Month: August 2018

Title: Giant Days
Author: Non Pratt
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Based on the hit graphic-novel series from BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind Lumberjanes, Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen. While the girls seem very different, they become fast friends during their first week of university. And it’s a good thing they do, because in the giant adventure that is college, a friend who has your back is key–something Daisy discovers when she gets a little too involved in her extracurricular club, the Yogic Brethren of Zoise. When she starts acting strange and life around campus gets even stranger (missing students, secret handshakes, monogrammed robes everywhere . . .), Esther and Susan decide it’s up to them to investigate the weirdness and save their friend.

Review:

I recently discovered the Giant Days comics, and they are awesome!

I really liked reading about characters that I was already familiar with. I could imagine them perfectly, since I knew what they looked like, but it was also nice to see them do more than what they do in the comics. I found that each chapter was like one volume of the graphic novel. The chapters were fairly long and they covered one topic that they all participated in, such as community service or balancing their schedules.

The story takes place in a university in England. I live in Canada but I attend a university in England remotely, so I could relate to some of the terms that were used in this book. For example, their student council or government is called the student union, and their individual courses are called modules. I learned those terms in my classes, so I could relate to them in this book.

This book was also hilarious. There were drunken moments and romances. Ed Gemmell was still trying to date Esther and Susan was avoiding McGraw… most of the time. These similarities with the graphic novels made me feel a connection with the novel.

I loved this book! I recommend it for fans of the series and new readers!

What to read next:

• Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar

  

• Truth or Dare by Non Pratt

  

Have you read Giant Days? What did you think of it?

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mara Dyer knows she isn’t crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she’s not unstable and doesn’t need to be hospitalised isn’t easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability…before anyone else ends up dead!

Review:

I can’t believe how good these books are! I flew through the first book in the series last month, and I couldn’t put this one down either.

This book has so many twists, that as soon as you think you know what is going on, you learn that you were completely wrong.

This story was less shocking than the first one, but it was still good. I found myself wondering if Mara really was crazy, because it seemed like she could be doing some of the things that she claimed Jude did. I wanted to believe her, but sometimes it was too hard.

I had a lot of questions at the end of the book. There was a connection with Mara’s Indian grandmother that I wish was explained more. I also wonder how Jude found her and what his motives really are. I hope these questions are answered in the next book.

What to read next:

• The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkins

  

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

  

Have you read The Evolution of Mara Dyer? What did you think of it?