Scookie Reviews

FIVE FEET APART by Rachael Lippincott et al. 2 Stars Verdict:  Too predictable. Stella and Will have CF. They should always stay at least SIX feet apart. (Light spoiler which is given away in the title too: they don't.) That's pretty much the entire book. The voices are strong and the references are modern which helps it feel slightly 'fresher' than those who have trod around the sick kids plot before, but I spent most of the book waiting for something more to happen. This book taught me a lot about CF that I didn't learn in biology class - the loneliness, the survivors guilt, the strict medication schedule - all the things that don't make up the diagnosis but can be there too. Before this, my knowledge of CF was alleles and lung function. From reading other responses to this title, I appreciate how it raises awareness. My brain started to wander off around the half-way mark. I couldn't help thinking there wasn't much pulling Stella and Will...

SECONDBORN by Amy Bartol 2 Stars Verdict: Hard to connect. Although Rosella is royalty, she is also secondborn in a society that only has room for firstborns. At eighteen, Rosella's rights are stripped, her last name is changed to 'Sword', and she is sent to the front line to serve her country. This one started strong and had a lot of creatives little ideas - the black and red disks for the medical bots, the fusion blades, the secondborns' surnames changed to 'Sword' - but it never really set itself apart from the dystopian mass in terms of plot, characters, and setting. At times it felt like the Capital in Hunger Games: blue lips, interviews with a girl sent off to die, special outfits designed for the occasion, face of the rebellion...Other times, it felt all over the place, and it never really came together to form a coherent story. Things kept happening that didn't fully make sense. For example, Rosella's mother orders her to die...

GENUINE FRAUD by E. Lockhart 2 Stars Verdict: Confusing and pointless (sorry!). Jule is on the run. I'm not sure there's really more to say. Piecing together the why and when is up to the reader, but it all revolves around an entitled college dropout called Imogene. I struggled to get the point of this one. The story isn't in chronological order, which sounds quirky and fun, but what it really means is that you get the punchline before the context. We know how the story ends from the beginning, and we get a good sense of what's going on early on, so for the rest of the book we're just waiting for it to happen in a jumbled and confusing order. A reread might help uncover more to the story, but it's not interesting enough to go through it all again. In the end, there aren't any real winners of the story or much of a point. The motives seemed thin and flaky at best. I was still searching for reason it was written in the last few chapters, turning the...

NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry 2 Stars Verdict: Holocaust story suitable for children. This is a young children's book set in Denmark during the second world war. It's purpose is to educate the young about the holocaust, and tells the story of a young girl's family helping to save another young girl and their family. I'll be honest. I only read this because I was waaay behind on my reading challenge, and I knew it was a short book. I needed a speedy read, and that's what I got. Besides, it was by the author of The Giver and has won awards so it sounded like a good choice to broaden my reading horizons with. I knew it would be simple, but I hoped it would still be entertaining like Coraline, or unexpected like The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, or relevant to all ages like A Monster Calls. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was entertaining or unexpected. The tone was very young, and it's not written in a way that can be appreciated when you're o...

THE GIRL IN THE TOWER by Katherine Arden 2 Stars Verdict: Again, not for me. After Vasya leaves her village to dispel rumours of her being a witch, she ventures through the woods, facing demons, bandits, and death itself. To survive as a lone traveller, she disguises herself as a man and unintentionally gains the attention of the Grand Prince. She must keep her true gender a secret to protect herself and her family. I'll be honest with you all: I received this title without knowing it was book two of a series. When I realised, I read book one, my heart sinking with every page. I didn’t like it one bit, and I don’t enjoy writing low reviews either. I would never have requested the book to review if it had been clearly labelled as book two of a trilogy I had not yet started. But I agreed to review it in exchange for a copy, and I am grateful to receive it, so here is my review. It actually started out a lot better than I expected. The narrative flits between Vasya facing t...

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden 3 Stars Verdict: Not for me. Vasilisa grows up at the edge of the Russian wilderness, surrounded by the love of her siblings. She has a wild spirit that cannot be tamed for any suitor or convent, and finds she is able to see and protect the spirits that in turn protect her home. However, her stepmother fears them, and when the winter becomes harsh, and the Vasilisa is blamed. She must fight the cold, her stepmother, and be brave in the face of the demons to protect her home and the ones she loves. I think the author has gone to great lengths to make this book feel authentic. The Russian names and words were a lot to take in, so I was glad to be reading the kindle version for quick definitions. After a while, it's fairly easy to adapt to, and the language equates to strong 'feel' of medieval winters in the heart of Russia. Still, the prose felt hampered down with extraneous details, and the story in general was drea...

GATES OF THREAD AND STONE by Lori M Lee 2 stars Verdict: Not good. I always feel bad for writing two star reviews. Most of the time it's just a book that could do with more work, not a bad author. But I'm going to be bluntly honest.  I felt the writing was dull, the world building was flat, and the pace was slow. I’ve read worse, but that doesn’t make this story better. After Kia eats a sandwich, wanders around, eats another sandwich, visits the shops… eventually, her brother goes missing. He childhood crush insists on helping her, and together they leave everything behind to find him. Kia is also able to control the threads of time, a gift she must keep hidden. I think Kia stuck to this a little too tightly though, because I completely forgot she had magic for most of the book. The concepts puzzled me. There were too many ideas, but none of them were used to their best capacity. Is a sentinel the same as a hollow? What is a mahjo? How is that different from ...

RUIN AND RISING by Leigh Bardugo 2 stars Verdict: Didn't really enjoy it. #1 Shadow and Bone #3 Siege and Storm The author has all the signs of an awesome writer, but I just didn't think it was an awesome book. There’s a fantastic twist which links all three books together, and while it was amazing it doesn’t change the fact that I only enjoyed reading bits of this series. It didn’t seem so bad at the time, but I couldn’t read more than a couple of pages before deciding I needed yet another a break. There wasn't enough to get excited about, and even though there are some great sequences, they were too short and far between. A good book makes those mundane linking scene, like travelling, seem interesting, but the amount of travelling in this book was a tall order, and it ended up feeling as if a lot of irrelevant buffer material was plumped into the book’s sparse feathers. I realised at some point that I didn't really like or connect with any of the charac...

THE SHOCK OF THE FALL by Nathan Filer 2 Stars Verdict: Not worth it. It took me 307 days to get through this book, which I’m sure is not the intended reading span. It just didn't grip me like I hoped it would. From early on, I already felt like I knew Matt’s story enough to guess what wasn't said. It made it difficult to keep reading, and so I kept putting it down. Maybe I would have got more out of it if I read it one go, but I just couldn’t. It opens with the death of Matt’s brother, and leads on to an uncomfortable relationship with his strange mother. From there, I felt like the book didn’t have much of a plot, just Matt’s life but in a jumbled ordered. I found it bland, and unsurprising. Page 178 is when I managed to push through to the end, but by then, it had already lost me. I think too much was given away at the start. The gaps which were probably meant to keep readers guessing were small enough for me to stride over and reach the finish line long before t...

THE MASTER MAGICIAN by Charlie M. Holmberg (The Paper Magician #3) 2 Stars Verdict : Disappointing. #1 - The Paper Magician #2 - The Glass Magician In book one, Ceony journeyed through a stolen heart and learned to love an intelligent but reserved man. In book two, we learn more about Gaffers and other magics in an action packed sequel. What happened in book three? All I know is, as much as I wanted to, I just didn’t care about any of it. Ceony crosses the line from a strong willed woman, to a rude, reckless, and unreasonably stubborn woman. She talks down to others with a self-righteous attitude, and then ignores perfectly sound advice. Her intentions are good, and she clearly cares about her family and wants to help, but that doesn’t really justify the way she treated people. What bugged me about this book was the general lack of motives. Ceony has very little reason to risk her life the way she did, and is pretty lucky that most of the book glided along without an...

GLASS SWORD by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen #2) 2 stars Verdict : Repetitive prose, slow pace, and lacks plot. #1 - Red Queen #3 - King's Cage In my opinion, this book had two flaws: the story and the way it was written. I wanted to love it as much as I enjoyed book one, but I honestly found it dull. The story followed a predictable path. Book one ends with Mare and a list of newbloods to recruit. Book two, Mare travels around collecting newbloods. I didn’t need to read GLASS SWORD to know what would happen. It lacked originality, and the author compensated for this with a rather indulgent prose which killed the pace entirely. Aveyard is the master of tautology; she knows how to say the same thing in so many beautiful ways. If you read a few lines in isolations, it’s easy to gush over the beauty and flow of the writing – it’s a book to quote, and that’s why I’ve given it two stars. Unfortunately, when you put all these sentences together, the narrative becomes repetit...

UNFORTUNATES by Lillian Graves 2 Stars Verdict: Needs a developmental edit. Seventeen-year-old Vanessa is about to get a new life—whether she wants one or not. With a best friend keeping a crazy big secret from her and her parents rubbing their perfect high school love story in her rocky relationship's face, she doesn't have any more cares to give. So when Adam, a ghost who calls himself an Unfortunate, tells her she is his Match - the one who can help him earn his second chance at life by committing random acts of kindness – she nearly blows a fuse.  No, scratch that. It shot straight off. I mean, why help a ghost who may just be in her head? What was in it for her? After the denial and resistance pass, Vanessa begins to realize not all of arrangement is against her favor. There is something rather cute about Adam and maybe, just maybe, if he is telling the truth and she brings him back to life, he could be her new date to prom. But can her selfish ways live up to h...

The First by Lisa M. Green 2 stars Verdict : Wait for a heavily redrafted version. A tale of myth, mystery...and a past long forgotten. Something is out there. And the people live in constant fear. But their biggest threat lies within their own village. Everyone and everything is dying, slowly and without hope of salvation. In a world where almost nothing is truth and isolation is the purest form of self-deception, the possibility of hope exists only in the heart and mind of a young woman who chooses to follow an unknown path in order to save everyone she knows and loves. Before long, she discovers that her most vital beliefs are based on a deception that will rock the foundation of her entire people. To save them, she must learn to open her heart and sacrifice…everything. You may think you have heard this story before, but be warned. You haven’t. ~*~ The Rating Breakdown Enjoyment: 3  I had to read most of it twice, but it was a good read. Writing Style: ...

SEEKER by Arwen Elys Dayton 2 Stars Verdict : If you don’t mind a long, slow pace, and quite confusing novel with a good ending. Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’. Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her. ~*~ At first I thought it was brilliant but slow. Soon I felt it was a bit naff and slow. The ending picked up, but I’m glad it’s over. I can finally write my review and be done with it. Firstly, I have a bone to pick that has nothing to do with the author: ‘A new YA fantasy thriller perfect for fans of Mortal Instruments and the Hunger Games series.’ Damn. I fell for marketing again. This is NOT...

A Grimm Legacy by Janna Jennings Verdict : 2 stars Verdict : Middle grade, imaginative, but I’d recommend other novels. Enchanted castles and charming princes thought to exist only in stories come to life in this classically twisted fairy tale that combines the timeless quality of folktales with the challenges of the modern world.  The woods of Elorium appear ordinary to Andi… until the birds start to talk and elves answer doors. Whisked out of her world along with three strangers, Andi finds herself the reluctant guest of Mr. Jackson, a perplexing millionaire who claims to be able to help them get home. The secrets he harbors, however, make it difficult to know just who to trust. When the group of teenagers discover that in this new world, fiction is anything but, and that they all have unexpected family ties to this fairy tale land, they must learn to rely on each other. The only way to survive evil fairies and giants intent on keeping them in Elorium is to rely on each ...

MERITROPOLIS by Joel Ohman 2 stars Verdict: It felt suited to males who like action films. The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment--to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond. But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn't an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing--not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science--is going to stop him. Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the ...

IMITATION by Heather Hildenbrand Verdict : There are better novels which use the same premise. Rating : 2 stars Don't judge this book by it's stunning cover. And I think the original blurb is powerful, but very misleading. I’ve tried to amend it in my own description. Ven is a clone of a wealthy daughter, Raven Rogen, and is kept in a facility far away from real life. She’s seen snippets of the girl whose body she was cloned from, enough to mimic the way she walks, but knows very little about her life. When Raven is attacked, Ven is thrust into real life to take Raven’s place and become the new target for the kidnappers. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for someone she’s never met? The premise has been done before but, with dystopian fiction, exploring other storylines centred on the same idea can be intriguing. Unfortunately, this novel doesn’t add much to the genre. Its starts off like The Island and other clone-type dystopian sto...