SPOILERS AHEAD: This is the bridge between the 3rd and 4th book in The Lunar Chronicles. However, I read the 4th book before reading this one, so this review will contain spoilers for the entire series.
TW: Dubious Pretty much no consent whatsoever with the “romantic interest” throughout, and burn scars/fire trauma.
I love a good villain origin story as much as the next person, but this just… fell flat. It had so much potential, but ended up being a time-skipping, slightly incoherent mess of vagueness, which is super disappointing to me.
Holes is an intriguing novel about a teenage boy named Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to a correctional camp in the Texas desert after falsely being accused of being a thief. He is sent to a desert area in Texas called Camp Green Lake, where he and the other juvenile delinquents are forced to dig holes as punishment. He makes a friend who is nicknamed Zero, but at one point Zero runs away because of how much he truly hated camp life. Stanley follows him and they climb a big mountain.
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber is a Young Adult romantic fantasy, the third in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. The book (spoilers for the first two books ahead) picks up where The Ballad of Never After left off.
1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel set in a dictatorial future where the government, led by the Party and its enigmatic figurehead Big Brother, exercises complete control over its citizens. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works for the Party rewriting historical records to fit its propaganda. As he becomes increasingly disillusioned with the oppressive regime, Winston starts a forbidden love affair with Julia, a fellow Party member.
Libby was once named the Fattest Teen in the World. Quite a title to give a girl who has just lost her mom and is scared to go to school because of her peers bullying her. Libby hasn’t been to school since 5th grade, and now, on her first day back at high school, she punches a popular boy in the face, named Jack.
Elle Woods is the stereotypical sorority girl, who has the perfect boyfriend, Warner, is the sorority president, and has all the best and most popular friends. But this perfect life is completely destroyed when Warner breaks up with her. Elle is in shock when Warner says he wants a “serious girl” and Elle sets out to be his “serious girl” that she is far from at the beginning of the movie. As Elle tries to become serious, she studies hard for the LSAT, which are tests to get into law school.
Imagine a young adult Groundhog Day that happens on the most romantic day of the year, valentines day. This is the reality for Emilie Hornby and this reality is turning into a nightmare for her. On the first day of no consequences, Emilie first gets yelled at by her step-mom to hurry up in the shower, next she gets into a car accident with one of her classmates named Josh, and finally, her dad tells her that they will be moving and that Emilie has to decide to stay or leave. Oh and worst of all, she finds her dreamy boyfriend kissing his ex.
Abby signs up for a DNA service, not expecting anything surprising to come up in her results, but she was far from right and gets the biggest surprise of them all. She finds out that she has an older sister, Savannah (aka Savvy), who is 18 and Abby is only 16! These newfound sisters decide to pull a move straight out of the parent trap, and meet up at summer camp. Things get even more complicated when Abby’s best friend Leo, who Abby happens to have a crush on, shows up at camp, being the camp cook!
Bailey is just trying to get on a plane to go see one of her parents, as they are recently divorced and live far away from each other, when Charlie and all of his ego has a seat next to Bailey. Bailey is so irritated by him, but he won’t let up with all of the talking. So Bailey is shocked when she sees him years later promposing to his girlfriend at a movie theater and he looks a lot cuter than Bailey remembered. Bailey is even more shocked when she sees him at her job orientation a year later and finds out they are going to have to work together.
Kya Clark has lost more than most people will ever lose in a lifetime. Her abusive father’s violence left her mother, brothers, and sisters with no other choice than to leave young Kya with a madman. After they all left, her father calmed down and even cared about her, but only to return to his habits of drinkin again, and he left, leaving Kya all alone in the marsh. Kya becomes one with the marsh, learning about it and studying it.
