Hi all,
It's been some time. I moved, then I wasn't motivated to read, and I also couldn't find the books I was reading before I moved. But I finally found them and finally finished one! Here is a review of Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal by Erin Gilbert & Abby Yates, with Andrew Shaffer. I received this from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
If you aren't already aware, Ghosts From Our Past is a movie companion novel for the newest Ghostbusters movie that came out in 2016. I finished this book, then I watched the movie. It was kind of fun to have read the book because it is the book that is referenced in the movie. However, I still did not like it.
I know that it was written to reflect how young and dumb Erin and Abby were, which made a lot more sense when watching the movie. It is supposed to show how immature and inexperienced they were when they originally wrote the book. The version that we are reading, though, is supposed to be the "revised edition," but it still reflects an immaturity that I found difficult to read.
It was fun in spots and interesting here and there. However, it became a bit of a chore to read, especially toward the end. I was so excited to read it because I've been a fan of Ghostbusters since I was really little. I liked the movie, but the book was just meh. Overall, I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
Jenell
Gamer. Reader. Writer. Whatever.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
BookTube-A-Thon 2016 Results
Well, Booktube-a-thon 2016 is officially ended. I wish I had had more time to read during the read-a-thon! I didn't finish them all, as I anticipated. I wish I could have, but work! So, I'm here to share with you my results from Booktube-a-thon.
First book completed:
Challenges completed: Challenge 1, Challenge 5, & Challenge 6: Read a book with yellow on the cover, read a book older than you, and read a book-to-movie adaptation.
I wasn't originally going to use this book to complete challenge 5. It sort of happened on accident. I got to talking with a co-worker about this play and she mentioned that Joss Whedon had made this into a movie. I love Joss Whedon! So I had to get this from the library. I also got a version of this made in 1993 that had Keanu Reeves in it! As much as I love Joss Whedon, I didn't love his version of Much Ado About Nothing. I actually really liked the 1993 version much more! I think because it actually took place in the time period that Shakespeare set it in. Whereas, Whedon's version was a modern setting and it was all in black and white. I didn't care for that much.
Second book completed:
I managed to make it through this almost 500 page book in about 3 days. Yes, it is for younger readers and is easier to read, but it was so good! I probably would have been able to finish at least one other book before the end of the read-a-thon, but I didn't want to put this one down!
And that is all I managed to finish! I did complete 4 out of the 7 challenges with only 2 books read. I was so very close to finishing Coraline, but I wanted to read Magnus Chase more, so I neglected it. It was worth it. Coraline was kind of a weird book (which I finished today). I also watched the movie adaptation anyway since I already had it from the library. I liked it even less than the book. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. I would probably give the movie 2 out of 5 stars. There are elements that are the same, but it is very different from the book.
I also started reading Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, which was supposed to be for challenge 3: read a book you discovered through Booktube. I'm liking it so far, but have turned my attention to trying to finish the books that I had abandoned to read my TBR for Booktube-a-thon. Right now, that includes finishing up The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.
Tell me, if you participated, how did you do? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Jenell
First book completed:
Challenges completed: Challenge 1, Challenge 5, & Challenge 6: Read a book with yellow on the cover, read a book older than you, and read a book-to-movie adaptation.
I wasn't originally going to use this book to complete challenge 5. It sort of happened on accident. I got to talking with a co-worker about this play and she mentioned that Joss Whedon had made this into a movie. I love Joss Whedon! So I had to get this from the library. I also got a version of this made in 1993 that had Keanu Reeves in it! As much as I love Joss Whedon, I didn't love his version of Much Ado About Nothing. I actually really liked the 1993 version much more! I think because it actually took place in the time period that Shakespeare set it in. Whereas, Whedon's version was a modern setting and it was all in black and white. I didn't care for that much.
Second book completed:
Challenge completed: Challenge 4, read a book by your favorite author.I managed to make it through this almost 500 page book in about 3 days. Yes, it is for younger readers and is easier to read, but it was so good! I probably would have been able to finish at least one other book before the end of the read-a-thon, but I didn't want to put this one down!
And that is all I managed to finish! I did complete 4 out of the 7 challenges with only 2 books read. I was so very close to finishing Coraline, but I wanted to read Magnus Chase more, so I neglected it. It was worth it. Coraline was kind of a weird book (which I finished today). I also watched the movie adaptation anyway since I already had it from the library. I liked it even less than the book. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. I would probably give the movie 2 out of 5 stars. There are elements that are the same, but it is very different from the book.
I also started reading Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, which was supposed to be for challenge 3: read a book you discovered through Booktube. I'm liking it so far, but have turned my attention to trying to finish the books that I had abandoned to read my TBR for Booktube-a-thon. Right now, that includes finishing up The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.
Tell me, if you participated, how did you do? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Jenell
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Booktube-A-Thon 2016!
Wow. To think, I started doing this about a year ago, right when last years Booktube-A-Thon was happening. I was mostly posting on my YouTube account then, but I haven't done that in awhile. I find that I don't have as much time to edit, so the blog is a little easier.
Anyway, a little late, but I thought I would share my Booktube-A-Thon 2016 TBR! I honestly have only 4 on the list right now. I always try to combine challenges, then read whatever books I have time for after that. Also, since I have to work all week, I won't have a ton of time for reading. So I probably won't be able to read 7 books, but I will get as far as I can!
Challenge 1 & Challenge 5: Read a book with yellow on the cover & read a book older than you.
For this challenge, I picked Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. I chose my No Fear Shakespeare version because it has yellow on the cover, of course. The other reason I chose this was because this play was the very first Shakespeare play I ever went to see and I went with my sister. It was my first trip to the local Shakespeare festival here in Boise, so it hold special place in my heart. This also has the benefit of being older that me!
Challenge 2 & Challenge 6: Read a book only after sunset & read and watch the book-to-movie adaptation
The book that I chose for these 2 challenges is Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to pick a book that was short, so that I could read it quickly since I'm reading it only at night and here sunset is officially at almost 9:30 pm. Since I go to bed fairly early, I definitely need something short! I also wanted to pick a book that I hadn't seen the movie. I already had the book and I checked out the movie from my library, so I'm ready for it when I finish the book.
Challenge 3: Read a book you discovered through Booktube.
I struggled with this one. There are so many books that I've discovered through Booktube. I had to think about what I was in the mood to read. I ultimately decided to read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. I believe I first heard about this series from Lainey from Gingerreadslainey. She always would say how much she loved it, so I looked into it and thought it sounded interesting. I thought about maybe choosing Throne of Glass, but decided I wanted to read this one first.
Challenge 4: Read a book by your favorite author.
The last challenge is to read 7 books. Here I have 4 out of 7. I haven't decided on the other 3 for two reasons. One is because I'm not sure how much reading I'm going to get done, mostly because of work. Second, I am such a mood reader that I want to leave myself some wiggle room to pick books that I'm in the mood to read. Who knows, I may even change my challenge books, depending on my mood! I probably won't because I want to read all of them, but it could happen!
So that's it! That's all I've got for now. Are you participating in Booktube-a-thon? If so, feel free to link your channel or blog in the comments so I can check out your TBR's!
Until next time,
Jenell
Anyway, a little late, but I thought I would share my Booktube-A-Thon 2016 TBR! I honestly have only 4 on the list right now. I always try to combine challenges, then read whatever books I have time for after that. Also, since I have to work all week, I won't have a ton of time for reading. So I probably won't be able to read 7 books, but I will get as far as I can!
Challenge 1 & Challenge 5: Read a book with yellow on the cover & read a book older than you.
For this challenge, I picked Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. I chose my No Fear Shakespeare version because it has yellow on the cover, of course. The other reason I chose this was because this play was the very first Shakespeare play I ever went to see and I went with my sister. It was my first trip to the local Shakespeare festival here in Boise, so it hold special place in my heart. This also has the benefit of being older that me!
Challenge 2 & Challenge 6: Read a book only after sunset & read and watch the book-to-movie adaptation
The book that I chose for these 2 challenges is Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to pick a book that was short, so that I could read it quickly since I'm reading it only at night and here sunset is officially at almost 9:30 pm. Since I go to bed fairly early, I definitely need something short! I also wanted to pick a book that I hadn't seen the movie. I already had the book and I checked out the movie from my library, so I'm ready for it when I finish the book.
Challenge 3: Read a book you discovered through Booktube.
I struggled with this one. There are so many books that I've discovered through Booktube. I had to think about what I was in the mood to read. I ultimately decided to read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. I believe I first heard about this series from Lainey from Gingerreadslainey. She always would say how much she loved it, so I looked into it and thought it sounded interesting. I thought about maybe choosing Throne of Glass, but decided I wanted to read this one first.
Challenge 4: Read a book by your favorite author.
I also had a hard time picking which book I was going to read for this one. I have a few authors that I love with books on my shelf that are unread still. I ultimately decided to read The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. I love Riordan's books and I felt like this one would be pretty easy to get through. I've also heard good things about this book.
The last challenge is to read 7 books. Here I have 4 out of 7. I haven't decided on the other 3 for two reasons. One is because I'm not sure how much reading I'm going to get done, mostly because of work. Second, I am such a mood reader that I want to leave myself some wiggle room to pick books that I'm in the mood to read. Who knows, I may even change my challenge books, depending on my mood! I probably won't because I want to read all of them, but it could happen!
So that's it! That's all I've got for now. Are you participating in Booktube-a-thon? If so, feel free to link your channel or blog in the comments so I can check out your TBR's!
Until next time,
Jenell
Saturday, July 2, 2016
*BookBear Presents* Gol by J.W. Webb
Welcome back! I'm excited to be working with BookBear again on the month long book tour for Gol by J.W. Webb. As you may know by now, I love supporting independent authors and hope that you will choose to support them too!
Synopsis:
Gol. A continent on the brink of destruction. Once a mighty kingdom, now six provinces torn apart by treacherous barons.
In one province two young lovers strive to stay together when all else prises them apart. Lissane and
Erun must survive to guide their people through the coming storm. The odds are stacked against
them. Erun, dreamer and fool, is chosen for a dark path. Whilst Lissane is given away by her father
the baron to wed the brutal son of a rival ruler.
Meanwhile, at the far side of the world a sorcerer has freed the fire demon, Ashmali, setting off a
chain of events that could ultimately bring about Gol's long foretold ruin. Caught between rising
seas, civil war, and approaching fire the continent’s time is fast running out.
Gol features beautiful sketches and maps by Tolkien illustrator, Roger Garland. It opens the doors on a new epic fantasy series titled Legends of Ansu. Within its content lies an sweeping tale of love, hatred, vengeance and destruction. In Gol the high courage of a few individuals is all that stands against the will of fickle gods and treachery of men.
In one province two young lovers strive to stay together when all else prises them apart. Lissane and
Erun must survive to guide their people through the coming storm. The odds are stacked against
them. Erun, dreamer and fool, is chosen for a dark path. Whilst Lissane is given away by her father
the baron to wed the brutal son of a rival ruler.
Meanwhile, at the far side of the world a sorcerer has freed the fire demon, Ashmali, setting off a
chain of events that could ultimately bring about Gol's long foretold ruin. Caught between rising
seas, civil war, and approaching fire the continent’s time is fast running out.
Gol features beautiful sketches and maps by Tolkien illustrator, Roger Garland. It opens the doors on a new epic fantasy series titled Legends of Ansu. Within its content lies an sweeping tale of love, hatred, vengeance and destruction. In Gol the high courage of a few individuals is all that stands against the will of fickle gods and treachery of men.
J.W. Webb - find out more at Legendsofansu.com
My Review:
I went into reading this story completely blind. I didn't read the blurb first, as is my preference. So I didn't know anything about it beforehand. I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I found it interesting from the beginning. The story often switches perspective, and often in the middle of the chapter and often a few times. Webb mostly accomplished this seamlessly. There were a few rough transitions, but for the most part they were done well. None of the transitions caused me any confusion, whether rough or smooth. I was actually very impressed with the way the transitions of perspective were done when it was switching from one to another without the obvious breaks in the text that denoted a switch in character and scene.
I found the story itself to be interesting. The way it is written reminds me a lot of the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, but less brutal and about 95% less incest. That's not to say there isn't adult content in Gol. There are torture scenes, sexual scenes, and other violent deaths.
I also really enjoyed the characters. It was rough going in the begging of the story for me to care and like the characters, but that did come and it didn't take too long either. For me, it came with a scene involving on of the main characters, Erun and the brothers of the girl that he loves. Even though this scene happens not too long into the beginning, I don't want to include any detail on it. It's an event that triggers the growth and journey of Erun, and I wouldn't want to spoil anything! This was the turning point for not just Erun, but other characters as well.
The story seems to flow really well, with a few rough patches here or there. I was glad to have read this on my Kindle because I found myself using the dictionary quite a bit because there were many words used that I was not familiar with. This use of obscure words (at least for me) hardly ever took away from the story. Only a few times did I look up a word and wonder why it was necessary to use that word instead of another. That being said, I do have an appreciation for the way words were used in Gol. The writing style has the feel of fantasy. Does that make sense? I don't really know how else to describe it. There are also some beautiful drawings that are in the novel right at the beginning of each book, as well as two maps in the beginning.
An example of the drawings
Gol was really enjoyable and it gets better and better as you go. It has some hiccups, as most books do. I gave Gol 4 out of 5 stars.
Go read it! :)
Until next time,
Jenell
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Cover Reveal! 100 HOURS by Rachel Vincent
Check out the awesome cover for 100 HOURS, the first book in a new trilogy by New York Times best-selling author Rachel Vincent! I'm so excited to be able to share this cover with you. 100 HOURS will release on March 28, 2017 from Katherine Tegen Books. Along with this cover reveal is a note from the author about her upcoming novel and an amazing giveaway.
Scroll down to check out the gorgeous cover, read what Rachel Vincent has to say about 100 HOURS, and enter for a chance to win. And be sure to share your thoughts about the cover in the comments!
The Cover Revealed
Title: 100 HOURS
Author: Rachel Vincent
Release date: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 368
Formats available to pre-order: Hardcover
Find it: AMAZON | GOODREADS
Description:
Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.
While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.
But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.
Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t set aside their personal problems, no one will make it out alive.
A Note from Rachel Vincent
In my upcoming YA suspense 100 HOURS, Genesis and her cousin Maddie come from opposite ends of the privilege spectrum, but when they wind up kidnapped for ransom during spring break in Colombia and have no one else to count on, they discover they have more in common than either of them thought.
If you’ve read any of my previous releases, 100 HOURS probably seems like a departure for a Rachel Vincent book. And that’s what I thought, back when it was just me and an idea. But as I wrote the story and got to know the characters, I realized that even though this book is set in the Colombian jungle and these characters have no supernatural abilities, 100 HOURS is very much a book about the themes that draw me in over and over. Survival. Family friction and loyalty. High-stakes pulse-racing action. Twists, turns, secrets, and revelations. Girls who can fend for themselves—and for anyone else who needs help.
Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy—but social media is a close second.
Enter in the Rafflecopter below...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What are your thoughts on the cover? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Jenell
If you’ve read any of my previous releases, 100 HOURS probably seems like a departure for a Rachel Vincent book. And that’s what I thought, back when it was just me and an idea. But as I wrote the story and got to know the characters, I realized that even though this book is set in the Colombian jungle and these characters have no supernatural abilities, 100 HOURS is very much a book about the themes that draw me in over and over. Survival. Family friction and loyalty. High-stakes pulse-racing action. Twists, turns, secrets, and revelations. Girls who can fend for themselves—and for anyone else who needs help.
About Rachel Vincent
 |
| Photo credit: Kim Haynes Photography |
Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy—but social media is a close second.
The Giveaway
Courtesy of the author, there is a blitz-wide giveaway for…- ONE (1) winner will receive a SIGNED SET of a paperback copy of THE STARS NEVER RISE + an ARC of THE FLAME NEVER DIES
Enter in the Rafflecopter below...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What are your thoughts on the cover? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Jenell
Sunday, June 12, 2016
2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
Hello everyone,
It's the end of the weekend. It was entirely too short. Saturday, the Hubby and I went to a nice lunch and went to go see the new Warcraft movie. Sunday was spent gardening and running other errands. Over the weekend, I finished 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helen Bertino. I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. I chose this one because of a BookTuber, Lindsey Rey, that I really enjoy recommended it. I would link her account, but she seems to have stopped making YouTube videos since the time I was away from YouTube (during my most recent reading slump). Which is really unfortunate! I really enjoyed her videos!
2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas. What to say about it. It is written differently that most books I read. The whole books takes place during the hours of one day. Each chapter title is the time that the events following are taking place. It's a really interesting concept. And you know from the title that something is likely going to take place at 2 A.M. What confused me before reading the book, and not having read the blurb at all, was what the heck the title meant. The Cat's Pajamas is a jazz club in the story where the culminating event takes place at 2 A.M.
Once I got used to the writing style, I really enjoyed it. The only thing that was a little annoying was the fact that the perspective would rapidly change from one character to another. This worked most of the time and I was able to follow it, but there were a few occasions where it did get confusing as to who you were supposed to be following.
The story was fun. There was a bit of romance, some mischief, some sad events in character's pasts. It was entertaining. But the end. I won't spoil it, but it left me with a sense of what the hell is happening? This is one of those stories that leaves the ending open, which is fine. But there is a scene at the end with a character by the name of Mrs. Santiago. If you've read it, I'm sure you know what I mean. That last scene was just so out of left field with no explanation as so what the heck it is supposed to be that it really brought down the overall rating of the book for me.
Overall, I gave 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? Without spoiling anything, what did you think if the end? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Jenell
Monday, June 6, 2016
Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson
Hello again!
I have another review for you all. This one is Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson.
This is going to be a tough one to review. This book is unique. I've never read another book like it. My library has it categorized as Science Fiction.
It has those elements, but it also has a Historical Fiction aspect to it as well. It includes drawings, a few pull out pages, maps, and an envelope. It is one of the most interesting and beautiful books I've read. I originally was granted access to this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley, but never read it because I could only read it sitting at my computer as I couldn't get it on my Kindle. I decided there was no way I was going to do that, so I promptly forgot about it.
I was browsing around NetGalley not too long ago and came across this on my list. So I decided that I would just check this out from my local library instead so that I could read and review it. This book is, in my humble opinion, a much better experience as a physical book than an e-book. So if you are interested in it, I would get a hold of a physical copy.
This book. My very first reaction to this after finishing was, "What did I just read?" I was confused as to what just happened. I immediately Googled it and found out that I wasn't the only one confused by the ending and there was actually a Reddit thread where some theories are thrown around. Don't go searching for this thread unless you want to be spoiled for the book. This thread helped me to consolidate my thoughts about it a little better, but ultimately there is one thing that I'm still confused about. I can't share that thing because it would be spoiler for the book. Nor will I share my theory because it would also be a spoiler.
Basically this book is about a man from the 1800's named Zaddock Thomas and a man in the future, about 2043-ish I think, who is his descendant. His name is Ezekiel Thomas, but goes by Zeke. Zaddock is sent to Texas from Chicago on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter and Zeke inherits the letter from his grandfather in the future, apparently undelivered.
That's the basics. It's hard to go into any more detail about the story without telling too much. This is told in a series of letters written by Zaddock to Elswyth, the girl he loves back in Chicago, as well as through a book, and other transcripts. I felt like I completely missed something when I finished this book, hence the confusion. Is this book so "meta" (as I saw it called by someone) that I just didn't catch on? I think I understand it now, but can't help but feel that maybe I am missing something.
Despite the struggle with understanding the ending and how it all ties together, the writing was really very good. In the first half of the book, I really struggled with Zeke's parts. I didn't like him much, so when his parts came around, I tried to read through as fast as possible to get back to the other parts. I liked all the other perspectives in the story, just not Zeke's. After the 2nd half, I became more engrossed in the story and began to like his parts more, but they still weren't my favorite. Towards the very end, his sections become much more interesting because of the anticipation you definitely will feel by that time.
I'm still struggling to figure out a rating for this. While I enjoyed the writing for the most part, and really enjoyed the uniqueness of the storytelling method, the ending just messed with me too much and was a little anticlimactic. I don't like to be left wondering what it all means. Tie it up for me in a neat little bow Mr. Author! I'm not saying I don't like to be challenged, but I'm not really fond of endings like this. I have one nagging question (that I can't reveal because, again, spoilers), and no way for me to find out that answer! That all being said, I think I've settled on 3.5 out of 5 stars on this one. Zeke's parts not being very interesting and the way it ended brought it down for me.
Have you read this book? If you have, please tell me what you thought!! If you are going to include spoilers, please say so that way anyone who hasn't read it knows and can skip it.
Thanks for reading. Until next time.
Jenell
I have another review for you all. This one is Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson.
This is going to be a tough one to review. This book is unique. I've never read another book like it. My library has it categorized as Science Fiction.
It has those elements, but it also has a Historical Fiction aspect to it as well. It includes drawings, a few pull out pages, maps, and an envelope. It is one of the most interesting and beautiful books I've read. I originally was granted access to this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley, but never read it because I could only read it sitting at my computer as I couldn't get it on my Kindle. I decided there was no way I was going to do that, so I promptly forgot about it. I was browsing around NetGalley not too long ago and came across this on my list. So I decided that I would just check this out from my local library instead so that I could read and review it. This book is, in my humble opinion, a much better experience as a physical book than an e-book. So if you are interested in it, I would get a hold of a physical copy.
This book. My very first reaction to this after finishing was, "What did I just read?" I was confused as to what just happened. I immediately Googled it and found out that I wasn't the only one confused by the ending and there was actually a Reddit thread where some theories are thrown around. Don't go searching for this thread unless you want to be spoiled for the book. This thread helped me to consolidate my thoughts about it a little better, but ultimately there is one thing that I'm still confused about. I can't share that thing because it would be spoiler for the book. Nor will I share my theory because it would also be a spoiler.
Basically this book is about a man from the 1800's named Zaddock Thomas and a man in the future, about 2043-ish I think, who is his descendant. His name is Ezekiel Thomas, but goes by Zeke. Zaddock is sent to Texas from Chicago on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter and Zeke inherits the letter from his grandfather in the future, apparently undelivered.
That's the basics. It's hard to go into any more detail about the story without telling too much. This is told in a series of letters written by Zaddock to Elswyth, the girl he loves back in Chicago, as well as through a book, and other transcripts. I felt like I completely missed something when I finished this book, hence the confusion. Is this book so "meta" (as I saw it called by someone) that I just didn't catch on? I think I understand it now, but can't help but feel that maybe I am missing something.
Despite the struggle with understanding the ending and how it all ties together, the writing was really very good. In the first half of the book, I really struggled with Zeke's parts. I didn't like him much, so when his parts came around, I tried to read through as fast as possible to get back to the other parts. I liked all the other perspectives in the story, just not Zeke's. After the 2nd half, I became more engrossed in the story and began to like his parts more, but they still weren't my favorite. Towards the very end, his sections become much more interesting because of the anticipation you definitely will feel by that time.
I'm still struggling to figure out a rating for this. While I enjoyed the writing for the most part, and really enjoyed the uniqueness of the storytelling method, the ending just messed with me too much and was a little anticlimactic. I don't like to be left wondering what it all means. Tie it up for me in a neat little bow Mr. Author! I'm not saying I don't like to be challenged, but I'm not really fond of endings like this. I have one nagging question (that I can't reveal because, again, spoilers), and no way for me to find out that answer! That all being said, I think I've settled on 3.5 out of 5 stars on this one. Zeke's parts not being very interesting and the way it ended brought it down for me.
Have you read this book? If you have, please tell me what you thought!! If you are going to include spoilers, please say so that way anyone who hasn't read it knows and can skip it.
Thanks for reading. Until next time.
Jenell
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