gone wrong but didn’t. Let’s start with the simple stuff – this book is from the viewpoint of four different characters. Was it confusing? No.

All of these characters were separate, and I knew them easily from one another. I felt like one of their friends. To say that I felt like the friends of murder suspects, people who cheated and lied, is a big thing. I always have a tendency to hate characters that, for example, cheat. I have barriers, but McManus managed to break them down.

“I stand and hold out my hand. She gives me a skeptical look, but takes it and lets me pull her to her feet. I put my other hand in the air.”

So the character development was incredible – but not just that. The plot was clever, well paced and just awesome. This book would make an amazing TV show. The pages flew by, and the suspense really shone through. As one should with books such as these, I really wanted to know what was going on. And one of the best things is I didn’t guess. I honestly didn’t know the outcome until the very end.

“‘Bronwyn Rojas, I solemnly swear not to murder you today or at any point in the future. Deal?'”

It’s so hard to write a review for a book you thought everything was great in. I honestly don’t have anything to critique! I love the low-key romance and LGBTQIA+ elements of this novel, along with the character development and depth, suspense and writing. The whole thing didn’t even feel far-fetched with the amount of drama that goes on with teenagers today.

“‘You’re ridiculous,’ she mutters, going even redder.
‘It concerns me you’re avoiding a promise not to murder me.”

If I had to critique anything, I would say the amount of characters became slightly confusing. But even saying that, it didn’t change how I feel about this novel. All I can say is the hype this book appears to be achieving is definitely worth it – it won’t let you down!

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Thanks For The Trouble. Book Review #15

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete1 Comment

Hey everyone!

Happy to say that after a long and honestly very boring break, I am back!

I hope you are all well and ready for Summer!

Today I’m going to talk about a book by one of my favourite authors.

Thanks For The Trouble by Tommy Wallach is a contemporary YA magical realism novel that follows Parker Santé, an anomalous teen living in San Francisco who hasn’t spoken in five years. Parker’s voice is now a pen and paper and as result of his lack of friends, spends nearly all of his time in hotels, skipping school in the process. He feels stagnant, stood still in a world where others are planning their futures, deciding who they want to be. This all changes of course when he meets Zelda Toth, a peculiar girl who, like him has a penchant for hotels as well as her grey hair.

This book is a gift, a palate cleanser in an ocean of too pungent and too saturated young adult narratives. Like many successful stories, I believe Thanks For The Trouble’s beauty is born from its characters. Parker Santé has a classic YA superpower, or anti-power in the fact that he can’t speak but this feature doesn’t become annoying or unnecessary like it easily could. In fact Parker’s lack of vocals give the reader a nudge towards who he really is, a traumatised teenage boy, whilst they are searching in the jungle of the storyline. This feature in itself is another trait that helps TFTT hold its own because it is as though as the reader finds out more details and solves more puzzles regarding their main character, Parker himself does too and there is a comfortable pace in this.

Zelda Toth is a pulsing and delightfully abnormal character. There are a lot of finer threads that weave together to form the dazzling tapestry of her personality however to me, I think that it’s best you discover these on your own. I will say one thing, Wallach’s use of the fantastical through Zelda was perhaps my favourite part of the book because in the most casual and glamorous way the writer lets us know that oh by the way Zelda lives forever. Immortality is a subject that I find to be forever fascinating and the way its played out in this book only gripped me more.

This book certainly has its fair share of cliche scenarios and randomly perfect scenes that never seem to happen in real life (Where is my midnight beach party?) but please don’t let any of these events put you off. Through the scope of Wallach’s wonderful cast of characters none of these segments ever felt overly arduous and at times I even found myself escaping into the wonderful fairy land that is being an American teenager in a Californian city in a young adult novel.

I give this book a 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Review: Your Name. by Makoto Shinkai

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review12 Comments

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Mitsuha, a high school girl living in a rural town deep in the mountains, has a dream that she is a boy living an unfamiliar life in Tokyo. Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo, dreams that he is a girl living in the mountains. As they realize they are changing places, their encounter sets the cogs of fate into motion. The light novel is written by director Makoto Shinkai of the animated film Your Name.

Your Name has held a special place in my heart ever since my lovely friend Hannah introduced it to me. In fact, before I start, I’d like to point out her review of the film. It really is something special.

I’m always searching for something, for someone.

Your Name is not only one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, but also one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Makoto Shinkai is both the author of this light novel and the director of the film, and for that reason they compliment each other perfectly. Having the first person viewpoint of both characters is a delight to read, even if it can be a little confusing at times!

In fact, the only gripe I have about this novel is so small, it actually isn’t about the writing. Because the storyline is so complex, it can sometimes be hard to follow when the characters are experiencing the same thing (and who’s talking). It would have really helped to have had one of the characters viewpoints italicized or in a different font!

This feeling has possessed me I think, from that day…

Even though I already knew this story basically word-for-word, this book still made me cry. It still left me pondering love and life. It still left me feeling overjoyed and like I’d just experienced some kind of beautiful adventure.

There is so much I love about this novel, I don’t even know where to start describing everything. For a start, I got through this book in under a day. For me, that’s incredible, and something that hasn’t happened for a while! This book flew past in a beautiful mixture of words and experiences.

That day when the stars came falling.

As with the movie, the mixture of sci-fi and romance really works for this novel. I found (in the book more than the movie), that it left a beautiful metaphor more than anything. It felt like something so real.

Overall, I am still in utter admiration of Makoto Shinkai for creating such a deep, complex and incredible romance. It is one I have recommended and will recommend to many people, readers and movie-lovers. The story is just so precious – I feel like I’m reviewing a true treasure.

One tip before I go – if you’re interested in this one I’d recommend reading the book and watching the movie within a few days of each other if you can! The story can be pretty complex on it’s own, but the two together do make it clearer.

This book, like Taki and Mitsuha, will always hold a special place in my heart.

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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