Okay, I sort of liked this book. But it is still only a two star for me. Because I did not like it that much. I think most of that is because of the writing. It isn't fully bad, but I never connected to the characters. I didn't care about Corinne at all. Sad face. I didn't feel scared or excited, like I was probably supposed to.
I won't be saying too much about this book, as it is only over two hundred pages, and not long pages either, so this book is really short. I wish I could say that it was exciting. But for me, it wasn't. I guess I could see how some might enjoy it, but I didn't. It was too little for me. Or, trying for too much. The jumbies in this book weren't creepy. They didn't make me care. And that is so depressing. Because this book sounded really awesome. Sigh. But then it wasn't. It was sort of silly, really. I didn't care for Corinne. Or her father. Or those new friends she gets. I sort of like the two brothers, but didn't feel too much about them either. I didn't like Dru much either. Sigh. Wishing this had been better. I just ended up not liking it much at all.
This book is about eleven year old Corinne. And about the beautiful woman who suddenly shoves up from the forest, trying to take over her dad. This woman is a jumbie. This creature thingy of the forest. She can do magic and such. She takes Corinne's dad away from her. I wish I could say it was exciting to read about. But I didn't care. It wasn't written well enough for me. I didn't feel anything for Corinne, and I didn't care that her father wasn't there with her anymore. Hmph. It makes me sad. I wanted to love it.
I really did want to love The Jumbies. Because the cover is so beautiful. Because it sounded like a different and exciting middle grade book. But then I started it, and I knew it wasn't for me. I usually love books like this one. So I'm not sure why I had issues with this. Hmph. But yeah. The writing wasn't that good. I didn't connect with the characters. I didn't like Corinne or her friends. What I did like was the oranges. And I sort of liked their village. But I just. I didn't think the plot was exciting at all. Sigh.
I don't feel like talking about this book, which might be a first for me. So just saying a little bit more. The plot in this book. It is about Corinne trying to get rid of this woman. And I just. I found it to be so silly. Though I mostly did not like this book, I did enjoy a few things, which is why it is a two star. And either way, I did not hate this book. It isn't the best, nor the worst. But it is a book that I will soon forget. Which makes me so sad, as I wanted this to be a favorite. Oh, well. Not everything is perfect.
Big thank you to the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for approving my request to read and review this book via Netgalley. <3 I'm glad that I got to read it. But also so sad that I did not love it. I wish I could have enjoyed this book, but it just ended up not being for me. I'm not sure if others will enjoy it. Though I do think that many kids might end up loving it. I usually love middle grade books, but this one just wasn't for me. Which is so depressing, since the cover is so gorgeous. Hmph. But it is what it is :)
