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achristinething's review
4.0
It falls somewhere between young adult and adult. In a way it reminds me of [b:Room|7937843|Room|Emma Donoghue|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344265419s/7937843.jpg|9585076] because as readers we definitely know more than the narrator/protagonist and it deals with serious issues such as abuse. But at the same time it was super creepy and maybe the narrator was reliable in some aspects. It kinda broke my heart with all the things Olivia experienced in the past. It's very dark. Well-written with very realistic characters. I didn't give it five stars because I wanted a little more to the ending but I can probably name about 5 books whose endings I liked...so authors work on endings, thanks!
meganlouise815's review
4.0
4 stars
Nicholls took a sensitive subject which most authors don't write about and added a paranormal twist to it which made it even more unique. Olivia's keen sense of everything around her was an interesting ability to explore and the story behind it was heartbreaking. Plus, with the addition of an old portrait of a creepy women, I found myself on the edge of my seat.
Although this book may be classified as "middle-grade", I still enjoyed it for what it was and I liked that Nicholls didn't go out of her way to tone-down what could have been seen for 11 year olds as spooky. However, as this was aimed for a more middle-grade audience, I sometimes felt that the descriptions where very bland and not as good as they could have been.
Olivia annoyed me at times as well. If I don't consider her background, I would see her as stuck-up, rude, obnoxious and spoiled but seeing as she had previously been abused and labelled as a "devil child", I can be a bit more lenient. But she seemed to think that being told she was evil meant she had to act like a brat and do the opposite of what everyone told her to do. Rather than this annoying me, it made my sympathise for Olivia and how confused, lost and angry she was.
My main problem was that the other characters, namely Jim and Daniel, weren't as whole as I would have liked. I liked both of their characters but they just didn't seem real and that's one of the things I look for in a book.
Overall, Close Your Pretty Eyes was a very good book with some minor character development issues.
Nicholls took a sensitive subject which most authors don't write about and added a paranormal twist to it which made it even more unique. Olivia's keen sense of everything around her was an interesting ability to explore and the story behind it was heartbreaking. Plus, with the addition of an old portrait of a creepy women, I found myself on the edge of my seat.
Although this book may be classified as "middle-grade", I still enjoyed it for what it was and I liked that Nicholls didn't go out of her way to tone-down what could have been seen for 11 year olds as spooky. However, as this was aimed for a more middle-grade audience, I sometimes felt that the descriptions where very bland and not as good as they could have been.
Olivia annoyed me at times as well. If I don't consider her background, I would see her as stuck-up, rude, obnoxious and spoiled but seeing as she had previously been abused and labelled as a "devil child", I can be a bit more lenient. But she seemed to think that being told she was evil meant she had to act like a brat and do the opposite of what everyone told her to do. Rather than this annoying me, it made my sympathise for Olivia and how confused, lost and angry she was.
My main problem was that the other characters, namely Jim and Daniel, weren't as whole as I would have liked. I liked both of their characters but they just didn't seem real and that's one of the things I look for in a book.
Overall, Close Your Pretty Eyes was a very good book with some minor character development issues.
sorrel's review
5.0
Books can break your heart. That was something I learnt early on. Sometimes they break your heart with one or two enormous impacts that shatter your heart into a million pieces. Other times it tears it up into a couple of pieces. And sometimes, just sometimes, it breaks your heart all the way through; steadily hammering at your heart until it crumbles.
That is what happened in Close your pretty eyes.
Close your pretty eyes is the story of eleven year old Olivia. She has spent her life moving from foster house to foster house and she had a horrible early childhood that has left her... well I don't really know how to describe it. Anyway, she moves into a new house with a new family. A house that the prolific mass murderer Amelia Dyer lived in. Olivia wants the placement to work out but things are very much hindered but the appearance of Amelia's ghost.
I thought that this book was going to be really creepy. And some of it was. I couldn't actually read some parts at night because they made me far too scared. But the majority of it wasn't scary. Just sad and interesting.
Some of the things Olivia did made you want to walk through the pages and shake her, but at the same time you understood her and just wished that someone would get through to her. Can't wait to read ways to liver forever.
Fantastic book- five stars.
That is what happened in Close your pretty eyes.
Close your pretty eyes is the story of eleven year old Olivia. She has spent her life moving from foster house to foster house and she had a horrible early childhood that has left her... well I don't really know how to describe it. Anyway, she moves into a new house with a new family. A house that the prolific mass murderer Amelia Dyer lived in. Olivia wants the placement to work out but things are very much hindered but the appearance of Amelia's ghost.
I thought that this book was going to be really creepy. And some of it was. I couldn't actually read some parts at night because they made me far too scared. But the majority of it wasn't scary. Just sad and interesting.
Some of the things Olivia did made you want to walk through the pages and shake her, but at the same time you understood her and just wished that someone would get through to her. Can't wait to read ways to liver forever.
Fantastic book- five stars.
bethkemp's review
5.0
Compelling and often heart-rending account of a very damaged child. The first-person narration is precise and cleverly executed - I could often see how Olivia misinterprets the intentions of the adults around her, and it is painful to witness. This is a powerful story, brilliantly told.
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