Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas {5.0}

 

Title: The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Pages: 464 pages

My Rating: 5 Stars

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

The Hate U Give is one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read, and I wanna beat myself up for not reading this when it came out but I just got really scared of the hype. With hyped books, it’s usually a hit or miss for me, and I didn’t want people to hate me if I didn’t like this one. But oh boy, I was so wrong because I love this book with all my heart. In fact, this is my first 5-star book of the year.

I actually just watched the trailer for this one the other day, and I had goosebumps the entire time. The Hate U Give is a book that everyone must either read, or watch at least once in their lives. It’s an amazing story about a young girl finding her voice, having solace in her family, standing up for herself, living through grief, learning to love, learning the reality of Black violence, along with all the things that come from being a teenager.

The story is beautifully written, and I definitely felt so much while reading it. It’s amazing how Angie Thomas was able to weave all these things together into one beautiful novel. The Hate U Give encompasses so much, and my heart truly connected with the characters in this one. They all felt very real to me, and I just had this urge to give Starr a big hug. Ugh, definitely a must-read!

5 eye-opening-and-life-changing stars

Review: Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen {4.0}

 

Title: Loveboat, Taipei

Author: Abigail Hing Wen

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: April 4th, 2017

Pages: 414

My Rating: 4 Stars

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

As a daughter of immigrant Chinese parents myself, I relate to this book in so many levels. When I was in high school, I also got sent to Taiwan for a study tour. The main difference was that I went willingly and with my friends, as opposed to Ever who didn’t like the idea. Being born in a different country and growing up with various influences, I also failed to love the part of me that is Chinese at a young age. Seeing Ever’s struggles, especially with her parents, I know that those are genuine because I have experienced the same things myself.

Loveboat, Taipei was an easy and cute read, but filled with so much substance and meaning. I loved all the friendships that formed within the novel, the easiness with which they all kind of related to each other. I really loved how I enjoyed even the minor characters, especially the boys who took Asian stereotypes into their own hands. I also loved the accurate Mandarin sentences in the novel, and I’m kind of proud that I understood them. (Take that, 13 years of Mandarin lessons!)

I really enjoyed reading this book, but I would have liked it better if it explored the culture and country more. I really wanted more details about tradition and a better description of the night markets and the amazing food because this book was in the position to do so. It had so much potential to educate others about our culture and it failed a little bit in that aspect for me. But then again, it might be a personal bias, because the main story was really well-written and relatable not only for those of Chinese descent, but for every teenager out there.

4 culturally-relatable stars

Review: Circe by Madeline Miller {3.75}

Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Series: N/A
Genre: Adult, Fiction, Mythology, Retelling, Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date:  April 10th, 2018
Pages: 288
My Rating: 3.75 Stars

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Circe is a book that has been on my TBR for a while now and I’ve always been excited about. As a pre-teen, Greek mythology sparked my interest like no other. I devoured series like Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and the Starcrossed trilogy, but these are middle grade and young adult books. On the other hand, Circe is an adult book, shelved under general fiction. With that, I did not know what to expect. However, so many booktubers were all praise about this book, so I finally listened to it in audiobook.

From the first few minutes of the audiobook, I was already enthralled by the world that I delved into. Circe the book does not shy away from violences, and gives a more rounded telling of Circe’s story. Here, we get to see how Circe evolved from a meek child who was always bullied, to being a powerful witch who turned men into swine. Here, we get to see the rationale behind her decisions, and get to see her as humane, rather than an evil witch as she is portrayed in some literature. Filled with a lot of stories abut Circe from her time with Helios, her exile, meeting Glaucos, Hermes, Deadalus, Odysseus, Penelope and Thelemacus, this novel gives us a view of how Circe lived her life – how she suffered, how she rejoiced, how she loved, and how she hated.

There were some parts of the novel that did not interest me as much as the other parts, and there was this certain part where I had to listen to it 4 times because it just didn’t hold my attention, so I cannot give it more than my rating. However, I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed how we got a glimpse of a lot other Greek gods and characters, and enjoy their stories and personalities alongside that of Circe’s. Overall, this is a very interesting novel especially if you are interested in Greek mythology. It’s a great read, and the ending left me smiling like an idiot. For all of Circe’s suffering and pain throughout her earlier years, there certainly was a rainbow after the rain.

3.5 magical and enchanting stars

Review: Roomies by Christina Lauren {4.5}

 

Title: Roomies

Author: Christina Lauren

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: December 5th, 2017

Pages: 368 pages

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s romantic novel.

Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient.

For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.

Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.

Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

I know we all try not to judge a book by its cover, but I totally judged this book by its cover. I was scrolling through Edelweiss when this one caught my attention. I say that it was by Christina Lauren, and then soon learned that it was about a fake relationship. And if you must know something about me, it’s that fake relationships are my guilty pleasure. I rarely read non-YA novels, so I really requested this on a whim. But the whim turned out to one of my good decisions because this turned out to be an amazing novel that I really enjoyed!

When Holland gets ambushed in a train station, her long-time busker crush comes to her rescue. The medical team thinks she fell on the train tracks on purpose, and won’t believe her that she got ambushed. Only Calvin could prove them wrong, but Calvin disappears as soon as he was needed. Holland later learned that Calvin is in the country illegally. When Calvin attends a tryout for Holland’s uncle and gets accepted, Holland gets this crazy, impulsive idea of offering to marry Calvin to get a green card. What started out as fake slowly turned into something more, and the lines between acting and reality started to get more blurred.

Roomies was a very quick read for me. I just couldn’t get enough of it and I devoured the novel in a single sitting. I don’t know what it is about this book that was so addicting to me, but the chemistry between the two characters definitely was one of the factors. The romance between them just seemed to sizzle and the electricity jumped off the pages and transferred to me – the reader.

Usually when reading books I tend to look for more meaningful stuff other than romance, but this one just seemed to get the romance part on point that I didn’t need or want to look for more. Not that this book doesn’t have meaningful stuff; it does. Other than the romance, obviously, it also features LGBT themes, family, friendship, determining what’s important, following one’s dreams, and learning when to let go and when to hold on to something.

Roomies, for me, was a well-rounded novel. Although centered on romance, it also featured a lot of other themes that made it just right. If Roomies were a recipe, it would be a perfectly measured one without a single flaw. I just loved reading it – it made me laugh, cry, and of course, it made me feel all the feels.

If you’re looking for the perfect romance novel that’s meaningful, a quick read and would make you feel all the feels, this definitely is the novel for you! Amazingly written and filled with emotion, Roomies touched my heart and made me feel alive. I can’t wait for romance fans to read this, you guys!

4.5 all the feels stars.

Review: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen {4.5}

 

Title: The Truth About Forever

Author: Sarah Dessen

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Publication Date: May 11th, 2004

Pages: 374 pages

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

A long, hot summer…

That’s what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy’s father.

But sometimes, unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister’s project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl’s world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to question her sheltered life.

Is it really always better to be safe than sorry?

I honestly did not expect much from this book when I first picked it up, but I have to say this this book is so, so good! When it started, I thought I was going to be annoyed because Jason was such as ass and her mother was so uptight and everything, but I soon realized that it was all part of a journey.

The Truth About Forever centers around themes of friendship, family, grief, loss, letting go, romance, and learning. It’s about Macy finding herself through her experiences, and learning to truly cope with the loss of her dad. It’s about knowing what’s she’s worth, and how to determine when enough is enough. More than that, it’s about embracing the family you’ve been given, and treasuring the ones that you’ve found along the way.

I think my favorite character in this novel has to be Caroline, who is always at the sidelines, but actually was the one who worked hard for their family to grow and become better. She worked hard to get the beach house looking like new, and really was not afraid to show her emotions or speak her mind. She saw potential in what others saw as junk. Although people may judge her for it, she stood firm in her relationship with Wally. Even though Caroline is not the main character, I feel like there would be no story without her.

I also fell in love with each of the people from Wish, of course. It’s hard not to. I feel like I could really thrive in their chaos, and I love their dynamics within the group. Despite having varying personalities, you could just see that they are a family – getting annoyed with each other at times, but knowing each other more than themselves, and loving each other unconditionally. It’s really amazing that Macy found them, and how they all welcomed her with open arms.

The Truth About Forever is a romance novel, but it didn’t really center around the romance, which I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really liked it that way. I was expecting romance and swoon and all the feels going in, but I was not at all disappointed with the way the story turned out to be. It’s really more about growth, and not only Macy’s growth at that.

I really enjoyed reading this, and I recommend this for a quick read. It’s not exactly a light summer read, but it’s not exactly dark either. It tackles life issues but not in a heavy manner. I think my only complaint is I hope they were able to talk more about the heart in hand, but other than that I think that this book is really amazing!

4.5 quick amazing read stars.

Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston {4.0}

 

Title: Geekerella

Author: Ashley Poston

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Quirk Books

Publication Date: April 4th, 2017

Pages: 320

My Rating: 4 Stars

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic science-fiction series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck and her dad’s old costume, Elle’s determined to win – unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons – before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he has ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake – until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?

Part-romance, part-love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

I don’t tend to have the best luck with Cinderella retellings, but I’m really glad that I gave this one a chance. Geekerella is one of the cutest books I’ve read this year, and I really enjoyed reading it!

Geekerella is a modern retelling of the classic Cinderella tale, complete with the stepmother and stepsisters. However, what’s unique is that Geekerella, as the title suggests, puts geeky spin to the story. I wasn’t sure if I would like that aspect, but I totally appreciated it when I saw Darien geeking out.

One of my favorite things about this book is the character of Darien. He just seems so human, like he can be someone off the pages – a living, breathing human being, instead of just a character. He was totally a geek through and through. I love how this novel showed how scared he was in doing his stunts, instead of telling it. I also like how Darien is a derivation from the usual jock/arrogant/cocky male lead types, while still making him seem like an awesome human being.

Another thing I enjoyed is the friendship between Ella and Sage. It’s really amazing how realistic the progression of their friendship seemed. In the beginning, we can see how Elle is awkward around Sage, and how she got more and more comfortable with Sage towards the end. I also love how Sage would selflessly do things for Elle without expecting anything in return. Even though they’ve only been friends for a short amount of time, they sure are friendship goals.

And of course, how can we ignore how cute the romance is? What makes it really cute is how innocent their liking for each other is, and how they just can’t get enough of texting each other. I also love the banter between the two. Even though they didn’t get to spend much time in person, like in front of each other, they were still completely adorable!

Overall, I was taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed Geekerella. If you guys are looking for a quick and fluffy adorable romance read, Geekerella is the book for you!

4 cute stars

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir {2.5}

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: The Lady Janies #2

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: February 9th, 2016

Pages: 464

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

 

I don’t always have the best of luck with hyped books, and this is another one where I am the black sheep. Going into this book, I didn’t really expect anything. I only skimmed the synopsis so as to lessen the expectation, but I still managed to get disappointed.

An Ember in the Ashes started off intense – like really intense, and I got excited for it. The following chapters died down, which is completely expected because I know I wouldn’t be able to keep up with a book that’s intense all throughout anyway. And then throughout the whole book I was just expecting to get the same thrill as I did in the first chapter again, but I guess it just didn’t happen until the ending?So yeah, I wasn’t really as immersed in the story as I had hoped to be.

Throughout the novel, I felt like the scope of the plot was too small.The whole story made me question the depth of the plot. Yes, there are so many things happening. Yes, the novel mentioned many interesting things. But it didn’t really delved on those too much, you know? It just touched the surface of all those very interesting things that held so much potential, but I just wish they were explored more to make this more interesting. I felt the book was lacking in excitement and basically just things that happen in the book, and the scope felt pretty narrow to me.

Another issue I had was how repetitive certain phrases/sentences were, or maybe even instances. At some point it just became a broken record. I got tired of hearing the same things over and over again. Connected to this, I also had an issue with the way the story was told. It was written in such a way where the happenings were told instead of shown. This makes the images in my head not really play out well, and that really put a strain to my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, I don’t think this book is for me. I did enjoy some parts, and I am curious about what happens, but if I have the option, I would just like to know about what happens without reading the next book. I’m still not sure if I will proceed with the next book, but if I do, I don’t think I’ll do it soon.

2.5 repetitive stars

Review: What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen {4.0}

 

Title: What Happened to Goodbye

Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Vikings Juvenile

Publication Date: May 10th, 2011

Pages: Paperback, 416

My Rating: 4 Stars

Who is the real McLean? 

Since her parents’ bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother’s new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Combining Sarah Dessen’s trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.

When I first read the synopsis for What Happened to Goodbye ( after buying the book, mind you), I didn’t think much of it. But since I already bought 5 Sarah Dessen books at a bargain price on impulse, I figured, why not just read it? Turns out, it’s a great idea because this is something that I really enjoyed!

Mclean may seem like a complicated character at first glance, what with her multiple names and personalities that come with each move, but really, she’s just like all of us – desperate for a fresh start, and a teenager just wanting to find who she is, or maybe who she’s supposed to become, after the divorce and all the court meetings. I really connected with the story and characters, and I just loved how everything was tinged with just a bit of chaos. I think it just made the story more realistic.

What Happened to Goodbye showed friendship, family, compromise, opening up, learning, love, and so many more themes that I really enjoyed. I really loved the new group of friends that Mclean found, and I’m really glad to have seen Deb do something in her own element. One of my favorite scenes from the book is when they all went to Riley’s. It was when I saw how they functioned as a group, banter and all. I also really loved how Riley’s parents treated them.

This book took me by surprise, and I loved it! I really got immersed in the story, and it was amazing seeing mentions of characters from Dessen’s other books. I can’t believe I only started reading Dessen this year! I definitely missed out. As can be seen, I definitely recommend this book! So far I’ve read 4 Dessen novels, and this is one of my favorites.

****Side note: What the heck happened to Jason though? How did he end up working for Luna Blu. It’s just so out of his personality!

4 captivating stars

Review: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera {4.5}

 

Title: What If It’s Us

Author: Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: October 9th, 2013

Pages: 448 pages

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?

But what if it is?

I don’t know if I’m biased or what because I love both authors, but I totally loved this book! This book is completely adorable and emotional, and I can totally see both Adam and Becky’s writing styles in the novel. Arthur and Ben are just adorable, and I can’t help but root for them both. The family and friends are all pretty amazing too, and I’m just thinking, how can their dynamics be so awesome?

Arthur and Ben are opposites in some ways, like how Arthur feels like he’s too much, while Ben feels like he’ll never be enough, but my goodness there cannot be a cuter couple out there than this two! Their relationship is by no means perfect – they even had to do-over their date three freaking times! And I think for me, this is something that made me love the book more. I loved seeing their awkwardness progress to comfortable-ness, and to being more open to each other about everything. I love how they actually try to adjust for each other and be there for each other no matter what goes on between them.

I’m kind of mad about the ending, but I just know that these two are happy no matter what. I really want this story to never end. Arthur and Ben, as well as their friends, are all so real to me, and I want to know how everything plays out until they get old. Honestly, I can’t help but imagine what life would be like for them in the future.

I don’t have more specific things I liked about this book. I really just loved it overall, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read this beautiful masterpiece! Ugh, my heart!

4.5 absolutely adorkable stars.

Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows & Brodi Ashton {2.5}

Title: My Plain Jane

Author: Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton

Series: The Lady Janies #2

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Mythology

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 26th, 2016

Pages: 464

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

 

When I read My Lade Jane as an ARC way before it came out, I loved it so much that I said I would read anything that these three authors come up with. And because of that, I didn’t even read the synopsis for My Plain Jane before requesting it and diving into it. Maybe it’s because of that, or maybe it’s because of my high expectations, but I found My Plain Jane to be lackluster and boring.

My Plain Jane is sort of a retelling of Jane Eyre, except in this story, we see that Charlotte Brontë and Jane Eyre are actually friends. It also showed how Charlotte came to write the book, and how things did not exactly happen as how Charlotte told it.

There were some things here and there that piqued my interest, but compared to the whole story arc, these are only bits and pieces. For the most part, I didn’t really feel that invested in the story. I couldn’t make up my mind as to whether the bringing in of ghosts made the story interesting or feel a bit juvenile. I really just felt kind of meh about the whole thing. I will still read the next book, but I just didn’t like this.

2.5 dragging and disappointing stars