Reviews by betweentheshelves

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betweentheshelves

Escaping Mr. Rochester

L.L. McKinney

4.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Jane Eyre accepts a governess position from Edward Rochester at Thornfield Manor, eager to forge her own path in the world. At first, all seems fine on the surface; Rochester is charming and easy to work with. But Jane quickly learns that his good mood can change in an instant.

When Jane starts to hear strange sounds around the manor, she decides to investigate. What she doesn’t expect to find is Rochester’s ex-wife, Bertha Mason, hidden in the upstairs attic. Now, Jane is determined to get them both out of the clutches of Rochester. As long as he doesn’t catch on to them first.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of Escaping Mr. Rochester by LL McKinney to review! Jane Eyre is probably one of my favorite classics, so I always like to see the ways that it gets adapted. This might be one of my more favorite adaptations of the story!

First of all, I just want to say, imagining Rochester as the villain isn’t necessarily new–I’d consider him the villain of the original story, honestly. I mean, he trapped his wife in the attic. Immediately villain status. But I liked the way McKinney took that sort of nugget of an idea and brought it to life in this one, with the way Rochester’s mood changes so quickly. He’s a very sinister character, and I honestly don’t trust him from the beginning.

I did appreciate the way the romance was developed here, because it’s not easy when one of the characters is being hidden away in the attic. The letters included were a nice touch, and added to the overall character development. You definitely come to care about both Jane and Bertha by the end, and there’s definite hope for the future.

McKinney did a good job capturing the overall tone of Jane Eyre in this book as well, and it was an easy book to get drawn into. Definitely keep an eye out for it when it comes out next January!

Content Warnings

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

Gabe Cole Novoa

4.5

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It’s London 1812 and Oliver feels trapped. Not just by the strict rules of society, but by the fact that everyone knows him as a girl named Elizabeth. Thus, he’s forced into dresses, to attend balls, and to look for a future husband. But pretending is getting more and more difficult.

Oliver finds solace in the moments he’s able to be out and about as himself. It’s there that he finds a connection with Darcy, and a glimpse into the life that he could have. However, his mother is getting more and more insistent about Oliver finding a suitor, so he will have to choose: a life of safety or a life of freedom.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced copy of Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa to review! I will admit, I have never read Pride & Prejudice, but I know the general gist of the story, so I didn’t feel too lost. From what I know of Jane Austen, I felt like Novoa captured the tone and the essence pretty well! The characters especially are where the writing shines.

What I love about these remixed classics is that it takes a literary canon that is pretty straight and white washed and makes the stories more diverse. So, teens who are reading these things in school might pick up one of these and see themselves in the story. I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read so far, and I’m sure I will continue to enjoy them!

My only complaint about this book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. There were a few characters that did a complete 180 at the end with not a lot of build up to it (like Oliver’s mother), and I would have liked a little more development in those areas. But for the most part, the characters were well developed, even if there were a lot of them to keep track of.

I’d say if you love Pride & Prejudice, definitely check out this retelling when it comes out early next year!

Content Warnings

Champion of Fate

Kendare Blake

4.0

adventurous tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The premise of this was so interesting! As per usual, Kendare Blake is excellent at world building, and fills that world with strong, well-rounded characters. Like her previous series, this one does get a little dark, but it definitely fits the epic YA fantasy realm.

There is an opening at the end for a second book, but the story in this book does wrap up for the most part. My main complaint is that the pacing did feel a little slow at times. I will say that this does fit the tone of the Three Dark Crowns series, and her pacing is just generally slower in fantasy novels.

But, if you're looking for a new epic YA fantasy to delve into that feels a bit like mythology, definitely check this one out!

Content Warnings

Fire from the Sky

Moa Backe Åstot

4.0

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a quiet book, and a short book, but that honestly doesn't make it any less impactful. Set in northern Sweden, it follows Ánte who is a reindeer herder and trying to find his place in the world. It's about his acceptance of the fact that he's gay, and trying to figure out how to fit into his community that isn't super accepting. The way that the emotions were captured in this book was beautiful, and really what stands out the most from the overall writing.

If you're a fan of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe or Ready When You Are, this is definitely a book that you'll want to have on your TBR. It is a translated work, so parts of it felt a little bit choppy to me, but overall, it was a good story.

Content Warnings

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass: The Graphic Novel

Meg Medina

4.0

emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is actually a great adaptation of this book, even though it's been awhile since I read the original. I felt like the themes and the emotions still rang true throughout the story. At first, it felt like kind of a strange novel to adapt into a graphic novel, but the story actually worked really well in this context.

The art is wonderful, and I think this will reach a new generation of readers who need this story. Bullying is still very relevant to current teens, and there are a lot of them who will see themselves in Piddy's story.

Content Warnings

Spy x Family, Vol. 10

Tatsuya Endo

5.0

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

We get a little bit of Loid's past in this one, which is just as traumatic as you probably think it would be. Because of that, the first part of this volume is a bit more somber in tone than the rest of the series. But never fear! That changes in the second half of of the book when we get back to Anya and Yor and all of their shenanigans.

Can't wait to see how the battle of friendship plays out!

Content Warnings

This is How You Lose the Time War

Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

4.0

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a novella, but it almost reads as poetry in the way that it's written. It's one of those books that you don't really get the entire story until the end, but getting there is definitely worth it. I always enjoy books where a lot of the story is told through letters, and this was no exception. This isn't necessarily the kind of book I would pick up on my own, but I am definitely glad that I read it.

One of my favorite things about this book was the way language was used in very specific ways throughout, to convey emotions, to show what's going on with the Time War, to bring us into this specific world. It's the kind of story that will keep you thinking long after you finish reading it.

Content Warnings

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

Ashley Herring Blake

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The final book in the Bright Falls series (I think?), and I'm not sure if this was my favorite, but I still very much enjoyed it. I appreciated Iris as a character, not really sure if she wants to settle down with one person, and hitting on the loneliess that can be associated with that. Especially as all your friends partner up and settle down, feeling the pressure from family to do so as well. Blake does a good job with those internal conflicts as Iris tries to open herself back up fto love.

I thought Blake also represented Stevie's anxiety well, especially as not something to be fixed but something to kind of learn to live with. Her and Iris had great chemistry on the page, and overall, they fit in well with the cast that we have already met. Overall, this was definitely a delight to read!

Content Warnings

A Pirate's Life for Tea

Rebecca Thorne

4.5

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

An excellent follow up to the first! I might have liked this book better than the first one, honestly. The pirate adventure made for a fun story, and I liked the addition of the new characters that helped flesh out the overall world. Also, the dedication was great. Gave me a little chuckle when I first picked it up.

I appreciate that this is a series, but you could technically read this one without reading the first book. You'd just miss out on a little bit of character background, but the adventure is completely it's own. Plus, there's a hook for a third book in the epilogue, so I can't wait to see what that one entails!

Content Warnings

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

Rebecca Thorne

4.0

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was a delight! The perfect book to read on vacation, honestly. I think it might have been a little longer than it needed to be, but I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the book. The cast of characters were lovely, making a little found family in this town that they settle in. I'm loving that we're getting more of these cozy fantasy books, because they're fun to read if you're not looking for something that's too heavy. There's still some action and adventure, but for the most part, the stakes are relatively low.

I also love books where they open a little bookshop because it's always such fun. The magic system in this was interesting, too. I'd love to learn more about it!

Content Warnings

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