It took me a while to figure out the theme of this book review. I had a hard time with this book, but knew there had to be a message in it somewhere. After several days, I think I’ve figured out how I want to review Two White Queens and The One Eyed Jack by Heidi von Palleske.
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Synopsis
Years ago, when Jack and Gareth were small children, Jack lost his eye when he fell from a tree. This loss is the basis for most of the story, and carries repercussions and ripples for everyone in Jack’s life.
Jack’s mom, Hilda, takes it as a sign that Jack needs her more than her two other kids, so begins to play favorites. She goes out of her way to make sure Jack has the best glass eye she can get him, even travelling with him to Germany from Canada every couple years to have his eye refitted.
Jack’s friend Gareth, who was with him on the fateful day he lost his eye, blames himself for years, and takes it upon himself to look at the world and see it in the way his friend can no longer.
He becomes an artist, and although his teachers in school call him very talented, he still gets low marks because some of the assignments he doesn’t turn in. When asked about it, he feels like he can only turn in the assignments that mean something to him.
Gareth and Jack begin dating two albino girls in high school, leading each of them to different decisions about his own life. These two girls have had their own struggles in life, and through friendship with Gareth and Jack, each girl also learns about herself, and each decision determines the path their lives will take.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of (book) in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Excerpt
My Thoughts
First of all, I have to admit I didn’t love this book. Two White Queens had choppy parts, and parts of it confused me. I would be reading about Gareth and Jack as children, then suddenly read about the history of the glass eye, then suddenly realize Gareth and Jack were in high school.
This gave the story no continuity, and made it really confusing. It wasn’t horrible, however, and I found parts of it intriguing. The parts of the story with Clara and Blanca, the albino twins, were interesting, because the two girls determined to use their differences to their advantage.
Clara and Blanca create the band Bleach, and travel making music that is a combination of rock and opera. It was definitely a type of music I’m interested in listening to.
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One issue I found was with the disconnect between the blurb and the book itself. The blurb sounded so interesting, and I was so excited to read it, but had trouble finding the connection between what happened in the blurb and what happened in the book. It almost seemed like two stories, but the author couldn’t figure out which one to tell, so she told both.
I don’t have a whole ton to say about this book, because I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. It’s rare that I come across a book that I’m so middle of the road on.
I did receive this book from Netgalley, in return for an honest review, so I will tell you what my star rating will be. I’ll be rating this book 3 stars, because it was so average. My friend Chasity from Twitter rated it 2 stars, and while I can see where she came from, and I agree with her on a lot of her opinions, my personal thoughts are that the book is average, so my rating will be average as well.
Recommendation
I’m honestly not sure who I could recommend this book to. It was one of those books that you’re either going to love it, hate it, or feel indifferent. Since I have no idea who would be who, I’ll simply say if the synopsis sounds interesting, then give it a shot. Just don’t come and scream at me if you hated the book.
Interested in checking out Two White Queens and The One-Eyed Jack? Find it on Amazon
Conclusion
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Until Next Time, Friends!
