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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
This book was hard to put down, and I really liked the fantasy of it, but it was also kind of depressing and sad.
This is a sad and magical story that reminded me of Anne Ursu's atmospheric fantasy tales. The imagery in this book is fantastic and it weaves fairy tales and sisterhood and grief and anger and hope together in an engrossing tapestry.
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/07/2015-book-166.html
In this middle-grade novel, four sisters dealing with a mentally ill mother discover that the closets in their house each have a sort of magic, and the youngest sister--the narrator, who longs to be accepted by her older sisters as an equal--has the most magic of all. There's also a whole fairy-tale thing woven through (their father is a folklore professor). In general, I liked this a lot, though sometimes the protagonist's decisions didn't make a lot of sense and seemed to be just to build plot. And I think some of this would be kind of scary for younger kids (I found a lot of it to be somewhat creepy). But the stuff with the sisters and their relationships was pretty well-done, and the writing is strong. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
In this middle-grade novel, four sisters dealing with a mentally ill mother discover that the closets in their house each have a sort of magic, and the youngest sister--the narrator, who longs to be accepted by her older sisters as an equal--has the most magic of all. There's also a whole fairy-tale thing woven through (their father is a folklore professor). In general, I liked this a lot, though sometimes the protagonist's decisions didn't make a lot of sense and seemed to be just to build plot. And I think some of this would be kind of scary for younger kids (I found a lot of it to be somewhat creepy). But the stuff with the sisters and their relationships was pretty well-done, and the writing is strong. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love books about sisters. I love books about magic. This was obviously a book after my own heart. Beautifully crafted, wonderfully complex, and wise beyond its reading level, Rules for Stealing Stars is a book I wish I had read when I was a little girl, and a book my ten-year-old sister will be reading now.
Middle grade book that takes a very loose take on the story of the 12 dancing princesses and troubled mother.
I didn’t ever quite feel that this book gelled and came together. I was frustrated by everything the characters ignored and didn’t address and hidden secrets.
Didn’t really like this book.
I didn’t ever quite feel that this book gelled and came together. I was frustrated by everything the characters ignored and didn’t address and hidden secrets.
Didn’t really like this book.
Characters are complex and and interesting, but the setting felt claustrophobic. The fantasy element didn’t work for me.
4.5 stars.
An amazing gem of a book with plenty of fantasy and magical closets to appease any fan while exploring the bonds between sisters and between their mother for those who prefer contemporary. This would be really good for fans of A Snicker of Magic, those who want something less creepy than Coraline, and for fans of Narnia. The relationship between the sisters, good and bad, painful and exhilarating, while they all try to figure out who they are shines brightest. Really, just a great read all around.
An amazing gem of a book with plenty of fantasy and magical closets to appease any fan while exploring the bonds between sisters and between their mother for those who prefer contemporary. This would be really good for fans of A Snicker of Magic, those who want something less creepy than Coraline, and for fans of Narnia. The relationship between the sisters, good and bad, painful and exhilarating, while they all try to figure out who they are shines brightest. Really, just a great read all around.