I've been doing a ton of reading lately, so instead of posting a lot of reviews, I decided to post another Flash Review post. Basically, these are mini reviews on lots of titles all in one post. And as always, they are in no way reflective of any committee I'm on, but are my opinion about the book. :)
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I'm a big fan of Neal Shusterman's books and I love how they always make you think. This is a hard one to talk about without giving away some of the plot twists. I really enjoyed it and I liked the varying points of view. It raises some interesting points about emotions, fear, and responsibility. I do wish there would have been some more explanation about Bruiser-everyone seemed to accept his story, no questions asked. I also hated that Cody's voice on the audiobook was narrated by a female when he's supposed to be a tween boy. To me, this made him sound even more childish. But other than that, a decent audiobook and a good discussion starting novel.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin BenwayRating: 3.5/5 Stars
I'm still not sure what I thought of this one. It's like chick lit with superpowers. It's a light, breezy novel which I liked. I really liked all three sisters, although I think May was my favorite because of her snarky, sarcastic attitude and comebacks-seriously, I want her witty remarks! The banter between all three sisters was fun and what made me really like this book. I think I expected more though, which made me not like it as much as I could have. It's a book about three sisters who gain superpowers which help them get boyfriends and confidence and popularity. I thought they'd end up using their powers for something bigger-the big climax of the book just fell a bit flat for me. But it's still a lot of fun and very humorous and I'd give it to fans of Sarah Mlynowski's Magic In Manhattan series or Meg Cabot's Jinx.
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Yes, this one might seem like it's another paranormal, girl who sees ghosts but finds a guy who loves her anyway story-at least that's what I thought going into it. But instead I was surprised to find a story about race, history, and forgiveness-and OK, ghosts too. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed and I felt the story was a bit muddy throughout, but the last 50 pages totally made up for everything and made me really appreciate this book. I think it could lead to some great discussions for book clubs and I really liked that it featured multiracial characters and dealt with race relations and history in a way I haven't read before.
What books have you read recently that you'd like to give a short shoutout to?
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I'm a big fan of Neal Shusterman's books and I love how they always make you think. This is a hard one to talk about without giving away some of the plot twists. I really enjoyed it and I liked the varying points of view. It raises some interesting points about emotions, fear, and responsibility. I do wish there would have been some more explanation about Bruiser-everyone seemed to accept his story, no questions asked. I also hated that Cody's voice on the audiobook was narrated by a female when he's supposed to be a tween boy. To me, this made him sound even more childish. But other than that, a decent audiobook and a good discussion starting novel.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin BenwayRating: 3.5/5 Stars
I'm still not sure what I thought of this one. It's like chick lit with superpowers. It's a light, breezy novel which I liked. I really liked all three sisters, although I think May was my favorite because of her snarky, sarcastic attitude and comebacks-seriously, I want her witty remarks! The banter between all three sisters was fun and what made me really like this book. I think I expected more though, which made me not like it as much as I could have. It's a book about three sisters who gain superpowers which help them get boyfriends and confidence and popularity. I thought they'd end up using their powers for something bigger-the big climax of the book just fell a bit flat for me. But it's still a lot of fun and very humorous and I'd give it to fans of Sarah Mlynowski's Magic In Manhattan series or Meg Cabot's Jinx.
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Yes, this one might seem like it's another paranormal, girl who sees ghosts but finds a guy who loves her anyway story-at least that's what I thought going into it. But instead I was surprised to find a story about race, history, and forgiveness-and OK, ghosts too. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed and I felt the story was a bit muddy throughout, but the last 50 pages totally made up for everything and made me really appreciate this book. I think it could lead to some great discussions for book clubs and I really liked that it featured multiracial characters and dealt with race relations and history in a way I haven't read before.
What books have you read recently that you'd like to give a short shoutout to?
I finished The Jacket by Andrew Clemens which I will review soon. Currently I'm reading and loving Act of Grace by Karen Simpson. It's my treadmill book, so it will take a while.
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to read something - anything! - by Neal Shusterman, glad to see you are overall positive about Bruiser :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Bruiser too! Great reviews!
ReplyDeleteI like the flash reviews. I read April, May, & June when it first debuted and enjoyed it. I haven't read Bruiser yet, but I like Neal Shusterman.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why but I think that Bruiser is a great title! It makes me want to know more.
ReplyDeleteI also love Neal Shusterman's books, mainly because I never know what I'm going to get. I love how he used different writing styles and povs in the book. It definitely had me thinking for quite sometime after I finished it.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat as you are when it comes to reading so quickly! I like your idea of "Flash Reviews"; would you mind if I do the same thing and link back to you? :) This really is a great idea!
ReplyDelete-Sarah @ Y.A. Love
Bruiser was such a fantastic read. I'm sorry some of the narration didn't work as well. That is the worst part of auido, when the narrator doesn't match a character well.
ReplyDelete