The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro (5 stars)
Summary from
Goodreads:
The hotly anticipated and explosive third book in the New York Times bestselling Charlotte
Holmes series.
It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken.
Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for.
Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows her Watson can’t forgive her.
Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but when strange things start happening, it’s clear that someone wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time.
Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.
It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken.
Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for.
Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows her Watson can’t forgive her.
Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but when strange things start happening, it’s clear that someone wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time.
Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.
Mini Review:
This book was impossible to
put down. It’s so good I might have even brought it up in discussion a few
times at work-possibly entirely out of context of everything.
Mostly, this book is amazing because the characters are amazing. I loved getting so much more into Charlotte’s head. I loved the mystery and suspense entirely being based off of the events of book 2. I loved the connections to classic Holmes stories and the show, Sherlock.
I shipped these two characters so fiercely. And I seriously had a crazy book crush on Jamie.
I sincerely hope this author keeps writing.
Mostly, this book is amazing because the characters are amazing. I loved getting so much more into Charlotte’s head. I loved the mystery and suspense entirely being based off of the events of book 2. I loved the connections to classic Holmes stories and the show, Sherlock.
I shipped these two characters so fiercely. And I seriously had a crazy book crush on Jamie.
I sincerely hope this author keeps writing.
Thornhill by Pam Smy (4 stars)
Summary from
Goodreads:
Parallel stories set in different times, one told in prose and one in pictures,
converge as Ella unravels the mystery of the girl next door.
1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she's left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.
2016: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past.
1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she's left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.
2016: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past.
Mini Review:
So, this was way more
emotional and depressing then expected. It was less creepy than I wanted, but
definitely haunting in an emotional sense. I’m not used to graphic novels
making me cry. But the bullying in here was torture.
It was also kinda genius how the illustrated story corresponded to the diary entries. The pictures were moving and emotional also. It kind of read like a super dark Brian Selznick book. I’m not sure I’d recommend this to all middle grade readers.
I was genuinely surprised by the ending, which had me appreciating the story even more. The artwork was insanely good. All in all, I was quite impressed. It wasn’t what I was expecting. But I still really appreciated what it accomplished.
It was also kinda genius how the illustrated story corresponded to the diary entries. The pictures were moving and emotional also. It kind of read like a super dark Brian Selznick book. I’m not sure I’d recommend this to all middle grade readers.
I was genuinely surprised by the ending, which had me appreciating the story even more. The artwork was insanely good. All in all, I was quite impressed. It wasn’t what I was expecting. But I still really appreciated what it accomplished.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X R Pan (4 stars)
Summary from
Goodreads:
Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing:
When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Mini Review:
This was a strange one. I
almost stopped my reading several times because I wasn’t feeling it. But, I’m
glad I kept going. The ending was everything.
I tend to like strange books, but the strangeness of this one kept pulling me out of the overall story. I think it might have been too long. Not all of the memories seemed to need to be there. It also awakened thoughts I haven’t had in a long time about someone I knew, who committed suicide. So the harsh reality of my own memories mixing with the harsh memories of the main character and her family didn’t necessarily keep me involved, as much as making me want to not think about it.
I loved the setting. I got to see a part of the world I know little to nothing about. And it was fascinating. And I loved the love story too. think I kept reading because I wanted an outcome to be there. My shipping kept me involved. And the setting kept my curiosity at an all time high. The story of grief and everything with the bird (the point of the book) just felt kinda lacking. Something was missing, something that might have made it powerful.
Parts of it were still powerful, like the ending. A surprise twist really did surprise me. I don’t think I’d recommend this to everyone, maybe just to those who like strange, who like magical realism. The story does stick with you, way after you finish. And I appreciate that too.
I tend to like strange books, but the strangeness of this one kept pulling me out of the overall story. I think it might have been too long. Not all of the memories seemed to need to be there. It also awakened thoughts I haven’t had in a long time about someone I knew, who committed suicide. So the harsh reality of my own memories mixing with the harsh memories of the main character and her family didn’t necessarily keep me involved, as much as making me want to not think about it.
I loved the setting. I got to see a part of the world I know little to nothing about. And it was fascinating. And I loved the love story too. think I kept reading because I wanted an outcome to be there. My shipping kept me involved. And the setting kept my curiosity at an all time high. The story of grief and everything with the bird (the point of the book) just felt kinda lacking. Something was missing, something that might have made it powerful.
Parts of it were still powerful, like the ending. A surprise twist really did surprise me. I don’t think I’d recommend this to everyone, maybe just to those who like strange, who like magical realism. The story does stick with you, way after you finish. And I appreciate that too.
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