Reviews

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

windsinger's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-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? No

3.5

rjdenney's review

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5.0

****Re-read in December 2019!

Loved it even more the third time around. This is such a special book to me and it's a perfect winter read. :)

______________________________________



5 STARS!!

description



Now that was entertaining!

It is easily one of the BEST books I’ve ever read and has now become one of my favorites of all time!

This was such a cozy and magical read. I wish I had read it in the fall or winter. It would’ve fit perfectly with either of those seasons.

The first thing I have to mention is that this is a pretty damn dark book and grotesque at some points and I loved every ounce of it. I tell you, I’m sick in the head haha I love my dark middle grade reads. Not only was this dark, it was also touching and heartwarming at the same time. I found myself reaching across my bedside table for a tissue every so often (I still have tissues on my bedside table because I’m still under the weather.) and when a book can tug at you like that, it’s a gem!

I loved all of the characters, even the nasty, evil ones. This book is 307 pages but feels like it was 600 at least, but I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. It was paced beautifully and almost every character got their moment of development, which made the story much more magnificent. Lauren Oliver really outdid herself with this one, it was written amazingly.

Liesl, Po, and Will are the MAIN characters of this book, but the other characters might as well be main too because as I said, almost everyone had their POV and usually that bogs a story down for me and makes me lose interest in the story but in this book, it did the exact opposite. It made everything even better and I didn’t want it to end.

Just a little side note: I had my music on shuffle while I was reading the last 100 pages of this book and right when I was reading the LAST page, “Can’t take it in” by Imogen Heap began playing and holy crap it fit the ending PERFECTLY! That really made it an even better reading experience.

This book features: a strong twelve year old girl, a spunky genderless ghost, another brave young boy, a cute little cat-dog spirit, murder, mayhem, suspense, dark-comedy, adventure, heartbreak, darkness, and plenty of magic.

If any of those things above interest you, PICK THIS BOOK UP NOW!

I’m waiting for this to be adapted into a movie. It would be perfect. :-)

- Richard

zieepicaricacy's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

gmamartha's review

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3.0

After a third of the way through, I finally got hooked into Liesl and her story.
Interesting twists.

timna_wyckoff's review

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2.0

Read for 3rd grade book club. This was the first one we read that REALLY didn't grab me, although I think everyone else liked it (to varying degrees) more than I did. It was billed as an "adventure-ghost story" but was actually about dealing with a parent's death. My expectations, the story, and the writing style didn't match up in my head as I read it.

marieintheraw's review

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3.0

A magical middle grade novel.

taylormorgantm's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

aepstone's review

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5.0

Lauren is so versatile! Loved this one.

aliceboule's review

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4.0

A delicious book with wonderful characters and even better magic, to be read (or listened to) at all ages.

Made all the more wonderful by the sinfully sweet voice of Jim Dale.

charlotteg's review

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5.0

I give it five stars, but it is not as amazing as Harry Potter (6 stars). I love the characters in this book, especially Mo with his big heart.