[Review]* The McCullagh Inn in Maine (McCullagh Inn #1) by Jen McLaughlin

Summary: 

Her second chance at love. . .

Chelsea McCullagh escapes to Maine with a gun and fresh bruises. She's ready to begin anew-until she runs into her old flame, Jeremy Holland. As he helps to fix her inn, her heart heals and they rediscover what they once loved about each other. But as the two play house, it starts to seem too good to last. . . .

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 137 pages (Paperback)

Available Formats: Print/E-Book/E-Audiobook/Audiobook CD

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: July 5th 2016 by BookShots

I picked this one up on a whim a couple weekends ago, after stumbling across it at my library and because I'm  a wee bit behind in my Goodreads Reading Challenge I thought this one would be a great quick read and give me a chance to try a new series and author.

I went into this one with high hopes. I love a good second chance love story, a suspenseful twist and a nice quite setting in a small town so I was hoping this one would maybe not be great, but really enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, this one just didn't do it for me.

I wasn't expecting the characters or the story itself to be exemplary given the short 137 page length of this little romance, however I wasn't prepared for just how little I would like Chelsea. She was rude, self centered and I found her inner dialogue to be really annoying and repetitive I didn't care for her attitude or the way she treated Jeremy or her brother for that matter. She kept pulling the woe is me card and I couldn't really find anything redeemable about her.

Jeremy on the other hand was the one saving grace of the book. I thought he was very sweet and I wish he'd played a larger role. Yes he was the hero of the story and I'm glad that he was able to reunite with Chelsea, but I just couldn't help but want to scream at him to run far away from her and he seemed to be used more as a prop than a character in his own right.

The story revolving around Chelsea's escape from Miami and sudden reappearance in Maine wasn't fleshed out enough for me either. To me it read as if the author was just cutting and pasting storyboard ideas without fully integrating them into the story as a whole. There was promise of a good romantic story with a light twist of suspense but it was all far too rushed and forced together for it to truly work. It was all very bare bones and I feel like the author missed a real opportunity here. The suspense was negligible and the steamy bits weren't even steamy. The book didn't even really touch on other characters and I got no real sense of the setting of the story either. I imagined a story involving a quaint inn but got a surly heroine focused on herself instead.

That being said though I am curious to see what book two has in store for Chelsea and Jeremy because I really did like Jeremy and I don't want to be to quick to judge the author on this one story. I'm not sure why it warrants a series to be made out of it because things wrapped up pretty well for me (in a very hurried sense) and I want to see what may happen with these two. I'm hoping book two is better than this one. I gave this one a two star rating instead of a one because of Jeremy's character, and because there still is a bit of promise if the second book is better written.

I would probably recommend this one to folks looking for a quick short read that they can polish off in an hour or two but it isn't one that I'm going to go out of my way to tell people to read. My advice with this one is to borrow and not buy.

Just Okay

★★

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*Note Jen McLaughlin writes as Diane Alberts as well 

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

 

Summary:

 

A dystopic look at what happens to one American town when all the fossil fuels run out...

It's the near future - the very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. There is hope - there has to be hope - just there are also sacrifices that need to be made, and a whole society that needs to be rethought.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 192 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: October 1st 2010 by Scholastic Press

Last week while I was in the library I spotted Empty by Suzanne Weyn on the shelf and since I had never heard of it before, and it was a dystopian novel I thought I'd give it a whirl even though it's not one of my preferred genres thinking it would be good to give a new author a try.

I should have known that this one probably wouldn't end up being as good as I had hoped. While the novel sounded really good and started off very strongly by page 50 it started losing steam for me. I typically stay away from novels under 200 pages because the stories are often underwhelming and the characters are underdeveloped which were precisely my problems with Empty.

Like I said, Empty started off strong but the quality of the novel went down hill very quickly. For me Empty seemed more like a bland, 192 page long summary of a novel. The writing was very bland, predictable and uninspiring. It didn't hold my attention very much at all and I found myself having to force myself to focus and finish the book.

The idea of the novel was a good one don't get me wrong I just believe it didn't reach it's full potential plot wise and character wise. The Characters weren't realistic at all and I couldn't connect to any of them. The characters were in their late teens but the way they acted and exchanged dialogue with each other made set the tone that this book was more appropriate for a middle grade audience.

Overall, Empty was a good attempt and had the potential to be a very good novel but the fact that I couldn't get into the plot really annoyed me and while I didn't like this novel by Suzanne Weyn I'm willing to give her other novels a chance and this book just wasn't for me.

I would recommend Empty to younger readers preferably middle grade readers due to the simplicity of the story line and the maturity level of the characters. I can see this one being a hit with the younger crowd especially those looking to delve into the dystopian genre.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

Not For Me!
★

 

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Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1) by P.L. Travers, Mary Shepard (Illustrator)

 

Summary:

 

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 224 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: 1934

 

Last weekend I participated in a read-a-thon in one of my Goodreads groups and I was choosing to read some children's classics that I haven't read before and of course I just had to give Mary Poppins a try. I vaguely remember my dad reading it to me as a kid but most of my memories are of the movie version of the book so I thought it was high time I give the book a try.

 

Sadly,  my expectations of the fun, bubbly and witty Mary Poppins were met with disappointment. The book follows Mary Poppins from the moment she arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane to take become a nanny for the four Banks children to the moment she suddenly leaves them in the end of the book.

 

I have to say that I was expecting something altogether different than what I got from reading this children's classic and perhaps it's because as we age the books we read as children lose some of their magic as some of our inherent innocence is taken from us in the aging process. I didn't find the first book in the Mary Poppins series to be an enjoyable read except for the parts where Mary Poppins wasn't in it.

 

I thought that Mary Poppins was a dour brute in a nanny suite. She was rude, unkind and completely self absorbed and thought she was the best at everything. I found that rather than lift the book up and make it a fun and enjoyable read she brought it down.

 

Despite the fact that I couldn't really stand Mary Poppins I did enjoy reading about the other characters in the book and I especially loved the twins as I thought they were little darlings. Of course I also liked the characters that Mary Poppins introduced the children too and they funny, sweet and of course eccentric. Also the writing was very good. Just because I didn't like the main character it doesn't mean the author wasn't talented she was immensely talented in fact and the story flowed wonderfully.

 

Overall, while I did enjoy all but one aspect of the novel I just can't get past my dislike for the literary Mary Poppins and I much prefer the film version to this. However I do plan on adding these to the list of books I keep in case I ever have children because I think this is one that kids will enjoy as long as they haven't seen the movie I think and I still plan on reading the entire series and I just hope I come to like it more as it goes on.

 

I would recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it yet and just because I found it lacking that's not to say that you will. It is one I think everyone should give a chance and prove that just because a book is "old" or written in a by gone era that it should not be forgot and left to collect dust.

 

It Was Okay!
★★

 

 

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How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman

 

Summary:

 

If your cat is kneading you, that's not a sign of affection. Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn't a gift. It's a warning. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is an offering of cat comics, facts, and instructional guides from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.

How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You presents fan favorites, such as "Cat vs. Internet," "How to Pet a Kitty," and "The Bobcats," plus 17 brand-new, never-before-seen cat jokes. A pullout poster is included at the back of the book.

Summary & Cover Goodreads.com

Length: 136 pages (Paperback)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: October 9th 2012 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

 

After seeing a splendid review of How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You I knew I had to read the book and luckily I was able to score a copy of it through my library.

 

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't what I got. I thought I would be in for a comic that would have laughing hysterically given what so many people were saying about the book on Goodreads and Amazon.

 

Too bad for me it wasn't as funny as I had hoped at all. The Comics were cute but weren't anything to write home about. I thought they were only mildly funny and I was greatly disappointed by that fact considering one of my favourite bloggers gave the book such a stellar review of it I found it to be bland and pretty stereotypical with the basic cat jokes.

 

While it was a quick and easy read I just look at it as if it was just something to occupy my time in between reading novels. I wish I had liked the book more and I wish the material tied in with the title a lot more but it didn't which I found to be a little misleading.

 

Overall, this was an okay read. Not bad but not Good. Apart from the occasional giggle I wasn't very entertained at all and I would only recommend this book to be read as a little novelty read for cat lovers in a stocking at Christmas. 

 

It Was Okay!
★★

 

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Every Secret Thing: My Family, My Country by Gillian Slovo

 

Summary:

 

A passionate witness to the colossal upheaval that has transformed her native South Africa, Gillian Slovo has written a memoir that is far more than a story of her own life. For she is the daughter of Joe Slovo and Ruth First, South Africa's pioneering anti-apartheid white activists, a daughter who always had to come second to political commitment. Whilst recalling the extraordinary events which surrounded her family's persecution and exile, and reconstructing the truth of her parents' relationship and her own turbulent childhood, Gillian Slovo has also created an astonishing portrait of a courageous mother and a father of integrity and stoicism.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 282 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: February 1st 1998 by Little, Brown Book Group   

 

As many of you know I'm really interested in the history of South Africa, particularly about the figures who played an essential role to bringing about the downfall of the apartheid regime. So when I did another one of my numerous library searches I came across this book and knowing very little except the basics about Ruth First and Joe Slovo I decided to give it a shot.

 

I wasn't sure what I was expecting this book to be really since I knew nothing about Gillian Slovo (apart from her parentage) and I've never read any of her other books before but what I got was not what I was hoping for.

 

I never go into a non-fiction read especially a biography or a memoir thinking that it will be a fast paced read like a novel and while this is sometimes the case in this instance the book crawled like a turtle. It took forever for me to get into the writing style and even as I finished the book I still hadn't warmed up to it.

 

While I understand that the lives of those in the spotlight are neer what they appear to be and that what goes on behind closed doors is often nothing like we would imagine I was surprised that the author chose to refer to her parents by her first name. Perhaps this is because she was trying to distance herself from them in order to focus on them as people rather than mom and dad but it bothered me. The book was written with such a coldness it was as if she'd rather not be connect to them at all.

 

However given her tumultuous upbringing I can understand if there are old wounds that never healed but I suppose if you're going to discuss your family that it would be prudent to add some snippets of your family life like some warmer moments just to offset the cold clinical attitude that the author adopted. Another thing I disliked was that she skipped back and forth from from different points in time. Often I would find her referring to events in the 1950's and she would skip ahead to the 1980's and back again. There was no fluidity to the writing at all.

 

The one saving grace of the Every Secret Thing was that I learned an amazing amount about the real Ruth First and the real Joe Slovo. While the way their life stories were told didn't sit well with me I did get an intimate look into the history of this political powerhouse of a couple.

 

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with Every Secret Thing but I do respect Gillian Slovo for penning this book. It is no easy thing to delve into your parent's pasts and uncover long hidden secrets (like a long lost brother) and she should be commended for her efforts. I just wish that it was put forward in a better way. I would recommend this to people who enjoy biographies and those with an interest in reading about two people who helped change the world.

 

It Was Okay!
★★

 

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Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

 

Summary:

 

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 371 Pages

Source: NetGalley ARC

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books

 

I know I'm a little late in finally getting to read my e-ARC of Splintered from the wonderful people at NetGalley but I suffer from the common affliction us book reviewers suffer from. Procrastination. But that's a topic for a different blog post.

 

At the end of February I finally got around to reading Splintered the first novel in debut author A.G. Howard's Splintered series after having it on my TBR list since August! I was so excited to finally have time and be in the right mood to want to read the book with minimal distractions that I dove right in.

 

The book started off on a really high note. I loved Alyssa's dark awkwardness that she uses to keep the talking insects at bay with. It reminded me of the awkwardness that we all experience to at least some degree as teenagers and that made me really like her. As Alyssa herself is narrating her story I loved her "voice". She was such a breath of fresh air, I mean how often does one come across a socially awkward character that isn't just hamming it up? Exactly. Not to often I'm afraid.

 

However, as the story went on I became rather disheartened with Alyssa, the other characters of the book and the over all story line. What started out wonderfully went slowly downhill for me after about page 100.

 

For me it was as though Alyssa had lost her way. I get that the whole Wonderland thing threw a big wrench in her plans and the fact that her mother is institutionalized put a lot of pressure on her but it was as though she completely threw caution to the wind and stopped using her mind and became a rash decision maker which really caught me off guard.

 

I also had issues with the other characters in the novel. Alyssa was the only one I really liked in the whole book at the outset but as for the others I didn't care for any of them much at all. I especially had issues with Jeb. I hated his big brother attitude where he got int the way of Alyssa's life too much and couldn't really grasp his appeal because of all that.

 

The characters in Wonderland while I didn't dislike them totally were very one dimensional and I get that the author was trying to interpret them in new and unique ways but to me they were a little over the top even for a place like Wonderland. I especially detested Morpheus, there's so much about him I don't like I honestly can't see the appeal of him he was such a jerk to Alyssa!

 

The story line also caused me some problems. As I said it started off fantastic but about 100 pages in it sort of lost the easy going pace it had in the beginning and for me it came together in a bit of a jumbled mess that I had to piece together. Sometimes the story would move so quickly I would have to go back and re-read a chapter or two just to catch what I missed and a time or two I was left with no choice but to move on becoming more confused. There seemed to be a lot of filler in Splintered that I feel the book could have done without and it became way too rushed for my tastes and I wish things were a little more cohesive I think if things went together better I would have liked the book much more.

 

Despite all that though I did like what the author intended to do. Alyssa started off with a lot of promise and while I thought she lost herself for a large part of the story I did like where she was at as a person in the end. I liked that the author wanted to be different and I understand that a first novel is very much about an author testing the waters of their audience so I can totally see book two being really good. There was action, a love triangle, a lot of fantasy and humour mixed into the story and while the recipe's measurement may have been a little off I can see the series being very successful even if I thought Splintered could have been better.

 

Overall, the book was an okay read for me and I seem to be in the minority about this but let me say that the author's story telling has a lot of talent and this is just my opinion of the book. I do know people who would absolutely love this book and I will have no issues in recommending this book to them.

 

If you enjoy young adult fantasy novels especially ones that are re-tellings of popular novels and fairy tales I would highly suggest checking this darker more updated tale of Wonderland out and I can't wait to read the second book in the series when it comes out.

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

It was Okay!
★★

 

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Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers

Summary:

In 1669, Laure Beausejour, an orphan imprisoned with prostitutes, the insane and other forgotten women in Paris’ infamous Salpetriere, is sent across the Atlantic to New France as a Fille du roi. Laure once dreamed with her best friend Madeleine of using her needlework stills to become a seamstress on the Rue Saint-Honoré and to one day marry a gentleman. The King, however, needs French women in his new colony and he finds a fresh supply in the city’s largest orphanage. Laure and Madeleine know little of the place called New France, except for stories of ferocious winters and men who eat the hearts of French priests. To be banished to Canada is a punishment worse than death.
Bride of New France explores the challenges of coming into womanhood in a brutal time and place. From the moment she arrives in Ville-Marie (Montreal), Laure is expected to marry and produce children with a French soldier who can himself barely survive the harsh conditions of his forest cabin. But Laure finds, through her clandestine relationship with Deskaheh, an allied Iroquois, a sense of the possibilities in this New World.
What happens to a woman who attempts to make her own life choices in such authoritative times?
Bride of New France is a beautiful debut novel that explores a fascinating chapter in Canadian history.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 294 pages (Softcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: January 18th 2011 by Penguin Canada

Does it make me a bad Canadian if I say that I don't read very many novels written by Canadian authors? I hope not but it's the truth. I don't read many novels written by Canadian authors and I think it's a real shame so I'm hoping to make up for that in the new year. I think the main reason I have an issue with Canadian authors is because the books written by them tend to be literature which while I love the genre I can't read to many books like that or else I start feeling a bit pretentious.

Anyways last month I was browsing the shelves of my local library branch and I came across Bride of New Frances and after looking at the cover which I find to be gorgeous. Seriously, look at it. Isn't it a beaut? So once again you can see I was taken in by yet another pretty cover and we all know that can lead to the book being a hit or miss for me and this one was a miss.

The story starts off in France where we are introduced to Laure and her best friend Madeleine who are both living in Salpetriere hospital before they are whisked away to New France to be brides to the men who live in the rough, and often deadly New World in order to give the men a reason to stay and build the population of New France up thus lessening the burden of them on France if the settlers were to move back. While on the journey though Madeleine falls ill and ultimately passes away when the two girls reach their destination leaving Laure alone and unsure in the unwelcoming wilderness that is now her home.

While this book sounds like there is an air of adventure, and promise between the pages due to the fact that it's about a young woman who is now forced to start her life anew. Unfortunately this one wasn't particularly rich with historical detail, or an air of adventure even when she breaks a cultural taboo and has to do something that will break her heart. There was no emotional depth to Laure and I thought that was very unfortunate.

I had several problems with the novel. First off was the way it was told. I just couldn't get into it. Yes I read the book in it's entirety, but it wasn't at all what I expected. For me the whole novel lacked the ability to draw me in there was nothing engrossing about it at all. It lacked depth and read more as though the author were writing a summer of events that took place in a novel rather than writing the novel itself. I also had trouble connecting with Laure because very little about her character as well as the other characters and I found them to be very one dimensional.

The plot though was the biggest disappointment because of the way it was written like a summary of a novel. There was a lot of promise in the plot and I kept hoping that it would get better and become more engrossing as I went on but sadly it didn't. A lot more detail could have been paid towards the characters and the history of Canada then there was so for me this book just didn't live up to my expectations. It turned out to be more of a filler novel to me where I just read it to read it. I may have enjoyed bits and pieces of it here and there but ultimately the book jut wasn't for me and was mediocre at best.

If I were to recommend this novel it would probably be towards people that enjoy historical fiction set in Canada and historical fiction in general. While the book wasn't up to my standards for a good work of historical fiction that doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it a try yourself. If the author does write another novel I'm still more than willing to give her another try to see if I like her other works better.

It was okay
★ ★

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Tim Conrad

 

Summary:

 

Tim Conrad adapts Victor Hugo's classic romance about a beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda, who is framed for murder by the infatuated archdeacon of Notre Dame. Only Quasimodo, the hideously deformed bell ringer of the cathedral, can save her. Religious extremism, class distinction, fate, destiny, and sexual dynamics are played out in a rousing yarn of intrigue within the walls of the Parisian Cathedral of Notre Dame. This is Tim Conrad's first foray back into comics in twenty years. Beautifully illustrated. Packed with emotion. Not to be missed!

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 48 pages

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publication Date: July 18th 2012 by Dark Horse Comics

 

I suppose I should admit that my only experience with The Hunchback of Notre Dame is with the Disney film of the same name. I've been carting around the novel by Victor Hugo for the past 2 times that I've moved but still have not brought myself to read it. It's an intimidating novel, and since I've started blogging a lot of the longer novels on my TBR pile have fallen to the wayside. Which is why when I had the opportunity to request this one from NetGalley I was over the moon especially since Tim Conrad was illustrating it.

 

However all my hopes were dashed as soon as I started reading this graphic novel. I'd seen some of the artists other works and thought that they were utterly fantastic. When it came to his adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame I thought he really dropped the ball. The illustrations were to me, poorly drawn and horribly executed. His technique while it may appeal to some people it didn't for me.

 

I also didn't like how the classic novel was adapted to graphic novel. It fell very flat for me as you could tell MAJOR parts of the novel were not included. True, the graphic novel is only 48 pages long but it was as if the one liners were the only things being implemented and used as a story line so the flow of the story was broken up tremendously.

 

For those reasons, I had a difficult time wanting to stay reading this graphic novel. I would not recommend this to anyone except maybe kids to perhaps get them interested in the classics but even then I would be hard pressed to recommend it. If you do want to read it despite my misgivings (I encourage you to try it for yourself) then I would suggest you borrow it from your local library.

 

Not for me!
★

 

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Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks

 

Summary:

 

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 336 pages

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publication Date: May 22nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

 

I was so looking forward to this book so when I was granted an ARC copy of it from NetGalley I was so excited but like always it took me a while to get around to reading it and I didn't even get to read it until the beginning of August and it wasn't at all what I expected it to be like.

 

I went into the book with really high expectations because I had seen some very promising reviews of it on some blogs where the reviewers are known to be really tough and usually their reviews are pretty accurate in terms of how I'll enjoy it.

 

Unfortunately, this book wasn't anything like what I thought it would be like. Right off the bat I was put off by Emma and then one by one the other characters began to get on my nerves. I honestly didn't care so much for any of them because they were very one dimensional and fake especially Emma. OMG was probably said by here every third page or so and by the end of it I was cringing anytime I saw anyone on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads use it for the longest time. There was also very little chemistry between any of the characters and it was as if their dialogue as well as their interactions were too forced almost as if the author was trying to hard to make her characters act like teenagers which made things very awkward.

 

I also had trouble with the plot. It seemed so basic and more like a plot outline than an actual fully thought out and organized plot in a novel. There were so many gaps in the story where it was as if the authors focus on the story was jumping all over the place which caused a lot of confusion sometimes.

 

I mean the book had the potential to be a really good read albeit not a unique one because mermaid novels are becoming more plentiful in the book world as of late but it could have been really good read. Sadly though, for me this one fell way short of my expectations I found very little to be redeemable about this novel except that it was a quick read for a vacation but was ultimately pretty forgettable. Despite all of this I will be reading the next book in the series just to see where the story goes.

 

Though I didn't care for the book all that much that should by no means stop you from checking it out. If you were to read it though I think you should probably be a fan of Young Adult Novels with mermaids. 

 

* I received a free copy of this book from the published via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not compensated in any way.

 

It was okay
★ ★

 

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