The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things (The Immortal Game)

by Ann Aguirre

• ISBN10: 1250078105
• ISBN13: 9781250078100
• Publish Date: 7 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[reveriesociety_]

I loved Sage's positivity and outlook on life. She has healthy beliefs and even though her past is scary and scarring as hell, I think it's amazing how she can find it in her to cheer up people who need it every day.

So we start off wonderfully, because the Post-It Princess is an intriguing concept and we're hooked right off the bat, waiting to know what's behind the happy exterior.

Shane and Sage were very sweet together, and the dynamics between their group of friends was awesome. It entailed a whole new level of relating to high-school life.

Ryan and Sage have been friends for a long time, and when for the first time, they fight, and Sage is quite hurt (with good reason), she goes through a stage where she feels lost, and... uncentered.

It's what happens when you go depending on someone so much, for so long. When that someone's gone; in this case Ryan, for Sage, she has to learn to do all these things on her own, and creating a new routine and way of living, that just doesn't include him anymore.

I like how even though the romance started a bit too fast, it slowed down enough to allow me to enjoy several things I could relate to, like feeling like a creeper when you've got a crush, and then wondering all the time what the hell is going through his head.

Also, non romance-related stuff, like how it's okay to be angry, and that sometimes you can't just bottle it up. And that doesn't make you a bad person.

It also doesn't make you a bad person to do bad things to people because of 'justified' reasons. It makes you a very, very misguided one.

A really great read that I enjoyed a lot! :3

[bookishzelda]

The thing I liked the most about The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is that I found the characters to be really interesting because everyone seemed to be flipping their stereotype. I would expect a character’s situation/personality to be one way and then would be pleasantly surprised when it would be different. Plus you really get to see Sage change and grow.

I liked Sage for the most part. In the beginning she was speaking in a lot of analogies and at first it was driving me crazy. We don’t find out about her past until way later in the book, towards the end. I like though that she is trying to turn her life around by finding the positives in the negatives and reaching out to other people. Kind of like her own personal reminder that there is good beyond the bad, like she says the silver lining. I also felt sorry for Sage because she is very paranoid about her Aunt Gabby not wanting her anymore. She goes to the extreme to be a good kid because she thinks she has a lot of darkness in her. Even though she really falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Of course the reason Sage gets her nickname is because of the kind post-it’s she leaves for kids who are having a bad day. There is a part of the book at the end that makes you want to choke up a little bit involving that. She also really passionate about going green and I couldn’t believe how dedicated she was to not riding in cars.

Shane is sweet guy. He’s pretty mellow for the most part and tries to be a loner but Sage barges into his life. I liked how he doesn’t often let pride get in the way of necessity and he’s not afraid to tell Sage when she takes something too far. He’s very honest even though he doesn’t give her every gritty detail of his past. He admits he has had issues.

The plot is really driven by Sage and Ryan’s collapse of their friendship. At first they are like glue to one another not really letting anyone else into their bubble. When Sage finds out some things Ryan has been keeping from her. It causes an epic fight that puts a rift between them but it also opens up a whole world outside their bubble. We get see Sage’s character really develop because of it. She begins hanging out with Lila and other assortment of characters. It allows for her and Shane to become really close. It makes her see that things are not always just black/white good/bad. There are plenty shades of grey.

The Queen of Bright and Shiny things is very character focused. Definitely interesting how they were all intertwined in this small town.