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funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Review of audiobook:
Newly orphaned Alexandria "Alex" Lee moves from the Rain Catcher Farms commune in California, where she and her mother were herbalists, to her grandmother's mansion in Savannah, Georgia. The transplant is difficult. Alex is out of touch with modern culture and is very vocally against the money and power of the Magnolia League, her grandmother's social set. Alex would rather spend time working for others, giving money to charity, etc. But over time she starts to fall in line with the Magnolia Girls (MG's, learning the secrets to their power and incorporating them into her own life. Until the night she discovers something shocking in the Lee Mansion...
Alex is preachy and whiney and a very difficult character to like. I actually preferred the secondary characters in this novel, and would have liked knowing them a bit better. The author also needed a good continuity editor, as there are many contradictions in the text. However, the plot is intriguing and the descriptions of the South are spot on. The reader is wonderful, portraying upperclass Savannah with just the right amount of Southern drawl. I will probably read the second book in the series to find out how the shocking discovery is handled, and to revisit the secondaries.
Newly orphaned Alexandria "Alex" Lee moves from the Rain Catcher Farms commune in California, where she and her mother were herbalists, to her grandmother's mansion in Savannah, Georgia. The transplant is difficult. Alex is out of touch with modern culture and is very vocally against the money and power of the Magnolia League, her grandmother's social set. Alex would rather spend time working for others, giving money to charity, etc. But over time she starts to fall in line with the Magnolia Girls (MG's, learning the secrets to their power and incorporating them into her own life. Until the night she discovers something shocking in the Lee Mansion...
Alex is preachy and whiney and a very difficult character to like. I actually preferred the secondary characters in this novel, and would have liked knowing them a bit better. The author also needed a good continuity editor, as there are many contradictions in the text. However, the plot is intriguing and the descriptions of the South are spot on. The reader is wonderful, portraying upperclass Savannah with just the right amount of Southern drawl. I will probably read the second book in the series to find out how the shocking discovery is handled, and to revisit the secondaries.
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
drey’s thoughts:
Alexandra Lee is sixteen years old and orphaned when her mother’s van goes off a cliff. Two months later, she is moved to Savannah, Georgia, to live with her grandmother. Going from hippy to southern belle is a culture shock to say the least, and she doesn’t intend to acquire any of the seemingly-effortless gentility that her grandmother expects of her.
Then she finds out that not everything that glitters is gold, and all the gentility in the world doesn’t hide the fact that her grandmother’s social club has its fingers in more than a few questionable things–including a partnership with hoodoo practitioners. And now she’s expected to not only be one of them, but eventually lead them…
Is she strong enough to withstand the pressure to conform? Or will this not-quite-rail-thin sassy hippy girl become lost in the glory–real and imagined–of being one of the Magnolia League?
I like Alex, except when she’s all wishy-washy about a boy. A girl who stands up for her vintage t-shirts and ripped jeans in the face of Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Jacobs does not do wishy-washy; she kicks butt with her army boots or smart-mouth witticisms. I like her new friend Dexter and I even like Hayes and Madison–the debutantes assigned to get Alex into the local scene. I’m not sure I like the Buzzards much (what a name, huh?), and I’m definitely sure I don’t like her grandmother all.
The pace starts off leisurely and hardly picks up until you get to the end, where Alex finds out just how devious her grandmother is, and has to decide whether she’ll give it all up–for the boy she’s pretty sure she loves, or for the mother she’s lost. Up till the end, this was just another story about another teenager who finds out that the world around her holds many secrets. But with that ending, I’m waiting to see what Katie Crouch comes up with next for Alex. And what repercussions will flow from her decision.
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
Alexandra Lee is sixteen years old and orphaned when her mother’s van goes off a cliff. Two months later, she is moved to Savannah, Georgia, to live with her grandmother. Going from hippy to southern belle is a culture shock to say the least, and she doesn’t intend to acquire any of the seemingly-effortless gentility that her grandmother expects of her.
Then she finds out that not everything that glitters is gold, and all the gentility in the world doesn’t hide the fact that her grandmother’s social club has its fingers in more than a few questionable things–including a partnership with hoodoo practitioners. And now she’s expected to not only be one of them, but eventually lead them…
Is she strong enough to withstand the pressure to conform? Or will this not-quite-rail-thin sassy hippy girl become lost in the glory–real and imagined–of being one of the Magnolia League?
I like Alex, except when she’s all wishy-washy about a boy. A girl who stands up for her vintage t-shirts and ripped jeans in the face of Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Jacobs does not do wishy-washy; she kicks butt with her army boots or smart-mouth witticisms. I like her new friend Dexter and I even like Hayes and Madison–the debutantes assigned to get Alex into the local scene. I’m not sure I like the Buzzards much (what a name, huh?), and I’m definitely sure I don’t like her grandmother all.
The pace starts off leisurely and hardly picks up until you get to the end, where Alex finds out just how devious her grandmother is, and has to decide whether she’ll give it all up–for the boy she’s pretty sure she loves, or for the mother she’s lost. Up till the end, this was just another story about another teenager who finds out that the world around her holds many secrets. But with that ending, I’m waiting to see what Katie Crouch comes up with next for Alex. And what repercussions will flow from her decision.
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
ashleymonea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
petersonline's review against another edition
3.0
This book was up and down, felt there were some parts that were not needed, but also liked the black magic parts, the ending was a huge cliffhanger. (What is the White Glove War?) this book was ok/ good.
nerdywerewolf's review against another edition
4.0
Everything about this book suggests witches. It's not about witches. It's about Hoodoo. I won't say anything else about the plot because it was fun to figure it out. The main character was a little whiny for someone who's supposed to be a stoner, but the atmosphere and the other characters are interesting enough to overlook that. The descriptions of Savannah, GA are so thorough you can almost taste the homemade sweet tea. If you're from the south, it'll remind you of home. :)
kristinaweber's review against another edition
3.0
In The Magnolia League, Alex suffers a terrible blow when her mother drives her VW bus off a cliff and she must leave the commune where she has grown up for Savannah, Georgia. Her grandmother, a society maven in Georgia with tons of money, works to groom Alex as a member of her group, The Magnolia League. The League has secrets, however, and Alex must decide whether those secrets are something she'd like to be a part of.
Crouch offers a solid effort that is an easy and enjoyable read. However, the characters and plot points could use more development. Many situations and characters are so stereotypical and one-dimensional that it is hard to sympathize or identify with the story. Alex, herself, seems to go about the book in a fog - doing things that are either in sync with her hippie paper-doll cutout or what everyone expects of her. The one true thing about Alex was her inability to give up her makeover, no matter the implication. Although, at one point in the story she is willing to chuck that without much thought as well. The ending definitely makes way for a sequel or series.
Crouch offers a solid effort that is an easy and enjoyable read. However, the characters and plot points could use more development. Many situations and characters are so stereotypical and one-dimensional that it is hard to sympathize or identify with the story. Alex, herself, seems to go about the book in a fog - doing things that are either in sync with her hippie paper-doll cutout or what everyone expects of her. The one true thing about Alex was her inability to give up her makeover, no matter the implication. Although, at one point in the story she is willing to chuck that without much thought as well. The ending definitely makes way for a sequel or series.
annaplaia's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
trikaratops's review against another edition
4.0
I am glad I didn’t give up on Alex. She showed me a fancy world full of magic and choosing which side you play for. Go here for my full review: http://epicbooknerd.blogspot.com/2011/06/magnolia-league-by-katie-crouch.html
heyheyhaley's review against another edition
2.0
I mainly bought this book because it is set in Savannah, GA and I am from Georgia. I thought it would be a fun book about the upper class in Savannah mixed with magic. First, they gave the main character dreadlocks to start with and she's white - a big issue I have in basically anything. Then, they took way too long for the main character to find out about the magical underbelly of the society she is entering. This made the ending extremely rushed in my opinion. I am so mad that this book has a sequel because I want to know what happens in the stupid plan the main character cooked up but I REFUSE to read any more of this nonsense.