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Title: Ivy Introspective (The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, #2)
Author: Kellyn Roth
Published By: Kellyn Roth (2017)
Synopsis: Trapped in a world where she doesn’t belong, twelve-year-old Ivy struggles to keep her head above water as her simplicity is brought to light by her new position as a young lady growing up at Pearlbelle Park.
After much thought, Ivy’s parents decide to send her to McCale House, a boarding school in Scotland for girls and boys like her. However, scared and worried away from her beloved mother, sister, and nurse, Ivy can’t seem to focus.
Will Ivy ever learn what Dr. McCale is trying to teach her? Or will she remained lost in her own mind forever? (Taken from Goodreads)
Review:
Surprisingly, I actually liked Ivy Introspective a lot better than its predecessor. Though it started out with a sour taste in my mouth due to the fact that I disliked one of the main foundations of the story— how Claire and Philip ended up together—I was surprised to find as I continued to read how much I liked it. I enjoyed seeing Ivy’s life and watching through her eyes. I thought the author did a fantastic job, I almost even liked it better than Alice’s book. While the first book spiraled a bit more, IvIn felt more focused and centered, concise and sweet, every scene leading into the next. I thought the author did a fantastic job with Ivy and her disability and her relation with those around her, too.
As well, I thought for the first 3/4 of the book the “Christanese” was great. It slipped in here and there, embellishing on or making a subtle point. I actually was getting impressed…until the last quarter of the book hit, where it felt like every other character had an overnight transformation and while one moment they were devoutly convinced to never trust God the very next they’ve repented and decided to completely give their life to Him, and the next moment everyone else has completely accepted this without question or thought. I just found it a little rough and cheesy. I love the heart behind it, but it just became very cringeworthy very fast.
I love the author’s heart, but I think it needed to be toned down. Just like you can’t force the gospel down a friend’s throat, you can’t force it down a reader’s throat either. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing if there’ll be a next one? 😉
Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Recommended to: Fans of Alice and Ivy 🙂
** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**