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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I love books that are written as letters, I love books about friendship, I love books that are a bit quirky and lead me into the unknown, and this book ticked all of those boxes.
When I read the blurb I couldn't even imagine a story with one boy who is allergic to electricity, who is pen pals with another boy who not only has a pacemaker but also has no eyes, but the story was very easy to read and the characters were real and I believed every thing that happened. Watching their friendship grow through their letters was heartwarming and at times a little heart breaking. There was a small mystery that, when partly solved at the end was satisfying but I didn't get a 'OMG, WTF' feeling. I finished the book feeling hopeful and even happy, keen to follow both boys to see what they get up to next.
Not at all what I was expecting when I started, but by the end, I firmly believe that anyone can be a superhero!
When I read the blurb I couldn't even imagine a story with one boy who is allergic to electricity, who is pen pals with another boy who not only has a pacemaker but also has no eyes, but the story was very easy to read and the characters were real and I believed every thing that happened. Watching their friendship grow through their letters was heartwarming and at times a little heart breaking. There was a small mystery that, when partly solved at the end was satisfying but I didn't get a 'OMG, WTF' feeling. I finished the book feeling hopeful and even happy, keen to follow both boys to see what they get up to next.
Not at all what I was expecting when I started, but by the end, I firmly believe that anyone can be a superhero!
I loved this. It was beautiful, it was heart-wrenching, it was funny, it was sad. It's about friendship, family, strength, and yes, a little sci-fi. I wasn't expecting that last part, and it ran just a little short of missing the boat, but I don't care. I'd read the heck out of a sequel.
I'm struggling with how to categorize this book and how to rate it. I went into it thinking it was going to be realistic fiction about two teen boys, struggling in their own ways, whose friendship and correspondence helps them both cope. I was actually a bit put off by the whole "allergic to electricity" idea. It seemed a bit extreme for a premise. Then we get into Moritz's eyes. . . So, in the end, the story is science fiction because the premise behind it is. But it reads like realistic fiction. Because it is all told in a series of alternating letters, there is no action to speak of. The whole thing felt very odd to me. I nearly put it down multiple times. It was only at the very end that I began to care about the characters. I guess that the book explores the idea that in spite of being so very different in their bodies and experiences from other people, they experience the same types of emotional struggles - love, both within the family and romantic, bullying, friendship. I don't know. It just all felt a bit strained to me.
Not sure what reader I'd hand this to. It seems like fans of realistic fiction would be put off by the science fiction elements, while science fiction fans would find it too slow and introspective.
Not sure what reader I'd hand this to. It seems like fans of realistic fiction would be put off by the science fiction elements, while science fiction fans would find it too slow and introspective.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a really cool idea but i just wasn’t satisfied by the way it was executed (and i really wish i were).
it also just felt so long. like it would never end :/
but it was a really interesting read and i love how Ollie and Moritz’s friendship grew and their individual development
it also just felt so long. like it would never end :/
but it was a really interesting read and i love how Ollie and Moritz’s friendship grew and their individual development
I almost loved it. I loved Ollie and Moritz and their attempts to protect themselves and also be open and real in their letters to each other, starting as strangers. I loved the slow reveal of their lives and their histories and their present. I hated the buildings that only brought them pain. I thought this was going to be the most extraordinary book.
I did not like the tipping between reality and sci-fi/fantasy. I could suspend my disbelief quite a ways...but not as far as the author took it. I thought I would try to accept, but I just couldn't...so I took away a star. It seemed fair.
I did not like the tipping between reality and sci-fi/fantasy. I could suspend my disbelief quite a ways...but not as far as the author took it. I thought I would try to accept, but I just couldn't...so I took away a star. It seemed fair.
Just a lovely, lovely novel about friendship, loneliness, and empowerment/vulnerability/identity...you know, so many of the things that make YA compelling.
Also, I have a soft spot for epistolary novels.
Also, the audiobook is excellent.
Also, I have a soft spot for epistolary novels.
Also, the audiobook is excellent.
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
For a book I bought at Chicago O’Hare that has been sitting unread on my shelf for eight years, I was not expecting this to grip me as much as it did. Ollie and Moritz are my babies, and I need to get my hands on the sequel immediately.