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fishgirl182's review
3.0
After the sudden death of her mother, Alex is forced to leave the free spirited commune where she's spent most of her life to live with her very traditional and very southern grandmother in Savannah, Georgia. Alex is like a fish out of water in Savannah. She doesn't fit in with the pretty, superficial girls her age and she certainly has nothing in common with her grandmother. Alex's grandmother, Miss Lee, is the head of a social group called The Magnolia League. The group elicits both fear an awe in town. Alex initially rebels at the idea of the League but hangs out with a couple of the girls in the League in order to appease her grandmother and some of her boredom. It's quickly apparent however that things are not what they seem and that there are secrets in the League - secrets that go back many years and may have had something to do with Alex's mother's death.
The books starts of pretty strong. Alex is an independent you woman who is afraid to be herself. She has the same insecurities that most young women have (am I fat, do boys like me, etc.) but in general she comes off as a confident individual. Her two friends, Hayes and Madison are interesting as well. They can be catty and mean but, at the same time, you can see the beginnings of friendship forming and some of the dialogue is truly funny. Crouch's descriptions of Savannah are also very good, providing a moody atmosphere rich with history in which to lay out her story. Alex is a smart person and she soon figures out that something fishy is going on with members of The Magnolia League. Her grandmother and all of the other women seem unnaturally young and she becomes friends with Sam Buzzard, who seems to know something about her mother and her family. Then comes the big reveal in which the League performs a spell on Alex in order to get her to stop pining for her lame ex-boyfriend back in California. After that, the cat's out of the bag and Alex finds out that the League has made a pact with the Buzzards to keep them in spells that provide youth, power, money and whatever else the members wish for. Alex dives into this world quickly, not asking too many questions. Her insecurities get the better of her and she signs up for a spell that makes her thin along with skin and hair spells. Before you know it, Alex is a size 0 and is one of the most popular girls in school.
It's around this point that the book goes a little downhill for me. I just expected a bit more from Alex. She becomes everything she didn't like about the Magnolia League. The independent young woman from the commune is replaced someone I am not sure I like. Pieces of the old Alex are still there but they're being overshadowed by the new Alex, and she ends up doing something she swore she would never do. At the end of the book, we do see the spark of the old Alex come back. The ending does seem somewhat abrupt though. Everything seems to happen in the last ten pages and then sets itself up for a sequel. I am definitely interested in seeing where the story goes though. Will Alex live up to her potential and break the curse of the Magnolia League? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
The books starts of pretty strong. Alex is an independent you woman who is afraid to be herself. She has the same insecurities that most young women have (am I fat, do boys like me, etc.) but in general she comes off as a confident individual. Her two friends, Hayes and Madison are interesting as well. They can be catty and mean but, at the same time, you can see the beginnings of friendship forming and some of the dialogue is truly funny. Crouch's descriptions of Savannah are also very good, providing a moody atmosphere rich with history in which to lay out her story. Alex is a smart person and she soon figures out that something fishy is going on with members of The Magnolia League. Her grandmother and all of the other women seem unnaturally young and she becomes friends with Sam Buzzard, who seems to know something about her mother and her family. Then comes the big reveal in which the League performs a spell on Alex in order to get her to stop pining for her lame ex-boyfriend back in California. After that, the cat's out of the bag and Alex finds out that the League has made a pact with the Buzzards to keep them in spells that provide youth, power, money and whatever else the members wish for. Alex dives into this world quickly, not asking too many questions. Her insecurities get the better of her and she signs up for a spell that makes her thin along with skin and hair spells. Before you know it, Alex is a size 0 and is one of the most popular girls in school.
It's around this point that the book goes a little downhill for me. I just expected a bit more from Alex. She becomes everything she didn't like about the Magnolia League. The independent young woman from the commune is replaced someone I am not sure I like. Pieces of the old Alex are still there but they're being overshadowed by the new Alex, and she ends up doing something she swore she would never do. At the end of the book, we do see the spark of the old Alex come back. The ending does seem somewhat abrupt though. Everything seems to happen in the last ten pages and then sets itself up for a sequel. I am definitely interested in seeing where the story goes though. Will Alex live up to her potential and break the curse of the Magnolia League? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
josiejthames's review against another edition
I just couldn't get past the dialogue. It's VERY YA.
kay2198's review against another edition
1.0
I usually don't write reviews but I felt for this novel, it was necessary.
I didn't hate this book but I also didn't like it. I felt that there was a promising plot line but it just wasn't written to its full potential so to speak. At some points the plot was really strong and others it was really weak.
What really upset me though was when Madison and hayes totally transformed Alex into the 'beautiful' magnolia girl. Alex was now skinny and had beautiful hair and skin and got Thaddeus the guy she had a huge crush on. I just felt that was way too stereotypical and unrealistic.
I also find it hard to believe that Madison and Hayes are truly Alex's friends because they totally changed her into someone she's not. And what Alex does to Thaddeus at the end by just ignoring him was totally uncalled for. She should have spoken to him and told him about her mother.
Overall I feel that this book was a rollercoaster of good and bad sections, and that it was often juvenile at times. I do not believe that this is a horrible book. It just wasn't for me and I feel it wasn't as developed as it could have been that's why I gave it only two stars. I will not be reading the sequel.
I didn't hate this book but I also didn't like it. I felt that there was a promising plot line but it just wasn't written to its full potential so to speak. At some points the plot was really strong and others it was really weak.
What really upset me though was when Madison and hayes totally transformed Alex into the 'beautiful' magnolia girl. Alex was now skinny and had beautiful hair and skin and got Thaddeus the guy she had a huge crush on. I just felt that was way too stereotypical and unrealistic.
I also find it hard to believe that Madison and Hayes are truly Alex's friends because they totally changed her into someone she's not. And what Alex does to Thaddeus at the end by just ignoring him was totally uncalled for. She should have spoken to him and told him about her mother.
Overall I feel that this book was a rollercoaster of good and bad sections, and that it was often juvenile at times. I do not believe that this is a horrible book. It just wasn't for me and I feel it wasn't as developed as it could have been that's why I gave it only two stars. I will not be reading the sequel.
vikcs's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
lumos_libros's review
2.0
Why did I finish this book? I keep asking myself this. In the beginning I seriously thought of chucking it, but my interest got peaked in the middle but gosh it just didn't cut it. This book should have been a sure hit. I mean the premise is just too enticing to pass up. I love southern settings and there is the element of southern magic. There are secrets that need to be uncovered and our heroine isn't your run of the mill girl. But it still fell flat to me. I'm actually a little sad really that I didn't like it more; as conceded as this may sound it just didn't live up to it's potential.
Alex has been living on a communal farm in California and feels like this is her real home, even with her mom gone. Well Alex is ripped from her comfort zone when her grandmother who lives in Savannah basically forces Alex to come live with her. Alex immediately feels out of place. She's a hippy like, chubby California girl placed into the southern belle circle. Before she knows it she starts discovering just how powerful the Magnolia League is and the important role she will play. The question is will she be able hold on to who she is, or will she also succumb to the Magnolia League ways?
I'm not going to say the magic wasn't interesting because it was. The setup between the Magnolia League and the Buzzards has its own morbid fascination to it too. What the story's major downfall for me were the characters to be honest. Alex always used LOTS of acronyms, which got on my nerves fairly quickly. We see her in the beginning smoking a joint, and supposedly she is just so smart. Really? She’s already looking kind of dim to me already. Oh gosh, then she says she doesn’t use the word awesome lightly because she knows the power of words because she likes to read (here’s a ploy by trying to hook the reader because as readers we like to read about people who like to read too. Didn’t work in this case) and then she commences to use the word fairly often for anything of interest. Then there is this whole thing about her not being like the crowd, but in reality by trying to go against the grain she is just like everyone else. Outwardly she's not, but she wants the same things like other girls. Then the whole thing with Thaddeus (the love interest) didn't pan out as well as I hoped. Even though the story was told in basic chronological order (didn't that remind you of school right then, when they told us to line up that way?) the plot felt sporadic to me. It felt like there were holes missing that could have helped with character development.
When I was explaining the story to someone they told me that it sounded like a cool premise. And it really does, but nope. The ending is a cliff-hanger, but I'm not sure I'll be reading the sequel. This is a bad sign because I’m usually a person who has to see how a series ends, but I’m not sure if I care enough for this one. *shakes head* I feel like a teacher who is disappointed in a brilliant student who murmurs to herself," It's a shame, all that wasted potential."
Update: Through a goodreads friend I found this article. I don't think the author's intention was to put down the reader, but now I understand why I didn't love the book. I'm kind of sad really that this is what the author said about the YA genre, and its readers. It probably does have some truth to it, but I don't think that should interfere with producing a quality story. I'm fairly certain the article is not to be taken too seriously, and is suppose to be funny but it feels like a joke that crossed the line.
Alex has been living on a communal farm in California and feels like this is her real home, even with her mom gone. Well Alex is ripped from her comfort zone when her grandmother who lives in Savannah basically forces Alex to come live with her. Alex immediately feels out of place. She's a hippy like, chubby California girl placed into the southern belle circle. Before she knows it she starts discovering just how powerful the Magnolia League is and the important role she will play. The question is will she be able hold on to who she is, or will she also succumb to the Magnolia League ways?
I'm not going to say the magic wasn't interesting because it was. The setup between the Magnolia League and the Buzzards has its own morbid fascination to it too. What the story's major downfall for me were the characters to be honest. Alex always used LOTS of acronyms, which got on my nerves fairly quickly. We see her in the beginning smoking a joint, and supposedly she is just so smart. Really? She’s already looking kind of dim to me already. Oh gosh, then she says she doesn’t use the word awesome lightly because she knows the power of words because she likes to read (here’s a ploy by trying to hook the reader because as readers we like to read about people who like to read too. Didn’t work in this case) and then she commences to use the word fairly often for anything of interest. Then there is this whole thing about her not being like the crowd, but in reality by trying to go against the grain she is just like everyone else. Outwardly she's not, but she wants the same things like other girls. Then the whole thing with Thaddeus (the love interest) didn't pan out as well as I hoped. Even though the story was told in basic chronological order (didn't that remind you of school right then, when they told us to line up that way?) the plot felt sporadic to me. It felt like there were holes missing that could have helped with character development.
When I was explaining the story to someone they told me that it sounded like a cool premise. And it really does, but nope. The ending is a cliff-hanger, but I'm not sure I'll be reading the sequel. This is a bad sign because I’m usually a person who has to see how a series ends, but I’m not sure if I care enough for this one. *shakes head* I feel like a teacher who is disappointed in a brilliant student who murmurs to herself," It's a shame, all that wasted potential."
Update: Through a goodreads friend I found this article. I don't think the author's intention was to put down the reader, but now I understand why I didn't love the book. I'm kind of sad really that this is what the author said about the YA genre, and its readers. It probably does have some truth to it, but I don't think that should interfere with producing a quality story. I'm fairly certain the article is not to be taken too seriously, and is suppose to be funny but it feels like a joke that crossed the line.
shuofthewind's review
3.0
Interesting premise, but the followthrough was disappointing. The last fifty pages needed about fifty more to make everything make sense, and characterization was shoddy ("hos before bros," great, awesome--were you guys even friends before?).