I am so so torn on this book. I've been really enjoying this series, especially the Victorian England setting and the romantic tension. However, there...moreI am so so torn on this book. I've been really enjoying this series, especially the Victorian England setting and the romantic tension. However, there are quite a few things that started to get to me by the time I read this final installment in Clare's trilogy.
1. The book is set in Victorian England, but the characters don't really speak as if they're from that time period. Fine, I can suspend my disbelief for that part. But then why do they write letters in the parlance of Victorian England? Let's be consistent! Either they do or they do not speak and write in the language of their time. You can't have it both ways.
2. And there are so many letters in this book. It feels like an unnecessary and at times clumsy plot device.
3. Jem. I cannot stand that Clare has Jem become a Silent Brother. It seems like such a cop out. Plus, we just learned 200 pages earlier why Jem was passionately against becoming a Silent Brother. I find his decision to do so unrealistic given what we know about him.
4. The epilogue. (view spoiler)[ And then to top it all off, Clare undoes Jem's Silent Brother conversion, conveniently after Will has died. So now Tessa gets to live a lifetime with both of her loves. Again, another cop out. And I'm pretty sure they mentioned that the Silent Brother thing was permanent, yes? How can you un-sew someones eyelids and mouth, anyway? I was fine with the whole Tessa loves both parabatai thing because of the special relationship between Jem and Will. But really. Pick one or the other. I feel like it just cheapened everything to end on that note. Though I'm sure those on team-Jem will disagree. (hide spoiler)]
5. Finally, the cover! Ugh. Tessa would never make that ridiculous face.
So, yes, I was conflicted, and for that reason this one only gets 3 stars.(less)
You can't do this to me, Maureen Johnson! Don't leave a girl hanging! This book reads a bit like a second book in a trilogy. Not a whole lot happens,...moreYou can't do this to me, Maureen Johnson! Don't leave a girl hanging! This book reads a bit like a second book in a trilogy. Not a whole lot happens, and most of the plot is a build up to book three. Also, there's some plot stuff that seems a little out of left field. (view spoiler)[Weird death cult, anyone? Why in the world did Johnson throw that in there? I wish she'd done less of that and more of the creepy Bedlam ghosts. That had potential. (hide spoiler)] That being said, I still love Johnson, and I totally love Rory. (view spoiler)[Also, I totally saw that kiss with Stephen coming! But I'm so glad we finally got it. (hide spoiler)] I can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment and what kind of butt Rory kicks.(less)
Hilarious and so much fun! Carriger's book is exactly what I expect and want out of story about a Victorian era spy school for women disguised as a fi...moreHilarious and so much fun! Carriger's book is exactly what I expect and want out of story about a Victorian era spy school for women disguised as a finishing school. Carriger's droll narrative voice is spot on for this type of story. Really, it's what I wanted when I picked up A Spy in the House and Grave Mercy. Those two, while good stories, were a bit too serious for me. Learning how to deflect suspicion with batted lashes and pretty fans while simultaneously implementing some covert operation all while dressed in giant puffy ball gowns seems as if it needs a touch of humor.
So now have to go read all of Carriger adult novels set in the same world - Etiquette is a prequel of sorts - to tide me over until the sequel comes out.(less)
I forgot to mention that the main character, Allison Sekemoto is asian, which is cool Yay diversity! But it looks like the cover has been whitewashed,...moreI forgot to mention that the main character, Allison Sekemoto is asian, which is cool Yay diversity! But it looks like the cover has been whitewashed, which is disappointing. Also, worst. cover. ever! Even though the blood tear is actually an important detail in the book, I still think that having models on the cover like this looks cheesy. And I can't wait until this trend is over! ---------------- So much awesomeness I don't know where to start. One of the things I like best about Kagawa, after now having read two of her books, is the way that she uses typical YA tropes like the fae, in the Iron Fey series, or vampires but that there's always something about her stories or plots that is totally unexpected and different. I think that she's a breath of fresh air in the YA genre. Also, it helps that she can really write! Her writing and especially her dialogue flow nicely.
The world that she creates in The Immortal Rules is a wonderful mash-up of many YA themes: a post-apocalyptic world, viral outbreaks, vampires, zombies, romance. Her rabids - a kind of zombie vampire, the combination of viral outbreak, vampirism, and scientific experimentation gone wrong - are really freaking scary. They really reminded me of the vampire-monsters from The Passage by Justin Cronin.
And I love that we get to see a really kick butt heroine in Allie, who was BA before she was Turned and just gains heightened strength and ability with her Turning. Once she really hits her stride as a vampire, she could be a super hero swooping through the city at night, scaling brick walls and knocking out bad guys with one punch. I also really like that we get to see a girl as a vampire with all of the vampire lust and Hunger. As for the romance bit of this book, it's there but it's done really well. It doesn't take over the story, but rather plays into Allie's transformation really nicely.
I did think that the middle slowed down quite a bit while Allie was pretending to be human. I got kind of bored watching Allie ignore her vampire identity and skills. But the first and last third were really awesome. Kagawa can write some killer action scenes. I will also say that, while I liked this book, I also wanted more...vampireyness. It's almost like I wanted it to be an adult book. I just wanted it to be darker, creepier.
But overall, this was a really cool vampire book done in a new and different way. Fans of vampires will, of course, devour it, but I think that even those who are a little wary of new vampire books should try it, too. You might be surprised.(less)
People - and I guess by people I mean critics - loved this book. Just totally loved it. I feel like I didn't really like it all that much. I understoo...morePeople - and I guess by people I mean critics - loved this book. Just totally loved it. I feel like I didn't really like it all that much. I understood what Kiernan was trying to do with the hauntings and the schizophrenia and the metatextual discussions about writing, art, and truth. But I'm not really sure that she achieves her goal. Or at least I guess I was expecting more shock and awe, more twists, more gothic horror. And less musings and ramblings of the narrator on her own story. At one point, Imp writes "I didn't set out to appease the Tyranny of Plot. Lives do not unfold in tidy plots, and it's the worst sort of artifice to insist that the tales we tell...must be forced to conform to the plot." I totally disagree. I think that what we want out of a story is a plot - a beginning, middle, and end - something that makes more sense than our plotless lives. With Kiernan's book, you really are missing that. (less)
I hate to be a naysayer, but all I can say is: are you for real?! This book has crazy positive reviews. It has a 4.31 rating with over 3000 people rev...moreI hate to be a naysayer, but all I can say is: are you for real?! This book has crazy positive reviews. It has a 4.31 rating with over 3000 people reviewing it. That's serious praise. So I figured it was a no brainer. It'd love it. I hate to say it, but I was seriously disappointed. There are some serious flaws with this book.
For one thing, there's no back story to speak of. We're just plopped down in the middle of the action, which is fine. Lots of YA books start off that way. But then they take a minute to do some world building and described how our characters got here and why the world is the way it is. Ee does none of that. Here are just a few questions she never answered: Why are the angels evil and out to kill all humans? Where did they come from and why did they choose this moment to attack? How did they manage to defeat mankind? From what we see, angels fight with super sharp swords and their heightened speed, strength, and agility. So how is it that San Francisco is a heap of rubble after the angel attack? It's not like they're using the atom bomb. And for goodness sake, why are some of their wings red, blue, and tiger stripped??
You could say that Ee doesn't explain this to us because Penryn doesn't know, but I think that's a cop out. Penryn is a smart girl. She would have been asking way more questions than she does throughout the book. Many times, Ee has Penryn swallow a question she's burning to ask, often so that she doesn't look like a fool in front of Raffe or confirm his opinions about her. That just didn't fit Penryn's general character.
Secondly, I thought that some of the writing - especially the dialogue - was rather awkward. Penryn and Raffe have a very strange relationship where Raffe tells strange sarcastic jokes and Penryn just kind of takes it. I'm not sure if a I truly bought the chemistry. But really my problem with the dialogue came when we finally meet some secondary characters. For some reason, Penryn's conversation with them falls a little flat.
Finally, I just can't take the ending. This is all a big spoiler, so I'll hide it with the spoiler tags, but suffice it to say that it was just too much. (view spoiler)[ I mean, really? Penryn finds a room full of giant incubator tubes filled with misshapen monsters a la Alien: Resurrection? And her sister climbs out of a pile of child corpses all sewn up like a girl in a bad horror movie with razors for teeth?? I just, I can't. It's just way too much to mix apocalypse-causing angels with genetic engineering and medical experimentation without some kind of explanation. And the political infighting that Ee introduces but never really susses out, that just happens to save Raffe and Penryn. That's just the icing on the implausible cake. (hide spoiler)] Maybe if there had been more back story, the twist would have been more plausible. But there's no attempt at all to explain anything that happens in the last 40 pages of the book.
This is what really did it in for me. I was going to give this book a 3 overall, but it just all fell apart for me. (less)
X-Men meets X-Files. Fun and funny and utterly original. I seriously think that O'Malley has the most inventive and possibly twisted imagination of an...moreX-Men meets X-Files. Fun and funny and utterly original. I seriously think that O'Malley has the most inventive and possibly twisted imagination of any author I've read in a log time. Everything in his book is a surprise because nothing is expected. And I loved Myffanwy - the second - as a main character. While this could obviously be the first book in a series, it still has a nice, complete ending, which is a rare thing in the current world of trilogies. I'm looking forward to what else O'Malley produces in the future.(less)
Dude. This book was not at all what I thought it would be, and I mean that in the best possible way. I was expecting a fairly normal paranormal romanc...moreDude. This book was not at all what I thought it would be, and I mean that in the best possible way. I was expecting a fairly normal paranormal romance, but it was so much better than that. It was so complicated and complex with multiple points of view and fully fleshed out characters. It's twisty and gnarled and not everything is explained right away. Stiefvater has the big picture in mind in every sentence in this book, and I can't wait to read the sequels to see how everything plays out. Also, I loved how she played with the romance that everyone expects now from paranormal YA. It's sooo much better than insta-love.(less)
A great sequel to Clockwork Angel! I just love this series so much more than I liked City of Bones. It lines up with my interests more what with the...moreA great sequel to Clockwork Angel! I just love this series so much more than I liked City of Bones. It lines up with my interests more what with the Victorian setting and the fiesty and stubborn Tessa. A caveat: this book focuses on the relationships between the young shadowhunters more than it focuses on the plot. So if you're not into YA romance, I don't think you'll like where this series is going. I, however, totally enjoyed it. Clare is a master at building the romantic tension to a fever pitch. I can't wait to read the third book.(less)
Well. Once I actually got down to reading, I actually enjoyed this book. I tried to read it on the heels of finishing The Brides of Rollrock Island by...moreWell. Once I actually got down to reading, I actually enjoyed this book. I tried to read it on the heels of finishing The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan, which is also a book told in small episodes like many short stories and which also takes place on an island to the far North. It's like both authors were part of the same fiction writing class and had to complete a similar assignment. So I had to put Midwinterblood aside for a few weeks and turn to other things before I could fully appreciate it.
But once I was able to approach it for itself, I can see why everyone is raving about this book. I actually think it gets better as we get into the chapters and can start seeing the repetitions. I especially like the stories once they start going back into history. I'm not sure that I fully understand each episode and who is the reincarnation of whom. But that's part of the appeal, I think.
However, as with Brides, I'm not sure of the teen appeal of this book as the majority of the narrators are adults. Again, I think it points to the arbitrariness of some of these genre labels we use for books and authors.(less)
I love Maureen Johnson. She's one of my new favorite authors of realistic YA fiction. I just always love her narrative voice. Her characters feel real...moreI love Maureen Johnson. She's one of my new favorite authors of realistic YA fiction. I just always love her narrative voice. Her characters feel real and genuine, even the secondary characters, and the main characters each feel unique. Which is fantastic in a reading world that can be filled with very similar girls surviving in an apocalyptic or dystopian world... Anyway, I was very happy with Johnson's departure into the paranormal. Actually, I thought it was awesome! The plot was suspenseful. The concept was inventive, a little modern day Ghostbusters! I'm hoping there's a sequel, because I'd love to read it.(less)
I really wish I could give half stars! Because this would be 3.5.
I started off not the biggest fan of this book, mostly because I'm not the biggest fa...moreI really wish I could give half stars! Because this would be 3.5.
I started off not the biggest fan of this book, mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of horror in general. And while I still wish the writing had been more gothic and lyrical, I have to say that Blake and her characters won me over. Each member of Cas' band of misfits is unique and likable and more than their character type, ie the goth loner, the beautiful queen bee, the... sweet but terrifying dead girl... And I love love that Blake wrote not one but two strong female supporting characters.
Despite how much Cas hates being compared to the ghost hunters, this story has a definite Buffy the Vampire Slayer feel, which I think a lot of people would dig. And if Cas were in his twenties and this book were being published as an adult mystery novel, I could image a huge series coming out of this, with the group taking down one spooky baddie at a time. And I must say, I am intrigued to see what happens next, as Blake obviously left it open for a sequel.(less)
I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did. I was hesitant that the photographs would come off too gimmicky, and from the cover I expected...moreI didn't think I would like this book as much as I did. I was hesitant that the photographs would come off too gimmicky, and from the cover I expected a kind of gothic, circus freak show sort of tone.
So I was amazed and how quickly the main character's narrative voice caught me. And the pictures turned out to work pretty well with the text. I probably could have done without them - I like to imagine my own characters - but they didn't distract from the text. And while there is a bit of gothic horror to this book, the overall tone is one of a fantasy novel, as the main character Jacob goes on an adventure to solve a mystery, save the day, and discover his true identity.
What I ended up liking the most, though, in this story were the characters, the titular peculiar children. There is something circus freak show about them - for example, the girl with a mouth on the back of her head - but Riggs does a great job at making each of them a unique and likable character.
And I'm excited at what the end of this book hints at as far as what's going to happen in the sequels.
Just in time for Halloween! I totally loved this book, even though I'm not always the biggest urban fiction fan. It was fun and ireeverent an...more4.5 stars
Just in time for Halloween! I totally loved this book, even though I'm not always the biggest urban fiction fan. It was fun and ireeverent and sarcastic and unique, and I can't wait to read the second one. Sam is my new favorite male narrator. (less)
I really enjoyed this book. Some author commented on the back of the hardcover (don't have the book with me now so I don't know who said this) that th...moreI really enjoyed this book. Some author commented on the back of the hardcover (don't have the book with me now so I don't know who said this) that this was the most "refreshing" paranormal book to come out in a while, and I really agree. The whole take on paranormals, what they were, how they acted and interacted, and how they lived was new and something I hadn't really read before. Definitely a refreshing change from the beautiful-and-powerful-male-paranormal-who-will-restrain-himself-from-harming-the-fragile-female-protagonist type. Vampires actually looked like dried up corpses that just cast a beautiful glamor over themselves. Mermaids were more like fish than women. And faeries, well, they're just a beautiful and cruel as ever.
I really enjoyed the idea that Evie worked in a secret governmental agency tasked with the responsibility of controlling the paranormals and keeping normal humans unaware of them. It reminded me a bit of the X-Men and definitely lent itself to the theme of whether someone different from yourself is completely other or just different and still worthy of respect. Another X-Men detail: Lend's ability to take on different forms reminded me forcefully of Mystique.
Best of all, I found Evie's dialogue really realistically teen. She sounded like a 15/16 year old! And I thought that her flirtation with Lend was just so adorable and thankfully did not include that I-will-haunt-your-forever-your-are-mine strain of possessive obsession that so many paranormal romances include. Don't get me wrong, that can be fun. But it's nice for some variety and maybe some examples of healthy relationships. Thus the "refreshing" bit. (less)
A great book that was a fun, quick read. I loved Sophie's humor and the general idea of going to a boarding school for paranormals. Because of that, t...moreA great book that was a fun, quick read. I loved Sophie's humor and the general idea of going to a boarding school for paranormals. Because of that, there is some Harry Potter-ness in this book, but really the tone, the feel, of the story reminds more of Paranormalcy than anything else, sort of recasting paranormal creatures like faeries and werewolves as just normal people - even teenagers! - with every-day sort of problems.
I really enjoyed the book. I love the way that books about paranormal races allow authors to talk about themes of being different or an outsider and how we all need to accept our differences to get things done and beat the bad guys. If anything I wished that there was more to this story. More details about the day-to-day life of Sophie's at school, more details of what Sophie can do with her powers, more details about what the paranormal society is like. More like Harry Potter in that way! So I'm excited to read the sequels and get into the world again.(less)
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. For some reason, I'm not the biggest Fae fan. I guess I'd just rather read a traditiona...moreI ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. For some reason, I'm not the biggest Fae fan. I guess I'd just rather read a traditional fantasy than most urban fantasies. And I'm also not the biggest fan of portal fantasies. The main characters spend too much of their time going "huh? what's going on?"
But this book had a lot of the elements of traditional fantasy that I really like: the quest, the band of characters (two of which form the sides of a love triangle), the "ordinary" hero who has untapped potential, the moment when she must stand up and fight alone. And, as others have mentioned in their reviews, I enjoyed the way that Kagawa plays on familiar characters or trops from other fairytales. Like Grim who very much resembles the Cheshire Cat. And finally, Meghan's quest had that deeper resonance that is the hallmark of all good fantasy when the story begins to tell us more than just its disparate parts. The threat of the Iron Kingdom - the product of humanity's dreams of science, technology, and progress - to the rest of the Nevernever strikes the same chord that all distopians do.
I'm interested to see where Kagawa takes this story and what she will do with Meghan who hates to kill anything and who sits so precariously between the normal fae and the iron fae.(less)
Well this is the best steampunk supernatural romance that I've ever read! For real, though, Carriger does an excellent job at mashing up all these sub...moreWell this is the best steampunk supernatural romance that I've ever read! For real, though, Carriger does an excellent job at mashing up all these sub-genres. Yes, there are underlying genre formulas to Soulless - the overprotective werewolf love interest, the feisty and stubborn heroine - but it's so much fun and Carriger is so good that you almost don't notice them. And her writing is just delicious! I totally love her wry, witty humor.
I will say that I found the romantic scenes a little awkward at times. There's just something about mashing together Victorian era manners and steamy sex scenes that doesn't always work. But it may be that I just prefer romance of the more angsty variety.
I also think I preferred Etiquette & Espionage just a tiny bit more. There's less formula and more surprise in that book. But really, I'm loving Carriger's sensibility, and I can't wait to read the next one in both series.(less)
I love the twist that Jensen and Higgins put on the classic Pinocchio. How genius to use his every-growing nose as a stake to kill vampires! I also lo...moreI love the twist that Jensen and Higgins put on the classic Pinocchio. How genius to use his every-growing nose as a stake to kill vampires! I also loved the tiny moments of humor throughout.
The only real issue I had with this smashed graphic novel was the illustrations. They're all in black and white, which helps to give the story a more haunting tone. But I thought that at times they were hard to make out. Because there's no color, and because of a comic type of illustration where they used black dots to do some shading, I sometimes had a hard time figuring out what was going on in individual frames.
But otherwise, really cool. And I loved that the authors used the original Pinocchio rather than the Disney version and that they gave the readers and quick and humeros run down of that original version.(less)
This book really surprised me, though I don't know why since it's gotten excellent ratings by pretty much everyone I know on Goodreads. I was a little...moreThis book really surprised me, though I don't know why since it's gotten excellent ratings by pretty much everyone I know on Goodreads. I was a little apprehensive at the beginning with the whole girl-loves-wolf thing, but the book won me over. Sweet, sad Sam and practical, stoic Grace won me over. I've heard that this book is like Twilight for Team Jacob fans, and it is sort of, in that it's a star-crossed lovers romance between a normal girl and a werewolf. But it's so much better than Twilight! For one thing, it's better written. I mean, it's a little woe-is-me-my-life-will-end-without-you, but I was really digging that feeling. For another thing, the love story in Shiver is so much sweeter. *swoon*
All I have to say is, whoever figured out that romance for teens would be a big seller is a genius. The story of teenage first love was made to be the basic plot of romance novels!(less)
I really liked this book. 4.5 stars! I think that Zink did a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of the late 1800's in the narrative voice and dial...moreI really liked this book. 4.5 stars! I think that Zink did a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of the late 1800's in the narrative voice and dialogue. And this book is so atmospheric! Very gothic and haunting. Very creepy. I love how Zink took the Victorians' obsession with spiritualists and turned it into a system of magic all her own with a society of sorceresses, a magical realm called the Otherworlds that you can travel in your dreams, and an army of Lost Souls that plot to bring in the Reign of Chaos. And Zink's titular pophecy adds an the perfect atmosphere of anciet myth and legend to the story. Half the fun of the book is deciphering the prophecy and figuring out what its parts mean to the Sisters' quest.
Some of the reviews that didn't like this book critcize it for its lack of action, but I totally disagree. I think that pleanty happens in the plot. But this is a book that focuses more on the atmosphere and creating an overall feeling rather than hurling through a set of plot-points, so be warned. I love that, though, in certain moods, so I was happy as a clam. And I'm definitely going to try to read the next one.(less)
Ooo, I loved this book. I had no idea it was going to be so creepy when I picked it up. In many ways, it reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House by S...moreOoo, I loved this book. I had no idea it was going to be so creepy when I picked it up. In many ways, it reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The mill which Charlotte's family owns, the physical building itself, is such a presence in the same way that Hill House is. It has its own personality and moods, and things always seem to be happening that have no true explanation. Ladders pulled out from under people. Doors refusing to open. Also, and I love this, as the novel goes on and you get further and further into the curse surrounding Shearing, you start to wonder if Charlotte isn't going a little mad. Again, just like in Hill House. And it gives the whole novel such a spooky undertone. Bunce is a master at slowly building in suspense and ratcheting up the tension so that you don't even notice it until you're on the edge of your seat.
Another thing that I really enjoyed were the characters. Charlotte's narrative voice is clear and precise from the very first page, and many of the secondary characters were fully fleshed out. Even the villains had tragic stories of their own, and I love when stories complicate evil and good like that. Finally, I found the ending to be entirely satisfying. Exactly what I want out of a book.
Also, can we talk about the title? What a great title! It's contradictory, because gold isn't dark, which leaves you wondering in which situations gold could be considered "dark." Totally awesome. (less)
Unfortunately, I didn't like this start to the Mortal Instruments series as much as I thought I would. I kind of felt like the main character Clary wa...moreUnfortunately, I didn't like this start to the Mortal Instruments series as much as I thought I would. I kind of felt like the main character Clary was missing...something - maybe I just didn't connect with her for whatever reason - and I wished that she was more active, more able to kick-butt. I get why she can't fight since she was raised as a mundane and wasn't taught to fight demons, but I still wish that she had found some dormant butt-kicking skill or something. Also, I felt that there was just a bit too much happening in the book, a bit too many twists and turns of the plot. It got a little distracting by the end. And maybe it was that I read Clockwork Angel first, not knowing it was technically a prequel to this series. The plots are so so similar: the orphaned girl who gets pulled into the Niphilim's world and ends up being cared for in the hospital wing of the Institute, the teen Niphilim left at the Institute alone, the two blood-brother warriors and the one lone female Niphilim, the love triangle between a nicer, gentler boy and a bratty but oh-so-cute and secretly-fragile boy, even where the first kiss takes place is the same. As a result, City of Bones felt too familiar to me. (view spoiler)[And the final twist, the sort of Star Wars ending, drove me nuts!!! Ugh, I'm so mad at this book for that. (hide spoiler)]
But, the book was certainly entertaining. I may go on to read the next one, if only to find out what happens to a few of the characters.(less)
So this was my first purposeful foray into romance. (I got tricked a few years ago by Outlander and Kushiel's Dart, both of which I loved.) And I like...moreSo this was my first purposeful foray into romance. (I got tricked a few years ago by Outlander and Kushiel's Dart, both of which I loved.) And I liked it okay.... I just like romantic fantasy better than fantasy romance. There was a little too much plot dedicated to flirting and a little too little dedicated to the fantastic elements. Like the epic battle between an archdemon, an angel, and two Nephilim! (It's like a set-up for some paranormal joke.) That didn't get any screen time because Georgie was off in the corner kissing some guy. But really, I don't want to hate too much because this book really wasn't too bad.
I think it's hilarious, though, looking at the reviews for all these paranormal romance books. There's a bunch of raving 5 star reviews from romance fans who knew what they were getting into and then a bunch of pissed off 1 star reviews from fantasy fans who got tricked into reading a romance.(less)
3.5 stars Whitcomb gives us a very unique take on ghosts and hauntings. I loved her narrative voice and the fact that Helen still speaks like she's fr...more3.5 stars Whitcomb gives us a very unique take on ghosts and hauntings. I loved her narrative voice and the fact that Helen still speaks like she's from...a really long time ago, whatever historical period she's actually from, some time before cars. It did, however, make the tone of the novel more like that of a historical novel, despite the action-packed scenes towards the end. I would have given it 4 stars, but it lost me a little somewhere around the middle. Excellent writing, though, and highly recommended for fans of Before I Fall>/a> and the like.(less)
3.5 stars A completely unique story and take on the afterlife. I'm surprised that this book doesn't have better overall ratings, frankly, but then aga...more3.5 stars A completely unique story and take on the afterlife. I'm surprised that this book doesn't have better overall ratings, frankly, but then again I only gave it 3 stars. I really liked it though! It's sweet and sad, and Liz is completely likable, and there's something interesting and thought provoking about Zevin's take on the afterlife on every page. I think that the girlish narrative voice - given Liz's young (and growing younger) age when she dies - maybe prevented some people from liking this book as much as others. It's definitely quite different from your usual YA. But it's so sweet! The ending especially is... Well, I won't give that away.(less)
Totally awesome. I don't tend to like graphic novels, but I really love the illustrations that Adrian Alphona did for this one and I love the concept....moreTotally awesome. I don't tend to like graphic novels, but I really love the illustrations that Adrian Alphona did for this one and I love the concept. My only complaint is that Vol 1 is so short!(less)
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