Mad for Marchetta

My Thoughts
I am well aware that I may be the last person in the bookish world to read Melina Marchetta. I am self-aware enough to realize this but I am not above proclaiming her as an instant favorite author. After my binge of Finnikin I knew I had to try her other books and I knew from Hannah that she write a variety of genres which I was SO EXCITED about! I was not disappointed with any of them! It was SUCH an incredible treat to find an author who writes so many different kinds of stories. I was obsessed with each and every one for different reasons. Here are those reasons.

The Lumatere Chronicles | I did an Instagram post awhile back after reading but never talked about them on the blog. I think Finnikin was one of the most perfect books I have ever read. It was engaging, character-driven, dark, hopeful, inspiring, and filled with love in every corner. Froi and Quintana were also incredible and had such a beautiful prose that I couldn't put them down. The world-building was intricate and stunning. The characters were on.another.level. I loved each and every one of them and was rooting for everyone. The theme of family, the kind you are born with and the kind you make, was beautiful. I cannot say enough about how much I loved this fantasy world

Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil | If that isn't one of the coolest titles I have ever heard, I would be lying. Loved it! Adult thriller/mystery if you will, this book follows a suspended cop whose daughter was on a bus that had a bomb on it while traveling in France. This book had so many hidden layers and hints you didn't realize were hints. The characters are all so complex and hiding so many things for different reasons. I loved how this book took an incredibly serious subject and brought light to the prejudices so many people have today and how life-ruining those prejudices can be to people. And it did it in a way that didn't feel pretentious or preachy which is something I always appreciate; it made me think which are always my favorite kind of books.

Jellicoe Road | This book was....different. The way the book is laid out and chronicled can be confusing and difficult to grasp but the payoff is so, so worth it. There are two different storylines that you're reading and you don't know how they connect/if they do at all except the setting and its not until about halfway-ish that it starts to come together. It's a longer payoff but holy crap is it worth it. The characters are so engaging and complicated and I honestly can't tell you anything about it but know it is an emotional read and so, so, so, so incredible!

Saving Francesca | Before reading, Hannah told me she was most nervous for me to read this one because she wasn't sure if I would vibe with it; she had no reason to worry. Of all the Marchetta books I've read, this is the one I already see myself re-reading. Some books just have this magical quality where you feel like you're falling into it so easily and it just reads so easily and well and you love the characters and the journey and you just want to live in it forever....this was one of those books. Francesca's time at a new school plus her mom suffering from acute depression plus finding friends was INCREDIBLE!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH! Everything about it. I can't describe why I loved it so much because it's hard to articulate the special feeling I got while reading it, only that I loved it!

The Piper's Son | It shouldn't come as a surprise that after reading Francesca in a single afternoon, I dove right into The Piper's Son. Tom comes from a family that is incredibly loving but have a lot of problems. His aunt has taken him in and is struggling with her own issues. Tom feels lost and has made a ton of terrible decisions. They're both trying to figure things out and get their family back together. I adored his aunt and her POV and life. She was so smart and snarky--okay, everyone was snarky and it was amazing--and she was just the best. Tom was trying his best and while the book is mostly about him, it was his entire family that captivated me. Their history, their story, their lives, everything about it worked and was amazing. I loved that family was at the core of this story and that even though they had their own issues and demons, at the end of the day they loved each other so, so much.

Looking for Alibrandi | This book took me a little longer to get into and was the weakest of her books for me, I still enjoyed it. You can tell it's her first book as the ending felt a little odd, like she was trying to do something emotionally poignant and it just fell a little flat for me. However, everything leading up to the ending, I really loved. With her usual candor and growing pains, Marchetta introduces us to Josie. A teenage girl who is outspoke to a fault, opinionated, and just a little too leaps before she looks. The antics she gets up to are hilarious but at the core, it's about growing up and getting a glimpse into real like problems that the adult world has waiting for you. The theme of family is still at its core which will forever be one of my favorite components of Marchetta's books. While this book compared to the others was not a fav, this book on its own was still fantastic.

READ MELINA MARCHETTA IF...you love an author who can do multiple genres amazingly well, an escape into books that will leave you wanting more, and amazing family values.