Review: The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Kiel

Thursday 18 September 2014

19403811The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Kiel
Released: 1st September 2014
Published by: Hardie Grant Egmont
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Publisher
Pages: 294
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Goodreads | Bookworld | Book Depository
Alba loves her life just as it is. She loves living behind the bakery, and waking up in a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. She loves drawing comics and watching bad TV with her friends.

The only problem is she’s overlooked a few teeny details: Like, the guy she thought long gone has unexpectedly reappeared. And the boy who has been her best friend since forever has suddenly gone off the rails. And even her latest comic-book creation is misbehaving. Also, the world might be ending – which is proving to be awkward. As Doomsday enthusiasts flock to idyllic Eden Valley, Alba’s life is thrown into chaos.

Whatever happens next, it’s the end of the world as she knows it. But when it comes to figuring out her heart, Armageddon might turn out to be the least of her problems.
Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is my first read from Melissa Kiel, and I found it to be an enjoyable one. With a main character who has a strong sense of self, different twist to an otherwise contemporary storyline and nice integration of some comic references, The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl is sure to appeal to new and existing fans alike.

This novel is something a little different than what I would usually pick up, and from the beginning Alba's voice drew me in. Written in a casual style, you immediately get a sense of the type of person she is. She's got the curves and isn't afraid of that, but wouldn't let just any boy charm her off her feet. Her best friend Grady was sweet, and you could tell that even when their friendship had their ups and downs they were still close. Some of her friends in Eddie and Caroline added that extra bit of quirky to the plot, along with the looming 'end of the world' hype thanks to crazy Ned. The author really captured the essence of the small town in Eden Valley, however perhaps it would have been nice to look further into Alba's backstory and family life, along with those of her friends.

The comic element was scattered throughout the plot as Alba attempted to develop Cinnamon Girl, which almost acted as a reflection of herself. When Daniel, one of her previous best friends who moved out of the town to become a soap star, comes back into the picture things do start to get interesting. At first his motives are questionable, and by the end I still wasn't really sure of what purpose he truly served. The storyline did seem a tad predictable at times, although there was a small twist which throws a small spanner in the works. On the whole though, I enjoyed seeing how Alba developed as a character and how she and the young people around her had to decide where to go after leaving the nostalgic period when school ends and it's time to enter the real world.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I liked my first experience reading something by Melissa Kiel, and I'm now eager to read her other novel Life in Outer Space.



12 comments :

  1. This sounds like a really cute novel for a warm summer's day. I'm glad that the main character is so confident in her own body. We definitely need more role models like Alba in YA fiction! Wonderful review Eugenia xx

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    1. It definitely would be! I certainly agree that promoting a positive sense of body image is a great thing in a novel, and Alba was a great role model for that. Thanks for stopping by Joy <3

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  2. Wonderful review, Eugenia - thank you! I really want to read this novel, purely because of that cover! It sounds like this would be a great read when you're not in the mood to think about much. :)

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    1. Thanks Ebony! The cover is really interesting and reflects the book really well :)

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  3. I haven't tried this one yet but I looooved Life In Outer Space! ^-^ Which makes me super keen for this one (I really hoped the author would keep writing!) The cover is just all kinds of cute and funky too, and I'm glad there's humour. I adore humour.

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    1. Ooh good to know - I really want to read that one! Humour is always a good thing to have in a novel to make it a fun read.

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  4. Brilliant review Eugenia, I'm so glad you enjoyed this one (I totally loved it). I actually enjoyed this far more then My Life in Outer Space. When you comparing the style of writing, both books have that subtle quirky feel, but Melissa Keil's writing had matured more with Cinnamon Girl. Didn't you just love the weird guy that wouldn't get off her front lawn :D

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    1. Lol YES - he was hilarious! After reading Falling Into Place which was quite a deep emotional read, it was nice to dive into something fun and just that little bit quirky :)

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  5. I ordered this recently from Bookworld so (hopefully!) it should arrive soon. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it because I really really enjoyed Life in Outer Space. This one sounds right up my alley. Glad you liked it :D

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    1. That sounds good, hope you enjoy it Emily! :)

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  6. Great review Genie, I'll have to track down this book when I get the chance! It sounds totally quirky and fun. I love the comic element and how cute it all sounds.

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    1. Thanks Jeann, it definitely was a fun read and the comic element thrown in made it even more interesting and quirky :)

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