Currently reading
A Clash of Kings
The Diviners
The Book of (Even More) Awesome
Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
Shatter Me
Cress
Truth & Dare: 20 Tales of Heartbreak and Happiness
Watchmen
The Princesses of Iowa
I initially wasn’t really sure if I wanted to read The Princesses of Iowa. Some of the reviews seemed lukewarm, but when Kelly mentioned how lovely the writing was, I knew I had to give it a shot. Unfortunately, the writing was the only thing I really loved about this book.Aside from the car accident she was in last spring, Paige Sheridan leads a charmed a life. I did not particularly care for Paige. While I connected with her desire to heal through writing, she was just meh for me. In general, I found the characters well crafted, but not people I especially related to. I liked two of the characters in Paige’s writing class, but no longer remember their names because I read this book in August.The plot of The Princess of Iowa falls pretty flat. 2012 has brought us some long contemporaries, and Backes’s novel clocks in at over 400 pages. The plot wasn’t boring, and it was well-paced enough. However, the conclusion of this novel was excessively preachy and not believable.Backes’s writing had some lovely moments . I wouldn’t say it’s like Daughter of Smoke and Bone, where lovely prose surrounds you with every prose you turns. Instead, I felt as though the brilliant writing occurred in spurts when I was least expecting it, at quiet points in the novel.I can’t help but think of what The Princesses of Iowa could have been. If the plot had been as good as Backes’s writing, I think it would have been a better experience for me. I’ll check out whatever Backes’s publishes next and hope that I enjoy it more.