#recent read

2/25/23

"What if I solved it?" she said. "What if I really did it?" Nate paused for a moment. "Then it would be a big deal," he said.

— The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Rating from me: ★★★★

This is the second book from Truly Devious series. A story that followed Stevie Bell's journey solving mysteries in her school, Ellingham Academy.

The piece of conversation that I quoted in this post is one of the conversation between Stevie and her friend/housemate, Nate Fisher. I really love their friendship growth and conversations in this book🤍

Can't wait to read The Hand of the Wall! Hope to see more mysteries solved haha. Bc the story is getting more intense!

Book: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Description: Scarlett Dragna dreams of seeing Caraval, a yearly magical game where the audience is involved. Thanks to her abusive father, Scarlett and her sister Tella have never left their home island. Days before her arranged wedding to a man she’s only ever talked to in letters, Scarlett receives three invitations to the mysterious Caraval. Determined to get her sister off of their island, Tella and a mysterious sailor get Scarlett to the island where Caraval is taking place. When she arrives, Tella is taken by the ringmaster, Legend, and is a central part of this year’s game. Scarlett must save her sister and remember that Caraval, while enchanting, is only a game.

Rating: 4/5

Review (warning-mild spoilers!): I really enjoyed Scarlett as a character and I loved seeing her come out of her shell. This story is very, very dramatic and all the plot twists were amazing. I became so engrossed in the story that even I forgot Caraval was only a game, and I was worried for Scarlett a lot. Julian was definitely one of my favorite characters (I guess I’m a sucker for the name haha) and I really enjoyed how his relationship with Scarlett developed-slight angst, some denial, and some fluff (a perfect mix). I especially loved how he called her Crimson-it was seriously cute. The whole Legend plot line had me thinking maybe Legend was ME, or, like, EVERYONE was somehow Legend. I only took off one point because the confusion was a bit much for me even though it kept me reading for longer than I should’ve. It’s a very easy book to just pick up and read, and every single chapter always leaves you wanting more. It’s the kind of book with short, interesting chapters that make it seem like almost no time has passed.

Day 14: JOMPBPC: Biggest Writing Pet Peeve