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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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:
Yes
I really enjoyed how this book tried to explore the "normal" kids, the one who aren't the heroes of the story. I thought there were some good parts, such as showing us how being "average" affected their self-esteem. The reason I only gave this a 3/5 stars is the characters didn't "stick" with me. None of them were memorable characters (which might be the purpose since they are suppose to be "average"). Though there were many feelings, experiences, and challenges that they were relatable, I didn't feel a connection to the characters or the plot.
As a big fan of the kinds of stories this satirizes (or riffs off of), I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to warm up to the characters, but I did feel for their myopic views and their epic teenagery-ness. My biggest complaint is that the narrative suddenly stopped while we had 15 full pages of a transcript of a therapy session! I appreciate including real mental health issues in with supernatural adventure, but a full therapy session was a little heavy handed for me. Still, this was the best Patrick Ness book I've ever read.
2.5 stars.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I am the target demographic for this novel especially considering I added it to my list five years ago…
The concept was good and I appreciate the anti-trope, so to speak, of the book’s main plot being about average high schoolers while the B plot is the wild magical stuff highlighted only as a tweet-length blurb at the start of each chapter. I also appreciated the light cast upon very real issues that many people, particularly teens, struggle with in day to day life. However, I ultimately was not particularly interested in the characters’ mundane struggles being resolved and when I find myself measuring the chunk of pages left to read between my fingers rather than being fully immersed into the story….I have to start considering the 2 - 3 star range.
I certainly didn’t hate it and there were plot points I did enjoy, but I’ll be taking a closer look going forward to determine if I *really* need to finally follow up on these books that have been patiently waiting on my to-read shelf for so long.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I am the target demographic for this novel especially considering I added it to my list five years ago…
The concept was good and I appreciate the anti-trope, so to speak, of the book’s main plot being about average high schoolers while the B plot is the wild magical stuff highlighted only as a tweet-length blurb at the start of each chapter. I also appreciated the light cast upon very real issues that many people, particularly teens, struggle with in day to day life. However, I ultimately was not particularly interested in the characters’ mundane struggles being resolved and when I find myself measuring the chunk of pages left to read between my fingers rather than being fully immersed into the story….I have to start considering the 2 - 3 star range.
I certainly didn’t hate it and there were plot points I did enjoy, but I’ll be taking a closer look going forward to determine if I *really* need to finally follow up on these books that have been patiently waiting on my to-read shelf for so long.
We all have our battles to face. Some may not have to battle demons, or evil warlock, or dragons, or zombies or vampires. But sometimes, it's the inner demons that are even harder to face.
Totally not what I expected. Here's more of my thoughts: https://eipreel.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/the-rest-of-us-just-live-here-by-patrick-ness/
Totally not what I expected. Here's more of my thoughts: https://eipreel.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/the-rest-of-us-just-live-here-by-patrick-ness/
I expected this novel to be a humorous one, detailing the lives of the people in the backgrounds of epic adventurers, but it was most decidedly not. However, it was thoughtful and explored teenage lives in sensitive ways. Alcoholism, mental illness, the complexities of friendships and relationships with family were all covered well.
Had this novel focused solely on those aspects, I would have given it 5 stars. However, the chapter overviews tell another, more flippant story of the "indie kids" fighting "The Immortals" and I found those to be annoying and interrupted the flow of the major characters' stories. I enjoy fantasy novels, but this was more like literature with a sour splash of bad fantasy thrown on top for some terrible reason.
I really liked and connected with the major players in this novel. Some of the motivations and actions of a couple of them were a little wobbly but overall I found them compelling.
Had this novel focused solely on those aspects, I would have given it 5 stars. However, the chapter overviews tell another, more flippant story of the "indie kids" fighting "The Immortals" and I found those to be annoying and interrupted the flow of the major characters' stories. I enjoy fantasy novels, but this was more like literature with a sour splash of bad fantasy thrown on top for some terrible reason.
I really liked and connected with the major players in this novel. Some of the motivations and actions of a couple of them were a little wobbly but overall I found them compelling.
I enjoyed this, Patrick ness is an incredibly talented writer.
It took me a while to figure out what the Into section was talking about. "Where blah happened to blah..." But I ended up looking forward to it. I really enjoyed this, the "normal" characters all had their own issues. I thought the author rally captured the anxiety of graduating high school from multiple points of view, and I would love to hear how everything turns out for them as adults.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes