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The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat. While this was a middle grade book (marketed for readers age 8-12), I loved it. The only issue I had with it was how short it was (took only an hour and a half to read, I wish it had been a 10+ hour book).
Set on a fantasy world, the main character, Plum, has a way with the world around her: she can talk to plants, insects, and animals, and they understand her.
One day she gets a letter, informing her she's been accepted to a magical school. (Yeah, not an original storyline, but the writing, characterization, and world building really make it worth reading.)
Most of the book follows her through the school (about a month of time), as she trains to become a Guardian (those who protect their world's nature).
It was so well written, I wish the second (and final?) book was out, but it's not coming out until midsummer. I checked the other books the author has written, hoping to pick something up, but most of them are for even younger children (picture books).
DNF #80: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. When this book wasn't hooking me, I checked Goodreads and found this blurb in the official summary. "harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series". The reviews there are simply amazing, so amusingly brutal. I dropped this book like a hot potato.
DNF #81: CONSOL: Book one of the Dark Gold Trilogy by LaMonte Johnson. This book doesn't exist on Amazon, and the summary on Goodreads is the entire first chapter of it. The story has zero character description. I had no idea if the characters were supposed to be adults or kids. The writing wasn't the worst I've ever read, but without knowing anything about the characters, felt pointless to read.
DNF #82: Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld. Westerfeld is such an odd author. I loved a couple of his books, but I rabidly hate most of them. This book was just... so very not for me. It was about an AI that becomes human. But in doing so, it has sex with an underaged girl (very graphic/detailed, I skimmed so many pages trying to get to the end of the scene).
