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stuckinafictionaluniverse's review
5.0
4.5
We were alive. I remember it that way. We were still alive, and we couldn't see how close we were to the end.
I can describe this book with one word: Haunting.
Explaining the plot is quite challenging, even thought it’s not that complicated at first glance.
We follow two completely different teenage girls. Violet is an ambitious ballet dancer while Amber is in a juvenile detention center. They do have something in common: Orianna.
Is she real or is she a ghost?
The walls around us is a story of friendship and crime and viciousness.
It’s incredibly atmospheric and creepy.
This is my flavor of horror, where nothing is in your face but instead it’s subtle and so well done, keeping you on edge.
Nova Ren Suma’s writing style is stunning, particularly in Amber’s chapters. It’s vivid and beautiful and made me want to cling onto every sentence.
I haven’t read anything set in a prison before, and honestly thought The Shawshank redemption was ridiculously over-hyped (put down your pitchforks!).It would’ve been a much better movie if he did it.
The setting is one of my favorite parts of this book. The juvenile detention center where we meet Amber is a world of its own; with dangerous bloodthirsty girls and a few who are trying to make the best of the situation. Each one is fleshed-out and has a distinct personality. I really loved the relationships that formed between them, flawed yet heartwarming.
It’s a slow-moving psychological mystery cleverly tied together.
The mystery isn’t unnecessarily confusing, but you do have to figure some things out for yourself. Nova Ren Suma’s writing talent shines when she gives the reader just enough details to have a clue what’s happening, but enough to
come up with different theories.
And thankfully, the ending is perfect. No loose ends, nothing. It’s bittersweet but deserving. Everything I want from a creepy book.
Not to mention that this book and Haunting by Halsey fit perfectly together.
Cause I’ve done some things that I can’t speak
And I’ve tried to wash you away but you just won’t leave
So won’t you take a breath and dive in deep
Cause I came here so you’d come for me
I’m begging you to keep on haunting me
And The walls around us is still haunting me.
It's a book about justice and injustice, about loneliness and guilt. It benefits from the slow pacing because this is first and foremost a book about people and questioning their innocence.
Amazing setting, amazing characters, flawless writing. I need to buy the rest of Nova Ren Suma's books as soon as I can.
We were alive. I remember it that way. We were still alive, and we couldn't see how close we were to the end.
I can describe this book with one word: Haunting.
Explaining the plot is quite challenging, even thought it’s not that complicated at first glance.
We follow two completely different teenage girls. Violet is an ambitious ballet dancer while Amber is in a juvenile detention center. They do have something in common: Orianna.
Is she real or is she a ghost?
The walls around us is a story of friendship and crime and viciousness.
It’s incredibly atmospheric and creepy.
This is my flavor of horror, where nothing is in your face but instead it’s subtle and so well done, keeping you on edge.
Nova Ren Suma’s writing style is stunning, particularly in Amber’s chapters. It’s vivid and beautiful and made me want to cling onto every sentence.
I haven’t read anything set in a prison before, and honestly thought The Shawshank redemption was ridiculously over-hyped (put down your pitchforks!).
The setting is one of my favorite parts of this book. The juvenile detention center where we meet Amber is a world of its own; with dangerous bloodthirsty girls and a few who are trying to make the best of the situation. Each one is fleshed-out and has a distinct personality. I really loved the relationships that formed between them, flawed yet heartwarming.
It’s a slow-moving psychological mystery cleverly tied together.
The mystery isn’t unnecessarily confusing, but you do have to figure some things out for yourself. Nova Ren Suma’s writing talent shines when she gives the reader just enough details to have a clue what’s happening, but enough to
come up with different theories.
And thankfully, the ending is perfect. No loose ends, nothing. It’s bittersweet but deserving. Everything I want from a creepy book.
Not to mention that this book and Haunting by Halsey fit perfectly together.
Cause I’ve done some things that I can’t speak
And I’ve tried to wash you away but you just won’t leave
So won’t you take a breath and dive in deep
Cause I came here so you’d come for me
I’m begging you to keep on haunting me
And The walls around us is still haunting me.
It's a book about justice and injustice, about loneliness and guilt. It benefits from the slow pacing because this is first and foremost a book about people and questioning their innocence.
Amazing setting, amazing characters, flawless writing. I need to buy the rest of Nova Ren Suma's books as soon as I can.
tatyanavogt's review
4.0
I didn't know what to expect when I started this one, but I really enjoyed it. The multiple Narrators, the interest in wanting to know the significance of the second narrator. Figuring out the connection of the two timelines which I realized pretty quickly.
I didn't feel like their were any big twists, everything just seemed to fit into place and I would have probably given it five stars if the ending gave me just a little bit more than it did. It had a potential that I feel like it missed. Regardless I still really enjoyed it.
I liked the spooky vibes, the paranormal aspect woven in. I liked figuring out what happened to them, and why they were where they were. I liked part of the unknown. I liked it.
I didn't feel like their were any big twists, everything just seemed to fit into place and I would have probably given it five stars if the ending gave me just a little bit more than it did. It had a potential that I feel like it missed. Regardless I still really enjoyed it.
I liked the spooky vibes, the paranormal aspect woven in. I liked figuring out what happened to them, and why they were where they were. I liked part of the unknown. I liked it.
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how to rate this book. It was really interesting and it was good, but it was very different. It was told from two different perspectives and there's a lot of missing pieces in the story that get filled in along the way. I thought it was good and very well thought out, especially exploring guilt and all that. But I think I was a little confused about the ending. I get the gist of what happened, but to me there were parts that just didn't flow. All and all, I thought it was really good and I really enjoyed both points of view in the story.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
1.0
1/5
I just didn’t enjoy how the story was laid out. I felt bored for most of the book and I couldn’t wait to finish it.
I just didn’t enjoy how the story was laid out. I felt bored for most of the book and I couldn’t wait to finish it.
marieintheraw's review
2.0
Going into this, I had no idea it was a ghost book and I'm not a ghost book person anymore. However, it was rather enjoyable and the author has a way with words.
melissaverasreads's review
3.0
Si tuviera que describir este libro con una sola palabra, diría "diferente". Realmente no había leído nada así, y no pensé encontrarme con esta trama en la literatura juvenil.
Debo admitir que al principio me encontré la historia aburridísima. Hay dos puntos de vista, Vee y Amber... y aunque Vee me resultó mucho más pasable ¡lo de Amber es infumable! Confuso, descriptivo... ¡creo que hay como treinta páginas sin un solo diálogo! Es que solo acordarme me dan ganas de irme a dormir.
Pero, por suerte para mí, la trama se torna mucho más interesante como en el 40%. Cositas que me gustaron:
-Bailarinas. Después de ver la serie australiana Dance Academy, me encanta leer y ver cosas de bailarinas, y disfruté mucho imaginándome el vestuario y los bailes en este libro.
-La parte paranormal del libro me encantó, sin duda mi parte favorita. Es lo suficiente "escalofriante" para ser cool, pero no asusta ni nada de eso.
-Escuché gran parte en audiolibro, y lo recomiendo. Fue muy bueno y me ayudó bastante a avanzar cuando pensé que no podía soportar más el estilo de escritura de la autora.
Algunos comentarios con spoilers:
-El final me gustó muchísimo. El hecho de que Ori se apoderara del cuerpo de Vee... No me lo esperaba.
-Tampoco me esperaba que Amber haya sido la que asesinó a todo el mundo... boy that girl had problems.
-Este libro se hubiera beneficiado bastante de un epílogo, especialmente del punto de vista del novio de Orianna explicando cómo carajos él sabía que eso iba a pasar.
En general lo recomiendo si quieren leer un libro juvenil un tanto diferente a lo acostumbrado, con un toquecito escalofriante. Pero no vayan expectativas de que será el libro de sus vidas.
Debo admitir que al principio me encontré la historia aburridísima. Hay dos puntos de vista, Vee y Amber... y aunque Vee me resultó mucho más pasable ¡lo de Amber es infumable! Confuso, descriptivo... ¡creo que hay como treinta páginas sin un solo diálogo! Es que solo acordarme me dan ganas de irme a dormir.
Pero, por suerte para mí, la trama se torna mucho más interesante como en el 40%. Cositas que me gustaron:
-Bailarinas. Después de ver la serie australiana Dance Academy, me encanta leer y ver cosas de bailarinas, y disfruté mucho imaginándome el vestuario y los bailes en este libro.
-La parte paranormal del libro me encantó, sin duda mi parte favorita. Es lo suficiente "escalofriante" para ser cool, pero no asusta ni nada de eso.
-Escuché gran parte en audiolibro, y lo recomiendo. Fue muy bueno y me ayudó bastante a avanzar cuando pensé que no podía soportar más el estilo de escritura de la autora.
Algunos comentarios con spoilers:
Spoiler
-El final me gustó muchísimo. El hecho de que Ori se apoderara del cuerpo de Vee... No me lo esperaba.
-Tampoco me esperaba que Amber haya sido la que asesinó a todo el mundo... boy that girl had problems.
-Este libro se hubiera beneficiado bastante de un epílogo, especialmente del punto de vista del novio de Orianna explicando cómo carajos él sabía que eso iba a pasar.
En general lo recomiendo si quieren leer un libro juvenil un tanto diferente a lo acostumbrado, con un toquecito escalofriante. Pero no vayan expectativas de que será el libro de sus vidas.
kalliste's review against another edition
4.0
Somehow I missed that there was a supernatural angle to this story. I have to say I was pretty confused when things started getting weird but, unlike other supernatural YA, this didn't include good fairies and vampires that just want to be good etc.
It's probably one of the strangest YA books I've read but kept me wanting to know what happened next.
It's probably one of the strangest YA books I've read but kept me wanting to know what happened next.