Book Reviews: Zeb and the Great Ruckus, The Fault in Our Stars, and Beauty Queens

Hi everyone. I finish reading a few books so I wanted to write reviews on them. I tried to keep these reviews *spoiler free* so that you all can enjoy the books to its fullest. Let's begin.

Zeb and the Great Ruckus

Author: Josh Donellan
ISBN: 9780987232533
Format: e-book from NetGalley (thanks Odyssey Books)

About: (from Goodreads)

“This is a story made from pieces of all the dreams that you had when you were asleep, but then forgot when you woke up.”

Hello! You are reading this in order to determine whether or not this book will be of interest to you! Well, congratulations, you obviously have fabulous taste! Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a story about magic, music, fireworks, bewilderbeasts, clockwork birds and weaponised toffee. It has some funny bits, some scary bits, some sad bits, and a rather large bit about a cave-dwelling ruttersnarl which we would tell you about but we don’t want to give away the ending. If you like the sounds of any or all of the above, then this is the book for you! If you would rather read a complete history of European haberdashery, please consult your local book emporium

My thoughts:
Zeb and the Great Ruckus is a middle grade read that’s charming and fun. I love story of kids traveling on a quest so this book fits my range perfectly. Zeb, the main character, lives in a city without beautiful music. He and his female friend Flip will go on an adventure to bring back the music in order to get rid of the bad guys. Zeb has a nice charisma in him and Flip is very outspoken. They are really fun to read about. The book has a simple premise and it’s a fast read. I also really like the different monsters and the illustrations. I wish there were more adventures in the middle but it was about the right size for a middle grade read. I like how the story ends. I would recommend it to those who love to read a fun fantasy adventure.

The Fault in our Stars
Author: John Green
ISBN: 0525478817 Format: Book

About: (from Goodreads) Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tay kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind

My thoughts: The Fault in our Stars is one of those absolutely heart wrenching feel good kind of a book. John Green did a great job of introducing us to Hazel and Gus. Hazel was able to change because of Gus and Gus was able to find a special meaning to live because of Hazel. This book is such a great book. I was tearing the second half of it. I love how the story flow and the interactions between the two. In addition, the romance in the book is great. Gus is such a romantic and Hazel is such a luck girl. These two were one of the best couple I’ve ever read about. The book has a great twist and unexpected ending. I highly recommend this book.

Beauty Queen

Author: Libba Bray
ISBN: 0439895979
Format: Audio book read by Libba Bray (she’s awesome)

About: Miss teen dream contestants got into a plane crash and was left stranded on a deserted island. They have to work together to survive the dangers of the jungles, pirates, and terrorist organizations.

My thoughts:
This was the first Libba Bray book I listen to. I find Beauty Queens entertaining and funny. There were pop culture references, stereotypical clichés, and even random commercials squeeze into this one book. The miss teen contestants were fun and unique. I love how Libba explore the girls’ personalities and how they came to be. There’re lots of surprises in Beauty Queen that I didn’t expect. For example, the addition of the pirates and the crazy terrorist was really unexpected but so funny. It’s great to read about how the girl survive and how they work together to achieve something great. All in all, Beauty Queens was a blast to listen to. It was a fantastic audio book and a great read.

Audio book thoughts:
Libba is a great reader. She was able to voice each of her characters differently with different accents and different vocal tones. Her reading was really funny. My favorite voice would probably be Tiara because she’s bubbly, innocent, and so nonchalant about the world.