Dear writers participating in Blogchatter’s AtoZ writing challenge, How is the Josh? High Sir- if this is your response then well done. I have just recovered from the weekend laziness only to realize I haven’t read any blogs yet and will do that tonight. Other than that writing 26 blogs in a month is a dream/task/challenge and I am far from that not giving up just yet. Shall I rename myself “Kavita-procrastination-Singh” because what the hell is wrong with me? The more work I do the lazier I feel, my brain cells only start to work when the deadline is on my head.
The rant is over now let’s move on to the book review from one of the most known authors of today’s romance genre. Ali Hazelwood, a name that has taken over social media with a storm. I have read five of her books so far and found few commonalities in all, her female protagonists are not damsels in distress. They all have careers that are not often considered mainstream for women and these characters have a strong hold on their professional life, unlike their personal lives.
Plot
After chess shattered her family, Mallory Greenleaf quit. But when she reluctantly joins a charity tournament, she unexpectedly dominates Nolan Sawyer, the reigning world champion known as the “Kingkiller.”
Nolan’s loss to a rookie shocks all. What’s even more puzzling? His eagerness for a rematch. What game is Nolan playing? The wise choice would be to quit. But Mallory’s win offers much-needed cash prizes, drawing her back in despite her reservations.
As Mallory climbs the ranks, she struggles to shield her family from the game that tore them apart. Her renewed passion for chess parallels her past disdain, revealing that the battles extend beyond the board. With the spotlight glaring and competition heating up, Mallory finds herself entangled in a web of attraction, intelligence, and frustration.
Review
Did you know a term called YA? I was introduced to this term once I started reading books by this author. YA stands for young adults, a book/novel for readers aged 12 to 18. The term YA was first used regularly in the 1960’s in the United States. Now that we know the target audience, we understand that the storyline and characters will be more relatable to this age group.
This is not my first rodeo with YA novels, although I do not fall within the range of the target audience I sure hope to enjoy reading a few to understand the GenZ world 🙂
Out of five books that I have read by this author, check & mate is my least favorite. The storyline felt a bit lackluster and the characters were cliched.
I appreciated the intertwining themes of chess, family dynamics, and the formation of new friendships, all within a backdrop of contemporary cultural references such as TikTok, AO3, and K-Pop. Yet, amidst these modern elements, I wonder if Candy Crush still holds the same appeal for Gen Z. It is stereotypically woke and gets boring often. Check & mate is overhyped and fails to keep the reader’s attention intact.
This is my 2nd post for the blogging challenge by Blogchatter #blogchatterA2Z
You can read my previous posts in this series here!
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