Review: Adrift by Paul Griffin

Genre: YA Contemporary
Published: July 28, 2015 by Scholastic
Length: 240 pages
Source: Scholastic (ARC)

“From critically acclaimed writer Paul Griffin comes a fast-paced young adult novel about five very different teens lost at sea with no one to count on but each other.

Matt and John are best friends working out in Montauk for the summer.  When Driana, JoJo and Stef invite the boys to their Hamptons mansion, Matt and John find themselves in a sticky situation where temptation rivals sensibility.  The newfound friends head out into the Atlantic after midnight in a stolen boat.  None of them come back whole, and not all of them come back.”

This book reminds me one of those boring survival movies that you keep on watching just to see if the ending has some kind of twist. Turns out, there’s no twist and you end up hating the movie even more *sobs*. Adrift just did not work for me. I was hoping for an action packed book filled with adventures, but the characters just made stupid decisions. The characters all sound the same – flat. I’m glad the author didn’t choose to write this book in multiple POV because that would’ve made this book confusing.

Two of the main characters, Matt and John, are best friends but I could not see that at all throughout the story. They acted more like an acquaintance instead of bros. I think out of all the characters, John stood out the most. I like how he’s very straightforward and different from the rest of the characters. He has a quality of a leader and has a dark past. Also, I don’t understand why they would go out in the ocean in the middle of the night with people they’re only acquaintance with. Like DUDE, no. Just, no.

I think the writing style is what made this book boring. The author was doing a lot of TELLING than SHOWING. Often, when characters spoke, the author would end it with “he/she said”. For example, one of the characters would say “Oh I’m so tired”, he said…instead of “Oh I’m so tired”, he panted. It’s all “he said/she said”. I wish he showed us what the character was doing or feeling.

There’s also insta love and I’m just like WHY. You’re stuck in Atlantic Ocean for crying out loud! Instalove actually works for some plots, but this one it just looks ridiculous. I wouldn’t recommend you putting this on top of your TBR books unless you’re looking for a book to help you fall asleep. Jk. I actually read this book in 1 day but that’s because I was dying to finish it so I can start on a new book. Oops.

Review: Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: October 14, 2014 by Balzer + Bray
Series: #1 (Snow Like Ashes)
Length: 416 pages
Source: Balzer + Bray (ARC)

“A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.”

There are books that you are dying to finish because you’re excited to see how the author will end the book, and there are books you are just dying to finish so you’re finally done with it. Unfortunately, this book falls under the second category for me. Snow Like Ashes was such a huge disappointment. I was hoping for an epic fantasy read with a strong heroine, but I got a whiny, annoying heroine instead. Meira, the main character, is probably the whiniest protagonist ever. I have never been so annoyed with a character before. She tries too hard and nags everyone to let her fight their kingdom’s enemies which she fails miserably at.

I did not like the writing style as well. Most of the time we’re in Meira’s head so instead of jaw dropping action scenes, we get something like “I’m Meira and I can save Winter. I will fight for Winter. I will show them that they are wrong…that I can make a difference” (that’s not from the text btw) but she’s talking about how she’s going to make a difference but she doesn’t. THEN after she whines how Sir, her father/the Winterian general, does not allow her to fight, she WHINES again when Sir gives her a big task that will actually grant her wish of “making a difference” to her kingdom *flips the table*. I was so DONE reading what Meira was thinking. It’s so sad that there weren’t a lot of action scenes because if there were, I would’ve liked this book better. The action scenes doesn’t really happen until the end of the book, and by then, I was just counting how many pages were left so I can finally close the book.

The supporting characters were whatever… At least they weren’t annoying like Meira. They could have been more likable if there were character development especially with the king of Winterian/love interest of Meira: Mather. The romance could also been likable but it just screamed INSTA LOVE. But wait, there’s more. There is also a LOVE TRIANGLE that could have worked. I actually kind of like the other love interest, but too bad the spotlight wasn’t shined enough on him. Overall if you are looking for a fast paced fantasy book with an epic heroine, this might not be for you.

Review: Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell

Genre: YA Paranormal
Published: February 4, 2014 by Harcourt Children’s Books
Length: 322 pages
Source: Harcourt Children’s Books (ARC)

“When Willa Dixon’s brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on the deck again. With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man.

Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls.

Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?”

I really found this book weird. By the sound of the summary, I thought it was going to be about Willa going to an adventure into seeking the Grey Man for help. Instead, what I got out from this book is that there are two plots: Willa helping out her family, and the Grey Man looking for someone to take his place. I think the whole two plots thing just threw me off. I feel like the story wasn’t in-depth enough since it has two plots.

This book is told in first person point of view of Willa and the Grey Man. I found the characters unusual as well. Although I understood Willa’s actions and decisions, sometimes I just did not understand why she would do what she did. I found myself confused and wondering why she did that which made me kept on reading, but my questions weren’t answered. The Grey Man was a pretty weird character too. The author gave us a very brief background which left me unsatisfied. Like, who the heck are you? I also found the parents very weird. Like Willa, I don’t understand at times why they acted a certain way. I needed more explanation. I feel like the author assumes that the readers understand what she’s trying to convey within a snap.

Overall this book was just weird in general. It would have been so much better if the situations were elaborated, and if there were some more background to the Grey Man. After reading the book, I was left thinking, “what did I just read?” I knew the basic plots, but things just did not wrap up. There were just some weird events that I thought was irrelevant or confusing. It was a so-so book. Other people liked it, so if you want to read it, my suggestion to you is to borrow it from the library.