Book Review #712 - Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories (Wonder #1.5, #1.6 and #1.7) by R.J. Palacio

Auggie & Me gives readers a special look at Auggie's world through three new points of view. Previously only available in ebook, now they'll be published all together--complete with an introduction from the author on how she came to write them--in a gorgeous hardcover package!

These stories are an extra peek at Auggie before he started at Beecher Prep and during his first year there. Readers get to see him through the eyes of Julian, the bully; Christopher, Auggie's oldest friend; and Charlotte, Auggie's new friend at school. Together, these three stories are a treasure for readers who don't want to leave Auggie behind when they finish Wonder.

 

 

My Rating: 8/10

 

 

I absolutely loved Wonder and so I was only so happy to read more about these wonderful character (pun intended).

 

This book contains 3 short stories following side characters from Wonder. All of these stories contained the same unique quality as the novel.

 

The first story followed Julian, the bully who picked on Auggie throughout Wonder. It wasn't that hard to see why Julian is the way he is when you get introduced to his parents.

 

Although it was hard at first to feel anything towards Julian aside from contempt because of the way he treated Auggie, by the end I loved how much he had matured. This was aided by his delightful grandmother.

 

The second story followed Auggie's childhood friend Christopher. I didn't think this book was as strong as the other two, but I did enjoy the flashbacks to Christopher and August's childhood friendship.

 

Christopher had a minimal role in Wonder, but it is obvious that he played a huge role in Auggie's life. I felt that the way Christopher was embarrassed by Auggie at times although not ideal, was realistic for a child of that age and you could tell he was a genuine friend to Auggie.

 

The third and final story followed Charlotte who was one of my favourite characters from Wonder. This story didn't circle around Auggie like the previous two did.

 

Whilst I enjoyed learning more about Charlotte, I did miss Auggie's presence though.

Book Review #711 - Carousel (Carousel #1) by Brendan Ritchie

Nox is an arts graduate wondering what to do with his life. Taylor and Lizzy are famous indie musicians, and Rocky works the checkouts at Target.

When they find themselves trapped in a giant shopping centre, they eat fast food, watch bad TV and wait for the mess to be sorted. But when days turn to weeks, a sense of menace grows.

 

 

My Rating: 5/10

 

 

This book is set in my home town of Perth, Western Australia and even though I have never been to the shopping centre where this book is set (Westfield Carousel) I was familiar with all of the shops mentioned.

 

This book is the author's first foray into novel writing. His author bio says he was previously a screenwriter. This was rather obvious by his fragmented style of writing. For example, one of the main characters is never properly introduced, he just suddenly appears.

 

The timeline of events was also rather confusing. Not far into the book, when I was waiting for some character development or twist it was very casually mentioned that they had been trapped there for a year.

 

I own the sequel to this book and I will definitely get around to reading it just so I can find out what direction this series will go but I'm in no rush to do so.

Book Review #710 - Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

 

A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate. 

 

 

My Rating: 8/10

 

 

I obviously went into this book with it having quite a lot of hype which and I hadn't read a book like that for a while. A number of reviews labelled this book as 'Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland'. This commonly used line both intrigued and worried me as whilst I love Harry Potter (and still consider it my favourite series of all time) I really did not enjoy Alice in Wonderland.

 

I found this book very magical and whimsical both with the story and the with the writing style. I found it hard to believe that this was author Jessica Townsend's debut novel.

 

I wouldn't go as far to say that this book is this generation's Harry Potter as I think that Harry Potter is timeless, but this book was still really enjoyable.

 

For a children's book, I loved how fleshed it all was. The settings were all wonderfully magical and every single character had depth and personality.

 

When I first started reading this book I thought that it was trying to be like Harry Potter as it follows and 11 year old girl who escapes her repressive world by being introduced to a world of magic. But this is where the similarities to Harry Potter ended as this book is charming in its own magical way.