By Cecelia Ahern
Hardback
321 pages
So first off, what a thoughtful use of a first jacket. This is a really well designed book. It is also a strikingly well written book. There were at least two times that the book almost brought me to tears!
It avoids a lot of tropes that are becoming staples in YA dystopian novels. The characters are varied and honest and the plot is engaging.
Warning! I really really really hope she writes the sequel! The ending is really left with another book in mind!
By H.G. Wells
Paperback
148 pages
I had never actually read this before! Which I didn't really realize until I opened the book.
None of the characters have actual names, but are referred to as things such as "The Time Traveller" and "The Psychologist."
The setting is Victorian England - what a perfect excuse for a steam punk party - and nominally all in the Time Traveller's house. He returns in the middle of a dinner party and regales the company with the tale of his adventures through time.
He sees the decay of civilization and the fall of man.
It's a very readable book, but for some reason I expected more from it. I did enjoy it - and it's such a pretty edition!
By Emily Henry
Hardback
390 pages
This was my first OwlCrate book - but I only just got to reading it.
Natalie is a strange girl in a small town. She was adopted, and has been searching for answers about who she is. Added to that, she has recurring nightmares and hallucinations.
But one day, the hallucinations take place out in public and she sees other people and other versions of her own world. Is she going crazy? Her new counselor doesn't think so...
I really enjoyed this book. I liked both plot and characters- I won't say that I couldn't put it down, but I did find myself eager for the next page, the next chapter, the next piece of the puzzle.
By Wendy Spinale
Hardback
312 pages
Fantasy
This book is a reimagining of Peter Pan. It changes tons of elements, but characters and concepts are recognizable. The setting - Everland - is a bombed out London. The characters are predominantly children. A disease is ravaging the population and there is a race against time to find the cure.
It was a neat retelling and I really enjoyed reading the book.
By Jeff Zentner
Hardback
369 pages
Realistic Fiction
This novel came in one of my previous Owlcrates.
The three protagonists, living in a small southern town, are all social outcasts to various degrees. Travis is tall and weird; he reads fantasy, wears a dragon necklace, and would carry a staff everywhere if he could. Dill is the son of a preacher who was arrested and the grandson of a mechanic who went crazy. Lydia doesn't fit the common perceptions of beauty in the town, plus she has a snarky mouth and an attitude of condescension about her classmates.
All of them have personal challenges and struggles that they have to overcome. They need to figure out what they want from life and whether (and how) to get of of town and escape their destiny.
The characters are well written and the plot is easy to follow while containing a few surprises.
I liked the book although I found it initially hard to get into on the heels of all of the fantasy I've been reading lately. It even made me tear up!
