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OTOLI

by Bryony Allen (Goodreads Author)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 15 ratings · 14 reviews

OTOLI - Have you been there? Social outcast ALICE TURNER went there to escape the constant bullying from the Populars. She is befriended by Jenny; an enigmatic waitress who seems to be stuck in the past. As the Populars begin to reap the wrath of a faithful friend, suspicions build in Alice's mind. Why does Jenny keep mementoes that are four years old? And why does Alice f...more

Paperback, 1st, 146 pages

Published April 28th 2011 by Pneuma Springs Publishing (first published April 15th 2011)

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Mar 12, 2012 Kelly Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Characters: The book follows a number of the characters from there different view points which I loved because we get to see things from everyone’s perspective. However, we mainly see it from Alice and Kieran’s (both bully victims) and Jenny (a waitress at a cafe called OTOLI) point of view. Alice and Kieran are both in need of a friend and they find that in the form of Jenny who always seem to be there to listen to their problems when they need her most. Personally Jenny was my favourite charac...more Characters: The book follows a number of the characters from there different view points which I loved because we get to see things from everyone’s perspective. However, we mainly see it from Alice and Kieran’s (both bully victims) and Jenny (a waitress at a cafe called OTOLI) point of view. Alice and Kieran are both in need of a friend and they find that in the form of Jenny who always seem to be there to listen to their problems when they need her most. Personally Jenny was my favourite character as she was bubbly and charismatic and sometimes quite sinister and as her secret past is slowly revealed to Alice and the readers, her odd behaviour begins to make sense.

Originality: I can quite easily say that this for me was 100% original. Never have I read a book like this. It tackles the issue of bulling throughout and by adding a paranormal twist – it keeps the reader interested in the story and also has the reader curious as to what is going on and how its happening? Once you start reading this – you won’t be able to stop.

Plot: As mentioned above this story tackles the controversial issues of bullying but not only from the victims point but from the thugs point and also on lookers of the bullying and it really opens you eyes up to see just how much people look away and pretend not to notice that this sort of thing happens everyday. When Alice meets Jenny, she is so relieved to finally have a friend and begins to believe that with this friend, it wont matter if she gets bullied as long as she has someone to talk to about it but when her bulliers start to back off as bad things seem to happen to them – Alice suspions build as her unanswered questions about Jenny begin to build. It was Creepy,sinister and completely brilliant.

Writing: Allen’s writing is snappy and fast paced and this very entertaining piece of work should be read by all. Her style is informative and also sensitive to the subject of bullying and those affected by it, which I absolutely adored about it. I also really thought that Allen’s style of dialogue was very well done and I felt I didn’t need to know which character was talking as the tone of her characters was always quite clear.

If all of the above was not reason enough to buy OTOLI, Allen also donates a portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book to the organisation ‘Bullying UK’ which I think is fabulous and very kind. I really did love this book and really wanted to read it to find out what exactly OTOLI means. So I leave you all with this question – Do you know what it means?

For full review:- visit yabookreads.com where there is also a signed giveaway of the book up for grabs and an interview with Bryony Allen =)

Check out : http://bit.ly/xLsAUW Otoli is up for the peoples book prize this year so please go and vote for this awesome read.(less)

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May 17, 2011 Bludhaven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, female-writers, goodread-giveaways-first-reads, speculative-fiction, supernatural, young-adult

This book really took my by surprise - and in a good way. This story had a little twist that the blurb didn't give away and it made the story special.

The subject of bullying is a very delicate one and I think it was treated here in a way that was sensible and enjoyable at the same time. It's hard to touch on all the different layers of bullying, especially where teenagers are concerned: What these novel shows perfectly is that there are more layer than victim and bully, there are social expectat...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Book Angel Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review by Beth

This book surprised me more than any other I’ve received from Emma.

OTOLI is definitely my favourite book of all of those I’ve reviewed since beginning as a guest reviewer for Book Angel Booktopia and I’m so glad I got to send it because without Emma sending it to me, I would never have even noticed it or considered picking it up.

The first thing I felt when I began reading OTOLI was how creepy it was. I immediately felt extreme empathy for Alice and the torment she has to put up wit...more Review by Beth

This book surprised me more than any other I’ve received from Emma.

OTOLI is definitely my favourite book of all of those I’ve reviewed since beginning as a guest reviewer for Book Angel Booktopia and I’m so glad I got to send it because without Emma sending it to me, I would never have even noticed it or considered picking it up.

The first thing I felt when I began reading OTOLI was how creepy it was. I immediately felt extreme empathy for Alice and the torment she has to put up with but the second I met Jenny, I did not like her at all. Really really creepy and something just wasn't right, which of course is properly revealed throughout the course of the novel.

OTOLI is extremely fast paced and takes us on Alice’s journey from being mercilessly bullied to seeing her tormentors suffer a terrible downfall. She can’t understand how or why Jenny is involved but she’s convinced she is and this is what makes it so creepy and unnerving. As well as Alice’s story, we also meet Kieran who is by far my favourite character as he has the strength of character to understand what Jenny’s about and works out exactly how to escape her friendship.

OTOLI is brilliantly written Jenny’s character however unnerving and scary, is a fantastic creation although despite her past, I find it hard to feel any sympathy towards her due to the way she treats those chosen as her friends. The ending is particularly powerful and the sense that OTOLI is infinite is again, an unnerving thought.

Throughout the course of the novel it is possible to work out exactly what OTOLI stands for. Now for some reason, as my brain didn’t want to work, I couldn’t work it out whilst reading it but eventually came to it after some hurried tweeting in the direction of the author, who to her credit, refused to tell me outright so I had to discover for myself.

A fantastic novel which should could easily and should, in my opinion, become part of the PSHE education of children in schools.(less)

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Mar 07, 2012 Susanna Mahoney added it

The author’s description; the story revolves around three main characters; Alice, Kieran and Jenny and a group of bullies known as the Popular. Alice Turner is a year eight pupil at Stowton Middle School who has become a victim of bullying by the girl gang – the Populars. Deeply unhappy, Alice finds herself wandering into a cafe called OTOLI that she has never noticed before. There she meets Jenny the mysterious waitress who always seems to be scrubbing the same table clean. Alice is initially e...more The author’s description; the story revolves around three main characters; Alice, Kieran and Jenny and a group of bullies known as the Popular. Alice Turner is a year eight pupil at Stowton Middle School who has become a victim of bullying by the girl gang – the Populars. Deeply unhappy, Alice finds herself wandering into a cafe called OTOLI that she has never noticed before. There she meets Jenny the mysterious waitress who always seems to be scrubbing the same table clean. Alice is initially excited to have a friend, but she soon realizes that this friendship may come at a price

At times we depends upon and another and "depends upon" another, enough to manipulative some into convincing you to decide bad choices and live with regret. Or accept your intuition and go with the thought thinking this is not right and everything has to be done to stop it. This reader believes this author is trying to alert the world that bullying is very destructive and has severe consequences and it should become a priority to stop it from continuing.

What if you found a friend who accepts you unconditionally until the nagging doubts of something is not right here; We all been there, question do you continue the friendship or walk away, there is a fragile line when someone d and teenager life situations arise and choices have to be decided. Events and challenges arise and an individual is on the outside looking in and needs to choose between being morally right or immorally wrong and go with the peer pressure or rebel against it. This is such a story about bullying and how each character, Alice, Kieran and Jenny in the plot decides how to deal with the emotional consequences of being bullying.

It has a dark twinge with light humor to balance out the drama. It speaks about friendships and some that isn't what it seems to be, causing little flicks of doubt to crept into the victim's conscious as the Populars , the high class girls of the school targeted the weaker students and taunts them to the point of desperation of becoming anti-social, and lose their dignity or push them over the edge to become obsessed with revenge. The plot thickens as the tables are turned and the torturers are bully; in strange incidents. The story is complete with suspense and mystery and "what if's" questions.

Alice, the main character and Kieran find that one special friend, Jenny who does not seem to judging them, just accepting them for their selves; as time passes they senses slight gestures and words from Jenny as strange and starts to think twice about their friendship; does she out of desperation of loneliness to accept her intuition and run as far away as she can or denial the lies and overlook the slight hints of some more sinister is at play here. She is caught in a cat and mouse game and will have to make tricky decisions. So will Kieran, their maturity will decide their fate.

I am an American and this book is set in the United Kingdom but bully is increasing through the world through social media outlets; Facebook, cell phones and other devices and to some it is a torture to be targeted and constantly whipped emotionally and physically, it erodes all self-confidence and destroys a bright future. The statistics for suicides and other escapes these victims suffer through are rising and this story is a realistic perspective that other teens and adults should read and utilize to open up a community discussion how to became an advocate and look for the warning signs of someone being bullied. All ages, diversity and genders are chosen as victims and it is on the increase.

This story is short, realistic and in touch with the realities of bullying and a describes a sensitive topic with an unique style.

I choose this statement off the internet for I believe it sums up the description of OTOLI;

This book is quite short, so I don’t want to give anything away. However, OTOLI will leave you realizing the shock effects that bullying can have on people’s lives; both for the victims and also for the bullies. I also loved the supernatural twist to this book; it gives a whole new element to an otherwise very serious story.

It is a YA book, a supernatural and fantasy book for all ages and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the organization 'Bullying UK' which is a valuable reason in itself to buy the book and help stop bullying and save someone's life tonight.

Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...(less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Johnathan Wilkes rated it 5 of 5 stars

I downloaded a copy of ‘OTOLI’ for our Kindle following a few reviews I came across on the web for it via Goodreads and some Google listings in addition to some prompting from my girls after they had seen the book video trailer on Amazon (i also found it is also uploaded here). I don’t generally review many books but I had previously read an Adult fiction book by this author which I really enjoyed so I was more than happy to go get this one for my girls to read. My daughters (13 and 14 years) re...more I downloaded a copy of ‘OTOLI’ for our Kindle following a few reviews I came across on the web for it via Goodreads and some Google listings in addition to some prompting from my girls after they had seen the book video trailer on Amazon (i also found it is also uploaded here). I don’t generally review many books but I had previously read an Adult fiction book by this author which I really enjoyed so I was more than happy to go get this one for my girls to read. My daughters (13 and 14 years) really loved the story of OTOLI. They connected with its characters (Alice and Jenny in particular) and in both their words 'they could really feel what Alice was going through and willed her to overcome the issues she was facing'. My 14 year old had to read it all in one go as she couldn't put it down (a masterful feat for any author to achieve where teenage readers are concerned I think). The book deals with bullying in a way they had never read before too which made the book all the more appealing to them. The book has used a supernatural element to the tale which really puts a different twist on the story but it was one that made sense as the story unfolded. Given that the author states in her BIO she is a teacher it is clearly evident that the subject and the effects of bullying in the school place is something she is more than aware of and maybe even an expert in.
In this story she has captured this really important subject in a considerate and compassionate but also entertaining way. Some reviews out there have stated that the book should be in every school library in the world. After reading the book myself I can see why they say this. OTOLI is one book as a parent of growing teens that I would completely recommend to anyone. The bullied and the bullies out there can all learn something from this book in my opinion (and my girls!). I don't want to put out any spoilers here as the book is one that won't disappoint in my view and I myself don't generally read teenage literature anymore (I'm 40+ but will admit to reading Harry Potter not so long ago!). One thing I did find out which I thought was absolutely nice was that 5% of all sales of this book are being donated by the publisher to the Bullying UK charity on a permanent basis too. It's superb to see writers and publishers out there looking past a profit margin and giving to such worthy causes. This book deserves to do very well throughout the world in my opinion, bullying after all is an evil that can affect anyone, anywhere in the world. I’m buying a copy of the paperback to keep at home on the shelf too. 5 stars to OTOLI from my girls and me too! I've posted this review to Amazon also. :-)

Johnathan
(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaway, read-ya, signed-copies

OTOLI is unlike any other young-adult novel I have yet to read. The setting, characters, and plot pull you into a world where teens must deal and cope with real issues--bullying, social status, and friendship without being preachy and stuffing the message down the readers throat. But don't think this is just a novel advocating against bullying, oh no, there is a thrilling twist, a paranormal string that runs through this story which surprised me. I read this book in about two sittings, I couldn'...more

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May 12, 2011 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book really took me by surprise, it was definitely not what I was expecting at all. The book deals very strongly with the issues surrounding bullying, but within this book they take on rather a sinister tone that appealed to my dark side.

Alice Turner is seen as a social outcast by everyone at school, which puts her in the harrowing position of being a target of the school bullies, known as the Populars. They make her life a living hell. On one of her journeys home, desperate to stay out of...more This book really took me by surprise, it was definitely not what I was expecting at all. The book deals very strongly with the issues surrounding bullying, but within this book they take on rather a sinister tone that appealed to my dark side.

Alice Turner is seen as a social outcast by everyone at school, which puts her in the harrowing position of being a target of the school bullies, known as the Populars. They make her life a living hell. On one of her journeys home, desperate to stay out of their way, she comes across a little cafe called OTOLI. She wanders in to find a safe place to go and a new friend to help her deal with the bullying.

As their friendship grows, things begin to change at school. The Populars begin to lose out on the Popularity stakes and life begins to get easier for Alice. However, as the Populars suffer, Alice begins to wonder whether her friendship with Jenny is causing more harm than good. Alice has a feeling that the fall of enemies may be due to Jenny.

Jenny's friendship begins to cause Alice a lot of problems when she is unable to meet her friend's demands. Alice learns that if she is ever to grow stronger and move on with her life, she must face the bullies head on. She must stop Jenny from bullying her.

This is really quite a sad tale, where two young girls suffer from the devastating effects of long term bullying. Jenny has suffered just like Alice, yet she doesn't deal with it in a mature way, more hell bent on revenge than moving on. However Alice, begins to realise that revenge really isn't the answer. She finds an amazing inner strength, to overcome the obstacles she faces.

Jenny is an extremely interesting, if somewhat sinister character, whose secret past is slowly revealed to show the reasons for her behaviour. She believes she is being helpful and doesn't realise she is causing more harm than good. There is also another character, Keiran within the book who suffers from bullying too, however he seems to be able to stand up to Jenny better than Alice does.

The title intrigued me and the word does have meaning once you work out what the letters stand for, however that really isn't my secret to reveal!

Even though the book, is quite short, I found it moved at quite a pace, leaving me enthralled until the final outcome.

This book really hits home with the effects of bullying, showing just how it can escalate out of control, unless someone takes a stand. I know that it is a prime concern with majority of schools these days, but I cannot help but wonder if enough is being done. Bullying seems to me to be more immediate these days with bullies being able to victimize those chosen through mobile phones, email and Internet sites such as Facebook. I hope this book can help someone bring about change.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the organisation 'Bullying UK' which is a good enough reason in itself to buy the book. Luckily the book is an extremely good read too, so well worth buying. I was considering a giveaway for this book, instead I decided that I wanted it to go into a secondary school where hopefully it will be of use, so I am passing it in onto the lovely Emma Book Angel at Bookangel's Booktopia for her to put in her library.

If you know someone who is being bullied, yet struggles to talk about it, then this might be a good book to introduce them too.(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Theta Sigma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found out about this book due to the author, Bryony Allen, asking me to be a friend on Goodreads.

As a person who was on the receiving end of bullying during primary and secondary school, I was interested in reading this novel where bullying is the focus - both on the part of the bully and, more prominently, the person being bullied.

Bryony Allen cleverly combines the storyline of the day to day trials that people who are being bullied feel such as the powerlessness to act, the feeling of wantin...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Alannah Clarke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, kindle

Wow, this book really took me by surprise. After the author friend requested me and recommended this book, I went onto the page for this book and saw that it deals with the sensitive subject of bullying. As an ex-victim myself, I just had to buy and read it.

OTOLI comes from the perspective of many different characters, although I would say that the main protagonist is Alice. Through the book, I begun to feel how isolated the bullying victims felt and they find that friend in Jenny who is a waitr...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

OTOLI is definitely my favourite book of all of those I’ve reviewed since beginning as a guest reviewer for Book Angel Booktopia and I’m so glad I got to send it because without Emma sending it to me, I would never have even noticed it or considered picking it up.

The first thing I felt when I began reading OTOLI was how creepy it was. I immediately felt extreme empathy for Alice and the torment she has to put up with but the second I met Jenny, I did not like her at all. Really really creepy and...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Sammee (I Want to Read That) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

I found myself quite surprised by this book. It was a bit darker than I was expecting but in a really good way. And I loved the concept - how it makes you think about bullying and the affect it really has.

The book shows multiple points of view but mainly focuses on Alice, the bullying she faces on a daily basis and her friendship with Jenny. We also learn about Kieran and his friendship with Jenny, as well as learning about Jenny's past, and the reason behind her actions.

I thought the author did...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Jesse Owen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

Stories which take a look at Bullying always interest me, especially books like OTOLI which looks at the effects bullying can have on a person. OTOLI looks particularly at the type of bullying I’m most familiar with – name calling and teasing. The saying “bricks and stones can break your bones but names can never hurt you” is a lot of old crap and OTOLI shows this perfectly.

It focuses mainly around Alice Turner who is being teased by the so-called ‘populars’ in school. You know the ones, they ar...more Stories which take a look at Bullying always interest me, especially books like OTOLI which looks at the effects bullying can have on a person. OTOLI looks particularly at the type of bullying I’m most familiar with – name calling and teasing. The saying “bricks and stones can break your bones but names can never hurt you” is a lot of old crap and OTOLI shows this perfectly.

It focuses mainly around Alice Turner who is being teased by the so-called ‘populars’ in school. You know the ones, they are at the top of the social pyramid in school, their popular (goes without saying), dress in the latest fashions etc and they think that because of this they can treat anyone how they want to. The teachers in school don’t do anything about it (even though they know it’s going on) and so the remarks in class (and out) continue never ending.

I don’t really want to say too much about the story as the book is so short (perfect length for the story) but it means that anything I could say about it might be something majorly spoilery and I think it’s a book that deserves to be read and not spoiled.

The story is told mainly from Alice’s point of view in short, sharp almost diary like chapters. We see how she feels, what she tries to do to avoid coming into contact with the populars and then one day she meets Jenny. I have to say that I didn’t really trust Jenny from the off, there was just something a little… off about her if you know what I mean.

Another character we see from time to time is Kieran, in a way he reminds me of me when I was his age (and still am in many ways), he’s shy and awkward and although we don’t see nearly as much of him as we do of Alice I liked him immediately.

I really loved the way we see the teachers nicknames – a couple of them made me giggle stopping the book from becoming too dark. It’s a book which could have been depressing and really tough to read, fortunately I think the tone is set just right.

Ultimately like I said at the start I think it’s a book that deserves to be read, the only question remains is what does OTOLI stand for – I know but do you?(less)

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Nov 10, 2011 Scarlet marked it as to-read

Shelves: wishlist

From Allen's Profile:

A portion from all sales of OTOLI will be donated to the national charity 'BullyingUK' by the publisher on an on going basis.

Kudos for doing a good thing. The book already sounded good, but when authors do something like this, it makes me want to read their book even more.

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Aug 29, 2011 Steve Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sharp and smooth as I would expect, Bryony Allen's follow up to

Mystery, Deceit and a School Inspector

is a venture into the currently popular YA market.

This time taking on the serious topic of school bullying, Bryony shows us life through the eyes of Alice, a lonely girl experiencing the worst that her peers can throw at her. Paced and set at just the right length for young adults upwards, Otoli handles the subject sensitively and originally without being predictable.

Recommended.

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About Bryony Allen

Bryony Allen was born in Enfield in the UK but actually spent most of her youth in the North East of the country close to Hartlepool before returning South again. There she studied for a degree in English Literature and Drama at the Roehampton University in London, graduating with a 2:1 honours.
She writes Young Adult and Adult mystery fiction and had her first adult book, 'Mystery, Deceit and a S...more

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