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looseleafellie's reviews
251 reviews
Project Dandelion by Heather Carson
3.0
Project Dandelion is about a group of teens who get placed in a nuclear fallout shelter and have to work out how to cooperate to survive. The second I saw the concept, I went, “Muahahahaha, I hope these kids go full Lord of the Flies on me!” I’m pleased to say that they went at least halfway Lord of the Flies on me. Okay, they didn’t murder anyone, but the book only takes place over the span of two weeks so I reckon it was only a matter of time.
I really loved the main character, Katrina — she had a very specific goal that involved getting out of the shelter ASAP, which gave her a delightfully morally gray edge in a group where everyone is expected to cooperate. The contrast between those who wanted to stay and those who wanted to leave got starker and starker throughout the story, but it was never entirely clear who was right. Yes! Give me that sweet moral ambiguity!
There’s one main thing that I unfortunately wasn’t so keen on, and that was the origins of the relationship between Katrina and the love interest, James. My pet peeve in fiction is instalove, and their relationship developed a little too fast for my taste. I mean, I get it — the story only lasts for two weeks — but I like what I like, and what I like is SLOW BURN.
Overall, this was a short, fast read that brought up some really interesting philosophical dilemmas — and got me out of my reading slump!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
I really loved the main character, Katrina — she had a very specific goal that involved getting out of the shelter ASAP, which gave her a delightfully morally gray edge in a group where everyone is expected to cooperate. The contrast between those who wanted to stay and those who wanted to leave got starker and starker throughout the story, but it was never entirely clear who was right. Yes! Give me that sweet moral ambiguity!
There’s one main thing that I unfortunately wasn’t so keen on, and that was the origins of the relationship between Katrina and the love interest, James. My pet peeve in fiction is instalove, and their relationship developed a little too fast for my taste. I mean, I get it — the story only lasts for two weeks — but I like what I like, and what I like is SLOW BURN.
Overall, this was a short, fast read that brought up some really interesting philosophical dilemmas — and got me out of my reading slump!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
4.0
Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN is, of course, one of the most influential American novels of all time. But many readers were disappointed at the fates of the characters in the second half of the book, where heroine Jo rejects a marriage proposal from her childhood friend, Laurie, and marries the much older Professor Bhaer instead. Readers are largely split about this decision to this day -- some insist that Jo should have married Laurie, while others say that they would have made a horrible couple and the ending is for the best.
Well, buckle up, guys -- everyone's oldest and most controversial ship is back. But it might not be as cut-and-dry as you think.
First of all, JO AND LAURIE isn't a straightforward retelling of LITTLE WOMEN. It's framed as a story within a story, wherein the original LITTLE WOMEN was written by Jo, and now she's struggling to write a sequel to please her publisher. This scenario mimics the way Louisa May Alcott herself struggled with the sequel in real life, as was explained in the excellent authors' note at the end. The framing also has the effect of avoiding any implication that the authors are trying to revise LITTLE WOMEN canon, which would obviously be disrespectful to Alcott's memory. Overall, I found it to be a pretty thoughtful handling of a classic book.
Now, on to the shipping wars. When I first read LITTLE WOMEN several years ago, I was definitely disappointed that Jo and Laurie didn't end up together. More recently, having reflected on it, my preference would be if Jo didn't get married at all; but suffice to say, I didn't like the person she eventually married in canon. This retelling seemed like a cool way to see what it would have been like if things were different, and for me, it hit the mark exactly.
Here's the thing: original, canon Jo and Laurie make great friends, but they'd make a pretty terrible couple. Laurie is kind of immature, and seems to expect Jo to be in love with him just because he wants her to be. However, this version of Jo and Laurie aren't canon Jo and Laurie. They do resemble the originals for much of the story, with Laurie initially complaining a ton when Jo rejects him; but they both go through transformations that make them more compatible over the course of the story (read: Laurie grows the hell up :P). When they finally got together at the end of the story, I got straight-up chills, because it made sense in this version.
Aside from the main romance, I enjoyed discovering the little riffs on the original story that Stohl and de la Cruz slipped in there. Jo replicated some "real-life" events in LITTLE WOMEN exactly, but others she switched up and added and embellished. One such riff I loved was the fact that Meg and John Brooke, who got engaged in LITTLE WOMEN, had never actually spoken to each other in reality -- at least, at the start of the story -- which causes a lot of awkwardness. Amy was a delight as always. I particularly loved the emphasis on Jo's struggles to write her sequel. As the authors noted at the end, Jo's writing process wasn't shown much in the original, and it was really cool to imagine what it would have been like.
Overall, I think many fans of LITTLE WOMEN will like this book precisely for its meta qualities. The writing didn't replicate Alcott's style exactly, but as I read further, I realized that it didn't need to. Indeed, JO AND LAURIE isn't intended as a revision of canon, but as a fun "what if?" scenario that explores how Jo and Laurie could have gotten together -- but also why, in the original canon, they might not have been meant for each other after all.
Well, buckle up, guys -- everyone's oldest and most controversial ship is back. But it might not be as cut-and-dry as you think.
First of all, JO AND LAURIE isn't a straightforward retelling of LITTLE WOMEN. It's framed as a story within a story, wherein the original LITTLE WOMEN was written by Jo, and now she's struggling to write a sequel to please her publisher. This scenario mimics the way Louisa May Alcott herself struggled with the sequel in real life, as was explained in the excellent authors' note at the end. The framing also has the effect of avoiding any implication that the authors are trying to revise LITTLE WOMEN canon, which would obviously be disrespectful to Alcott's memory. Overall, I found it to be a pretty thoughtful handling of a classic book.
Now, on to the shipping wars. When I first read LITTLE WOMEN several years ago, I was definitely disappointed that Jo and Laurie didn't end up together. More recently, having reflected on it, my preference would be if Jo didn't get married at all; but suffice to say, I didn't like the person she eventually married in canon. This retelling seemed like a cool way to see what it would have been like if things were different, and for me, it hit the mark exactly.
Here's the thing: original, canon Jo and Laurie make great friends, but they'd make a pretty terrible couple. Laurie is kind of immature, and seems to expect Jo to be in love with him just because he wants her to be. However, this version of Jo and Laurie aren't canon Jo and Laurie. They do resemble the originals for much of the story, with Laurie initially complaining a ton when Jo rejects him; but they both go through transformations that make them more compatible over the course of the story (read: Laurie grows the hell up :P). When they finally got together at the end of the story, I got straight-up chills, because it made sense in this version.
Aside from the main romance, I enjoyed discovering the little riffs on the original story that Stohl and de la Cruz slipped in there. Jo replicated some "real-life" events in LITTLE WOMEN exactly, but others she switched up and added and embellished. One such riff I loved was the fact that Meg and John Brooke, who got engaged in LITTLE WOMEN, had never actually spoken to each other in reality -- at least, at the start of the story -- which causes a lot of awkwardness. Amy was a delight as always. I particularly loved the emphasis on Jo's struggles to write her sequel. As the authors noted at the end, Jo's writing process wasn't shown much in the original, and it was really cool to imagine what it would have been like.
Overall, I think many fans of LITTLE WOMEN will like this book precisely for its meta qualities. The writing didn't replicate Alcott's style exactly, but as I read further, I realized that it didn't need to. Indeed, JO AND LAURIE isn't intended as a revision of canon, but as a fun "what if?" scenario that explores how Jo and Laurie could have gotten together -- but also why, in the original canon, they might not have been meant for each other after all.
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
5.0
First impression: HOLY WOW. This book has everything I crave in a YA sci-fi, from a dash of mystery to a rollercoaster of plot twists to heapings of cool technology. It reminds me a lot of Across the Universe by Beth Revis (a book I adored), but with enough originality to make it feel fresh.
The first thing that struck me about this book is how the author created a whole new dialect of English for the people of the future. It took me a few chapters to get into, especially since one of the viewpoint characters (Zhade) has all of his narration in this dialect, but I found it pretty easy to get a handle on. It makes total sense that human language would evolve after thousands of years, so I found this to be a realistic and immersive piece of worldbuilding.
I also thought it was awesome how the citizens of this world have come to see technology as magic, meaning that this story had a distinctly YA-fantasy-court-intrigue spin on what could have been a straight-up sci-fi. To me, this element sets it apart from many other YA sci-fi stories that fall into a similar vein.
It took me a while to get a handle on who Andra was as a person, but as the story progressed, her character arc became clear and resonated a lot with me. Zhade was kind of annoying at first, but he totally grew on me and ended up becoming my favorite character. I loved his morally gray motives mixed with his hilarious banter -- serious Captain Carswell Thorne vibes!
The story's ending was pretty darn satisfying for me, considering it's the first in a duology. It was clearly a setup for the sequel, of course, but enough of my questions were answered that the story felt complete for now. That said, I'll be first in line to grab the next book when it comes out!
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC!
The first thing that struck me about this book is how the author created a whole new dialect of English for the people of the future. It took me a few chapters to get into, especially since one of the viewpoint characters (Zhade) has all of his narration in this dialect, but I found it pretty easy to get a handle on. It makes total sense that human language would evolve after thousands of years, so I found this to be a realistic and immersive piece of worldbuilding.
I also thought it was awesome how the citizens of this world have come to see technology as magic, meaning that this story had a distinctly YA-fantasy-court-intrigue spin on what could have been a straight-up sci-fi. To me, this element sets it apart from many other YA sci-fi stories that fall into a similar vein.
It took me a while to get a handle on who Andra was as a person, but as the story progressed, her character arc became clear and resonated a lot with me. Zhade was kind of annoying at first, but he totally grew on me and ended up becoming my favorite character. I loved his morally gray motives mixed with his hilarious banter -- serious Captain Carswell Thorne vibes!
The story's ending was pretty darn satisfying for me, considering it's the first in a duology. It was clearly a setup for the sequel, of course, but enough of my questions were answered that the story felt complete for now. That said, I'll be first in line to grab the next book when it comes out!
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC!
Westcott High by Sarah Mello
4.0
Westcott High is a YA mystery/thriller with an ensemble cast in the vein of One of Us is Lying. It took me a couple of chapters to get into this story — there are a LOT of characters, and it’s a little tricky at first to keep all of their stories and motivations straight. Once I got into it, though, I ate up the chapters like candy! There are twisty mysteries, complex characters, and drama for days.
The book ends on a cliffhanger with several major mysteries unsolved, which is something that usually annoys me, but in this case it felt right. Westcott High is like a Netflix series in book form, and I can’t WAIT for the next season ... I mean, the next book!
The ingenious thing about Westcott High is that the experience isn’t confined to just the book. There’s also an Instagram account — @westcotthigh — with a whole load of mini video clips and photos featuring scenes from the book, plus some fun Q and As with the cast. I’ve been following the account for a while, but after I finished the book I scrolled all the way to the very first post and drank in the entire feed, experiencing it in a new light now that I know all the characters and their relationships better.
Many self-published books get a bad rap for being low-quality, but Sarah Mello refuses to skimp on anything — and in fact, she takes advantage of her creative freedom to make something REALLY FREAKING AWESOME!
DISCLAIMER: I received a free ebook copy from the author.
The book ends on a cliffhanger with several major mysteries unsolved, which is something that usually annoys me, but in this case it felt right. Westcott High is like a Netflix series in book form, and I can’t WAIT for the next season ... I mean, the next book!
The ingenious thing about Westcott High is that the experience isn’t confined to just the book. There’s also an Instagram account — @westcotthigh — with a whole load of mini video clips and photos featuring scenes from the book, plus some fun Q and As with the cast. I’ve been following the account for a while, but after I finished the book I scrolled all the way to the very first post and drank in the entire feed, experiencing it in a new light now that I know all the characters and their relationships better.
Many self-published books get a bad rap for being low-quality, but Sarah Mello refuses to skimp on anything — and in fact, she takes advantage of her creative freedom to make something REALLY FREAKING AWESOME!
DISCLAIMER: I received a free ebook copy from the author.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
4.0
They Wish They Were Us is a dark, twisty story about a group of teens at an elite East Coast prep school who will do anything to get into the colleges of their dreams and stay at the top of the pecking order -- even if it means resorting to something drastic. I love thrillers and have been wanting to read more of them, so I jumped at the chance to read this one.
To be perfectly honest, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had approached it as a contemporary with thriller elements, rather than a straight-up thriller. I expected the actual murder investigation to be the main plot thread, but it was more about Jill's relationships with her friends and her struggle to succeed under a high amount of pressure. It reminded me of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall -- a contemporary largely focused on themes and character dynamics, with a hint of another genre mixed in (thriller for They Wish They Were Us; speculative for Before I Fall).
The story dealt with some interesting themes, such as privilege, cliques, and the way in which those in power can force people to do things even if participation is supposedly voluntary. It also touched on the intersection of gender with this kind of "good ol' boys club" mentality, with the popular female characters not really getting a chance to call the shots despite being members of said club, but I thought this thread was a little half-baked.
Overall, though, I found They Wish They Were Us to be a well-written and intriguing story, albeit in a quieter way than I'd expected. If you're looking for a well-written dark contemporary read, this book is for you -- just don't go in expecting Nancy Drew levels of sleuthing.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC!
To be perfectly honest, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had approached it as a contemporary with thriller elements, rather than a straight-up thriller. I expected the actual murder investigation to be the main plot thread, but it was more about Jill's relationships with her friends and her struggle to succeed under a high amount of pressure. It reminded me of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall -- a contemporary largely focused on themes and character dynamics, with a hint of another genre mixed in (thriller for They Wish They Were Us; speculative for Before I Fall).
The story dealt with some interesting themes, such as privilege, cliques, and the way in which those in power can force people to do things even if participation is supposedly voluntary. It also touched on the intersection of gender with this kind of "good ol' boys club" mentality, with the popular female characters not really getting a chance to call the shots despite being members of said club, but I thought this thread was a little half-baked.
Overall, though, I found They Wish They Were Us to be a well-written and intriguing story, albeit in a quieter way than I'd expected. If you're looking for a well-written dark contemporary read, this book is for you -- just don't go in expecting Nancy Drew levels of sleuthing.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC!
Alter Ego by Kate Sheeran Swed
5.0
Alter Ego is a superhero story that starts off pretty straightforward, but tangles into a glorious morally gray knot as it goes on! The stage set at the start is pretty simple: the main character, Mary, works for a league of vigilante superheroes set on fighting an evil terrorist organization. However, the status quo gets twisted around and called into question as the heroes uncover secrets about the past and start to question their allegiances. Throw in Mary’s celebrity secret identity and some cool gadgets, and you’ve got a rip-roaring superhero adventure!
I’m a huge sucker for moral grayness and huge twists, and this book totally delivered on both those things. I’m lucky enough to have an ebook copy of the sequel, which I shall be diving into STAT!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a huge sucker for moral grayness and huge twists, and this book totally delivered on both those things. I’m lucky enough to have an ebook copy of the sequel, which I shall be diving into STAT!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
4.0
I love villain stories, and this one was great with beautiful writing! I kinda wish that Xifeng had been ruthless and ambitious because of her own desires, rather than being almost a pawn of destiny, but I still really enjoyed this story.