mororke's reviews
733 reviews

I began this book ten days ago. I really hoped I would be able to jump in with two feet and enjoy the story that sounded so excellent. I hate to admit that this is the second did not finish of the year, but I still want to explain why I didn’t finish the book.

The book begins with a letter from the author and explanation on how to pronounce some of the words of names and places. Once the actual book began, I was all ready to put it down for the night. I picked it back up the next day.

I understand needing to build the backstory to explain what is happening with Cadvan, but the descriptions are so wordy that I had to keep going back and re-reading entire paragraphs to see if I missed something. This wordiness made it difficult to move through. After ten days of struggling, I finally made it to 25% of the book and felt like the story hadn’t moved at all.

Perhaps I was not able to get into this book because it is a prequel and I haven’t read the rest of the series, but it isn’t for me. I’m sure for fans of the series it will be awesome to learn a bit more about where the overall story begins. For some one picking up the prequel first, it’s not my cup of tea.

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Blade Morrison is made of music. His father is an old rock star, his sister is trying to become a rock star. Blade writes loves songs and hopes his dad won’t find a new way to embarrass him today. After an embarrassing situation during graduation, Blade learns a secret about himself and begins a journey not only to find himself, but a new love and appreciation for his family.

When I began reading Solo, I thought that the format was a poem. I quickly found out that it’s written as a song. The music of Blade’s life. This format made the book easy to read and appreciate the beauty behind each song and chapter. It was a very interesting way to present Blade’s story and I really enjoyed the rhythm and pace carried by it.

The plot of the book builds up quickly and coasts to the end. I mean this in the best way possible as once I hit 50% I had finished the book long before I was ready for it to end. The characters of the book are flawed but genuine and they come alive through the lyrical way the story is presented.

While maybe we were supposed to dislike Blade in the beginning (he’s described by his family as selfish), I think that while he may not have seemed like it, he wasn’t so much selfish as trying to make his family better.

When traveling Blade learns a new appreciation for his family and all the blessings in his life. The change not only in Blade, but also in Rutherford (his father) was subtle and loving. While I wasn’t expecting the end, rather than disappointed, I was happy for Blade.

Overall I gave the book four moose tracks because I felt that some of the characters, like Storm, were flat, while Sunny, and our short glimpses of her, made her more dynamic. I feel like Uncle Steve could have been left out completely because he added nothing to the story overall.

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Bun is a fourteen year old girl whose hoarder mother tells her to “Get out,” so she does. After hitchhiking to the nearest city in Newfoundland, Bun meets Busking Boy. While he’s older, he’s immediately protective of Bun and they quickly become closer, like brother and sister. With the help of Busking Boy and his roommates, Bu discovers herself, friendship, and even agony, as the title suggests.

I began the book in the late morning and finished in early afternoon. It wasn’t the plat so much, but the characters that kept me moving quickly towards the ending. The plot of the books isn’t horrible, and things build up slowly with most of the conflicts and resolutions happening in the last twenty percent of the book.

Bun is…eccentric to say the least. While her mother hates her seemingly useless and random facts, this and her bluntness endeared her to me immediately. Bun is very complex and well written. Her lack of a formal education hasn’t prevented her from continually learning, even if it was reading the dictionary and Merck medical manuals.

Busking boy and his complete acceptance of Bun made me appreciate him from the beginning. Once we meet the other roommates, Chris/Cher, Big Eyes and Chef, they each helped seal this book’s place in my favorites list.

It’s difficult to write about Bun and her agony without spoilers. Pick up a copy and jump into Bun’s agony, but be ready to be ejected from the merry-go-round before you’re ready.

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow takes place mainly on Earth, after World Wars III and IV. An alien race, the Delonese, have helped reverse global warming, and helped re-establish Earth and its new corporations instead of countries. The relationship appears to be symbiotic, with both races benefitting from each other.

Sofi, her brother Shilo, and her friends participate in FanFights. This less deadly version of “The Hunger Games” is where the book beings. After a terrorist attack pauses the FanFight Shilo is lost, Sofi’s team is dead, and Sofi must turn to the man who broke her hear to find Shilo. With the help of her few surviving friends, her heartbreaker, and a couple Ambassadors from Earth, Sofi finds herself on Delon.

During this part of the book I felt like the plot was treading water. Although I was close to finishing the book, the plot became some stagnant that it took me three days to read the last hour of the book. The last thirty minutes of the book are action packed, so I encourage readers not to give up, your persistence will pay off.

I rated this story three tracks because once it picks up the story gallops to the finish line, but no conflicts are resolved. As the reader learns more about the Delonese and their secrets, Sofi is betrayed and the book ends. I realize that to make sure readers pick up the second book some mystery has to remain, but some sort of resolution would have made the story more satisfying in the end.

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Too Shattered for Mending is an incredible story about a boy, called Little, trying to survive a dysfunctional and abusive family and childhood.

Set in Pierce, Idaho, a small town with a high poverty rate, Little, unlike most people his age, doesn’t want out. He wants to buy some land, and start his own business. The only thing standing in his way, other than money of course, is his grandfather’s disappearance.

Written in the present, and small glimpses of memories, the reader gets small glimpses of how Little has grown up. More than anything, you realize how difficult Little has had it. The book is one that makes you think. In a town where meth apparently rules, staying clean and in school is a huge deal. Little’s dyslexia makes it a struggle, but he doesn’t give up.

His character is beautifully written. He’s complex, and emotionally stronger than he realizes. His love for Willa shines in every interaction between him. Speaking of Willa, I loved her jokes and shared every one of them with my husband.

The other characters in the book aren’t as strong as Little. JT is predictable, especially for a small town football star. I didn’t care for Rowan, but hated the the end of her storyline. Zaylie was different, but not in a bad way, and I enjoyed watching her and Little’s relationship grow.

Overall, the descriptions of the Idaho landscape set a beautifully setting to a story that will keep you guessing until the last chapter.

Many books where the main character has a medical condition are going to be sad, full of desperate hope for a happy ending, and end with an extreme feeling of loss at losing a character that the reader has gotten to know, and most times lose. She, Myself, and I is different, because when we meet Rosa she’s preparing to keep living, even if her body does not.

Rosa meets Sylvia after her successful brain transplant. With a new lease on life, Rosa unexpectedly wants to know more about the girl who saved her. After meeting Joe, a reporter in training, Rosa learns not only about Slyvia, but also about herself.

The characters of the book are genuine and try to be heart felt. Rosa and Joe are the most well written, but their true selves are not revealed until close to the end. Learning the truth about Joe, while I understand he was keeping a secret, left me wondering if any character was honest or truly the person they seemed to be.

Rosa, like I’m sure most transplant recipients are, is apprehensive of her donated self and tries to learn more about the life of the person that matters so much to her. After months in the hospital, she doesn’t seemed phased by the world outside and jumps into her new world with little hesitation or apprehension. She seems pretty well adjusted to leap into Boston when being from the UK and doesn’t seem scared by the world she hasn’t moved through on her own in years. I expected her to have a bit more reservations about going out and traversing the outside world.

Elliot seems to be the most genuine character and his parts throughout the book are short and even shorter lived. I suppose his part as Rosa’s rock made him more like a conscience, a Jiminey Cricket, if you will, providing the most help, and small glimpses into Rosa’s old life and family dynamic.

Rosa’s mother seemed driven to keep her daughter alive, which I understand, but I never saw warmth and kindness from her. She came off as cold and not the kind of mother I expected for a character with a terminal disease.

I don’t want to talk a lot about the doctors and nurses, but was appalled by the “Jane” incident, and surprised by how it ended so abruptly near the end of the book even though it was only a couple paragraphs about it in the beginning. It felt like an unnecessary conflict in the story.

The plot, in the beginning, I feared would be focused solely at the hospital. I was glad when it headed in a different direction. Once things got moving, it was an enjoyable read. I was as determined as Rosa to learn more about her and Sylvia along the way.

I don’t want to lead to any spoilers, but I wish that Rosa’s black outs were resolved a bit differently. I feel like what began as an insightful journey about self discovery fell a bit flat with the “Leave it to Beaver” easy way of tying up lose ends. I feel like an epilogue would have helped give a more satisfying ending, even if it was just a tiny glimpse, maybe one month later, into Rosa’s future.

I am stunned. I’m not sure where to start with 13 Minutes. The entire book kept me guessing until the very end.

Natasha, Queen Bee at her school, is pulled from the freezing river. Technically dead for thirteen minutes, she doesn’t remember the events that led to her waking up in the hospital. With the help of her childhood best friend, Becca, Natasha tries to put the pieces together.

The story takes off quickly and never slows own. I was gripped after the first chapter. While trying to figure out the “whodunit” I was impressed by the multiple layers, not just of the book, but of the characters too.

The writing style of the author is fluid and easy to read. It makes ready quickly easy and enjoyable. The plot of the book builds quickly but doesn’t lose momentum.

The characters are probably the most impressive part of the book. Natasha is all the things you expect of a Queen Bee. She’s smart, confident, and of course a bit manipulative. She’s the victim of the story, but there is a lot more to her than expected.

Becca, like most outcasts, doesn’t seem to care much about what others think of her. When she’s unexpectedly pulled back into Natasha’s inner circle, she quickly realizes that things may not be what they seem.

It’s difficult to review the book without spoilers because there are so many intricate parts of the story. Pick up the book, but clear your schedule because after the first chapter, you’ll have to know how it ends.

I don’t know where to begin with Matt’s story. Like most unrequited love stories there’s a bit of longing, a bit of heart break, and a bit of humor. In Matt’s story the emotions will hit you full force, making each new emotion stronger than your expecting, and while ending on a high note, it will leave you emotionally spent.

Matt, our main character, and his best friend Tabby have been close for as long as either of them can remember. Growing up across the cul-de-sac from each other, Tabby has been like an extra family member since her mom left when she was a baby. Matt, obviously is in love with Tabby, but not sure how to cross the line from love you like a brother to I love you more than that. When they begin high school and Tabby becomes involved with a senior, Matt tries to navigate through their evolving relationship, remaining friends on the outside, while being crushed within.

The story develops quickly. I laughed throughout the first half of the book, not only at the stories, but the uniquely developed relationships between each character. From Murray and his Halloween costume to Thanksgiving, and even Christmas dinner, I laughed and enjoyed getting to know Matt and the rest of his family.

Matt is a strong, but flawed character. This makes me appreciate him much more because he comes off as genuine. His love for not only his friends, but also his family shows in every interaction. Relationships such as these aren’t typical in YA books because the protagonist is usually selfish. While Matt does behave selfishly at times, he’s typically apologetic, either to the character directly, or in his head. He comes off as real and because of this, his story is much easier to connect to on an emotional level.

We really don’t get to learn a lot about Tabby as a freshman. We get small glimpses of her as she spends time with the Wainwright family. Most of her story is from Matt’s memories, which makes her endearing. I laughed out loud about the bully and the corked bat and had to pause my reading to explain my cackling to my husband. I think that the biggest thing we, as readers, are supposed to learn about Tabby is that she loves Matt too. Even if not in the way that he loved her.

The inclusion of teachers and classrooms are also a part of YA fiction that we don’t usually see. I think this is probably because school overall is very routine and boring, and most books try to skip over those parts. In this book however, Matt’s teachers come to life. We meet Mr. Ellis, who sounds like a teacher I would have loved in school, who truly tries to make learning fun, and make a difference in his students’ lives.

As I moved through the book, even once I knew it wouldn’t have the romantic comedy ending Matt and I were hoping for, I couldn’t wait to re-open my kindle for the next chapter (darn work interfering!). When I finished the book, skimming the acknowledgements, I broke down once again at the author’s sentence to Dawn and the Nerds. This book will take you through the emotional wringer, but in the end is a sweet story about love, loss, and learning to move on.

This book is about Adam, a sixteen year old with schizophrenia. Out of all the mental illnesses out there, I feel that most people don’t talk about schizophrenia and that adds to the stigma. My first thought when starting the book that is essentially a journal was that it reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was younger, Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. I love the format and that it’s easy to move through the story, constantly learning more, but really seeing the progression of time throughout the story overall.

Adam, like most teenagers wants to be normal and guards himself from those outside of his family. This book is his journal to his therapist as he participates in a drug trial for his sickness. Reading through Adam’s journal entries, I celebrated first love, seeing a bully get paid in full with karma, and watched him make new friends. I also felt empathy for him and his situation. It’s not often that a book can drag you through the emotional gamut and come out with pretty happy ending in the end.

Adam as a character grows, and regresses, and grows some more. He changed so much, and as a reader I learned so much about him. He is much braver than he thinks and seeing him come to the conclusion at the end of the book made me smile with tears in my eyes as this story came to an end.

The other characters, Maya, Dwight, Ian, and Adam’s parents are a bit flat, but it works since this is his personal journal. We don’t really learn a lot about his friends because while he’s talking about his day to day life, we’re mainly reading his thoughts and how he felt. This kept the other characters from feeling non-essential to the story and gave them a bit of depth they may have otherwise lacked.

Overall, this book is worth the read. It’s easy to get into and won’t let you go until it’s done. While it may not be exactly what schizophrenia is like, the author did a great job using creative liberties to make the story relatable without being overwhelming.

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Mari is Dominican, pregnant, and a fighter. Honestly her improper grammar almost made me quit reading before chapter three. Then we learn about Angelo.

The writing style is a bit difficult to follow. Once I finished the book I found the guide to slange in the back, but this wasn’t very helpful on my Kindle. Overall, I skipped the Dominican and read the rest of the book. The story takes off quickly and while Mari is harsh, and a bit rough around the edges, overall the book was enjoyable and easy to finish.

I’ve already talked a bit about Mari, but want to talk a bit more about her. In the beginning of the book, I really disliked her. She’s brash and always looking for a fight. After getting to know her a bit more, I realized that she’s a strong woman. She’s determined to protect her baby at all costs.

Overall, Water in May is a touching story about a mother’s love. Even if the mother is young, unmarried, and stands up for what she believes is right. Water in May has a lot of medical jargon, but it’s explained brilliantly, by Dr. Love. It’s a heartfelt story, that I will carry with me in the future.