Happy Monday Ya'll,
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I just wanted to say that my thoughts and prayers are with Orlando right now in this devastating turn of events. It breaks my heart to keep hearing about these horrible events happening all around our world, and I know it makes me remember every day to never take anything for granted, as we just never know what our future holds. :(
This weekend was a sad one for my family, as yesterday, June 12th, would have been my paternal Grandmother's 90th birthday, if she were still with us. I took some time yesterday to go shopping with my dad for bright and colorful flowers that we felt she would loved, and went to visit her grave with them. It was a humbling experience for both of us, and I was grateful for this precious time we were able to take to do so.
So, with this sad time upon us, I was definitely in the mood for a lighter read to lift my spirits, and I can definitely say that Me, My Elf and I by Heather Swain definitely fit the bill. I'm embarrassed to admit that my first attraction to this novel was that I assumed that since it was about an elf, and it had a green cover, that it was going to be Christmas themed, and everyone knows I'm a sucker for Christmas novels, and I so rarely see YA Christmas books. However, after actually taking the time to read the synopsis, I still thought it sounded like a cute book, so I went ahead and picked it up at the library, and found myself enjoying this relatively quick read. Before I get into my review, here's the synopsis from goodreads:
It's not often you see an elf in the middle of Brooklyn, let alone a tall, blond, gorgeous elf in the middle of one of the most prestigious performing arts high schools in the country. And yet, that's just where Zephyr Addler finds herself: smack dab in the middle of a bustling New York City school, worlds away from the secluded woodland community she knows so well. But Zephyr knows that she has to figure out how to live in the world. And dress in the world. Thanks to a little friendly advice from her new friend Mercedes, Zephyr starts to get the hang of Brooklyn. That is, until Zephyr snags a role in a commercial, beating out the most popular girl in school, Bella Dartagnan. Now with Bella and her friends out to get her, can Zephyr out-maneuver the mean girls (and catch the eye of a certain cute boy) without losing herself?
I'll start by saying that this novel was a cute, typical story about a quirky, female protagonist (in this case an elf), trying to find her place, after her family's move to a drastically, different social environment from what they're used to. While certain aspects were definitely predictable, and often even a tad juvenile, I thought it was a refreshing change to have a YA book about elves, as it's not something I've seen to much of, and overall, it was a cute read.
Plot:
First of all, I'm going to go over my overall thoughts on the plot. While it was definitely predictable, in the sense that Zephyr, the main character, has to learn how to be herself in a new social setting where she definitely doesn't feel like she belongs, I did find the additional elements Heather Swain threw in with the family's elven lifestyle to add a touch of originality to this type of story. It was also interesting to see the "mean girl" plot addition being handled with parental involvement, which is almost rare nowadays in YA literature. Lastly, I liked the fact that this book talked about the consequences for using magic, and showed the disastrous results that occur when these type of matters are handled in the wrong way.
Characters:
Zephyr: Zephyr's character I found myself liking for the most part. Her lack of knowledge of popular culture was downright hilarious, and didn't feel overdone to me. I also loved how she works so hard to protect her clan's privacy, despite the rumors that her family are hippies, tree huggers, and cult leaders, and I honestly felt her connection to her family was one of my favorite parts of the story. My one issue with her was how naive she was towards Bella, the school mean girl, and that she basically threw her best friends under the bus for the sake of being closer to her.
Ari: Ari was actually a really likable character. I loved how he was loyal, and stood up for what was right, even when Zephyr really didn't deserve these kind responses.
Mercedes: Honestly, she was probably my least favorite character in the book. I thought her sarcasm was more obnoxious than funny, and in a lot of ways, I think the drama of the novel could have been avoided if she'd been less self absorbed.
Zephyr's various family members: Throughout the novel, many of Zephyr's family members are featured, including her various siblings, her parent's and her grandmother and cousin among others. Since they are an elf clan, her family dresses different than anyone else, and believes in family time and a love of the outdoors over technology and social media, and honestly I think the world would be a much less messed up place if more families were to have a focus like this. While they are often the focus of Zephyr's embarrassment, the reader could still see how much her family means to her.
Bella: Bella is your stereotypical every-high-school-has-one mean girl, and in some ways, I found her character to be extremely ridiculous, but she did add a good amount of drama, and in a way, definitely helps Zephyr discover she needs to be the bigger person.
Timber: Lastly is Timber, and honestly, I can't really even say what I felt for him, other than that he seemed really untrustworthy to me, and I'll have to read the second book to see if i'm right about his intentions.
Romance:
Lastly, I'm going to give my opinions on the romance in this novel. Unfortunately, this is one big portion of the novel that I did not enjoy. It felt way too much like insta-love to me, and everyone who's ever heard me talk about books before, knows how much I can't stand that. I also felt we were never shown a true connection between Zephyr and Timber, and most of their "romance" took place through instant messaging, but I guess I'll have to wait and see if this changes in the next book.
Conclusion:
Overall, I thought this was a relatively enjoyable quick read, and I gave it three out of five stars. While I did enjoy Heather Swain's writing style, the fact the it was about elves, and the quirky characters that round out the story, I didn't find the romance believable, and I found many of the plot points to be pretty predictable. I also feel that this novel would probably be better for the middle grade crowd as it was a tad more juvenile than the YA books I'm used to reading, but I still did enjoy it, and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a cute, quirky read, or anyone looking to pick up a new book for their middle age daughters.
Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all on Wednesday for a new Top 5 Wednesday Post.
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I just wanted to say that my thoughts and prayers are with Orlando right now in this devastating turn of events. It breaks my heart to keep hearing about these horrible events happening all around our world, and I know it makes me remember every day to never take anything for granted, as we just never know what our future holds. :(
This weekend was a sad one for my family, as yesterday, June 12th, would have been my paternal Grandmother's 90th birthday, if she were still with us. I took some time yesterday to go shopping with my dad for bright and colorful flowers that we felt she would loved, and went to visit her grave with them. It was a humbling experience for both of us, and I was grateful for this precious time we were able to take to do so.
So, with this sad time upon us, I was definitely in the mood for a lighter read to lift my spirits, and I can definitely say that Me, My Elf and I by Heather Swain definitely fit the bill. I'm embarrassed to admit that my first attraction to this novel was that I assumed that since it was about an elf, and it had a green cover, that it was going to be Christmas themed, and everyone knows I'm a sucker for Christmas novels, and I so rarely see YA Christmas books. However, after actually taking the time to read the synopsis, I still thought it sounded like a cute book, so I went ahead and picked it up at the library, and found myself enjoying this relatively quick read. Before I get into my review, here's the synopsis from goodreads:
It's not often you see an elf in the middle of Brooklyn, let alone a tall, blond, gorgeous elf in the middle of one of the most prestigious performing arts high schools in the country. And yet, that's just where Zephyr Addler finds herself: smack dab in the middle of a bustling New York City school, worlds away from the secluded woodland community she knows so well. But Zephyr knows that she has to figure out how to live in the world. And dress in the world. Thanks to a little friendly advice from her new friend Mercedes, Zephyr starts to get the hang of Brooklyn. That is, until Zephyr snags a role in a commercial, beating out the most popular girl in school, Bella Dartagnan. Now with Bella and her friends out to get her, can Zephyr out-maneuver the mean girls (and catch the eye of a certain cute boy) without losing herself?
I'll start by saying that this novel was a cute, typical story about a quirky, female protagonist (in this case an elf), trying to find her place, after her family's move to a drastically, different social environment from what they're used to. While certain aspects were definitely predictable, and often even a tad juvenile, I thought it was a refreshing change to have a YA book about elves, as it's not something I've seen to much of, and overall, it was a cute read.
Plot:
First of all, I'm going to go over my overall thoughts on the plot. While it was definitely predictable, in the sense that Zephyr, the main character, has to learn how to be herself in a new social setting where she definitely doesn't feel like she belongs, I did find the additional elements Heather Swain threw in with the family's elven lifestyle to add a touch of originality to this type of story. It was also interesting to see the "mean girl" plot addition being handled with parental involvement, which is almost rare nowadays in YA literature. Lastly, I liked the fact that this book talked about the consequences for using magic, and showed the disastrous results that occur when these type of matters are handled in the wrong way.
Characters:
Zephyr: Zephyr's character I found myself liking for the most part. Her lack of knowledge of popular culture was downright hilarious, and didn't feel overdone to me. I also loved how she works so hard to protect her clan's privacy, despite the rumors that her family are hippies, tree huggers, and cult leaders, and I honestly felt her connection to her family was one of my favorite parts of the story. My one issue with her was how naive she was towards Bella, the school mean girl, and that she basically threw her best friends under the bus for the sake of being closer to her.
Ari: Ari was actually a really likable character. I loved how he was loyal, and stood up for what was right, even when Zephyr really didn't deserve these kind responses.
Mercedes: Honestly, she was probably my least favorite character in the book. I thought her sarcasm was more obnoxious than funny, and in a lot of ways, I think the drama of the novel could have been avoided if she'd been less self absorbed.
Zephyr's various family members: Throughout the novel, many of Zephyr's family members are featured, including her various siblings, her parent's and her grandmother and cousin among others. Since they are an elf clan, her family dresses different than anyone else, and believes in family time and a love of the outdoors over technology and social media, and honestly I think the world would be a much less messed up place if more families were to have a focus like this. While they are often the focus of Zephyr's embarrassment, the reader could still see how much her family means to her.
Bella: Bella is your stereotypical every-high-school-has-one mean girl, and in some ways, I found her character to be extremely ridiculous, but she did add a good amount of drama, and in a way, definitely helps Zephyr discover she needs to be the bigger person.
Timber: Lastly is Timber, and honestly, I can't really even say what I felt for him, other than that he seemed really untrustworthy to me, and I'll have to read the second book to see if i'm right about his intentions.
Romance:
Lastly, I'm going to give my opinions on the romance in this novel. Unfortunately, this is one big portion of the novel that I did not enjoy. It felt way too much like insta-love to me, and everyone who's ever heard me talk about books before, knows how much I can't stand that. I also felt we were never shown a true connection between Zephyr and Timber, and most of their "romance" took place through instant messaging, but I guess I'll have to wait and see if this changes in the next book.
Conclusion:
Overall, I thought this was a relatively enjoyable quick read, and I gave it three out of five stars. While I did enjoy Heather Swain's writing style, the fact the it was about elves, and the quirky characters that round out the story, I didn't find the romance believable, and I found many of the plot points to be pretty predictable. I also feel that this novel would probably be better for the middle grade crowd as it was a tad more juvenile than the YA books I'm used to reading, but I still did enjoy it, and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a cute, quirky read, or anyone looking to pick up a new book for their middle age daughters.
Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you all on Wednesday for a new Top 5 Wednesday Post.
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
Comments
Post a Comment