Take a photo of a barcode or cover
thatpetra's reviews
334 reviews
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
dark
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Prodigal by Rektok Ross
3.0
This was an okay read for me, though nothing extraordinary. It had a good plot though in my opinion not the best writing style. For me it felt like the perfect read for a YA (Young Adult) beginner since it felt like a quick and easy read. I experienced it as easy to follow along in the story and easy on the details, though still having an interesting plot and character development.
"Dreams of witches on broomsticks with flowing chestnut locks danced in my head. True to his word, Cam and I met up the next day to …" (page 49, eBook) "I read them all and barely had time to even scratch the surface of all the sports websites and blogs" (page 50, eBook) I didn't enjoy the writing style that much since I felt like scenes like these two could have been more descriptive to make it more of a captivating read, but yet again, good for YA beginners.
I also felt as if the depth and detail in the writing style was lacking, for example on page 51:
"I put it all down. The good and the bad. Thoughts. Poems. Stories. Lyrics. Things that I've never dare share with anyone else. My fingers flew across the keyboard and the lump in my throat slowly disappeared. I forgot everything around me, living only for what was on the computer screen." (page 51, eBook) Even though I really really enjoyed this part of the story, it would have added that little extra if there would have been an example of what she had written in the book, etc.
I thought it was a kind of mediocre beginning, jumping straight into the plot. I believe I would have enjoyed it much more if it would have started with a normal day at her previous school, or if there would have been some flashback to her previous school life, to get to know her life better before Texas. I feel like that could have created a greater bond between the main character and reader, and make the reader more understandable what she was going through throughout the book.
I loved how the subject of God and Christianity showed and was presented throughout the book, as well as the references to it, without it being thrown in the readers face. This as well as the main-characters development was excellently written in the book. Great work, Rektok!
Something that I didn't like as much in the book was the way she handled her mother having cancer, I feel that the book could have put a lot of more focus into that subject to make the story a bit deeper and even more emotional than it was. Though, maybe this wasn't something the author wanted the book to focus on, since it after all is about the romance between Lexy and Ash, but for me it would have taken the book to the next level.
"… my mom usually took us to the public library. I was always a little sad when I had to return the books. Getting to buy one and knowing it was mine to keep was something special." (Page 130, eBook) Something else I liked about the book was that it had really good quotes here and there, such as this one as well as "People lie to themselves all the time. If they lie to themselves, how can you expect them not to lie to you?" (page 278, eBook).
I overall enjoyed the book, but I sadly can't say I loved it. It was a bit easy for me, and not as deep and descriptive as I'd like. But, I still gave it three out of five stars because I still enjoyed the story plot, character development and the book in general. It was a quick and not a very complicated read for me, even though it had a good plot and characters.
I would recommend this book to new readers to Young Adult who enjoys a good American love story.
"Dreams of witches on broomsticks with flowing chestnut locks danced in my head. True to his word, Cam and I met up the next day to …" (page 49, eBook) "I read them all and barely had time to even scratch the surface of all the sports websites and blogs" (page 50, eBook) I didn't enjoy the writing style that much since I felt like scenes like these two could have been more descriptive to make it more of a captivating read, but yet again, good for YA beginners.
I also felt as if the depth and detail in the writing style was lacking, for example on page 51:
"I put it all down. The good and the bad. Thoughts. Poems. Stories. Lyrics. Things that I've never dare share with anyone else. My fingers flew across the keyboard and the lump in my throat slowly disappeared. I forgot everything around me, living only for what was on the computer screen." (page 51, eBook) Even though I really really enjoyed this part of the story, it would have added that little extra if there would have been an example of what she had written in the book, etc.
I thought it was a kind of mediocre beginning, jumping straight into the plot. I believe I would have enjoyed it much more if it would have started with a normal day at her previous school, or if there would have been some flashback to her previous school life, to get to know her life better before Texas. I feel like that could have created a greater bond between the main character and reader, and make the reader more understandable what she was going through throughout the book.
I loved how the subject of God and Christianity showed and was presented throughout the book, as well as the references to it, without it being thrown in the readers face. This as well as the main-characters development was excellently written in the book. Great work, Rektok!
Something that I didn't like as much in the book was the way she handled her mother having cancer, I feel that the book could have put a lot of more focus into that subject to make the story a bit deeper and even more emotional than it was. Though, maybe this wasn't something the author wanted the book to focus on, since it after all is about the romance between Lexy and Ash, but for me it would have taken the book to the next level.
"… my mom usually took us to the public library. I was always a little sad when I had to return the books. Getting to buy one and knowing it was mine to keep was something special." (Page 130, eBook) Something else I liked about the book was that it had really good quotes here and there, such as this one as well as "People lie to themselves all the time. If they lie to themselves, how can you expect them not to lie to you?" (page 278, eBook).
I overall enjoyed the book, but I sadly can't say I loved it. It was a bit easy for me, and not as deep and descriptive as I'd like. But, I still gave it three out of five stars because I still enjoyed the story plot, character development and the book in general. It was a quick and not a very complicated read for me, even though it had a good plot and characters.
I would recommend this book to new readers to Young Adult who enjoys a good American love story.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
5.0
This book was probably amongst the best books I've read. I'm hoping of writing a full review on it but all I can say right now is WOW. It had me hooked after the first page and it didn't release me until the last page was read. It was simply amazing. The only thing I didn't love was how the relationship between Clary and Jace was at the end of the book. I'm hoping for another plot twist in the future books, since I simply loved their relationship in the first half-or-so of the book.