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betweentheshelves
Fans of magical boarding schools and mysterious pasts will find The Crowns of Croswald an absolutely magical adventure. Because Ivy is about as much in the dark as we are, we learn about the world of the scriveners at the same time she does. This helps to effectively build the world for the reader, filled with immensely inventive magical artifacts. Night's writing is unique, sucking us into Ivy's world.
Though the pacing felt a bit off at times, Night keeps her reader's interest through the forgetfulness room at the Halls of Ivy. Since Ivy is the only one who remembers, we gather more intrigue as we go further in the novel. Why is Ivy the only one who can remember? What does that mean about her past? With subtle clues throughout the text, intrigue builds, further pulling the reader into Ivy's magical world. To me, it felt a little like Harry Potter and a little like Percy Jackson. But Night puts enough of her own imagination into the story to make it also feel like something new and refreshing.
Filled with quirky characters, a magical school, and lots of mystery, avid fantasy fans will have found a fantastic new series to follow.
Read more at between-the-shelves.com!
Though the pacing felt a bit off at times, Night keeps her reader's interest through the forgetfulness room at the Halls of Ivy. Since Ivy is the only one who remembers, we gather more intrigue as we go further in the novel. Why is Ivy the only one who can remember? What does that mean about her past? With subtle clues throughout the text, intrigue builds, further pulling the reader into Ivy's magical world. To me, it felt a little like Harry Potter and a little like Percy Jackson. But Night puts enough of her own imagination into the story to make it also feel like something new and refreshing.
Filled with quirky characters, a magical school, and lots of mystery, avid fantasy fans will have found a fantastic new series to follow.
Read more at between-the-shelves.com!
Read my entire review at between-the-shelves.com!
First of all, wow. This is a book that's different from the other things I've read from Tahereh Mafi, but it's a book I think is desperately needed in the YA community. Pulling from her own experiences, Mafi gives readers a glimpse into what it was like to be Muslim in the time right after 9/11; it's heartbreaking and devastating and makes you wonder how people can be so horrible to other people.
Mafi is also fantastic at writing romantic teen relationships, and this book was no exception. You can feel the tension between Ocean and Shirin throughout the book, and you get a glimpse into why Shirin wants to shield Ocean from the terribleness of the world. It's lyrical and beautiful and everyone needs to read it.
P.S. The break dancing was definitely a bonus, and made the book even more enjoyable. How many YA books have you read where the main character break dances?
First of all, wow. This is a book that's different from the other things I've read from Tahereh Mafi, but it's a book I think is desperately needed in the YA community. Pulling from her own experiences, Mafi gives readers a glimpse into what it was like to be Muslim in the time right after 9/11; it's heartbreaking and devastating and makes you wonder how people can be so horrible to other people.
Mafi is also fantastic at writing romantic teen relationships, and this book was no exception. You can feel the tension between Ocean and Shirin throughout the book, and you get a glimpse into why Shirin wants to shield Ocean from the terribleness of the world. It's lyrical and beautiful and everyone needs to read it.
P.S. The break dancing was definitely a bonus, and made the book even more enjoyable. How many YA books have you read where the main character break dances?
Evie Dasher lives in a world balanced on a precarious peace between humans and the alien race, Luxen, that have invaded them. Trying to be adventurous, Evie witnesses this balance first hand at the local night club where many Luxen are known to hang out. It's there that she meets Luc, a dangerous Luxen who is about to turn her world on its head. As new information about her past filters in, Evie has to re-learn who she really is.
Jennifer L. Armentrout has crafted an exhilarating romance that brings its readers on a twisting roller coaster ride of emotions. Much like Evie, we're kept in the dark for most of the novel of what's actually happening between the Luxen and the American government, but there's a lot that the government is covering up (unsurprisingly). In what YA dystopia does the government not know more than its population? Answer: none.
While I would not 100% place this into the dystopia category, there are elements of this genre that creep up throughout the story. Mainly: we've been invaded by an alien race that's way more powerful than we are. But, plot twist! Humans are the ones that are in control in the story, not the aliens. In fact, we get to witness the deep prejudice that a lot of the humans have against the aliens throughout the story, from the way their treated on the streets to the protests that are launched right in Evie's school. I thoroughly enjoyed the power dynamic between the two species here; it made commentary about our own society that isn't too direct.
Evie could be a bit whiny at times, but I guess we'll cut her some slack because basically everyone in her life was hiding a massive secret from her. The relationship between her and Luc definitely drives the entire story froward; why does Luc take such an interest to her? What is he, really? Why isn't he registered with the government? So many questions--all mostly answered by the end of the story.
I think this is the start to a new series, so I'm interested in seeing where the series goes next!
Jennifer L. Armentrout has crafted an exhilarating romance that brings its readers on a twisting roller coaster ride of emotions. Much like Evie, we're kept in the dark for most of the novel of what's actually happening between the Luxen and the American government, but there's a lot that the government is covering up (unsurprisingly). In what YA dystopia does the government not know more than its population? Answer: none.
While I would not 100% place this into the dystopia category, there are elements of this genre that creep up throughout the story. Mainly: we've been invaded by an alien race that's way more powerful than we are. But, plot twist! Humans are the ones that are in control in the story, not the aliens. In fact, we get to witness the deep prejudice that a lot of the humans have against the aliens throughout the story, from the way their treated on the streets to the protests that are launched right in Evie's school. I thoroughly enjoyed the power dynamic between the two species here; it made commentary about our own society that isn't too direct.
Evie could be a bit whiny at times, but I guess we'll cut her some slack because basically everyone in her life was hiding a massive secret from her. The relationship between her and Luc definitely drives the entire story froward; why does Luc take such an interest to her? What is he, really? Why isn't he registered with the government? So many questions--all mostly answered by the end of the story.
I think this is the start to a new series, so I'm interested in seeing where the series goes next!