ARC Review: Down With the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: Down With the Shine 
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Genre: Fantasy 
Source: Edelweiss
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 26th 2016

Summary:

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...

Should I have found this book as funny as I did? Because I laughed so much during it that I can't help but feel bad. But everything did work itself out in the end so it makes it all acceptable? Down With the Shine is definitely one of the most uniquely funny, fun, and interesting book I have read in a while. I was genuinely sad and disappointed that I finished it, I wished it would have continued on because there is so much I want to know. 

Lennie Cash is famous in her town. Why? Because her Daddy dragged her along on a robbery spree that killed two people when she was a child. And she isn't famous in the sense that "aw that poor child" she is famous for being a bad influence, a reputation she got because of her father. When the story opens, you get a brief look of her childhood, and then it goes straight into the story. Several months ago Lennie's best friend Dylan was murdered, chopped to pieces, put inside Lennie's suitcase and left. Lennie lives under the feeling that it should have been her, and she should have done more to stop it when she decides that it is time to live. Lennie never meant to cause trouble with the moonshine, she didn't even know of the powers until the next morning, when W2 came knocking on the door with "balls of steel." The night that Lennie unknowingly grants wishes she grants a wish for Dylan's twin brother Smith (who she is stuck holding hands with for the next day, and he hates her.) and her own wish for Dylan to be at home safe in bed. True lesson of this book: Wishes can be cool, but be careful what you wish for. 

I loved Lennie's character, obviously she had a rough childhood and an even rougher time after Dylan's murder. She unknowingly caused a huge mess, and even though she could have left it alone she did everything in her power she could to fix it. Lennie was sassy, witty, and extremely sarcastic all through out the novel, making me laugh with the things she said and did. 

It is hard to talk about the romance in this book because it is over a one day period of time, and it's with Smith. (Dylan's twin who hates her, but Lennie is secretly in love with) So the whole insta-love thing is down the drain because feelings were already there before the book even started. I felt it to be awkward and strange under the circumstances? I just really wasn't feeling it for this book. It could have did with out the romance, but it also makes sense to have it in there. (especially for the ending) 

The only issue I had with this book was the magic building. Fine, the moonshine grants wishes. It explains how, but why? Where does the power come from? What were the other magical creatures her father collected? Is there going to be another book so I can find out? I wish some things were clarified. That was my only issue. 

I loved the ending of this book. Lennie did a really brave thing, and I admire her character for that. Up until right before that part, I had no clue how this book was going to end. This was not how I expected it at all, and because of that I can't help but adore Quinn's writing now. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to pick up some of Quinn's other books!