Radiant Shadows - Melissa Marr*April 20th, 2010 HarperTeen
In Radiant Shadows Melissa Marr has created an entrancing world of magic and possibility that draws the reader in and holds them as tightly as a traveler wandering lost in Faerie.
Marr has a very distinctive writing style with beautiful passages of description. The particular faery mythology used in Radiant Shadows is fresh and engaging. As far as leading ladies go, it's great to see someone like Ani, someone strong and not simply a damsel-in-distress.
On the downside, the relationships [of the romantic variety] just didn't feel all that real or credible to me. Ani and Devlin's progressed a little too fast and suddenly for my liking, and I didn't particularly like the way it was at the end of the novel either. At times the plot was a little tedious and there was rehashing of information that the reader could've easily figured out pages ago.
With beautifully flowing writing, Radiant Shadows is not just a book - it's a new world to explore, one complete with magic and mystery that'll leave the reader thinking about it long after the last page has been turned.
Marr has a very distinctive writing style with beautiful passages of description. The particular faery mythology used in Radiant Shadows is fresh and engaging. As far as leading ladies go, it's great to see someone like Ani, someone strong and not simply a damsel-in-distress.
On the downside, the relationships [of the romantic variety] just didn't feel all that real or credible to me. Ani and Devlin's progressed a little too fast and suddenly for my liking, and I didn't particularly like the way it was at the end of the novel either. At times the plot was a little tedious and there was rehashing of information that the reader could've easily figured out pages ago.
With beautifully flowing writing, Radiant Shadows is not just a book - it's a new world to explore, one complete with magic and mystery that'll leave the reader thinking about it long after the last page has been turned.
Jekel Loves Hyde - Beth Fantaskey
*May 3rd, 2010 Harcourt
*May 3rd, 2010 Harcourt
Before reading Jekel Loves Hyde, I'd heard some great stuff about her debut novel, and some reviews that claim the sophomore follow-up (JLH) doesn't quite live up to it. Well, not having read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, I was approaching this one without a comparison point. Unfortunately, it was mostly a disappointment.
The main characters Jill and Tristen weren't particularly relatable to, and their relationship was a little sketch. Personally I wasn't too fond of the short, choppy chapters or the numerous ellipses trailing off sentences. There were plot holes like "what? Seriously?" And in beginning, when it appeared that science was going to play a part in explaining the experimentation and what happened to the original Jekyll and Hyde, I was kind of excited, expecting it to add to the credibility. But then the science aspect fell flat and actually had the opposite effect of detracting from it.
Fantaskey does have passages of magnetic writing though, which do exude charisma and are re-readable. On the whole, Jekel Loves Hyde is a good novel.
The main characters Jill and Tristen weren't particularly relatable to, and their relationship was a little sketch. Personally I wasn't too fond of the short, choppy chapters or the numerous ellipses trailing off sentences. There were plot holes like "what? Seriously?" And in beginning, when it appeared that science was going to play a part in explaining the experimentation and what happened to the original Jekyll and Hyde, I was kind of excited, expecting it to add to the credibility. But then the science aspect fell flat and actually had the opposite effect of detracting from it.
Fantaskey does have passages of magnetic writing though, which do exude charisma and are re-readable. On the whole, Jekel Loves Hyde is a good novel.
*This is the 3rd installment of mini reviews. Previous installments include:
If I Stay & Wintergirls
Hourglass & A Match Made In High School
If I Stay & Wintergirls
Hourglass & A Match Made In High School
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