THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE BY LEILA SALES // 3 STARS
I've been sitting with my thoughts on this one for a while now, and I still can't pinpoint exactly how I feel ... This Song Will Save Your Life follows Elise, a girl who contemplates suicide after being rejected by her classmates and bullied at school for too long. I love that Elise discovered an underground dance club and was able to, unexpectedly, find friendship and acceptance there, but I had a hard time empathizing with her throughout the entire book. She was mean to everyone, including the people who cared about her, and she didn't initiate conversation with anyone but expected them to do so with her. We know she wants to be popular and liked, but she would make fun of the girls she chose to sit with at lunch, even when they tried to include her in their conversations ... that just didn't sit right with me. I think I was just really irritated by Elise's attitude and personality, but the story was okay and it read fast.
UNEARTHED BY AMIE KAUFMAN AND MEAGAN SPOONER // 3.5 STARS
Aside from the slow pace, I really liked this "Indiana Jones in space" story. The beginning drew me in immediately, with the serendipitous introduction of two totally different characters on the planet Gaia: Mia, a scavenger looking for desirable alien tech she can sell, and Jules, a scholar hoping to study the mysterious artifacts left behind. As much as I enjoyed the mystery behind all the puzzles and what the characters were in this foreign place for, I still felt a bit underwhelmed. You can tell that everything was well thought out down to the details, but I was missing the thrill and heart-pounding excitement until the last couple of pages. I also thought it could've done without the romance, but I didn't hate it. Unearthed would do really well as a movie, and the set up for book two is SO GOOD. There's no way you won't want to read its sequel once you finish that last chapter. Luckily, I don't have to wait that long—Undying comes out at the end of January!
A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA BY TAHEREH MAFI // 4.5 STARS
A Very Large Expanse of Sea sends such a strong and honest message—every time I try to come up with something to say, I delete it right away because it doesn't convey how good this book is. (Currently beating myself up for not writing anything down after I finished reading it. But here is a small list of things I loved.) I loved reading from Shirin's perspective, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who is TIRED of being stereotyped. While this is a big theme, it doesn't swallow up the whole story. It affects Shirin's life, but it doesn't define her. We get to see her breakdancing with her brother, talking to a cute boy on AIM, interacting with her parents, etc. We see her life in 360. I *love* that Tahereh Mafi writes these really cute moments without being too cheesy or over the top. And I love that Shirin is willing to own up to her mistakes regardless of the circumstances.
🖤🖤🖤
I also read The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill in November, but I already talked about it earlier this month in my Gettin' Graphic post! And I'm saving Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan to discuss in a future feature ... 😏
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