Found this book at HPB today and finished it... today. I didn't mean to buy it, but accidentally got dragged in after reading the first few chapters. It was a fast read with a lot of interesting points, but heavy on the pros and cons-
PROS:
-The writing flows really well
-The characters are likeable
-The premise is interesting and well-executed
-The fight scenes are easy to visualize
-Ferraiolo dodges/subverts a lot of annoying teen-superhero tropes
CONS:
-The book kicks off with some embarrasment about teen problems, which I wasn't particularly interested in reading about, although it was a really powerful motivator for the MC
-The book goes by so fast that some of the plot progression hits you like a punch in the face
-The romance, similary to the romance it is compared to (Romeo and Juliet), feels rushed and forced, esp. because of the age of the characters …
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D C rated Pretties (Uglies Trilogy, Book 2): 5 stars
Pretties (Uglies Trilogy, Book 2) by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies (2))
Finally surgically transformed into a "pretty," sixteen-year-old Tally, now gorgeous and programmed to think only happy thoughts, is plagued by …
D C rated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1): 4 stars
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1) by L. Frank Baum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. …
D C rated Beauty Sick: 4 stars
D C rated Wires and nerve: 5 stars
Wires and nerve by Marissa Meyer (The lunar chronicles series)
The world of the Lunar Chronicles comes alive in this thrilling continuation of Wires and Nerve. Iko, an audacious android …
D C rated Don't Check Out This Book!: 5 stars
D C rated Stray: a four sisters novel: 4 stars
Stray: a four sisters novel by Elissa Sussman (A Four Sisters novel)
Princess Aislynn's magical ability is powerful and uncontrollable, so she is "redirected" into the order of Fairy Godmothers, where her …
D C rated Wires and nerve: 4 stars
Wires and nerve by Marissa Meyer (The lunar chronicles series -- v.1)
"In her first graphic novel, Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand new, action packed …
D C reviewed Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo
Review of 'Sidekicks' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Found this book at HPB today and finished it... today. I didn't mean to buy it, but accidentally got dragged in after reading the first few chapters. It was a fast read with a lot of interesting points, but heavy on the pros and cons-
PROS:
-The writing flows really well
-The characters are likeable
-The premise is interesting and well-executed
-The fight scenes are easy to visualize
-Ferraiolo dodges/subverts a lot of annoying teen-superhero tropes
CONS:
-The book kicks off with some embarrasment about teen problems, which I wasn't particularly interested in reading about, although it was a really powerful motivator for the MC
-The book goes by so fast that some of the plot progression hits you like a punch in the face
-The romance, similary to the romance it is compared to (Romeo and Juliet), feels rushed and forced, esp. because of the age of the characters
-Overall, the novel seems compacted- I'm tempted to say I would have liked it split into multiple books to leave time for more foreshadowing, etc., but it's possible that would have slowed it down too much
Overall, I'd stil recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced middle-grade, as long as they're old enough to handle the beginning. I plan to reread, myself; I did finish it in a three-hour block, so that might have affected my perception of the pacing.
Edit: Did a reread (finally!) and enjoyed it more than last time, so I changed my rating to the 5 stars I think it deserves. It's definitely still the most I've had to read about kissing in one book, but I forgive it because it's so snappy and compelling. I didn't really have any problems with the pacing this time around; I think my reading style has changed a little since 2017 so the writing just suits me better now.
D C reviewed The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials, #1)
D C rated Cosmoknights (Book One): 5 stars
Cosmoknights (Book One) by Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights, #1)
For this ragtag band of space gays, liberation means beating the patriarchy at its own game.
Pan's life used to …
D C rated The ugly princess and the wise fool: 5 stars
The ugly princess and the wise fool by Margaret Gray
When plain-looking Princess Rose longs for the beauty to snare handsome Prince Parsley, and the wise fool Jasper longs to …
D C rated The Midwinter Witch: 5 stars
The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag (The Witch Boy, #3)
Aster always looks forward to the Midwinter Festival, a reunion of the entire Vanissen family that includes competitions in witchery …