My Book Reviews

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I loved most about this book is how 'bite-sized' the story is. It constantly goes forth between third-person perspectives of Eleanor & Park, so it makes this book a very easy read. Unlike some books in which third-person perspectives seem all over the place and a bit confusing to get your head around on who's talking, Rowell does an amazing job.
She describes the young love of Eleanor and Park with great accuracy; yet at the same time making Eleanor wise beyond her years due to her experiences. And then there's Park, who's well off enough to warrant the attention of popular kids, yet doesn't exactly fit into that clique.
You can't help but feel emotionally attached to the book; even if the main storyline is no different from your average teenage love story. I actually found myself yearning to get back from work as early as I could just so I could read it.
Without giving too much away, this story also teaches you to be thankful for what you have. At least I think so.
Did I love this book? Yes. I was told that fans of this book were split into 2: Pro Eleanor & not, and though I do admit that she can be the tiniest bit annoying sometimes, you can't help but give her the benefit of the doubt, given her situation.
I normally sort of plan out which book I'd like to read next as I'm getting towards the end of a book, but this one came on impulse because a good friend of mine insisted that I read this book; then proceeded to buy and send it to me.
No regrets though. Thanks Satthiya! ;)

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The Drowning Pool by Syd Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Don't get me wrong by my rating: I merely rated it so because I kinda had a hard time reading it. Not in a bad way either; just that the way Moore punctuated her sentence had me re-reading a sentence sometimes several times just to get what she meant.
I thought the story overall was really nice with the last chapter really keeping you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't help but ask myself, as I normally do when I read certain books, a WWYD scene. What if I suddenly, out of the blue one day, saw visions/entities like Sarah did? I knew I would piss my pants. Maybe shit in it a little too, friendly ghost or not. (I admit I'm a huge chicken. Cluck cluck)
I also found that when I read this book, I could not go past about 3 chapters at most without drooping in sleepiness. Then again, it just might be me exhausted from the day. In this story, I find that for similar reasons to After You's Ambulance Sam (by Jojo Moyes), I found that I just couldn't completely trust McBastard. For some reason, throughout the book, I had expected him to turn around and turn on Sarah at the climax. He just seems too emotional for someone who had been so assertive in the beginning. It was a drastic difference that I had a bit of trouble connecting with.
Since the drama started, there had been but 2 characters I had been suspicious of: McBastard (yes I still call him that) and Dr Cook. For some reason, they rubbed me off the wrong way (without giving spoilers). From the descriptions of their characters to how it fitted with the story, my mind couldn't help but lean on those two in suspicion. What I had caught on was the look Dr Cook would get whenever Sarah mentioned anything about the past. And then how McBastard almost, in a turn of events, went from being a literal bastard to this emotional confidante who was so enthusiastic on helping Sarah. I dunno, it just made me suspicious.
When I had originally picked up the book and read the synopsis, I expected to be taken into a ride of sorts as I read. And I definitely had. Parts in the story where the apparitions appeared had my hair standing on end, and regretting that I had been reading in my room alone at night. But those are the kind of thrills that make the reading experience even better.
The closure of it all was also a pretty emotional one. Not as in the sob-fest kind, but it really left an impression on me. I was happy that everything was over, yet the sorrows still lingered and I feel for it. The story ended brilliantly, but I felt that I had somehow got a bit emotionally attached to it too.

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