Everybody was talking about this book! It's so empowering and not at all what I expected. Wonder Woman is so young, but it was refreshing to see so many things through her point of view. The last fifty pages had me speed reading and not being able to sit still. I couldn't stop reading! I thought that the twist at the end with one of the characters worked out for the best. One of my favorite things about Wonder Woman is how independent she is.

I read this book before watching the movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas" which is about how Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol." This book explained Dickens' thoughts, corresponding with each chapter in "Carol." The layout of the book allowed you to move through Dickens' life and see where his inspiration might have come from. The story of how the name Scrooge was thought up was particularly fascinating. I had no idea that Dickens was one of the first authors to perform his stories to crowds! I'm a huge fan of Christmas and this is the perfect read for this time of year.

Gregory Maguire's books rarely make sense to me. The one I've loved was "After Alice" from a Goodreads giveaway. "Hiddensee" seemed to be stringing along a plot and I expected some explanation for Dirk's adventures. Not giving away spoilers, but what happened to him in his childhood was confusing. Only at the end of the book did Klara's adventures come up. I felt like most of the book was Dirk trying to figure out who he was and there weren't many answers to that. Nevertheless Maguire's writing is enchanting the way he describes far away landscapes and magic. This was perfect for winter and Christmastime, it's just not my favorite version of the nutcracker story.

Melissa de la Cruz impressed me again! The first fifty pages of the book were rough and read like any other YA book. I didn't even like Darcy. By the way, I would definitely read the original "Pride and Prejudice" before reading this version. It helps you follow along with the details in "Mistletoe." As soon as Darcy talked about her favorite books and her obsession with "Gilmore Girls," which is the best tv show of all-time, I basked in the glory that was this book. You start off thinking that you can't have anything in common with Darcy and then she surprises you! The descriptions of Pemberly and the estate are amazing and dramatic. Sometimes I was reading just for the beautiful writing. The ending was nothing like the original "Pride and Prejudice" and wasn't too sappy for a YA book. Recommended for Christmas time!