Cover Loving Saturday

Enchanted - Alethea Kontis

Not only is this cover gorgeous, and completely represents what the book is about to me (a fairytale told to perfection) which this cover plays on, I also felt like it captured Sunday's dreaminess.  And having Grumble on the cover also adds to the magic that is this read.  The interior of the book is also incredible lovely.  All of the chapter titles, etc. are set up to mimic old fairytale layouts.  There is so much about this book that I could rant and rave about, but I'm a cover lover, and I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have added it to my "to read" list if I hadn't first been captured by the cover.  To read my review of Enchanted, which is one that I highly recommend for the fairytale lover in all of us (and definitely fun for all ages!) click here.

Unraveling Isobel - Eileen Cook

Unraveling Isobel was another book that I really enjoyed, and this cover (which from what I understand is the paperback and e-book cover) is GORGEOUS and completely embodies what the story is for me.  Not only does the lake play a massive role in the story, but this story is also really fun and sweet and romantic which I feel like the cover embodies.  Although I like the hardback cover, because it high lights that Isobel is an artist, which drives her mother crazy, what I love about this one is that through what she is wearing you can tell that she is more of a hipster/artist and it also shows the relationship that Isobel and Nate have.  I'm not a massive fan of books with kissing covers, but I feel like this one still gives you that romantic aspect without being overly gross.  And the font! So lovely and perfectly placed.  This cover is just so - lovely and minimalistic that I completely adore it!  I also feel like it's geared more towards an older YA audience, which I felt that book embodied.  Ah, so lovely.  For my review on Unraveling Isobel click here.

As always, thank you for this incredible idea imlovingbooks.com.  Everyone check out her site! She is such a fun reviewer! (her link is in our sidebar!)

Unraveling Isobel

Author: Eileen Cook

Series: Stand Alone

Genres: Paranormal, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Released: 3 January 2012

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.
But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts.
Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

For Fans Of: Anna Dressed in Blood, Second Chance Summer, and The Catastrophic History of You and Me

My Review:  Unraveling Isobel was such a fun read, and finally a stand alone book that we really well written!  I have been so sick of series lately, and this one was such a well done single that I couldn’t help but like it.

First I want to talk about the relationship that Isobel has with her mother.  Although it falls into the classic “despondent” mother/daughter relationship that so many ya books fall into, however Cook justifies it by focusing on the “why” of their relationship.  I appreciated this so much as a reader, don’t get me wrong: I was still annoyed that her mother blindly followed Dick but at least it wasn’t really out of character for the mother to act that way.

The supernatural aspect of Isobel was a little ambiguous for my taste.  It left me with a few questions that I didn’t expect to have after reading a stand alone.  I wish that Isobel’s “tendencies” had been a little bit better explained, but nobody’s perfect.

I was very pleased with how the Nate/Isobel thing works out.  At first I’ll admit, I was a little bit freaked out.  I didn’t want this to go all Twin Peaks on me.  However, Cook brings out their relationship really beautifully and with plenty of butterflies.  I really enjoyed it.

The mystery aspect, although simple is well thought out.  There were definitely some “Nancy Drew” like moments and I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the mystery.  Overall it was a good and enticing read that may or may not keep you wanting the light on.