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luthien_tinuviel's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really liked the intrigue and romance in this. I found the story very engaging and love this idea for a series.
leahjanespeare's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. Such a surprise! I really didn't think I'd love this book. Since Aprilynne Pike is a local author, her new books are an auto-library. I'll just mention a few goods and bads.
Pike really has a fettish with unusual character names. I'm not complaining. I just kept pronouncing Tavia wrong in my head every time. Good thing she couldn't hear me. Really though, what's up with the name Benson? Sorry, not a fan of that one.
Now what's keeping this book from 5 stars is the...insta love. Not only that...AND a love triangle. That's usually a major no-no when I'm picking a book. But I was (for once) able to get past that, since neither of the guys were really memorable, and because the story was very original. Unfortunately I didn't realize this was the beginning of a series until halfway through, when I thought this all couldn't possibly be resolved in 200 more pages..but I did read this book in one day. So that's gotta say something.
If you read the cover flap, the summary is pretty ambiguous. And now even after reading it, I still can't explain it very well. There's a sort of sci-fi future plague aspect, and then there's like old gods and reincarnations...it's a whole melting pot of the genres. As for twists and turns, don't even try to guess, because I lost count on how many times I thought I knew who were the good guys and bad guys.
Despite the mirrored cover that I'm starting to get over more and more each day, I definitely recommend reading this book.
Pike really has a fettish with unusual character names. I'm not complaining. I just kept pronouncing Tavia wrong in my head every time. Good thing she couldn't hear me. Really though, what's up with the name Benson? Sorry, not a fan of that one.
Now what's keeping this book from 5 stars is the...insta love. Not only that...AND a love triangle. That's usually a major no-no when I'm picking a book. But I was (for once) able to get past that, since neither of the guys were really memorable, and because the story was very original. Unfortunately I didn't realize this was the beginning of a series until halfway through, when I thought this all couldn't possibly be resolved in 200 more pages..but I did read this book in one day. So that's gotta say something.
If you read the cover flap, the summary is pretty ambiguous. And now even after reading it, I still can't explain it very well. There's a sort of sci-fi future plague aspect, and then there's like old gods and reincarnations...it's a whole melting pot of the genres. As for twists and turns, don't even try to guess, because I lost count on how many times I thought I knew who were the good guys and bad guys.
Despite the mirrored cover that I'm starting to get over more and more each day, I definitely recommend reading this book.
evelynsbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
A bit slow to pick up but genuinely intriguing, Earthbound introduces the reader to a world in need of help from our main character Tavia. While it took a bit to pick up, the book concludes with many questions answered but many more new answers to be found in the second and third book of this trilogy. An easy read that keeps you begging for more when you turn that last page.
spaceyfaerie's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Just...wow. When I first started reading this, I was like, "ok, this is going to be just some story about a girl who is recovering from a plane accident and bammo end of story." Nope. So wrong. What ended up was my mind was blown away by the sheer awesomeness and just, what's the word, oh yeah...magic. The way the story was told just dragged me in, keeping me up until 2am when I finally had to put it down because I was starting to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, not because the book was so boring.
I'm really not a big fan of physic books I'll say that, but certain books, not matter the story or genre, just grab at me and don't let go, and this is one of those books. And the PLOT TWIST AT THE END!!!!!!!! I LOVE unexpected twist in the story, the ones you don't see coming, and I for sure didn't see this coming! I think it had me reeling almost as much as Tavia...just wow.
So, this is one of those books that I probably won't ever forget and will heartily recommend to readers looking for an intriguing read full of twists and turns of both emotion and plot.
I'm really not a big fan of physic books I'll say that, but certain books, not matter the story or genre, just grab at me and don't let go, and this is one of those books. And the PLOT TWIST AT THE END!!!!!!!! I LOVE unexpected twist in the story, the ones you don't see coming, and I for sure didn't see this coming! I think it had me reeling almost as much as Tavia...just wow.
So, this is one of those books that I probably won't ever forget and will heartily recommend to readers looking for an intriguing read full of twists and turns of both emotion and plot.
bookssellerreads's review against another edition
4.0
Tavia loses her family during a plane crash where she is the only surviver. Her aunt and her take car of her but soon she'll start noticing some things. Like, her therapist is telling her aunt all her secrets, and who is Quinn with his funny clothes?
Together with Benson, her only friend in this new life, she discovers that she can make things appear out of nothing. Is that the reason everything starts to get strange?
I loved Aprilynne Pike's Wings-serie and almost couldn't wait for a new one! As soon as I started it was clear that I had the wrong image in my head and that was good, because the book is better than my expectations. She clearly developped her writing and plot skills!
This book is a magical thriller almost like "Mara Dyer" and my beloved lovetriangle is the cherry on top.
I did think that at some point the story is rushing, but it could just be becoz I read it in one session.
Also that there are all the explanations in one point where i prefered to get information piece by piece, but I'll get the necessary of it by the end. Bensons story was a bit too much predictable and I didn't liked his "I'll do anything for you" attitude after just beeing together for some days.
Really good fantasy with a new idea!
Together with Benson, her only friend in this new life, she discovers that she can make things appear out of nothing. Is that the reason everything starts to get strange?
I loved Aprilynne Pike's Wings-serie and almost couldn't wait for a new one! As soon as I started it was clear that I had the wrong image in my head and that was good, because the book is better than my expectations. She clearly developped her writing and plot skills!
This book is a magical thriller almost like "Mara Dyer" and my beloved lovetriangle is the cherry on top.
I did think that at some point the story is rushing, but it could just be becoz I read it in one session.
Also that there are all the explanations in one point where i prefered to get information piece by piece, but I'll get the necessary of it by the end. Bensons story was a bit too much predictable and I didn't liked his "I'll do anything for you" attitude after just beeing together for some days.
Really good fantasy with a new idea!
ruthsic's review against another edition
4.0
Eighteen-year-old Tavia is the only survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents. Grieving and lonely, she starts having strange visions; of a boy she's never met but feels compulsively drawn to. A boy who tells her to do things she never dreamed of.
Tavia begins to suspect that secrets are being kept from her, and that her kindly aunt and uncle know more than they are letting on. Was the plane crash really an accident? Or is Tavia part of something bigger than she ever imagined?
With only her instincts and long-time crush, Benson, to rely on, Tavia must decide where her destiny lies, and who with.
Earthbound has a fantastic premise - of fallen gods who are cursed to live out their lives on Earth, incarnated through generations and forever searching for their soulmates. Tavia is one such god, an Earthbound, and when she survives a plane crash and was the only one to do so, it awakens her powers. She thinks she is picking up the pieces of her life in a town miles away from her hometown, having a friends whom she confides everything in but she is actually in hiding from a rival secret society, which wants to wreak havoc. The other society, whose protection she is in, are not that trust-worthy either and so she goes on the run with her best friend, Benson and they both fall in love with each other. While looking for her past, she realizes her soulmate is out there, and she is torn between him and Benson. The love triangle is quite intense and questions the existence of fate and destiny and all that, but Tavia has bigger fish to fry too. The fate of the world lies in her dormant memories and she has to awaken them and her full powers to take on her enemies.
The whole set up of the gods and all - that was pretty interesting and how it linked to historical events was also quite plausible. It makes for good mythology and I always love a good incarnation story. The romance, however, was quite intense - so intense that I already knew it my head that it was going to go so wrong by the end of the novel. It comes off a bit dramatic when Tavia has to decide who she wants, and the fact that her fate is conflicting with her wants. World or boyfriend? - I am pretty sure world wins in this case. So, yeah, the romance was a bit off-putting; even though they knew each other for months, they declared their feelings just a week ago, which made it too difficult to root for them when they are both so intense. I bet even the adults who came for her were rolling their eyes at it.
The ending, however, left me on a very positive note. I am not really declaring sides here, since soulmate-boy is yet to be known as a character but I feel there is going to be a lot of intensity and angst in the next book. Just, you know, save the world while you are at it, Tavia? Kidding! Tavia seems like a good character and what she is going through is quite difficult too - not to mention the whole survivor's guilt, PTSD and thousand-lives memories. All those things can really wear a girl down but damn, she is brave and surviving. The antagonist (don't wanna spoil who it is) seems a bit complex and I didn't really get what Tavia ever did to screw that person up. The writing keeps the mood quite mysterious, dropping hints at certain points but also inexplicable at others. The book is entertaining as a whole, evident by the fact that I read it in one stretch on a day that I was so down.
Tavia begins to suspect that secrets are being kept from her, and that her kindly aunt and uncle know more than they are letting on. Was the plane crash really an accident? Or is Tavia part of something bigger than she ever imagined?
With only her instincts and long-time crush, Benson, to rely on, Tavia must decide where her destiny lies, and who with.
Earthbound has a fantastic premise - of fallen gods who are cursed to live out their lives on Earth, incarnated through generations and forever searching for their soulmates. Tavia is one such god, an Earthbound, and when she survives a plane crash and was the only one to do so, it awakens her powers. She thinks she is picking up the pieces of her life in a town miles away from her hometown, having a friends whom she confides everything in but she is actually in hiding from a rival secret society, which wants to wreak havoc. The other society, whose protection she is in, are not that trust-worthy either and so she goes on the run with her best friend, Benson and they both fall in love with each other. While looking for her past, she realizes her soulmate is out there, and she is torn between him and Benson. The love triangle is quite intense and questions the existence of fate and destiny and all that, but Tavia has bigger fish to fry too. The fate of the world lies in her dormant memories and she has to awaken them and her full powers to take on her enemies.
The whole set up of the gods and all - that was pretty interesting and how it linked to historical events was also quite plausible. It makes for good mythology and I always love a good incarnation story. The romance, however, was quite intense - so intense that I already knew it my head that it was going to go so wrong by the end of the novel. It comes off a bit dramatic when Tavia has to decide who she wants, and the fact that her fate is conflicting with her wants. World or boyfriend? - I am pretty sure world wins in this case. So, yeah, the romance was a bit off-putting; even though they knew each other for months, they declared their feelings just a week ago, which made it too difficult to root for them when they are both so intense. I bet even the adults who came for her were rolling their eyes at it.
The ending, however, left me on a very positive note. I am not really declaring sides here, since soulmate-boy is yet to be known as a character but I feel there is going to be a lot of intensity and angst in the next book. Just, you know, save the world while you are at it, Tavia? Kidding! Tavia seems like a good character and what she is going through is quite difficult too - not to mention the whole survivor's guilt, PTSD and thousand-lives memories. All those things can really wear a girl down but damn, she is brave and surviving. The antagonist (don't wanna spoil who it is) seems a bit complex and I didn't really get what Tavia ever did to screw that person up. The writing keeps the mood quite mysterious, dropping hints at certain points but also inexplicable at others. The book is entertaining as a whole, evident by the fact that I read it in one stretch on a day that I was so down.
nexusgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I’ve read a ton of Aprilynne Pike this year, I guess two books from one author in a year is a bit odd for me. Unfortunately this one didn’t really hit me the way Life After Theft did and parts of it fell a little flat, that being said it was still interesting and unique enough that I enjoyed it.
Earth Bound has a sort of interesting yet hidden concept that relies on the mystery and intrigue to pull you in than outright concept alone. I think this is sort of a double-edged sword. I enjoyed the process of trying to piece together what was happening and seeing the over all reveal, but at the same time I wasn’t as invested as I feel I would have been if I had more to go on initially. There were moments where I hated the plodding pace of the novel and practically begged for something to be given to me, and it was an up and down kind of ride for me that went between warm and lukewarm in terms of interest.
I can’t really say too much about the paranormal aspect of the story without giving a ton away, and I fully believe that spoilers for these types of novels would probably ruin some of the positive aspects. I did like the idea once I found out what it was, but it felt rushed since you don’t get the full story until the last third of novel. The lead up to the reveal is interesting and it did have me on a completely different track, so I enjoyed the originality of it. I liked learning more about Tavia and the mysterious boy (whose name escapes me for some reason), and I enjoyed the relationship she had with Benson. I can say I didn’t expect any of the outcomes for the relationships, which was somewhere between a pleasant surprise and an huge sigh of resignation.
While I did enjoy Earth Bound for what it was I didn’t find myself pulled into the story or invested in the characters. I wanted more and I got it way too late in the book. I may check out the second one when it releases because I have hopes for it and maybe with the initial setup out of the way it won’t be weighed down by the extra information.
Earth Bound has a sort of interesting yet hidden concept that relies on the mystery and intrigue to pull you in than outright concept alone. I think this is sort of a double-edged sword. I enjoyed the process of trying to piece together what was happening and seeing the over all reveal, but at the same time I wasn’t as invested as I feel I would have been if I had more to go on initially. There were moments where I hated the plodding pace of the novel and practically begged for something to be given to me, and it was an up and down kind of ride for me that went between warm and lukewarm in terms of interest.
I can’t really say too much about the paranormal aspect of the story without giving a ton away, and I fully believe that spoilers for these types of novels would probably ruin some of the positive aspects. I did like the idea once I found out what it was, but it felt rushed since you don’t get the full story until the last third of novel. The lead up to the reveal is interesting and it did have me on a completely different track, so I enjoyed the originality of it. I liked learning more about Tavia and the mysterious boy (whose name escapes me for some reason), and I enjoyed the relationship she had with Benson. I can say I didn’t expect any of the outcomes for the relationships, which was somewhere between a pleasant surprise and an huge sigh of resignation.
While I did enjoy Earth Bound for what it was I didn’t find myself pulled into the story or invested in the characters. I wanted more and I got it way too late in the book. I may check out the second one when it releases because I have hopes for it and maybe with the initial setup out of the way it won’t be weighed down by the extra information.
velveteencactus's review against another edition
3.0
Weird insta-love with Quinn kind of put me off but overall I liked the book