Book Review: Messenger by Lois Lowry

Messenger

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Messenger 〰️

Finally, we have a true connection to the first novel, making this a true companion/sequel to The Giver in my eyes. Also, this book was a vast improvement over the second one. I loved the first, but the second fell a little flat for me. This third novel wasn't as good as the first, but I enjoyed it more than Gathering Blue.

It's nice to see a grown-up Jonas (now the Leader) and a mention of Gabe. It's good to know they survived. I'm also glad to see Matty (previously named Matt in book two) has learned to speak correctly, as he was a bit hard to read. Being the new MC of the third book in this series, it would have been extremely annoying and difficult to read his previous speech patterns.

Speaking of POVs, Lowry switched POV to the Leader near the end, and it felt off. It worked with the story, and I see why she did it, but this was the first time in three books (and right at the end of the book, too) that she did this. It kind of throws the style of the books out the window for a bit.

Also, does Lowry not know how to end her books? Or maybe I don't understand her style very well. This is the third book where the plot thickens, only to end with an ambiguous ending abruptly. (Did Matty die? I think he died, and that sucks). I hope the final book answers this series's previously unanswered questions.

While not my favourite of the series (it's the second), this was still an enjoyable book. Probably because it was the first to be a companion/continuation, I'm curious to see how this ends.

Book Review: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue

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Gathering Blue 〰️

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

I was not expecting this to be a companion to The Giver. Barely anything was similar to the first book. I know it's a companion, and it's another village, but a little callback to book one would have been nice. (Although it's implied right at the end Jonas is alive and with the MCs dad). But this could be a brand new world and I wouldn't have known it. I'm not sure how this is part of the series.

That being said, there was some great world building once again in this book. You can for sure tell it's a distopian future with a distinct culture. I don't think this world was as interesting as the one in The Giver but it was still cool to read about it.

While this story was interesting, I don't think it was as interesting as the previous novel. I think I was expecting more since the first one was so great. I was also a little shocked to see no mention or tie ins (that I know of) to The Giver, be it it's characters, or greywashed world. I don't mind a companion book to have compleatly new characters. In fact, I expect it. It's just this is part of a series and so I thought there would be more of a tie in raher than feeling like a completly fresh book. Perhaps they will all blend together more in the next two books.

I still enjoyed it, however. As mentioned, it wasn't as interesting but it was still a compelling enough read. I will admit that I didn't care for how most of the characters talked, however. It was a bit hard to read. I mean, it helped built the world and such, but like I said, a bit hard to read. But that is a mino nitpick.

All in all it was still a decent book to read.

Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

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The Giver 〰️

I saw my co worker reading this book and when I asked her what it was about I was immediately intrigued. So I went a got a box set of the whole quartet.

Right from the start I was pulled into the story. I love the world building in this far of dystopian future. It never stops but never feels like an info dump. We learn what we need to know right when we need to know it, as we should. Lowry is a master at this. There are some questions that have yet to be answered, such as how society ended up the way it is, but I assume they may be addressed in later books. At least I hope. This one was super short and I finished it in like afternoon.

I'm unsure about the ending though. Was it it supposed to be so ambiguous? Did Jonas and Gabe survive? Did they find another village or die? It was a little unclear for me. Maybe some readers saw more in this ending than I did, but I felt like I was missing something. And for such a great story, the ending felt rushed and unfinished. A chapter more or an epilogue would have sufficed. Maybe in the next book we'll learn more about Jonas and the Giver's fate, as well as the fate of the community they lived in.

All in all, I love books with unique worlds that are easy to understand and dive into. I would never want to live in these types of societies but I love reading about them. Lowry drew me into a great world with her brilliant mind and I'm excited to dive into the rest of the series.

If you like dystopian books and great world building, this book (and hopefully series) is for you.

Book Review: No One Is Alone by Rachel Vincent

No One Is Alone

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No One Is Alone 〰️

There is a reason anything Vincent writes is an automatic insta-buy for me, no matter what the story is about or the genre.

This story, about found family, has so many emotional and impactful moments. It deals with a lot of heavy issues right from the start, straight until the end. In a way, this book taught me about grieve and love. While I haven't lost anyone in my life at this moment, I know the day will come and I'm never going to be prepared. (But really, are any of us?) Reading this book feels like a bit of self-care for future me when the unfortunate day my love ones will pass.

I'm always impressed with Vincent's way with words; how she manages to make each character in her novels unique and fun to read. Even if there are depressing moments, Vincent's characters are believable in their actions and fit the age of the character.

I loved reading Michaela's story. She's been through so much but she still learns to grow as a character. I can't imagine losing my mom and then having to live with my estranged dad, only to find out I'm the product of a love affair. But all in all, she still handled it well. And I love how she not only teaches her new family how to love and bond with each other, but they teach her things as well. This is my first found family trope story that I've read (in recent memory anyway) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In fact, I just enjoyed reading every storyline in this novel. Everything was grounded and real. I loved how all the characters learned to bond and love each other and grew stronger because of it. I loved just watching how Michaela processes the death of her mom, to dealing with a new family/friends/school, to just going on about her life and trying new things.

If you are a fan of Vincent's work and found family stories, this book doesn't disappoint. As with any Rachel Vincent book, I highly recommend.

Book Review: I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre

I Think I Love You

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I Think I Love You 〰️

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

First off, the cover of this book is stunning. I'm pretty sure I bought this book based on the cover (and the cute title) alone. And it didn't disappoint.

What a cute story. Sure it had lots of tropes and a bit of a lazy-ish plot (both of which I don't mind), but when it hits with the cute scenes, it hits hard. And thankfully, there were plenty of cute scenes.

This book has a lot of strong messages about coming out and about love in general. Coming out is never a one-and-done thing; no one should have to come out when they aren't ready or are not safe to do so. I'm glad Emma felt safe enough to come out, and I totally see why it upset her how her parents reacted. I also love how passionate Emma is about being bi, yet also not making her whole personally "the bi girl." She's a girl who happens to be bi, and that's as important to her as rom-coms are. And I love how Sophia learns to accept love in all its forms (relationship and otherwise).

However, I think the author may have just made up the plot as she went to fit around the love story between Emma and Sophia. Nothing wrong with that. It just sometimes felt like the movie-making plot was sometimes filler to get to the cute romance stuff we all came here for.

Side note, I could tell who sabotaged the whole film project long before the reveal. It was super obvious.

All in all, this was a super cute read. I love how close Emma is to her cousin. I haven't read many books where the MC is besties with their cousin, and I love the close family relationship. Even Sophia learned to be more accepting of her own family.

This was a cute and light read. This book is for you if you are looking for a little bit of gay rom-com.

Book Review: The R*pe of Nanking by Iris Chang

The R*pe of Nanking

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The R*pe of Nanking 〰️

Wow. This book contains some heavy yet powerful reading. And as heavy as a reading it is, I think it is a necessary read. I had no idea of the atrocities committed in WW2 by the Japanese.

They say those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. That's why this book is so important. Without learning from the past, we cannot let this part of history fade away. The Germans have made it their mission to teach everyone about. the Holocaust, yet Japan wants their dirty secrets wiped off the face of the earth. I don't blame them. The Japan of the past is different from the Japan of today. But that doesn't mean we should forget what happened. I get they are ashamed of what they did, but the world needs to know what happened.

And thankfully, Chang wrote this book to help ensure this dark time in human history doesn't fade away. I can't imagine what went through Chang's mind when collecting all the research to make this book happen. It saddens me to hear of her passing, and I wonder if studying all this horrible history was a small part of her death. But she should be proud of the work she accomplished in making sure the people who died, as well as the survivors, live on. This is a story that needs to be told, even if it's a hard one to hear.

I personally think they should make (or edit it) to be part of a history textbook. It's well-written and researched. If you are in the right headspace and want to learn more about this forgotten Holocaust, I highly recommend this book.

Book Review: Legion by William Peter Blatty

Legion

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Legion 〰️

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I enjoyed the first book, but this one fell flat. At least the dilouge and writing I hated in the first book had improved, so there's that.

I didn't see this book as part of the horror genre, and I barely saw anything demonic besides the killings. And this one is probably a me thing, but I found myself drifting thoughts and thus, I found the book super confusing. I didn't know what was happening most of the time. However, that's probably because I found it pretty dull and had to re-read different passages many times just to figure out what was going on.

I found the pacing to be pretty slow, and it only started being somewhat interesting in part two of the book, a little over halfway done. I felt parts one, and two were completely different novels, with part one being a whodunit and part two sort of demonic possession stuff, but not done nearly as well as The Excorcist.

Also, I wouldn't say I liked Kinderman in The Exorcist. I found him to be highly annoying. But I hated him even more because he was the main MC in this book. At least his speech was slightly different (both making him the same character from book one yet also somewhat different in this book). I felt like this book was written as a cash grab because of how popular the Excorsit was, as there are barely any returning characters from the first book, and we don't even hear about Chris or Regan in this one.

That being said, I'm sure this book appeals to some people. Maybe they may even find it terrifying. Sadly I don't think this book hit the mark.

Book Review: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist

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The Exorcist 〰️

This book claims to be the most terrifying novel ever written. (At least the edition I was reading has it so on the cover). It perhaps was back when it was first published. Not to say it wasn't bad. It just wasn't as "scary" as I was hoping. Not even remotely. Still a good read.

This book messes with the mind in a way I didn't expect. We know Regan is passed, most likely by the demon Pazuzu. But the way the book is written, we can almost begin to question whether she is indeed possessed or has some mental disorder. (I'm impressed with all the medical knowledge that Blatty seems to possess. He did his research for writing this book. And not just with medical knowledge but with Catholicism and Satanism as well).

Now fear can be subjective, so while I didn't feel any sense of horror in this book, it doesn't mean it isn't terrifying in its own right. I'm sure even people to this day may find it frightening. However, I will say that for its lack of horror elements, Blatty certainly knew how to make me uncomfortable. When Regan begins to masturbate with a cross (among other things), I felt highly uncomfortable, and those scenes didn't sit well for me. It worked to show she was passed by a demon, but yeah. Felt borderline child p**n, and I did not like that. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm sure they cut that out. At least, I hope they did, and if so, thank God.

I will note that I hated the dialogue. Every character sounded the same or very close to each other. The prose was wonderfully written, and it's in the prose where I got a sense of how each character is and acts. But when they opened their mouths to speak, not going to lie; I was not too fond of most of it. It did get more bearable near the end, but I wouldn't say I liked the dialogue in this book.

That being said, this is still a classic story that has earned its right to be called one of the best.