ARC Review: Down with the Shine

About the Book:

Title: Down with the Shine
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Pub. Date: April 26th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Pages: 355 
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

There's a reason they say "be careful what you wish for." Just ask the girl who wished to be thinner and ended up smaller than Thumbelina, or the boy who asked for "balls of steel" and got them-literally. And never wish for your party to go on forever. Not unless you want your guests to be struck down by debilitating pain if they try to leave.


These are things Lennie only learns when it's too late-after she brings some of her uncles' moonshine to a party and toasts to dozens of wishes, including a big wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was abducted and murdered six months ago.

Lennie didn't mean to cause so much chaos. She always thought her uncles' moonshine toast was just a tradition. And when they talked about carrying on their "important family legacy," she thought they meant good old-fashioned bootlegging.

As it turns out, they meant granting wishes. And Lennie has just granted more in one night than her uncles would grant in a year.

Now she has to find a way to undo the damage. But once granted, a wish can't be unmade...

Review: 

If you all remember, I featured Down with the Shine in November for the HarperTeen Winter 2016 Blog Tour. So that means you all have it on your radar and already added it to your TBR list, RIGHT?! If you weren't convinced then, hopefully this review will convince you all now that this book is a must-read. I know a lot of my followers enjoy fantasy and I think that Down with the Shine just might be the book you are looking for. 

We start with a fun chase finding out just how crazy Lennie's father is. He is a wanted criminal all over the U.S., but Lennie hasn't seen him since he left her in the Chuck E. Cheese ball pit when she was little. This was all followed by a pleasant scene finding out that Lennie's best friend, Dylan, was brutally murdered. And Lennie has a suspicion it has something to do with her father. After this we get to the real meat of the story - which is the PARTY, where Lennie unknowingly grants wishes and we get to see the repercussions unfold. 

Lennie is a great female protagonist. She has lived her life under the cloud of her father, and because of that people think she is just as dangerous as him. Lennie tries to be strong, but she has a vulnerability to her. That was something I really liked about the book. She's so different from your typical YA protagonist and it really makes this book unique. There is a love interest in here, with no love triangle! I thought the relationship was perfect - just the right amount of romance mixed with a touch of angst. Her Uncles are another major part of this story. They were so fun to learn about, they have a pretty rough exterior but you can tell they're softies on the inside ;). 

I'm starting to think that fun fantasy novels are just about my favorite thing. The Sookie Steakhouse Series was fun, Denton Little's Deathdate was fun, and Down with the Shine is fun. And I loved them all! Quinn crafts a perfect ending to this stand-alone, which is a huge victory in itself. You clearly need to get this one pre-ordered ASAP - if not for the fantastic writing and intense plot, then clearly for that mesmerizing cover. If this book taught me anything... it has to be this gif right here:

- Jocelyn