Book Blog #239: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
# of Pages: 369 (ebook)
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
Review: The best thing I can say about this book is that the rating might not be a solid 1 star; it might be between 1 and 2 stars.

I thought I knew what I was getting into. With that kind of title and the top genres being "young adult" and "romance," I knew it was going to be extremely cliché and shallow. However, it is much worse than I thought.

The biggest problem is Lara Jean. Her narrative sounds like an 8 year-old girl instead of the sixteen old she is suppose to be (reading this didn't feel too much different from reading Junie B. Jones). Han attempts to make her seem mature since she plays a crucial part in keeping the family functioning, but the way she handles her emotional issues is more similar to how I would expect Kitty (her younger sister) to be dealing with these things.

Since Lara Jean, Margot, and Kitty are suppose to have a strong sisterly bond, I was hoping for some underlying message of familial love. Although there are several attempts to show how much the sisters care about each other, the challenges they overcome are so trivial and petty that the message does not hit home.

The romance aspect of this book is a mess and many of the romantic conflicts seem to be left unresolved. Worst of all, the central problem of the book is ridiculous; if you are writing letters to the boys you've loved before so you can get over them, why would you actually address the correctly so they can easily be sent out? It seems like the cause of this conflict could have easily be avoided (and since it's the modern age, it might've been more believable if her EMAILS were accidentally sent).

I wanted to read it before I watched it, but I probably shouldn't have. I'm pretty sure the hype around this story is not because of the book.

Book Blog #238: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Crooked Kingdoms
Author: Leigh Bardugo
# of Pages: 536 (ebook)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Welcome to the world of the Grisha. Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Review: I wouldn't have read the second book if it wasn't highly recommended to me.

Sure, I liked Six of Crows well enough, but I didn't feel any urgency to find out what happens to all of the characters. However, with a recommendation and the fact that this book is the last book in the duology, I thought I might as well give it a read.

I liked this book about the same amount as I liked Six of Crows (perhaps a little less, perhaps a little more). I enjoyed reading how Kaz's complicated plans unfolded and seeing the relationships within the gang deepen over time.

I'm really, really sad Matthias died. There are three couples in the book: Kaz+Inej, Jesper+Wylan, and Matthias+Nina. Even though I always views Matthias and Nina as the secondary couple, I feel like they were cheated of a proper conclusion in this book. I'm not complaining about that fact that Matthias is killed off (although that does make me sad). The problem it how every couple seemed to get their own ending chapter (Wylan and Jesper are living in Wylan's father's mansion, Inej and Kaz are going to work on defeating slavers and other greedy/evil people in power together) but it's only briefly mention that Nina is going to bury Matthias in his homeland. If every other character has closure, the least Bardugo could have done is give the reader a little bit more on Nina; was her voyage to bury Matthias's body successful? Is she prepared to live her life without him or is she going to be crippled with the loss. There is just a little too much left up to the reader's imagination.

If you enjoyed Six of Crows, you will definitely enjoy this book. I recommend this to anyone who has read and loved Six of Crows.