The Magnolia League (The Magnolia League #1) by Katie Crouch

Published on May 3rd, 2011

The Magnolia League was a funny, witty, and light read that consisted of African hoodoo, (not voodoo!) betrayals, romance, and more. The story starts out when Alexandria Lee, or less wordy, Alex, is sent to live with her elderly grandmother in the southern town of Savannah, Georgia, after her mother died in a car accident. Savannah is hot, humid, and miserable, and the only thing that interests Alex is the way that her elderly grandma is actuallynot so elderly-in fact, everyone who is part of the high socialite group called the Magnolia League seems to be super-model perfect in their complexions and bodies. When Miss Lee, Alex's grandmother, tells her she needs to be groomed to be officially part of the Magnolia League, all Alex wants to do is run away back to the communal farm she grew up on in California. But as she delves deeper into the Magnolia League's secrets, she finds that maybe staying won't be such a bad idea. After all, these endeavors the Magnolia's get into are harmless, right? Right? 

The Magnolia was certainly an original book. The thing that I loved most about it was the creativity of the main character. Alex was a bit chubby, her hair full of dread-locks, and her behavior not exactly prim and proper. But the way Katie Crouch presents her is full of humor, realistic, and human qualities, so you like Alex immediately. Her mistakes could happen to anyone, and her interesting upbringing only influences the funny parts in the book. 

The reason why I only gave it three stars instead of four or five is because the writing style of Katie Crouch, I thought, wasn't original or creative. I enjoy books with a more descriptive quality to them, and this did not fit my criteria for a hugely sensory detail-filled book. I also thought thought that the plot was going way too slow in the first 60 % of the book, still not revealing the huge secret of the Magnolia League that was already mentioned in the blurb. When it did speed up, however, I thought it flowed along a bit too fast. The conclusion came in a blink of an eye. 

Though the Magnolia League wasn't my favorite, it was suspenseful enough that I feel an urge to read the oncoming second book. Expect the Magnolia League to be a humor-filled, light read, and expect a great, entertaining read with it.