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ARC Book Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things – Ann Aguirre


thequeenofbrightandshinythingsThe Queen of Bright and Shiny Things
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.
Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.
But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

 
First Sentence: I know what they call me.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

My Review:

I was really scared I wouldn’t like The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things. I was a huge fan of Ann Aguirre’s Enclave, but as I read more of her books, Outpost, I Want It That Way, and Mortal Danger, I constantly found myself being disappointed by them. Where were the feelings that made me fall in love with Enclave? I requested before I read Mortal Danger, and after reading three books I didn’t enjoy by Ann, I was pretty much afraid that I wouldn’t enjoy reading The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things either. However, to my surprise, I found myself actually enjoying The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things.

A majority of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things focuses on the romance between Sage and Shane. That means that if you’re not sold on the romance, there’s a huge probability of you not enjoying the book. I wasn’t completely sold on Sage and Shane’s relationship, but I did enjoy reading about their romantic moments. I didn’t exactly ship them, but they were cute together so I wasn’t bothered with how much their romance took over the book.

“I’ve kind of been there,” I explain quietly. “I wasn’t old enough to work, but it would’ve been nice if somebody…cared.”
Shane sighs, but there’s a faint softening to his impatiences. “Fine.” (ARC 88)

The other major aspects of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things was bullying and how life can just suck sometimes. The bullying parts of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things made me sad, especially with how often I’ve seen similar events that happened in The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things actually happen in real life, even in college. The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things makes me want to do something about it. As for the “life can just suck sometimes” part, I rather not go deep into it since I do consider that part a spoiler. However, I can say that that part definitely made me tear up as I hate that the characters had to go through all that.

I also love how The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things shows the dark side of some people. Like Sage who calls her dark side “Shadow Sage,” I also have a dark side, just not a dark past where I acted on my dark side. (Let’s face it though, who doesn’t have a dark side?) As Sage was facing some awful people, my dark side couldn’t help but come out, telling her to get revenge on those awful people, but of course, that’s not the way to do things. That didn’t stop me from urging her to get revenge though.

“You okay, Sage?” Shane asks, as we step up to the ticket counter.
For him, I muster a smile and put aside my dark thoughts. “I’m perfect.” (ARC 231)

The reason I can’t give The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things four stars or higher is because I wasn’t satisfied with the way things ended with a particular storyline. At the beginning, that storyline felt natural and real, but as I read on, it soon became rushed and awkward. It was hardly spoken of again after a certain point when it was once the most important storyline of all; it was like the author didn’t know how to end that storyline exactly, so she tried to make it forgettable and unnoticable later on. I was sadly definitely not satisfied with the way that storyline ended.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things. If you’re in the mood for a book that shows how much bullying hurts and how much life can suck, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is definitely the book for you!

threepointfive

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 4-03-15 · 18 Comments
Categories: 2015 book, book review Tagged: 3.5 star

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Speak Your Mind

  1. Kristen @ The Cozy Reading Corner says

    4-03-15 at 11:05 AM

    Great review! From the cover and synopsis, I wouldn’t have expected the deeper themes running throughout the book. I will definitely be checking it out.
    Kristen @ The Cozy Reading Corner recently posted…Book Spotlight: Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman (Author Interview)My Profile

    Reply
  2. Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook says

    4-03-15 at 2:25 PM

    Well, I am definitely interested in this book. I’ve heard mostly positive things, although I haven’t seen any 5 star reviews. But that’s okay. Thanks for the review.
    Quinn @ Quinn’s Book Nook recently posted…Why I Love Historical RomanceMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Cynthia says

    4-03-15 at 3:00 PM

    Great review. I have to say though, that I am not sure this one would be for me. I haven’t seen any rave reviews so I don’t think I will want to read it.
    Cynthia recently posted…BOOK REVIEW: Black Iris by Leah RaederMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Zoey @ Uncreatively Zoey says

    4-03-15 at 8:34 PM

    I had no idea that bullying was portrayed in this book! I’m excited to see how that’s handled. And I really loved what you said about the dark part of you kind of rooting for Sage to get some revenge – that happens to me more often than I think it probably should. This was a lovely review, and I’m definitely excited for this one!
    Zoey @ Uncreatively Zoey recently posted…Review: The NaturalsMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Jacklin Updegraft says

    4-03-15 at 8:37 PM

    I’ve been on the fence about this book because it sounds good and I love a good romance but I’m also on a huge fantasy kick and it’s been hard to break out of that!
    Jacklin Updegraft recently posted…Spring Clean Your TBR GoalsMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Nova @ Out of Time says

    4-03-15 at 9:29 PM

    I wasn’t sold on the romance and like you said in the review, it did affect my love for the story. I really enjoyed the middle of it, which is weird because usually it’s the start or the finish, right? The middle was where things felt the most real in my opinion because it started with instalove and it finished quite quickly. I liked Sage and Shane but like you said, I did have trouble shipping them because of whatever reason.

    I’m excited to read Ann’s Razorland stuff! I’ve heard that’s amazing
    Nova @ Out of Time recently posted…How Should An Author Respond to Negative Reviews?My Profile

    Reply
  7. Hillary R. says

    4-03-15 at 9:29 PM

    The truth is, books about bullying and how much it hurts to be bullied scares me. I don’t think I’ve picked up that many on the subject but the one I remember most about bullying made me angry when all these bad things kept happening. Then finding out who had caused everything in the first place made me even more mad. That was why when you said you have a dark side to you, I totally could empathize. I have one too. Even if it’s just a story, in my mind, I scream get REVENGE to those characters that did wrong towards you. Scary huh? I’m scared of myself too lol. But I’m glad you enjoyed this story Kelly! ^_^

    Reply
  8. Carina Olsen says

    4-04-15 at 5:03 AM

    Gorgeous review Kelly. <3 I'm so happy you really liked this book :D But aw, I'm sorry you didn't love it :( I loved it so so much, hih. But then, I very much shipped Shane and Sage :D They were too cute! The romance was amazing. <3 But I also liked the plot :) Anyway. I'm glad you mostly liked this book a whole lot. <3 Thank you for sharing your thoughts about it sweetie :)
    Carina Olsen recently posted…Book Recommendation: Lyra’s Oxford by Philip PullmanMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction says

    4-04-15 at 9:30 AM

    I’ve heard decent things about this one but like you I’ve been disappointed in some of her other books so I’m a tad reluctant to read this. I hope we both love Public Enemies O.O Glad that you liked this one!
    Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction recently posted…Stacking the ShelvesMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Laila Campos says

    4-04-15 at 11:16 AM

    The premise of the story is not all too unfamiliar to me…i just feel this one is not on my top tbr for a contemporary YA romance….but thanks Kaye for giving a better insight of the book but still it won’t be in one of my immediate read any time soon.

    Reply
  11. Laila Campos says

    4-04-15 at 11:17 AM

    BTW, i also love her Enclave. I have yet to read The Outpost and The Hoard… here is hoping it will still go well for me.

    Reply
  12. Ramona says

    4-04-15 at 1:59 PM

    I also loved the Enclave series and was hesitant to pick this one up, because it’s so different. I’m sure Ann Aguirre can write contemporary stories, but are they as good as Enclave? Opinions seem to differ. So I haven’t decided yet. Really good review :)
    Ramona recently posted…Great First Lines Of YA BooksMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Sue Holmes says

    4-04-15 at 3:59 PM

    This looks good. I love the cover!
    Sue Holmes recently posted…Where I’ve been… FranschhoekMy Profile

    Reply
  14. Selena Yukino says

    4-11-15 at 8:58 PM

    Great review! I’ve been scared to read this one especially since I’ve seen not so good reviews about this book, but thanks to your review you’ve made my curiosity pique again. I definitely think I’ll consider picking this up to see how I feel about it. Thanks! :)

    Reply
  15. Jaime Lester says

    4-14-15 at 11:10 PM

    I loved Enclave, but the next books didn’t get me as much as that first one. I jumped all over Mortal Danger, and I actually LOVED it, one of the few… This one is way outside of my wheelhouse, but I have to admit it sounds good. I am not a huge fan of a mostly romantic book, though, so that concerns me. Sometimes they work, a lot of times they don’t. I think I will give this one a chance though. There is just something about it!
    Jaime Lester recently posted…Awakening by Shannon Duffy ~ Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ By Jaime!My Profile

    Reply
  16. Joan Hernandez says

    4-20-15 at 1:40 AM

    I checked this book before in Goodreads, and I was hooked by the plot. I love romance books a lot. So I put this in my To-Read books. When I read your review, I suddenly wanted to read it, because you put quotations, the ones that the characters told. But I saw your rating of this book, and it gave me second thoughts if I should buy the book or if I’ll just download an ebook. But since it has a beautiful cover, there’s more chance that I will buy the book. Haha! Anyway, I love your review. I just have to check out the book. :)

    Reply
  17. Cali W. says

    4-29-15 at 1:55 PM

    Good review. I haven’t read any books by Ann, but I do read good reviews; I think I will give this book a try. :)

    Reply
  18. Alexandra says

    5-04-15 at 1:38 AM

    Thank for the review! I love Ann Aguirre’s books and I am going to give it a try!
    Alexandra recently posted…My blog crashedMy Profile

    Reply

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