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How to Disappear Completely

by Annika Howells (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 12 ratings · 4 reviews

In Greenwood, fitting in is a matter of life and death.

Cynical seventeen-year-old Lycia wakes up in the dark, twisted town of Greenwood, unable to remember how she got there. Aside from her mother, who is trapped in a coma-like sleep, Greenwood’s only other inhabitants are the hostile and eerily identical students who attend the school.

Lycia befriends the school outcasts;...more

Kindle Edition

Published May 20th 2012

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Jabin and the Space Pirates by Bev Allen

How to Disappear Completely by Annika Howells

Indie Fantasy – June New Releases

5th out of 26 books — 33 voters

Self Published Young Adult Books

471st out of 1,032 books — 1,632 voters

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Sep 03, 2012 Kai rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-type

This is hard to even shelf. It was pretty unique in its contents and its concepts. I'm not even sure how to review it without gushing on about the whole plot and all the characters and spilling my whole guts about what lies inside. Everything is knit together tightly and the plot is nebulous and refuses to be pinned down by neat corners so casually. And I loved that.

The main character, Lycia (whose name I hate because I connnnnnnstantly read it as either Lycra or Lyrica, which sounds pretty but...more This is hard to even shelf. It was pretty unique in its contents and its concepts. I'm not even sure how to review it without gushing on about the whole plot and all the characters and spilling my whole guts about what lies inside. Everything is knit together tightly and the plot is nebulous and refuses to be pinned down by neat corners so casually. And I loved that.

The main character, Lycia (whose name I hate because I connnnnnnstantly read it as either Lycra or Lyrica, which sounds pretty but is a medication. Poor Lycia. She's so much cooler than her name), and her newfound friends, weirdos in a land of weirdos, Aster and Meg spend their days and nights trying to find their way through a town ruled by the well manicured fist of Morgan. Actually, Aster's name bugs too. I get a feeling it was picked because it feels 'goth' but it's a flower. He's just named after a flower. I could be wrong though...

As the plot starts to come together, the world around them starts to fall apart. The more they learn, the less they know. Escaping to another world seems just as problematic, if not more.

I can't tell you how nice it was to read a book where I knew what I was supposed to and didn't know what I wasn't. All too often lately I find myself having to step out of the world of words to wonder if what I'm reading is supposed to be the character not catching on, or if I supposed to not be catching on, either. Even worse is when it's clear that the author thinks I'm not catching on and they're clever. Being completely obvious about the plot points is a shitty stand in for foreshadowing.

There actually were a few things in here that normally make me really hatey, but they were tied to the plot, had a point and made sense when you think about Morgan's past an her ideas concerning these there three deviations from the flock and considering Meg's own past and what point of references she has in life.

Ah, mysterious review. I feel like a huge tease.

Ohhhh, there was one hugely infuriating thing to me:
(view spoiler)

And that's the best I can explain without rewriting the whole story, which would ruin the hell out of the fun. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Opal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, book-submissions, young-adult

Courtesy of The Akamai Reader.

3.5 stars

The book had a nice steady pace to it. I was constantly engaged with the characters and the action, except that in the beginning I felt like I had seen this plot before. I had been through this before. It felt a little tired. As the book wore on it got a little better and although it did feel like the plot had traveled a well worn path, the character building was very well done. I came to care about them. There were also moments in the book where you wonder...more Courtesy of The Akamai Reader.

3.5 stars

The book had a nice steady pace to it. I was constantly engaged with the characters and the action, except that in the beginning I felt like I had seen this plot before. I had been through this before. It felt a little tired. As the book wore on it got a little better and although it did feel like the plot had traveled a well worn path, the character building was very well done. I came to care about them. There were also moments in the book where you wondered if there was going to be a happy end or a tragic one, so there was some mystery.

Another thing that might deter readers from this book was Bassisha had an almost Willy Wonka feel to it after awhile. Strange things happened there that were dark and nearly cartoon in nature. Some of it wasn’t nearly PG but most of it was and it did have a rather absurd feeling to it that really forced you to suspend belief to a high level. At times it was rather confusing and bewildering.

I really liked and came to care about Lycia and Megan. Lycia was a stubborn, independent loner. She didn’t want to depend or rely on anyone. She didn’t want to get involved with anyone. Because of her mother’s job, they moved around a lot. She also couldn’t rely on her mother because of said job.

Once the shock and reality of Greenwood soaked in, she instinctively and reflexively refused to change herself or to conform to majority’s norm. She was also forced to ally herself with Aster and Megan, which she definitely didn’t like. But she realized there’s greater strength in numbers.

All Megan knows is Greenwood. She was one of the drones of the school before Aster arrived. Once she saw him something in her woke up. Something in her changed. Now she thinks for herself and she also has a very deep, abiding love for Aster. Aster and Megan need each other. They take care of each other. She’s very loyal, very steadfast. She’s also very shy, because of that I liked her best.

Aster is a quirky guy. He cares a lot about his friends. He didn’t grow up in greenwood and can remember a time before it. He’s a guy who holds onto hope. He steadfastly believes that one day they will escape from Greenwood. Aster is also very loyal to his friends, but he’s also a survivalist. He’ll do anything to escape Greenwood.

Despite it’s flaws, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it because I really cared about the characters. I was a little unhappy with the end, it didn’t make much sense to me and it felt a little incomplete. I was left with a lot of questions. I imagine that was the purpose but like I said, I was still unhappy. It just didn’t feel finished and at this time, it’s a standalone book. I’d recommend it to those who prefer character-driven books and is willing to suspend belief.

*A free copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Aug 10, 2012 Marina Mowrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, youth-fiction

super creepy

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Goodreads Authors...: Looking for reviews - Dark Urban Fantasy	10	158	Jun 26, 2012 11:57pm
SciFi and Fantasy...: How To Disappear Completely	4	27	Jun 05, 2012 07:38pm

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About Annika Howells

Annika Howells began writing at the age of four, when she would scribble across the pages of blank notebooks. Her work improved immeasurably once she actually mastered the alphabet. She began writing her first novel, How to Disappear Completely, when she was 16. She subsequently graduated from school, dropped out of university, fell in love and lost her mind. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

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