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kountrythyme's review
5.0
Read with Koda for school. We both liked the book, maybe a bit mature for a almost 9 yo, but he treated those parts responsibly. Kept you guessing til the last page.
corncobwebs's review
Felt like a first draft, not a polished manuscript. I liked the concept - joining two polar opposites into a complete whole - but I don't think it was executed particularly well. I had a lot of questions about the ghost version of John Proud that weren't ever addressed. I was particularly disturbed by the notion that, in order to be whole, current-day John Proud had to accept (lovingly embrace, even) his wife-murdering counterpart. And, just on a logical level, how were the two characters aspects of the same person? I'm willing to suspend disbelief if there's a logical framework to believe in. But what tied the two John Prouds together other than their familial relationship and their name? Everyone has family members - either in the near or distant past - who've done horrible things. That doesn't mean that we're forever beholden to or influenced by what they've done. Especially in this scenario, where the ghost John Proud was a 5x great uncle or something.
But! The thing I thought was really cool about this book - as an aspiring writer myself - is that fact that it wasn't amazing, but then Avi went on to win the Newbery medal in 2003 (plus 2 honors in the 90s). It shows that if you have the drive to write and you keep working at it, you'll improve. Not to trivialize Avi's innate talent, but I think talent is only a small part of good writing. The rest is hard work and dedication.
But! The thing I thought was really cool about this book - as an aspiring writer myself - is that fact that it wasn't amazing, but then Avi went on to win the Newbery medal in 2003 (plus 2 honors in the 90s). It shows that if you have the drive to write and you keep working at it, you'll improve. Not to trivialize Avi's innate talent, but I think talent is only a small part of good writing. The rest is hard work and dedication.
ryan_lieske's review
2.0
Another one I would give two-and-a-half stars to, were it possible.
I found this at a library sale for 50 cents. The cover (not the one pictured on this edition) intrigued me enough to buy it. It wasn't until later, while adding it to Goodreads, that I realized it was a YA book. I'm certainly no longer the demographic, but figured I'd read it anyway.
It was enjoyable. And I know my 13-year-old self would have gotten a kick out of it. It had a bit of a "Dark Half" vibe, and the lead characters were far from the stock "teenager" you risk finding in these types of books.
Avi's a good writer, and the story is paced very well. So my two-and-a-half rating is from my adult self. My 13-year-old self would probably say three. Do with that what you will.
I found this at a library sale for 50 cents. The cover (not the one pictured on this edition) intrigued me enough to buy it. It wasn't until later, while adding it to Goodreads, that I realized it was a YA book. I'm certainly no longer the demographic, but figured I'd read it anyway.
It was enjoyable. And I know my 13-year-old self would have gotten a kick out of it. It had a bit of a "Dark Half" vibe, and the lead characters were far from the stock "teenager" you risk finding in these types of books.
Avi's a good writer, and the story is paced very well. So my two-and-a-half rating is from my adult self. My 13-year-old self would probably say three. Do with that what you will.
iceangel9's review
3.0
Sixteen-year-old John Proud discovers his family's darkest secret. His namesake confessed to being a demon in 1854. John finds himself battling against his ancestor's ghost to remain himself. He doesn't want to be used for the evil John's purposes. Mounting suspense plus the sure draw of occult horror will keep readers turning the pages.
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