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jamiedarlin's reviews
551 reviews
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
A delightful subversion of classic fairy tale tropes.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
2.0
While I appreciate what the author was going for in this book, I am not convinced it was executed effectively. I did enjoy the story of Eliza and Nella and thought it was interesting enough to create a stand alone story, but I couldn't stand the story of Caroline, which I found wholly distracting and not in the least plausible (I could rant about this for awhile, but let's talk timelines and standards for admission to institutions like Oxford, as well as what it means to demand the attentions of archivists and partake in illegal trespassing in a foreign country). I think the editors of this book did the first story line an injustice by letting Caroline's story takeover.
Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth
5.0
I loved this book, beginning to end, and I think prose poetry is a perfect and beautiful format for the author's story—what better way to capture the nuance of complicated human experience, which itself can be fragmented and full of stops and starts, cliffhangers and unjustified text/events? I also loved the use of the Beatles's Apple Records albums as framework for the text/life experiences. All of it so carefully and intricately woven together.
I've read some critiques about this not being for young adults, and I'd like to posit that perhaps we don't give teenagers enough credit. So much of the required reading in a teen's curriculum is about adult experiences (literature, history, civics, etc.)—we should anticipate and hope their intelligence and imagination would afford them the ability to understand and be interested in a narrative that begins in youth and extends into adulthood, and that explores themes and experiences that may be outside of their own. Plenty of teenagers have to read Shakespeare or Homer or the Canterbury Tales in their coursework—if they can navigate those works, I assure you, they'll have no trouble with the format here.
I've read some critiques about this not being for young adults, and I'd like to posit that perhaps we don't give teenagers enough credit. So much of the required reading in a teen's curriculum is about adult experiences (literature, history, civics, etc.)—we should anticipate and hope their intelligence and imagination would afford them the ability to understand and be interested in a narrative that begins in youth and extends into adulthood, and that explores themes and experiences that may be outside of their own. Plenty of teenagers have to read Shakespeare or Homer or the Canterbury Tales in their coursework—if they can navigate those works, I assure you, they'll have no trouble with the format here.