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Dec 17, 2011

Nancy rated it:

Despite its flaws, I really enjoyed Obernewtyn. Most of the characters were interesting enough; but not all were developed that well. The main character, Elspeth Gordie, seemed realistic enough; an emotionally distant child suffering the pain of losing her parents, spending her childhood in a variety of orphanages and possessing powers she has to keep secret. I also enjoyed her misfit friends, Matthew and Dameon, the enigmatic Rushton, and the mind-speaking animals. I wish some of the characters More...

8 comments like (21 people liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

melissa1lbr rated it:

I tried really hard to get into this book, but I felt no connection with the main character. The story might have been very good, but I kept getting distracted and bored because of the descriptions of scenery and setting. Setting can be very important, but I just couldn't get into the book because it got in the way. I'd like to try it again sometime, since I ended up skimming the ending.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 03, 2010

Aaron Vincent rated it:

Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek.

After following Will and his mates in their escape to the White Mountains, I decided to continue my dystopian adventure with Elspeth's exile to another mountain, Obernewtyn. The concept of these books may have parallelism but the stories in their entirety are completely different.

For one, White Mountains is a science-fiction while Obernewtyn, although has elements of sci-fi, leans more towards epic fantasy. And while the mountain Will trekke More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 07, 2007

Shannon rated it:

The world has been redefined and altered by The Great White (a nuclear disaster), and much of it is radioactive. The farmers suffered least, but found themselves overrun with refugees. They formed a Council and killed or ran out most of the refugees, and established an authoritarian rule.

Over time the poisoned land began to recede, but it had become apparent that some people had been affected by it and developed unusual abilities. These people were called Misfits, and usually killed More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2009

Erin rated it:

This was the author's first book, written in her twenties, and it has some flaws. But the story and characters have had a powerful hold on my imagination since I first read it in my twenties, and I found it just as compelling and suspenseful this time around. I'm so excited that the rest of the series is going to be made available in America! For years you could only get the first 3 books.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

Carol rated it:

I read this book directly after a rather disappointing read by another, normally very good, author, and it filled the gap which was missing from the previous story.

I really enjoyed this book, flaws and all, and found the narrative compelling. The main character, Elspeth Gordie, a ‘Misfit’ who has developed paranormal mindpowers in a post-apocalyptic world is a smart and likeable girl. I could understand her reluctance in opening up to people around her when arriving in Obernewtyn, as More...

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Jan 06, 2012

Shweta's Book Journal rated it:

Ever since I discovered dystopian genre I have been on a hunt for more books . I was reminded of this book, when I saw it appearing in many IMM posts and was surprised to see that this series hasn't been read by many of the YA book bloggers I know.It was one of the first dystopian /science fiction I read . I think I was gifted 2 books in this series and have old edition covers on my book. It's good that these have been getting better publicity with the new covers.The first in the series 'Ober More...

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Dec 10, 2011

Erin rated it:

I have been trying to think of this book ever since I read the Hunger Games. They're pretty similar: girl is in dystopian oppressive society, is singled out from her peers and sent to some difficult place. Girl eventually becomes reluctantly involved in revolution against said oppression. You know, etc. Actually, on second thought it's a little closer to Divergent: Elspeth is definitely special in a dangerous way, and there's also a surly older guy who eventually becomes more than a friend...
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Dec 04, 2011

Ania rated it:

First off, some purchasing tips.

1) If you are going to get this book (and you should!) you should prolly get the edition called "The Seeker: The Obernewtyn Chronicles" because it combines Book 1 and Book 2 of the series into one low price edition, which will save you money, and you'll have the second one on hand once you finish the first engrossing book.

2) If you are going to get each book separately and are bad with faces, get the edition with the girl's face a More...

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Feb 18, 2011

Valen rated it:

When I started Obernewtyn, I could not get into it, but for some reason I kept picking the book back up and reading a few paragraphs or a page or two. Maybe it was because I spent money on the book and I didn’t want my money to go to waste or maybe because I knew that the book was going to be good. I choose the latter, because this book was good. Obernewtyn by the brilliant, yet sadly unrealized Isobelle Carmody is a true tale. Though it gets a little dull sometimes, it is so unique and fresh an More...

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Dec 25, 2010

P.M. rated it:

The holocaust of the Great White has devastated the land of the Beforetimes. A fanatical group of survivors and their descendants have created Councils and Herder priests to root out and burn any mutants at birth. Now they have found out that mutancies sometimes appear later and label these people as Misfits. Elspeth Gordie is an orphan who saw her parents executed as Seditioners. Now she and her older brother Jes live in an orphan home where Elspeth fears discovery of her mental abilities. Maru More...

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Sep 03, 2010

Ksenia rated it:

So I got the first one from the library and towards the end of the first book I knew this was something interesting. But it wasn’t until the second book (at the end of the second book no less) when I knew I had something fascinating in my hands. The moment that really got me was when the horse Gahltha pledges his loyalty to Elspeth and promises to help her and never leave her side (there’s a reason why of course) but I was so moved by this previously-arrogant horse and his devotion, that my hear More...

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Jan 06, 2010

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it:

This is a fantasy that reminds me of books by Tamora Pierce or Tanith Lee -- featuring a heroine who finds herself in some kind of danger relating to outside forces and who doesn't yet understand all her strengths. Elspeth is one such heroine -- a Misfit who is in danger at all times because of the odd quirks she has shown that may be signs of the powers she may or may not possess. (Never mind that the world has been in total devastation ever since a cataclysmic event called the Great White oc More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 06, 2009

Yune rated it:

I started reading this around 2 am, when I couldn't fall asleep. This didn't help matters -- I finished it in the same sitting, then spent some time navigating my local library's interlibrary loan catalog, then nearby bookstore inventories, trying to hunt down the rest of the series.

I avoided this for a while because I somehow got the author mixed up with another one I didn't feel like reading. But the jacket flap mentioned Andre Norton and Marion Zimmer Bradley and Lloyd Alexander More...

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Aug 16, 2009

Beth rated it:

A post-apocalyptic novel published originally in Australia and only more recently in the United States, this is the first in a series.
In a society recovering from a nuclear holocaust, misfits or mutants are either burned to death or sent to Obernewtyn, a mysterious facility in the mountains from which no one has ever returned. Elspeth is a girl with strong mental abilities which she has so far kept hidden. When she is exposed and sent to Obernewtyn she finds others like herself and is hor More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Lauren rated it:

This book has
1) Awesome animal characters
2) Intriguing mystery
3) Thought provoking mesh between sci-fi and fantasy
4) A likable heroine
5) Brilliantly written
6) A well thought out world
7) No plot-hinging whinny cry-baby romance

With all of those factors how could I not love this book? It's exactly the kind of book that you want to curl up and read on a rainy day. I feel warm inside just thinking about it. Will definitely be reading the others

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2011

Alexandra rated it:

I first read this and the next three a number of years ago; I am re-reading them at the moment, in one hit (probably) because the sixth and final book is FINALLY! being published.

I remembered a fair bit about this story - bits and pieces of Elspeth's story, like the cat, and Ariel, and aspects of life at Obernewtyn. I had forgotten - or didn't notice the first time - that the quality is quite patchy. There are some bits that really ought to have been picked up by an editor, like the f More...

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Oct 31, 2011

Angie rated it:

Synopsis: "In a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse, life is harsh. And for Elspeth Gordie, it is also dangerous. That's because Elspeth has a secret: she is a Misfit, born with mysterious mental abilities that she must keep hidden under threat of death. And her worries only multiply when she is exiled to the mountain compound known as Obernewtyn, where—for all her talents—Elspeth may finally and truly be out of her depth. Then she learns she’s not the only one concealing sec More...

1 comment like

Oct 04, 2011

Emily rated it:

Right off the bat, it's obvious this isn't modern fiction. The voice is different, the pace much slower. It took me a while to get into the book and to even decide that I liked it. The narrator, Elspeth, is quite dry, and sometimes I wasn't even convinced she was scared when she definitely should have been. We don't find out anything about her appearance until almost the end. Had there not been a girl on the cover, I'm not sure how I would have imagined Elspeth.

There is a lot of tel More...

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Oct 06, 2011

Saralena rated it:

Summary:
This is the first novel in an eight book series and it was a great start to the series! Obernewtyn takes place in a dystopian setting after the Great White (apocalypse) has occurred. The Council is the head of all the land and they, along with their religious group the Herders, forbid anyone from keeping things or doing things from the Beforetimes. They also frown upon any odd behavior. Anyone who disobeys the Council or displays signs that they have odd powers (these people are cal More...

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Jul 04, 2011

Casey rated it:

This book was recommended to me by, not one, but three of my friends. They thought it would be right up my alley, but i did not care for it AT ALL. I got almost halfway through when I wanted to give up. The characters were poorly developed and the plot wasn't all that interesting. I found it difficult to keep track of the events for my boredom. But, my friends encouraged me to keep reading and said it got better at the end, so I read on. I was about 20 pages away from the ending when I decided More...

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Jul 01, 2010

Alisa rated it:

Why do authors assume that after the nuclear apocalypse, we'll all be going back to medieval England? I get the connection to feudal organization and primitive/agricultural technology, but I don't get the "old-timey" language. Just don't buy it.

This series was recommended by a great librarian who told me how much her daughter had loved it. So I was prepared for great FSF candy. And...not so much. I was feeling really dismal about it all, when I came to the talking cat. And, More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2009

Jay rated it:

One of the better books I've read recently. I was quite surprised, honestly. I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic books, for whatever reason, and this one just seemed to suit my tastes. There's no particular reason why. The book is poorly written in parts, and in some areas, it's never exactly said what's going on (such as the events in the cave and what exactly Elspeth is doing). But apart from these areas, it seems to work.

And, furthermore, none of the characters really pulled me in. I li More...

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Jan 05, 2010

Breanne rated it:

I think the story was really good, but the writing lacked a bit. It felt halting, almost disjointed, and a few of the sentences just plain didn't make sense. Also, at times either the characters forgot to speak with their accent, or the author wasn't clear on exactly who was speaking. It really was a shame that this wasn't edited a little more heavily; that would have caught a lot of the glaring problems. But I don't think more editing could have done anything to help the narrative flow a li More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Kathy rated it:

This book was sitting under my bed for a while. I originally started it months ago and every now and then in between finished books and having nothing else to read, I would flip through a few pages. About 3 months down the track I got to the middle and it finally improved! A very short read and I found my self engrossed and finishing the last half that night! The author's writing to me clearly screamed 'First book!' She was lacking in character development and a lot of the main appearances were More...

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Nov 30, 2008

Meika rated it:

I would probably have been all over this book at the age of 12. But at my age, most of what is relevant about this book doesn't apply anymore.
The post-apocalypse, nuclear holocaust survivor society story was interesting, but the man vs technology theme was oversimplified. I can't tell if I feel that there's a decent sci-fi plot being muddied by a post-apocalypse story involving a toxic scorched earth... or if there's an interesting scorched-earth post-apocalypse story being wrapped up More...

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Dec 05, 2011

Oanh rated it:

Liked this well enough (to read in one sitting). Don't think I'll feel very compelled to read others in the series however, as it seems all the intriguing things have happened now. Elf understands what her power is, and that she's not alone. We learned about the extent of the badness of the newish totalitarian order in which she lives, and the brave souls who will fight it. The blurbs for future books in the series tend me towards believing the rest follows a quest plotline, and I'm just not enc More...

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Mar 04, 2011

apple rated it:

I read this book when I was in High School and found it again recently. I re-read it because I was after a quick and easy read and want to go on and read the rest of the books in the series.

This book is a post-apocalyptic tale where an oppressive council seeks to control the population and people with special abilities are labeled misfits. Elspeth is the child of seditioners and a secret misfit who has resigned herself to the idea that she will one day be caught. What she doesn't reali More...

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Dec 10, 2009

Samantha rated it:

It has taken me forever to get around to reading this book. I liked the world-building with the Council, but I would have liked to learn a bit more about the intricacies/rules in the settlements. Maybe this will be elaborated further later in the series...
I liked Elspeth, but I felt a little detached in the narration, and the same was true for Rushton. I liked the characters, but I didn't really care what happened to them all that much. The action and plot, while inventive, weren't all More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 30, 2011

Neill rated it:

After the Big White in which man’s machines destroyed the world the remaining people were afraid of the mutations among them. Anyone who was discovered to have unusual abilities was declared a Misfit and condemned. When Elspeth talents are discovered she is shipped to Obernewtyn, a retreat in the mountains that, unknown to the religious Council, abuses Misfits and tries to use their abilities to discover the machines of the ancients. Elspeth manages to hide the extent of her skills from the o More...

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