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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
No. Just no. It isn't that it's 'too out there' because I enjoy bizarro and surreal fiction. It just doesn't work. The story isn't compelling enough and the characters aren't captivating enough. Basically it's just not enough. But I can't give it a 1 star rating because I have to admire any author that at least attempts originality... So 2 stars, just.
What a mind spin this book was.
I really really really liked it.
I liked the way I thought it was going one way, and then went in a completely different way. A way that was bizarre!
It just kept turning, I never knew what to expect! And what an ending!!!
I can't wait to read the next one!!!!
I really really really liked it.
I liked the way I thought it was going one way, and then went in a completely different way. A way that was bizarre!
It just kept turning, I never knew what to expect! And what an ending!!!
I can't wait to read the next one!!!!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3,5
J'ai beaucoup aimé la fin et l'univers mais ça a été quand même pas mal long avant de démarrer!
J'ai beaucoup aimé la fin et l'univers mais ça a été quand même pas mal long avant de démarrer!
I loved it to pieces. This book is a mix of Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro movie universes. It is smart and unpredictable. Characters are well made and the writing style very different. Each chapter tells the story from the point of view of a different character. The writing style is extremely different from a character to another. All of this make the book extremely interesting and you can't be bored while reading.
You are tempted at first to think the book is about the mass consumerism but it goes further than that. It explores what people are ready to do (and sacrifice) to keep their living standard but also which reasons would be enough to make people risk their comfort for greater good maybe? I don't know. I have to read the secnd book for that. I can't wait its release!
You are tempted at first to think the book is about the mass consumerism but it goes further than that. It explores what people are ready to do (and sacrifice) to keep their living standard but also which reasons would be enough to make people risk their comfort for greater good maybe? I don't know. I have to read the secnd book for that. I can't wait its release!
Un roman bizarre auquel je n'ai pas entièrement accroché. Je suis tout de même curieuse de lire la suite...
Wow. I REALLY enjoyed this. Though it’s technically classified as YA/Middle Grade, it’s very well written, and delightfully macabre. A 100% original storyline, paired with an old-timey type writing style, and intensely interesting characters, makes this book more than suitable for all ages. The only reason it took me so long to finish, was that I put it down briefly, and then didn’t read for a little while after getting the news that my dad was close to the end of his life’s journey (dementia). He passed on Father’s Day. I’m only making note of this, as a little nod to him, and so I’ll be able to look back and see exactly what I was reading at the time.
While I loved the writing and this book, I had two major problems:
The first being that Clod and Lucy are supposed to be 15 and 16 respectively, but their actions don't seem like the actions of a 15/16 year old. They seem too young.
The second being that sometimes I was just totally confused by what was going on.
That said, I really loved this book. It's a little dark for me to read to my students in a classroom, but I think it is a nice choice if your child loves to read.
The first being that Clod and Lucy are supposed to be 15 and 16 respectively, but their actions don't seem like the actions of a 15/16 year old. They seem too young.
The second being that sometimes I was just totally confused by what was going on.
That said, I really loved this book. It's a little dark for me to read to my students in a classroom, but I think it is a nice choice if your child loves to read.
"A Gathering, a Gathering, quieter than the storm!"
The Iremongers are powerful, rich and very peculiar. They own the heaps – the rubbish – and have built a house (and empire) upon them.
But Clod is even more peculiar than the other Iremongers. He hears objects talk to him – birth objects, a possession given to each Iremonger as a baby, chosen specifically for them. His birth object is a bath plug called James Henry Hayward.
When Aunt Rosamund's doorhandle – Alice Higgs – goes missing, things begin to go downhill.
Especially when Lucy Pennant arrives and begins to work as a servant downstairs – and Clod begins to hear the objects say more than just their names for the first time in his life...
It turns out there's a sickness in London. And in Heaphouse things are changing – strange things keep happening.
Does it have something to do with Clod's strange ability? With the birth objects? What secrets lie among the heaps that surround the house of the Iremongers...?
I'd seen Heap House talked about. I'd thought, yeah, that looks pretty good. And then I didn't buy it. But when I heard Olivia Mead talk about the series, heard how excited and in love she was, I knew I needed to read it as soon as possible. And I am now kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. Heap House is brilliantly bizarre and bonkers and so, so good! It is literally perfect for all Lemony Snicket fans – and for anyone who likes crazy steampunk-esque, Victorian-era books.
Clod was a little odd (ha! that rhymed), but he was brilliant. Sure, he was a little naive and innocent at times (especially considering his age), but he was inquisitive and clever and funny too.
Lucy was awesome – snarky, curious, rebellious and exactly what I like in a leading girl.
I'm not going to lie to you, their relationship felt a little... not so real. Maybe it's because it's a MG book and I'm used to YA romances. Maybe it's because it felt a little quick. Maybe it's because I'm nit-picking – but I have to nit-pick, especially since this is pretty much my only nit to pick at!
Ok, this analogy has gotten really weird and kind of gross...
I just want to add that, towards the end, they were kind of totally adorable. Yes, they fell for one another fast. But they were very funny when the two of them together, and very cute too.
Now, I'm going to move onto the rest of the Iremonger family – simply put, that family be crazy! Crazy and bizarre and absolutely intriguing. My favourite Iremonger had to be Tummis: he was just so amazing and the sweetest, funniest character ever, bless his cotton socks. I rather liked Uncle Aliver too – he was brilliant. I loathed Moorcus and was confused by Grandfather and Grandmother. The downstairs Iremongers (non-full-blooded family members who still had Iremonger blood, but not enough, and were therefore servants) were almost as quirky as the Upstairs Iremongers. Basically, the whole supporting cast was kooky and intriguing and often hilarious.
I adored Carey's writing: it was so fitting with the time period, so exciting and intriguing and brilliant. I loved that we got multiple POVs – our two main narrators were Clod and Lucy, but we got journal snippets from various other members of the Iremonger family. This mode of storytelling was brilliant and kept me utterly hooked. As did the plot: from the moment Heap House began, the story grabbed me and refused to let go. It's hard to write too much about the plot – no spoilers! – but I adored it. It was dark and addictive and suspenseful and mysterious and intriguing – but with funny moments too, to lighten the heap up!
This world was pure genius! It was grittier, dirtier and way more interesting than any Victorian-era setting Dickens wrote about. It had elements of steampunk in it (AKA, one of my favourite ever genres and fashion style), but mostly it was dark and dirty and made of curious objects and whispering voices and piles of rubbish... It was like Victorian grunge-punk... OK, that's not a thing, forget that. But seriously, I was totally hooked by this creepy world and was absolutely desperate to find out all of its hidden, dirty little secrets.
I'm finding it really hard to describe Heap House well, to find the words to do my feels justice. It was just so bonkers and so brilliant and so much fun to read! I never knew what to expect, didn't want to stop reading and was absolutely desperate for Foulsham the moment I put Heap House down! I mean, that ending... Wow! Talk about huge finales and shock cliff-hangers!
Seriously, though: it you are looking for something fun and unique to read, love Lemony Snicket and a book that can make you laugh, think and sit on the edge of your seat, Heap House is an absolute must read!
The Iremongers are powerful, rich and very peculiar. They own the heaps – the rubbish – and have built a house (and empire) upon them.
But Clod is even more peculiar than the other Iremongers. He hears objects talk to him – birth objects, a possession given to each Iremonger as a baby, chosen specifically for them. His birth object is a bath plug called James Henry Hayward.
When Aunt Rosamund's doorhandle – Alice Higgs – goes missing, things begin to go downhill.
Especially when Lucy Pennant arrives and begins to work as a servant downstairs – and Clod begins to hear the objects say more than just their names for the first time in his life...
It turns out there's a sickness in London. And in Heaphouse things are changing – strange things keep happening.
Does it have something to do with Clod's strange ability? With the birth objects? What secrets lie among the heaps that surround the house of the Iremongers...?
I'd seen Heap House talked about. I'd thought, yeah, that looks pretty good. And then I didn't buy it. But when I heard Olivia Mead talk about the series, heard how excited and in love she was, I knew I needed to read it as soon as possible. And I am now kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. Heap House is brilliantly bizarre and bonkers and so, so good! It is literally perfect for all Lemony Snicket fans – and for anyone who likes crazy steampunk-esque, Victorian-era books.
Clod was a little odd (ha! that rhymed), but he was brilliant. Sure, he was a little naive and innocent at times (especially considering his age), but he was inquisitive and clever and funny too.
Lucy was awesome – snarky, curious, rebellious and exactly what I like in a leading girl.
I'm not going to lie to you, their relationship felt a little... not so real. Maybe it's because it's a MG book and I'm used to YA romances. Maybe it's because it felt a little quick. Maybe it's because I'm nit-picking – but I have to nit-pick, especially since this is pretty much my only nit to pick at!
Ok, this analogy has gotten really weird and kind of gross...
I just want to add that, towards the end, they were kind of totally adorable. Yes, they fell for one another fast. But they were very funny when the two of them together, and very cute too.
Now, I'm going to move onto the rest of the Iremonger family – simply put, that family be crazy! Crazy and bizarre and absolutely intriguing. My favourite Iremonger had to be Tummis: he was just so amazing and the sweetest, funniest character ever, bless his cotton socks. I rather liked Uncle Aliver too – he was brilliant. I loathed Moorcus and was confused by Grandfather and Grandmother. The downstairs Iremongers (non-full-blooded family members who still had Iremonger blood, but not enough, and were therefore servants) were almost as quirky as the Upstairs Iremongers. Basically, the whole supporting cast was kooky and intriguing and often hilarious.
I adored Carey's writing: it was so fitting with the time period, so exciting and intriguing and brilliant. I loved that we got multiple POVs – our two main narrators were Clod and Lucy, but we got journal snippets from various other members of the Iremonger family. This mode of storytelling was brilliant and kept me utterly hooked. As did the plot: from the moment Heap House began, the story grabbed me and refused to let go. It's hard to write too much about the plot – no spoilers! – but I adored it. It was dark and addictive and suspenseful and mysterious and intriguing – but with funny moments too, to lighten the heap up!
This world was pure genius! It was grittier, dirtier and way more interesting than any Victorian-era setting Dickens wrote about. It had elements of steampunk in it (AKA, one of my favourite ever genres and fashion style), but mostly it was dark and dirty and made of curious objects and whispering voices and piles of rubbish... It was like Victorian grunge-punk... OK, that's not a thing, forget that. But seriously, I was totally hooked by this creepy world and was absolutely desperate to find out all of its hidden, dirty little secrets.
I'm finding it really hard to describe Heap House well, to find the words to do my feels justice. It was just so bonkers and so brilliant and so much fun to read! I never knew what to expect, didn't want to stop reading and was absolutely desperate for Foulsham the moment I put Heap House down! I mean, that ending... Wow! Talk about huge finales and shock cliff-hangers!
Seriously, though: it you are looking for something fun and unique to read, love Lemony Snicket and a book that can make you laugh, think and sit on the edge of your seat, Heap House is an absolute must read!
It took me two tries to get into this, but it was so worth it. Very charming, very original - I might even keep on reading this series which is something I very rarely do.