The Book Was Better

Marianne is sent across the country from Virginia, where her lineage means everything, to Versailles Prep in California where her name is just a whisper. Her mission is clear: facilitate a merger with the Beaumont family and become Versailles royalty; make a brand, not friends. Marianne generates a statement from the start and the imitators wrack up as quickly as the frenemies. But when she makes a questionable decision to keep her crown, the guillotine comes down quickly. She has to decide if her failure will become her legacy or if she can somehow find herself in the rubble.  This Marie-Antoinette-inspired debut was eloquently written, but suffered from a bit of purple prose—beautifully composed, but sometimes unnecessarily elaborate and difficult to decipher. I found the dialogue to be inauthentic at times, and I fear that the exchanges may have been a bit too elevated for the intended YA audience. I remain unclear on why Marianne was given her task in the first place, why Leo h...

Reeling from loss and struggling with her next steps, Emily decides to take a gap year in Europe before heading off to college. But not just any gap year: She plans to recreate her once-famous grandmother's iconic European tour when she was part of the Flower Sisters duo. Along the way, she finds friends who become family and family secrets. Most importantly, she find herself and who she can be when she lets go and follows her heart.  This was a cute coming of age tale, but fell short when it came to conflict. The plot seemed to follow more of a straight line, with short-lived blips, rather than a typical plot mountain. The journey was fun, but read more like a travel guide than a novel. By the end, I can't really say I felt like I knew the characters all that well, especially not with any depth. There was a lot of crying, forced dialogue, and cliche tropes.  Traveling by book is a favorite past time of mine, but I had hoped for better out of this trip.  I really apprecia...

Darius and his family have recently moved from Boston to a small Pacific Northwest town and he’s itching for a mystery to solve — just like his Hardy Boys heroes. When he overhears some other kids talking about an abandoned house, he think he might have found his answer, but Darius and his new friends might have bitten off more than they can chew. Their investigation takes some dark turns and reveals much more than just a spooky house.   The premise drew me in: Kids exploring a haunted house and stumbling upon their very own mystery. Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired. While technically sound, with great use of sensory language, the plot was Swiss cheese and the characters were sorely underdeveloped. Once I sifted my way through all of the “D” names, I wanted a lot more depth, a lot less telling, and a lot more showing.   Great writing uses the setting (both place and time) as almost another character. As a teacher, I often ask, “If this were set somewhere/...