Scan barcode
lisaluvsliterature's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard review to write. This was a very long book. And at first, I wasn’t quite sure if I’d be able to really get into it. So I went and checked the reviews on Goodreads to see what other people were thinking. It seems a lot of people weren’t the biggest fans of it. As I kept reading it did get better. I think that third person often takes a bit for me to get into. But if the writing is good and the story is good, then I can get into it and continue and enjoy it. There was a lot of uniqueness in this one. A lot of really cool imagery and settings. I think it is important that there was a asexual character in it, and reading about her and how she felt about things was really interesting.
Definitely a unique book. I gave it 3.5 stars, because of the interesting aspects and that even after that beginning, and how long it was, it kept me reading and interested every time I picked it up. Not sure how often I would recommend it to students unless I knew they were big readers and wanted to read things like that, so that’s why it got a lower rating.
Review first appeared at Lisa Loves Literature.
Definitely a unique book. I gave it 3.5 stars, because of the interesting aspects and that even after that beginning, and how long it was, it kept me reading and interested every time I picked it up. Not sure how often I would recommend it to students unless I knew they were big readers and wanted to read things like that, so that’s why it got a lower rating.
Review first appeared at Lisa Loves Literature.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
This would have been so much more powerful had this been told from one or maybe two POV, not all the ones we get here. I particularly liked Jonas' voice, his lost feeling as he tries to fit into the world his father has created and the house he's now living in. Noemi just didn't feel as real, to be honest, and I would have loved more about her photography. The mysterious lake and what happened to Link was resolved, but the very end didn't work for me (no spoilers). It all tied up in what felt like a falsely tidy manner, where a little chaos could have worked better.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
shawnbakergibson's review against another edition
3.0
We Were Restless Things immediately caught my eye with both the UNBELIEVABLY GORGEOUS cover and the spooky, fantastical description. I mean, COME ON WITH THAT COVER! How can you not want to pick it up?
I enjoyed the world of this story and the descent of the plot from relatively normal into the completely absurd and strange.
This book is definitely not plot-driven, with the story burning slowly, almost stealthily creeping along. It is absolutely driven by the atmosphere and our cast of characters. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and was disappointed in the lack of arch or growth for them by the end of the story.
All of that said, I thought this was a nice atmospheric kick-off to the spooky season! Am interested in seeing what Cole Nagamatsu does next!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.
I enjoyed the world of this story and the descent of the plot from relatively normal into the completely absurd and strange.
This book is definitely not plot-driven, with the story burning slowly, almost stealthily creeping along. It is absolutely driven by the atmosphere and our cast of characters. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and was disappointed in the lack of arch or growth for them by the end of the story.
All of that said, I thought this was a nice atmospheric kick-off to the spooky season! Am interested in seeing what Cole Nagamatsu does next!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.
stubbornbones's review against another edition
3.0
This distinctly feels like it needed a better editor. There are cool ideas and the world of the book is built out in gorgeous detail, but the way it's strung together, both at structure and paragraph-to-paragraph levels, doesn't feel cohesive so it misses out on its potential. Sorry to this book.
thewordwitch's review against another edition
2.0
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. This was done in exchange for an honest review.
The cover of this book is gorgeous, and I was drawn in by the premise. Unfortunately, the slow pacing and under-developed characters made me not want to continue on, and so I DNF'd it.
I felt like there was a promise of an intriguing storyline, and it didn't deliver. Instead, it is just a solid wallow into nothing with an awkward romance that made me uncomfortable.
Unfortunate, but there is promise in the author's writing style. Hopefully, future novels will improve where this one lacked.
The cover of this book is gorgeous, and I was drawn in by the premise. Unfortunately, the slow pacing and under-developed characters made me not want to continue on, and so I DNF'd it.
I felt like there was a promise of an intriguing storyline, and it didn't deliver. Instead, it is just a solid wallow into nothing with an awkward romance that made me uncomfortable.
Spoiler
I could have really gone without a step-sibling romance. It's a trope that I will always take a hard pass on.Unfortunate, but there is promise in the author's writing style. Hopefully, future novels will improve where this one lacked.
readingmypages's review against another edition
3.0
I really am not sure what I just read. It was bizarre but I couldn’t stop reading it. It had no plot and yet again, I still could not stop reading it. I found myself skipping over a lot of parts because it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I will say, the imagery is phenomenal. I’m still trying to figure out what this book was about though... 2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
itskatietano's review against another edition
1.0
Edit 2023:
When I think about this book, all I imagine now is the author doing crack and making the trees/lake come alive and making the step siblings fall in love and have a very uncomfortable sex scene that should not be in a YA book
In general I really liked this book, however the forest confused me and Jonas and Noemi's relationship just didn't sit right with me. I still don't think I fully understand the lake and the forest in general even after sitting on it and thinking on it for a while. And I'm just not huge on step-siblings turned lovers, even though Jonas and Noemi aren't true step-siblings. Other than this, I really did enjoy this book. I liked the characters and how each character is a different kind of person.
When I think about this book, all I imagine now is the author doing crack and making the trees/lake come alive and making the step siblings fall in love and have a very uncomfortable sex scene that should not be in a YA book
In general I really liked this book, however the forest confused me and Jonas and Noemi's relationship just didn't sit right with me. I still don't think I fully understand the lake and the forest in general even after sitting on it and thinking on it for a while. And I'm just not huge on step-siblings turned lovers, even though Jonas and Noemi aren't true step-siblings. Other than this, I really did enjoy this book. I liked the characters and how each character is a different kind of person.
cloaknquill's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 Stars
“The ocean crept through the trees and made them strange like a thing in a dream that tells you you’re sleeping” (68).
A year since the mysterious drowning of Link Miller in the forest, an eeriness still remains. Noemi sets out to investigate the forest’s incidents and uncover the person impersonating Link in text messages. Link’s sister, Amberlyn, suspects Noemi is hiding more than she has revealed. Can they uncover the truth or will the darkness take hold of another victim?
“... but he would still plunge into it, drown in a mouth full of milk and darkness, and the memories of where he was and when he was would seep from his mind and fall into droplets on his shoulders” (357).
We Were Restless Things features a grieving and bewildered Scooby Doo type friend group with a new-comer set off on discovery. The diverse characters all bring a different element to the plot while not being typecast. There is a romantic trope intertwined with the narrative. It is portrayed with a slight twist, because of that I wasn’t completely disturbed.
Although there are many POV’s, the center stage surrounds itself with Noemi. Pieces of her intricate dream journal are found throughout the book. Not only does it play into the plot, but it reveals more to the reader. A creative way to Noemi’s psyche without being told outright, especially since she is reticent.
“But he knew, outside the walls of the stable, the world was a Tesla coil, bright and crackling on all sides of him. Inside him the organs he couldn’t see or hear grew bright and crackled too” (229).
Nagamatsu’s imagery had its roots gripping me. I could almost hear the breeze rustling the tree leaves and feel the lupine flowers gliding across my finger tips. The setting is far more contemporary than expected sprinkled with fantasy elements which I adored. In doing this, the atmosphere played more to my attractiveness of the suspense and lingering questions about the plot. The only consequence is that it results in an overly slow burning plot which could feel exasperating at times. Every couple chapters, one can find a grammatical error but it is not excessive. With that being said, I did still feel myself being pulled to continue onward and tremendously enjoy this work overall.
“... she wondered how many rains it could weather, if the world could end and it would still be standing in whatever rubble of humanity remained.” (87).
Triggers: Death of a family member/close friend, Divorce, Self-harm, Suicide, Domestic Abuse, Homelessness, Grieving, Anxiety, Panic Attacks.
Recommended for those who enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater’s [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573508485l/17675462._SY75_.jpg|18970934].
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Cole Nagamatsu for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“The ocean crept through the trees and made them strange like a thing in a dream that tells you you’re sleeping” (68).
A year since the mysterious drowning of Link Miller in the forest, an eeriness still remains. Noemi sets out to investigate the forest’s incidents and uncover the person impersonating Link in text messages. Link’s sister, Amberlyn, suspects Noemi is hiding more than she has revealed. Can they uncover the truth or will the darkness take hold of another victim?
“... but he would still plunge into it, drown in a mouth full of milk and darkness, and the memories of where he was and when he was would seep from his mind and fall into droplets on his shoulders” (357).
We Were Restless Things features a grieving and bewildered Scooby Doo type friend group with a new-comer set off on discovery. The diverse characters all bring a different element to the plot while not being typecast. There is a romantic trope intertwined with the narrative. It is portrayed with a slight twist, because of that I wasn’t completely disturbed.
Although there are many POV’s, the center stage surrounds itself with Noemi. Pieces of her intricate dream journal are found throughout the book. Not only does it play into the plot, but it reveals more to the reader. A creative way to Noemi’s psyche without being told outright, especially since she is reticent.
“But he knew, outside the walls of the stable, the world was a Tesla coil, bright and crackling on all sides of him. Inside him the organs he couldn’t see or hear grew bright and crackled too” (229).
Nagamatsu’s imagery had its roots gripping me. I could almost hear the breeze rustling the tree leaves and feel the lupine flowers gliding across my finger tips. The setting is far more contemporary than expected sprinkled with fantasy elements which I adored. In doing this, the atmosphere played more to my attractiveness of the suspense and lingering questions about the plot. The only consequence is that it results in an overly slow burning plot which could feel exasperating at times. Every couple chapters, one can find a grammatical error but it is not excessive. With that being said, I did still feel myself being pulled to continue onward and tremendously enjoy this work overall.
“... she wondered how many rains it could weather, if the world could end and it would still be standing in whatever rubble of humanity remained.” (87).
Triggers: Death of a family member/close friend, Divorce, Self-harm, Suicide, Domestic Abuse, Homelessness, Grieving, Anxiety, Panic Attacks.
Recommended for those who enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater’s [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573508485l/17675462._SY75_.jpg|18970934].
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Cole Nagamatsu for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.