Book Review: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thiefintroduces us to Eugenides, the Queen's Thief. He is cocky and sure in his thefting abilities, but ends in prison anyway. He only finds a way out when they need his particular skills to accomplish a seemingly impossible task.

I really enjoyed this book. The story became more interesting the farther I read and I loved the ending! This is a clever and fun adventure book and had me dying for the sequels (which, fortunately, were already published when I found this one). It is kind of a mix of mythology, magic, and adventure.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
I think a few.

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Book Review: The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman

The Schwa was Hereis the story of a young man who is "functionally invisible" - no one ever seems to notice him. Antsy is one of a very few people who can see the Schwa - and they decide to make use of this invisibility to earn cash. It also chronicles the Schwa's heartbreaking attempts to be noticed.

I absolutely adored this book! I was laughing throughout - snort-milk-out-your-nose kind of laughter. I also felt poignantly about the Schwa and what it felt like to be forgotton in middle school. A wonderful book!

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Maybe one or two, I forget...

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

Book Review: Precious Bane by Mary Webb

Precious Bane is the story of Prudence Sarn, a high-spirited young woman born with a hare lip. She faces the cruel prejudice of the people around her and the assumptions they make about her because of this precious bane. She falls hopelessly in love with a man, knowing he will never love her back because of her lip.

I think this is a seriously overlooked classic! An absolutely beautiful and heart-breaking view of a girl who feels held back because of a physical defect. I loved the story, the language, everything about this book. Thank you a million times to the sister-in-law who planted this in my hands. For any girl who has felt she isn't beautiful.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Little, if any.

mrg-factor: X
one incident of nudity, not described in detail
 
v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****