Book Review: Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Tris and Izzie (TBR Oct. 11, 2011)
A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

Ok. Where to begin. hmm, this is the hardest review I've ever had to write. I grew up in a household where 'if you don't have nothing nice to say, then don't say nothing at all'. *crickets crickets.... Ok ok, it wasn't all bad. I love the cover. It's very pretty.

I found my self very disaapointed with this book. It started good and I was really into the developing story. However, the more I read I had to wonder if a 13 year old wrote it. So I looked up the author of the book. Not a teenager, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt because the protagonist was supposed to be 16 so maybe that was why it felt as if it was elementary. Isolde's thoughts and emotions were disconnected. One minute she'd be involved in epic battle with a demonic creature then the next she would be swooning about her boyfriends lips and arms, then it was like oops back to the battle. Very awkward. I really didn't like the main character. She wasn't very smart and her BFF Branna or Brangane was just rude. How are you going to go after your best friends boyfriend the way she did and still try to be friends. Pffft. I guess the same way your BFF is going to give you a love potion to make you fall in love with a stranger because you are always alone.

I won't rant about this book. Like I said, I was really into the story in the beginning. And I like the idea of the story, the setting, time, plot, everything. It just wasn't well executed. I could have been so much better. This author has written quite a number of books which made me feel better about writing this review. I couldn't write this openly about a debut author. The best part of the book was Tristan. He was the only character that didn't irritate me to no end. Even the "monsters" irked me.

In conclusion (to be construtive), the story was just poorly written. The characters weren't well developed. There was nothing that made you sympathize with Izzie's plight or root for her. Some of the characters actions were just unrealistic (even for a paranormal story) in response to normal, every day things like scheming frenemies and the new boy at school. It was just a big disappointment.

This was my first Netgalley read.