Hey guys! As is so cleverly mentioned in the title, today I have quite the varied list of books: a historical fiction, two contemporaries (...

Petites Revues #3: An Eclectic Mix If I Do Say So Myself

Alexa Mintah

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Hey guys! As is so cleverly mentioned in the title, today I have quite the varied list of books: a historical fiction, two contemporaries (one YA Christian, one Middle Grade novel-in-verse), and a sci-fi dystopian. I told you I read all over the place.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I delayed reviewing this one for a while, because... I really didn’t know what to say. The language of it is strangely lyrical--which I did not at all expect with the narrator being, well, Death--but the story itself... it’s pretty painful. The Book Thief is intense and the horrors that these people went through, a lot of is pretty hard to take--and that’s understating things. 

Yet at the same time, it was so, so good. Like I said, the writing was perfect, the plot felt so real and lifelike, like these were just normal people and this was just their lives, and the characters. The characters. They were just so human, not monsters like we sometimes think all the Germans were, but just... people. People with lives and loves and families and friends and kids and jobs and homes and books and libraries and accordions, people who somehow ended up in Germany at the wrong time and had to make a hard choice about who they were gonna fight for. As a wise man once said, “So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own.”

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Purple Moon by Tessa Emily Hall

Admittedly, this one took a while to grow on me, but in the end, I was so happy that I'd stuck with it. Once I began to understand where this gradual unfolding of Selena’s story was headed, I was just like, “Wow. This is amazing.” And I mean I would’ve liked it more if I could’ve been hooked from the beginning and never had a moment of doubt, but this was neat all the same, the way the story slowly became clear to me. Some of it was kind of heavy, as it dealt with issues like eating disorders and substance abuse, but it wasn’t at all cliche and I’m really glad I took the chance and got to see Selena grow. In fact, seeing as it’s a bit open-ended, I would actually love to see a sequel and find out where Selena, Austin, and the rest head next.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

I would like to begin this mini review by apologizing to my fellow Whovians: I am a big fan of Doctor Who, but frankly, this book has a better explanation for time travel than “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey.”

This one was... absolutely phenomenal. The worldbuilding was brilliant, clearly and intelligently defining the rules for time travel, plus the story itself... I don’t even have words for it. It was absolutely hypnotizing. I haven’t been so taken by a book since... I don’t even know when. I mean, I have truly loved other books, but I haven’t seen one like this in a while. One where the suspense so captivates me, that it actually feels like I’ve been transported to the place where all of this is real. I am there, and I practically have to drag myself out everytime some irritating, mundane activity requires my attention.

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All my gushing aside though, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I love this book more than any other--in my opinion, the characters left a little to be desired, and they’re the most important part of the story to me--but the plot and writing are more riveting than anything I’ve seen in a really long time. For real, they just take you and duck you under, and there’s no way to get out until the adventure is complete.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Locomotion by Jaqueline Woodson

I’m honestly not sure how to review this one because, one, it’s poetry, and all I can tell you about poetry is which ones I happen to like and which ones for whatever reason I don’t like, and two, because it’s kind of a slice-of-life. There isn’t a super clear beginning to the beginning because several of the poems go back to before the story technically started, and the end isn’t completely finality: there’s still some things that could be dealt with and everything isn’t wrapped up in a nice pretty bow. It’s just... a series of pieces, honest snapshots of Locomotion’s life that the reader gets to peek in on. It’s beautiful in the way that a painting is beautiful--not in the way The Book Thief rips apart your heart and turns your brain inside out--in such a way that I almost felt like I had to stop and take it in again, so that I could fully grasp all the power and emotion behind each poem. I don’t reread often, but I’ve already reread parts of Locomotion and I can definitely see myself doing that again in time to come.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

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Well, that’s all for this month! What books have you been reading lately? Is there a particular genre you normally stay in or do you kinda read all over the place? Is rereading normal for you or are you more of a DEVOUR ALL THE BOOKS sort of reader? Can’t wait to hear from you all, and I’ll see you in the comment section. :)

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