Paper Towns Review

TITLE: Paper Towns

AUTHOR: John Green

PUBLISHER: Penguin Group

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/16/2008

FORMAT: ebook

PAGES: 246

SOURCE: Bought

MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #78: READ A BOOK THAT ONE OF YOUR GOODREADS FRIENDS HAS GIVEN 4/5 STARS AND THAT ANOTHER GOODREADS FRIEND HAS GIVEN 1/2 STARS

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS: Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I think it's safe to say that I am late to the party with this one. It seems like everyone but me has already read it, so when I found out a movie was coming out, I figured it was time I picked it up. I enjoyed the first part of the book quite a bit more than the second and third parts. I really enjoyed watching Q and Margo go on their adventure and enjoyed their interactions. The rest of the book, while still good, wasn't as fun for me. 

I flew through this book. I didn't realize I had gotten as far as I had when I was reading. It's such a fast and easy read. 

I'm not really sure how I feel about the ending. I feel like it was written the way that it was supposed to be written, but I just don't know if I really liked it or not. I would love to see a short novella from Margo's perspective. I think it would be really interesting to read about her journey.

I'm excited to see this movie when it comes out to compare it to the book, and I'm happy that I no longer have to avoid the movie trailers for fear of spoilers.

CHARACTERS: I feel like I would have connected with Margo had she been in the story more (dual perspectives maybe), but the rest of the characters that played a bigger role later on (Ben, Radar, Lacey) didn't really do anything for me. I feel like I didn't know much about them. They had potential to be great characters, but I feel like I didn't get to learn about them.

COVER: I like the cover a lot. It shows that this is going to be a road trip book, which immediately appeals to me.

Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

AUTHOR: April Geneieve Tucholke

PUBLISHER: Dial Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 8/15/2013

PAGES: 360

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's how River likes it.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I was a little confused while reading this. While I was reading the story, I understood what was going on, but I wasn't sure where the plot was going. I guess the end of the book kind of cleared this up a little, but I feel like there could have been a lot more of a plot. The book got super intense near the end and left it in a great place for a sequel. 

I loved the writing and the setting. Tucholke painted some wonderful images in my head while I was reading.

I would not suggest this book for people who get frightened easily, because this is pretty creepy and twisted in some parts.

CHARACTERS: Violet was an okay character. Nothing spectacular, but she wasn't awful either. Violet's neighbor Sunshine felt a little pointless to the story. I didn't really care about her, even when things were happening to her. And River was just creepy throughout the whole book.

COVER: Gorgeous! It definitely sets the feel for the creepiness of the book. The font on the cover is awesome as well.

**I received a finished copy of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.