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bibliotekat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
batkat31's review against another edition
4.0
This book was an interesting one. I was in my library lugging around my bag of 20 or so new books and I had told myself sternly that I was cut off because I'd never have time to read all of these. Then I saw this and the cover was bold and the short summary was intriguing and I slid one more into my checkout pile. It did not disappoint and ended up being the first one I read. The Call was pretty quick paced without rushing you through it. I loved the way you were able to see different POVs of the characters as they went through the Call. I liked the main character and the world was horrifying and super interesting. I love stories about the fae and this was a darker take than I normally read.
ec_newman's review against another edition
I'm not yet sure what I think of this book. I'm gonna need some processing time.
reynastillo's review against another edition
2.0
The book itself was okay. But it felt very rushed-and it was pretty obvious that almost everyone was going to die. The climax seemed a bit staged and unsatisfying. And I don't know if it was because it was in present tense, but it was very disconnected and choppy between points of view. Also, I felt no real emotional connection to the characters; there were some I was like, "wait, where the heck did THEY come from?!"
The plot was intriguing, however, and the folklore drew me in. Overall, 2.5 stars. The book just didn't resonate with me, but maybe that's because horror isn't really one of my favorite genres.
The plot was intriguing, however, and the folklore drew me in. Overall, 2.5 stars. The book just didn't resonate with me, but maybe that's because horror isn't really one of my favorite genres.
madzie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Torture, Death, and Ableism
Moderate: Murder and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual assault
halfbloodcity's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book! Can't wait for the next one.
thevultureeye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ilka00's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
So, slight tangent: before starting this book I tried reading The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, which was hyped by every YA critic and appeared on every "anticipated YA summer release" article. I made it 37 pages before I dropped it for various reasons, but the biggest being its lack of suspense. For a thriller novel that relies on its twists, it was embarrassing to me how little suspense there actually was. I say this because The Call, a horror/fantasy YA novel, delivered suspense in spades. I seriously had no clue where the story was going to go, what would happen to the characters, any of it, which is an incredible feat for a horror novel (so many of them rely on gore/scary atmosphere but almost never deliver on the suspense). Okay, rant aside, I want to gush about this novel.
This is easily one of the best books I've read and definitely on route to being the best book I read in 2018. The tension, the suspense, the story, the characters, the world, everything just worked so well. As I said before, the suspense is top notch, and the way he accomplishes this is by demonstrating very early on that anything can happen and no one is safe, no matter their training. Not only did this ratchet up the suspense it also made sense in the context of the world. From the first introduction to the Sidhe, it is clear that they have no compassion, no remorse, no conscience, and an abundance of malice. These creatures may kill there prey, they may not, but one thing is certain-that prey is not leaving The Grey Land without suffering. Since the reader gets to witness multiple characters get Called, thanks to the third person perspective (a clever decision), the reader gets to witness all of the horrors of The Grey Land as well as what awaits the characters. What I appreciated about this, and how it relates back to suspense, was that each character faced a different outcome and these outcomes are what made the novel so suspenseful. Since each character's experience is different, readers don't know what's going to happen next, constantly keeping them on their toes. On the subject of suffering, what became clear to me is what makes this story scary is the fear of suffering. As was mentioned earlier, the Sidhe enjoy making their prey suffer, and thus the prevalent fear isn't simply the fear of death, it's the fear of an agonizing death which so much more weight than a quick death.
Speaking of characters, the character roster for this book was exceptional. Readers experienced a wide range of personalities and opinions, from arrogant Conor to outspoken Megan to strong yet flawed Nessa and even pacifists like Anto. It was also nice to see some diversity in the characters, since it was established early on that instructors and kids from all over Ireland attend this school. Aoife and Emma are lesbians, Bruggers is gay, and while Chuckwu is established as the only dark skinned character, Nabil is French but is hinted at practicing Islam. It was little bits of diversity like these that made the world seem more realistic. Going back to the four characters I previously mentioned, each of these characters impacts the story significantly, and while I will avoid spoilers, I do want to talk about them in greater detail. Conor's character goes through an interesting change throughout the story. At first he appears to be nothing more than a narcissistic bully who prides himself on his abilities as a hunter. His reliance on violence and bravado to win his "knights" loyalty speaks volumes of how he sees human life and his disturbing attraction to Nessa makes him a truly detestable character. As the story progresses, and he is thrown obstacle after obstacle, he turns into a pitiful, shameful person. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling anything, so let's move on to Megan. Megan, at first, was kind of annoying with how blunt and rude she could be. But what I grew to love about her character was that while Conor invoked fear through physical violence, Megan invoked fear/malice through her words. That isn't to say she isn't a great athlete, because she definitely is, but her trademark wit and sharp tongue is what made her such an appealing character, her strong loyalty and platonic love for Nessa notwithstanding.
As for Nessa, she is the strong female character YA has needed for a while. A girl seen as pitiable because of her polio, but refusing to let it slow her down or hamper her. Her recklessness was a strength and a weakness for her, but her lightening-fast reflexes and physical strength help her out. I love how she hides her feelings from everyone, but when a group of girls (including Megan) show genuine concern for her and want to help her, her mask slips and she accepts their help. She is such an awesome character and easily one of my favorite YA female protagonists of all time. Anto is the story's pacifist in a school designed for hunting and being the hunted. This, however, does not make him out as a weak character and while he eventually begins to fight back it is always for someone else's safety. His romance with Nessa is pure and simple, but it is never given center stage. The Sidhe and surviving the Call are always present and while there may be extended moments of Nessa thinking about Anto, the threat born from the Sidhe are never far behind and tend to overshadow it, which I adore. In a novel like this, romance should play second fiddle to the main plot.
There is so much more I could say, but this review would be 10 pages long. Suffice to say, everyone should read this novel, even if they aren't a fan of YA books. The suspense, the story, the characters, everything about it is just awesome. I adore this book and can't wait to get started on the sequel!
This is easily one of the best books I've read and definitely on route to being the best book I read in 2018. The tension, the suspense, the story, the characters, the world, everything just worked so well. As I said before, the suspense is top notch, and the way he accomplishes this is by demonstrating very early on that anything can happen and no one is safe, no matter their training. Not only did this ratchet up the suspense it also made sense in the context of the world. From the first introduction to the Sidhe, it is clear that they have no compassion, no remorse, no conscience, and an abundance of malice. These creatures may kill there prey, they may not, but one thing is certain-that prey is not leaving The Grey Land without suffering. Since the reader gets to witness multiple characters get Called, thanks to the third person perspective (a clever decision), the reader gets to witness all of the horrors of The Grey Land as well as what awaits the characters. What I appreciated about this, and how it relates back to suspense, was that each character faced a different outcome and these outcomes are what made the novel so suspenseful. Since each character's experience is different, readers don't know what's going to happen next, constantly keeping them on their toes. On the subject of suffering, what became clear to me is what makes this story scary is the fear of suffering. As was mentioned earlier, the Sidhe enjoy making their prey suffer, and thus the prevalent fear isn't simply the fear of death, it's the fear of an agonizing death which so much more weight than a quick death.
Speaking of characters, the character roster for this book was exceptional. Readers experienced a wide range of personalities and opinions, from arrogant Conor to outspoken Megan to strong yet flawed Nessa and even pacifists like Anto. It was also nice to see some diversity in the characters, since it was established early on that instructors and kids from all over Ireland attend this school. Aoife and Emma are lesbians, Bruggers is gay, and while Chuckwu is established as the only dark skinned character, Nabil is French but is hinted at practicing Islam. It was little bits of diversity like these that made the world seem more realistic. Going back to the four characters I previously mentioned, each of these characters impacts the story significantly, and while I will avoid spoilers, I do want to talk about them in greater detail. Conor's character goes through an interesting change throughout the story. At first he appears to be nothing more than a narcissistic bully who prides himself on his abilities as a hunter. His reliance on violence and bravado to win his "knights" loyalty speaks volumes of how he sees human life and his disturbing attraction to Nessa makes him a truly detestable character. As the story progresses, and he is thrown obstacle after obstacle, he turns into a pitiful, shameful person. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling anything, so let's move on to Megan. Megan, at first, was kind of annoying with how blunt and rude she could be. But what I grew to love about her character was that while Conor invoked fear through physical violence, Megan invoked fear/malice through her words. That isn't to say she isn't a great athlete, because she definitely is, but her trademark wit and sharp tongue is what made her such an appealing character, her strong loyalty and platonic love for Nessa notwithstanding.
As for Nessa, she is the strong female character YA has needed for a while. A girl seen as pitiable because of her polio, but refusing to let it slow her down or hamper her. Her recklessness was a strength and a weakness for her, but her lightening-fast reflexes and physical strength help her out. I love how she hides her feelings from everyone, but when a group of girls (including Megan) show genuine concern for her and want to help her, her mask slips and she accepts their help. She is such an awesome character and easily one of my favorite YA female protagonists of all time. Anto is the story's pacifist in a school designed for hunting and being the hunted. This, however, does not make him out as a weak character and while he eventually begins to fight back it is always for someone else's safety. His romance with Nessa is pure and simple, but it is never given center stage. The Sidhe and surviving the Call are always present and while there may be extended moments of Nessa thinking about Anto, the threat born from the Sidhe are never far behind and tend to overshadow it, which I adore. In a novel like this, romance should play second fiddle to the main plot.
There is so much more I could say, but this review would be 10 pages long. Suffice to say, everyone should read this novel, even if they aren't a fan of YA books. The suspense, the story, the characters, everything about it is just awesome. I adore this book and can't wait to get started on the sequel!
beezlebabb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
It's been a while since I read this, but I remember loving it so much. Hoping to reread it soon.