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kelly_lyn_yt's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book, but the first half was so confusing with the constant jumping from summers. The naval terminology was hard to keep straight. The second half is where everything starts to come together and it becomes repetitive and honestly after the reveal, I think the story should have ended.
Favorite quote that I hope makes it into the final copy.
"I believe in monsters with wide smiles, beautiful and bright, that live in grand old Victorians; that push girls into the mud; that take our voices and tell us what we are."
Favorite quote that I hope makes it into the final copy.
"I believe in monsters with wide smiles, beautiful and bright, that live in grand old Victorians; that push girls into the mud; that take our voices and tell us what we are."
thatgirlwhoreadstoomuch's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
First off, I would like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this novel. Hannah Capin wrote a beautiful novel, but I didn’t quite like the format. I feel that this may have been due to the fact that I was reading this virtually rather than in a physical book, and Capin’s poetical and repetitive writing style was hard to follow in the electronic format.
While I found the story hard to follow at times, I still liked the overall plot, the friendships between Margaret and her three best friends, and the paranormal aspect to the naval summer camp. Even though I struggled at times to understand what was going on, I still could not put this book down. This was the first book by Capin that I’ve read, and I look forward to checking out her other work.
*If you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, you would probably like I Am Margaret Moore! Like We Were Liars, this novel has you as confused as the main character is until finally the truth is revealed.
First off, I would like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this novel. Hannah Capin wrote a beautiful novel, but I didn’t quite like the format. I feel that this may have been due to the fact that I was reading this virtually rather than in a physical book, and Capin’s poetical and repetitive writing style was hard to follow in the electronic format.
While I found the story hard to follow at times, I still liked the overall plot, the friendships between Margaret and her three best friends, and the paranormal aspect to the naval summer camp. Even though I struggled at times to understand what was going on, I still could not put this book down. This was the first book by Capin that I’ve read, and I look forward to checking out her other work.
*If you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, you would probably like I Am Margaret Moore! Like We Were Liars, this novel has you as confused as the main character is until finally the truth is revealed.
nicetagg_readingslow's review
3.0
Deadly schools? Even deadlier secrets? The filthy rich being even dirtier in their evilness?
I went into this book knowing what it was and the cliche parallels the book drew in the sand were basic and sigh worthy.
The writing is lyrical and haunting and the authors use of words reminiscent of poetry and song. It may have been the only thing that redeemed the book for me and kept me reading.
Perhaps if there weren’t so many other books with this same plot I would have lived it more.
I went into this book knowing what it was and the cliche parallels the book drew in the sand were basic and sigh worthy.
The writing is lyrical and haunting and the authors use of words reminiscent of poetry and song. It may have been the only thing that redeemed the book for me and kept me reading.
Perhaps if there weren’t so many other books with this same plot I would have lived it more.
biblio_jordyn's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
What could have been better?
Friends, this book was just not for me. With such a cool concept, I wanted so much more. More suspense. More connection. More everything. I really didn’t feel engaged the whole time I was reading and I just…I don’t know if I didn’t get it or what? But it didn’t grab me and it was hard to stick with it. I also found a lot of it to be predictable.
What I enjoyed?
The writing was exactly as the synopsis describes, lyrical. I really did like a lot of the way it was written and some of the past to present back and forth.
The book had a really cool concept and I think the setting and characters were set up well. I think I got a good idea of who they were.
This book was definitely different from anything I’ve read recently and I would love to see if I’m alone on my island or if someone connected and really got this book!
I suggest this book to people who like ghost stories with some haunting attached!
Friends, this book was just not for me. With such a cool concept, I wanted so much more. More suspense. More connection. More everything. I really didn’t feel engaged the whole time I was reading and I just…I don’t know if I didn’t get it or what? But it didn’t grab me and it was hard to stick with it. I also found a lot of it to be predictable.
What I enjoyed?
The writing was exactly as the synopsis describes, lyrical. I really did like a lot of the way it was written and some of the past to present back and forth.
The book had a really cool concept and I think the setting and characters were set up well. I think I got a good idea of who they were.
This book was definitely different from anything I’ve read recently and I would love to see if I’m alone on my island or if someone connected and really got this book!
I suggest this book to people who like ghost stories with some haunting attached!
qweenjaymes's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
blackrose1998's review
2.0
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The very end of the book leaves you thinking about the rest of the book in a new light. I admit that I finished this book and it was very hard to read. I was very confused throughout the entire book, and the confusion only gets worse as you read. The ending did a good job trying to pull it together but it doesn't really make up for the 30% of the book where I was so confused I had no idea what time line I was in (there are about three or four that it jumps between with no notice). I admit that I do not read poetry so the lyrical style of the book did not help. If you enjoy poetry this book might be for you but if you don't than this book might not be for you.
ashleyreadstoomuch's review
5.0
**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.
I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a young adult paranormal mystery/thriller. The story is about a teenage girl named Margaret Moore who returns to her yearly summer camp for the last time, but something bad happened the previous year and they have to figure out what exactly happened. I rated this five stars on Goodreads. It is set to be published on March 15th, 2022.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
Lyrical and haunting, Hannah Capin's I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller that tests the hold of sisterhood and truth.
I am a girl. I am a monster, too.
Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.
Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.
But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.
Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?
This book is not going to be for everyone. Initially, I wasn't even sure if I was going to like this book. I was excited to request it because I loved Hannah Capin's first two books, and didn't realize she had another one coming out. However, when I picked it up, I found it kind of slow and hard to get into. Once I got into it, however, I pretty much couldn't put it down.
The writing of this novel is just as the blurb says: lyrical. It almost reads like poetry at places and I was really obsessed with how it was written. It was super impressive to me. However, I can see where not everyone would enjoy it. It just really worked for me. However, I will say that the inclusion of the navy terms was a little confusing because there wasn't really an explanation for most of them and sometimes it was hard to puzzle the definition out from context.
Story wise, I liked the structure of layering in the flashbacks so that the what happened last summer was slowly revealed. It kept me guessing and needing to read to find out what exactly happened. I didn't expect the twist/big reveal and I kind of loved that and love the twist itself. I just really didn't expect it. I won't spoil it because it's really important to not know the twist going in.
As I mentioned, it is a slower starting book, but this ended up working out for me. I just found the story very haunting and I think it's one that will stay with me for awhile. Again, this book won't be for everybody, but I do recommend that you check it out when it publishes in March of next year.
I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a young adult paranormal mystery/thriller. The story is about a teenage girl named Margaret Moore who returns to her yearly summer camp for the last time, but something bad happened the previous year and they have to figure out what exactly happened. I rated this five stars on Goodreads. It is set to be published on March 15th, 2022.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
Lyrical and haunting, Hannah Capin's I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller that tests the hold of sisterhood and truth.
I am a girl. I am a monster, too.
Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.
Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.
But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.
Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?
This book is not going to be for everyone. Initially, I wasn't even sure if I was going to like this book. I was excited to request it because I loved Hannah Capin's first two books, and didn't realize she had another one coming out. However, when I picked it up, I found it kind of slow and hard to get into. Once I got into it, however, I pretty much couldn't put it down.
The writing of this novel is just as the blurb says: lyrical. It almost reads like poetry at places and I was really obsessed with how it was written. It was super impressive to me. However, I can see where not everyone would enjoy it. It just really worked for me. However, I will say that the inclusion of the navy terms was a little confusing because there wasn't really an explanation for most of them and sometimes it was hard to puzzle the definition out from context.
Story wise, I liked the structure of layering in the flashbacks so that the what happened last summer was slowly revealed. It kept me guessing and needing to read to find out what exactly happened. I didn't expect the twist/big reveal and I kind of loved that and love the twist itself. I just really didn't expect it. I won't spoil it because it's really important to not know the twist going in.
As I mentioned, it is a slower starting book, but this ended up working out for me. I just found the story very haunting and I think it's one that will stay with me for awhile. Again, this book won't be for everybody, but I do recommend that you check it out when it publishes in March of next year.
dbguide2's review
I read some spoilery reviews, mostly to see what the paranormal aspect of the book was. I wasn’t really impressed by it and showed me I was right not to carry on. I chose not to finish early on since I wasn’t able to get into the verse style of writing. I’m totally fine with a book in verse, I just couldn’t get into this one.
Another reason was definitely the characters. I didn’t like Margaret at all. Found her boring as anything. Her friends were a bit more interesting but once again, not enough to keep me reading.
I was annoyed by the fact that we barely see any hint of any type of paranormal activity and I checked the reviews and some said it only appears quite far into the book and even then barely. Quite disappointing.
While I did like the lyrical parts and it could be soothing at times, it could also be a bit boring. The book felt like it was pushing the naval camp as this elite thing and that was also very boring for me.
kirbylover16's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I got a little lost and, some parts are too repetitive. This was a captivating listen and kept me guessing. It was very poetic, which isn't my thing but, I loved Margaret and her friends. The ending had such a unique pov. I do want to recommend it for anyone who wants a supernatural horror with summer camp vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Body horror, and Bullying
Moderate: Car accident, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
It hints at Margaret's ghost drowning someone and also hints at the other girls getting revenge but, as far as we know the boy lived. Also unclear if the boy really thought the rat poison would hurt her or not. There's a lot of attempted murder.