Review: Northanger Alibi by Jenni James

Title: Northanger Alibi
Author: Jenni James
Published: January 15th 2012
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

The Russo family and Seattle, Washington, are no match for Claire Hart and her savvy knowledge of all things vampire-related. Thanks to her obsession with the Twilight series, if there is anyone who would know a vampire when she saw one, it's Claire. And she's positive totally hot Tony Russo is a vampire - she just has to prove it!

In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, follow Claire's hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn't what it seems, and that in some instances, reality is way better than anything she'd ever find in a book.

My Thoughts:

My two favorite Jane Austen stories are Persuasion first and Northanger Abbey second. I still need to read Northanger Abbey, but as far as the story goes, I just adore it. So, getting my hands on a retelling of it by Jenni James... yeah, that was a must.

The premise is engaging, and extremely hilarious. If I had read this back when I was still obsessed with Twilight, I probably would have been a lot more into the story. Claire is very funny though, it's hard not to like her, no matter how ridiculous she can be. I really loved how the author got the comparisons down, and how she absolutely surprised me with additional story lines.

All in all, Northanger Alibi was quite the read. While I did find some of it slightly annoying, I know it was because this is YA. It reads like YA and the characters are very YA, sometimes slightly Middle Grade. But due to how many stories got woven in, I found myself sucked into it since it piqued my interest. If you like slightly cheesy stories that feature an underlying Twilight-esque tale and/or Jane Austen retellings, this might be right up your alley.

My Rating:

Review: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Summary: Read Goodreads Synopsis
Source: Purchased paperback
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Caution: May contain spoilers


My Thoughts:

Persuasion is one of my favorite movie adaptations in the world. I could watch the Masterpiece Theater version over and over without getting sick of it. That’s how much I love it. Since I had never read a Jane Austen book before, I decided to go with that one for my Summer Romance Challenge. I have to admit it was not easy at first. The very beginning with the details on the family and friends of the family was a struggle to get through. I think the reason why is because I know the story so well from the movie. Once more dialogue came about, it became very enjoyable.

Anne Elliot was once engaged to Frederick Wentworth when she was very young. Since her friend Lady Russell didn’t approve of the match, she persuaded Anne to break off the engagement. Fast forward eight years later. Anne’s father Sir Walter and sister Elizabeth have nearly brought the family to bankruptcy. They have to let the house to someone while they get things back to where it should be financially. The person who takes up residency is Admiral and Mrs. Croft. And guess who happens to be the brother of Mrs. Croft? You guessed it--Frederick, now Captain Wentworth.

So now Anne is forced into being around him often, watching him from afar, imagining him as not wanting anything to do with her. Especially when it seems he is preferring the company of another. As time goes on, he gets to see a different side of her, how selfless she is.  And when it seems he is attentive to her, Mr. Elliot, her cousin, seems to be very interested in Anne. But where does Anne stand? Does she have a chance with Frederick again?

Like I said, this is one of my favorite movie adaptations. Reading the book was like icing on the cake, completely put it all into perspective, getting into the mind of the characters. Jane Austen really is an amazing author. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to read one of her novels. Definitely one of the best classics I’ve read so far.

My Rating:

 Very Good... Stay up late

~Jessica