Hello everyone and welcome back to my bloggooo
I hope everyone had a great spring break! Mine was really good! I love breaks so much and this one was so needed. I do wish it was a little longer, but overall I got a lot of rest, which was the goal. Here’s a little recap 😊:
Last weekend (start of break) I finished watching The Originals. It was SO good; definitely one of my favorite shows ever. At first I didn’t like it that much, as it was a little slow/hard to get into. But over time it really picked up and I started to get really attached to the characters and their bond. Definitely a five star show, second only to The Vampire Diaries of course.
On Monday we left for camping, which took up most of the week. It definitely was a fun and memorable trip, also really relaxing and peaceful. In addition, this is probably the best campsite I’ve been to. It has so many cool features, like parks, ziplining, a pool, stores, ice cream shops, and of course the major landmark…fall creek falls! The falls were SO pretty and awesome. My favorite part of the trip was definitely riding my grandma’s electric bike around the campsite and exploring all the hidden trails. In other words, I can’t wait to maybe go back here in the summer.
On Thursday we got back from camping, only to find out Milo had been SKUNKED. We had to wash him in tomato paste, which was disgusting, but worst of all the smell isn’t all the way out. Bleh.
Friday was a rest day where I watched a lot of movies and binge read the focus of today’s post, a book called Stepsister. Saturday was taken up entirely by my first official high school track meet! I had so much fun, because honestly meets have so many good memories and are really exciting. And then we have today (Sunday) which has been a slow but productive day.
So…that was my spring break! And now we’re onto today’s post, a book review!
Stepsister
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description
This book’s main character is one of Cinderella’s (only Ella in this story) stepsisters, Isabelle. It starts off with the ending to Ella’s story- but the beginning of Isabelle’s. Once Ella gets her happily ever after, Isabelle and her sister Tavi are outcasted by almost everyone in town, ridiculed for being one of the “ugly” stepsisters. Ugly is something Isabelle has been called her whole life, a term that has determined her whole self worth and composed a life of comparison. The word still has an effect on her after Ella leaves, so much so that she’s driven to make a wish with a fairy queen to be pretty. However, there’s a catch. In order to be pretty, Isabelle has to find the pieces of her heart, which soon proves to be no simple task, especially as Isabelle’s death date creeps closer and closer. Given a Chance, can Isabelle use it to defy Fate and find the pieces of her heart in time?
Review
I really enjoyed this book. Don’t get me wrong, the setting, plot, and characters were great, but that’s not what made this book four stars in my opinion. To me, it was the message. This book had such a powerful, feminist theme and I love it for that. It tells girls that they can have value in many ways besides looks, and that they don’t need a man to convince them of their self worth- that they can find it on their own. I also love how this book transformed Isabelle from a self-conscious, mean girl to a courageous and self assured warrior who had the power to change the course of war. Donnelly did a great job of addressing the toxic conformity girls experienced at the time, while not using it to totally excuse Isabelle’s previous behavior but allow her room for character growth. I love that Isabelle didn’t have to be pretty or the societal norm to be accepted. She found a friend group who accepted her for being herself. Also, this was such a fast paced, exciting read with lots of action, substance, fantasy elements, and of course, romance.
Quotes
-“The wolves in the woods have sharp teeth and long claws, but it's the wolf inside who will tear you apart.”
-“Here are the things girls die of: hunger, disease, accidents, childbirth, and violence. It takes more than heartache to kill a girl. Girls are tough as rocks.”
-“Don’t you see? A pretty girl must please the world. But an ugly girl? She’s free to please herself.”
-“They cut away pieces of me," she whispered in the darkness. "But I handed them the knife.”
In other words, I definitely recommend this book. It has something for everyone in it and gets you to thinking about important stuff. It also really ties into Women's History Month, so a great book to read in March. Speaking of, happy women's history month to all women out there!! If you haven’t read this book, go check it out!
Okie doke, that’s all for today guys! Thank you so much for reading and I hope everyone has a great week back at school. Love you all, byeee!
Current fav song: Best Days of Your Life by Kellie Pickler
P.S: There is a similar book by Donnelly called Poison that I'll definitely be reading soon!