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arthuriana's reviews
611 reviews
Crossing on the Paris by Dana Gynther
4.0
A book detailing three women's experience in making the Atlantic Crossing, this book makes a great effort in trying to match a personal revelation in the women's lives, trying to highlight the travel as something that will change their lives forever. While Gynther has certainly succeeded on her message, I felt as if it lacked something, and that certain something could have been crucial into making this a truly special book—alas, if only I could know what that something is, seeing as the characters are rather drawn beautifully, the dialogue is believable for the era, and the experience of each is something that will spirit the reader away in a worthwhile experience; still a good book, nonetheless, in spite of my nagging feeling that it could have been a great one.
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
1.0
In an effort to educate readers to be content with what they have and that best isn't always good, Dessen has managed to make a statement more akin to 'ambition is bad' rather than what I think is her hoped 'be happy with everything that you have.'
I started this book filled with optimism—I haven't heard anything bad about Dessen's books and I was actually looking forward to reading this one—but everything started going downhill from there. Her characters may be charming, but her main one has managed to irritate me for the whole reading experience.
All that I could forgive, but not the message. The message has managed to choke every single bit of love that I had left for the book until I finally concluded that this was just another failed experiment of mine (note to self: don't experiment so much in regards to books from now on). In what I think is part of her effort to preach the 'be happy with what you have' message, she has managed to completely distort a character by making him do something that was totally unexpected (or, at least, for me).
Ah, well. That's that for my Experiment: Sarah Dessen, then.
I started this book filled with optimism—I haven't heard anything bad about Dessen's books and I was actually looking forward to reading this one—but everything started going downhill from there. Her characters may be charming, but her main one has managed to irritate me for the whole reading experience.
All that I could forgive, but not the message. The message has managed to choke every single bit of love that I had left for the book until I finally concluded that this was just another failed experiment of mine (note to self: don't experiment so much in regards to books from now on). In what I think is part of her effort to preach the 'be happy with what you have' message, she has managed to completely distort a character by making him do something that was totally unexpected (or, at least, for me).
Ah, well. That's that for my Experiment: Sarah Dessen, then.
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
5.0
This book is quite simple, really: there's this poor girl who meets up with a rich boy, who then hooks up with said rich boy, encounters some trouble along the way, and becomes rich herself. This story is so stereotypical, that I'm pretty sure that it's already become a TV Trope. Yet, if you look past the stereotypical plot line, you'd discover something that is so unexpected that . . . well, there are no words for the feeling: this story is cute and feels-worthy and so utterly fantastic that I've put it in my favorites shelf.
Alright, to start with, the book has capital-A amazing characters, and I really do mean amazing. Caymen and Xander have one of the best chemistry I've ever read in literature. While they may be riddled with your typical YA love triangle kind of stuff (which I seriously deem surplus to YA in general; can't we have a nice, good story about two and only two people in love?), they aren't that typical and, seeing as the major hurdle didn't really exist, just made their love all the more . . . I dunno, real, I suppose? All I know was that, despite never having fallen in love, I literally flat-out squealed in that typical fangirl-y kind of way during their moments together (and, at times, felt sympathy for the characters).
The amazing thing, however, is the fact that this is a completely normal love story between two teenagers, yet it still manages to hook the reader in and brings them along for one unforgettable ride. I cannot tell you how utterly thankful I am that, finally, after so many tries of reading YA, hoping to get a great read, I finally found one that would rule them all.
This has it all: great characters, great arcs, great development, and, while its plot might not be original, its great writing will lure you away.
There's just one word for it, really: perfect
Alright, to start with, the book has capital-A amazing characters, and I really do mean amazing. Caymen and Xander have one of the best chemistry I've ever read in literature. While they may be riddled with your typical YA love triangle kind of stuff (which I seriously deem surplus to YA in general; can't we have a nice, good story about two and only two people in love?), they aren't that typical and, seeing as the major hurdle didn't really exist, just made their love all the more . . . I dunno, real, I suppose? All I know was that, despite never having fallen in love, I literally flat-out squealed in that typical fangirl-y kind of way during their moments together (and, at times, felt sympathy for the characters).
The amazing thing, however, is the fact that this is a completely normal love story between two teenagers, yet it still manages to hook the reader in and brings them along for one unforgettable ride. I cannot tell you how utterly thankful I am that, finally, after so many tries of reading YA, hoping to get a great read, I finally found one that would rule them all.
This has it all: great characters, great arcs, great development, and, while its plot might not be original, its great writing will lure you away.
There's just one word for it, really: perfect
The Zahir by Paulo Coelho
2.0
You know, I wouldn't have been surprised if, at the ending, it revealed that the author's name was Paulo or Paul or any kind of variation thereof.
Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know: Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic by Lauren Smith, Derek Fagerstrom
4.0
Read in a span of one day, I didn't so much as read this as I did skim it and read the ones that interested me.
Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar by Kelly Oxford
2.0
Occasionally funny, but oftentimes narcissistic and self-serving.
Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless by Greta Christina
4.0
Well thought-out and highly readable, this book offers some pretty good arguments against religion and of its effect on society. Christina has also done her purpose in here: she has worded exactly what I thought about religion but probably did it way better than I could have done.
The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
3.0
Cute and fluffy, this, nevertheless, was an average read; though to tell the truth, Sarah Dessen should take some pointers from Ockler in how to create a YA romance as it should be.
Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
5.0
I've borrowed this from my school's library in December of last year, thinking, as I always do with borrowed books, about the cover. You see, I've very different standards on books. If I purchase a book, it must be high-quality, and may God forgive me if I bought a terrible book. Luckily, this has never happened to me, seeing as I always, always, research a book before I buy it.
But in borrowing books . . . well, it's quite a different story. From travesties such as Twilight to treasures such as this one, you could never ever really tell what my library contains.
Thankfully, it contained this and, luckily, the cover was pretty enough to catch my attention.
That's all I could ever say about this, really: I'm just thankful that I got to read this book.
But in borrowing books . . . well, it's quite a different story. From travesties such as Twilight to treasures such as this one, you could never ever really tell what my library contains.
Thankfully, it contained this and, luckily, the cover was pretty enough to catch my attention.
That's all I could ever say about this, really: I'm just thankful that I got to read this book.