Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read May 2022.

3/5 stars

Camino and Yahaira are half sisters, not that they know it yet. Their father has been splitting his time between the Dominican Republic with Camino and New York with Yahaira, that is until the plane he's on comes down and he's killed.

This book was written beautifully, I believe it's considered a novel in verse. There are a lot of Spanish phrases which obviously I don't understand but it doesn't particularly take away from the reading experience.

The pacing of this novel could have been better, for two thirds not a lot actually happens which is especially shocking when you consider that all in all that covers a period of almost two months. It took way too long to get the sisters together and then the book ends very abruptly. I wanted to see more of their new life together, what was the adjustment period like? It just ends which I found very disappointing and almost dropped the rating to 2 stars.

Stef Out x

A Land of Never After by R.L. Davennor

 

Ebook provided by BookSirens for review. Thank you.

Read May 2022.

3/5 stars

So I will preface this by saying that I have never read Peter Pan, I don't think you need to though. This book takes a few familiar elements: Wendy, Peter, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys and Neverland and completely twists them.

Wendy has just left the orphanage where she grew up when she runs into Peter who then steals her satchel, so she follows him straight into Neverland. But Neverland sits under a horrible curse, kill and steal a being's life force or rot. But who is responsible for the curse? One Captain Hook. Peter's long-standing rival. Everyone has secrets and somehow Wendy is the key to everything.

I thought that the story and ideas were great but there were elements that were lacking. The pacing was strange, one chapter ended with Wendy falling asleep then the next opens with her running through the forest with no explanation, some kind of training session maybe? I'd also have like more development. Wendy didn't seem to have much personality beyond the basics. Also her 'friendship' with Peter is a bit something and nothing. They have a deep conversation about something which seems all but forgotten after apart from one small aside.

I might read the sequel if I come across it but it doesn't feel especially memorable enough overall to actively seek it out.

Stef Out x

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Solitaire by Alice Oseman

 

(Review copied from Goodreads)

Original review March 15: I liked and didn't like this story. The characters were well-developed and interesting and very real as modern teenagers but Tori is so unlikeable. She improves slightly throughout when she realises that shock horror she's allowed to care! I found myself wanting to know more about Michael and I really want a more detailed story about Charlie, he was so sweet! There also wasn't much detail given about the situation with Ben and the conclusion of Lucas was a little obvious and cliched. I also found all the conversations about shipping and fandoms and the sexual tension between Sherlock and John in BBC's Sherlock very odd as despite them being popular topics of conversation these days - particularly online - I haven't come across those sort of conversations in books before now.

Re-read Oct 19: I still sort of agree with some of my previous thoughts but now I find Tori relateable in her pessimism and some of the rest I just don't care about. I just enjoyed the book. I do still want to know more about Ben's situation though. I don't know if it comes up during Heartstopper at all? I seriously need to read that sometime!

Re-re-read May 22: Ben's story makes so much more sense having read Heartstopper. Also having read Heartstopper I wanted more Charlie and Nick! On this reread I barely noticed most of the fandom stuff although there is a lengthy Harry Potter based conversation in the opening chapter. I've come to appreciate Tori more with each reading. I did want to know more about the other guys involvement in Solitaire though.

4/5 stars

Stef Out x