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maddie_orart's review against another edition
4.0
Full review posted on Of Reading and Random Things
I have to say, this book is unlike any book I’ve ever read, and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s such a fantastic, wildly imaginative book with marvelous story telling and I could just go on and on!
The land of Furthermore is so weirdly fantastic that I have to admit it was a little difficult to keep up at times. There are so many new rules about the different parts of Furthermore and logic pretty much went sideways about 100 pages ago, but it is definitely fun to read about. I was actually expecting Furthermore to be more like Ferenwood, maybe a little more dangerous like the synopsis said, but I didn’t think it would be so dark.
In the end, I think Furthermore is a wonderful story about family, friendship and embracing your differences told in beautifully written prose. I definitely recommend it!
I have to say, this book is unlike any book I’ve ever read, and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s such a fantastic, wildly imaginative book with marvelous story telling and I could just go on and on!
The land of Furthermore is so weirdly fantastic that I have to admit it was a little difficult to keep up at times. There are so many new rules about the different parts of Furthermore and logic pretty much went sideways about 100 pages ago, but it is definitely fun to read about. I was actually expecting Furthermore to be more like Ferenwood, maybe a little more dangerous like the synopsis said, but I didn’t think it would be so dark.
In the end, I think Furthermore is a wonderful story about family, friendship and embracing your differences told in beautifully written prose. I definitely recommend it!
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
1.0
This is a combination of the Lemony Snicket and Alice in Wonderland. There is a rather condescending narrator giving side injection information about the characters. I really dislike this device and while it was less there than in LS books, it still pulled me out every time. The location is it’s own version of Wonderland with all sorts of oddities that are described through unique wording and literal interpretations of common sayings.
This book follows the common plot device: boy is mean to a girl, but if you just ignore/forgive/look past that behavior then he’s really ok inside and maybe they will be best friends! Not only is that a terrible model for our girls, it’s also so very predictable from the first time we meet the characters.
In addition, plots that depend on people simply not speaking to each other when doing so would make more sense drive me crazy and this book (lazily) falls back on that device constantly.
I see how people love the interesting and unique descriptions and find the prose beautiful. I found it tried too hard for me to feel swept away. I struggled to keep coming back to this book but I ultimately got through it because I only review books I’ve finished and I really wanted to give my two cents on this one.
This book follows the common plot device: boy is mean to a girl, but if you just ignore/forgive/look past that behavior then he’s really ok inside and maybe they will be best friends!
Spoiler
I never felt like he redeemed himself from his nasty initial actions.In addition, plots that depend on people simply not speaking to each other when doing so would make more sense drive me crazy and this book (lazily) falls back on that device constantly.
I see how people love the interesting and unique descriptions and find the prose beautiful. I found it tried too hard for me to feel swept away. I struggled to keep coming back to this book but I ultimately got through it because I only review books I’ve finished and I really wanted to give my two cents on this one.
mollyhuie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
harleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
May be its just me, and I'm just not a fan of Tahereh Mafi, but I did not really like this book. I think it certainly had the potential to be a really interesting and great book, but overall it just fell flat. The story was set up to be confusing, and the idea was there but it made the book a bit boring. Overall it was very anticlimactic and the ending just wrapped up to easily. Everything just kind of came together with the last 20 pages, I wanted more.
All in all I was not a huge fan of this. Having this been my second book by Tahereh Mafi, i'm not entirely sure I'll be picking up any of her other books in the future unless the idea really interests me.
All in all I was not a huge fan of this. Having this been my second book by Tahereh Mafi, i'm not entirely sure I'll be picking up any of her other books in the future unless the idea really interests me.
leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
Hello, this is my first Tahereh Mafi book.
I really liked the characters, and the world, and the magic system. Alice felt like an actual 12 year old. The Bad People™ were terrifying (something I like in a MG).
But here are my two issues.
First and not the most important one, the world had so much potential and Tahereh didn't explore it!!! There was too much and I feel like sometimes we were seeing the boring parts of it.
Second and my main problem, the pace of this book??????? We spent 300 pages running around in circles and nothing happened. Then all of a sudden the plot's like 'shit, I gotta do sth' and every question we had gets resolved in a rush. Like, the painter twist? Really? idk.
I do want to read Shatter me at some point in my life tho.
I really liked the characters, and the world, and the magic system. Alice felt like an actual 12 year old. The Bad People™ were terrifying (something I like in a MG).
But here are my two issues.
First and not the most important one, the world had so much potential and Tahereh didn't explore it!!! There was too much and I feel like sometimes we were seeing the boring parts of it.
Second and my main problem, the pace of this book??????? We spent 300 pages running around in circles and nothing happened. Then all of a sudden the plot's like 'shit, I gotta do sth' and every question we had gets resolved in a rush. Like, the painter twist? Really? idk.
I do want to read Shatter me at some point in my life tho.
mayankamal18's review against another edition
1.0
My current mantra is "life's too short to waste on boring books..." And i feel like I already wasted too much time and effort on this one.
It might be somebody's cup of tea but it simply weren't mine.
So I guess if I were to just put it frankly; the only thing that I found attractive about this book was the cover.
It might be somebody's cup of tea but it simply weren't mine.
So I guess if I were to just put it frankly; the only thing that I found attractive about this book was the cover.
k_shanahan's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
The ending felt slightly rushed? The situation felt like it went from hopeless and 'in the middle of nowhere' to concluded, complete with happy ending in 20 pages or less. Not that I didn't love the happy ending. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling :D
This was such a joy to read, and felt so different from all other reads this year. Obviously inspired by Alice in Wonderland (complete with the writing style), but was done so impressively that it felt like it was written in homage, or with pure inspiration and wasn't simply a copy-cat as so many 're-imagined' fairytales are.
Super imaginative, well-written and cute. Loved all characters- even the monsters. Lost half a star for the slightly too-fast ending but I genuinely loved it and am so happy I read it right over Christmas.
The ending felt slightly rushed? The situation felt like it went from hopeless and 'in the middle of nowhere' to concluded, complete with happy ending in 20 pages or less. Not that I didn't love the happy ending. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling :D
This was such a joy to read, and felt so different from all other reads this year. Obviously inspired by Alice in Wonderland (complete with the writing style), but was done so impressively that it felt like it was written in homage, or with pure inspiration and wasn't simply a copy-cat as so many 're-imagined' fairytales are.
Super imaginative, well-written and cute. Loved all characters- even the monsters. Lost half a star for the slightly too-fast ending but I genuinely loved it and am so happy I read it right over Christmas.
madiganinwonderland's review against another edition
5.0
4.75
This book was just so much fun and made me smile and it was a really fun adventure. I immediately moved on to the next one and I'm already interested. I'm so glad I picked this up.
So many of the characters go through great character development and it was good to see. I would love to have my child read this if I had one.
Perfect for preteens who love adventure.
Also for us adults who still believe in magic...
This book was just so much fun and made me smile and it was a really fun adventure. I immediately moved on to the next one and I'm already interested. I'm so glad I picked this up.
So many of the characters go through great character development and it was good to see. I would love to have my child read this if I had one.
Perfect for preteens who love adventure.
Also for us adults who still believe in magic...
littleghostelli's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book of pure joy and some of the most beautiful writing. Tagereh Mafi writes about sensory experiences in a way that just made me so happy to read - colors, food, sounds and visuals are something else entirely in this world and I loved every second.