3 Reviews : Empty, The Returners, Watch Me

Posted by kay on November 24, 2010 3:38 am in 2 stars reads, 2.5 stars reads, 3 stars reads | 5 comments

It’s time for mini-reviews again! Because I don’t have much time for blogging right now and also because I don’t have much to say about these books, I thought it would be a fun way to share my feelings on these, mostly, disappointing novels.

Empty by Suzanne Weyn
Pages :183
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : In a future really close to ours, when fossil fuels run out, a group of teens realize that their lives are now forever changed.

My thoughts : Empty wasn’t a bad book : it was a short read with lots of great ideas, that sadly felt under-developed. The characters felt flat, unidimensional, and the writing lacked a bit of subtlety : too much was explained for the benefit of the reader. The setting was really interesting, close to reality and I would have loved to learn more about it. While some books are too long for no reason, I felt this one could have benefit another 50 pages : this would probably have been enough to flesh out the characters better and give us a wider view of this changed world. I like the conclusion though, which was realistic and not cheesy.

* * *

TheReturners by Gemma Malley
Pages : 252
Genre : Ya
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : Will is having a hard time : on top of having nightmares and getting involved in a murder trial, he is being followed by strangers who pretend knowing him. But what if these strangers were right? What if they knew the horrible secrets of his past?

My thoughts : I was slightly disappointed whit this one. The book is fairly well written, but it moves so slowly I had a hard time keeping my interest up. I didn’t care much for Will, either, which means that the only thing keeping me reading was the mystery of the strangers following him. Even then, I found the scenes a bit repetitive without ever pushing the story in a clear direction. It really lacked some movement! I liked the writing though, so I would definitely read more of Malley, an author who had been highly recommended to me. It’s just too bad this one didn’t work for me.

* * *

Watch Me by Lauren Barnholdt
Pages : 270
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : When she starts college,  Ally decided to do it the big way, by joining a reality show that will follow her through her first year of college. Ally will have to live in a house with people she has never met, while her boyfriend is miles aways studying at another college.

My thoughts : Okay, so this book was kind of bad. Not that I was hoping for something sensational, but I thought it would at least be something cute and funny. It wasn’t. The story was extremely predictable, the characters flat as paper, I was indifferent to Ally’s personality, but most importantly, I felt the whole “reality tv” aspect didn’t take enough place. It should have been at the center of the story, create so many incidents, and yet, it was most often than not forgotten. Bleh. On the plus side, it was a quick, easy read, that I’m sure other readers would find entertaining for a light afternoon.