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book_nut's review against another edition
3.0
It was kind of cute and fun and fluffy, but other than that, there's not much there.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad. Cute concept. Little obsessed with sports, but here tis nothing wrong with that.
tmdavis's review against another edition
3.0
What do you do when you have a fairy and your fairy sucks? This is what happens to Charlie who has a parking fairy. Even though Charlie is too young to drive she has a fairy that can find anyone she rides with a good parking spot. And she hates it because people are always wanting to use her for her fairy. What to do? Charlie eventually teams up with arch-enemy Fiorenza who has a fairy that makes all the boys like her and they figure out how to switch fairies. Which is great except that Charlie's new fairy turns out to be worse than her old one.
I really like this author but this book just didn't do it for me. It was set in New Avalon (a kind of hybrid of Australia and the US) where Charlie attends a sports high school (which has so many rules that she ends up with so many demerits she has to do community service to keep from being expelled) and it had a weird vocabulary that took me awhile to keep up with. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to read this one but I got bored with it fairly early on in the story and didn't really develop any interest until Charlie and Fio were trying to "nearly" kill themselves to scare their fairies away. All in all--meh.
I really like this author but this book just didn't do it for me. It was set in New Avalon (a kind of hybrid of Australia and the US) where Charlie attends a sports high school (which has so many rules that she ends up with so many demerits she has to do community service to keep from being expelled) and it had a weird vocabulary that took me awhile to keep up with. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to read this one but I got bored with it fairly early on in the story and didn't really develop any interest until Charlie and Fio were trying to "nearly" kill themselves to scare their fairies away. All in all--meh.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
3.0
YAF set in a futuristic hybrid-USA/Australia, main characters are high school girls who have problems with their fairies. Yes, fairies, which are real, misunderstood, occasionally inconvenient, and difficult to ditch. Some people believe fervently, but others think that fairies are just a string of coincidences or dumb luck. This book is a quick read, with good world-building and some humorous moments, but there is poor character development and pedantic, rambling storytelling.
A person could lose, gain, or swap crummy fairies, if only they knew how... Enter the fairy-expert mother of Charlie's arch-nemesis and her Ultimate Fairy Book. Toss in a teenage love interest, crime, punishment, redemption, family, and some futuristic fake teen slang, and that's the entire book.
Charlie is burdened by a parking fairy - she can't drive and she hates cars. She is jealous of some stereotypical girl fairies - a clothes shopping fairy that brings gorgeous clothing at incredible discounts, or a boys-like-you fairy that makes all the boys swoon and all of their girls glare. Exhausting, no? There are more boring, adult fairies - like the never being late fairy - and those that help athletes, like the "good grip" fairy that never misses a pass or fumbles a catch. Uhm, you see where this is going? She trades a frustrating and inconvenient parking fairy for a stereotype fairy, learns you should be careful what you wish for, and ends up with an awesome true-to-yourself sports ability fairy, so she can pursue her real dreams instead of being Really Attractive to boys. Semi-feminist subtext, certainly, but not as complex or interesting as I'd hoped for.
A person could lose, gain, or swap crummy fairies, if only they knew how... Enter the fairy-expert mother of Charlie's arch-nemesis and her Ultimate Fairy Book. Toss in a teenage love interest, crime, punishment, redemption, family, and some futuristic fake teen slang, and that's the entire book.
Charlie is burdened by a parking fairy - she can't drive and she hates cars. She is jealous of some stereotypical girl fairies - a clothes shopping fairy that brings gorgeous clothing at incredible discounts, or a boys-like-you fairy that makes all the boys swoon and all of their girls glare. Exhausting, no? There are more boring, adult fairies - like the never being late fairy - and those that help athletes, like the "good grip" fairy that never misses a pass or fumbles a catch. Uhm, you see where this is going? She trades a frustrating and inconvenient parking fairy for a stereotype fairy, learns you should be careful what you wish for, and ends up with an awesome true-to-yourself sports ability fairy, so she can pursue her real dreams instead of being Really Attractive to boys. Semi-feminist subtext, certainly, but not as complex or interesting as I'd hoped for.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
Saw this book laying on the couch. Thought it looked cute. Picked it up and read about 30 pages. Couldn't stand the writing. Gave up and put it in the return to the library pile.
trickingloki's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
I've been all about the half stars lately, huh? I wish I hadn't been so on the fence about the narrative style for the first quarter of the book. I actually really liked the story.
I've been all about the half stars lately, huh? I wish I hadn't been so on the fence about the narrative style for the first quarter of the book. I actually really liked the story.
itshez's review against another edition
funny
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
stagasaurus's review against another edition
2.0
It was an interesting concept but I got a bit bored. I think it could have been a much shorter book - and it wasn't that long a book! Got fed up of the Bridget Jones style chapter beginnings.
trixie_reads's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the story dragged terribly until at least halfway through. I would have given up except that my 12-year-old wanted me to read it. It was okay, though the whole fairy thing seemed a bit wishy washy.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
3.0
This was cute! I loved the idea that everyone has their own fairy that controls one aspect of their lives (a shopping fairy, a good hair fairy, a parking spot fairy) and liked the way it played out. The whole parallel sports school universe was interesting, but perhaps would have better suited a reader who actually played sports.
The plot and ~lesson learned~ was overall kind of predictable but whatever, it was a fun read and I liked the world setup. But if you only read one Justine Larbalestier book, read [b:Liar|6380296|Liar|Justine Larbalestier|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255574915s/6380296.jpg|6568189]. Read Liar immediately.
The plot and ~lesson learned~ was overall kind of predictable but whatever, it was a fun read and I liked the world setup. But if you only read one Justine Larbalestier book, read [b:Liar|6380296|Liar|Justine Larbalestier|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255574915s/6380296.jpg|6568189]. Read Liar immediately.