I Read Books

I've read two books recently that I want to talk about. One was a LOT better than the other. Not that they're really comparable. One was YA contemporary and the other was MG fantasy, but that's beside the point. Anyway, on the the first review...

The first book that I read upon arriving at home and realizing that I had left the books I was already in the middle on my book shelf at college was The Shifter by Janice Hardy. This was the book that I didn't particularly like. I mean, it wasn't exactly bad. It just wasn't good. To tell you the truth, it kind of disappointed me. I was expecting to really enjoy this book, since it's my favorite kind of fantasy and the premise was very unique. However, I quickly learned that for me to enjoy a book, I have to fall in love with the characters, and it's hard to fall in love with a character that doesn't feel like a real person. There's nothing terribly unlikable about any of the characters in this book, but there isn't anything very likable about them either. They felt more like pieces being moved around on a very large, very unique chess board than actual characters. And it was told completely in first person, so I really should have felt like I knew the main character by the end of it, but I am sad to say that I didn't. And the secondary characters just feel like place-fillers. That being said, I could not put this book down while I was in the middle of it. It was very exciting and the plot did move at a very fast pace. And the premise was interesting. I think the main reason I kept reading after the first few chapters was to figure out just how Nya's gift worked and how her society functioned. The world building in this novel was truly fantastic. The main reason I bought this book in the first place was because someone told me mine sounded a lot like it. I agree that they sound the same the way I was describing it, but I was relieved to find they really are very different and not at all the same story. Anyway, I'm glad I read it because I learned that a good plot and an interesting premise can go a long way, but only lovable characters will have readers coming back for the next book in the series.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was another books I couldn't put down, but for completely different reasons. I completely fell in love with Anna's voice from almost the first page. I have never had a character in a book feel more real to me in my whole fifteen or so years of reading. I found myself wanting to be in her head forever. And Etienne! From the description of the back cover, I was expecting him to be some cookie-cutter hot British boy, but no. He felt just as real and had just as much depth as Anna herself. Stephanie also did a very good job of establishing setting. I felt like I was exploring Paris with Anna and I felt like her friends were my friends. Stephanie Perkins must have magical author powers because this is not the type of book I usually read (see above for what that is). I probably never would have given it a second look if John Green hadn't praised it so profusely, but since he raved about it, I had to give it a try. I mean, a man loved a book called Anna and the French Kiss? That means it's gotta be good, right? Right! I honestly can't wait for Stephanie's next book. It's called Lola and the Boy Next Door and it's supposed to be a companion book to Anna. September can't come quickly enough!

If you want to keep up with I'm reading here's a link to my GoodReads profile. I post more first response reviews there. The ones I post here are probably going to be a few weeks later because I like to digest a book before I write about them on my blog. Thanks for reading!