The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

 

 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Aimee Bender

Completed Date: 5/10/15

Rating out of 5: 2

 

Check me out on www.goodreads.com!

Before you read too far, you should know that I don't do Synopsis type reviews - if you want a synopsis then you can go read the synopsis. What I want to do here is give my opinion of the book. **Spoilers may happen, but aren't likely**

 

I didn't have to eat the cake, so to speak, to quickly realize this book is not at all what I thought it was going to be. Had the synopsis included that this was a "coming of age" novel of sorts, I wouldn't have picked it up at all to be honest. There's not much in this would I abhor more than a coming of age novel. Quite frankly, the only reason I finished it is because it's this month's choice for my book club. We chose it because it sounded whimsical.
 It's not.

I read through this one quickly. Partly because I kept waiting to be let in on the secret. There's a point, right? There's an AHA momenta bout to happen that makes this all clear? Nope. No AHA. No point. When I finally gave up hope, my speed reading skills kicked in just to finish the awful thing.

Prior to reading this book I read through some of the reviews on Goodreads.com. One described this book as Chinese food. Tastes good, but leaves you hungry again in half an hour. I feel like this book never found it's niche. There's bits of "magic" at the every day dinner table, but the book never decided what it wants to be when it grows up, fantastical or contemporary, which makes it just plain boring by default. And yes, I understand that's the point. Growing up and discovering who we are, and who those around us are, does have some magical qualities, I get it, I promise, but that's an easy enough tale to tell without ... cake?

Two out of 5 starts strictly for originality and writing style. Zero points for story. Zero points for characters. Zero points for ever reading this again or recommending it to anybody. Zero points for even ever trying the author again. I cant wait to discuss this one in book club to see how the other's felt about it.

Ensnared

 

Ensnared

(Splintered #3)

A.G.Howard

Completed Date: 2/28/2015
Rating out of 5: 4

 

Before you read too far, you should know that I don't do Synopsis type reviews - if you want a synopsis then you can go read the synopsis.

What I want to do here is give my opinion of the book. **Spoilers may happen, but aren't likely**

 

Check me out on www.goodreads.com! 

 

I waited and waited and waited for this one to be released! And it was well worth the wait.

To see my reviews of Splintered click here and for Unhinged click here.

 

I adore these books! If you like YA or Fantasy or/and especially Wonderland, you have to read these.

 

Alyssa finally embraces who she is - after much teenage angst and turmoil - and finds a way to save both of the realms (and the boys) that she loves. I wish I could cuddle up with Rabid White and read these! I've said it before in my other reviews, but this story is so colorful! When you're reading it, you're in the landscape dodging graffiti guards and joining the party!

 

If you've read them, who did you choose? Jeb or Morpheus? I know I'm too old be gushing over either, but isn't that part of the fun of a YA novel! I'm team Morpheus, but the friend who I read these books with chose Jeb.

 

Jeb is naturally charming and thoughtful, he's a normal human boy with normal human boy emotions and makes normal human boy mistakes. That, and his talent for art, and that he loves Alyssa's mundane side is what makes him endearing. Morpheus is a victim of circumstance, for lack of a better term. He does what he can with what he has and loves every inch of where he's from and isn't about to apologize for it. I find Morpheus' struggle interesting in that he has to both embrace his madness and the madness or wonderland and yet overcome it to win the heart of the girl.

 

 

Unhinged

 

Unhinged

(Splintered #2)

A.G.Howard

Completed Date: 2/19/2015
Rating out of 5: 4

 

Before you read too far, you should know that I don't do Synopsis type reviews - if you want a synopsis then you can go read the synopsis.

What I want to do here is give my opinion of the book. **Spoilers may happen, but aren't likely**

 

Check me out on www.goodreads.com! 

 

To read my review of Splintered (Splintered #1) click here.

 

I am such a fan girl for these YA books based in Wonderland! The way A.G. Howard takes Wonderland and completely makes it into her own world is both like visiting and old friend, and meeting a new one.

 

I waited quite a while after reading Splintered to read Unhinged. I was actually just waiting for Ensnared to come out so that I could read them close together. What drew me in to this series, honestly, was the vividness of the cover of Splintered. What kept me there is that this world is, quite literally, a Wonderland.

 

Jeb and Morpheous are our two heroes/love interests. At this point I still haven't decided which one I would chose. (Though I have totally chosen a team by the end of book 3)! Our heroine, Alyssa, while typically "young adult" is faced with some interesting challenges and the decision to try to live a normal life and go to school or to embrace her new identity and step back through the rabbit hole.

 

 I read this book with a friend for book club. Though it may not be a typical book club book we very much enjoyed discussing the intricacies of this gothic style Wonderland, gushing over boys (of course!) and trying to figure out what happens next!

 

I recommend this one to anybody who likes YA or fantasy!

Splintered

 

Splintered

by

A.G. Howard

 

Before you read too far, you should know that I don't do Synopsis type reviews - if you want a synopsis then you can go read the synopsis. What I want to do here is give my opinion of the book. **Spoilers may happen - you've been warned.**

 

 

 

...

 

I was thrilled when this book was chosen for my book club. It has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I am always intrigued by a Wonderland story.  I rated this one 3 starts out of 5 on www.goodreads.com. You can also read my reviews there.

 

Just like every other YA novel, it starts out with a girl who doesn't really fit in anywhere and two boys that she likes. No surprises there. The books is based on our heroine, Alissa, discovering that her family had been cursed due to all of the mistakes that her great-great-great-Grandmother Alice, made when she first traveled to Wonderland. Alissa's mother is in an insane asylum because she's able to talk to flowers and bugs and won't eat food unless it's served in a tea-cup. Alissa fears she'll suffer the same fate if she doesn't break the curse so ... down the rabbit hole she goes ...

 

I loved the visuals in the book. I can picture the rabbit hole hidden under the sun dial, I can imagine Rabid White (The White Rabbit?) in all of his antlered glory, I can imagine the souls trapped in roses on spider webs ... the imagergy is beautiful and if I could book a vacation to Wonderland right now just to see the scenery, I would do it. That having been said, this book made me feel like Wonderland is very small. Is was as if we crawled through the shrunken door and -poof- we are exactly where we need to be. I would have liked a sence of a vast land and the time it takes to travel through it. Love interest #1, Jeb, travels to Wonderland as well - he's always felt protective of Alissa and couldn't let her go alone but, of course, admits to having no feelings for Alissa at this point. Typical.

 

I liked that the idea that Alissa, "fixing" all of the mistakes that Alice had made when she first traveled to Wonderland. What I didn't like about that idea was that it felt very point-and-click to me. Let me explain. Have you ever played one of those hidden picture games on your computer? The ones where you're searcing for an umbrella or a mouse and then you find out you can cheat because when you touch the pointer to your object the icon turns into a hand. Click. Done. Puzzle is solved. Alissa wasn't particularly ingenious or adventurous or creative - the solutions were simple. Come to find out, this can be explained by Love Interest #2, the mysterious "caterpillar" Morpheous (who should be played by Adam Lambert if a movie is made) had set up these obstacles as a ruse to get Alissa to become the Red Queen of Wonderland ... Still, even once the simplicity was explained, I was left feeling like the main character of this book is a whitless marionette who cares very little for Wonderland or the people in it.

 

By the end of the book, I have not fallen in love with either Jeb or Morpheus ... and I'm not sure our heroine Alissa has chosen one either.

 

In summary, I loved Wonderland, liked the plot and was disapointed in the main character.

 

I will definitely read the 2nd in the series.