Scan barcode
bekah_divall's review against another edition
I loved all of the many twists and turns.
deetour8's review against another edition
3.0
Reason Cansino and her mum have been on the run from her evil grandmother her whole life, but when her mum goes mad and is hospitalized everything changes. Her mum told her magic wasn't real, her grandmother believes she is a witch, and that's why they were on the run. But when Reason walks out her grandmother’s back door in sunny Sydney and finds herself in a snowy New York City the only explanation is that magic is real. More than questions are awaiting Reason in New York City though.
Larbalestier's technique of changing points of view between the different teenagers makes the plot so much more exciting, forcing you not to put the book down. The teenage characters are so realistic that young adult readers will feel instantly connected to them. A new portrayal of magic, where everyone has it but those who "are magic" have more than others, which can lead to deadly consequences, makes interesting developments. Young adult readers won’t be able to wait to read the rest in the trilogy.
Larbalestier's technique of changing points of view between the different teenagers makes the plot so much more exciting, forcing you not to put the book down. The teenage characters are so realistic that young adult readers will feel instantly connected to them. A new portrayal of magic, where everyone has it but those who "are magic" have more than others, which can lead to deadly consequences, makes interesting developments. Young adult readers won’t be able to wait to read the rest in the trilogy.
embereye's review against another edition
3.0
Continuing my reading of Justine Larbalestier. This is not as good as Liar but does seem to address some of the same issues that she explores most fully in her later work. It's a fun read, and does have characters that are neither good nor bad, so that's always nice. I feel like in character building, the issue of making your characters not perfectly good or perfectly evil is difficult. This definitely brought some of those issues to the forefront of my mind while I was reading it.
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
2.0
I read this once before, nearer when it first came out. The one thing I remembered from that was thinking that the title was better than the actual story.
It wasn't quite the case this go-round, but I was disappointed by how shallow everything was. It's a plot-driven YA book, perfectly suitable for an enjoyable read. There was no interrogation of what "madness" actually entailed, or what--if anything--made the magic-driven madness that plagues Reason's family made it different from regular mental illnesses or mood disorders. We get to meet Reason's mother exactly once, and she's portrayed as a dim version of herself because she's hopped up on antidepressants and antipsychotics.
All in all, it's fine. It's just not great, either.
It wasn't quite the case this go-round, but I was disappointed by how shallow everything was. It's a plot-driven YA book, perfectly suitable for an enjoyable read. There was no interrogation of what "madness" actually entailed, or what--if anything--made the magic-driven madness that plagues Reason's family made it different from regular mental illnesses or mood disorders. We get to meet Reason's mother exactly once, and she's portrayed as a dim version of herself because she's hopped up on antidepressants and antipsychotics.
All in all, it's fine. It's just not great, either.
kraley's review against another edition
2.0
I don't even know how to rate this. I felt like most of the book was a very long chapter one. You never really figure out what is going on until the last few chapters. Even then, more effort into world building needed to happen. Perhaps the author has it all in her head, but she does not share it with the reader. She also starts the book off in 1st person POV and then strangely switches to third, or really first of another character, but not an omniscient third. It needed some tighter editing. The story itself was interesting, but I feel as if I need to read the next book just to get into the meat of the story. This book felt like wrapping paper without very much gift. Too many things were unresolved and I've definitely read better.
mamap's review against another edition
2.0
didn't even read the middle. liked the premise - is someone crazy for believing in magic or for not believing. miss having descriptions in my books.
lobeliaparides's review against another edition
5.0
I really can't wait to read the next one!! It might have been a little strange, but it is worth it if I get to find out what path Reason takes!
andrejagibese's review against another edition
3.0
this is a young adult fiction piece that the librarian I'm working with in the children's department couldn't stop raving about. Its pretty good, like most fantasy for kids, it moves fast, has precocious main characters, and energetic descriptions of the world. If you liked Harry Potter, and you are looking for more coming of age books in magical settings, then go for it.
foregoparable's review against another edition
4.0
udah baca sekitar tiga kali dalam jangka waktu satu sampai dua tahun. gak akan ragu untuk baca ulang lagi.