Man, this series. THIS SERIES just gets me in the chestal area! As much as I hate that this book, too, ends on a MONSTROUS cliffhanger, I'm still go...moreMan, this series. THIS SERIES just gets me in the chestal area! As much as I hate that this book, too, ends on a MONSTROUS cliffhanger, I'm still going to recommend it because it is just that awesome.
Picking up where "The Knife of Never Letting Go" so callously left off, on the first monstrous cliffhanger, Todd and Viola are separated, but they can't imagine just how separated they have become until they realize they are on opposite sides of a war.
Man. THIS BOOK. I just have to keep saying that because I'm not even sure where to start. Should I start with the creepy awesome villains, who are so creepy, and so awesome, and so REAL, that I at least spent most of the book going, "Don't trust him/her! Wait! Maybe he/she is ok! NO WAY, DON'T TRUST HIM/HER!"
This book inspires a lot of capslocks from me.
Or maybe I should talk about the fact that there is just SO MUCH going on under the surface of this book. You want to talk about feminism and anti-feminism and chauvinism and racism and xenophobia and torture and "the greater good?" Cause they're all in there.
But this big theme of this one is trust. Who to trust, and when, and how. Even though Viola can hear everything Todd is thinking, all the time, they still find they start having trouble trusting one another, and that, I think, is a huge coup for the author.
And that's other huge thing I liked about this book: Todd and Viola's relationship. Because it could be corny, you know? It could be all, "We're meant to be together." It could be sappy and love story and "I'm 14 but I know that you and I are soul mates," and it's absolutely not. There's a friendship element to them, and an element of needing each other and counting on each other for reasons that go way beyond romantic love, and it just felt real and right, and I was totally drawn in by it.
Like "The Knife," this book is gritty, it's real, it's hard to read at parts, it doesn't pull any punches. There's blood and death and pain and fighting and betrayal, and not a whole lot of good things in between. It's tense and taught and hard to put down. And it's just a hell of a good story.(less)
Avery is a 15-year-old superman, with super strength and the ability to fly, but all he wants is to be normal, dull, and not have to worry about sendi...moreAvery is a 15-year-old superman, with super strength and the ability to fly, but all he wants is to be normal, dull, and not have to worry about sending his parents to the poor house with all the stuff he breaks or about hurting someone unintentionally.
But after trying to flex his powers for the forces of good, Avery finds out he's not the only person in the world with super powers — and that not all of them are so interested in fighting for the forces of good.
Avery and his buddies were what sold this book for me. Avery's voice is incredibly sarcastic, funny and authentic busy worrying about girls at the same time he's worrying about figuring out his super powers. Darla, his mad genius friend, is hilarious and geeky without falling back on geeky stereotypes, and his other friends Nicholas, Catherine and Sophie have interesting and unusual super powers and stay well out of the realm of cliche.
The overarching plot seemed a little thin to me, with the threat from the mysterious Cherchette a little too mysterious for too much of the book. The questions of whether or not she had the kids' best interests at heart, as well as Avery's struggle to decide whether to leave his parents or not, almost felt marginalized to the scene-by-scene hijinks going on with the super friends.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this one and will be looking out for a sequel! (less)
Neil Gaiman is the king of the creepy kid's book, but this one is less creepy than "Coraline." I believe I read in an interview (or perhaps ...moreNeil Gaiman is the king of the creepy kid's book, but this one is less creepy than "Coraline." I believe I read in an interview (or perhaps on his blog) that he thought adults were much more creeped out by his works than kids are, and I think that's true. Kids will accept that Bod lives with dead people as quickly and easily as Bod does.
I loved the story of Bod and the Graveyard folk and the Jacks, but the story left me wanting more. I wanted to know MORE about the Jacks in particular, more about Silas—who he really was and why he was really there—and more about what he and Miss Lepscue were doing while they were away. I also wanted to know more about how Bod would get by in the regular world. I suppose, however, that's a mark of a good book, when it leaves you wanting for more.(less)
This was kind of an odd book, but I did enjoy it. It really gave me a sense of who Marcelo was and how it was to live like him. But, as a reader, I ...moreThis was kind of an odd book, but I did enjoy it. It really gave me a sense of who Marcelo was and how it was to live like him. But, as a reader, I could never truly sink into his persona and see the world through his eyes. I was extremely uncomfortable in certain scenes when Marcelo was being exploited, or when he misunderstood social interactions, and those moments were perhaps the most powerful for me in the book.(less)
Man. I couldn't get through "Bartimaeus" and I couldn't get through this one. I got about 150 pages in and I was still waiting for somethi...moreMan. I couldn't get through "Bartimaeus" and I couldn't get through this one. I got about 150 pages in and I was still waiting for something to happen. Maybe I'll go back to it later.(less)
The best thing about Lisa Yee's books are the stunning characters. These kids come alive off the page and leap into your memory so fully realized you'...moreThe best thing about Lisa Yee's books are the stunning characters. These kids come alive off the page and leap into your memory so fully realized you'd swear you met Maybe rinsing Kool-Aid out of her hair in your dorm bathroom and that you bumped into Ted walking down Hollywood Boulevard in his platform shoes. I found the plot a little far-fetched and contrived at times, but overall, loved the characters enough to stick with them through to the end.(less)
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