Saturday, 30 April 2016

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil (Young Adult, 9/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 February 2016, Stripes Publishing, 384 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: teen drama 

Summary from Little Tiger Press
Alba is facing one of the most important summers of her life. School is over and while her friends want to escape their sleepy hometown, she just wants to stay put.

But when a viral video about the end of the world announces that Eden Valley is the only safe place to be, thousands of people descend on the town. Amidst parties and prayer circles, Alba feels like her world has turned upside down. At least she’s got Cinnamon Girl — the comic-strip alter ego she’s created…

Nayu's thoughts
This book is minorly dystopian, enough that I almost quit reading but glad I didn't! All is not as it seems in more ways than one. It got crazy for Alba with so many strangers descending on her home, at a tricky time when she is still grieving for her dad and going through classic teen problems as friends being weird. I never forgot how funny I found it when Alba's mum banned her from the kitchen because she stress bakes. 

While I didn't always agree with what Alba did, I could understand her reactions to losing control of life. We all go through rough times when we don't act as we normally would. It took ages for certain plot parts to be revealed, but I promise they were worth the wait. I love how Alba loves drawing, and how she draws is affected by her emotional state. 

Things got grim, so instead of quitting the book I simply read something else until I could get back to Alba without aiming the book at the bin. I'm half joking, ok? I'm not fond of doom and gloom, and will happily reread this now I know what happens. Cinnamon girl ia rather cool, focusing on how girls love manga as much as guys.

Find out more on Melissa's website.  

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