Mini Reviews:Margot and Me, Truth or Dare, and The Raven Boys

This week’s Mini Reviews seems to have an accidental theme of books that I should have read sooner!

Margot and Me by Juno Dawson

Until I picked up Margot and Me, I had only read Juno’s most recent three books, and this had a very different vibe. Fliss is moving to Wales with her mother to live with her grandmother, Margot. Margot is not a warm, cuddly type of Grandma; she made me feel very uncomfortable to start with, but she grew on me as the story went on. When Fliss finds her diary, we get to see a whole other side of Margot, what she was like as a child and young woman, and an insight into why she is the way she is now. I loved learning more about Margot through the diaries as we learn about Fliss and how she is coping with the move, her mum’s health and the things she has been through. Adjusting to a new school isn’t easy, and she has some difficult things to deal with, but I loved watching her form friendships and find something in her new home that made her happy. Discovering the diary is the start of a warmer relationship between the two, and I loved seeing this begin to grow – it was my favourite thing about this story. This book is a really tough read; it takes on a lot of serious issues and there are some really gut-wrenchingly sad moments. This is a great book, I’m just sorry I didn’t pick it up sooner.

Truth or Dare by Non Pratt

I am so late to the party with this one, and there’s no excuse because it has been sat on my shelf since it first came out. I am sorry for Past Charlotte’s atrocious behaviour. Truth or Dare is told in two parts from two different perspectives: Sef’s and Claire’s. Sef is struggling with his brother’s illness and hospitlaisation: I couldn’t relate to Sef’s behaviour at the start, but as the story went on, I came to understand it. Claire was more relateable, but both characters are flawed in different ways and reading both perspectives really showed how it’s important to understand both sides of a story before reaching any conclusions. I loved the relationship between these two; they are such an unlikely pairing, but somehow it works. I love that the way they work together and use the power of social media to try to so something good; it’s a great premise for a book. As always, Non’s writing is brilliant and I was hooked from the start. I read this book in one sitting and I have zero regrets.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

This book has been on my shelf a ridiculous amount of time; I bought it when I tried to make myself go on a book buying ban and failed spectacularly. was nothing at all like I thought it was going to be from the blurb, but it was a great read. Blue is the only person in her family with no psychic ability, who boosts the energy of those around her and happens to be the subject of a prophecy that she will kill her true love. It’s definitely not your average teenage romance; it was much less “potentially fatal romance” and more “bonkers magical quest with a boy gang”. The boys she teams up with are rich, spoilt, and on a quest to find a lost king. It took me a while to warm up to any of them, but by the end I was definitely invested in their story. I loved the setting of this, Maggie’s writing is really evocative and I’m definitely intrigued to see where it goes next because it feels like there is a lot more to come!

Have you read any of these books? Have you been surprised by any books you neglected to read sooner?

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