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lostinagoodread's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on Cozy Up With A Good Read
This book took me a little bit of time to get into because of the writing style, it was difficult for me to understand at first. But after reading a few pages I really found myself understanding the style, it was a kind of poetic style which I really loved! It's very unique and interesting for a story to be told in this way.
I really liked the setting of Above being in Toronto. I loved reading the story and being able to follow the characters through the city that I know (though I don't know if Leah intended it to be a more paranormal Toronto from what we know).
I was surprised to find that the story is actually told from Matthew's point of view rather than Ariel (which is what I thought, shows to never judge a book by it's cover). I actually enjoyed it more from the male perspective, and seeing how much he cared for Ariel instead of seeing the female perspective of the relationship.
The romance side was only a small part to the story, there was so much going on, especially with the fact that Matthew must work to keep everyone Safe while trying to solve the mystery of how it came to be unsafe for them. I really enjoyed that Leah uses the present and the past to solve this mystery, with each chapter you learn about the past of each of the characters and in a way this helps Matthew solve the mystery.
Leah does a beautiful job conveying this story, I found it to be an amazing take on conforming. The people in Safe are known as Sick, Freaks, or Beasts, they are trying to get by with how they were born. They avoid Above because the people from there are trying to make them 'normal' and fix them of their problems. I felt that this was an amazing commentary on the idea of conforming to everyone else (or in a way fighting against that conformity).
This book was very well done, and I am excited to see more from Leah in the future!
This book took me a little bit of time to get into because of the writing style, it was difficult for me to understand at first. But after reading a few pages I really found myself understanding the style, it was a kind of poetic style which I really loved! It's very unique and interesting for a story to be told in this way.
I really liked the setting of Above being in Toronto. I loved reading the story and being able to follow the characters through the city that I know (though I don't know if Leah intended it to be a more paranormal Toronto from what we know).
I was surprised to find that the story is actually told from Matthew's point of view rather than Ariel (which is what I thought, shows to never judge a book by it's cover). I actually enjoyed it more from the male perspective, and seeing how much he cared for Ariel instead of seeing the female perspective of the relationship.
The romance side was only a small part to the story, there was so much going on, especially with the fact that Matthew must work to keep everyone Safe while trying to solve the mystery of how it came to be unsafe for them. I really enjoyed that Leah uses the present and the past to solve this mystery, with each chapter you learn about the past of each of the characters and in a way this helps Matthew solve the mystery.
Leah does a beautiful job conveying this story, I found it to be an amazing take on conforming. The people in Safe are known as Sick, Freaks, or Beasts, they are trying to get by with how they were born. They avoid Above because the people from there are trying to make them 'normal' and fix them of their problems. I felt that this was an amazing commentary on the idea of conforming to everyone else (or in a way fighting against that conformity).
This book was very well done, and I am excited to see more from Leah in the future!
smashattackash's review against another edition
Courtesy of Smash Attack Reads
I requested this book from Scholastic because I loved the premise. I have a soft spot for refugees. Sprinkle in some fantasy and you’ve got my interest. I clearly remember reading the first few pages and scratching my head. I struggled with the language and writing, and after books like Blood Red Road and The Reapers are the Angels, I figure I'm pretty adaptable to weird ass language and writing styles. I read about 50 pages and put it down for a few weeks. I picked it up again and started to become more interested in the story, but again, the writing was hindering my enjoyment. Also, I started to realize that I was not connecting to the characters because of this jumbled writing. That is why I chose not to pick the book up for a 3rd time.
Now, I have to mention something great about the book that makes me sad for not continuing it. I was really enjoying the world-building, though it was hard to figure it all out. Above is above ground, the city, and these refugees are all “different” physically or otherwise, and live below in Safe. Something tragic occurs that leads to a swift evacuation from Safe to Above, where is very unsafe for these unique individuals. The villain that is so briefly introduced was scarier than hell, too, but once the story moves to Above, I started to become bored. I wish I could continue the story to see this world expand and more of the villain, but alas, I’ve chosen to DNF this book because the connection is nonexistent and the language of the characters is just too irritating to follow.
I requested this book from Scholastic because I loved the premise. I have a soft spot for refugees. Sprinkle in some fantasy and you’ve got my interest. I clearly remember reading the first few pages and scratching my head. I struggled with the language and writing, and after books like Blood Red Road and The Reapers are the Angels, I figure I'm pretty adaptable to weird ass language and writing styles. I read about 50 pages and put it down for a few weeks. I picked it up again and started to become more interested in the story, but again, the writing was hindering my enjoyment. Also, I started to realize that I was not connecting to the characters because of this jumbled writing. That is why I chose not to pick the book up for a 3rd time.
Now, I have to mention something great about the book that makes me sad for not continuing it. I was really enjoying the world-building, though it was hard to figure it all out. Above is above ground, the city, and these refugees are all “different” physically or otherwise, and live below in Safe. Something tragic occurs that leads to a swift evacuation from Safe to Above, where is very unsafe for these unique individuals. The villain that is so briefly introduced was scarier than hell, too, but once the story moves to Above, I started to become bored. I wish I could continue the story to see this world expand and more of the villain, but alas, I’ve chosen to DNF this book because the connection is nonexistent and the language of the characters is just too irritating to follow.
pegahe's review against another edition
1.0
More reviews at The Sirenic Codex
Leah Bobet seems like an interesting person in Twitter, I picked Above for Cover Wars a while back, and she's Canadian so I was really hoping I would like her book. What made me stop 55 pages in?
1. Awkward dialect. Dialect isn't a bad thing in itself. I've enjoyed many books with dialect before, so the dialect itself wasn't the biggest issue. I think it was the fact that the dialect promises a writing style that would be hard to get into, plus at some point there was some kind of story woven in that I had to reread a few times just because I was so confused.
2. Confusion. I don't know what Safe or Sick or Beast or Shadows or ANYTHING is. There seemed to be no explanation, and what explanation that existed was hard to comprehend because of the dialect. It got to a point where I couldn't imagine certain events taking place so I had to look at the story very generally, and...
3. The story doesn't call to me. The writing doesn't appeal to me and I don't even know what the premise is supposed to be. What's left to keep me reading are the characters, whom I can't enjoy because I don't understand (like the girl that turns into a bee? What?). The other thing that could have saved the story is the...
4. Plot, but there is a major issue right off the bat. A pretty significant event occurs and I do not understand it at all. I don't understand the aggressors, I don't understand the world, and I can't continue with Above when I'm already confused about what's supposed to be a pretty big deal.
5. I'm also in a piss poor mood. Chalk it up on school and general bad luck, but I'm frustrated enough as it is. I wanted this book to take me out of where I am and so I can focus on something else. Instead, I ended up being frustrated when 55 pages in, I know nothing.
6. I don't have much faith in the book. Say what you want about Goodreads, but a 3 star average killed my enthusiasm for Above.
Ultimately, I think Above is probably better than the first 55 pages, but as a reader sometimes I don't have the patience to wait that long. Some people like unraveling a mystery, but from what I could tell, this wasn't my read. Maybe I'll regret this and I probably didn't see the author's creative vision. Either way, I'm ready to move on.
Leah Bobet seems like an interesting person in Twitter, I picked Above for Cover Wars a while back, and she's Canadian so I was really hoping I would like her book. What made me stop 55 pages in?
1. Awkward dialect. Dialect isn't a bad thing in itself. I've enjoyed many books with dialect before, so the dialect itself wasn't the biggest issue. I think it was the fact that the dialect promises a writing style that would be hard to get into, plus at some point there was some kind of story woven in that I had to reread a few times just because I was so confused.
2. Confusion. I don't know what Safe or Sick or Beast or Shadows or ANYTHING is. There seemed to be no explanation, and what explanation that existed was hard to comprehend because of the dialect. It got to a point where I couldn't imagine certain events taking place so I had to look at the story very generally, and...
3. The story doesn't call to me. The writing doesn't appeal to me and I don't even know what the premise is supposed to be. What's left to keep me reading are the characters, whom I can't enjoy because I don't understand (like the girl that turns into a bee? What?). The other thing that could have saved the story is the...
4. Plot, but there is a major issue right off the bat. A pretty significant event occurs and I do not understand it at all. I don't understand the aggressors, I don't understand the world, and I can't continue with Above when I'm already confused about what's supposed to be a pretty big deal.
5. I'm also in a piss poor mood. Chalk it up on school and general bad luck, but I'm frustrated enough as it is. I wanted this book to take me out of where I am and so I can focus on something else. Instead, I ended up being frustrated when 55 pages in, I know nothing.
6. I don't have much faith in the book. Say what you want about Goodreads, but a 3 star average killed my enthusiasm for Above.
Ultimately, I think Above is probably better than the first 55 pages, but as a reader sometimes I don't have the patience to wait that long. Some people like unraveling a mystery, but from what I could tell, this wasn't my read. Maybe I'll regret this and I probably didn't see the author's creative vision. Either way, I'm ready to move on.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story, with the tales every now and then, but the way the narrator phrased things, it was confusing, and was a bit hard to get into. Otherwise, great book!
bibliocat4's review against another edition
1.0
I give up. I feel like I am struggling to read this book and don't have any connection to the characters after 100 pages. I wanted to read this book because of the beautiful cover not the description.
seachelles7's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting and somewhat original concept. I really enjoyed this, but it could be a bit muddled at times.
I look forward to future works from Bobet.
I look forward to future works from Bobet.
nextboldmove's review against another edition
4.0
Not recommended for people who don't have the patience to immerse in a book written in a created dialect.
This book was very different than I expected when I added it to my to-read list, and at times the language asked a lot of attention from the reader. Having said that, it has good emotional payoff on a unique concept, and I always admire authors who try new, hard things and invite the reader to come along.
It's not your typical YA, and that's a good thing.
elisquared's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of the debuts of 2012 I was looking forward to. The cover is gorgeous and the premise sounds intriging. When I read it, the book was still those things, but it was also confusing and slow. Above has all this amazing potential, but it falls flat for me. The writing is heavy with the narration creating a confusing line of time. I get that Leah Bobet was experimenting with style choices, but I think it only detracted from the story. The action often drags, and there are long periods of down time with overly expalnaied backstory. When the action does happen it is often hard to follow. Overall, Above was not a book for me. I appreciated the effort, and I'm sure some will fall in love, but I couldn't get behind it.
leovaliquette's review against another edition
5.0
Leah Bobet's Above is a modern fairy tale, an allegory about the destructive consequences of letting our judgment be ruled by hate, bias, fear and guilt. It's also a fast-paced and exciting urban fantasy, with achingly sincere and true romantic elements, and a taste of horror that made me think of Clive Barker.
The story is told from the point of view of Matthew, a teenager who serves as the Teller, the oral historian and lore keeper for the residents of Safe -- a haven deep under the city of Toronto for the Freaks and Beasts of humanity who fear the Monsters who live Above (that would be the rest of us, with a few exceptions).
Bobet does an outstanding job of getting inside the head, and finding the voice, of Matthew, as he struggles to rescue and restore his community after a dark secret from Safe's past comes back to haunt it, with devastating consequences. Though he was raised in a world foreign to our own, it's easy to see our reality through his eyes, sympathize with him, and root for him.
I always hesitate to label a book as teen, young adult or adult. I think Above has broad appeal to any fan of urban fantasy, dark fantasy, or anyone just looking for a something fresh and new that doesn't fit into a convenient pigeonhole. I give it two thumbs up.
The story is told from the point of view of Matthew, a teenager who serves as the Teller, the oral historian and lore keeper for the residents of Safe -- a haven deep under the city of Toronto for the Freaks and Beasts of humanity who fear the Monsters who live Above (that would be the rest of us, with a few exceptions).
Bobet does an outstanding job of getting inside the head, and finding the voice, of Matthew, as he struggles to rescue and restore his community after a dark secret from Safe's past comes back to haunt it, with devastating consequences. Though he was raised in a world foreign to our own, it's easy to see our reality through his eyes, sympathize with him, and root for him.
I always hesitate to label a book as teen, young adult or adult. I think Above has broad appeal to any fan of urban fantasy, dark fantasy, or anyone just looking for a something fresh and new that doesn't fit into a convenient pigeonhole. I give it two thumbs up.
stonebm's review against another edition
5.0
Read the full review here. For now, here's a sneak peek...
This book contained many elements that I normally would not enjoy. I’m not a big urban fantasy fan (I mean, there are plenty of urban fantasy series I enjoy, but it’s not my go to genre). I generally don’t enjoy male narrators or narrators that speak less than perfect English. And I like to be able to relate to the characters through shared experiences. But somehow, this book managed to suck me in completely and sucker punch me in the end, making me see stars.
The narration style took some getting used to, but it quickly became one of my favourite elements of the story. Teller’s way of speaking opens a window into his head. Despite living a very different life from him, I felt I could understand him. Teller doesn’t always make the right choice, but he makes the human choice. The characters in this story aren’t perfect people: they are very real people.
This book contained many elements that I normally would not enjoy. I’m not a big urban fantasy fan (I mean, there are plenty of urban fantasy series I enjoy, but it’s not my go to genre). I generally don’t enjoy male narrators or narrators that speak less than perfect English. And I like to be able to relate to the characters through shared experiences. But somehow, this book managed to suck me in completely and sucker punch me in the end, making me see stars.
The narration style took some getting used to, but it quickly became one of my favourite elements of the story. Teller’s way of speaking opens a window into his head. Despite living a very different life from him, I felt I could understand him. Teller doesn’t always make the right choice, but he makes the human choice. The characters in this story aren’t perfect people: they are very real people.