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vannievonn's review against another edition
5.0
Well, if you love her other books, you'll love this one too!!
Problem: the order of events.. I didn't understand how the order of events occurred, but it's probably because I'm not familiar with trimesters..?
**WARNING: RANTING SPOILERS!!
Yeah, the best parts of the book were of the three best friends Emily, Lydia, and Cassie. I don't understand why they gave Emily and Lydia important parts but Cassie none though. I was semi-crushed at the beginning when Emily and Lydia broke up with Charlie and Seb. When Emily wrote that last blog and Charlie was like "or you can fly to Singapore to see me" I was all "awwwww..." And Lydia getting back with Seb was nice too (I didn't really feel the Lydia x Riley thing). I love those kind of endings =)
Problem: the order of events.. I didn't understand how the order of events occurred, but it's probably because I'm not familiar with trimesters..?
**WARNING: RANTING SPOILERS!!
Yeah, the best parts of the book were of the three best friends Emily, Lydia, and Cassie. I don't understand why they gave Emily and Lydia important parts but Cassie none though. I was semi-crushed at the beginning when Emily and Lydia broke up with Charlie and Seb. When Emily wrote that last blog and Charlie was like "or you can fly to Singapore to see me" I was all "awwwww..." And Lydia getting back with Seb was nice too (I didn't really feel the Lydia x Riley thing). I love those kind of endings =)
janina_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Another winner from Moriarty!
Seriously, I love the Ashbury series. It has these quirky – but not too quirky – characters and just the right mix of humour, family issues, friendship, romance and suspense. While I would say that I liked [b:Feeling Sorry For Celia|82783|Feeling Sorry for Celia (Ashbury/Brookfield, #1)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171025737s/82783.jpg|1013926] and [b:Finding Cassie Crazy|11032288|Finding Cassie Crazy|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51--FuK-OFL._SL75_.jpg|15952225] a tiny bit better, Dreaming of Amelia brought back some of my favourite characters (Lydia and Seb!), but also introduced new ones I grew to love.
It is a big book (over 500 pages) and slightly different in style from the first two (haven’t read Bindy yet), but I didn’t feel like it was too long or drawn out. Sure, at first, all those pages of high school students’ attempts at writing gothic fiction seemed a bit too much, but I soon got into the story and the pages just flew by. I laughed out loud at Em’s extensive use of exclamation marks, her recurring weather descriptions and her tendency to mix up words of foreign origin (my favourite: incontinence instead of inconsistence). And even though I didn’t particularly care for the storyline following Tom, an Irish convict settling in Australia in the 1800, he played his part in the conclusion and I don’t think he should have been left out.
What I love so much about Moriarty’s books: By telling her stories in the form of letters, emails, notes, essays, protocols, newspaper articles, … she gives her readers the chance to discover things for themselves without telling them what happens, but showing them instead. I love finding out for myself what might have happened if something is only hinted at, described by one of her characters but you are not entirely sure what exactly has been going on … For me, her books are a little bit like those detective books I used to have when I was younger, where you were supposed to find out who the murderer is along with the hero or the heroine of the story.
#3 Aussie YA Challenge 2011
Seriously, I love the Ashbury series. It has these quirky – but not too quirky – characters and just the right mix of humour, family issues, friendship, romance and suspense. While I would say that I liked [b:Feeling Sorry For Celia|82783|Feeling Sorry for Celia (Ashbury/Brookfield, #1)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171025737s/82783.jpg|1013926] and [b:Finding Cassie Crazy|11032288|Finding Cassie Crazy|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51--FuK-OFL._SL75_.jpg|15952225] a tiny bit better, Dreaming of Amelia brought back some of my favourite characters (Lydia and Seb!), but also introduced new ones I grew to love.
It is a big book (over 500 pages) and slightly different in style from the first two (haven’t read Bindy yet), but I didn’t feel like it was too long or drawn out. Sure, at first, all those pages of high school students’ attempts at writing gothic fiction seemed a bit too much, but I soon got into the story and the pages just flew by. I laughed out loud at Em’s extensive use of exclamation marks, her recurring weather descriptions and her tendency to mix up words of foreign origin (my favourite: incontinence instead of inconsistence). And even though I didn’t particularly care for the storyline following Tom, an Irish convict settling in Australia in the 1800, he played his part in the conclusion and I don’t think he should have been left out.
What I love so much about Moriarty’s books: By telling her stories in the form of letters, emails, notes, essays, protocols, newspaper articles, … she gives her readers the chance to discover things for themselves without telling them what happens, but showing them instead. I love finding out for myself what might have happened if something is only hinted at, described by one of her characters but you are not entirely sure what exactly has been going on … For me, her books are a little bit like those detective books I used to have when I was younger, where you were supposed to find out who the murderer is along with the hero or the heroine of the story.
#3 Aussie YA Challenge 2011
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
My review of all four books in the series can be found here.
noisyhearts's review against another edition
3.0
WELL. I have started off my 2013 by ripping through all four of the books in this series of Australian YA novels. I borrowed them from the friend I am currently living with while overseas and she did warn me, "they're all very...tonally different," but I'm not entirely sure she adequately prepared me for how far they veer from normal in the later two. I clearly enjoyed myself, though. I could not, in good conscience, recommend these but if you were sick or really bored and wanted something to read then you could do a lot worse.
intovertedbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this series of books. The characters are memorable, sometimes relatable and often hilarious. And I very much enjoy the format that these were all written in. This family definitely has a talent for writing.
fallingletters's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted 25 November 2011 on Falling Letters.
***
Don't let the ugly cover (or the vague, teenage-y description) fool you! I suppose the cover is meant to capitalize on the trend of the love for all things supernatural? I loved the old American/Canadian cover designs (see [b:The Year of Secret Assignments|82780|The Year of Secret Assignments (Ashbury/Brookfield, #2)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868849s/82780.jpg|2161186] with the fire alarm, and [b:The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie|82781|The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (Ashbury/Brookfield, #3)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171025736s/82781.jpg|1006125] with the locker). As for the description, if I wasn't already so familiar with Moriarty's work I definitely would not have picked up this book. This also happened with Secret Assignments: when I received it as a gift my first thought was 'Why did parents think I would like this book??' I wonder how many other readers are out there like me who could potentially love these books but were put off by the cover or description...Onto the review.
It is always a rare treat to find a YA novel that I can enjoy and devour. There are a very few YA authors that I love. In fact, there are two: John Green and Jaclyn Moriarty. Green has a very prominent internet presence, whereas Moriarty does not and this is how I did not know she had a new Ashbury novel out until over a year after it was published. I am a bad fan.
I first encountered Moriarty in grade six or seven when I received The Year of Secret Assignments as an Easter present. I adored it, for its writing style, the narratives that build on one another through little clues, distinct characters and increasingly dark plot. The novel was a hit among my friends. A few years later, The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie was published. I did a book report on it in high school. It was with this second Moriarty book that I saw how all her books interconnect - major characters in one novel have minor roles in another, past events may be hinted at, characters you've heard about in the past novels finally make proper appearances, etc. Finally, I realized there was another Ashbury book, the first one: [b:Feeling Sorry for Celia|82783|Feeling Sorry for Celia (Ashbury/Brookfield, #1)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312026150s/82783.jpg|1013926]. I read that one as well. Now, five years after I read the last Ashbury book, I have stumbled across a new one and I think this one is the best yet.
All the aspects of The Year of Secret Assignments (writing style, characterization, plot twists, increasingly dark plot, interconnected but distinct narratives) I adored so much come into full play in The Ghosts of Ashbury High. Moriarty has perfected her craft and method. It is lovely to actually be able to see an author's improvement over a series of novels. Secret Assignments was great, but Ghosts feels like the story that contains highly refined elements that are Moriarty's trademark. The characters were all so well-written with subtleties that made them feel real (I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's the best way I can think of to describe the character aspects that I loved seeing so much). Also brilliantly written was the subtle intertwining of the character's narratives. Come to think of it, what I loved was the subtlety of Moriarty's writing. Everything she does, she did so well in this story in such a subtle, quietly tucked into the story way. the story and the characters build, build, build, so steadily; Moriarty sucks you into the book like a slow moving whirlpool might put suck you down to the ocean floor (It's exam time, don't expect good descriptive sentences from me now =.=).
Read this book! =)
***
Don't let the ugly cover (or the vague, teenage-y description) fool you! I suppose the cover is meant to capitalize on the trend of the love for all things supernatural? I loved the old American/Canadian cover designs (see [b:The Year of Secret Assignments|82780|The Year of Secret Assignments (Ashbury/Brookfield, #2)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868849s/82780.jpg|2161186] with the fire alarm, and [b:The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie|82781|The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (Ashbury/Brookfield, #3)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171025736s/82781.jpg|1006125] with the locker). As for the description, if I wasn't already so familiar with Moriarty's work I definitely would not have picked up this book. This also happened with Secret Assignments: when I received it as a gift my first thought was 'Why did parents think I would like this book??' I wonder how many other readers are out there like me who could potentially love these books but were put off by the cover or description...Onto the review.
It is always a rare treat to find a YA novel that I can enjoy and devour. There are a very few YA authors that I love. In fact, there are two: John Green and Jaclyn Moriarty. Green has a very prominent internet presence, whereas Moriarty does not and this is how I did not know she had a new Ashbury novel out until over a year after it was published. I am a bad fan.
I first encountered Moriarty in grade six or seven when I received The Year of Secret Assignments as an Easter present. I adored it, for its writing style, the narratives that build on one another through little clues, distinct characters and increasingly dark plot. The novel was a hit among my friends. A few years later, The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie was published. I did a book report on it in high school. It was with this second Moriarty book that I saw how all her books interconnect - major characters in one novel have minor roles in another, past events may be hinted at, characters you've heard about in the past novels finally make proper appearances, etc. Finally, I realized there was another Ashbury book, the first one: [b:Feeling Sorry for Celia|82783|Feeling Sorry for Celia (Ashbury/Brookfield, #1)|Jaclyn Moriarty|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312026150s/82783.jpg|1013926]. I read that one as well. Now, five years after I read the last Ashbury book, I have stumbled across a new one and I think this one is the best yet.
All the aspects of The Year of Secret Assignments (writing style, characterization, plot twists, increasingly dark plot, interconnected but distinct narratives) I adored so much come into full play in The Ghosts of Ashbury High. Moriarty has perfected her craft and method. It is lovely to actually be able to see an author's improvement over a series of novels. Secret Assignments was great, but Ghosts feels like the story that contains highly refined elements that are Moriarty's trademark. The characters were all so well-written with subtleties that made them feel real (I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's the best way I can think of to describe the character aspects that I loved seeing so much). Also brilliantly written was the subtle intertwining of the character's narratives. Come to think of it, what I loved was the subtlety of Moriarty's writing. Everything she does, she did so well in this story in such a subtle, quietly tucked into the story way. the story and the characters build, build, build, so steadily; Moriarty sucks you into the book like a slow moving whirlpool might put suck you down to the ocean floor (It's exam time, don't expect good descriptive sentences from me now =.=).
Read this book! =)
thefoxae's review against another edition
4.0
I adored the way the book was written - very creative! An interesting format, a pretty cool concept, an excellent job of voicing different characters, and several moments of laughing out loud (which I almost never do while reading). Yay!
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
"You guys and your evil, secret plans," said Em. "You're even more dramatic than me."
Another year back with the crazy kids. Still told through letters, notes, blog updates, essay assignments and even notes from board meetings. This is still as funny as the rest of the series and even more so with the addition of the crazy adults and silly school board. I'm sad I read this series out of order and need to go back to read book 3.
But, this one definitely had a more serious element to it as well. The kids are older, Emily is still pretty dramatic and Lydia is still the voice of reason but still wild. And Seb and Toby are still in there somewhere. But there is the addition of the Gothic Ghost stories to add to the background of the story but also add an additional depth to the tale.
But there is also Amelia and Riley. Two kids brought in by scholarships (the first of this kind to be offered) and they have secrets of their own. And their fellow students can't stop guessing and wonder what it could be. Even the adults are nonstop wondering. With all this wonder and made up stories, it's bound to be a fun (with some serious elements) story. And I did enjoy it. But somehow, not as much as I enjoyed the first 2.
Another year back with the crazy kids. Still told through letters, notes, blog updates, essay assignments and even notes from board meetings. This is still as funny as the rest of the series and even more so with the addition of the crazy adults and silly school board. I'm sad I read this series out of order and need to go back to read book 3.
But, this one definitely had a more serious element to it as well. The kids are older, Emily is still pretty dramatic and Lydia is still the voice of reason but still wild. And Seb and Toby are still in there somewhere. But there is the addition of the Gothic Ghost stories to add to the background of the story but also add an additional depth to the tale.
But there is also Amelia and Riley. Two kids brought in by scholarships (the first of this kind to be offered) and they have secrets of their own. And their fellow students can't stop guessing and wonder what it could be. Even the adults are nonstop wondering. With all this wonder and made up stories, it's bound to be a fun (with some serious elements) story. And I did enjoy it. But somehow, not as much as I enjoyed the first 2.
mutablemoon's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, now I understand why I didn't understand the book, this is fourth in the series. How very foolish of me! Not sure I want to read the others though. May have gone past the age of actually being interested in these sorts of book.