Scookie Reviews

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas 3 Stars Verdict: Well, the last 10% was entertaining. This review has taken me a long time to write because I was almost certain I was going to love this book. I loved book one and two of THE GLASS THRONE series, I love Maas’ writing style, and I think she’s a brilliant writer. I love fairy-tale retellings, and the blurb sounded perfect, but I didn’t love this book at all. As it’s taken me a couple of months to get to reviewing this, I can’t remember it too well but I did scribble some notes at the time. Unfortunately, the middle section has almost entirely faded from me – I think that says it all really. Although Maas’ writing is often beautiful, I thought the tropes of the writing style were overplayed. There was too much overlap in voice from the author’s past series. A lot of the time Maas didn’t finish her… Or it would feel jarring – the romance didn’t interest me. I had multiple issues with the plot devices too. The whole...

THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass 5 Stars Verdict: Unexpectedly enjoyable dystopian romance. I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. Just look at how pretty and girly the cover looks – and the blurb screams romance, squabbling girls, pretty dresses… But then again, the book had a lot of popularity so I wanted to know what the fuss was about! Right from the start there’s a dystopian feel to it which lured me in. It’s an easy read, one that I found enjoyable throughout. The main concept is simple: girl enters a contest to win a prince’s hand in marriage. It reminded me of Hunger Games without the physical brutality, although the actual book is more about America and Maxon’s complicated friendship. America heads into the contest broken and conflicted. She’s not like the other contestants because she doesn’t want what they want. I liked her as a character because she seems quietly confident, enough to stay true to herself even at difficult times. Maxon is a slightly… odd p...

THE KIND WORTH KILLING by Peter Swanson 4 Stars Verdict:  Light and thrilling, with darkness and killing. Two strangers meet in a airport bar and plot to kill a cheating wife. It starts fast and builds steadily, with a clever plot and devious characters. There are a couple of truly unpredictable moments making it a very entertaining read. In a book full of unethical characters, I’m surprised I found a character to root for. But I did. I felt sorry for Lilly, and I felt like she had logical reasoning behind her actions. Not that would hold up in court, mind you, but enough so that I wanted her to succeed, and I didn’t want her to get caught. Ted surprised me a lot. He seemed innocent and normal at first, but every character in this book has darkness in their past (and present). The book opens with a promise of murder, but it's getting to know the characters and their reasons for why they ended up where they are now which really drew me in. I found the book fascinating: ...