From Back Cover: Everything has been going wrong for aspiring scientist Madeline Little, and she's dreading the start of sixth grade. Now that her best friend has moved to private school, Maddie has no one to hang out with except a bunch of middle-school misfits. And if you add Maddie's blood disorder, which causes public humiliation at the very worst times, it's all a formula for disaster. At least she can rely on her standard operating procedures, the observations and step-by-step instructions she writes down in her top-secret lab notebook. Procedures for how to escape a conversation with your mother, how to avoid the weirdos at school - it's all in there. Fortunately, no one will ever read it. But does science have all the answers?
My Rating: 3.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan is
a solid MG read about discovering the unpredictability of life. I really liked
that Madeline loved science so much, and found it refreshing to have a narrator
who wrote Standard Operating Procedures and grew
bacterial cultures instead of worrying about popularity and boys.
The Friendship Experiment was released in November 2016 by HMH
Books for Young Readers.
In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.
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From Goodreads: Every generation on the
island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal
heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a
fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the
snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the
deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a
naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and
control the fiercest of lions. But becoming the Queen Crowned
isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it.
And it’s not just a game of win or lose ... it’s life or death. The night
the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing
gets the crown. If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable
to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she
tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully
faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and
their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being
formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the
queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might
not be the strongest ... but she may be the darkest.
My Rating: 2 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns was a
book that I was looking forward to reading because of its dark premise. Unfortunately,
while the beginning part of the novel whetted my appetite with Katherine having
to ingest poisoned food, for example, the majority of the book was quite dull.
There was little plot to be honest, and I’m still confused as to why Katherine,
Arsinoe and Mirabella must kill each other. Furthermore, none
of the queens made me want to root for them or their insta-love romances.
A huge disappointment, Three Dark Crowns was released by HarperTeen in
September 2016.
In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.
I really like characters who try to apply science and logic to sort out life's problems. If only it was that easy! I've heard mixed things about Three Dark Crowns and I'm not sure if I should pick it up.
ReplyDeleteEhh yes, kind of seems like Three Dark Crowns isn't getting the best of reviews, which is such a shame because I know I was thinking the same as you when I first read that synopsis. I was wondering whether the author was going to be able to explain the craziness of sisters having to kill each other... turns out no :(
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Three Dark Crowns was such a letdown! The book blurb makes it sound like it should be the exact *opposite* of dull. And like the other commenters, I think I've been seeing some mixed/luke-warm reviews for it... so yeah, I doubt I'll pick it up anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteAw too bad about Three Dark Crowns. I've been on the fence about it because I liked her Anna books and the premise sounds ok, but...eh, it sounds like it doesn't get beyond an idea to become an actual fleshed out story. Guess I'll skip.
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