A Wattpad Star's review book.
You know the drill, a classic review book where I'll be posting my opinion of the WP books I read. If you're looking for recommendations, inspiration, or just want to see what another reader's assessment is, this is the...
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Title: Under Ontario Skies Author: Chiara Malwana (IvashkovLightwood) Genre: Contemporary teen fiction (mature) Narrative: First-person, present tense - shifting POVs. Content: 34 chapter + an array of bonus content Link: wattpad.com/story/186746974
Summary: Elvie Presley Jones, who goes by Presley, is a senior at Charles Adams High School. She is teamed up with the new boy in Band, Deon Martinez, who just moved to Canada from Nashville. The two have to work together on a song for the Winter Musical, a big music competition for schools in the Ontario region. As they get to know each other, feelings start growing between them. While Presley's best friend encourages them to be together, a girl from school tries to get between them and sabotage their audition for the Winter Musical. Her attempts fail, and Presley and Deon go on to perform at the competition, but when they return home, a big surprise is waiting in front of Presley's house.
Cover: I think it's a beautiful cover. I really like how 'Under' has been ripped to follow the landscape in the background. It gives a great effect. But there's a bit of a style confusion happening. The big "clip-art" cloud at the bottom half fits the text very well, but when the top half has a more realistic look, it makes things clash a bit.
Blurb: The blurb follows a Wattpad classic: one description for each of the main characters. It does work, but personally, I prefer one coherent text. That said, it had some good lines that made me smile. But after reading the book, I feel like it gives a wrong impression of what the story is. The blurb tells of the characters' past, but in the story, we're much more focused on the present. Their past doesn't play as much into the story as I expected – based on the focus it gets in the blurb.
The good: I appreciate that the book is made up of shorter chapters. It makes it an easy and quick read. Even with my concentration issues, I had no problem getting through the book with relative speed. That is a big plus for me, and if your the kind to read on the go, you'll appreciate this.
I also welcome that Chiara isn't afraid to bring up subjects in the book that are usually kept to more hush conversations. We should be able to talk openly about periods and being sexually free. I just wish it had been done in more moderate amounts. I know that's kind of contradictory, but it's about finding the right balance, knowing how much is too much.
The book has some very good descriptions and word choices, which, as a writer, I love seeing. E.g. I enjoyed the description of their kiss in chapter 18. It didn't just focus on the kiss itself, but included their feelings and sensations. It really brought it to life.
Seeing as Chiara isn't a native English speaker, I'm very impressed by her vocabulary.
