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Crossing Over

2.96 of 5 stars 2.96 · rating details · 231 ratings · 49 reviews

Roger Kilbourne has the ability to "cross over" into the land of the dead and speak with its residents. It is a startling gift, and not a pleasant one. Roger manages to escape his brutal uncle, who has exploited his talents for years; after he gets a job in the palace laundry, he thinks he will be safe. Instead, there are worse dangers. First, he falls hopelessly in love w...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published October 14th 2010 by Viking Juvenile (first published June 24th 2010)

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Mar 10, 2012 Rea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

Full review can be found here.

The story starts by putting its best foot forward as we observe Roger, a slave to his uncle, being forced to cross over to the land of the dead in order to scam mourners out of their money. The author’s idea of this land where the dead exist is not at all what I was expecting and so much the better for it. The way that it’s described, it’s as though the dead are all waiting for something maybe? They sit and stare at nothing; they’re, for the most part, unresponsive...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Charlotte Phillips rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a rather interesting and unique book that seemed to hold my attention form the very first word to the last one. the novel itself is based within a time period that I am not myself use to, its set in the olden times when kings and queens were actually very influential people and being on there good side was the most important thing. This though I felt was a wonderful element to the book itself because it meant that the imagination was widened out to consider all the differences that ther...more This was a rather interesting and unique book that seemed to hold my attention form the very first word to the last one. the novel itself is based within a time period that I am not myself use to, its set in the olden times when kings and queens were actually very influential people and being on there good side was the most important thing. This though I felt was a wonderful element to the book itself because it meant that the imagination was widened out to consider all the differences that there are between that time period and the time period that we are in now. The area that the book was set within was well developed, a sort of layer upon layer matter, which meant that you could really build the whole scenario within your mind and see everything that you needed to see./ The characters personnas fitted well with the scenario and the scene that it was all set in and that of course meant that the story had a much stronger effect than perhaps your everyday basic tale that you would expect to come across. Rodger is a character of differences though as he clearly hsa a talent that is different and strange amongst the others, a talent that back in the days perhaps would have meant that you were hung and burnt in front of a large audience because what you were showing and representing was just not normal human behaviour. There are flaws though to the character and these are bits that I will touch on as I get through my review of the novel. In the beginning we get to see the story of his past, and we learn that he has the ability to cross over to the country of the dead as they call it. This was a wonderful concept to imagine as it meant that you started to really consider what it must be like to do such a thing and what it would be like as a place in person. However its his ability that allows him to pass there which is a little more or less untruly and for me not fitting to the description of his talent.

In order to pass over to the country of the dead he must cause himself a great deal of harm. At first we see his uncle taking advantage of this ability, he is using it as a method to gain money from others, by making rodger pass over to the dead, to get all the details of the relatives that have been lost by those who seek him out. However in order for him to pass over he is very badly beaten and this was a cringe worthy moment of the book. Although deep down you know that neglect and abuse was more common in these times and that a punishment was not given, it still feels very wrong to us, as we are taught that this is the wrong behaviour to reflect on a child. However, like they say, Karma strikes when it sees the time is best fit and that is very much so within the novel. Although the ending for his aunt who eventually does try to save him is brutal and wrong, his uncle also gets a well suited ending and we know that he will no longer have to put up with him. Instead he merely has to face the complications of the queen and the soilders. The thing about this book I found, is that there is anger and drama and mystery the whole way throughout it. its not a book that stops or pauses, its the sort of book that carries on going, that continues to tell you what has happened or is happening. Yes in some respects it makes the book a little to overdone ebcause your too busy trying to remember whats happening where and who it is happening to and what is going to occur next. So although the book is active, you can see this as being a negative complexity that would make the book somewhat, if not very confusing.

There was a hint of romance within the novel but it was merely that for me, a hint of that and nothing more. I don't know if it is just that I was confused by the amount that was happening within the novel or that I simply grew tiresome of it after a while. I suppose I would have liked to have sen the book a little more spread out, after all it has already been confirmed that this is not the first in the series so why so much in one novel? Also I found it a little odd that the book was called crossing over and yet the ways that he seemed to cause pain to himself over and over again would be enough to either cause many disabilities or special needs, or just kill him altogether. this meant that the book became a little unrealistic in that you could see this was not possible. I know that its a fantasy based novel, but when you can start to work out that things would not actually be possible you can not help but see that its not so much as an exciting fantasy but a hit home hard fantasy. I do feel though that the book was well crafted. not the best crafted novel but good enough to entertain me for a read for an hour or two.

I do like my historical based books but I do feel that this was perhaps a little over rushed when it didnt need to be. It would have been nice to have seen the author take there time with it, to make it so much more than just texts on a word. This is why I have awarded the novel a three star rating. it was a good book but it was not brilliant and there were many things I would have changed had it been up to me.(less)

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Mar 31, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

****SPOILER ALERT****: Anna Kendall poses an interesting question and places her main character Roger into a quite a predicament from the start of this story. And while the concept is intriguing - a boy who can cross over to the land of the dead by inflicting pain on himself - Kendall's execution was a little lacking. I found it difficult to like Roger until about the last third of the book when he finally decided to take charge of his life and situation. Now, since he is only 14 at the story's...more

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Nov 13, 2010 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the world that was built in this story but as for the story itself I thought it was just ok. I never came to like Roger. I know that he was raised in an abusive environment and that probably stunted his social growth but I found him him to be irritating and dislikable. As is typical of most YA books these days there is the love interest. After he escapes life with his abusive uncle he fixates on Lady Cecilia and falls in "love" with her. I imagine it's because she's the first beautiful...more I enjoyed the world that was built in this story but as for the story itself I thought it was just ok. I never came to like Roger. I know that he was raised in an abusive environment and that probably stunted his social growth but I found him him to be irritating and dislikable. As is typical of most YA books these days there is the love interest. After he escapes life with his abusive uncle he fixates on Lady Cecilia and falls in "love" with her. I imagine it's because she's the first beautiful and lively female he meets as a part of his new life. But it irks me despite all the evidence that she is nothing but an empty headed twit that he fixates on her and is totally clueless about the other girl who is in love with him. He's like a child who sees a shiny toy and decides that is the one he must have despite anything else that comes across his path.

**Spoiler start**

Even though he does end up realizing what he had in front of him all the way it made me mad that he only gives up on Cecilia after she is gone for good. It's almost as if he is just settling for the consolation prize.

**End spoiler**

I was also hoping he was going to be one of those characters that overcomes the obstacles in his life to grow into someone who is heroic. I felt we do not really see that. He remains whiny, self absorbed and selfish other than his devotion to Cecilia. I do not understand why he inspires people like Maggie and Mother Chilton to help him when he's rude and ungrateful.When he does finally do something heroic it seems out of the blue.

The world this story takes place in was fascinating. It's basically a kingdom ruled by women and everyone sees it as the right of women to rule because they are the ones who give life. The idea of men ruling is totally foreign to them when they meet people from another land who are ruled by men. It mixes a bit of medieval flavor, with fantasy and a bit of modern day with guns, a foreign weapon, intheir world. I found it funny that the Queen's brother is married off to the Queen of another country in order to seal an alliance. It's like the polar opposite of the stereotypical male dominated world.

I felt like there was still unanswered questions about this whole world that Roger is able to cross over into, how he is able to do so and the history of the people at Soulvine Manor. I don't know if it's set up for a future book or not but it would have been nice to have more answers to make it feel like a complete story.

Overall it's not a bad book and I think others may enjoy it but it just wasn't a book for me.(less)

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Apr 21, 2010 Kit rated it 4 of 5 stars

I snagged an ARC of this book (out in October) when I saw that it had a back jacket blurb from none other than Connie Willis, and I'm glad I did.

The first clue that Kendall is doing something new and different is the setting. I'm so used to the standard quasi-medieval fantasy world - motto: "all the pageantry, none of the dirt" - that when Kendall includes more believable details like disease and bad food, it's powerful.

The story follows a teenage boy with the ability to "cross over" into the la...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, arc, young-adult, fantasy-sf

Soooooo uneven. Parts of this were a solid two, but it soared at times to a four-star book.

A few things:
-I know the protagonist is a 14/15 year old male, but the constant references to his erection were jarring and out of place most of the time. One time he referred to it as he was unintentionally feeling up a mentally handicapped woman...very uncomfortable.
-The middle just dragged, but it picked up nicely at the end and was very exciting.
-I didn't buy the romance.
-It feels a lot like an unfinis...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Dannielle R rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really interested in the concept of this book, however, I feel it fell short in a lot of ways. It was very repetitive in places and sometimes felt a little to predictable. The quality was very uneven as well, having some parts of the book being wonderful and exciting while others fell vastly short.

The characters weren't favorable either. I found the main character, Roger to be very whiny and shallow. Not something I expected from a teenage boy who's grown up with an abusive uncle and a gif...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Mathilde Kirkeby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Roger can cross over to the land of the dead, if he is subjected to pain. He is an orphan living with his aunt and uncle, and the abusive uncle uses Roger to rip off people that have lost a loved one.
Through various circumstances Roger escapes and comes to the main capital where the Queen discovers Roger's abilities and wants to use them for her own good.

Although the plot sounds captivating, I was left feeling disappointed. The book is not bad, but it's very uneven - just when it captivates you,...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Morag Gray rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roger can cross over to the land of the dead and speak with them. His brutish uncle uses Roger's gift to rip off gullible women. A change in fortune and Roger ends up at Court, where the beautiful, is she/isn't she evil queen uses Roger's gift in an attempt to win a war. Just when things are at their worst for the queen Roger escapes, in pursuits of the beautiful, but immoral and stupid, Lady Cecilia, accompanied by the plain but clever and worthy kitchen maid, Maggie.
About two pages from the e...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Martha rated it 2 of 5 stars

I like the idea of traveling into the Land of the Dead and returning. I like the idea of two queens, mother and daughter, in conflict over their lands. I like the idea of young men risking life and limb to save a lover. This book showed great promise. I read the first 100 pages in a few hours and then it all came tumbling down.
I was disappointed with the writing and the story. The writing caught me up, then left me hanging, wondering what happened to it. I do not know if the problem lay with the...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Mackenzie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Two Stars...only because I'm in a good mood from finally finishing this book,otherwise it would be only one.

If you're like me then you probably picked up this book because of its unique cover, which i will openly admit is still one of my favorites on my book shelf, and 'The Land of the Dead' just seemed too spooky and cool to pass up. Wrong. I was most excited to read Kendall's idea of 'the land beyond' only to discover that it was the most boring and depressing version of heaven/hell/limbo/what...more Two Stars...only because I'm in a good mood from finally finishing this book,otherwise it would be only one.

If you're like me then you probably picked up this book because of its unique cover, which i will openly admit is still one of my favorites on my book shelf, and 'The Land of the Dead' just seemed too spooky and cool to pass up. Wrong. I was most excited to read Kendall's idea of 'the land beyond' only to discover that it was the most boring and depressing version of heaven/hell/limbo/whatever I have ever encountered. BORING SPOILER ALERT: the dead just sit there staring at flowers....the whole time.

A bad ass after life filled with zombies, ghosts, and some kind of super old dead samurai that helps our even more bad ass protagonist is not the only thing this book lacked. I honestly believe that if I asked Mrs. Kendall if she knew what character development was she wouldn't be able to answer. I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters, especially Roger. Well that's a lie, the only person I felt had an actual personality was the evil Queen. At least in her wicked actions there was an almost human reasoning behind them.

To be honest, I think I hated the main character the most. Roger was the most weak, emotionally unstable, and pathetic fictional character I have come across yet. I mean he was only fourteen but still, most girl heroins I have read about have bigger cahones than this kid and are not nearly as sensitive. If he wasn't crying (literally "sobbing") his "member was stiffening." That phrase showed up an uncomfortable amount of times throughout the book, even more so awkward because he was only fourteen. At one point I became a little paranoid and started looking over my shoulder to make sure nobody was reading and thinking i was reading a biography about "crossing over" into manhood and child pornography or something. At one point his member acted on its own accord simply by looking at a girl whom he falls in love with...don't get excited, she is a complete twit. I didn't understand the romance from the very second she was introduced to the book. The first thing that she uttered made me instantly hate her...I kept trying to see what point Kendall was trying to make with having Roger fall for a character like her but I guess you'd have to stoop to her level of thinking and I was not going to let myself slip into that oblivion.

Anna Kendall: if you ever read this, that sounded personal, but I can assure you it's not. I just hate your writing and this book.

Before I wrap this up I'd like to say thank you to Kendall for rushing the ending and making it as utterly non-entertaining and forgettable as the rest of the book. This way I didn't have to dwell any longer inside these excruciatingly long, small font-ed pages. I felt it left too many loose ends and this is the first time I am actually 100% fine with it.

I think that just about covers it. Don't read this book.
(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Just Me rated it 1 of 5 stars

Hmmm, not sure what I think about this one. It was captivatingly written. I picked it up because of the title, not knowing how the story would unfold. I may read another of her books, just to compare.

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Jan 24, 2011 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

Roger has a peculiar gift. When he experiences intense pain he escapes it by “crossing over” to the land of the dead. As a teenager he was forced by his uncle to use this gift to make money at local fairs. Through a tragic chain of events he ends up at royal court in the midst of a battle between the Queen and her successor. After the Queen’s murder Roger is drawn into the middle of the intrigue, using his gift to help the Queendom.

There is a lot intrigue, sci/fi fantasy, a taste of historical f...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Monica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Im not quite sure how i feel about this book.On one hand i couldnt stop reading it but when i did finally finish it, it just seemed like it wasn't complete.I never truly understood the meaning of alot of the story,nor did the author offer complete closer.How was he able to cross over in the first place,what happend to his parents and more.Also i found the main caracter spineless and not somebody you really could like. Dont get me wrong i know he was hurt all the time and used and wasn't raised t...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Karissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I do wish I could say that I enjoyed this book, but really I didn't. It started out promising with young Roger being beat by his uncle in order to con hard working patrons out of their money. Roger crosses over to the world of the dead and speaks to whomever the patron wishes to hear from. But of course everyone in the world of the dead is catatonic so trying to speak to any of them is useless.
But his life changes when his uncle attempts to rope him into (I don't remember the term for this) amb...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Kaye rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kaye by: Kathryn

Shelves: young-adult

Roger is a 14-15 year old boy who has the gift to cross over to the land of the dead. He lives in a kind of medieval land that always has Queens for rulers. With that set up I thought this would a lot more interesting than it was. Nothing much happens in the middle of the book. I only finished because I wanted to see what was the purpose of Roger's gift. The end did get more exciting but there were so many unanswered questions. I think my biggest problem was that I didn't like Roger very much an...more

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Jan 23, 2011 LibraryLass rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, library-book, ya-fiction

More like 3.5 starts for me. This had a very interesting premise and (mostly) likeable characters.

What dragged the rating down for me were the many unanswered questions throughout the book. The world in which Roger and co. lived was interesting but it wasn't developed enough for me to get a real sense of it. For eg. WHY was Roger like he was?

I have a real sense that this book is setting up for a sequel but I'm not sure that with all the competitive series out there whether I will continue with...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Yvonne Boag rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Crossing Over by Anna Kendall is about Roger who can cross over to the land of the dead. He doesn't know how he received this ability, he can just do it. Roger goes from a hard life to one at court. He finds himself baffled by political intrigue and women. This is no hero. He is confused, ignorant and a danger to everyone who knows him.

I was strangely compelled by this novel. It didn't go where I thought it would. The main protagonist is weak and ignorant. I'm very interested to see where the a...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Gillian Cohen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first heard about CROSSING OVER I was pretty intrigued about the book and made a crazy dash to my bookstore to pick a copy up.
Sadly it didn't stand up to the hype that I had created for myself, open reading the opening chapters I found myself falling a sleep and that for is a first. I haven't experienced a book up until CROSSING OVER where I had to fight to stay awake just to see if the story line might pick up. It was a tough couple of days.

Anna felt a need to randomly and unnecessarily...more

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May 06, 2012 Beth Kemp rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books, ya-fantasy-sci-fi

This is a classic fantasy in some respects: vaguely medieval-type setting, magical elements, strong sense of a class divide. At the same time, none of these are exactly as expected: the 'land of the dead' is an original idea (as far as I can tell), and the society is matriarchal - the characters find it completely bizarre that in other societies men rule, as women clearly should be in charge as the givers of life. Roger's gift/curse/ability is a unique product of this unique world and is the mai...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Netanella rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Great concept with some execution issues. Roger Kilbourne can cross over from the living to the land of the dead. So of course his sadistic uncle beats the living daylights out of him routinely and uses the information Roger gains from the dead to sell to the living. Pretty world, ain't it? Oh, and Roger is only 14.

I expected the setting to be contemporary, but it's not, it's a fantasy set in a queendom that's embroiled in a civil war between the aging monarch Queen, let's call her Blue, who ref...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Rosa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review is also published at http://living-for-books.blogspot.com/

"The land of the dead is a dangerous place to be... and so is the land of the living"

Roger Kilbourne can cross over to the land of the dead... he just needs immense pain to do it. Of course inflicting the pain doesn't bother his uncle, Hartah, who takes advantage of Roger's "gift" whenever possible.

So when the promise of a better life comes along, Roger grabs it with both hands and hangs on. Roger's new life at the royal cour...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Willa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wasn't my style. Kind of disappointing. The main character was dumb (as in stupid, as in slow, and in low IQ), blah (as in fell in love with the wrong girl and never really fully loved the right one), and infuriating because of the aforementioned qualities. As the plot was too confusing. I think that Kendall was trying to make it intriguing and sophisticated, but it ended up reading like she had no idea what she was writing about.

Wooooowwwww... Look at that. I wrote a review.

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Dec 05, 2010 Meghan P rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book promised to be really good and exciting but just dragged on. The story took place in medieval times which was kind of weird and took away from the story. Then every time Peter crossed over he had to either beat himself or be beaten, which was gross. The main problem with this story was the length. The plot was okay but the story just dragged on forever, right up until the end when everything suddenly happened.

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Aug 25, 2010 Karlan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Young Roger can cross over to the Land of the Dead but must suffer pain to arrive and again to return. Set in a sort of medieval Queendom, the plot and characters are fascinating and original. Is the beautiful Queen evil? Should Roger trust and love the charming Lady Cecilia or the strong kitchen servant Maggie? It is hard to believe that this exciting novel is the author's first. This is sure to be a winner.

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Mar 19, 2012 Marigorri rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book in the Dutch translation, because it was on display in the library. The idea of the boy traveling between the world of the living and the world of the dead is interesting. The world of the dead however is not very convincing for me. Or perhaps I should say it doesn't fit my ideas about life and death. But within the concept it was a good story.

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Mar 05, 2013 Ila Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

hurmmm i thought it's gonna be something amazing that will blow my mind away but it's just a story about a boy that can crossover to the country of the dead. The whole scene was set in old english century, not really my kind of thing. At least make the concept interesting but can't lie that the way author writes it make me wanna read more and more to know what happen next.

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Jul 28, 2012 April rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The premise is interesting and has a lot of potential but far too dull for my tastes. Nothing 'stood out' at all and (referring to the erotic segments); I never got around to them, I lost interest so soon.

May try again at some point but it'll be placed very low on my to read list.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

All I can say is that this was a very sad and melancholy book. It lacked any humor or a truly happy ending that would persuade me to ever read it again. I suppose books like these need to be written in order to show how war and greed are not pretty stories to be reveled in, but sad.

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Jul 21, 2011 Poofy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was a fun book te read, not too heavy, not too soft. The author almost created two credible worlds. The storyline is a bit thin, but at the end gains some strength. The last pages don't give you the impression that it's a great cliffhanger, but I'm curious about the next part.

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About Anna Kendall

Anna Kendall was born in Ireland and emigrated with her parents to the United States at the age of twelve. For several years she taught fourth grade. Anna lives in Seattle, where she plays a lot of chess. Crossing Over is her debut YA novel.

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