Amelia's Reviews

** spoiler alert ** A short intro-novel to the next book. Be warned, very little is resolved in this part of the series.

I am not a huge fan of romance novels but I liked the plucky competence of the main character and how she rose to the challenges that came her way. What I did not enjoy was her reliance on alcohol or how she randomly swooned for every man around her. A level headed surgeon who can't stand the sight of her own blood? Impossible. Way too much suspended belief but over all the book was a light read that I enjoyed as an afternoon diversion.

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

 

I wish I could say I liked this book. The writing is clean and tight and I love the conversations that the characters get into. My problem is that I cannot stand the main character. Several chapters in and I find myself skipping ahead to get away from her talking.

 

This is not a genre I normally read and I hope to try and come back to the book but for now I cannot force myself to keep going. If you enjoy zany midlife crisis women's romance books this might be for you but it was not my cup of tea.

giving up on this one. I just cannot takes the characters or story seriously.

I really had issues with this book. I fought to even like the characters presented and even now that I have finished it I cannot even really say that I enjoyed the book. There was so much back story that was hinted at but never explained that I finished the book more frustrated than satisfied. Every character in the book seems to be abused and used by everyone around them with little to no support. It makes for a depressing read.

A month or two ago I watched the movie, Beautiful Creatures, and spent most of the two hours mocking the horrible fake Southern accents. We argued over where exactly in South Carolina this town of Gatlin was supposed to be and if it was a real place for long enough for someone to pull out an iPad and find out. No, it’s not a real place but the author meant for the town to be somewhere near Myrtle Beach, SC. While overall the movie was rather bad I decided to read the book to see if it could be better since the premise for the book was intriguing.

“Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.“

My first instinct on reading this book was to be angry. The entire book was from the point of view of the human boy, not the book loving, poetry writing, powerful young woman/witch, Lena. Yes, it forced you to read the book like a mystery novel since everything was seen from the outside of the conflict looking in but I wanted to hear the story from Lena, not her maybe he is maybe he isn’t, boyfriend.

Quite a few scenes and details that I enjoyed in the book were left out of the movie. Much of the mystery of the book cycles around Ethan’s deceased mother and his barely coping father. This was entirely removed from the movie and instead hints of adultery between Lena’s Uncle and Ethan’s father are used which takes out the strength that Ethan shows in overcoming his grief as he works to help Lena.

I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
While it is not a bad read and I might even take a spin with the next book in the series, it is still predictable and follows the standard High School Experience template including a rather Carrie like moment at the High School dance. If you are looking for a quick read that is young adult this one might be for you.

I just could not get into this one. I would read a page or two and then drift off to do something else. Adding this to the to eventually read again pile.