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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
It was an easy read and somewhat adorable. I like the mental health representation in the book. Although I feel like this wasn't mundane enough for the brief. I wanted more of a NPC vibe but this still had the main character vibe. Idk how else to explain that..
If you're a Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) fangirl like me, you will probably agree that Patrick Ness must be a huge BtVS fan too... I mean. You can't help but get a Sunnyview/Hellmouth vibe from everything going down in Mikey's small town! (I can't seem to recall where, exactly, it was other than some hick town in Washington state... Did he ever mention the name of the town? Anyway...) I don't make this comparison to BtVS lightly, by the way, because there are just so many parallels. Between all the supernatural creatures that randomly show up and attack the teenagers in their town, the fact that the adults seem to be in complete denial of what has been and is currently going on, and the fact that the story is a tongue-in-cheek offshoot of the classic "chosen one" theme, I can't imagine a BtVS fan who would be disappointed in this story. Mikey even reminds me of my favorite BtVS characvter, Xander, who once said, "They'll never know how tough it is, Dawnie. To be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near to the spotlight and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes because nobody's watching me."
That being said, I don't want people to think I'm saying this was just a BtVS ripoff, either. The characters in this story are most definitely unique, as is the plot of the story. I enjoyed the fact that the supernatural elements of the story were almost periphery to the main plot. I honestly think that the interpersonal relationships, dysfunctional families, and personal struggles of the characters could have kept this story afloat even without the battles between the chosen ones (who all seemed to be "indie kids") and the supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and the Immortals. It was rather ambitious of Ness to merge teen angst and tough issues with a lighthearted, satirical supernatural story -- but it worked very well.
Happy Reading!
That being said, I don't want people to think I'm saying this was just a BtVS ripoff, either. The characters in this story are most definitely unique, as is the plot of the story. I enjoyed the fact that the supernatural elements of the story were almost periphery to the main plot. I honestly think that the interpersonal relationships, dysfunctional families, and personal struggles of the characters could have kept this story afloat even without the battles between the chosen ones (who all seemed to be "indie kids") and the supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and the Immortals. It was rather ambitious of Ness to merge teen angst and tough issues with a lighthearted, satirical supernatural story -- but it worked very well.
Happy Reading!
Clever framing, relatable narrator, realistic problems. How could you not like this book?
I thought the concept was interesting and the characters were decent. I felt like there could have been more interaction with the Indies and there weren't any explanations on why the adults in the area didn't understand or want to acknowledge why these things keep happening to teenagers.
funny tale for those of us who have seen many of those shows/movies where supernatural things are happening in a small town but only a selected few are on the front lines of those troubles. this is a story about the people on the periphery.
actual rating: 3.5 stars
it was good? and enjoyable enough. i adored the realistic portrayal of eating disorders and ocd. the characters were mostly interesting. it just didn't click for me. i'd probably give patrick ness another shot because i did enjoy his writing style
it was good? and enjoyable enough. i adored the realistic portrayal of eating disorders and ocd. the characters were mostly interesting. it just didn't click for me. i'd probably give patrick ness another shot because i did enjoy his writing style
I picked up this book because I'm a big fan of Ness's previous novel "A Monster Calls", which is a MUST!! I highly recommend. Now, on with my thoughts on this novel. The idea of it is brilliant and long over due. Though I'm not sure I enjoyed all of novel, for sure there were things well done and awesome. I don't want to go into detail and spoil the book, but I will say that i wish the main character's parents were more in the background and less involved in the story. Or at least, involved differently (less political, more regular parents I guess). Though i can understand why the parents, epically the mother, was as involved as they were. Nonetheless, Ness did good in approaching this type of story. I enjoyed the overall message. Chapter 15 was very powerful in presenting a big message and lesson. I think i would have liked to see the story focus a bit more on the friendship. I may be a bit harsh with my review because i was expecting something a bit different. So, sorry about that. BUT, I do wish it was done a bit differently. Still a funny and heartfelt story.
Excuse me as I go an weep a bit. This was brilliant but damn I'm so sad right now I could cry (okay I admit I cried). I really liked the friendship between Jared and Mikey, I thought it was what gave the whole book its charm which is why I'm kind of mourning the ending to the book right now. In the beginning, I was really afraid that something would kill Jared (I might even have looked at the ending to make sure he survived) and then Mikey kind of ends up losing him anyway. I will just weep over here in my little corner! Can I get a sequel named "Mikey and Jared = Friendshipping ever after"? It would make me truly happy!
That said then the book was bloody brilliant! I loved the whole OCD with Mikey and generally the feeling of him living at the edge, like any moment he would tumble down and do some damage to himself. Multiple times I thought something would push him but surprisingly he kept fighting and that's quite nice though I also felt unsatisfied sometimes like I wanted him to fall so he could be picked up again. The charm was that it was a rollercoaster just like life is I guess but did it have to be so sad as well? Why did I feel like I lost my best friend in the end? Oh I sometimes hate ending a book because I feel like I've just had to say goodbye to someone I really knew well and it will take me some time to get over this book.
That said then the book was bloody brilliant! I loved the whole OCD with Mikey and generally the feeling of him living at the edge, like any moment he would tumble down and do some damage to himself. Multiple times I thought something would push him but surprisingly he kept fighting and that's quite nice though I also felt unsatisfied sometimes like I wanted him to fall so he could be picked up again. The charm was that it was a rollercoaster just like life is I guess but did it have to be so sad as well? Why did I feel like I lost my best friend in the end? Oh I sometimes hate ending a book because I feel like I've just had to say goodbye to someone I really knew well and it will take me some time to get over this book.