So what did you think?

[Cameron]

Tell us what you think, Let's get some discussion going.

[Phillip]

I've finished the book and it was good! Before we go into too much discussion, this is a spoiler zone, correct? Read at your own risk (if you haven't finished yet)?

[Cameron]

Yes this is a spoiler zone, If you are afraid you can always add spoiler tags. Like this (view spoiler)[ See (hide spoiler)].

[Mary]

At first I wasn't sure if I liked the book or not. I found the plot a little confusing. We were introduced to Bod through a very traumatic event and then the book simply talked about his life in the graveyard. I kind of felt that the murder had been forgotten about. However, by the time I reached the last page I was in love with this book! I understood how everything fit together. I also thought it was neat how Bod became less like a ghost as he got older. I was left with some questions. Would Bod be able to survive in our world? He got his education from people who lived hundreds of years ago. Is he going to be capable of making a successful life as a human? What is Silas? I was still confused by who he exactly was. I was also left with a lot of questions about Jack of all trades. I never really understood what their purpose in this world is. This is a book I would consider reading again to pick up some of the underlying meanings and plot hints. Thanks for suggesting a goodread!

[Chelsea]

I think the book was good, the concepts and ideas behind what was happening was awesome and I liked how bod used the different abilities he had from the graveyard to defeat the Jacks. However, I felt like the story was more focused on describing the supernatural abilities that Bod was given rather than developing deep character abilities. Did anyone else feel that way?

I too really wanted to discover what is Silas and what they actually did to defeat the Jacks and what was the purpose of the Jack of all trades group.

[Cameron]

Neil Gaiman crafts an interesting story about a boy who grows up in a graveyard. My only complaints are about the villains, they are never explained very well, what their motivations are. I think, had they been better explained, it would have made for a stronger story.

I believe Silas was a vampire. What I wanted to know was about the mummy, he seemed cool.

[Phillip]

I agree with the character development comments- I could have used more. Partially because of that, this book felt more like a short story to me. It seems like each chapter served to introduce one new power or character. There was very little stray information or extra adventures. I thought the premise was good and Neil Gaiman told the story well, though, for what it was.
I thought the end was a little weird. The entire book builds up to the final confrontation. Bod proves himself by using his powers, saving the girl, and then... "Well, see you later!". No more girl, no more powers, no more family (alive or dead), off into the real world with ya. There's no real resolution to the death of his family in real life, we never learned if he has any non-supernatural skills, or why the Jacks were after him. He's off to adventure- inspired by some character I don't remember being mentioned before the last few pages of the book.
Oh, well. All in all: a good short story.

[Troy]

There were unanswered questions I had, but the short story structure was something I like. One of the main inspirations for the to book was the Jungle Book, which I now want to read, and so I saw this story as Bod learning about himself with mentors and then having to grow up and leave the graveyard (like Mowgli). Through that lens I enjoyed the book.

Did anyone else think the Silas was Dracula or just another vampire?

[K-la]

Overall I liked the plot of a boy growing up in a graveyard because his family was murdered when he was a toddler, but I felt like the author could have done so much more with it. I didn't like the lack of character development and I felt like both the reason behind Bod's families murder and the description of the Jack of all trades deserved more attention than they received. Also did anyone else notice that the first few paragraphs were written in a completely different context than the rest of the book? It drove me nuts that there was no transition from the one writing style to the next.

[Levi]

This book had so much potential and yet at the end I was disappointed. The ending seemed rushed and underdeveloped. I agree with lots of the previous comments. I think three or four rewritings of this book could really help it.

I really don't understand why this book has a 4.09 stars rating.