14/100: Caraval and Some Thoughts

Caraval (Caraval, #1)I'm just gonna put this out there: I really need to stop buying books I haven't read before. It stinks, because there is nothing like the excitement of buying a new book and the feeling like you are getting yourself into a wonderful new adventure. But too many times over the last year I have found myself buying books with anticipation only to actually read them and wish I had checked them out from the library and saved my money for a favorite book.
I think this goes along with my desire to really curate my own book collection... as hard as it is, I really want to try and only buy books that I know I will either share with my own family or read over and over again. I want my collection to reflect myself and my interests, and books that I don't love, don't really fit into that.
I could go on for awhile so I'll move onto my review :)

Caraval was a solid 3-star read for me. I'm beginning to wonder if I am slowly moving away from the YA genre because I found myself... annoyed while reading this. Instead of swooing over the romance like I usually do, I found myself cringing and thinking in my head, "Yeah but it doesn't really happen like that." Instead of being caught up in the magic and mystery of Caraval, I found myself trudging through it.

I do think that Stephanie Garber has a talent for story-telling. Some people find her relations of feelings to colors (i.e. the main character associates her feelings for her father with the color purple) annoying and overdone, but I actually kind of liked it. I found it interesting and it seemed like perhaps she was hinting that Scarlett might have synesthesia, if not a form of it at least.

I think my main issue was that I found the characters rather lackluster. I didn't find myself invested in their storyline; I really couldn't identify with the sister relationship between Scarlett and Tella. I mean, yes, I would definitely die for my sister. Yes, I would do anything to save her. But I found myself completely hating Tella and thinking she was just... awful. Maybe I need to do better about being okay with unreliable characters and finding value in even the worst ones. But I couldn't do it with her.

Overall Garber has a knack for describing scenery and imagery. However, it took about half the book for me to feel the pull to finish and the urge to keep reading. Even after that though, I trudged through this one. I'm still not sure if it was me and I was too distracted, or if this was just really not the story for me. I own the next book in the series, but I'm not feeling overly motivated to read it.

I think this month has been kind of a bummer for me. I haven't really read any books that just blew me away, and I haven't read as much as I was hoping. I think I need a good, new, book to kick me in the seat of my pants and get me fired up again. Maybe a hold at the library will come to the rescue and I can get my hands on something new to me. I'm a big fan of re-reads but maybe what I need is something new...

Stats:
Completed: Feb 25
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 407

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

36/100: Read It And Weep

Image
Read It And Weep is the fifth installment in the Library Lover's Series by Jenn McKinlay. They are cozy mysteries set in a small town on the east coast. I love reading these kinds of books because they are the ones I don't have to pay too much attention to. The plot is simple and engaging, very much a whodunnit type of setting, and they are just fast-paced enough to keep my attention but not so fast that my heart pounds in my chest :) I tend to use these books as palate cleansers when I find myself in a bit of a book slump or have just finished reading a more intense story. I can get done with them fairly quickly and move on to the next title in my TBR pile... something that is ever-growing. I will say that I did not enjoy this one as much as its predecessors. The author inserted a love triangle into the mix, a trope that I will never feel drawn to. Plus, I found myself irritated through the majority of the book because the main characters refused to communicate. I kept thi...
Read more

2/100: Let Me Be a Woman

Image
Two books in one week!!! My second finished book of the year is Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot. This was gifted to me by a friend for my birthday, and I'm sad to admit that it took me six months to finish it. It's very small and compact, less than 200 pages. But don't let the size fool you: this book packs a whole lot of theological truth into a pocket-size. Elliot really simmered things down to the basics for me in terms of what it means to be a Christian woman. I can't really say much in terms of review because I found this book to be so extensive. She writes in the form of letters to her daughter Valerie, and while most of the book is told through the lens of marriage, any woman regardless of relationship status, can find answers and clarification as to what our roles are as women of God. I plan to read this one again at some point so I can go through and underline my favorite parts and also be able to digest the content more. Stats: Completed: January ...
Read more

31/100: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

Image
There's nothing quite like finishing a good book on a warm (not quite summer) day. The sun is slowly setting, the birds are happily chirping, and the breeze is cooling the weather down. I can't think of a better story to wrap up than The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. There will be some exciting changes happening in my life this week; exciting but slightly scary! This continues my comfort read-a-thon and it was just what I needed. I loved this continuing storyline of the four Penderwick sisters. Even though the original Penderwick novel will always be near and dear to my heart, the follow-up was just as sweet and endearing. Each sister got their time to shine and the storyline involving their father was well fleshed-out and relatable. I think Birdsall was really able to expand on each sister's personality in this story, and we get glimpses of where she might take them next. I can't really say much more, except please read this sweet story! Stats: Completed: Apr...
Read more