paper_queen's reviews
83 reviews

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Just a sweet little story. Plus the illustrations are fantastic! Reminded me of an old black and white movie. :) 

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was super intriguing and fun! Loved this even more than Hugo Cabret if that's even possible! Beautiful illustrations and story. If you're into screenplays, this, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret, would be great reads! 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Gail Carson Levine is an amazing author and writes great stuff. The characters were so great! Ella is strong, sarcastic, and brave, and Char is perfect for her. The step-family was deliciously wicked, and I loved to hate them. The plot is really good and the writing flows easily and is easy to keep up with. An awesome read! 

Bake Sale by Sara Varon

funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Aww, this was such a sweet, heartfelt story! I loved the characters personalities, and the setting was such fun! Yummy baked goods, and relatable conflicts made this is a book you might want to consider flipping through!

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This was a fun one. Not in a genre I typically read, but the author's style is so gripping and addictive, I found myself unable to put it down. I definitely recommend if you're looking for a good autobiography!

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Such a sweet, gentle story! Great characters, lovely art, and an overall wonderful tale! I highly recommend if you're looking for a nice read to finish in a sitting.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow. I just. It's so good. The prose is just so powerful and real, and the ending hits in this amazing climactic scene and it CRUSHES you in the best way possible. The best conclusion to this series. The cycle has been ended, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Barely Functional Adult: It'll All Make Sense Eventually by Meichi Ng

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

5.0

I want to be Meichi's friend.

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Initial Reaction
This was...really cute? Like, I am NOT a romance person, but this? This is good stuff.

So, going into this, I didn't really know what to expect. I thought there would be some magical hijinks, along with a little bit of romance and maybe a mystery thrown in there. But I must say, I was expecting waaay more in the magical realism department than I actually got.

I would still label this book as being in the magical realism genre, but a very, very light version of it. Pru's abilities of causing karmic justice are in the book. But they are hardly the focus, despite the blurb advertising it as such. If you took that aspect out of the book, it could very well stand on its own. It doesn't need to be there, which makes me think 'why even include it at all?' If Marissa Meyer wants to write a cute summer romance story, then by all means, she should. But throwing in a little sprinkle of magic that is barely utilized seems unnecessary.

All of that being said, this was a really, really cute romance story. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm glad it exists. Pru and Quint are constantly at each other's throats.

And the romantic tension between them is real and beautiful. THEY ARE SUCH A CUTE COUPLE.

It's endearing and also frustrating to watch at times. Pru is a somewhat of a killjoy, while Quint is the exact opposite, spreading his positivity wherever he goes. Putting them together to work at a sea animal rescue center for the summer is probably the worst thing you could possibly do. But they slowly grow to hate each other less, and it's so much fun to see. There's one scene in particular that I just couldn't stop smiling at.

At times, I found Pru a little annoyingly defensive, which was one of her character traits, but it was still hard to read. Quint was probably my favorite character of the bunch, but all of the side characters were fantastic too. All of them were well-developed and interesting to read about.

I liked the ending a lot.

Even though I thought the sudden and vehement accusation against Pru was totally uncalled for; they jumped to conclusions way, way faster than what seemed reasonable.

The setting was really neat and summery. I felt like I was really there on the boardwalk. Seriously, all of the foodie descriptions made me SO hungry.

Conclusion
Overall, it wasn't something I normally read, (though, to be honest, I thought it was going to be more of a magical adventure; and since it wasn't, I gotta say, I was a little disappointed), but I'm super glad I read it, because it made me smile more than a few times and it was a nice way to hit off the beginning of summer. I recommend if you need a good beach read or just want to get into the summer mood.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0