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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book and the characters. But it wasn't a scary/horror story at all (This was a good thing for me as I was worried it might be a horror story). However, the setting/characters did have a creepy element that was just right. Everything was so well-written that I could imagine everything about the old house (and kind of wished I was there exploring things too).
Interesting story, but the writing was barely tolerable. For a YA novel, Jacob was too clever to be a teenager and not clever enough for an adult.
I'm having trouble making up my mind about where this book falls, shelf-wise. Do I put it on my fantasy-adventure shelf? My weird-fun-creatures shelf? My young-adult-fic shelf?
There's not much I can say about this one without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at this: Get this book out of your library - preferably a copy with well-worn and slightly yellowed pages - and read it at bedtime. You will get no sleep whatsoever and you will enjoy it, I think. It's not the most original storyline out there, but in my opinion fairly well-written - and the photos are a fun and unique touch.
There's not much I can say about this one without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at this: Get this book out of your library - preferably a copy with well-worn and slightly yellowed pages - and read it at bedtime. You will get no sleep whatsoever and you will enjoy it, I think. It's not the most original storyline out there, but in my opinion fairly well-written - and the photos are a fun and unique touch.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has SO much hype surrounding it and SO much love. But I've got to say, it has been a while since a book disappointed me this much. I should just ignore all future book hype.
There are two types of story devices I hate - amnesia and time travel. This book has time travel. I feel like both are a crutch for lazy, unimaginative authors. So of course I wasn't happy with all of the "loops" in this book. Not only lazy, but it's impractical and unnecessary. The author even proves at the end that time travel doesn't make them any safer, which is supposedly the entire reason for the time travel - safety.
I also hate that the girl is romantic with the grandpa when she's young and then the grandson when she's 88-years-old. Sure she still has the body of a child, but she's 88-years-old! Didn't Anne Rice already explain the horrors of being an adult trapped in a child's body? Yeah - it's awful and creepy!
What I love are the photos. I think that's the book's biggest selling point. The book uses authentic photos from way back in the day and they are wonderfully eerie. I think it's awesome that the author based his characters on these photos. Although, it's clear that sometime he loved a photo so much that he forced it into the book in a nonsensical way.
I also love the idea of orphans with bizarre abilities. I just wish that the author had taken it in another direction. Forcing all of these peculiar people to live in the past as children, to never grow up, doesn't make sense.
There's a lot more than doesn't make sense. But I'll leave it at that. I feel like it started with a good idea, but it missed the mark.
There are two types of story devices I hate - amnesia and time travel. This book has time travel. I feel like both are a crutch for lazy, unimaginative authors. So of course I wasn't happy with all of the "loops" in this book. Not only lazy, but it's impractical and unnecessary. The author even proves at the end that time travel doesn't make them any safer, which is supposedly the entire reason for the time travel - safety.
I also hate that the girl is romantic with the grandpa when she's young and then the grandson when she's 88-years-old. Sure she still has the body of a child, but she's 88-years-old! Didn't Anne Rice already explain the horrors of being an adult trapped in a child's body? Yeah - it's awful and creepy!
What I love are the photos. I think that's the book's biggest selling point. The book uses authentic photos from way back in the day and they are wonderfully eerie. I think it's awesome that the author based his characters on these photos. Although, it's clear that sometime he loved a photo so much that he forced it into the book in a nonsensical way.
I also love the idea of orphans with bizarre abilities. I just wish that the author had taken it in another direction. Forcing all of these peculiar people to live in the past as children, to never grow up, doesn't make sense.
There's a lot more than doesn't make sense. But I'll leave it at that. I feel like it started with a good idea, but it missed the mark.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good start to a serie that promises a good adventure. the characters are very intriguing.
the writing is very simple and very fluid which makes very easy to enter the book and read.
This first book basically works as an introduction to the theme characters time etc. now in the next i hope to be surprise.
the writing is very simple and very fluid which makes very easy to enter the book and read.
This first book basically works as an introduction to the theme characters time etc. now in the next i hope to be surprise.
This book started off well and was fun (I particularly enjoyed the photographs), but I wasn't thrilled to find out it was a series at the end. I also found it to be a kind of bad x-men cop-off.
I liked the premise of the book - use unusual and creepy photos to build an unusual and creepy story. The book was an ok read, but I was disappointed at the book which didn't really take on much of an identity of its own. There is a story, but it wasn't made particularly engrossing or believable. The characterisation was weak and more could have been done to create a ghostly / creepy atmosphere.
I borrowed this from the local library and won't be buying a copy of my own... although I fully expected to before reading it.
I borrowed this from the local library and won't be buying a copy of my own... although I fully expected to before reading it.