Review: Beastly Beauty

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Arabella’s mother has plans for her.  She will be sweet and quiet.  She will also marry whomever her mother tells her.  To do this, she must hide her real thoughts and dreams from everyone around her.  She is doing her best but learns she can no longer stand quietly and let others be abused.  When her anger is released … a curse is put upon her.  After a time, Beau has been captured in Arabella’s castle and the servants think he may be able to break the curse.  Beau only wants to get away.  He believes there is no such thing as love.  Is there a chance that Beau and Arabella can break the curse? 

Beastly Beauty is a stand-alone fairy tale re-telling where the main characters' genders are reversed.  Most readers will be familiar with the popular reincarnations of Beauty and the Beast and this version has everything a fairy tale fan would want.  Donnelly did a wonderful job switching the roles and putting a fresh spin on a beloved tale.  Beastly Beauty will be a hit for everyone who enjoys a good re-telling.

View all my reviews

Review: This Book Won't Burn

This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Noor is focused on finishing her senior year when she is sideswiped by her father leaving her family and her mother moving them to a new city.  With only the last quarter to finish, Noor plans to keep her head down and graduate.  That doesn’t happen when she discovers that the school has pulled 500 books from the library because of a new policy.  She has been taught to stand up for what she believes in and starts challenging these new rules.  Now she has a target on her back.  Will Noor be able to get the books back in the library? 

This Book Won’t Burn is a stand-alone realistic story that is timely and eye-opening.  The issue of books being banned in schools is prevalent everywhere but is definitely at the forefront here in Indiana.  Although everyone has their views on this issue, I feel Ahmed was balanced in her presentation and everyone will finish this book with many nuggets to think about.  This is a book all bibliophiles, educators, and school board members need to read.

View all my reviews

Review: The Dare

The Dare by Natasha Preston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a senior tradition for a series of pranks to be completed.  Most of the dares are innocent.  Egging houses, releasing chickens, and similar pranks.  Unfortunately, the dares keep escalating, and when Jesse is dared to drive a dangerous road with no lights … the inevitable happens.  A man is dead and four friends have covered it up.  Can they trust each other?  What other secrets were being kept?

The Dare is a stand-alone mystery that will pull readers in immediately and keep them engaged throughout.  The final climax doesn’t happen until the last chapter and that made this pulse-pounding mystery that much more enjoyable.  Preston has created characters with hidden depth, even if I can’t believe the actual events would be possible (although they are plausible).  The Dare is a great escape read for all Preston and mystery fans.

View all my reviews

Review: Wide Awake Now

Wide Awake Now by David Levithan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is 2024 and the presidential election is over.  A gay Jewish man has won the presidency … or has he?  The governor of Kansas believes that the election results in his state are invalid and transfers his state’s votes to the other party.  Jimmy and Duncan feel the election is being stolen and they cross the country with others to protest this action.  Who really won the election?  What will Jimmy and Duncan learn about themselves during this adventure?

Wide Awake Now is a stand-alone reimagining of Levithan’s 2004 novel Wide Awake set in 2024.  This book is politically charged and contains many topics that may be against some readers personal points of view.  Overall the story was a quick read with many timely topics, but which includes too many issues that seem put there solely to push an agenda.  Readers should start this book knowing these concerns ahead of time. 

View all my reviews

Review: Draw Down the Moon

Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wren has known that she is a Mundane and both of her parents were magickal … it just was how everything was.  That all changed on her eighteenth birthday when she started glowing.  Now she must go to the Academia de la Luna and learn to develop her powers, if she has any.  Lee is her best friend and has always known about the Academia and had plans to continue his family’s legacy.  He was not planning to go with Wren, who he loves as more than a friend.  The Academia is overwhelming, and these friends quickly learn it is dangerous too.  What secrets will be discovered?  Who will survive these dangerous trials?

Draw Down the Moon is the first book in the Moonstruck series.  I was captivated by the various characters and subplots and couldn’t wait to turn the pages and find out what would happen next.  As this first story started reaching its conclusion, I felt dismayed that the book wasn’t longer.  I don’t want to wait for the next installment, but it will be added to my to-be-read list!

View all my reviews

Review: The Reappearance of Rachel Price

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bel was 2 years old when she was found in the backseat of her mother’s car with the heat running and a juice box.  The disappearance of her mother has never been solved.  She is now eighteen years old and her mother has reappeared.  Rachel’s story has too many flaws and Bel begins to wonder if her mother was taken or if she left.  What happened to Rachel sixteen years ago?  Is the Price family still in danger?

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is a standalone mystery that had me turning the pages and wondering where it was going next.  Jackson included several twists and turns throughout and when the reveal begins, readers will soon discover that inconsequential nuggets were important.  The answers to the mystery are revealed a few chapters before the ending, but that gives the story the space to wrap up nicely.  A thoroughly enjoyable mystery read.

View all my reviews

Review: The Cemetery of Untold Stories

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alma is a successful, published writer, but she has many stories that she never finished.  After inheriting land in her homeland, the Dominican Republic, she decides that is the perfect place to bury these stories … literally.  Alma hopes this will give her characters and stories a place to rest.  Her stories have other plans, and the cemetery becomes a place for these untold tales to finally be heard.  Some of her characters talk back to Alma (or each other) and a few even revise themselves. 

The Cemetery of Untold Stories is a twisting story that is not an easy read and those who choose to explore these pages need to know that it is complicated yet satisfying.  Alvarez has taken a few different storylines and crafted a narrative that blends them together.  I thought this was going to be a collection of stories, but it ended up delivering so much more.  A fulfilling read even if it wasn’t a fun one.

View all my reviews