Flash Reviews | #6 | March 28 - April 17, 2016

The past few weeks of reading (seriously, how is April already half over) had their ups and their downs, but, really, they were pretty average.

028. Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the way it combined elements of rape culture, cheerleading, and friendship was clever and well done. This story was something fresh - even when dealing with a really heavy issue, it did so in a way that wasn't doom and gloom on every page. I liked that Johnston addressed abortion and choice, something that I think is lacking in YA, and I (perhaps surprisingly) loved the inclusion of the "is cheer a real sport" debate (yes, it is). Also, that cover. You can read my full review here. ★★★★

029. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Look, it's not the incest that didn't work for me here. In fact, some of the sexual or romantic scenes were the ones that I found most successful. I had a problem with a lot of the dialogue and narration in this book. I thought that the distinction between Lochan and Maya's chapters was almost nonexistent, which felt inaccurate and lazy. There was also a lot of dialogue between the two that was so, so cheesy. Like, no-one-takes-this-seriously-romance-movie-cheesy. So bad. The ending of this book ruined it for me, similarly to a book I featured in the last batch of flash reviews (A Madness So Discreet). Spoiler: I don't appreciate plotting a false rape accusation as a way to solve problems. You can read my full review here.  ★★

030. A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle and Hope Larson
I enjoyed the second half of this graphic novel way more than the first half. I think it is hard to adapt something that is so loved by so many people, but I felt that Larson was pretty successful. A lot of the dialogue was taken directly from the source text, which, I think, both helped and hurt it. I don't necessarily want to judge this on my enjoyment of L'Engle's story as a whole, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the heavy religious tones. I also thought that the art could benefit from more color and really come alive with shades besides blue and black. You can read my full review here. ★★★

031. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park with Maryanne Vollers
I adored this book, while hating it for making me feel so much. Yeonmi's story is one that is, obviously, incredibly important. Her memoir is informative, smart, heavy, hopeful - everything I wanted it to be. The glimmers of humanity and happiness that come through the bleakness were what made this book so great for me. You can read my full review here. ★★★★★

032. The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden & the Trail of the Century by Sarah Miller
While an okay enough portrayal of the Lizzie Borden case, I never felt the hook of a true crime book that is really successful. This one is meant for younger readers, but even then, the descriptions of the crime scene were brutal and graphic. I can't really explain what made this book so average - it was informative and interesting, though I found the writing to be less than engaging. You can read my full review (eventually) here. ★★★

033. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
This is only the second Moriarty book I have read but something about it really paled in comparison to the other (Big Little Lies, which I loved). I guessed the husband's secret pretty close to the beginning of the book and I felt like the reveal never had the impact or fallout that I wanted it to. The events at the end of the book were horrible, of course, but I just found myself... not caring. My favorite character, Tess, had a story line almost completely separate from that of the other characters, but I enjoyed it for what it was on its own. I haven't written my full review on this one yet but, when I do, you can find it here. ★★★