The Poison Diaries

Goodreads Synopsis:    A dark, gothic tale of romance... and murder. In the right dose, everything is a poison. Jessamine has spent her whole life in a cottage close to her father's apothecary garden, surrounded by medicinal plants and herbs that could kill her -- although her father has never allowed her into the most dangerous part of the grounds... the poison garden. And so she's never had reason to be afraid -- until now. Because now a newcomer has come to live with the family, a quiet but strangely attractive orphan boy named Weed. Though Weed doesn't say much in words, he has an instant talent for the apothecary's trade, seeming to possess a close bond with the plants of the garden. Soon, he and Jessamine also share a close bond. But little does Jessamine know that passion can be just as poisonous as the deadliest plants in the garden -- for behind Weed's instinctive way in the garden is a terrible secret.


My Thoughts:

-    This was an awful book! It made me SO mad! Not the good kind of mad either!

-    The story and characters were not thought out very well. The book didn't feel like a final draft. It was more like a 2nd or 3rd draft.

-    My reactions while reading: This is interesting. . .nothing is happening. . .nothing is happening. . . oh, something happened. . .the father is acting really weird. . . what the heck just happened? . . . what? the last part of the book is in a new perspective? . . . WHAT THE CRAP!? . . .I'm so sickened and confused. . . feels like a completely different story. . . this is horrible! . . . GAH!

-    The story started out interesting, but in the end, I was so sickened and angry. The whole point of the book is murder. I can't stand needless killing, especially needless killing of animals! What the heck!?

-    Some of the personalities were really inconsistent. The father was all over the place. I could not figure out his character. Weed was fine until we got in his head, and then he sounded like Jessamine. 

-    I really didn't like switching to a new perspective for the last few chapters. The story should have been written in third person, so that when Jessamine became incapacitated, we didn't have to get in Weed's head. 

-    Don't read this! It isn't worth the time. 

NewsPrints

From Goodreads:    Blue is an orphan who disguises herself as a newsboy. There's a war going on, and girls are expected to help the struggling economy by selling cookies. But Blue loves living and working at the Bugle, the only paper in town that tells the truth. And what's printed in the newspapers now matters more than ever.

But Blue struggles with her secret, and worries that if her friends and adopted family at the Bugle find out that she's a girl, she'll lose everything and everyone she cares about. And when she meets and befriends Crow, a boy who is also not what he seems, together they seek the freedom to be their true selves... and to save each other.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun and poignant little graphic novel. I enjoyed it and will probably continue the series.

-    There were a few plot holes, but I'm hoping things will get cleared up in the next volumes.

-    This book was intended for a younger audience. I think I would have liked it a lot better when I was in middle school. This would be a good one to read with the kiddos. 

-    The story reminded me of The Iron Giant. It had a similar message and feeling.

-    I liked the characters, but I didn't get to know a lot of them. Again, I'm hoping that will be fixed in the next volumes.

Top Ten Tuesday: Unique Books

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten of the Most Unique Books I've Read

 
 
 
 
 

How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life

Goodreads

My Thoughts:

-    It is no secret that I adore Audrey Hepburn, so when I saw this at the library, I had to pick it up. I'm so glad I did!

-    I loved all of Audrey's quotes. She had such a beautiful perspective on life. Her love of nature inspires me. I love that her tips for beauty revolved around being happy and not how you look.

-    I also loved all the quotes about Audrey. Everyone who met her was inspired and in awe. She was so full of grace and kindness. I aspire to be like her.

-    I liked all the photos. I hadn't seen some of them.