Reviews written by Kate.
In two days, we will be attending the annual Festival of Trees event again at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre. Here are some short reviews from Kate for nine of the books on the White Pine list.
The Taming - 9/10
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it portrayed relationship abuse in a believable and realistic light. This book was written to make a point, not for pleasant, light reading, however, so the plot line is not as complex or captivating as other books. Overall, it is a very good book and worth reading.
Way To Go - 8.5/10
I was surprised by this book. At first, it seemed like a typical teenage book (and to be honest, it seemed kind of trashy). However, it was far from that. It is goes through the struggle of how a teenage boy, living in a mostly homophobic community, figures out who he is, what he wants to do with his life, and what his sexual orientation is. My favorite thing about this book is how the author made the main character homosexual as opposed to a supporting character - something that almost never happens in YA novels.
Getting Over Garrett Delaney - 8.5/10
This book sounded interesting from the start. Most teen novels, these days, are about a romance that turns out perfect and everyone lives happily ever after. However, this book was about heartbreak and that, although the romance didn't turn out perfectly, everyone can still live happily ever after.
The Opposite of Tidy - 8/10
After a year-long project and writing a 50-page essay on obsessive compulsive hoarding disorder, this book was incredibly interesting. It focused on how the life of a teenage girl is affected by her mother's hoarding and how it is solved. Not only did the author accurately portray hoarding, she also managed to fit a romance into the story. Overall, it was very well written and had an interesting plot line.
All Good Children - 7.5/10
All Good Children was very good and had a original story line. I also found the characters to be very likable and realistic. My only problem with this book is that I would have liked to see more character development.
Karma - 7/10
I actually thought this was a well-thought out story. It was fairly suspenseful and well-written. However, the romance in this book killed my enjoyment of it. The quickness and intensity of the romance seemed unnatural, unrealistic, and unbelievable. The first two-thirds of the book were quite good; however the last third ruined it for me.
The Way We Fall - 7/10
This book has a very interesting plot to it. The description of it even pushed me to read this one first! My only complaint is that throughout the story, the author mentions things that leave you wanting to know more (like a name or event from the character's past) but doesn't elaborate on it until later. I don't mind this (and it actually creates more suspense which I like) but I felt like the author waited too long to elaborate on them, and I ended up forgetting what the author had said before.
Witchlanders - 7/10
I'm usually into fantasy novels. However, I couldn't seem to get into this book. It was most likely the characters. They were realistic but could have had more depth and didn't seem unique. Overall, it was fairly good but lacking some depth that I would have enjoyed.
Last Day on Earth - 5/10
I did not enjoy this book as much as the others. I felt like the plot line could have had a lot of potential. However, I would have liked to see a lot more character development and overall development of the plot. I couldn't get into this story because I felt like the characters seemed fake and unrealistic. I especially would have liked to see more of Posey and Hooper.
