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sicksadlit 's review for:
Check & Mate
by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
brb learning how to play chess.
Ok I loved the Chess setting of this book so much. It was fun and a pleasant change from the usual academia setting. But, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Ali Hazelwood. Her books always kick off with a hiss and roar and if there's one thing about Hazelwood, it's that she's gonna build the picture of her characters and their world QUICKLY and compellingly.
But where she falls short time and time again is exploring the complexity of any characters other than the main female lead, beyond the mid-point of the book.
Our main character, Mallory Greenleaf is an 18-year old auto mechanic who has taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger teenage sisters Darcy (12) and Sabrina (14). We learn that this is because Mallory's mother (I literally can't remember her name omg) has severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and as a freelance Technical Writer, is largely unable to work or raise her children due to her condition and their inability to afford adequate healthcare.
Mallory is a Chess prodigy who has sworn off the game for the last four years following an initially unknown and mysterious event involving her Chess-mentor/Father.
However, she agrees to participate in a charity tournament at the urging of her best friend Easton and takes the world by surprise as she easily wipes the floor with the current World Champion and #1 ranked Chess player, Nolan Sawyer.
Fun premise! But truly halfway through the book, Easton disappeared off the face of the earth (returned later but BRIEFLY), with zero exploration to unpack this when the pair had apparently been best friends forever, and there is virtually no depth to Nolan and he truly serves as more of a plot device than a fully fleshed out character.
It is frustrating that after so many books, these same gaps with the character development keep coming up...
THAT BEING SAIDDDD, I will still read anything Ali Hazelwood writes because I cannot deny that it is fun escapism. And honestly, I have come to enjoy spotting the formula I can see she follows.
So, she's a 4 out of 5 for me.
Ok I loved the Chess setting of this book so much. It was fun and a pleasant change from the usual academia setting. But, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Ali Hazelwood. Her books always kick off with a hiss and roar and if there's one thing about Hazelwood, it's that she's gonna build the picture of her characters and their world QUICKLY and compellingly.
But where she falls short time and time again is exploring the complexity of any characters other than the main female lead, beyond the mid-point of the book.
Our main character, Mallory Greenleaf is an 18-year old auto mechanic who has taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger teenage sisters Darcy (12) and Sabrina (14). We learn that this is because Mallory's mother (I literally can't remember her name omg) has severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and as a freelance Technical Writer, is largely unable to work or raise her children due to her condition and their inability to afford adequate healthcare.
Mallory is a Chess prodigy who has sworn off the game for the last four years following an initially unknown and mysterious event involving her Chess-mentor/Father.
However, she agrees to participate in a charity tournament at the urging of her best friend Easton and takes the world by surprise as she easily wipes the floor with the current World Champion and #1 ranked Chess player, Nolan Sawyer.
Fun premise! But truly halfway through the book, Easton disappeared off the face of the earth (returned later but BRIEFLY), with zero exploration to unpack this when the pair had apparently been best friends forever, and there is virtually no depth to Nolan and he truly serves as more of a plot device than a fully fleshed out character.
It is frustrating that after so many books, these same gaps with the character development keep coming up...
THAT BEING SAIDDDD, I will still read anything Ali Hazelwood writes because I cannot deny that it is fun escapism. And honestly, I have come to enjoy spotting the formula I can see she follows.
So, she's a 4 out of 5 for me.