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You and Me (Faith to Love, #7)
You and Me (Faith to Love, #7)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You and Me by Cleopatra Margot is just that, a story about you and me. It is the everyday moments, the big life decisions, the family drama, and finding love for the first time. I enjoyed Cleopatra Margot’s writing style as it was down to earth and read like you were part of the family. From the decisions that Sam was faced with, the mysteries surrounding Braeden’s family, to some surprising revelations in Sam’s own family; Cleopatra Margot spun a heartwarmingly real and engaging story that kept me hooked from the very first chapter.

 I enjoyed getting to know Sam and felt for her and the decisions that she had to make. Her character was very relatable, strong, and gentle all wrapped up in one complete package. Braeden fits his description to a T, Tall, Dark, and Yummy (first time I have heard it put like that, but it fits his character's sense of humor). He had quite a few obstacles to overcome and I loved how he treated Sam through everything, a true gentleman. With the additional side characters, I thought this book was very well rounded and I loved the layers added by the secondary characters.

“But despite the slight chill air this late in August held, there was a warmth inside her.”

  The plot was filled with a good bit of mystery mixed with finding your place in the world and a friends to lovers’ type theme. One of my favorite things about this book was the characters continually pointed out that God must be the center of your life before anything else can really grow. I enjoyed this book, and I am going to be going back and reading the previous books in the series so I can read the other family member's stories. Readers who enjoy family centered books (like Susan May Warren or Dee Henderson’s books) will enjoy this one.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
I am always a fan of fairy re-tellings, even if it is for a fairy tale I am not actually familiar with, as that of Rose Red. It took me awhile, but I also gathered that the book is a kind of Christian allegory, and parts remind me of Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.
Rose Red is by far the most intriguing character, as her birth is shrouded in mystery, her friends are animals with voices, and she cloaks herself in veils and layers to hide even the smallest scrap of skin from any prying eyes - including her own. The shame she bears for her own appearance is so great that her very existence is surrounded by grand tales of monsters and demons told by all of the local villagers, yet she bears a strength much greater than she appears to possess and she has a kind of magic that allows her to walk the secret Paths and face down death in all its forms. Even at the end of the book, I could not fully grasp who or what she is.
Leo manages to find and befriend Rose Red in boyhood, but he has a burden of his own as Prince Lionheart of Southlands, destined to become King. Leo knows his responsibilities, but he secretly just wants a friend and to make people laugh as a court jester. These polar opposites manage to pull him across the world again and again as he struggles with the simple question, "What do you want?"
Many other characters litter the pages of the book, which was at times confusing as I attempted to deduce which creature or character was on the side of good or evil, such as the Dragon - which became apparent at its occupation of Southlands. As an allegory for Christianity, some characters were clear - such as the Prince, but others were murkier, such as the Lady.
The structure of the book itself was off-putting for me. The book is divided into five parts, with chapters in each part, but in between each part a vague sense of time has passed, so that the reader cannot pick up where the last chapter left off. At each break, I would get the feeling that the plot was picking up, only to be let down that the climactic moments have been glossed over. I also really disliked the ending. Certain things are expected of classic fairy tales, and none of this was included in the ending of this book. Perhaps the author was aiming for something more "realistic" or to simply get the reader to continue the series, but loose endings this big make me feel like I wasted my time reading the book, only to get no satisfaction at the finale.
  
The Wizards of Once
The Wizards of Once
Cressida Cowell | 2017 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is told by a third person, the “Unknown Narrator”, who is one of the characters, but I couldn’t figure out who it was. 😀 The main characters are Xar (a wizard) and Wish (a warrior), they belong to two separate tribes, who are at war with each other, and both of these characters are a very naughty thirteen-year-olds. 🙂 I really liked Wish in this book, I think she is quite smart, and I really liked her strangeness. She is not like everybody else, and I think it really suited her. I really didn’t like Xar, I think he is rude, ignorant, absolutely horrible, self-centred brat, and he is a very bad example for kids. :/ I understand that author chose him for a reason and to prove some points to the young generation, but still, I couldn’t stand him. I really liked all the magical creatures, which the author created for this book. They were super fun and gave this “Harry Potter” vibe, which I really liked.

The narrative of this book is filled with plenty of magic and very fun adventures, which I really enjoyed. I liked the way the author was trying to surprise the reader with unexpected twists and turns and an interesting outcome from particular actions.

I kind of liked the writing style of this book, it feels very little edited and quite raw. (Like, when you tell an actual story, and u need to clarify some of the things you say) However, the same thing dragged out the story a little, making the chapters feel quite long sometimes. My most favourite thing about this book was the illustrations. It helped me to understand how all the characters and magical creatures looked like, and in general, they were absolutely stunning. I also liked that the author included quite a few of them in every chapter, it was fun to read and it gave a different texture to the whole story.

The language used in this book was easy to understand and pretty fun, and as I mentioned before, the chapters were quite long, but the illustrations kept the reading experience entertaining and not boring. The ending of this story was quite unexpected and the author creatively hinted about another book to follow. So, to conclude, it is a fun and adventurous story, filled with magic and magnificent creatures. Now, for the recommendation, I think adults should read it first and then decide if they want their kids to dig in. Xar’s attitude might have a negative impact on some of the kids, but I will leave that for the parents to decide. Enjoy! 🙂