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urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I really don't know what to say about this novel. It was not what I expected. I got drawn in by the cover that got my attention and the prose is really quite nice. But after a while even that gets old and the question that remains is: what else is there?
The story (I guess I should call it a story, just because it's a book?) features two 'brothers' and some of their friends living not really easy in Canada.
What I really missed was a plot, a direction for the story to go to. It was a collection of things they did, but I never learnt what they had to do with each other, except that they were all about the same gang. The suicide that is mentioned in the summary didn't even feel like such a key point in the story because it takes place near the end of the story and the way it's mentioned is rather weird.
I suppose there are people out there who will love this story, and the writing I thought was really good, but for me in order to be a good book there has to be a good story (or at least an identifiable plot).
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I really don't know what to say about this novel. It was not what I expected. I got drawn in by the cover that got my attention and the prose is really quite nice. But after a while even that gets old and the question that remains is: what else is there?
The story (I guess I should call it a story, just because it's a book?) features two 'brothers' and some of their friends living not really easy in Canada.
What I really missed was a plot, a direction for the story to go to. It was a collection of things they did, but I never learnt what they had to do with each other, except that they were all about the same gang. The suicide that is mentioned in the summary didn't even feel like such a key point in the story because it takes place near the end of the story and the way it's mentioned is rather weird.
I suppose there are people out there who will love this story, and the writing I thought was really good, but for me in order to be a good book there has to be a good story (or at least an identifiable plot).
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
stellanova's review against another edition
2.0
I was fortunate enough to obtain an advanced copy of this novel in ebook format from NetGalley.com. The cover caught my eye and the description grabbed my attention. So did the first chapter - albeit not an easy read. After that, though, my interest in this book went up and down. Packed with more adjectives than a dictionary, complicated lingo and too many names of people, places and things grouped together than I could keep track of, I really struggled through this book. Often skimming over pages, I think I would enjoy this book more if I'd studied it in a class, re-read it, or had an explanation of what was going on through some parts, and I found myself constantly thinking that perhaps this book was aimed or suited to someone older than me. However, this book was different, raw, and felt real. The parts that captured my attention and found easiest to follow along were like memories, dynamic and emotional. I both appreciated and struggled with this book - perhaps I'll enjoy it more as I get older, and wouldn't say no to a re-read a few years down the line.
x_tora's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
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