March Books

March was aggravating right in the beginning but I'll not repeat what happened as I prefer not to relive it, just that, when you're panicking, apparently your brain will stop working and you will do stupid things to stop the panic from taking over your mind. After that incident (and the stress of work), I just wasn't up to doing anything so I hardly looked at my blog or other people's blog so I haven't posted much. I also might have wasted a couple of days doing a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle which I always find soothing after a panic-attacked week.

[not the official badge]

    Tomorrow is the April A-Z challenge which means I will be posting a lot more than usual assuming I didn't quit after the first post. So expect some random posts and maybe recycled ideas (in other words, my usual posts with more frequency). You can now sign up on the Master list at the A-Z site. Apparently, you are only officially signed up if you sign onto the master list. I don't think I'll sign up on the master list as it seemed to make no difference in the amount of readers I get. So I suppose since I'm not signing up, I'm not officially participating in the A-Z challenge so that makes me a rogue, non-participant right? They really gave me no good reason to sign up at all. You can sign up here and read the long list of requirements/rules and about a hundred other things you need to know (I'm exaggerating, maybe).
    Anyway, here are the books I managed to finish reading.

01 | Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone > link
It took a little longer to warm up to the characters and the story itself but it was a pretty decent read. I'm not quite into having two and half-ish perspectives. Four perspectives actually if you counted the beginning when we are told of what had already happened by an unknown narrator. (I think I would have preferred the backstory integrated in the story instead of reading a very long prologue.)
    There was the two main perspectives - Eska and Flint - I like Eska but didn't quite care much for Flint but he did have a cute pup and a talkative younger sister that I liked. And then there was the occasional Ice Queen view which didn't offer anything, not to me. She was a mildly interesting character who fits the villian role but maybe since she's one-tracked minded, it just seems she had no personality so there was no reason for her perspective.
    Summary: It was an okay read but it took a while to warm up to the characters and the story went as you would expect. I think this might be better for a younger than middle grade audience.

02 | The World's Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson > link
This was fun and I quite like the murder mystery here. It had a twist that I sort of didn't see it coming. I like Toby but Ivy seems a bit out there. She's not the smart, strong character that I thought she should be. She has great confidence which I like about her but I guess I would like her to be portrayed as someone with more sobriety, maybe? You can call her quirky but her quirkiness just went a little over. Off kilter is what I would described Ivy.
    Summary: I liked this a lot and the mystery was intriguing but perhaps the main female character, Ivy, could have been portrayed a little better. I really like the dog, Percival, he seems smarter and saner than Ivy.

03 | The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst (part of the Kingdoms and Empires) by Jaclyn Moriarty > link
This isn't exactly a series but it takes place in the same world as two other books but there is a back story that is kept being referred to. This could be a standalone as the story seemed complete but at the same time, I think the readers might have benefited in reading the previous book (The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars aka The Whispering Wars). I didn't read that book but I did read the other one (The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone) which is takes place in the same world and the main character from that book is mentioned here and also appeared here as well. Honestly, they should just marketed this as part of a series.
    This seems like three stories in one but it didn't bother me much but I just wondered why it was written that way. (Maybe that is how the author writes as her other book, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, was written in a way like it was two stories). The main character, Esther, is 12 but she sounded more like 8 or 9, even her 10-year-old sisters seemed like an older sibling to Esther. The writing is a bit younger than middle grade as Esther seemed not to understand a lot of words. I guess I've been reading too many books with smart and sometimes too mature 12-year-olds that Esther here seemed oddly ignorant for a 12-year-old.
    The first part of the book, as this was told by Esther, seemed a bit too childish. This is the story of the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst which was okay.
    The second part of the book have nothing to do with the Stolen Prince, rather it was about Esther being in school and then something happened there.
    The third and last part of the book has nothing to do with the Stolen Prince either but he was mentioned a few times and then at the end. Honestly, I just find the title of the book misleading. And yes, they did said the title should be about Esther but then it would give the ending away but still, I would prefer a different title.
    The last part of the book is the most exciting to read but it sort of ended a bit mildly but you have to consider this is a children's book so I guess such endings are expected. Most problems here just ends without fuss especially the middle of the story where Esther was alone (Spoilers ahead: to defend the school after the spellbinder got sick and the problem was solved by her father without a fuss. Spoiler ends)
    Also, if you're an impatient reader like me, you would find that the book drags on without much plot at the beginning of the book after the story of the Stolen Prince is told. And that's why I find it a bit surprising by the last part of the book because it felt like there was nothing going on for the first half of the book and suddenly this happened. So it does feel like there is three separate stories here even though they are all connected.
    I do like Esther. I can sort of relate to her being the middle child (as I am a middle child) where you're sometimes forgotten by your parents. But that Mrs. Pollock, if I have a teacher like that, I would lose all hope of enjoying school. She teased others for laughs and at times, I find she is either insane or someone who likes to degrade her students for no reason other than it makes her happy. But in the end, we get to find out why she is that way.
    The cover is well designed but it seemed oddly unmatched to the story as the writing was a bit childish and this is an adventure book. There was mention of dragons but that's just a very tiny, teeny bit. This cover is just wrong for this book.
    Summary: Mostly, I find the first half of the book dragged on as if it was just another story about a girl going to school until the last part of the book, which is really the part worth reading. But if you're a patient reader, then you might enjoy this book more than me.

How was your March? Did you read or do anything interesting?