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xchickadee's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the chance to read and review this book.
This was just such a bizarre story! At first it reads as a mystery. Then quickly turns to paranormal. It goes through almost all the genres you can think of! Mystery, thriller, paranormal, romance, science fiction, and even historical fiction. And somehow it all worked!
Araceil comes to stay with her great aunt for her last year in high school while her parents are working in Venezuela. They think she will be safer in this small town. When she arrives she see this wall full of missing posters. How could so many be missing from this small town? That is part of the mystery.
Her first night she hears weird sounds in the next room that she aunt has filled with junk. Araceli goes in there to investigate. Once in there she sees nothing. Not even an animal. But she sees this wooden box. Her aunt did say she could use anything in that room. So she takes it to put her small things in. Once safely in her room she inspects the box. Finds a old letter and reads it. And puts it back.
On her first day of school she is told to write a letter to someone. Anyone. After school she sees a poster for the dance team try outs. And she goes home. Once home she asks her aunt if there was a place for her to use for dance practice. Her aunt tells her as long as she doesn't do it late at night she can use the attic. But she will have to clean it up. She goes up to look at it. She sees the cord to turn the light bulb on, pull down and turn the light on by itself. Calmly she walks to turn it off and runs to her room. There is the paranormal.
Knowing that a letter to her parents would be too personal to read to the class, she writes back to Oliver. Once done she puts it back in the box and goes to eat and then bed. In the morning she goes to get the letter and both it and the original are gone. There is another mystery.
When she gets back from school she finds another, new letter in her box. From Oliver. How did it there? Is someone playing a joke on her? But she writes back. And she keeps getting letters and sending them back to Oliver. Soon she falls in love. There is the romance.
How is it historical fiction? Oliver is serving in War World One. And the science fiction come with the heartwood box. And it all seems to work! I never would have thought a book like this would work as well as it does. I recommend this book to anyone that likes any or all of these genres.
This was just such a bizarre story! At first it reads as a mystery. Then quickly turns to paranormal. It goes through almost all the genres you can think of! Mystery, thriller, paranormal, romance, science fiction, and even historical fiction. And somehow it all worked!
Araceil comes to stay with her great aunt for her last year in high school while her parents are working in Venezuela. They think she will be safer in this small town. When she arrives she see this wall full of missing posters. How could so many be missing from this small town? That is part of the mystery.
Her first night she hears weird sounds in the next room that she aunt has filled with junk. Araceli goes in there to investigate. Once in there she sees nothing. Not even an animal. But she sees this wooden box. Her aunt did say she could use anything in that room. So she takes it to put her small things in. Once safely in her room she inspects the box. Finds a old letter and reads it. And puts it back.
On her first day of school she is told to write a letter to someone. Anyone. After school she sees a poster for the dance team try outs. And she goes home. Once home she asks her aunt if there was a place for her to use for dance practice. Her aunt tells her as long as she doesn't do it late at night she can use the attic. But she will have to clean it up. She goes up to look at it. She sees the cord to turn the light bulb on, pull down and turn the light on by itself. Calmly she walks to turn it off and runs to her room. There is the paranormal.
Knowing that a letter to her parents would be too personal to read to the class, she writes back to Oliver. Once done she puts it back in the box and goes to eat and then bed. In the morning she goes to get the letter and both it and the original are gone. There is another mystery.
When she gets back from school she finds another, new letter in her box. From Oliver. How did it there? Is someone playing a joke on her? But she writes back. And she keeps getting letters and sending them back to Oliver. Soon she falls in love. There is the romance.
How is it historical fiction? Oliver is serving in War World One. And the science fiction come with the heartwood box. And it all seems to work! I never would have thought a book like this would work as well as it does. I recommend this book to anyone that likes any or all of these genres.
susan___'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
mckenziemartines's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this was way more complicated than it had to be. I’m still not sure if I even liked it
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
3.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.
The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.
I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.
The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really.
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.
The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.
I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.
The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really.
unielesta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sarah_seelbaugh's review against another edition
4.0
Wow is all I can say. It was a really good book. Really great ending. I loved her writing. Will read more from her.
haleyp898's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It was a solid read! A lot going on, but that made it fun and interesting. Wasn’t a fan of the last 40 pages or so, but the end was sweet.
jehangel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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? No
4.25
girlglitch's review against another edition
3.0
I was intrigued by the synopsis for Heartwood Box. It's rare that you pick up a YA novel and have no idea what to expect, so I was excited to see where this would go.
Aguirre has taken on a truly ambitious concept here, and there are many different layers to the central mystery. This is both the novel's strength and its weakness. I appreciated the complexity, but it's too much for a standalone. There's simply not enough time to develop the competing strands of contemporary lit, historical romance, supernatural mystery and crime thriller, and everything ends up a little half-baked. I was impressed that Aguirre manages to tie all the threads together pretty satisfyingly at the end, but I wanted more – more thrills, more creepiness, more mystery.
I also wanted to love Araceli, but I never really warmed to her. She has all the makings of a strong, interesting heroine, but there's something about her voice that's a little stilted and unnatural. She has an interesting back-story, but with everything else that's going on, her character is never properly developed. Her romance storyline also needed more build up to be believable.
Heartwood Box was a unique read. I loved the ambitious concept and the unpredictable mystery – I was just a little disappointed in its execution.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Aguirre has taken on a truly ambitious concept here, and there are many different layers to the central mystery. This is both the novel's strength and its weakness. I appreciated the complexity, but it's too much for a standalone. There's simply not enough time to develop the competing strands of contemporary lit, historical romance, supernatural mystery and crime thriller, and everything ends up a little half-baked. I was impressed that Aguirre manages to tie all the threads together pretty satisfyingly at the end, but I wanted more – more thrills, more creepiness, more mystery.
I also wanted to love Araceli, but I never really warmed to her. She has all the makings of a strong, interesting heroine, but there's something about her voice that's a little stilted and unnatural. She has an interesting back-story, but with everything else that's going on, her character is never properly developed. Her romance storyline also needed more build up to be believable.
Heartwood Box was a unique read. I loved the ambitious concept and the unpredictable mystery – I was just a little disappointed in its execution.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
mehitabels's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, sweet, very modern time travel tale. Clean read for Y or YA (no sex, light cursing, mostly implied violence).
Ending was a bit abrupt, but ok.
Ending was a bit abrupt, but ok.