Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Book Review


Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Synopsis: Claire Waverly has a nice life set up for herself inside the walls of her garden, using the plants inside for her hugely successful catering company. When her sister shows up with a five-year-old daughter, after being gone for ten years, her security is threatened.
Readability: Super quick and easy. Imaginative and fun, though, so not boring.
Predictability: Well...I knew how it would end, but I didn't know how we would get there. I have to say, I wish the author hadn't wrapped things up so...predictably. A little more imagination and a few more chapters, and this really could have been a masterpiece. It felt like Allen didn't want to work that hard. That being said, she laid out the puzzle pieces in a way that I could see them, but couldn't put them together without her help. ...Ok, truth be told, I could have, and I would have done it differently, but that didn't keep me from devouring every single word.
Couldn't Put it Down Factor: I read the whole thing in five hours. I LOVED it. Loved every word. Total, pure enjoyment.
Recommend it?: YES! Yes! YES! Be warned, however, there is limited vocabulary, and some sex and some violence. Nothing compared to the last Grafton novel I read, though. There are a couple pretty grown up scenes in this one, though, folks. That being said, I LOVED this book. I can't wait to read SAA's other novels.
Four out of five stars. Loved it for its creative context, but wish she had taken it another step further. Left me wanting more, but only because I enjoyed it so much.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like just the kinda book my mommy brain would like!

Btw, have you read The Host by Stephanie Meyers? I really liked it!

angie said...

yay for the return of book reviews! love these.