It’s time for a break from fantasy.

Throughout my reading life I’ve always jumped from fantasy to romance to thriller to dark/ monologue-y novels. I’ve never stayed in one place for long, and I enjoyed the journey. I have lived lives in both real and fictional places and loved every moment of it.

Like most everything else, I will blame this current hot streak in various fantasy worlds on the pandemic and the need to step away from reality for a bit. But it’s time for a small detour back to the real world, and for that detour I have chosen John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down.

I’ve read a few of John Green’s novels, a favorite of mine being Looking for Alaska, so I’m pretty excited to dive in. Who knows, maybe this is the start of a non-fantasy streak (doubtful).

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.