#FirstPageFriday - Wayward Son

If you read my review for Carry On, then I'm sure it comes as no surprise how EFFIN PUMPED I am for the sequel, Wayward Son. Look for the review on December 25th. Ho ho ho!

The Fowl Twins - Eoin Colfer

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Criminal genius runs in the family...
Myles and Beckett are eleven-year-old twins, but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is fanatically neat, he has an IQ of 170, and he wears a fresh suit every day like his older brother, Artemis Fowl.

Perhaps you have heard of the Fowl family and their adventures?

This Fowl adventure is filled with the most unusual of individuals: an immortal duke, a miniature troll, a nunterrogator and a Police Specialist that's 42% elf. And of course, the Fowl twins - one a certified genius with a criminal leaning, and the other possessing an unusual talent that has not been fully explored... yet!

Here begins the second documented cycle of Fowl Adventures."

Aw yes, I missed that Artemis Fowl voice, and it is back! I was trying to figure out how to summarize the book, and I guess the tl;dr version is this: "Myles and Beckett, along with a toy troll and a Pixel, are kidnapped by a nun while being stalked by a 150-year-old man obsessed with living forever, then spend the rest of the book trying to get home." It sounds simplistic, but I promise...it's fantastic. There are references to the future sprinkled throughout that I enjoyed (and look forward to hopefully reading more about in future books!), and my one big wish is that there was like 25% more Beckett.  Beckett is my favorite. Myles, a close second, is even more snarky than his older brother, and I am here for it. The only character I was iffy about was Jeronima, mostly because her Spanglish was weird and sometimes...not Spanish? Granted, I am by no means fluent, but I'm pretty sure there was some French and Italian mixed in there, which was odd. Other than that, though, it's a great adventure and a fun read!

#FirstPageFriday - The True Queen

I feel a little weird about this one, since I didn't review the first two books in the trilogy, but this week's First Page Friday is the conclusion of Sarah Fine's trilogy, The True Queen. Come back December 18th for the review! I'll do my best to keep it spoiler-free for anyone who hasn't read the trilogy yet. 😬

Look Both Ways - Jason Reynolds

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life."

Jason Reynolds knows how to tell a story that tugs at your heart strings! His characters and their friendships are pure in a way that only childhood friendships can be, and the stories from each block weave together so beautifully. Of course not everything is sunshine and rainbows, and the booger talk in the first chapter genuinely grossed me out, but the genuine love and affection in this book jumps off the page, and it made it impossible for me to not also fall in love with each of the characters. I am in awe that Jason Reynolds can generate characters who feel so alive in just one chapter. Honestly, if reading this book doesn't make you feel things, I'm not sure I want to know you.

#FirstPageFriday - The Fowl Twins

What's this? A #FirstPageFriday post on an actual Friday?! That's right! I learned my days of the week. Artemis Fowl fans, did you know there was a new book out about Artemis's younger siblings? I didn't, and I am so excited. Check back for a review December 11th, and enjoy the bonus doggo pic! She's staring down the unopened bag of pita chips next to me.

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On - The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story - but far, far more monsters."

For those of you who have not read Fangirl, it goes hand-in-hand with this book (and is one of my favorite books of all time, but you know...this isn't a Fangirl review.). Fangirl is about fan fiction writer, Cath, who is a diehard fan of the Simon Snow series and...you ready for this?...wrote the fanfic that is Carry On. I mean, look, Rainbow Rowell says it shouldn't be considered a work of fanfic by Cath, but let's be real...that's what it is. And it's also pretty clearly inspired by Harry Potter, which makes this all so meta and cool.

Anyway. Let's talk about the book itself. For starters, I'm going to share a quote from right after Simon admits to Baz that he tries not to think about anything, because thinking about things you can't have or help is too painful.

"You're the most powerful magician alive - who's ever lived, probably. You can have anything you want. How is it pointless for you to think about that?"

Snow pushes up on both elbows and lets his head fall in my direction. "Because it doesn't matter. In the end, I just do what's expected of me. When the Humdrum comes after me, I fight him. When he sends dragons, I kill them. When you trick me into meeting a chimera, I go off. I don't get to choose or plan. I just take it as it comes. And someday, something will catch me unawares or be too big to fight, but I'll fight anyway. I'll fight until I can't anymore - what is there to think about?" 

This book is so funny, and Simon is such a physical, act first and think later character that it can be easy to forget the weight and expectations that he carries around with him and start to believe that he really does go through life without thinking about anything going on. Really, Simon is just a kid who had impossible expectations placed on him at a young age and only wants to live a normal life. I want to squeeze him and tell him everything will be ok.

Another quote, this one from Baz after he and Simon have teamed up to solve their mystery.

"I didn't expect to mend any fences with all this...co-operating. I didn't expect to convince or convert Snow. But I thought we were making progress. Like, maybe when this was all over, he and I would still be standing on either side of the trench, but we wouldn't be spitting at each other. We wouldn't be spoiling for the fight. I know Simon and I will always be enemies...But I thought maybe we'd get to a point where we didn't want to be."

Baz is so cool and unruffled on the surface, and he seems not to feel or care about anything, but there is so much going on under the surface. And Rowell is so great at including little details throughout the book that give readers insight into who here characters are. I love it. At first blush, this book seems straightforward, fun, maybe a little lighthearted...but it's so much deeper than that. It's really a beautiful book!

#FirstPageFriday - Look Both Ways

Woohoo, another First Page Friday! This one has been on my list for a loooooong time, so I can't wait to get reading! I give you...Look Both Ways by the incomparable Jason Reynolds. Check back for a review December 4th!