The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue / Mackenzi Lee

3.5/5

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is a fun and light coming-of-age novel following Monty on his Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend Percy and sister Felicity.

Mackenzi Lee's writing is the highlight of the novel. Gentleman's Guide is written in dialect, which took me a moment to adjust but allows Lee to stretch her writing in interesting and fun ways, and to create beautiful lines. Lee is able to capture Monty's own flaws which is hard to do from first person. She reveals Monty's selfishness and his privilege through his interactions with other characters and subtleties in the narration. It's so much fun to watch meaningful exchanges occur between other characters while the depth of the interaction flies over Monty's head, leaving him with a feeling that he has missed something. Lee also captures Monty's vulnerability, his fear, and the depth of his emotions, even if those emotions aren't the ones he should be feeling. She made me sympathize with selfish, arrogant Monty, and she had me rooting for him to get what he wanted even though he already has everything a person could want right at his fingertips.

The events of the novel are wild and lighthearted. They're not the most realistic but they're fun. Gentleman's Guide is an adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a character-driven book, and the characters are complete and well-developed. They complement one another, and I was invested in all three of them.

Overall, Gentleman's Guide was sweet, charming, and fun. It's lighthearted, and also has three-dimensional characters and beautiful lines. I would highly recommend fans of coming-of-age stories or those looking for a not-so-serious book to pick it up. 

Roar / Cora Carmack

2.5/5

Roar follows the journey of Aurora, in line for the Stormling throne. The Stormlings promise security from storms to its citizens through their ability to control storms, but Aurora is powerless. In order to maintain her powerful position and the safety of her kingdom, she decides to marry a powerful Stormling prince of another kingdom. But when she discovers that it is possible to earn the power to control storms, she runs away in pursuit of this power, hoping to truly earn her position and independence.

The blurb suggests a strong female lead determined to establish her own independence and earn power for herself. I think Aurora does deliver on the strong independent female lead part, but Cora Carmack seems to want to twist the events of the novel to continually place Aurora in the role of the damsel in distress. She was often placed in a position of helplessness where Locke, the love interest, had the upper hand. I would compare these swoon-y, "I need you to carry me" sort of moments to fan fiction. Because of this, the novel leans more strongly in the romance genre than I would prefer my fantasy novels to.

I was a little disappointed with the "discovery" about Aurora and her lack of power. I am a little tired of novels that have a lead who struggles with being powerless, only to find that they are more powerful than everyone else. I want to hear about someone who isn't gifted, makes do, and succeeds using the resources they have. That was what the summary promised, and not what the book delivered. I was also a little disappointed with the discovery that wasn't made: Locke doesn't find out Aurora's true identity, at least not in this book. I was really looking forward to that moment!

Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, I found Roar decently enjoyable. It is a good time killer or between-reads book. It has inspirations of Throne of Glass and Under the Never Sky, so if you're looking for a filler book to cure withdrawal symptoms or fill the wait for a sequel, give Roar a try.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase / Cynthia Hand

4/5

The Afterlife of Holly Chase is a modern take on the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. There is a company that chooses one "scrooge" a year to focus on, and then they run a huge con on the scrooge by dressing up as spirits and recreating what happened to the original Ebenezer Scrooge in hopes of scaring the new scrooge straight. But of course, not all scrooges are successfully scared, such as in the case of Holly Chase. So what happens to the failed scrooges?

I adored and related to Holly Chase. She is brutally honest and direct, she's cold but at the same time vulnerable and a little sweet. Holly is a very well-developed character and Cynthia Hand has no problem writing a range of emotions in Holly's voice. At times when the action slowed, her humor didn't, and so I enjoyed every moment.

The plot twist wasn't a surprise; I'm pretty sure nearly all readers will be able to spot it a mile off. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the novel, especially when I finally pieced together why a certain character kept stuttering on another character's name (it isn't what you think it is!). Cynthia Hand creates an interesting and unique take on a Christmas classic and executes it well. I would recommend this for fans of holiday novels, retellings of classics, and chick lit with substance.

All the Crooked Saints / Maggie Stiefvater

3.5/5

All the Crooked Saints is set in the 1960s in Bicho Raro, Colorado and follows the Soria family, who have the ability to perform miracles. 

The moment I opened Crooked Saints I remembered why I am such a huge fan of Stiefvater. Her writing is so distinct. I haven't read one of her books in a while, and I'd forgotten how beautifully she wields language. She creates beautiful imagery and interesting metaphors in ways I never would have imagined on my own, and does so effortlessly. Her writing, for me, is the highlight of the novel.

The next aspect of Stiefvater's handiwork that I enjoyed are her characters. She creates multi-dimensional characters and well-developed relationships, and then she uses her beautiful and precise writing to captured it all in personal, honest portraits.

Reading All the Crooked Saints is a real treat, similar to watching a flower bloom slowly or letting sugar dissolve on your tongue. I loved the writing and execution, and watching all the story lines intertwine and discovering more about each character's past, present, and future. I recommend Crooked Saints for Stiefvater fans, fans of dreamy and introspective writing, and believers of anything magical.