Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I really enjoyed so many things about this book, beginning with the pacing of this book, a slow meandering through the disastrous consequences befalling Feyre for killing a faerie. Feyre is a compelling character. She drew me in with her haunting voice already replete with despair from the beginning. But she is a survivor, and survive she does. And the supporting cast of characters, Tamlin, Lucien, Rhysand, are deliciously complex with a villain worthy of the title. This story reminds me so much of the Beauty and the Beast tale, which I'm a sucker for.

However, I am less thrilled with the graphic and explicit sex scenes, few though they are. I know, I know: many find them titillating. I find them tedious and unnecessary. I'm of the opinion that less is more: I'd rather leave such intimacies to the participants than to be a voyeur. And disappointingly, this seems to be a trend in the YA genre, one that I'm not a fan of to be honest. I realize that "adult" is explicit in the YA moniker, but I'm finding I can recommend fewer and fewer books to my teen students (who are NOT adults yet) despite them being drawn to the topics and writers who produce these books. Admittedly, I'm old-school and lean toward the modest. Is there no place for we who favor modesty anymore?

I am hooked, though. I will and look forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Book Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

Book Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

I read an ARC of Rebecca Serle's novel The Dinner List.

The premise of this book is interesting: what would you do if you could spend an evening's dinner with any five people of your choosing--living or dead? Who would you invite? Why? What would you all talk about?

Sabrina's Dinner List wish is granted on her birthday as she spends an evening dining with her deadbeat, alcoholic father (Robert); her ex-boyfriend (Tobias); her best friend (Jessica); her favorite philosophy professor from college (Conrad); and movie star Audrey Hepburn.

Serle weaves flashbacks into the dinner party scenes, revealing intimacies she and Tobias shared which ultimately led to their break up. Sabrina's conversations with Robert, Jessica, and Tobias dominate the dinner as she has unresolved issues with each of them, and Conrad and Audrey serve as mediators of the sometimes intense emotions bubbling to the surface while Sabrina tries to beat the midnight toll which will end her evening dinner.

Serle's ability to weave the past events into the current events in the novel results in powerful storytelling. Tobias and Sabrina share a heart-rending love story that magnifies the abandonment she feels from Robert's escape into alcoholism and his new family she is not part of. And, Jessica's love for Sabrina stems from Jessica's desire for her friend to have the best life has to offer, which Sabrina interprets as judgment, leading to rifts in their once very tight friendship. The story is poignant, real, raw, and at the same time fantastical in its origins.

This is not a love story per se; it's more a story of one woman's struggle to find enduring love and to offer and accept forgiveness, a story that magnifies the messiness that life really is for many.

I really enjoyed this novel because I found the Sabrina's and Jessica's angst real and honest, but I found myself wishing we discovered more about "how" this event was able to happen. The question is raised a few times by the characters, but never really addressed. And, I wished Audrey Hepburn had a more purposeful role. I loved that she was present and appreciated her connection to Tobias and Sabrina's story, but felt her presence at the dinner was somewhat underdeveloped.

I love, LOVE the concept of this book and appreciate Serle's execution. Pull up a seat and join the dinner party: read The Dinner List.

Source:
Serle, Rebecca.The Dinner List: A novel. Flatiron Books, 2018.