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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was really strange and poorly written and yet utterly fascinating at the same time. Read the whole book in an hour. It's not a very plausible or unique story but I was pretty enthralled all the same.
emotional
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:
Complicated
At the beginning of this book, 14-year old New Yorker Daisy is sent by her dad and awful stepmother to live with her extended family in England. Her Aunt Penn is barely present, and her cousins are a bunch of rough-and-tumble country kids with whom sullen Daisy bonds immediately. Eldest Osbert is kind of a surrogate parent, twins Isaac and Edmond are friendly and very perceptive, and smart and adorable 9-year-old Piper rounds out the bunch. Daisy for some reason hits it off romantically/sexually with Edmond, and I tried not to judge because it's not illegal and I know it's not uncommon to be attracted to a family member if you didn't grow up together.
But soon, Aunt Penn disappears while travelling for work, violent attacks start occurring, and the country is invaded by a never-named enemy. It really bugged me when they never named the enemy in [b:Tomorrow, When the War Began|71865|Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow, #1)|John Marsden|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388214812s/71865.jpg|1253352] (because, c'mon, who is making Australia their top target? It's so far away from most stuff!), but it works better here. It was very easy to just think of them as ISIS.
The kids get by on their own for awhile, but then they are separated and taken to different places. Most of the story focuses on Daisy and Piper sticking together through their worsening situation and struggle to rejoin the rest of the family. This part was amazingly written and I really enjoyed it.
The ending was OK, although
At first, I found this book a little off-putting because I read Meg Rosoff's [b:Picture Me Gone|17465457|Picture Me Gone|Meg Rosoff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385354628s/17465457.jpg|19253104] first, and the character speaks with the exact same voice as the narrator of that book, despite them having completely different backgrounds and personalities. But I appreciated that Daisy's voice actually changed as she experienced the horrors of war and striving to protect her young cousin - she gets less snarky and more grown-up. And I felt that Daisy's struggle with disordered eating and how this changed with her experience was a very interesting touch.
Meg Rosoff is definitely on the list of authors I would read anything by at this point.
But soon, Aunt Penn disappears while travelling for work, violent attacks start occurring, and the country is invaded by a never-named enemy. It really bugged me when they never named the enemy in [b:Tomorrow, When the War Began|71865|Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow, #1)|John Marsden|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388214812s/71865.jpg|1253352] (because, c'mon, who is making Australia their top target? It's so far away from most stuff!), but it works better here. It was very easy to just think of them as ISIS.
The kids get by on their own for awhile, but then they are separated and taken to different places. Most of the story focuses on Daisy and Piper sticking together through their worsening situation and struggle to rejoin the rest of the family. This part was amazingly written and I really enjoyed it.
The ending was OK, although
Spoiler
I kind of don't think it was realistic that ALL the cousins survived the war. I expected at least one to not make it.At first, I found this book a little off-putting because I read Meg Rosoff's [b:Picture Me Gone|17465457|Picture Me Gone|Meg Rosoff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385354628s/17465457.jpg|19253104] first, and the character speaks with the exact same voice as the narrator of that book, despite them having completely different backgrounds and personalities. But I appreciated that Daisy's voice actually changed as she experienced the horrors of war and striving to protect her young cousin - she gets less snarky and more grown-up. And I felt that Daisy's struggle with disordered eating and how this changed with her experience was a very interesting touch.
Meg Rosoff is definitely on the list of authors I would read anything by at this point.
Visiting cousins in Britain, the narrator falls in love amidst war in this post-Apocalyptic/post-911novel about the human cost of war and what one does to survive. A story that might have come straight from the Balkans, or Lebanon, etc., the war becomes more shocking to Western readers anyhow by being set on the green fields of England.
This is one of those books you wish didn't end. I wish there was a continuing story.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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:
No
I loved it. It reads so cleanly. Like fresh air.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Incest