Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

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Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #1 
Source: Kindle copy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date:  April 2011
Age Genre: Young Adult

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

I wrote and re-wrote this review about three times. Maybe more. It took me about a month to finally post it at all, and I wasn't sure I was ever going to get there. For once, it's not because I don't have what to say. It's because I have too much and I just don't know how to put it down in writing or what to focus on and it's driving me nuts.

It's been such a long, long time since I've read such a solid and well balanced contemporary YA fantasy. And, to be honest, I really wasn't expecting this to be this good; this well rounded; to have all the elements I'm looking for in a story.

Frankly, I don't have that good a record with Angel stories.

Not this one. First of all, the whole concept here is refreshing and well thought out. It's obvious the author knew exactly what she was going for and not only that - knew what she wanted to develop it into. We don't learn everything in this book. Far from it. We're given enough so we understand everything that's happening, while making it clear a lot of vital information is still missing from this puzzle and will be unraveled in the future. I love that.

I loved Clara, the main character. Geez, when was the last time I read of a YA heroine who is level headed, logical, rational and real. Who fights for what she wants and for her life. Who is willing to listen. Who doesn't give up. Who is actively working on her life and not just... waiting for something to happen? Especially when the whole plot actually revolves around waiting for a certain even to happen?

This was so precious to me. I was 100% behind Clara and with her.

And then, the romance? My god. I was so afraid of the romance because the synopsis seems to tease Insta love and I am happy to inform the synopsis is lying! No insta love for this book, thank god. Just a case of insta attraction which is a-okay with me. Instead, we've got delicious, slow burn built up between two people who I think are meant to be together and asdfghjkl so many feels.

Is there a love triangle? Kinda. We do have two boys.

The first is Christian, the guy who Clara uprooted her whole family for. He's sweet, nice, kind of removed... but I didn't feel much towards him. He's, to me, not appealing. There isn't too much to him, and even when he was nice to Clara it never felt like he was really invested in her.

The second? Love of my life, light of my soul, what else could a girl want when she's got the sweet and layered rancher Tucker Avery in her life (romantically wise, anyways)? He starts off as the guy who teases and makes fun of Clara, in a rather fun manner. Then he grows to be more, showing her around the place and being sweet af and just... I can't with this guy.

Don't need to tell you which team shirt I'm gonna buy, is there?

Then we've got the surrounding relationships in the book which were all wonderful. The siblings in this novel love each other. They are also a pain in each other's butts, but when they need each other they are there for them. It's so realistic and heartwarming and I loved it.

Then we have the parental relationship between Clara and her Mom which was a big part of the story. I loved their relationship, even as we watched it begin to fracture underneath the weight of secrets and lies and destiny. But their love was never in question. 

And everyone in this story are such good friends to one another. Good, real, healthy friendships. You've no idea how much I miss those in literature sometimes. 

I highly recommend this novel to everyone who love YA and fantasy, and I will most definitely read the sequels! 

Nitzan★

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A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (SPOILERS)

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird #1
Source: Bought hardback
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: November 4th, 2014
Age Group: Young Adult

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

I've long been meaning to read a Claudia Gray novel. She's been one of those authors on my To-Read list forever. 

And after reading this book... I don't feel like I got the real Claudia Gray experience because, while three stars is not a bad rating, I feel like had my reading experience been any different, I would've rated it much higher - and only then could I really claim I read a CG novel. 

I bet you're wondering what I'm talking about. Well... I knew all the important plot twists... because of the synopsis. 

SPOILER The synopsis (which, by the way, is not the synopsis on my actual copy. My synopsis is much better done) hints very strongly and when I say hints strongly, I mean it told me that Paul is going to be innocent. So right of the bat, I knew everything the book tried to convince us at first was a lie. 

Though, I'm not sure if I would've bought Paul's guilt even without the synopsis because the whole idea he killed Marguerite's dad was shaky at best; it's been a single day since he's been killed and yet she is absolutely certain he did it, and tries to convince us it's so indisputable that she is going to kill him for it. 

And yet... we learn the police only said they suspected him; they haven't even fished her dad's body from the river, let alone determined anyone's guilt, so I was floored at her certainty. If Gray at least told us the evidence against him instead of getting away with 'suspicious behavior', maybe it would've been slightly more plausible.   

But the main spoiler steamed from one major character missing from the synopsis all together - Theo. The fact he was excluded from the synopsis told me everything I really needed to know; that he was the actual traitor. The moment I figured that out (i.e, page five, when we met him), I was able to see all the hints and double meaning in his words and actions. It wasn't even fun; it was just so easy. SPOILER

I don't know if it was due to these "insights" or what, but I felt like every major twist was easy to figure out afterwards - even the reason Marguerite's time-traveling experience is different than your average Joe *snort*.

Now as for the characters themselves - I liked them all. I liked Marguerite, I liked Paul and I liked Theo. I even liked the love triangle because it wasn't a love triangle. It felt more like Marguerite was trying to convince herself to fall for Theo because she was out to kill Paul and therefore should not have feelings for him...

Speaking of Paul - while I liked him, I think someone ought to tell him the Dumbledore way is not the right way. I hope you understand what I'm saying here.

Despite this, the love story between Paul and Marguerite was one of the things I liked most in this book - especially when we reached the tsar world. Honestly, I would love to read an entire novel set in that universe because the relationship between lieutenant Markov and Marguerite was absolutely captivating and beautiful, and reminded me strongly of the relationship Buttercup and Westley had in the beginning of Princess Bride.

Also... I would love a closure for this story-line. Just saying... 

One of the thing that really bothered me throughout this book was the logic behind the dimension-travel. The whole multiverse idea is really cool, ain't gonna lie, but why would you want to travel between the worlds if not for nefarious reasons such as stealing another life if yours sucks, stealing technology, etc?

What did Marguerite's parents wish to achieve?

In short (because this has gone on long enough), I feel like I will read the next book, but it's not at the top of my list.

Nitzan★

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13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (a bit of a rant)

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Series: Little Blue Envelope #1
Source: Kindle copy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: October 6th 2009
Age Group: Young Adult

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.
In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.
The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.
Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?
Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

So, I'm going to be totally honest - I've been meaning to get 13 Little Blue Envelopes for a while now. I was always curious about this book, but I just... I really, really don't like the covers for this book. At all. So, being the shallow human being that I am, I pushed it back until... well, until it was on a kindle sale.

I will start with the good - the story is very cutesy. It's fun. It's a fast read. You'll be smiling with the characters. You'll be waiting to see what Aunt Peg's next task for Ginny will be. You'll be enjoying this trip as you cross countries and locations alongside Ginny. Plus, Richard is great. I wish we got to see more of the guy! (and I totally called the last "twist" with him the moment we met him)

Now, to the less good - Ginny is just so damn clueless and naive, I couldn't deal with it. She's supposed to be a 17 years old girl, right? But she reads much much younger to me in the way she acts. Case in point: 

 - She doesn't know what to do with the ticket for the Tube. Even if you've never been on one, logic dictates you at least keep your ticket in case of an inspection, right??

-She goes with a guy she doesn't know to his sister's apartment just because he tells her his sister will like her. Where is your self preservation instincts, woman?! You've literally just met him, in a foreign country no less! He might be a serial killer for all you know, or...

I have been looking for a chance to use this gif forEVER!

 -She let's another family "adopt" her for five days, going with them everywhere without question. Say that wasn't weird on it's own (which it totally was. It creeped me out), you just... let them pay for everything, never even asking for the prices? 

Umm, girl, money does not grow on trees and you do NOT have a limitless supply of it!  At the very least you should be aware of how much you've got and how much you'll have to repay, and put your feet down if it's too much, because that is also your only way to get back home!

I couldn't deal with all this! It's pretty much a miracle she doesn't get murdered on this trip...

Than, there is the fact she has no phone on her. I know, I know, Aunt Peg said no phones. But what kind of an idiot would go to a foreign country(ies) without a means to communicate with his family/the police if something were to happen? Take a phone, keep it closed the whole trip unless something happens, but at least have the option to call for help!

Maybe these things were supposed to make the story special. Maybe they do. But to me, they were too farfetched and too frustrating. I don't know if I'll read the next book; maybe I will, but probably not unless there is a sale.

  Nitzan★

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Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Rock and a Hard Place 
Series: The Jamieson Collection #1
Source: bought paperback
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 24th 2013
Age Genre: Young Adult
Original Post: October 14, 2013

Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Susane Colasanti, Angie Stanton's swoon-worthy romance--about an ordinary girl and a young rock star--will keep readers on the edge of their seats . . . and leave them wanting more.
In an instant, Libby's life went from picture-perfect to a nightmare. After surviving a terrible car accident, Libby is abandoned by her father and left with her controlling aunt. A new town, a new school, no friends--Libby is utterly alone. But then she meets Peter.
The lead singer in a rock band with his brothers, Peter hates that his parents overly manage his life. Constantly surrounded by family, Peter just wants to get away. And when he meets Libby, he's finally found the one person who just wants to be with him, not the rock star.
But while Peter battles his family's growing interference in both his music and personal life, Libby struggles with her aunt, who turns nastier each day. And even though Libby and Peter desperately want to be together, their drastically different lives threaten to keep them apart forever.

There is only one way to describe Rock a Hard Place:

The story starts with a chance meeting between two very different people: Peter and Libby. A meeting that each comes out from feeling a little... different. Like the other frees and soothes something in them. Attraction ensues. A relationship starts.

They were both great characters; Libby is easy to relate to, because of how human and strong she grows to be.

Peter is easy to love, because he never let fame get to his head, and what he truly loves is the music - not the attention that comes with it.

this feels like Libby and Peter to me. 

The book mostly revolves around their romantic relationship, which is pretty insta love, BUT, I felt like it was okay like this. And trust me, as an advocate against insta love everywhere, this means something.

They both drew strength they might've otherwise not possessed from the relationship: Libby finds the will to stand up for herself, and Peter finds inspiration and a renewed energy to face the limelight now that he has the solace of Libby's company.

I find that this is the type of relationship I like best.

But the thing that really convinced me of them happens half way through... and it's a spoiler. A long one.

SPOILER Libby and Peter get separated, and quite dramatically. But what makes this book beautiful and unique is how they both handle it. 

How many times have we watched a main female character break apart and fall to pieces over a breakup? But don't worry, there's no Bella Syndrome for Libby. Instead of letting their time together bring her down, she uses it to draw strength to move on and become better. To become an independent, strong young woman who knows exactly what she wants and gets it. 

I cannot express the amount of love I have for Libby (and Angie, who wrote her), for choosing this path.  

On the other hand, it's Peter who shows the more traditional symptoms of depression and unhappiness. But it's not pathetic, because he doesn't let it stop him from doing his job--or stop him from finding Libby. It was heartwarming ♥ END SPOILER

This book was just so good. I read it in one sitting, the pages flew by this fast. And When I was done, I wanted more.

   Nitzan★

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Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Series: Abhorsen #1
Source: bought kindle copy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: Oct 6th, 2009
Age Genre: Young Adult

Game of Thrones fans will love the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen series. Sabriel, the first installment in the trilogy, launched critically acclaimed author Garth Nix onto the fantasy scene as a rising star.
Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life and comes face-to-face with her own hidden destiny. . . .

I've read Sabriel for the first time somewhere at the first years of high-school, and it left such a big impression on me that the name stuck - among all the other books I've read at the time, Sabriel is the only one (that didn't have Harry Potter in the title) that I could easily name.

I realize now with this re-read that I remembered very few things of the book. I remembered Mogget (though not his name) and the final, final battle. I remembered a stone penis (which, turns out was actually a wooden penis, lol), probably because I felt so very "adult" at the time to read a book that actually had one. I remembered a guy coming to life from a statue, and a blooming love between the MC and him. I also remembered SPOILER he was a prince END SPOILER, and that Abhosren was her father.

But I didn't remember this book was about the Dead and and keeping the dead... dead. I didn't remember Abhorsen is a title, not just Sabriel's father. I didn't remember the many layers of the plot, or the evil dude, or anything of that sort.

And honestly, I still love this book. It's action filled, very interesting and I love this world - though I think I'd be far too scared to ever live in it. I loved Sabriel, and Mogget and Touchstone. (But, for god's name, what's his real name?!).

Sabriel is a strong heroine, even though she is very unprepared for being one. Moggat was both adorable and absolutely hilarious. Touchstone was serious and aloof but in the kind of way you could swoon after and make you wish you were the one to make him crack a smile.

But I've also noticed some of the weaker aspects of it now, under more cynical and mature eyes.

The romance... I love Touchstone and Sabriel together. Always have, always will. But I realized while reading this book again that I don't know why they love each other. They barely talked. So, yes. He was heroic, and she was heroic, and it definitely started to make them look at each other differently... but I felt like the book was missing the step between that attraction - to actual love.

Also, I hated where this book ended. I wanted to see the consequences of that aftermath, I wanted to see more about Sabriel and Touchstone and where both of them go from here - SPOILER how can he reclaim the throne that he never thought of as actually his? END SPOILER 

And, My god - how didn't I realize this was a part of a series when I read this the first time? But then, the next books are not about Sabriel so I think my curiosity will go unanswered. Damn.

On a side note, how cool is that that we're getting a forth book?

   Nitzan★

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Thursday Oldie: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

So as you guys know, I just moved here. And that means my old blog now lies abandoned... alongside all my old reviews. But because I feel like some of them don't deserve such an awful treatment, I'm going to slowly move my favorite reviews here, especially if my opinion differs than Megs. (though some editing may occur, as I'm a little OCD about my reviews, and the older they originally are, the more likely I am to have things I want to rephrase). 

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Series: Sweet #1
Source: Kindle version
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 1th 2012
Age Genre: Young Adult
Originally published: May 27, 2013

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

DNF at 50%

So, the last couple of oldies were dedicated to the gushing reviews of Kelly Oram's books, and that means I now need to balance it with the worst of the worst - starting with Sweet Evil. I don't normally rate books I didn't finish, unless the reason I didn't finish the book is that I found it completely awful and intolerable. Which is the case here. Big time.

Now, clearly, this is going to be a bad review. It is, in fact, a major rant. So, if you like the book and might find that offensive - don't read the review. I'm entitled to my own opinions, and I do not begrudge you for liking it. I simply didn't. So please, offer me the same respect, and don't comment hatefully.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This book ought to teach me never to trust hype. I saw the cover, saw the high score, saw all my friends loved it, and started reading it. I never looked at the summary, which is something I do sometimes when a book is highly recommended so I can let it take me by surprise. 

Not a good surprise, this one. Nothing sweet about this evil.

Now, I admit, if I had read the synopsis I might have decided not to give it a shot at all, what with the whole "life depends on being a bad influence thing", but I didn't, so...

By the time I reached 27% of this book, I had a page filled with written complaints about it. And, unfortunately for you, you are going to get a full list of them. Sorry.

The Very Beginning

I actually liked the very first 10%, minus that one really stupid moment in Anna's head ("Kai, like Thai, only yummier"). I really do enjoy the writing of the book, it's very flowing and easy to read. I will also mention that some of the conversations were very enjoyable! Now, to the bad.

Anna talking about drugs

I had a WTF moment when Anna talked about drugs.

Anna is the goody-two-shoe, the one who doesn't lie, who doesn't do drugs or alcohol, who always listens to her mother, who does all the homework, etc, etc. But when she started to talk about drugs, in her head, she freaked me out, because she talked of such longing toward to substance.

 
Now, I am well aware of the fact that is due to her heritage. That's why I said I might've opted not to read this book at all if I knew about all this, because this is just wrong to me on so many levels. It creeps me out. 

And at that party, when she was drugged? Her reaction to that? Total What the Fuck am I reading?! moment.

However, I could've gotten past that, because at the end, even though it greatly disturbs me, this is an interesting idea and plot. It's very different than other books in that aspect.

But...

Anna - You Drive Me Bananas!

The girl has had supernatural powers her entire life, but when she finally finds out what she is, she says, and this is a quote: 

"Part of my brain, the realistic part, didn't want to believe a word...but the other half, the heartfelt spiritual part, knew without a doubt it was the truth".

YOU HAVE HAD POWERS ALL YOUR LIFE and, yet;
a) you have a side that is "realistic" and doesn't believe in those things?! How do you explain yourself??

b) the reason you do believe is 'cause you're spiritual? What, the superpowers aren't enough!?

Also, the girl has no phone, shares HUGE secrets with a guy she doesn't know, has a hard case of Insta Love I don't care for, and many more stuff I would mention in regards to other sections. Yeah, she will never be on my list of favorite heroines!

Kaiden...

The guy is our love interest. He's hot, a musician, filthy rich. What's not to like? Oh, he also happens to be half demon, the son of the Duke of Lust. It basically means this:

The guy is a man-slut. He is kind of forced into it by his creepy father who demands he 'work' (yes, they treat and call it as work. It is actually whoring. Another reason to be creeped out by this book). 

Which means, I am not swooning over Kaiden. He doesn't drive me crazy like Anna does, but I'm not swooning. I mean, he is a man-slut, by choice or not. And I guess I would've been more forgiving if I did feel he had no other choice, but he didn't appear to be fighting it all that hard. And he's kind of a jerk. I find it hard to fall for a character like that...

On a side note, I don't really get why he has to sleep with them if he's promoting lust, because people lust after him just fine without him sleeping around, but whatever.

Patti - Try at Consistency!

Patti is Anna's very overprotective adoptive mother. She is the kind of mom who only lets her daughter go to a party after she makes sure it's supervised, who calls every hour if her daughter goes out (but doesn't get her daughter a phone so she could directly contact her rather than through her friends'), who repeats the dangers of the world to her daughter all the time.

So you can see why it is completely unbelievable and stupid that it's THIS mother who suggests said daughter go on a road-trip with a guy she had just met, whom she has warned her daughter from before, because she knows him to be half a demon - a creature meant to seduce humans to sin. 

What is this, Fuck Logic and Character Consistency Day?...

And THE worst part about all this? That dear Anna decides she'll "trust Kaiden once and for all" if her mother decides to let him take her on that trip. Seriously? You're leaving the decisions of trusting a guy you don't know once and for all to your MOTHER? 

Higgins tried to ease the effect of this later with Patti suddenly growing anxious and thinking she was stupid at suggesting all this (which she is), but the damage is done the moment she suggested it. She didn't just agree or something. 

Also, that woman cries so easily! It's annoying and kind of weird. 

The Romance... Kill Me, Kill Me!

Arrg, Insta Love alert.

Anna doesn't know Kaiden at all, but already the thing she wants 'most and least in the world' is to be stuck with him in a car for days, staying overnight. Seriously? Oh, and she trusts him with her biggest secrets after, like, two seconds. But Anna is not the only one faulted with this ridiculous response. Oh, no, Kaiden is, too. He knows her for a day or two when he tells her his favorite place to be is with her. But at least he has some form of logical explanation to it.

Oh, and do you know how long it takes Anna to think the L word about him? (and take off her clothes for him?) A freaking week, more or less.

If that's not enough, Kaiden doesn't really need to give excuses to his bad behavior (and there's abundance of that) or anything, because she's from those girls who gives meanings and excuses to the douches all for free! Just, because. They're actually not douches - they're kind. In their own brutish ways. Riiiight. 

Sex, Sex, Sex - Come Again? This is a Young Adult Book!?

One of the most disturbing things in this book? The emphasize on the sex, especially considering they're only 16 and 17. Now, true; teenagers today know and talk about sex. Some of them have it too. Ignoring it completely will be stupid. 

But must you make it so important and emphasized in the plot? Must every few conversations talk about sex in one way or another? Must you make your main characters sleep with everything that moves? Must you make every kiss much more erotic and sensual than YA really calls for? Must you make them take off their clothes and talk about virginity and stuff like that ALL THE TIME?

It drove me crazy! I wouldn't mind so much in New Adult and probably not at all in Adult, but this is marked Young Adult and the characters are minors, and the fixation with it is disturbing. I hope there is someone monitoring kids don't get their hands on this book and parents shouldn't let them! Seriously! I would never let a younger audience read this... and young adult carters to kids from 12 to 18!

Oh, and the real kick about this book?

Here I shall conclude the rant. I still had about a page more of things to say, but I decided I was drilling on your nerves enough as it is.

Again, please don't hate me for disliking and DNFing the book!

Nitzan★

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Great by Sara Benincasa

Great by Sara Benincasa
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 8, 2014

In Sara Benincasa's contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby, a teenage girl becomes entangled in the drama of a Hamptons social circle, only to be implicated in a tragedy that shakes the summer community.

Everyone loves a good scandal.

Naomi Rye usually dreads spending the summer with her socialite mother in East Hampton. This year is no different. She sticks out like a sore thumb among the teenagers who have been summering (a verb only the very rich use) together for years. But Naomi finds herself captivated by her mysterious next-door neighbor, Jacinta. Jacinta has her own reason for drawing close to Naomi-to meet the beautiful and untouchable Delilah Fairweather. But Jacinta's carefully constructed world is hiding something huge, a secret that could undo everything. And Naomi must decide how far she is willing to be pulled into this web of lies and deception before she is unable to escape.

Based on a beloved classic and steeped in Sara Benincasa's darkly comic voice, Great has all the drama, glitz, and romance with a terrific modern (and scandalous) twist to enthrall readers.

The reason that I rated Sara Benincasa's Great three stars isn't because I didn't like it - in fact, it's just the opposite. But I ran into the same problems in this one that I did in the original one. Sometimes, the drama of this one (and the original) was just too hard to keep up with. It's not that they're bad reads, not at all... but sometimes they're just a bit too complicated for my taste.

I really loved the writing style of Great. It has the same elegant, descriptive narrative of the first one, but it was much easier to understand this time around. It was interesting to see the parallels of the story, but it was also interesting to see the differences. For instance, Nick was genderbent into Naomi, which honestly makes more sense. And then we have Jacinta, the female counterpart of Jay, who was just as over the top and weird as the original. And then, of course, we have Delilah... and I'm sure you can all guess exactly where that goes. It was really an interesting update, to say the least.

Naomi did a good Nick, and I feel like we got to know her better than we got to know Nick in the original. Her voice was a lot less disconnected. She was very even keel, and she wasn't annoying or anything - which Jacinta could be. It was nice that she balanced out.

As for Jacinta, I really don't know exactly what to say about her character. It was obvious that she was Jay, but her personality was a bit different, and truly a lot more twisty. Not to mention the fact that she's obviously a girl, but... her and Delilah end up being in a relationship, and it was a bit confusing.

Great mostly follows the original plotline of The Great Gatsby, but there are a few new twists here and there. All in all, I'd say that it was an interesting enough read; and I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoy the original story.

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