The Kingdom of Back - Marie Lu

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰

Character development: ✰✰✰✰✰

Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age - her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

As Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true - but his help may cost her everything."

This was an emotional read for me for reasons unrelated to the book itself. I received a copy through a book subscription box a little less than a year ago, shortly after learning that someone close to me (I don't want to use her real name, so I'll call her Amy) had passed away. When I opened the box and saw it my first thought was, "I need to text Amy, she would love this!" I knew I wouldn't be able to read this without thinking of her the whole time, so it took a while before I was ready to pick it up. Now that I have, though, I am happy to report that I remain confident Amy would indeed have loved this book.

The premise of this story is one that will always be appealing to me -  a young woman in a situation where women are supposed to live quiet, undistinguished, obedient lives pushes back, determined to set herself apart and be remembered. Nannerl is talented, passionate, and committed to leaving her mark on the world, whatever it takes. She's also conflicted - both proud of her brother, with whom she is very close, and envious of his talent and how readily people praise and encourage his skill. She wants him to succeed, and she is glad for him when she does, but she is also a bit jealous that it's so easy for him to be accepted as a great compose and musician when it's so far out of her reach simply because she is a woman. For Wolferl's part, he doesn't seem to understand these arbitrary standards either. As a matter of fact, enamored with his sister's talent for composing, Wolferl is her greatest supporter and even finds ways to help her compose in secret.

Marie Lu's character building was excellent, and I loved watching Nannerl's relationship with Wolferl develop as they spent more time in the mysterious Kingdom of Back. Just as lovely was the imagery of the fantasy world weaved within their real world. I think even if I hadn't enjoyed the story of Nannerl's struggles with her father, her experiences performing, and all the rest of the real-world narrative, I would have loved this book solely for the incredible imagery of the Kingdom. This book is just so beautiful, inside and out. The cover is gorgeous, it's got silver sprayed edges...it's an entire visual experience.

Finally, if I had to pick my single most favorite thing about The Kingdom of Back, it would be that it inspires curiosity. I love a book that makes you want to keep learning, and the further I got into Nannerl's story, the more I wanted to research the real Nannerl. In her author's note, Marie Lu even recommends Mozart: A Life by Maynard Solomon as a starting point, so shout out to her for knowing that readers would need more after reading her beautiful story! I can't wait to learn more about this amazing, talented woman.

Solo - Kwame Alexander

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"When the heart gets lost, let the music find you.

Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming—like many—that Blade will become just like his father.

In reality, the only thing Blade has in common with Rutherford is the music that lives inside them. But not even the songs that flow through Blade’s soul are enough when he’s faced with two unimaginable realities: the threat of losing Chapel forever, and the revelation of a long-held family secret, one that leaves him questioning everything he thought was true. All that remains is a letter and a ticket to Ghana—both of which could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift."

Incredibly short review alert! 

I loved the incorporation of his songs into the audiobook, that was a fantastic addition. I also enjoyed the message that it's about the journey, not about the destination. I docked a star because the transitions were a little jarring at times and parts of the story progressed in fast forward--I would have liked more detail. That aside, though, this was a fantastic book. Enjoy the journey.

Love & Luck - Jenna Evans Welch

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way."

Addie and her brother have basically been at each other's throats since a mysterious incident over the summer. The two of them are supposed to fly to Italy together after their aunt's wedding in Ireland, but Ian has other plans...a road trip across Ireland with his friend Rowan, following in the footsteps of their favorite band. When Addie finds out, she's livid--just the day before, their mom had threatened to make both of them quit sports if they didn't get along on their trip to Italy, and she needs a soccer scholarship to pay for college. Rowan suggests she come along to their first stop so she can see what the trip is all about, and she agrees, hoping she can talk some sense into Ian and get their travel plans back on course.  Spoiler alert: Their travel plans do not get back on course. Instead, Addie is swept along on a stumbling block-riddled trip across Ireland, all three of them trying to repair the broken parts of themselves along the way.

This isn't a bad story, but it was a little all over the place. Lots of starts at plot and character developments that never seemed to go anywhere and things that should have been giant plot points but ultimately fell flat. Overall, I enjoyed it. However, it's incredibly frustrating to have an entire story developed around an oft-reference occurrence over the summer and then, when this big secret is finally revealed (and it was a big deal), have it relegated to a minor plot point and casually wrapped up in an epilogue. Also, real talk? If you're going to create this whole narrative around a teenage girl being pressured into sending a naked picture of herself and then have the guy she sent it to pass it around to basically the whole school, you need to deal with that shit responsibly. How did that possibly become a minor detail, wrapped up in a few pages? It's a Big Fucking Deal.

Now a Major Motion Picture - Cori McCarthy

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Unlike the rest of the world, Iris doesn't care about the famous high-fantasy Elementia books written by M. E. Thorne. So it's just a little annoying that M. E. Thorne is her grandmother—and that Iris has to deal with the trilogy's crazy fans.

When Iris gets dropped in Ireland for the movie adaptation, she sees her opportunity: if she can shut down production, the Elementia craze won't grow any bigger, and she can finally have a normal life. Not even the rascally-cute actor Eamon O'Brien can get in her way.

But the crew's passion is contagious, and as Iris begins to find herself in the very world she has avoided her whole life, she realizes that this movie might just be amazing…"

I received an advanced reader copy of Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy and was intrigued by the description, although after reading it I feel like the summary kind of buries the lead and doesn't really prepare the reader for what to expect. Iris is forced to take her younger brother to Ireland for the filming of Elementia's first movie after his therapist thinks it's a good idea and her father doesn't want to take him. More than just finding it "a little annoying," Iris is angry and openly hostile toward anything to do with the fantasy world...so how will she react when she finds herself surrounded by a cast and crew that, for the most part, is composed of devout "Thornians," as Elementia fans refer to themselves? As it turns out, not well...but the closer she gets to the cast and the film's director, the more she finds her attitude shifting. Unfortunately, filming is fraught with issues and the movie does not seem to have the support of the film studio backing it. Will Iris have a change of heart in time to appreciate her time in Ireland? Or will the studio cancel filming before she has a chance to realize how precious it is?

Things I loved about the book:

-Iris and Eamon were great characters. Eamon was intriguing from the start, and even when Iris was at her most pessimistic and unlikable I still found myself understanding where she was coming from and sympathizing with her.

-Cate and her strong-woman agenda. I will admit that it got a little over-the-top at times, but overall, I'll give a resounding "hell yeah" to a strong, confident woman who commits herself to teaching another young woman the importance of being strong, speaking up, and lifting other women up.

-The relationship between Iris and her brother and the way that it evolved as the story went on. I loved seeing him get more independent and watching them gain a new appreciation for each other after everything they had been through together.

Things I was a little more meh about:

-The fantasy element. In a world where mind-blowing fantasy worlds exist, it always seems risky to me when a book creates a bestselling fantasy series compared to the works of real-life fantasy bestsellers. The Elementia descriptions included in the book didn't necessarily detract from the story for me, but they also didn't add much to it. The book/movie could have been about anything and provided the same element to the story. 

-The ending, man. I'm not going to give anything away, but things wrapped up a little too neatly for me, especially after the overblown ups and downs throughout the book. Speaking of...

-The overblown ups and downs throughout the book. I like a book with some drama. Ask anyone in my book club, and they'll tell you I love a story that makes me emotional. But holy hell, the wild swings from "everything is perfect" to "the world is falling apart" from page to page practically gave me whiplash. Toning it down a notch would have gone a long way to making the characters' experiences more relatable.

Overall, I think this is an ok read. There were things I didn't particularly love about it, but for the most part I enjoyed it. It gets into emotional stuff without getting too heavy, makes you love the characters, and is perfect if you're looking for a light, quick read.

P.S I Like You - Kasie West

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the front cover: "While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…"

This book has been on my radar for a while now (I feel like I say that a lot...I guess when you're a librarian, lots of books end up on your radar), but I kept putting off reading it because it seemed like there was always another title waiting to be read that captured my attention more. Then I finished an audiobook before the next in my hold queue was available, so I went hunting for an emergency book, and happily, this one was available! 

I loved it. Usually, I listen to my audiobooks on my commute and, at times, while I'm walking Lyra Lickytongue. This book, I finished two days after I got it because I could not stop listening.

The relationships between Lily and her parents/siblings were adorable and sweet, her and her best friend are fantastic, and while there were ups and downs, overall it was an uplifting, delightful read. A lot of writers set up a will they/won't they relationship where two people don't get along and seem to constantly be butting heads, and then **magic!** suddenly everything clicks. Kasie West, on the other hand, really dug into the discord between Lily and her love interest to show that there are two sides to every story, and maybe Lily being the main character didn't necessarily mean that she was right. The development of their relationship was wonderful and so sweet and beautiful to read. It warmed my cold little heart.

The one thing that kind of got to me was all the talk about how crazy her family was with (gasp!) three whole siblings?! Are four kids in a family a lot? I had seven brothers and sisters, so every time she brought up how insane her house was I laughed. Lily, you don't even know. But, look, I'll admit that growing up in a family of eight kids, that may just be a me thing. Normal people probably think four kids is crazy. If you do, then ignore this and read happily. It's a great book.