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ClareR (6144 KP) rated Anna K in Books

Mar 5, 2020 (Updated Mar 5, 2020)

Anna K

Jenny Lee | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A great debut!

I really enjoyed this reworking of Anna Karenina. I have to admit, 60 or so pages in, I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with it, but I’m glad I did. A majority of the characters in this story come from a privileged background, where money is not something that they or their families need to worry about, and they can have anything (materially) that they want. Anna K seems to live in a different city to the rest of her family, with her Newfoundland dogs and horses, and attends a private school there. She doesn’t hesitate when her brother asks her to come to his rescue and help sort out his love life. She drops everything and gets to work, trying to convince his girlfriend that he has made a huge mistake when he cheated on her. It works. Everyone loves Anna K, after all.
I’m not about to write a synopsis of the whole book, but these characters are really put through the wringer, keeping closely to the ethos of the original Russian author! It’s a really bittersweet ending too.
I should add that whilst it’s a YA book, it’s definitely for the more mature end of the age range. There’s a lot of alcohol, drugs and sex involved.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.

Kudos

Morgan Sheppard (1007 KP) rated Wind Warrior (World Aflame #1) in Books

Apr 29, 2020

Wind Warrior (World Aflame #1)

Jon Messenger | 2013 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

First things first, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! There were parts that didn't quite sit straight with me but, on the whole, I found this to be a great read.

Xander is a twenty-year-old college student who doesn't know what he wants to major in. He is best-friends with Sean, and has some sort of weird relationship with Jessica, a sorority president. He lives at home and doesn't have a job. His life changes when he suddenly gains some powers over the Air.

I loved the Elemental aspect of this book. No surprise to some of you, I'm sure. I thought the part that says only one Element can live on the earth at one time was a good one. I'm not completely sure why Fire is always cast as the bad guy but there you go.

Sammy (a Fire Elemental) is a very intriguing character and I would love to learn more about her backstory. A lot goes on with her in this story and I can't wait to see where she goes next.

This was an easy read that kept me turning the pages. Like I said, some of it didn't quite fit with the background/story but not enough to disrupt my reading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a YA/NA Elemental story!

Kudos

Amy Norman (1048 KP) rated The Orphanage of Gods in Books

Apr 17, 2020

The Orphanage of Gods

Helena Coggan | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is an absolute tour de force, and powerhouse of descriptive language.

The book is gripping from the start, it is fast moving, and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. I haven't picked up a book this quickly in a while, and finished it faster than most.

However, so much happens throughout the book, and it builds and builds towards the ending that it almost felt like a bit too much happened, and I wasn't entirely sure where it would end. I feel like it could have been stretched out over two books, so we as an audience could have had more time to relish the story and appreciate the characters.
Please don't get me wrong though, I savoured every minute of it, and the ending was suitable and satiated my needs.

As I mentioned, the descriptive language was different to a great many books I've read, but it didn't feel forced or jarring, as some do when it feels like they threw a thesaurus at their writing, just to mix it up a bit.
The writers age did leak through a few times, but I am an older reader, and think this is perfectly suited to the YA audience.

Highly recommend, it is a fantastic read, and the only let down is that there wasn't more of it!