How is your bracket going? I was sad to say goodbye to a few books on the last round, but it's time to go at it again. Today, we remove another fine handful of books to get down to the Elite Eight.
As a reminder of the pain that is real, here is where we start today... My Sweet Sixteen.
This round was markedly more difficult than the last. Though I did lose some great books in the first round, this time there were quite a few books that I was super sad to cut. There were more than a small handful of cases where I really debated who would win. (I should add here that I'm eliminating blindly -- not allowing myself to go back and look at my reviews or ratings before making a final decision.)
As we get to the smaller rounds, I'll go through the analysis for each pair. Once they make it past the Elite Eight, it's only fair that they each get a little attention. Today though, I'm just going to focus on a the three pairings that made me the most heartbroken. I hate eliminating good books. It wears on me.
As we get to the smaller rounds, I'll go through the analysis for each pair. Once they make it past the Elite Eight, it's only fair that they each get a little attention. Today though, I'm just going to focus on a the three pairings that made me the most heartbroken. I hate eliminating good books. It wears on me.
1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (5 stars) vs. Caraval by Stephanie Garber (4 stars)
These are both such fantastic books. Little Fires Everywhere is a contemporary, whereas Caraval is a fantasy fiction.
I was very surprised by how much I loved Little Fires. I grabbed it simply because I had heard great things. I honestly don't even think I read the synopsis before I started reading it. I had also purchased it blindly for my mother prior to reading it myself. It totally lived up to my expectations. The writing was great, the plot was solid, and it totally gave me the feels.
Caraval fantastically held up to my expectations. I love anything magic and circusey related, so I went into this one expecting something akin to The Night Circus. Well...there was no circus, but wow...there was a super plot. It's a fantastical mystery that is part of a trilogy and I am totally hooked. I need to get my hands on the sequel soon.
I tossed this one back and forth for quite a while and it held up what seems to be becoming a tradition for this BOTY round in that the very first pairing is my most difficult decision. Ultimately, I wound up going with what turned out to be my higher rated book in the beginning. Little Fires had 5 stars and Caraval had 4 stars. They held true to these ratings in my mind.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng moves on in the competition, but I still very much heart Caraval and will continue to heavily recommend it.
2. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (4.5 stars)
vs.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (4 stars)
vs.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (4 stars)
Okay...first off...I love Fredrik Backman. He is a fantastic writer. Beartown was a bit different from what I expected, but it was stellar. The setting was great and I really (surprisingly) enjoyed the hockey aspect of the story. I typically don't go in for sports stuff. (But I do really love hockey, so I guess it was a good choice if I had to read a book about sports.) The plot went to places that were raw and honest and risky...the potential for controversy is there. I was addicted to this one and could not put it down. Such a good read.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the conclusion of a trilogy. It is YA fiction and a bit sappy here and there. But oh how I love Lara Jean. She is a great character. The writing is snappy and easy to follow, it has a bit of a light-hearted and friendly feel. The series altogether is fantastic and this one was just the best and perfect wrap up. I was definitely left wanting more.
Super heartstrings tugging occurred with this match up. Both teen-focused books, but in such different ways. I mulled it over and ultimately (again) fell in line with my prior ratings. With 4.5 stars, Beartown just edges out the 4-star rated Always and Forever, Lara Jean.
Backman really pulled the punches in this round, getting me torn apart in two separate pairings. His Us Against You (the sequel to Beartown), got pitted against the magnificent Margaret Atwood and her lengthy novel, The Blind Assassin.
Margaret Atwood just writes a dang good book. The Blind Assassin took me a little bit to get in to and totally had me confused in the beginning, but it spun into something complex and wonderful. It had a great plot with a skillfully employed movement from past to present and back again throughout the novel. I loved the protagonist and I always enjoy Atwood's style. She's just a master.
Us Against You was a solid follow up to Beartown. Though they are written slightly differently, they work together nearly seamlessly. Backman has a true gift for writing and always seems to turn his stories into something that has a hearty non-fiction feel even though all of the circumstances and characters are pure fiction. He has a tendency to suck me in right away and keep me glued to the pages. Us Against You wasn't quite as good as Beartown, but it was still a fantastic read.
Both of these books rated the same at 4-stars, so (true to form) my gut really did have to work hard on a decision here. I hated to have to eliminate either book. Ultimately, I had to go with Us Against You. It was just the more emotionally gripping story for me and I felt like I was so submerged in the storyline that I could have been there. It's awful to see an Atwood novel go by the wayside, but it was paired against an incredibly solid competitor. Us Against You by Fredrick Backman enters the Elite Eight as his second book to continue on in the competition.
Margaret Atwood just writes a dang good book. The Blind Assassin took me a little bit to get in to and totally had me confused in the beginning, but it spun into something complex and wonderful. It had a great plot with a skillfully employed movement from past to present and back again throughout the novel. I loved the protagonist and I always enjoy Atwood's style. She's just a master.
Us Against You was a solid follow up to Beartown. Though they are written slightly differently, they work together nearly seamlessly. Backman has a true gift for writing and always seems to turn his stories into something that has a hearty non-fiction feel even though all of the circumstances and characters are pure fiction. He has a tendency to suck me in right away and keep me glued to the pages. Us Against You wasn't quite as good as Beartown, but it was still a fantastic read.
Both of these books rated the same at 4-stars, so (true to form) my gut really did have to work hard on a decision here. I hated to have to eliminate either book. Ultimately, I had to go with Us Against You. It was just the more emotionally gripping story for me and I felt like I was so submerged in the storyline that I could have been there. It's awful to see an Atwood novel go by the wayside, but it was paired against an incredibly solid competitor. Us Against You by Fredrick Backman enters the Elite Eight as his second book to continue on in the competition.
And...with those difficult choices and sacrifices out of the way...here are this year's Elite Eight.
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