jilljemmett

Review: Quid Pro Quo

Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: Vicki Grant
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Quid Pro Quo is a high-stakes, fast-moving legal thriller about real people, and funny ones at that. Cyril MacIntyre’s mother is an ex-street kid who dragged her son to all her law-school classes, then proceeded to get kidnapped. That aside, Cyril’s life isn’t too different from that of other thirteen-year-olds. He has all the usual adolescent issues to deal with: parent problems, self-esteem problems, skin and hair problems, and girl problems. But he has legal problems too. And he’s got to solve them if he wants to save his mother’s life.

Quid Pro Quo won the Arthur Ellis Award and the cbc Young Canada Reads 2009 award. It has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe and the Ann Connor Brimer. This 2018 edition has been updated with a new cover.

Review:

This story hooked me right from the beginning. It opens with Cyril saying he started going to law school when he was ten years old. But he didn’t really. He went with his mother to her law classes, so he learned alongside her. This was a great way to hook the reader right at the beginning.

I liked the way that Cyril narrated the story. He was sarcastic and funny. It was good to see the story from his point of view, since he had to go on a search for his mother when she disappeared. This story was originally written in 2005. The only thing that was missing from the story were cell phones and the frequent access to the internet, but other than that it could have been set in 2018.

This story was set in Halifax. There were so many references to the city! I have never been there but I have some close friends from there. I recognized things that they always talk about, such as the Donairs, which is a type of wrap that they eat. As soon as Cyril mentioned that, I knew it was set in Halifax.

The mystery of the story was great. I really didn’t know how it would end. With each clue that he found, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I was happy with the ending.

This is an entertaining YA read.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – August 29

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

Goodreads Synopsis:

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed–again. She’s been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend–but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson and Agatha Christie.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Beauty and Bernice

Title: Beauty and Bernice
Author: Nancy Viau
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Bernice Baransky likes the grunge look she’s come by honestly as the only girl at Porchtown Skate Park who can pop an ollie, ride the rails, and grind the slabs. She’d love to impress Wyatt Anderson, a skater who calls her Dude, but Bernice can’t seem to do more than mumble when he’s around. Should she accept help from a new neighbor, the proper and princessy Odelia, who is desperate to befriend her? Odelia keeps a fancy notebook called Odelia’s Guide to the Social Graces and spouts off hilarious lessons on poise, posture, manners, and what to do about embarrassing “oopsies” like unexpected burps and spilled soda. This exciting story takes readers on a thrill ride from the skate park’s half-pipe to Smile Academy, a summer camp for Down syndrome children. A novel full of adventure and heart, it asks the question: can two very different people ever be friends?

Review:

This book had some positive lessons, though I found the plot hard to believe.

This book had great representation. Bernice had to volunteer at a summer camp for kids with Down syndrome. She didn’t know how to treat them, and she got in trouble for her behaviour when she yelled at a boy, telling him to act normal. She learned how to treat people with disabilities and to be patient when someone acts in a way that you aren’t expecting.

Odelia seemed like she was right out of a fairy tale. She didn’t know how to behave in the real world. Her home life and family were a mystery throughout most of the story. She has a whole staff of people that we hear about but never see. I wish she was more of a realistic character, because her presence made it seem like there were some fantasy aspects of the story, but there weren’t any.

Unfortunately the mix of the fairytale and the real world didn’t work for me in this story.

Have you read Beauty and Bernice? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Take Place at a School

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Back to School, so I will be listing Books That Take Place at a School. Here’s my list:

1. Tradition by Brendan Kiely

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

3. S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett

4. The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

5. Positively Izzy by Terri Libenson

6. Morning Glories, Vol. 1 by Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, and Rodin Esquejo

7. How to Be a Supervillain by Michael Fry

8. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

9. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

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

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein

Title: Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein
Author: Linda Bailey, Júlia Sardà
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The inspiring story of the girl behind one of the greatest novels — and monsters — ever, perfectly timed for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein. For fans for picture book biographies such as I Dissent or She Persisted.

How does a story begin? Sometimes it begins with a dream, and a dreamer. Mary is one such dreamer, a little girl who learns to read by tracing the letters on her mother’s tombstone and whose only escape from her strict father and overbearing stepmother is through the stories she reads and imagines. Unhappy at home, she seeks independence, and at the age of seventeen runs away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, another dreamer. She travels to Europe and surrounds herself with more poets and writers, including Lord Byron and John Polidori. On a stormy summer evening, Byron suggests a contest to see who can create the best ghost story. After nine months of daydreaming, 21-year-old Mary Shelley’s terrifying tale is published, a novel that goes on to become the most enduring monster story ever — and one of the most popular legends of all time.

A riveting and atmospheric picture book about the young woman who wrote one of the greatest horror novels ever written and one of the first works of science fiction, Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein is an exploration of the process of artistic inspiration that will galvanize readers and writers of all ages.

Review:

I have never read Frankenstein. I tried to read it a few years ago, but I couldn’t get into it. However, I loved this book.

I didn’t realize that Mary Shelley was so young when she wrote the novel. She was only 18 years old! The story was born from a challenge given to a few friends on a trip. They were tasked with writing a ghost story, and Mary’s was so good that it is still talked about more than a century later!

The art in this book was very cool. The illustrations looked like patchwork. The colours were very dark, which suits the subject matter.

This children’s story about Mary Shelley’s life is great. It has inspired me to try reading Frankenstein again.

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – August 27

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Beauty and Bernice by Nancy Viau.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – August 26

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) ★★★★★
Giant Days ★★★★★
Paths and Portals (Secret Coders #2) ★★★★
The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3) ★★★★★
The Prince and the Dressmaker ★★★★★
The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles #1) ★★★★

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

I also posted my unboxing of the June Litjoy box:

Litjoy Unboxing – June 2018

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Quid Pro Quo

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I reading Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Quid Pro Quo is a high-stakes, fast-moving legal thriller about real people, and funny ones at that. Cyril MacIntyre’s mother is an ex-street kid who dragged her son to all her law-school classes, then proceeded to get kidnapped. That aside, Cyril’s life isn’t too different from that of other thirteen-year-olds. He has all the usual adolescent issues to deal with: parent problems, self-esteem problems, skin and hair problems, and girl problems. But he has legal problems too. And he’s got to solve them if he wants to save his mother’s life.

Quid Pro Quo won the Arthur Ellis Award and the cbc Young Canada Reads 2009 award. It has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe and the Ann Connor Brimer. This 2018 edition has been updated with a new cover.

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles, #1)

Title: The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles, #1)
Author: Laurie Forest
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Purchased
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A new Black Witch will rise…her powers vast beyond imagining.

Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear.

Review:

I really enjoyed this story!

It may just be me, but I found a lot of similarities between this book and Harry Potter. There weren’t direct references, but there were a few things that reminded me of the series. For example, Elloren doesn’t know much about the rest of the magical world that she enters when she goes to university, just like Harry didn’t know about the magical world before he went to Hogwarts. They even have a teacher who is a Snake Elf, who teaches their science class. He reminded me so much of Snape. I loved the similarities between this book and Harry Potter, since that is one of my favourite series!

Elloren developed as a character throughout the story, as she learned more about the world around her. At the beginning, she was very naive because she was inexperienced. She had never been around different races or species, so she didn’t know what they were like. She took it on herself to try to learn the truth, rather than just follow everyone else’s beliefs.

I thought I figured out the ending, but it turns out I was wrong! I’m curious to see how the story continues in the next book.

Stacking the Shelves – August 25

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I received two books from Penguin Random House Canada this week:

The Exes’ Revenge by Jo Jakeman
Tell Me You’re Mine by Elizabeth Norebäck

I also bought one book from Indigo:

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

What books did you get this week?

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan

Hold the Pickles by Vicki Grant

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

1. Tradition by Brendan Kiely

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

3. S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett

4. The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

5. Positively Izzy by Terri Libenson

6. Morning Glories, Vol. 1 by Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, and Rodin Esquejo

7. How to Be a Supervillain by Michael Fry

8. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

9. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

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

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Frankenstein by Marry Wollstonecraft Shelley

She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger

What I just finished:

What I’m currently reading:

What I’m reading next:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo

The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

The Exes’ Revenge by Jo Jakeman

Tell Me You’re Mine by Elizabeth Norebäck

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor