Tag: romance

YA

Review: Until Midnight by Melissa Landers

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Alienated #1.5

until midnight -melissa landersCara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx’s home planet, L’eihr.

Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship.

When Aelyx learns that Cara is forgoing her favorite holiday, he tries to recreate Christmas in space by researching traditional earth customs…but a few things get lost in translation.

3 Drink Me Potions

As I am about to read the awaited sequel to Alienated, I found this delightful short story that ties the mini gap between the first book and its sequel Invaded.

Until Midnight was longer than I thought it would be, considering it’s just a novella and a way that publishers can exploit more investment into a series without having to publish full-length novels. BUT, I am a sucker for these mini stories and I found this one satisfactory.

Satisfactory being the key word here. It was in no way amazing. Maybe it’s because it’s been over a year since I read Alienated. I may not have forgotten everything in the book but the characters’ chemistry wasn’t fresh on my mind. Seeing Aelyx’s attempt to make their last moment on the spaceship memorable was sweet. It truly was.

I just didn’t feel bittersweet to start with. In my head, it pretty much sounded like this. Oh, Cara and Aelyx are getting separated? Cool. I do remember that was to happen. Okay. Now what?

You see? Apathy at its finest.

That’s not to say this story wasn’t a cute little tie-over until the sequel was released (for those people who actually knew about this story before the sequel was actually released). It could’ve been. If only I still recalled the chemistry, my rating may be different and greater than 3 stars. A small consolation was that it did help refresh my memory on major events that had occurred and managed to slip through my mind.

Overall Recommendation:
This little novella was sweet and provided a great way to get back into the world that Landers had crafted with her alien exchange program. It managed to both remind of what occurred in the first book while hinting at what was to come for our loveable characters in the sequel. Having forgotten a little too much about the characters’ chemistry may have skewed this rating, but all in all, it was handy to have read it, though not absolutely necessary.

YA

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Matched #2

crossed -ally condie

The Society chooses everything.

The books you read.
The music you listen to.
The person you love.

Yet for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him.

And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope.

But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems…

A rebellion is rising

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky–taken by Society to his certain death–only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons.  On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life . . . and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game.  On the edge of Society, nothing is as expected, and crosses and double crosses make Cassia’s path more twisted than ever.

3 Drink Me Potions

After having read Matched not all that long ago, I can’t say I was absolutely dying to read its sequel. And although this book was by far not any better than its predecessor, it wasn’t as terrible as it could have been.

My first concern was that it would be a truly boring tale. And it could have very much been just that. Extremely boring. Yes, Cassia comes across certain hardships on her road in chasing down Ky in the Outer Provinces where he was sent at the end of Matched. But were they necessarily exciting? Or just realistic challenges that she probably had to face trekking through these barren lands that no one’s really been living on in a while.

What made it bearable was Ky’s point of view. It kept the pace feeling less like it was dragging on and on because it switched to what he was doing and facing rather quickly, giving an air of illusion that the pace was quicker than it honestly was, when I look back on it.

I’ll be honest with you. The romance was not too heavy in this book either. Sure, Cassia is going after Ky because of her love for him, yet I still feel like she could turn towards Xander at any point. I’m not exactly against that. He’s a great guy too, a rather strange stance as I normally am on some “team” or other. But seeing the world through Ky’s eyes was a smart move on Condie’s part because it made me understand and possibly even like Ky more. He felt kind of distant and surreal in the first book to me. Like I couldn’t understand why he loved Cassia, and only glimpsed who he was through the strips of his life story that he gave her to read. He sounded like a nice guy who went through a ton of hardships at such an early point in life, but did I really understand him all that much? Nah, not really.

Plus, honestly? I think I like Ky’s narrative voice better than Cassia’s. Sometimes I find her a little naive, like she doesn’t really understand the scope of the world outside the Society’s imprint on her life.

To keep this review short, Crossed can at best be described as a mediocre book that somewhat carries the plot further. Imagine it as the line that connects the first dot (aka Matched) to a second dot (aka the third book Reached). It helps to understand how one thing connected to the other, but I don’t think it was absolutely amazing or anything.

It could be just Condie’s writing. You can tell she taught and loved English. Her writing style is somewhat poetic and descriptive in that sense. Chapters can be occasionally very short and scenes easily and rather abruptly change from one to another. It’s not my particular cup of tea, but it’s not to say it wasn’t nice at times. Just…not for the whole length of the book.

Overall Recommendation:
Cassia has embarked on her journey to the Outer Provinces to find her beloved Ky, although her heart seems to have the potential to still love another. With a pace that’s deceptively decent due to the alternating POVs between Ky and Cassia, Crossed introduces life outside of the Society and its control of the people trying to survive there. The plot may further the storyline, but besides giving us an amazing glimpse into Ky and who he is, it doesn’t do much more besides make us wait for whatever conclusion Condie is setting up for in the final book.

 

YA

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2

p.s. i still love you -jenny hanLara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

Can I just first say that I’ve been DYING for this book for a whole long year? Ever since I read its predecessor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which mind you is THE book that got me into writing reviews, I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that there was going to be a second book. Could my life have gotten any better? was the question that flowed through my mind at that point.

And that is where all my hopes and expectations fell.

It literally hurts to write this review which is less than the 5 stars I was expecting. Where shall I begin?

The plot
It was just SO slow. For a good first half of the book, nothing REALLY happened. Yes, Lara Jean was enjoying her newfound relationship with Peter (my heart was screaming YES! ’cause I absolutely adore him…but I’ll get to him later). Everything wasn’t hunky dory or anything. It wasn’t THAT bland. That beautiful hot tub scene from the end of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before? Do you remember that? Well. Let’s just say, it’s become a publicized meme around the school. I know, heartbreaking right?

So Lara Jean is fretting and embarrassed. Her sisters are equally helping her deal with it in their particular ways. But it truly was not worth half a book to focus on. Yes, Peter showed off his gallant side (*happy sigh*), but even that didn’t entertain me for long enough.

The writing style also seemed so disjointed. Some chapters were so short. It was literally one event, and then you jump to the next event which could be a day or whatever later. And then onto the next event in the next chapter. There wasn’t a whole lot of flow, like Jenny Han was sticking short constructed pieces together. It wasn’t the most enjoyable format, especially when things were already going quite slow substance-wise.

Then things just got downright UGLY in the next half. I shall start off with…

Lara Jean
I like that she’s still her unique self, being half Korean and all. Jenny Han is still amazing at integrating such cultural aspects into the story. But I was just SO annoyed with Lara Jean in this book. She was too jealous and mistrustful of Peter’s friendship with his ex. Mind you, I don’t particularly like her either. She’s truly a dog (and I mean that in a not-so-nice way). But to be wrought with jealousy to the point that she would mistrust Peter’s intentions wasn’t pleasant to see unfold.

John What’s-His-Name (he has a REALLY long name – which I don’t care about)
And then there was John. The other guy that the synopsis hinted at. I don’t understand why Jenny Han had to bring him back. Was there really nothing else to give this story substance?

Okay, maybe the answer is yes, considering the first half wasn’t all that great with substance either. But still. He felt so unnecessary. Please. A random love triangle thrown into the middle of the SECOND novel? It was already a little weird with the neighbour/good friend Josh in the last novel, but I actually liked him more because he was someone Lara Jean knew. John just kind of…popped up. She may have known him in the past, but I, as the reader, sure as heck don’t give a crap about him. He wasn’t MY past crush.

I admit I may be a teensy bit biased ’cause I love Peter, but still. My reasoning is sound. Lara Jean shouldn’t have tried to get herself to rekindle such feelings for John when in reality, I felt she was never quite over Peter.

The OTHER characters
That leaves me with the characters I did still enjoy, even with minor irritants.

Margot, Lara Jean’s older sister, seems to have forgiven her for the uh, minor problem with Josh (Margot’s ex and one of the crushes). However, things are NOT la-la land for Margot & Josh. I was a bit sad. I don’t know. I didn’t love them as a couple even in the previous book, but to me, if they weren’t with each other, it just felt weird seeing them with different people.

Kitty, the younger Song sister, was as wild as ever. I’ve always had such a strange liking for her. I wouldn’t exactly want such a manipulative yet still adorable younger sister in real life, but I can’t help but like her. I love that both sisters are so unique and made in a way that both complements Lara Jean as well as showcases what a sisterly relationship looks like. It’s not always perfect, and there may be HUGE differences between the girls, but they have each others’ backs at the end of the day. The Song girls united. I loved that.

Oh, and that brings me to Peter. Ah, Peter Kavinsky. First, I’d like to mention that I missed seeing Josh in this novel. He was rather big in the previous one, and he just wasn’t relevant I suppose in the sequel, considering Lara Jean got over him and what not. Still. I missed his presence as the good family friend he was. I suppose it was realistic. Not everything can go back to the way things were after relationships get complicated.

Okay, back to PETER. He made my day in the story. I was so tired of reading it. That breaks my heart to say. I SO, SO hoped it would have been a fun read. I even bought it on the very first day it came out. But seeing Peter’s actions and dialogue, I think this novel showcased his personality really well. We got to see the better side of him in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but as a boyfriend? That was something new. He may be a lot of imperfect things, but he tried his best for Lara Jean. I may have despised what she did to him, but I appreciated how the author handled their relationship in the end. It wasn’t as open ended as the previous book, but it gives a lot of hope and a wonderful message.

Relationships aren’t going to be easy, and people may even get really hurt. But at the end of the day, it’s worth jumping into. What’s one of my favourite sayings? It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. It’s pretty applicable here.

I wish I could say the good outweighed the bad, but I couldn’t handle this book. It may have been my HUGELY escalated expectations, but I think it just didn’t hold the kind of substance I look for in a novel. I’m quite saddened to say I’m rather disappointed.

Overall Recommendation:
I waited forever, or so it seems, for P.S. I Still Love You. I absolutely ADORED To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before that I thought Jenny Han could do no wrong when it came to a sequel that had my very favourite people in it. She has a way with making her characters come alive. From the Song sisters to Lara Jean herself, there is the cultural aspect of being half-Korean and holding onto that heritage, while still giving each girl a very distinct personality. I also hold Peter K to the highest regard when it comes to male protagonists. That being said, with such love comes high expectations, and occasionally, a great fall into disappointment. I’m sad to say that the plot was extremely slow and held far too little substance. The focal points were unnecessary and rather childish in my opinion. So with a saddened heart, I must say that I recommend enjoying the first book and maybe only reading this if you must see how Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship unfolds (and refolds ’cause it’s complicated and messy that way).