I saw The Princess Diaries in the local free library and figured I would give it a try since I liked the movie and was out of books to read. Normally I try to read a book before seeing the movie and I think this time I would have liked the book more if I had not seen the movie first. I really struggled with the diary entry format, I do not feel like it was a believable diary entry. 

Mia is totally shocked to learn that she is a princess and her father the current prince is unable to have more children so she must inherit the throne one day. Not exactly what is thought of as a princess Mia is forced to spend time with her Grandmere learning how to be a princess, has to keep her secret from the world including her best friend, and deal with her algebra teaching failing her. 

At times the diary entries just seemed off. Randomly writing out math problems did not seem to fit with what I would imagine a teenager writing in her diary. I also felt like things were left out with the story being in a diary format. Plus with how much time it takes to write a diary entry I thought it was fairly odd Mia was writing several diary entries in one day. Despite that I do have the second book sitting here and plan on giving it a try.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

 

I have wanted to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz since I saw it in the bookstore when it was released. I knew it would be sad but I am strong believer of those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.

Lale volunteers to do with the Nazi's when it is ordered for his family to give up one male over 18. Since his brother has a wife and kids Lale goes. Hoping to buy his way into an easy job Lale takes a lot large amount of money with him along with precious books in a suitcase. Sadly none of those thing will help Lale as he is taken to Auschwitz where he is forced into manual labor. Soon Lale falls ill but the other prisoners risk nursing him back to health and shortly after that Lale meets the current Tattoist who wants to teach Lale the trade. Proficient in several languages Lale is a good choice for the job since he can speak to most of the prisoners. I do not want to give away the rest of the story so I will leave it at that.

The writing flowed nicely and not once was I confused or needing clarification on what was occurring. Haunting, heartbreaking, and traumatizing Morris spins Lale's story into a portrayal of hope. It is proof that good people did exist and did what they could to help even at the risk of their own safety. I have no doubt the story will stay with me for a long time.

The Invention of Wings

 

I had been wanting to read The Invention of Wings for awhile so when I saw it at the local second hand shop I quickly grabbed it.

The story is told from the alternating point of view of Sarah, a rich slave owner's daughter, and Hetty a slave. Despite each girl having a very different life the two are intertwined on a journey that will last a lifetime. Determined to live her own life Hetty never stops dreaming of a life of freedom and Sarah dreams of a world without slaves. Horrified by her families lifestyle Sarah does all she can to voice how wrong slavery is while trying to protect Hetty from her endeavors that would get her in trouble. 

I enjoyed the first half of the story the most. It was sad but also provided hope in that some slave owners children did not believe in how things were. Despite the risks to herself Sarah never stopped speaking out on how things needed to change which was inspiring. While it is clear Hetty wanted things to change she also had her well being to think of and did act as forcefully a Sarah did. The writing was smooth and the transition between the two characters seamless. 

Tarnished City

 

While I disliked Gilded Cage a lot I had hoped Tarnished City would redeem the trilogy for me but it was not meant to be. If anything I disliked Tarnished City even more then Gilded Cage which is saying a lot.

I still do not care about any of the characters or what happens to them. Only one character do I feel anything for and it is annoyance. I really wish that she had been killed off. Just like with Gilded Cage I feel the series is too short to have so many points of view going on in each book. It makes it harder to connect to the characters and care about what happens to them. The writing style continues on in the same manner and twists and turns are presented. 

While I would like to know if Equals loose power I am not interested enough to try to slosh my way through another boring book.