Thoughts on My True Love Gave to Me

My True Love Gave to Me 
By: Various Authors
★★★★☆
80%
Teen Book
321 pages
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review. Thank You St. Martin's Griffin! However, this does not change my opinion of this book in any way, shape, or form. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midnights 
By: Rainbow Rowell

This book was a typical Rainbow Rowell, cutesy, and very easy to read. In this story, I particularly liked the conversations. They were so cute and realistic. I also really like how much the writing put you in the scene like you were really there. Noel was one of the most cute and quirky characters that I have ever seen. This is definitely one of my favorite stories in this collection.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lady and the Fox 
By: Kelly Link

The best part of this story was the writing. The writing was imaginative and made you feel that you feel like you were in the moment. Everything else really confused me. I felt that this story would have ben better in full book format. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angels in the Snow
By: Matt De La Peña

"I guess I don't know what I want to do either. Sometimes I feel like a shook-up bottle of soda. Like, I have all this passion that wants to explode, but I don't know where to aim it."
-Angels in the Snow, page 74

I liked the vibe that this book gave off right from the beginning. This short story had a great writing style, so much that I am super interested in picking up some other books by this author. I loved the narrative that the main character gave, but I absolutely hated his personality. He kind of drove me crazy, but made me love him at the same time. I really liked the tone of the conversations in this story. Overall, this story was very heartwarming. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polaris is where you'll find me
By: Jenny Han 

"If you have magic in you, you should protect it all your life and never let it go, because once it's gone, it's gone forever."
-Polaris is where you'll find me 

This book is super cute from the beginning, with an even cuter narrator. This book also has the typical cutesy writing that Jenny Han always graces us with. I also found many quotes very touching and thought-provoking, like the one above. Overall, this book is cute and heartwarming. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown
By: Stephanie Perkins

"It's the rareness that makes it so special."
-It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown, page 126

"You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the state of their surroundings."
-It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown, page 128

This is the first piece of Stephanie Perkins' writing that I have genuinely enjoyed. I found this to be cute and heartwarming. I also loved almost all the quotes, like the ones above. The characters also made me so giddy and happy, just like a Christmas book should. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Temporary Santa
By: David Leviathan 

"He says that presents aren't important, but I think they are - not because of how much they cost, but for the opportunity to say I understand you."
-Your Temporary Santa, page 135 

I loved the unique, different style of this writing style. I also felt that the quotes in this short story either made me think very deeply or made me laugh. The characters were totally swoon worthy, and I haven't said that in quite a while. Overall, I would definitely read this story, and I know want to read some of David's other works.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Krampuslauf
By: Holly Black 

"Scramble the letters in Santa and you get Satan."
-Krampuslauf, page 155

"You created me, but once you create a thing, you can't always control it."
-Krampuslauf, page 161

I really liked the creepy and different type of Christmas story this was. I really liked the character Wren. She was wild, cool, different, and tough. Despite the concept of this book, the narrative was adorable, and I loved it. I would definitely recommend this story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth
By: Gayle Forman

I really liked the conversations, I found them to have the perfect fluff factor for this story. The characters were adorable and just perfect. The writing was also very deep and thought-provoking at the same time as being super cute. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus
By: Myra McEntire

"If the Lord and I started talking forgiveness, I'd be in a confessional for the rest of my life."
-Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus, page 206

I found this book to be "eh". It was the kind of different that I don't like. I liked a few of the quotes, but very few. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to Christmas, CA 
By: Kiersten White 

This had a cute concept and very good writing. I also liked the message tho story gave. The characters were super adorable. Overall, I would recommend. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star of Bethlehem
By: Ally Carter 

"I sang because not singing would never bring them back, but singing would make us all remember. "
-Star of Bethlehem, page 285

This story was kind of confusing in the beginning. This story was also very cliche. I found that this book was just a typical Ally Carter, not much to it kind of story. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer
By: Laini Taylor

"If there was a God, then Neve's whole life was a crime that had been committed against her, and she dared attract no more of his attention."
-The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, page 298

"She wanted to be free, and if she could never be free, at least she wanted to be brave - brave enough not to sell herself, no matter what payment, or the cost of refusing."
-The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, page 299

"This was a plea deeper than words, and his soul strained to answer it."
-The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, page 306

This short story was both interesting and confusing right off the bat. I really liked how much this was different, in the concept, in how it was carried out, and who voiced the narrative.  I loved the poetic writing that made you think, and the quotes that made you think even more. Overall, this story was my favorite out of the collection. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall

I really liked this book for the most part, but I do have a few complaints. I felt that this collection was a bit too long, and it kind of dragged on at some points, making it boring. I also didn't like how the stories didn't connect, like I expected them to. 





















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Does Unique Formatting in Books Affect Your Reading Experience?

Image
How does the formatting of a book affect your reading experience? I usually enjoy unique formatting in my books, but I recently read the first half of Illuminae before putting it down. I quit reading Illuminae because of the formatting. While the whole book being composed of lab reports, wikipedia articles, and IM messages was a cool concept, it made the story hard to follow. Many people enjoyed Illuminae because of the unique formatting, and others enjoyed it because they thought it had a good story. The formatting, for me made the story drag and I had no idea what was going on until about page 150. The only part I enjoyed was the interviews with some of our characters because it was only then that you really got to see the characters. I enjoy both books that have unique formatting and books that have traditional formatting. However, I think that if a book does have unique formatting, the formatting should add to the story, not take away from the story. When I was reading I
Read more

Thoughts on The Wrath and the Dawn

Image
The Wrath and the Dawn  By: Renee Ahdieh  ★★★★.75 95% 388 pages Blurb In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Sh
Read more

Finding your groove with journaling

Image
When I was younger, I kept a journal, but it was mostly just what I did that day, or anything I was looking forward to in the future. I have recently gotten back into journaling, but I am doing it a lot differently than I used to.  Before you start to journal, you need to figure out how you want to do it and then get the supplies to do so. If you're not sure what kind of journaling you want to do, I would recommend experimenting. If you are going to experiment for a while before you see what you like the best, I would recommend getting a thick and tall notebook. Once you figure out what kind of journaling you want to do (i.e. prayer journaling, bullet journaling, art journaling, collage journaling, workout journal, or just idea journaling), go out and buy a journal that you both like and would work for what you want to do. The only real guidelines I use when picking out a new journal is to get a tall journal if you are going to do collage or art journaling. If you are do
Read more