Not sure what to do with this one. Not really a thriller, though there are crimes, not really YA but not really adult either? It’s released under S&S’Not sure what to do with this one. Not really a thriller, though there are crimes, not really YA but not really adult either? It’s released under S&S’s Gallery Books so I guess it’s supposed to be adult.
I have read a lot of books lately that have been upsetting for the somewhat cavalier way they handled serious issues—to name just a few recent releases, The September House, None of this is True, and Everyone Here is Lying. The highest praise I have for this book is that that is NOT the case here—the author really puts you in the mindset of the main character, who is bipolar and experiences so many thoughts and emotions it was sometimes difficult to keep up. The author’s note at the end says she did a lot of research and I totally believe her—you feel the MC’s paranoia and nerves and fixed interest and anxiety in a visceral way, and her mental health issues and the reactions to her personality are portrayed in a seemingly realistic manner. It’s very clear that doing justice to this character was important to the author and she makes it important to us.
Having said that, it’s kind of too much of a good thing. There is so much focus on getting you into Sarah’s head that the mystery plot takes a bit of a back seat, and the relationships with her mom and other students could have used a little more time to balance it all out—and the villains and motivations could have been more convincing. It’s also exhausting to be so much in Sarah’s head, honestly. I appreciated how well the writing described her jittery thoughts and the feelings that bounced around like a ping pong ball, but it takes up a lot of head space—and the amount of time devoted to her illness overrides most other aspects of her personality as well. I had to keep setting this aside so many times and nearly didn’t finish.
But something kept pulling me back, even though I could tell I was going to have mixed feelings about it. If you’d told me the author of the Black Daggerhood Brothers series could write a book like this, I’m not sure I would have believed you. But there is a lot of potential here and a lot of good stuff, and with a little reshaping, I think this one could’ve been really good. It’ll be interesting to see if she tackles more ambitious projects like this one in the future.
2.5 stars
Audio Notes: The voice used for Sarah’s narration is very good and most of the secondary ones are as well. The voices used for Nick and Strots felt a little off to me, though. But not a big deal, I was more distracted because one of the prominent names in this is also the name of an old boss, which grated a bit!...more
I'm apparently the crankiest person on earth, because this was my least favorite Potter book yet. (AZKABAN being my favorite!) It's mostly because:
1. I'm apparently the crankiest person on earth, because this was my least favorite Potter book yet. (AZKABAN being my favorite!) It's mostly because:
1. There is too much tournamenting for my taste. 2. I hate the house elves. :O 3. The word "quietly" is egregiously overused. It loses its effectiveness because it appears so often. 4. There are moments when Harry and Ron behave like stereotypical stupid boys (I know, I know, they're 14...doesn't mean I can't be annoyed with them.)
The book gets an extra star because the last 10 chapters were very good, though, and I loved:
1. that Hermione gets a makeover, but then matter-of-factly says it's too much trouble to straighten her hair every day. 2. the creepy thing in the blanket 3. Cedric! Poor brave boy. (view spoiler)[WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME. (hide spoiler)]
3.5 stars Dusty is a girl who is literally a nightmare. Reading the synopsis about this girl who feeds off bad dreams (based on mythical mares in folk3.5 stars Dusty is a girl who is literally a nightmare. Reading the synopsis about this girl who feeds off bad dreams (based on mythical mares in folklore), I didn't expect to find that this story would have a more lighthearted tone. The overall feel of the book is pretty humorous and the story is fast-paced, and both the writing style and the set-up of a school for magical creatures reminded me quite a bit of Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall series.
I have to admit that while I enjoyed the story while I read it, weeks after finishing it, I don't recall many specifics about what happened, and the overall feel is humorous without really being that clever or laugh-out-loud funny. But I thought this was pretty cute overall, and the second half of the story made up for the more unevenly paced first half. Recommended if you like your paranormal books on the fluffier side.
I'm afraid I was not a very big fan of this one. The book starts out with a great action scene, the beginnings of an intriguing mystery, and I really I'm afraid I was not a very big fan of this one. The book starts out with a great action scene, the beginnings of an intriguing mystery, and I really liked Deznee's punky look and sarcastic attitude. Unfortunately, I felt as though she believed everything she was told, asked far too few questions, ran away with Kale far too quickly, and she started to get a little too boy-crazy for my taste.
While some of the events are certainly fun and kept my interest at first, they seemed to be so loosely plotted that after awhile it seemed as though they were all just part of a connect-the-dots action checklist, with very little transition or emotional pause in between. The writing was also pretty uneven, the powers seemed underdeveloped, and the betrayals were far too easy to predict.
I would say this might've made a decent middle grade book, except that there is some non-explicit mature content that would make it less appropriate for that audience. Still, a number of my friends seem to be enjoying the book, so it looks like the entertainment factor may carry it through for many readers.
Wendy Darling
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