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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While Instant Karma was a cute read, it just didn't read like Marissa Meyer. The characters weren't all that deep, the secondary characters were rather dull, the plot was super predictable, there were a few minor plot holes, the writing style was a bit off, and I HATED the use of karma. It almost feels like a ghost writer took this one with Meyer's name because she didn't have time to do it herself!
Unlike other reviewers, I didn't hate Prudence starting off. Sure she was prejudiced and said dumb stuff, and didn't look deeply at people - but that's how teenagers generally act so it was realistic. If anything, I thought that Quint's do-gooder nature was a little heavy handed and unrealistic, like he needed some actual flaws, not just "oh I'm late for stuff because I help injured animals". That's not a flaw. I deal with teenagers most days of the year, and yeah there are some really great kids out there who do this sort of stuff, but they can still be lazy, prideful, annoying, insecure, etc. Quint was none of those things. Additionally, none of the secondary characters stood out or actually felt like real people. They were caricatures used to make the story progress. Even the baddie at the end was very stereotypical! Why did they do what they did? One of my favourite things about Meyer's stories are her characters, yet in Instant Karma they were just paper silhouettes acting out a script.
The whole Instant Karma could have easily been cut out. Like it really didn't add anything, it could still have been an excellent story without Maya losing her earring. Prudence may have simply seen it drop out of her ear and spitefully not say anything. And all the other issues could have been solved without it too. I don't know it was just a bit meh for me. I also hated the overreliance on old music. Like sure teens can be into the Beatles, but they sure as hell know the current stuff as well! Prudence not even knowing Of Monsters and Men was a bit weird.
I did end up enjoying the romance, and yes it was still entertaining, but I wouldn't say this was a great book. Readable? For sure. Unputdownable? Not even close. Give it a go if you're looking for trashy YA romance, but if you want depth then this is not for you.
Unlike other reviewers, I didn't hate Prudence starting off. Sure she was prejudiced and said dumb stuff, and didn't look deeply at people - but that's how teenagers generally act so it was realistic. If anything, I thought that Quint's do-gooder nature was a little heavy handed and unrealistic, like he needed some actual flaws, not just "oh I'm late for stuff because I help injured animals". That's not a flaw. I deal with teenagers most days of the year, and yeah there are some really great kids out there who do this sort of stuff, but they can still be lazy, prideful, annoying, insecure, etc. Quint was none of those things. Additionally, none of the secondary characters stood out or actually felt like real people. They were caricatures used to make the story progress. Even the baddie at the end was very stereotypical! Why did they do what they did? One of my favourite things about Meyer's stories are her characters, yet in Instant Karma they were just paper silhouettes acting out a script.
The whole Instant Karma could have easily been cut out. Like it really didn't add anything, it could still have been an excellent story without Maya losing her earring. Prudence may have simply seen it drop out of her ear and spitefully not say anything. And all the other issues could have been solved without it too. I don't know it was just a bit meh for me. I also hated the overreliance on old music. Like sure teens can be into the Beatles, but they sure as hell know the current stuff as well! Prudence not even knowing Of Monsters and Men was a bit weird.
I did end up enjoying the romance, and yes it was still entertaining, but I wouldn't say this was a great book. Readable? For sure. Unputdownable? Not even close. Give it a go if you're looking for trashy YA romance, but if you want depth then this is not for you.
pru is pretty insufferable like the first 100 pages but then she’s kinda alright! by far my favorite marissa meyer protag but i can deal with her.
i feel like the book moved at such a nice and steady pace up until the storm then from there on out i was like woah ! can we slow it down. i wish we had gotten to spend a little bit longer in the later parts esp with pru & quint’s relationship! but it was cute :)
i feel like the book moved at such a nice and steady pace up until the storm then from there on out i was like woah ! can we slow it down. i wish we had gotten to spend a little bit longer in the later parts esp with pru & quint’s relationship! but it was cute :)
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Marissa Meyer is basically an auto-buy author by now, so I listened to this from my library’s catalogue!
I found that Prudence wasn’t a very likeable character. She was just pretty whiny and blaming her problems on others, whilst most of the time, she’s part of the problem.
However, I do understand her perfectionist tendencies and need for control - I am pretty much the same. Group work is also my nightmare.
”It's like, Jude, for example," I say, quietly, careful with my words. "He's so nice. Everybody likes him. He just gets along with people, everywhere he goes. I know I'm not that. And Ari, she's so talented, and so passionate about music, but I'm not really passionate about anything, other than wanting to succeed. To do my best. But I can make plans, and I can stay organized, and if a teacher assigns a report, I'm going to write the best darn report they've ever seen. If I'm throwing a gala, I'm going to throw a party that no one will ever forget. I can do that. And if I can impress people, then maybe they won't notice that I'm not witty or beautiful or... fun.”
The sea life rescue centre was cute and I felt like I was reading a book version of Dolphin Tale.
But honestly? I’m glad this was not one of my first Marissa Meyer books.
I found that Prudence wasn’t a very likeable character. She was just pretty whiny and blaming her problems on others, whilst most of the time, she’s part of the problem.
However, I do understand her perfectionist tendencies and need for control - I am pretty much the same. Group work is also my nightmare.
”It's like, Jude, for example," I say, quietly, careful with my words. "He's so nice. Everybody likes him. He just gets along with people, everywhere he goes. I know I'm not that. And Ari, she's so talented, and so passionate about music, but I'm not really passionate about anything, other than wanting to succeed. To do my best. But I can make plans, and I can stay organized, and if a teacher assigns a report, I'm going to write the best darn report they've ever seen. If I'm throwing a gala, I'm going to throw a party that no one will ever forget. I can do that. And if I can impress people, then maybe they won't notice that I'm not witty or beautiful or... fun.”
The sea life rescue centre was cute and I felt like I was reading a book version of Dolphin Tale.
But honestly? I’m glad this was not one of my first Marissa Meyer books.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a lovely, cute, feel good romance with loveable characters. I did feel like the plot was a bit all over the place and was disappointed with how the 'instant karma' part of the plot took a back seat, I would have enjoyed this to feature a bit more. I loved the unique main setting of the animal rescue centre and thought this raised awareness of important issues. Being a big JAWS fan I can't do a review without mentioning the references to the film as I did love these. The characters really made this for me and I loved that although it was a YA it wasn't written overly YA-ey if this makes sense to anyone apart from me! I listened on audio and really liked the narration. I think if you liked 'To all the boys I loved before' you would like this. Had similar cost vibes.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was the first Marissa Meyer book I had read in a while and it might just be my last. It wasn’t bad but I simply think that while she may have been my go to author as a kid, my time reading her books has come to an end. If I wasn’t so much a hopeless romantic I probably could have enjoyed this book more but unfortunately it just was not my cup of tea. If you’re like me, this book might be hard to get through since it takes slow burn to a whole new level and might get you very frustrated at times, but if you’re not, this book can open your eyes to the wonders of the world that I think everyone should consider, weather you be a young adult or not. That said, it was surprisingly reflective, leaving me considering my place on this earth as well as other things. It was cute, funny, and inspirational and despite being bored at times, it was a fine read.
This was super cute but I didn't love Pru. I get that that's sort of the point in the beginning but there wasn't enough growth or positives to offset the irritations.
3.75/5. OMG the animals, the rescue, and Quint, they all made this book absolutely delightful. Prudence? Not so much. I was incredibly annoyed with her and felt like there could have been some sort of backstory or justification for why she acted so judgemental and self-absorbed which could've made me sympathize with her a bit more. Even just a sentence about how 'her parents always seemed to like and focus on Jude more, so she always tried to be perfect to win them over', or something like that. But there was no explanation for why she acted so uptight and snooty. I had to keep from rolling my eyes and frustrated sighing so many times. I'm glad I pushed through the beginning because once we got to the animal rescue, things got a lot more interesting. I'm still on the fence with the enemies to lovers, because I cared about Quint too much to have him fall for Prudence, but hopefully in the happily ever after of Instant Karma, she changes for the better.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated