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rereader33's review
1.0
Wow, where to begin? Where. To. Begin?
I started off reading this because I had just finished a hard hitting historical YA novel and need some simple entertainment. And at first, that's exactly what this was. Then the story decided it wanted to be "deep," and now I'm just angry and want to get this review over with.
To start, this was NOT going to be anything more than a one star from the start. The characters are so cartoonishly unnatural and unrealistic that I couldn't take ANY OF THEM seriously. But I was actually enjoying myself, laughing my ass of at the trying-to-hard prose and ridiculous dialogue. Then, the halfway mark hit, and this story went in quite possibly the worst possible way a story like this can-it tried to be SERIOUS.
But before we go there, let's talk about our main cast: Wink, Poppy, and Midnight. No, that's not just a random-ass title, that's there ACTUAL NAMES. What. Fucking. Ever. But ridiculous names aside, each one embodies some of the worst YA cliches out there, and are as follows:
Wink is pretty much the "not like other girls" cliche taken to the most obnoxious and nonsensical degree. She talks like a fucking 80 year old mystic, refers to Midnight as the "Hero" and Poppy as the "Wolf," and OF COURSE looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than Poppy, which only makes her more appealing to Midnight because WHY ELSE WOULD SHE LOOK SO DIFFERENT?! Her first bout of dialogue to Midnight came across as so unnatural and forced that I actually started laughing. Her dialogue can be summed up in one phrase: TEENAGERS DO NOT TALK LIKE THIS. EVER. And her character takes an absolute nose dive towards the end, but we'll get to that.
Poppy is the stereotypical "queen bee mean girl" to an absolute cartoonish degree. I will say, she was probably my favorite out of all of them, but she was still an atrocious human being that we're supposed to sympathize and forgive towards the end. Yeah, NO.
Midnight is effectively the "milquetoast main character that is torn between two girls" but is so fucking cowardly and whiny that I wanted to punch in the face multiple times. And yet, that's basically his character. He's a boring, cowardly, whiny little shit. WONDERFUL.
Got the characters down? Good. Now we have to talk about why this story tanked so spectacularly, and of course MAJOR FUCKING SPOILER ALERT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
The first half of the book is pretty much Poppy and Wink playing tug-of-war with Midnight for his attention. Then Poppy wants to pull a terrible prank of Wink, Midnight tells Wink, and they decide to turn the tables on Poppy. The prank goes too far, Poppy runs away, and it's implied that she killed herself. Wink, Midnight, and Poppy's former friends are sent letters and now must band together to try to find Poppy. Except guess what? Poppy's been alive the ENTIRE TIME, and Wink and Poppy have been WORKING TOGETHER to orchestrate this whole fucking quest because Wink's mom read her tarot cards and predicted she would die soon, Wink wanted to go on one big GRAND ADVENTURE before she died, and Poppy worked with her because Wink promised to get Poppy in touch her brother, whom Poppy has a crush on.
Yes, that's right, everything Poppy's done since Midnight moved into the neighborhood was all A FUCKING LIE. Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I suffered through this hilariously bad bullshit just so I could be told that all of this was a FUCKING ACT? Bare in mind that aside from the tarot card reading, there's NO PROOF that Wink's going to die, she just fucking believes it without question, and because she believes this she feels it's HER RIGHT to effectively fuck up a group of people for her own selfish reasons. FUCK. THIS. SHIT. SO. HARD.
And OF COURSE Poppy learns the error of her ways and gets the boy because WHY THE FUCK NOT?? And before anyone tries to defend this by saying, "oh well Wink was obsessed with fairytales and she just wanted her own fairytale ending and blahblahblah," I DON'T FUCKING CARE. You do NOT get to drag a whole bunch of people into a twisted, fucked up adventure story just because you MIGHT be dying. I don't care if it's symbolic, I don't care if it's meta, I DON'T CARE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EXCUSE HER ACTIONS.
Okay, I think I've gotten this all out of my system. In short, this was a disappointing and nonsensically written novel. The characters were completely unbelievable, the story took a nose dive towards the end, and the ending was fucking awful. If you STILL want to read this, be my guest. I wouldn't recommend it and I definitely won't be reading any other books by this author.
I started off reading this because I had just finished a hard hitting historical YA novel and need some simple entertainment. And at first, that's exactly what this was. Then the story decided it wanted to be "deep," and now I'm just angry and want to get this review over with.
To start, this was NOT going to be anything more than a one star from the start. The characters are so cartoonishly unnatural and unrealistic that I couldn't take ANY OF THEM seriously. But I was actually enjoying myself, laughing my ass of at the trying-to-hard prose and ridiculous dialogue. Then, the halfway mark hit, and this story went in quite possibly the worst possible way a story like this can-it tried to be SERIOUS.
But before we go there, let's talk about our main cast: Wink, Poppy, and Midnight. No, that's not just a random-ass title, that's there ACTUAL NAMES. What. Fucking. Ever. But ridiculous names aside, each one embodies some of the worst YA cliches out there, and are as follows:
Wink is pretty much the "not like other girls" cliche taken to the most obnoxious and nonsensical degree. She talks like a fucking 80 year old mystic, refers to Midnight as the "Hero" and Poppy as the "Wolf," and OF COURSE looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than Poppy, which only makes her more appealing to Midnight because WHY ELSE WOULD SHE LOOK SO DIFFERENT?! Her first bout of dialogue to Midnight came across as so unnatural and forced that I actually started laughing. Her dialogue can be summed up in one phrase: TEENAGERS DO NOT TALK LIKE THIS. EVER. And her character takes an absolute nose dive towards the end, but we'll get to that.
Poppy is the stereotypical "queen bee mean girl" to an absolute cartoonish degree. I will say, she was probably my favorite out of all of them, but she was still an atrocious human being that we're supposed to sympathize and forgive towards the end. Yeah, NO.
Midnight is effectively the "milquetoast main character that is torn between two girls" but is so fucking cowardly and whiny that I wanted to punch in the face multiple times. And yet, that's basically his character. He's a boring, cowardly, whiny little shit. WONDERFUL.
Got the characters down? Good. Now we have to talk about why this story tanked so spectacularly, and of course MAJOR FUCKING SPOILER ALERT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
The first half of the book is pretty much Poppy and Wink playing tug-of-war with Midnight for his attention. Then Poppy wants to pull a terrible prank of Wink, Midnight tells Wink, and they decide to turn the tables on Poppy. The prank goes too far, Poppy runs away, and it's implied that she killed herself. Wink, Midnight, and Poppy's former friends are sent letters and now must band together to try to find Poppy. Except guess what? Poppy's been alive the ENTIRE TIME, and Wink and Poppy have been WORKING TOGETHER to orchestrate this whole fucking quest because Wink's mom read her tarot cards and predicted she would die soon, Wink wanted to go on one big GRAND ADVENTURE before she died, and Poppy worked with her because Wink promised to get Poppy in touch her brother, whom Poppy has a crush on.
Yes, that's right, everything Poppy's done since Midnight moved into the neighborhood was all A FUCKING LIE. Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I suffered through this hilariously bad bullshit just so I could be told that all of this was a FUCKING ACT? Bare in mind that aside from the tarot card reading, there's NO PROOF that Wink's going to die, she just fucking believes it without question, and because she believes this she feels it's HER RIGHT to effectively fuck up a group of people for her own selfish reasons. FUCK. THIS. SHIT. SO. HARD.
And OF COURSE Poppy learns the error of her ways and gets the boy because WHY THE FUCK NOT?? And before anyone tries to defend this by saying, "oh well Wink was obsessed with fairytales and she just wanted her own fairytale ending and blahblahblah," I DON'T FUCKING CARE. You do NOT get to drag a whole bunch of people into a twisted, fucked up adventure story just because you MIGHT be dying. I don't care if it's symbolic, I don't care if it's meta, I DON'T CARE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EXCUSE HER ACTIONS.
Okay, I think I've gotten this all out of my system. In short, this was a disappointing and nonsensically written novel. The characters were completely unbelievable, the story took a nose dive towards the end, and the ending was fucking awful. If you STILL want to read this, be my guest. I wouldn't recommend it and I definitely won't be reading any other books by this author.
leafblade's review
3.0
okay what the fuck, I'll write the review and maybe change the rating tomorrow
OKAY SO, REVIEWING THIS RN
First of all, it wasn't what I thought it would be. I was thinking of a The kiss of deception (which I haven't read) situation, but it definitely wasn't. The hero/villain/liar dynamic was confusing in a bad way, kind of useless and ultimately stupid. It was a way to try to make the story more interesting than it really was.
Which leads me to: this book really tried to be deep. Like, it has the spooky cover thing going on which made me thing it was magical realism (IT'S A CONTEMPORARY DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I MADE), it had weird names, a weird redhead, a lot of fairy tales references. But it just..... was another teenage mystery, you know? And with three stereotypical main characters (slutty popular blonde, superstitious wild infantilized ginger, broken family quiet boy, all in a love triangle), which didn't help at all.
Let me take a second to say I was so fucking disappointed this wasn't paranormal / magical realism, thanks. I'll go on.
Nothing but how it let me down is rememberable about this book. It's just average, advertised as this huge, scary, treacherous story. Which it isn't. It isn't that deep, it isn't that scary, you stop caring about the hero/villain/liar thing bc it's boring. The main character was supposed to be TORN between THESE TWO GIRLS HE LIKES but they just..... move him around???? Like he's a couch and they're like oh yeah well come with me, and he goes. And the other one's like well you have to come here with me now, and he just shrugs and goes. And. Idk he's dumb.
ALSO there's like literal rape here????? The boy gets raped. He doesn't want to have sex with one of the girls but he has to bc she wants to. And I'm pretty sure the same girl assaults him a few times too. But the book itself brushes it off as a "oh she's ambitious, typical popular girls" and honestly, what the fuck. No, wait, in all caps. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!
OKAY SO, REVIEWING THIS RN
First of all, it wasn't what I thought it would be. I was thinking of a The kiss of deception (which I haven't read) situation, but it definitely wasn't. The hero/villain/liar dynamic was confusing in a bad way, kind of useless and ultimately stupid. It was a way to try to make the story more interesting than it really was.
Which leads me to: this book really tried to be deep. Like, it has the spooky cover thing going on which made me thing it was magical realism (IT'S A CONTEMPORARY DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I MADE), it had weird names, a weird redhead, a lot of fairy tales references. But it just..... was another teenage mystery, you know? And with three stereotypical main characters (slutty popular blonde, superstitious wild infantilized ginger, broken family quiet boy, all in a love triangle), which didn't help at all.
Let me take a second to say I was so fucking disappointed this wasn't paranormal / magical realism, thanks. I'll go on.
Nothing but how it let me down is rememberable about this book. It's just average, advertised as this huge, scary, treacherous story. Which it isn't. It isn't that deep, it isn't that scary, you stop caring about the hero/villain/liar thing bc it's boring. The main character was supposed to be TORN between THESE TWO GIRLS HE LIKES but they just..... move him around???? Like he's a couch and they're like oh yeah well come with me, and he goes. And the other one's like well you have to come here with me now, and he just shrugs and goes. And. Idk he's dumb.
ALSO there's like literal rape here????? The boy gets raped. He doesn't want to have sex with one of the girls but he has to bc she wants to. And I'm pretty sure the same girl assaults him a few times too. But the book itself brushes it off as a "oh she's ambitious, typical popular girls" and honestly, what the fuck. No, wait, in all caps. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!
fatimareadsbooks's review
3.0
I don't really know what to feel about this book. On one hand, the writing was absolutely airy and magical and whimsical and stunning. On the other hand... the plot was a nebulous mess. I feel like it'd take me days to untangle how I felt about this book. I'm really trying to formulate an appropriate response, but all I can say is that this book will fuck you up. If that's in a good way or bad way is up to you.
(On a completely different note.... LOOK AT THAT PRETTY COVER ISN'T IT STUNNING *HEART EYES*)
(On a completely different note.... LOOK AT THAT PRETTY COVER ISN'T IT STUNNING *HEART EYES*)
maida's review
3.0
“I'd never get the sound of her screams out of my head, or my heart.
Is this what it meant to be the hero?”
I honestly don’t know how to review this book because, at least to me, everything’s a spoiler. So all I can say is:
a) I liked where all the characters ended up.
b) the first ~60 pages were boring as fuck.
c) the only thing that kept me going were the writing + midnight because everything else was annoying to me. the plot’s almost non-existent and since all three narrators are unreliable it’s impossible to trust them and sympathize with them. but I liked midnight.
d) the whole who-is-who thing is kind of annoying, because by the end the whole concept of hero-villain-liar is challenged. so… what was the point, again?
Very average to be honest, that’s why we don’t do cover buys people (but cmon, this cover IS my aesthetic).
13. A book with a plot centered around a secret
Is this what it meant to be the hero?”
I honestly don’t know how to review this book because, at least to me, everything’s a spoiler. So all I can say is:
a) I liked where all the characters ended up.
b) the first ~60 pages were boring as fuck.
c) the only thing that kept me going were the writing + midnight because everything else was annoying to me. the plot’s almost non-existent and since all three narrators are unreliable it’s impossible to trust them and sympathize with them. but I liked midnight.
d) the whole who-is-who thing is kind of annoying, because by the end the whole concept of hero-villain-liar is challenged. so… what was the point, again?
Very average to be honest, that’s why we don’t do cover buys people (but cmon, this cover IS my aesthetic).
13. A book with a plot centered around a secret
goodem9199's review
3.0
This would have been a 4-star...but the fact that I threw it across my bedroom when I was finished....
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Het is grappig hoe dat soms gaat. Dit boek stond al heel lang op mijn lijstje en ik had eigenlijk nog nooit gekeken naar de auteur van dit boek. Ik wilde het gewoon lezen. Maar, toen ik het boek na het lezen dichtsloeg en mijn ogen over de naam van de auteur liet gaan, ging er ineens een heel groot lampje branden. Ik had al eerder boeken van deze auteur gelezen! Dat kon niet anders. De schrijfstijl was veel te herkenbaar! Een snelle check vertelde me dat ik gelijk had.
Ik weet dat de schrijfstijl van Tucholke niet voor iedereen werkt. Ze legt ongelooflijk weinig uit en daardoor moet je als lezer veel dingen zelf invullen, ook dingen waar je eigenlijk toch wel graag een duidelijk antwoord op zou hebben gehad. Daarnaast hebben haar boeken geen echte punchline. Het gaat eigenlijk in alle opzichten meer om de weg, om de ontwikkeling van de karakters, dan om hun uiteindelijke eindbestemming. De mens heeft immers geen eindbestemming tot hij sterft.
En ook dit boek maakte weer duidelijk dat Tucholke niet geïnteresseerd is in standaard sprookjes en standaard verhalen. Ze schrijft over echte mensen. Mensen die meer zijn dan een stereotype en die meer zijn dat hun zogenaamde functie in een verhaal. Dat betekent dat mensen je kunnen verrassen, teleurstellen en verbazen. Het betekent ook dat haar karakters mogen vallen en opstaan en leren en groeien. En het betekent dat ze anders zijn aan het einde van het boek dan aan het begin.
Ze gebruikt haar schrijfstijl om dit hele proces te ondersteunen. We beleven het verhaal door de ogen van de drie hoofdpersonages, waardoor we ze alledrie ongelooflijk goed leren kennen en een beetje van ze gaan houden. Maar, zoals al gezegd, dat wil niet zeggen dat ze alles uitlegt, integendeel. Hun gedachten zijn af en toe wat chaotisch, niet altijd helemaal goed te volgen, maar daardoor wel heel erg eigen en authentiek.
Ik weet dat de schrijfstijl van Tucholke niet voor iedereen werkt. Ze legt ongelooflijk weinig uit en daardoor moet je als lezer veel dingen zelf invullen, ook dingen waar je eigenlijk toch wel graag een duidelijk antwoord op zou hebben gehad. Daarnaast hebben haar boeken geen echte punchline. Het gaat eigenlijk in alle opzichten meer om de weg, om de ontwikkeling van de karakters, dan om hun uiteindelijke eindbestemming. De mens heeft immers geen eindbestemming tot hij sterft.
En ook dit boek maakte weer duidelijk dat Tucholke niet geïnteresseerd is in standaard sprookjes en standaard verhalen. Ze schrijft over echte mensen. Mensen die meer zijn dan een stereotype en die meer zijn dat hun zogenaamde functie in een verhaal. Dat betekent dat mensen je kunnen verrassen, teleurstellen en verbazen. Het betekent ook dat haar karakters mogen vallen en opstaan en leren en groeien. En het betekent dat ze anders zijn aan het einde van het boek dan aan het begin.
Ze gebruikt haar schrijfstijl om dit hele proces te ondersteunen. We beleven het verhaal door de ogen van de drie hoofdpersonages, waardoor we ze alledrie ongelooflijk goed leren kennen en een beetje van ze gaan houden. Maar, zoals al gezegd, dat wil niet zeggen dat ze alles uitlegt, integendeel. Hun gedachten zijn af en toe wat chaotisch, niet altijd helemaal goed te volgen, maar daardoor wel heel erg eigen en authentiek.
shaunatiffany's review
2.0
Read this whole book today. While I really loved the author's writing style, it can't hide the fact that the story took way too long to start up. Literally half way through the book before anything happened. Then the direction the book was leading to, completely took a turn (understandable because it sets you up to not trust anyone), but the ending was so much worse than what the author had previously lead you to believe was going on. Worse as in boring. I would have been happier had it ended how you think it's going to end, before the twist.
yara_adorablebooks's review
3.0
Niet geweldig, wel vermakelijk. Lees de recensie binnenkort op www.adorablebooks.nl
emkreads's review
2.0
2.75 stars. And I think I'm somewhat generous. This book was a fast-read, I can give it that. Even if I did not enjoy the story so much, it was an easy read. But the end fucked it all up. What the fuck. I did not understand a single thing, and now I am wondering if I understood something at all in this book....wtf did I just read