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emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Tiffany's story is something I was familiar with going into this read, as I follow her on social media. Still...reading her history had my interest piqued. The title doesn't lie, the story really is something incredible. She is a smart and strong woman, reliving her journey through these pages and being humbly candid about her missteps and mistakes.
I'm sure that a lot of others share similar experiences, but it was a new kind of read for me. She is not a professional author, so the writing is admittedly a little less polished than you would find in a regularly published novel or ghostwritten celebrity memoir. There is some repetition both in content and in her response to difficult situations, but the story that comes through is full of good lessons and a peek into the life of an addict.
Tiffany's story does definitely benefit from some privilege and that comes through in the writing, both in her assumption that she would get away with everything and in the sentence that she ultimately received for the crimes she committed. There was certainly some luck and lenience that came her way. This does need to be recognized when reading, but shouldn't devalue the fact that she went through something incredibly challenging and managed to work through her addiction to become a more responsible and functional member of society.
If you are familiar with Tiffany, this absolutely worth the read. If you have no idea who she is, you may want to expose yourself to her via her social media platform before reading, as what you glean from your reading experience will undoubtedly be heightened by getting to know her through other means. Also, do select the audiobook if possible, as it is narrated by the author.
I'm sure that a lot of others share similar experiences, but it was a new kind of read for me. She is not a professional author, so the writing is admittedly a little less polished than you would find in a regularly published novel or ghostwritten celebrity memoir. There is some repetition both in content and in her response to difficult situations, but the story that comes through is full of good lessons and a peek into the life of an addict.
Tiffany's story does definitely benefit from some privilege and that comes through in the writing, both in her assumption that she would get away with everything and in the sentence that she ultimately received for the crimes she committed. There was certainly some luck and lenience that came her way. This does need to be recognized when reading, but shouldn't devalue the fact that she went through something incredibly challenging and managed to work through her addiction to become a more responsible and functional member of society.
If you are familiar with Tiffany, this absolutely worth the read. If you have no idea who she is, you may want to expose yourself to her via her social media platform before reading, as what you glean from your reading experience will undoubtedly be heightened by getting to know her through other means. Also, do select the audiobook if possible, as it is narrated by the author.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is pretty much the perfect middle grade horror read. It has a great young heroine who I fell in love with very quickly. Evie is just the cutest. She is smart, resourceful, grateful, and a touch flippant. The premise is interesting (Dark journey through a series of weird houses? Yep...I'm on board.) and the execution is really fun with lots of mysterious and gothic atmosphere. I love this world and I am super interested in more of it.
Senf's writing moves at just the right clip and is full of sideline humor and cute little additions that made Evie an even more endearing character. The quest trope is wonderfully done and has a bit of a whimsical touch to it even though the overall feel of the novel is dark. There is something about it that gives me a little bit of a Coraline plus Wayward Children vibes and I loved it.
There are pieces of the plot that are unresolved that lead me to believe that Evie may be part of a series construction. I am SO down for this. Fingers crossed that a sequel will be coming down the line.
Senf's writing moves at just the right clip and is full of sideline humor and cute little additions that made Evie an even more endearing character. The quest trope is wonderfully done and has a bit of a whimsical touch to it even though the overall feel of the novel is dark. There is something about it that gives me a little bit of a Coraline plus Wayward Children vibes and I loved it.
There are pieces of the plot that are unresolved that lead me to believe that Evie may be part of a series construction. I am SO down for this. Fingers crossed that a sequel will be coming down the line.
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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two sisters and an unfortunate accident begin this YA magical realism novel. Before long, strange murders are occurring in their quiet town and Flora, the sister who lives her life as "that girl" because of her unique skin markings, has tasked herself with solving the mystery.
The Lightning Tree is a unique, mildly dystopian style novel that moves with rapid fire and had me sucked in pretty quickly. It is a comfortable and accessible read with good writing and an interesting setting. The story reads a little on the younger YA side in some places, with some occasionally awkward dialogue, but overall is a great merge of the fantastical and contemporary. The book is the epitome of genre bender, also including facets of horror, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, and a touch of romance. It is like nothing I have ever read.
There are a lot of serious topic woven into the plot, from ecological awareness to family dynamics. While I would have liked to see more exploration of some of these topics and fleshing out of the issues underneath, there is potential for these things to be addressed in further reads, as The Lightning Tree is the first in a trilogy. I do appreciate Fogelberg's ability to continue addressing normal teenage issues with the magical side of the story.
I devoured this book in two sittings and am curious to see how the trilogy continues. The ending is solid, but definitely leaves things ready for more exploration in book two. It isn't quite a cliffhanger, but there is a lot left unresolved and I'm here for it.
This book deserves a bit more attention and hype than it has thus far received. I will definitely be continuing the series. Fogelberg's imagination is a fun place to be.
The Lightning Tree is a unique, mildly dystopian style novel that moves with rapid fire and had me sucked in pretty quickly. It is a comfortable and accessible read with good writing and an interesting setting. The story reads a little on the younger YA side in some places, with some occasionally awkward dialogue, but overall is a great merge of the fantastical and contemporary. The book is the epitome of genre bender, also including facets of horror, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, and a touch of romance. It is like nothing I have ever read.
There are a lot of serious topic woven into the plot, from ecological awareness to family dynamics. While I would have liked to see more exploration of some of these topics and fleshing out of the issues underneath, there is potential for these things to be addressed in further reads, as The Lightning Tree is the first in a trilogy. I do appreciate Fogelberg's ability to continue addressing normal teenage issues with the magical side of the story.
I devoured this book in two sittings and am curious to see how the trilogy continues. The ending is solid, but definitely leaves things ready for more exploration in book two. It isn't quite a cliffhanger, but there is a lot left unresolved and I'm here for it.
This book deserves a bit more attention and hype than it has thus far received. I will definitely be continuing the series. Fogelberg's imagination is a fun place to be.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A slow start and a lot of characters to keep track of, but I enjoyed this island resort version of a closed circle mystery.
The plot was fun and interesting with a lot of morally gray character work that I thought did pretty well at throwing some good red herrings around. The atmosphere was decent, though I do think it took a bit of a backseat to the petty issues of the characters. There was definitely some stereotyping of spoiled and entitled rich people in the overall cast. If you are bothered by unlikable characters, you'd best steer clear of this one.
Speaking of, there were some moderately annoying characters that even I could have done without (I typically enjoy unlikable characters) and some were easily confused to the degree that I felt they could have been merged to create fewer to try and keep straight. The stereotyping just led them to be a little too alike and I guess I didn't care enough to try and separate who was who.
The upsides were that the pacing moved fairly well once things got going and there were some good complexities to the twists and turns in the end. A decent beach read thriller, but not one that really kept me on the edge of my seat. Enjoyable, but not necessarily gripping.
The plot was fun and interesting with a lot of morally gray character work that I thought did pretty well at throwing some good red herrings around. The atmosphere was decent, though I do think it took a bit of a backseat to the petty issues of the characters. There was definitely some stereotyping of spoiled and entitled rich people in the overall cast. If you are bothered by unlikable characters, you'd best steer clear of this one.
Speaking of, there were some moderately annoying characters that even I could have done without (I typically enjoy unlikable characters) and some were easily confused to the degree that I felt they could have been merged to create fewer to try and keep straight. The stereotyping just led them to be a little too alike and I guess I didn't care enough to try and separate who was who.
The upsides were that the pacing moved fairly well once things got going and there were some good complexities to the twists and turns in the end. A decent beach read thriller, but not one that really kept me on the edge of my seat. Enjoyable, but not necessarily gripping.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super late to the hype train on this one, but totally getting it now. The world is super intriguing and Bardugo's writing is just fantastic. There are a lot of complexities to the world that I'm sure I'll start to understand better as I continue to read books in this and adjacent series, but I can say that I now understand why everyone is so enamored with the Grishaverse and how it is that Bardugo could write so many books set in the same world without things getting stale.
The intersection of light and dark and the blurring of those lines is awesome. I love the moral struggles of the characters and the temptations they face. I really liked how the characters weren't just drawn out of a box and stuck being "good" or "bad"; there are a lot of layers and it had my head mildly spinning.
Some of the strengths of this book/series have been diluted since it is admittedly older and many books that have followed have taken inspiration from its construction, but it must be recognized that this was totally groundbreaking YA when it was first published. And I appreciate that. Looking forward to reading more of this world and getting myself "caught up".
The intersection of light and dark and the blurring of those lines is awesome. I love the moral struggles of the characters and the temptations they face. I really liked how the characters weren't just drawn out of a box and stuck being "good" or "bad"; there are a lot of layers and it had my head mildly spinning.
Some of the strengths of this book/series have been diluted since it is admittedly older and many books that have followed have taken inspiration from its construction, but it must be recognized that this was totally groundbreaking YA when it was first published. And I appreciate that. Looking forward to reading more of this world and getting myself "caught up".
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a good dystopian focused on parenting and the control of the government in that process. The premise was interesting and well constructed with moments that made me cringe and others that had my hackles raised. I'm all for keeping kids safe, but yeesh...this went a bit far. I'm by no means saying that made the book bad...that's what made it good! I love dystopians that push the envelope and really explore the possibilities of cultural change. This one will definitely stick with me.
As a mother to young children, I could identify with many of the maternal characters in the book, so this hit a bit hard. All parents are prone to mistakes, but in Chan's world those are simply not permitted. Your child had an accident while playing in the backyard alone and you wound up taking them to the hospital with a broken bone? Now you stand to potentially lose your parental rights. Yikes. It is a completely unforgiving system that gave me crazy anxiety thinking about the ways that outsiders could judge my parenting. (Over the days I was reading this book my youngest managed to color furniture with a Sharpie and dumped bottles of cleaner all over the living room. Neither of my children adhered well to their bedtime and I definitely raised my voice more than once. All of these things could have landed me in The School for Good Mothers.)
There was a lot of social commentary rolled up into the prose and the characters that I felt was well handled. There was a great consideration of systemic racism and other prejudices in current society that I found interesting. There were a lot of things that also had me thinking with regard to the cultural and generational differences in child rearing. There was a lot at play here and I felt like Chan really explored the different possibilities to give a well-rounded view.
The tough spots for me were in the pacing and the ending. There were some great things explored in the setting of the school, but overall that situation went on for too long and the pacing really started to drag. I was surprised to see that the book was under 400 pages when I finished because it certainly felt longer. A little bit of tightening to these scenes would have made a great difference because while the writing is good, it just started to feel repetitive.
The ending was also good in concept, but felt a bit rushed. I was caught a little off guard by what happened in the last few chapters of the book, so there felt like a bit of a lapse of logic, but I think a bit more fleshing out of these situations would have given me the feel that it was a continuation of the style that had been present for the rest of the book. Instead, it felt like the situation where the author was just ready to be done writing and get to the point. It wrapped up quickly and neatly, but felt a bit overly jarring.
Chan's writing is definitely intriguing and for a debut this was quite well done. I am interested to see what other concepts she tackles and how her writing will mature in successive novels.
As a mother to young children, I could identify with many of the maternal characters in the book, so this hit a bit hard. All parents are prone to mistakes, but in Chan's world those are simply not permitted. Your child had an accident while playing in the backyard alone and you wound up taking them to the hospital with a broken bone? Now you stand to potentially lose your parental rights. Yikes. It is a completely unforgiving system that gave me crazy anxiety thinking about the ways that outsiders could judge my parenting. (Over the days I was reading this book my youngest managed to color furniture with a Sharpie and dumped bottles of cleaner all over the living room. Neither of my children adhered well to their bedtime and I definitely raised my voice more than once. All of these things could have landed me in The School for Good Mothers.)
There was a lot of social commentary rolled up into the prose and the characters that I felt was well handled. There was a great consideration of systemic racism and other prejudices in current society that I found interesting. There were a lot of things that also had me thinking with regard to the cultural and generational differences in child rearing. There was a lot at play here and I felt like Chan really explored the different possibilities to give a well-rounded view.
The tough spots for me were in the pacing and the ending. There were some great things explored in the setting of the school, but overall that situation went on for too long and the pacing really started to drag. I was surprised to see that the book was under 400 pages when I finished because it certainly felt longer. A little bit of tightening to these scenes would have made a great difference because while the writing is good, it just started to feel repetitive.
The ending was also good in concept, but felt a bit rushed. I was caught a little off guard by what happened in the last few chapters of the book, so there felt like a bit of a lapse of logic, but I think a bit more fleshing out of these situations would have given me the feel that it was a continuation of the style that had been present for the rest of the book. Instead, it felt like the situation where the author was just ready to be done writing and get to the point. It wrapped up quickly and neatly, but felt a bit overly jarring.
Chan's writing is definitely intriguing and for a debut this was quite well done. I am interested to see what other concepts she tackles and how her writing will mature in successive novels.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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:
Yes
The Sign for Home was a pleasant surprise of a read.
At the onset, it was a bit of an awkward immersion, as the chapters are structured in a two person narrative with Cyril voiced in first person and Arlo voiced in second person. A second person POV is just such a rare thing. Even rarer is one that actually works...and this one did. Once I got past the oddness of the "you" voicing, I was able to read Arlo's sections as internal dialogue and it was effective in helping me feel things from Arlo's point-of-view quite well.
Arlo's situation is heart wrenching. There is so much that occurs in his life that really demonstrates how disabled individuals are often sidelined. He isn't able to fully advocate for himself or live as an independent adult. He is infantilized by his uncle and his life is controlled by those around him. As a result, he is terribly naive and unprepared for the real world. It was so sad to read his story and there were times that the situation elicited a very strong impulse to be livid with Brother Birch and his horrible treatment. The writing of Arlo's character is very well done and I truly felt that he was fleshed out like a real human. I would have liked to have a bit more of this approach with Cyril. He was a good character, but didn't get quite the same thorough exploration.
There is a lot of emotional and intellectual impact to this book. I was really surprised at how much is packed in this novel. It opened my eyes to the lack of fully efficient accessibility there is in our society.
I learned so much about the DeafBlind community. The depictions of struggles with every day life events that we often take for granted had me reevaluating how I see the world.
The depiction of the Jehovah's Witness religion was a mixed bag. It did illustrate the restrictiveness of the religion, but I think it also unfortunately portrayed the whole religion in a negative light. I am not JW myself, but it felt a little unfair to characterize the whole religion as bad. The sheltered life that Arlo led was well portrayed and did feel realistic, but there was just a twinge to things that felt like it was giving JW a bit of an evil feel.
The plot was well constructed and appropriately complex, but I was slightly disappointed in the ending. It felt like things went a little off the rails and the events were somewhat rushed and mildly unrealistic. I did enjoy the ending and found it appropriate given the arc of the story, but it didn't feel as carefully constructed and thought out as the remainder of the novel.
The Sign for Home is an emotionally impactful read with great characterization and a creative plot structure. It moved quite well, kept my attention, and had me experiencing an attachment to the realistic characters. An excellent debut and fantastic representation.
At the onset, it was a bit of an awkward immersion, as the chapters are structured in a two person narrative with Cyril voiced in first person and Arlo voiced in second person. A second person POV is just such a rare thing. Even rarer is one that actually works...and this one did. Once I got past the oddness of the "you" voicing, I was able to read Arlo's sections as internal dialogue and it was effective in helping me feel things from Arlo's point-of-view quite well.
Arlo's situation is heart wrenching. There is so much that occurs in his life that really demonstrates how disabled individuals are often sidelined. He isn't able to fully advocate for himself or live as an independent adult. He is infantilized by his uncle and his life is controlled by those around him. As a result, he is terribly naive and unprepared for the real world. It was so sad to read his story and there were times that the situation elicited a very strong impulse to be livid with Brother Birch and his horrible treatment. The writing of Arlo's character is very well done and I truly felt that he was fleshed out like a real human. I would have liked to have a bit more of this approach with Cyril. He was a good character, but didn't get quite the same thorough exploration.
There is a lot of emotional and intellectual impact to this book. I was really surprised at how much is packed in this novel. It opened my eyes to the lack of fully efficient accessibility there is in our society.
I learned so much about the DeafBlind community. The depictions of struggles with every day life events that we often take for granted had me reevaluating how I see the world.
The depiction of the Jehovah's Witness religion was a mixed bag. It did illustrate the restrictiveness of the religion, but I think it also unfortunately portrayed the whole religion in a negative light. I am not JW myself, but it felt a little unfair to characterize the whole religion as bad. The sheltered life that Arlo led was well portrayed and did feel realistic, but there was just a twinge to things that felt like it was giving JW a bit of an evil feel.
The plot was well constructed and appropriately complex, but I was slightly disappointed in the ending. It felt like things went a little off the rails and the events were somewhat rushed and mildly unrealistic. I did enjoy the ending and found it appropriate given the arc of the story, but it didn't feel as carefully constructed and thought out as the remainder of the novel.
The Sign for Home is an emotionally impactful read with great characterization and a creative plot structure. It moved quite well, kept my attention, and had me experiencing an attachment to the realistic characters. An excellent debut and fantastic representation.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was a lot about this that just felt muddled and undeveloped. It is a short story and a quick read, but it felt like it needed polishing and tightening. I just didn't find anything special about this. It was fine, but nothing overly intriguing or creepy. There was a good premise, but the execution didn't meet my expectations. The writing was fine and I felt like maybe with a bit of redirection and editing this could have been made into something much more gripping. Instead, something about the character relationships and interactions felt off and the movement of the plot was a bit jerky. It was a disappointing experience, but it was short so I didn't feel the pressure to DNF.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
This is like an updated Series of Unfortunate Events with a fun trio of siblings, some gothic atmosphere, and mysterious circumstances involving absent parents and an unknown aunt.
I loved White's semi-sarcastic writing style and the relationships between the siblings. In fact, the whole story is full of quirky characters who just had me giddy. The waterpark was perfection. Pale lifeguards in black and white dress accompanied by black parasols? Oh, the gothic vibes. I think this is the collision of characters and world that I have been looking for.
The mystery was fantastically written. The book is definitely middle grade, but the level of deception is well done. Adults will figure out some of the twists, but there are some great red herrings in the mix and it was just honestly a really intriguing and entertaining read. Highly recommend and I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.
I loved White's semi-sarcastic writing style and the relationships between the siblings. In fact, the whole story is full of quirky characters who just had me giddy. The waterpark was perfection. Pale lifeguards in black and white dress accompanied by black parasols? Oh, the gothic vibes. I think this is the collision of characters and world that I have been looking for.
The mystery was fantastically written. The book is definitely middle grade, but the level of deception is well done. Adults will figure out some of the twists, but there are some great red herrings in the mix and it was just honestly a really intriguing and entertaining read. Highly recommend and I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fun middle grade read! I don't really understand the low ratings for this one, but I have to assume that the majority are due to one of two things: (1) they expected more of a YA read than a middle grade one and couldn't identify with the voice or (2) they are too overwhelmed by the popularity of the "chosen one" and magic school tropes and couldn't see this one for it's unique properties. Are there elements of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and How to Train Your Dragon in the plot? Absolutely. But there are a lot of tropes that have been reused over and over again with much success. I see no reason why it can't be the same for Skandar
Modern middle grade readers will likely be in love with this series. It is fun, imaginative, and builds great tension and mystery for a continuing series. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. They are written well for the middle grade set, but they could admittedly use a bit more depth. The writing is fun and light and the plot is easy to follow. Adult readers will likely find it a little simplistic or easy to predict, but for middle grade readers it will be just right. And for me...it was just a lot of fun.
I enjoyed my read quite a bit and I'm looking forward to where this series goes.
Modern middle grade readers will likely be in love with this series. It is fun, imaginative, and builds great tension and mystery for a continuing series. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. They are written well for the middle grade set, but they could admittedly use a bit more depth. The writing is fun and light and the plot is easy to follow. Adult readers will likely find it a little simplistic or easy to predict, but for middle grade readers it will be just right. And for me...it was just a lot of fun.
I enjoyed my read quite a bit and I'm looking forward to where this series goes.