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Very good book, especially for the young adult market. I love the fact that Vaughn doesn't write much differently here than she does in her established series, so she doesn't feel like she's talking down to teens at all.

There's one thing that really bugs me, but if I bring up exactly what it is, it will be a spoiler. I will say that I don't honestly think that every YA book or series really has to include a particular sort of negative experience in order for the protagonist to experience growth.
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Evie and the Animals in Books

Sep 24, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2021)  
Evie and the Animals
Evie and the Animals
Matt Haig | 2019 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is Evie, a little girl who can talk to animals! I really liked Evie, she is intelligent and knows the difference between good and evil. I liked the characters chosen for his book, every single character teaches the young readers something valuable.

The narrative of this book has a very important message to share. It teaches about deforestation and animal cruelty. It has plenty of fun adventures, self-exploration, as well as lots of important teachings about humans in general, that Matt Haig shares with his young readers.

This novel is filled with beautiful illustrations and a really fun and enjoyable writing style. The chapters are pretty short so the book didn’t leave me bored. I liked the ending of this book, even though it is quite predictable, I think it rounds up the story pretty nicely.

So, to conclude, the author didn’t disappoint me with this book, I really liked the messages he was trying to share with children, showing not such a pretty side of some of the humans, as well as incorporating a great adventure with the strong and admirable protagonist. I really enjoyed this fun and educational book, and I strongly recommend it not only to children but parents as well.
  
The Bear and the Nightingale
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.4 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
Strong female protagonist (1 more)
Reminiscent of Grimm Fairytales
Favourite book read in 2018 (so far!)
The first thing I have to say about this book is wow. I went into it not knowing what to expect but was completely blown away by the storyline of Vasya as she navigates becoming a young woman who is powerful, in a time when women were not; whilst using old school magic to try to help her people.
The Russian folklore gives this book a modern fairytale feel, however the darkness echoes that of the original Grimm Fairytales.
Altogether, this is a very well written epic, not to be missed, and that I very much enjoyed.
  
Elizabeth is Missing
Elizabeth is Missing
Emma Healey | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.1 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
The consistency of character (0 more)
can be slow at times (0 more)
Lovely wee story
The novel is told from the perspective of Maude, a lady in her 80's with dementia. The reader experiences the frustration that the protagonist feels because of her poor short term memory, yet there is this brilliant back story. Yes, Elizabeth is missing, but so is Sukie, Maude's big sister who disappeared when they were both young. Switching between the present and the past enhances the story, showing how certain triggers can support long term memory in dementia patients. Lovely wee story. Brilliant gripping beginning, a bit slow in the middle and great ending. Worth a read.
  
All The Good Things
All The Good Things
Clare Fisher | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Profoundly moving look at the social and prison system through the eyes of a troubled young girl
An extremely moving, emotional rollercoaster of a debut novel about circumstances and consequences. Clare Fisher has done a superb job in writing about how poverty and lack of support can have a devastating impact on a person's life. The story slowly unfolds to reveal how the protagonist ultimately ends up in prison through various tragic experiences and desperate situations that she finds herself trapped within. It seems apparent that she's as much a victim in many ways despite being incarcerated.

Keep the tissues at hand, this empathetic beautiful story will have you bawling your eyes out.
  
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen, Donald Gray, Mary A. Favret | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (94 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist of this book is Elizabeth Bennet, one of five daughters of a middle-class family in a little village in England. Her mother’s ultimate goal is to marry off her daughters, but Elizabeth is not in a rush. I really liked Elizabeth in this book, she is a very strong-willed and sensible young lady. I really loved the way Jane Austen picked the characters for this novel, they are very well developed and very intriguing. I think Mr Darcy is an absolute twit, but with a golden heart. If he would exist in reality, I have no idea how a woman would understand this man. HE IS SO FRUSTRATINGLY COMPLICATED
  
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Great Expectations in Books

Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 11, 2017)  
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
7
6.6 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not as classic as some of Dickens' other tales
As much as I love Dickens' left-wing plots, his novels are depressing, and this is no different.

From orphans, to children living in danger, protagonist Pip falls in love with a young girl named Estella while visiting the home of the wealthy dowager Miss Havisham. Pip attempts to win her love by attempting to become a gentleman, but instead is made a common labourer in the Havisham household. After many trials and tribulations, he returns to the house and to Estella.

There are a lot of deaths, and it is a melancholic novel. However, I do prefer some of his other works because I find the unrequited love story rather tedious.
  
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne | 2006 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
An important and terrifying fable still relevant
It's probably quite important to understand that this is a novel and so there is a lot of artistic license taken with it by the author. That being said the main protagonist, nine-year-old Bruno was brilliantly written, a great juxtaposition of unwaning innocence and extreme cruelty in a time of brutality.

Having visited Auschwitz myself, the naive descriptions of the young boy is gut churning especially as he is so unaware of his fate. The reader does a great job in performing the role of an innocent child.

It is a moral story about complacency and how easy it is to fall into patterns, so it is essential to read with an open mind.