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Every Hidden Thing
by
Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the late nineteenth-century world has ever seen. Some legends call it the Black Beauty, with its bones as black as ebony, but to seventeen-year-old Samuel Bolt, it’s the “rex,” the king dinosaur that could put him and his struggling, tem
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Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
September 20th 2016
by HarperCollins Canada
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HAHAHA!!!
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When I first heard about this book I thought, hmm, Wild West, dinosaurs, Romeo and Juliet - what an intriguing mix! I definitely need to read this book, plus the cover is gorgeous. And so the waiting began: it was one of my most anticipated releases of the month. Imagine my surprise when everything derailed so fast, I couldn't even say "Bummer".
I will split the structure of this book in two: on one side we have the plot, on the other side we have characters.
The story follows two rival families o
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This was described as 'Indiana Jones meets Romeo and Juliet' and that is exactly what it delivered.
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Feb 04, 2016
Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁
marked it as perhaps
Shelves:
check-and-recheck,
unread-ya-idk
Romeo and Juliet meets Indiana Jones in this this new YA epic from Printz-winning author Kenneth Oppel that combines the hunt for a dinosaur skeleton buried for millions of years, a mysterious legend, bitter rivalries and a forbidden romance.
Umm . . . YES, please.
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Umm . . . YES, please.


Finding Fossils, Finding InstaLove...
If you're not a big fan of "insta-love" then you'll probably be doing some major face palms while reading this book. Two of the main characters, Rachel & Sam, don't just think they're in love, they go from full fledged bumbling innocents (view spoiler) in record time- with ALL details included unfortunately!
I liked how the characters deviated from the norm though and didn't follow their strict society rules. I w ...more
If you're not a big fan of "insta-love" then you'll probably be doing some major face palms while reading this book. Two of the main characters, Rachel & Sam, don't just think they're in love, they go from full fledged bumbling innocents (view spoiler) in record time- with ALL details included unfortunately!
I liked how the characters deviated from the norm though and didn't follow their strict society rules. I w ...more

***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads
The Airborn series was one of my favs ever growing up so I was immediately like YAAS to Every Hidden Thing but then I saw it was pitched as Indiana Jones meets Romeo & Juliet and was like double YAAS. WHO CAN RESIST THE COMBO of a childhood fav author and INDIANA JONES MEETS ROMEO & JULIET? Not me obviously. Anyway, I loved this book and that is all you’re ever going to need to know in your life. BYE NOW. See you again someday.
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*comes bac ...more
The Airborn series was one of my favs ever growing up so I was immediately like YAAS to Every Hidden Thing but then I saw it was pitched as Indiana Jones meets Romeo & Juliet and was like double YAAS. WHO CAN RESIST THE COMBO of a childhood fav author and INDIANA JONES MEETS ROMEO & JULIET? Not me obviously. Anyway, I loved this book and that is all you’re ever going to need to know in your life. BYE NOW. See you again someday.
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*comes bac ...more

When I was younger, I went through a brief phase where I really wanted to be an archaeologist. I was always more interested in the finding-things-in-the-ground aspect of archaeology than the actual artifacts, and this book made the kid in me really happy. It was basically everything I never knew I wanted to read about. The premise of this book hooked me from the moment I heard it, and I had to drop everything to read it immediately.
Every Hidden Thing is pitched as Romeo and Juliet meets Indian ...more
Every Hidden Thing is pitched as Romeo and Juliet meets Indian ...more

*This review can also be found on YA Books Central and in Spanish at The Reader and the Chef. Thoughts are based on an eARC received from the publisher.*
An Adventurous Tale of Fossils and Forbidden Romance!
If there's one historical YA book about romance, travel, and adventure to read in 2016, it's this one. Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel is surely a gem to be discovered by readers eager to board a train into the late nineteenth-century America and spend a summer unearthing dinosaur fossils ...more
An Adventurous Tale of Fossils and Forbidden Romance!
If there's one historical YA book about romance, travel, and adventure to read in 2016, it's this one. Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel is surely a gem to be discovered by readers eager to board a train into the late nineteenth-century America and spend a summer unearthing dinosaur fossils ...more

Pages read: 11 (less than one chapter)
The writing reads really contemporary to me, and there's so little that grounds the story in 1874. Both narrative voices are immensely awkward. Because it doesn't feel historical, the boy comes off like a kindly, flirty grandpa, and the girl's narration is dry and awkwardly scientific.
After I decided to DNF, and I decided to flip ahead to the sex scenes which are perhaps the most awful, awkward things I've ever read. *coughs* This is what happens when men w ...more
The writing reads really contemporary to me, and there's so little that grounds the story in 1874. Both narrative voices are immensely awkward. Because it doesn't feel historical, the boy comes off like a kindly, flirty grandpa, and the girl's narration is dry and awkwardly scientific.
After I decided to DNF, and I decided to flip ahead to the sex scenes which are perhaps the most awful, awkward things I've ever read. *coughs* This is what happens when men w ...more

I so, so wanted to love this. The Silverwing series was a childhood favourite, and Airborn was a pretty decent read too. And this one had dinosaurs!. It just didn't... work. At all.
Every Hidden Thing starts with a sickening case of instalove, and never improves from there. The characters aren't particularly likeable, and the star-crossed lovers theme gets old quick. The plot is implausible (view spoiler) , and there ...more
Every Hidden Thing starts with a sickening case of instalove, and never improves from there. The characters aren't particularly likeable, and the star-crossed lovers theme gets old quick. The plot is implausible (view spoiler) , and there ...more

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinion in any way.
2.5 stars.
This book is basically dinosaurs+Romeo and Juliet+WildWest.
And if that doesn't sound interesting enough, I don't know what does.
Because, let's look at the big picture, shall we? This should've worked. This should've at least gotten higher than..a meager 3 stars? And let's not forget that even that rating is rounded up. Actual rating i ...more
2.5 stars.
This book is basically dinosaurs+Romeo and Juliet+WildWest.
And if that doesn't sound interesting enough, I don't know what does.
Because, let's look at the big picture, shall we? This should've worked. This should've at least gotten higher than..a meager 3 stars? And let's not forget that even that rating is rounded up. Actual rating i ...more

E ARC from Edelweiss
Samuel Bolt and Rachel Cartland meet after the Civil War at a museum presentation where Sam's father is talking about a dinosaur find he has made. Rachel's father points out that he has put the skeleton together backwards, and fisticuffs ensue. The two break up the fight, and go back to their daily lives. These involve helping out their paleontologists fathers, and soon they are thrown back together as the two groups head out to Nebraska to investigate the same bones. More fo ...more
Samuel Bolt and Rachel Cartland meet after the Civil War at a museum presentation where Sam's father is talking about a dinosaur find he has made. Rachel's father points out that he has put the skeleton together backwards, and fisticuffs ensue. The two break up the fight, and go back to their daily lives. These involve helping out their paleontologists fathers, and soon they are thrown back together as the two groups head out to Nebraska to investigate the same bones. More fo ...more

Nov 12, 2016
Christaaay
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
buy,
highly-recommended,
recommended-ya,
ya,
historical,
adults-who-ya,
feminism,
crossover-fiction,
arcs-new,
so-excited
“We’d set out from Crowe at first light, and the grassland seemed endless. But after another few minutes, a crack appeared in the prairie. As we trotted closer, with every second the crack widened and deepened into a vast canyon that spread to the horizon.
A sunken world within our own. Water and glaciers and time had scooped it out, leaving behind a windy river and tall weathered buttes and mazes of ravines. The steep slopes showed all their ancient layers—tawny, black, gray, red—like the diagr ...more
A sunken world within our own. Water and glaciers and time had scooped it out, leaving behind a windy river and tall weathered buttes and mazes of ravines. The steep slopes showed all their ancient layers—tawny, black, gray, red—like the diagr ...more

I liked the paleontology bits. The romance though needed editing. Or deletion. Romance isn't his his strong suit.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm... ...more
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm... ...more

This was a 4-4.5 for me.
EVERY HIDDEN THING by Kenneth Oppel is an entertaining, dinosaur-digging, adventure novel with a hint of Romeo and Juliet. I absolutely loved this and I suspect that after its publication, there'll be a big increase in kids wanting to be palaeontologists. Set during the 19th century and inspired in part by "The Bone Wars", this book follows two teenagers who are determined to find this infamous dinosaur with the power to change lives.
Fairly early on the reader is able to ...more
EVERY HIDDEN THING by Kenneth Oppel is an entertaining, dinosaur-digging, adventure novel with a hint of Romeo and Juliet. I absolutely loved this and I suspect that after its publication, there'll be a big increase in kids wanting to be palaeontologists. Set during the 19th century and inspired in part by "The Bone Wars", this book follows two teenagers who are determined to find this infamous dinosaur with the power to change lives.
Fairly early on the reader is able to ...more

Oct 13, 2016
Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed
Every Hidden Thing is described as a story of Romeo and Juliet meets Indiana Jones. It's a story about two paleontologists and their kids in search of the Black Beauty or "rex" one of the biggest dinosauria to be discovered at its time in North America. It is also loosely based on a historical event called "Bone Wars"
I don't know where to begin. I hate, HATE writing bad reviews so I am going to make this as positive as I can.
Samuel and Rachel are the children of two feuding paleontologists. Both ...more
I don't know where to begin. I hate, HATE writing bad reviews so I am going to make this as positive as I can.
Samuel and Rachel are the children of two feuding paleontologists. Both ...more

Every Hidden Thing is written by Kenneth Oppel. I have read some of his books in the past and really enjoyed them but this one was not anything like his other and was quite disappointing. I think that the difference is that he tried to write this book for an older audience than his other books. The actual plot of this book is very good and his word choice and writing style that he used was effective and suited the book well. It is about a boy and a girl who are from two rival fossil hunting fami
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Title: Every Hidden Thing
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Adeventure/Romance
Series: N/A, standalone
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
I'd like to start this review on a slightly personal note: I'm sorry I've been inactive lately! My husband and I just moved into our brand new house, and these past couple of weeks have been a hectic flurry of packing, unpacking, cleaning, and getting our affairs in order. You guys have bee ...more
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Adeventure/Romance
Series: N/A, standalone
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
I'd like to start this review on a slightly personal note: I'm sorry I've been inactive lately! My husband and I just moved into our brand new house, and these past couple of weeks have been a hectic flurry of packing, unpacking, cleaning, and getting our affairs in order. You guys have bee ...more

Why can historical fiction almost never have humor? At least this isn't relentlessly depressing, and even has a few moments of joy. And about 4/5 through there is one slapstick scene. But that's it, and that's more than most.
I did like the young lovers - unlike another reviewer, I found their infatuation & friendship entirely believable. I also did feel like I got to know them as individuals, not just as 19th-century versions of Juliet and Romeo. And yet I just didn't feel like I wanted a love s ...more
I did like the young lovers - unlike another reviewer, I found their infatuation & friendship entirely believable. I also did feel like I got to know them as individuals, not just as 19th-century versions of Juliet and Romeo. And yet I just didn't feel like I wanted a love s ...more

... I'm not really sure what the point is?
There are three things that make a book worth something - worth reader investment: character, plot, and theme. Perfect books have all three, but a lot of the time novels can get by so long as at least one is executed well.
This book doesn't have any of the above.
The characters aren't flawless, but they also never arc their way to anywhere interesting. They don't arc their way anywhere at all - aside from falling in love, there is no change. The plot only ...more
There are three things that make a book worth something - worth reader investment: character, plot, and theme. Perfect books have all three, but a lot of the time novels can get by so long as at least one is executed well.
This book doesn't have any of the above.
The characters aren't flawless, but they also never arc their way to anywhere interesting. They don't arc their way anywhere at all - aside from falling in love, there is no change. The plot only ...more

I loooooooved this book.
The POVs were both great, and I loved how Rachel and Sam interacted. I also love how the author wove in legend and paleonthology together in the book, and there wasn't a single moment where I was bored. When I got to the ending I was almost jumping out of my seat, because I couldn't wait until they found the actual skeleton.
Basically, my love of dinosaurs and paleonthology was very complete with this novel. ...more
The POVs were both great, and I loved how Rachel and Sam interacted. I also love how the author wove in legend and paleonthology together in the book, and there wasn't a single moment where I was bored. When I got to the ending I was almost jumping out of my seat, because I couldn't wait until they found the actual skeleton.
Basically, my love of dinosaurs and paleonthology was very complete with this novel. ...more

Ending the year on a sad note, a 1 star book from an author who I’ve only LOVED reading. Oh well. I should have known. I never liked Romeo & Juliet.

Amazing, as Kenneth Oppel always is 😍
"But out here in the ruins of the world, there were no buildings or rooms to separate or contain us. No bookish laws and rules to manacle us. It seemed ridiculous out here, all that stuff made of brick and timbers and paper and people's stale breath. Out here the rock had no rules and the hills had no laws and the vast sky was everywhere and watching, but didn't care one bit." ...more
"But out here in the ruins of the world, there were no buildings or rooms to separate or contain us. No bookish laws and rules to manacle us. It seemed ridiculous out here, all that stuff made of brick and timbers and paper and people's stale breath. Out here the rock had no rules and the hills had no laws and the vast sky was everywhere and watching, but didn't care one bit." ...more

I AM UPSETTI.
BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS ALMOST PERFECT. IT WAS SO CLOSE. They were in the desert, digging up dinosaurs while having a rivalry and falling in love, and I didn't hate the romance. *gasp*
BUT THEN: they had to go and have sexytimes. Which was just annoying. I lost all interest in the romance. It went from cute to blech.
But again, I loved the first 3/4ths with all my heart. The last 1/4th? ugh. ...more
BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS ALMOST PERFECT. IT WAS SO CLOSE. They were in the desert, digging up dinosaurs while having a rivalry and falling in love, and I didn't hate the romance. *gasp*
BUT THEN: they had to go and have sexytimes. Which was just annoying. I lost all interest in the romance. It went from cute to blech.
But again, I loved the first 3/4ths with all my heart. The last 1/4th? ugh. ...more

Interesting nerd romance set in an au of the 19th century bone wars. Dads of protags are terrible and sometimes abusive, moms of protags are long dead, protags are prickly and learn to be less horrible to indigenous ppl than their dad's are shown to be through reflection on error in a realistic thus very uncomfortable way. .. and yet somehow the whole still has the frothy happy nerd romance HEA vibe? I knew I liked Kenneth Oppel's writing but dang I'm still impressed.
CN: abusive parenting, viole ...more
CN: abusive parenting, viole ...more
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I was born in 1967 in Port Alberni, a mill town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia but spent the bulk of my childhood in Victoria, B.C. and on the opposite coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia...At around twelve I decided I wanted to be a writer (this came after deciding I wanted to be a scientist, and then an architect). I started out writing sci-fi epics (my Star Wars phase) then went on to swords
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