Mini Reviews ft. The Giver and Seraphina

I have some more mini reviews for you today!  These are super short reviews of books that I've recently read that I didn't have quite enough to say about for an individual post.  I collect these reviews over time and put them together in one post when I have enough.  So without further ado...

★★★★☆ Thought-Provoking

The Giver by Lois Lowry This was an amazing reading experience for me.  It follows a boy named Jonas, who lives in a controlled world, with no knowledge of anything outside of this.  The world in which he lives is supposed to be perfect, and on the surface, it does seem to be that way.  But as the story goes on, the reader discovers that all is not what it seems. I truly enjoyed the tone of this novel, and I thought the length was perfect for the story being told.  I appreciated the message of the book, and I liked Jonas a lot and admired his ability to make tough decisions whilst still remaining realistic. However, the ending left me completely in shock and, honestly, unsatisfied.  I've since done my research, and apparently I have to read the rest of the books in the quartet - I probably shouldn't have been so surprised by this! Though at times the novel felt like a lesson (which is not necessarily bad), I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman Another great book that I have had the good fortune to come across.  As an impulse-pick-up from my school library, I didn't know what to expect from this.  I was not disappointed.  Seraphina follows a girl of the same name in her home of Goredd.  Goredd has lived in peace with dragons for quite some time now, but the recent murder of Prince Rufus has put this already strained peace in danger of collapse.  This summary barely scrapes the surface of what goes on in this novel, but I will tell you no more. My main (and really only) frustration with this book was that it took me quite a while to get into it - what with learning all the new, strange terms and character names (which, admittedly, could have been avoided if I'd realised there was a glossary at the back of the book). I enjoyed the complex world and plot of the novel, as well as the writing style and characters - though I didn't connect with them as much as I'd hoped.  The romance was believable, which is always a bonus, and the themes explored really made me think. Overall, I thought this was an amazing story and I can't wait for the sequel.  If you decide to pick this up, which you should, stick with it!

★★★★☆ So Much Just Happened