By: Mette Ivie HarrisonPublisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Genre: YA
Source: NetGalley
Format: eBook
Pages: 272
Rating: I didn't like it.
A modern retelling of the German fairy tale "Tristan and Isolde," Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.
My thoughts...
Oh man, I tried, I really did. I wanted to like it, it sounded like a great book but sadly it failed for me. I couldn't stomach it long enough to finish it, I only made it to page 160. The writing is lacking and the characters and story line are undeveloped. One minute Izzie is in love with Mark, her super hot, popular b/f (gag) and the next minute she is shacking up with Tris. Not to mention at that time, her BFF confesses her love for Mark, to which he professes his feelings for her in return. Badda Bing Badda Boom, swapparoo! Uh... excuse me, what just happened? No joke, this all went down in about a few pages, and that was pretty much how the entire books consistency went.
Izzie is superficial and shallow, so much so that she makes the Housewives of Orange County seem humble. I don't know who talks or even thinks like this but all the references to "exile" a kid from their group of "popular" friends just because you don't get like them seems a bit extreme and unreal. Another thing that irritated me was that Izzie does a love potion for her friend, Branna, because she doesn't think that she can attract any guys on her own because she doesn't wear make-up, dresses or do her hair. REALLY!? Not to mention her and Branna's bullying scene where they smash this kid's magic wine bottle while he is pleading with them. I just could not seem to get around the pettiness of this book.
Even with the bad guys attacking Izzie and Tris, I just could not seem to care. I kept reading hoping that at some point it would get better but it got to a point where I realized that nothing was going to change and it just was not going to happen for me.
Favorite quote
I HATE to do thins but I honestly could not find anything. I tried and I searched but I could not find a quote that I liked :o( But instead I added a quote that highlights Izzie's character.
"Mel was short and had spiky blond hair and a goatee. He had joined Mark's posse this year, but I wasn't sure why Mark had let him. Mel annoyed me with his stupid sly jokes. Mark had told me that if I really disliked him, he would "exile" him, which meant that no one would speak a word to him without Mark's permission. I was still thinking about it." -Izzie
I hate when I really want to like a book, but I just can't. I feel guilty, but it happens. Character development is really important to me. Thanks for an honest review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such an honest review. I was starting to see this one around a lot lately, and it was starting to pique my interest. I still want to read it, but I think I'll wait until I see it on discount before picking up a copy, just in case I can't get into it.
ReplyDelete