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luinien's review
2.0
Overall, the story wasn't bad. The magical realism felt forced, though, and I feel that the story could have happened without it. It was distracting at times to the point where it was not enjoyable to read. The main characters felt real and I enjoyed the relationships between all of them.
hannahelise06's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beaniedorman's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic! It is magical realism at its finest. It is so rare to find a book where magic and reality are blended so seamlessly, with just enough of each to create something that is not a hybrid, but a work of art in its own right. Bone Gap managed to do just that.
We begin the story with Finn and his brother Sean, who live in the tiny, rural town of Bone Gap. One day they are joined by a girl, and another day the girl disappears. The town chooses to believe that she left of her own free will, but Finn knows that that is not what happened. He saw her being kidnapped. The only problem is that he can't describe the man who took her.
This was a quick read for me. Between the fast plot and the phenomenal characters, there was nothing that could stop me from reading until I reached the end. Ruby writes beautifully, somehow using a dreamy, indirect style to tell an incredibly powerful story. Real issues are covered, but it is done in a world that is only mostly like our own, a world where nothing quite what it seems to be, where magical horses appear randomly in barns and corn whispers to people who are willing to listen. This fantastical combination should, in theory, be impossible to blend well, but it works here perfectly.
I loved every magical, dreamy page of this book. I can only hope that I will find something like it ever again.
We begin the story with Finn and his brother Sean, who live in the tiny, rural town of Bone Gap. One day they are joined by a girl, and another day the girl disappears. The town chooses to believe that she left of her own free will, but Finn knows that that is not what happened. He saw her being kidnapped. The only problem is that he can't describe the man who took her.
This was a quick read for me. Between the fast plot and the phenomenal characters, there was nothing that could stop me from reading until I reached the end. Ruby writes beautifully, somehow using a dreamy, indirect style to tell an incredibly powerful story. Real issues are covered, but it is done in a world that is only mostly like our own, a world where nothing quite what it seems to be, where magical horses appear randomly in barns and corn whispers to people who are willing to listen. This fantastical combination should, in theory, be impossible to blend well, but it works here perfectly.
I loved every magical, dreamy page of this book. I can only hope that I will find something like it ever again.
lottifus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
had to log this one because it’s the best young adult novel I’ve ever read and has not left my head. the characters in this book live and breathe. minus 0.75 since the ending felt like it was missing something, but such a gorgeous underrated summer read I would love for netflix to pick it up
helenleone's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
futurama1979's review against another edition
5.0
Reread 11/22 for a class.
There's something so amazing about going back to a book as an adult that totally changed you as a reader when you were 16 and finding it equally enchanting. I want to talk a little bit about genre first, because it's something that is both super hazy and super atmospheric in this book. When very, very pressed to label this book with one genre, magical realism is the only apt one that really comes to mind. But even then, this book is more than a magical realism book. It has the fantasy and whimsy of a fairytale and the horror and dread of a thriller. Ruby so masterfully picks and chooses aspects from a handful of genres and uses them all to the absolute maximum of their potential. When I think of other YA magical realism novels that are done with this much attention to the particular story the author is telling within the genre expression, the only other thing that even comes to mind is [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573508485l/17675462._SY75_.jpg|18970934] and its sequels. And for me, putting any book up with the Raven Cycle is really high praise.
Ruby's characters are so unique, so well-rounded and developed, and so lovable. Roza and Finn as the main points of view we see the story from both are written believably and consistently and at the same time completely defy readers' expectations. Roza is fully fleshed out beneath her beauty, and her character is a super nuanced dissection of the pressure women feel under an objectifying male gaze while also viciously, defiantly maintaining her agency and fighting for her freedom from that objectification by literally whatever means possible. Finn, too, has an incredibly empowering, subversive story in which he is able to work through the utter frustration of his disability (which Ruby still lets him feel and which doesn't magically just go away like so many disability narratives in fantasy-based YA) to find real power and real strength in it without being 'cured'.
And of course Petey, who was my favourite the first time I read this book, is a joy. She has that toughness and bite while still being vulnerable and needing reassurance. She has the power to tell people that don't matter to her to leave her the fuck alone and she has the honestly and openness to tell people that do matter to her what she's still insecure about. She rejects and defies a male gaze while never cutting ties with her identity as a girl and her femininity. She just fucking rocks.
I've never read another novel like Bone Gap and I probably never will. That's a good thing; this book deserves to stand in a class all its own.
There's something so amazing about going back to a book as an adult that totally changed you as a reader when you were 16 and finding it equally enchanting. I want to talk a little bit about genre first, because it's something that is both super hazy and super atmospheric in this book. When very, very pressed to label this book with one genre, magical realism is the only apt one that really comes to mind. But even then, this book is more than a magical realism book. It has the fantasy and whimsy of a fairytale and the horror and dread of a thriller. Ruby so masterfully picks and chooses aspects from a handful of genres and uses them all to the absolute maximum of their potential. When I think of other YA magical realism novels that are done with this much attention to the particular story the author is telling within the genre expression, the only other thing that even comes to mind is [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573508485l/17675462._SY75_.jpg|18970934] and its sequels. And for me, putting any book up with the Raven Cycle is really high praise.
Ruby's characters are so unique, so well-rounded and developed, and so lovable. Roza and Finn as the main points of view we see the story from both are written believably and consistently and at the same time completely defy readers' expectations. Roza is fully fleshed out beneath her beauty, and her character is a super nuanced dissection of the pressure women feel under an objectifying male gaze while also viciously, defiantly maintaining her agency and fighting for her freedom from that objectification by literally whatever means possible. Finn, too, has an incredibly empowering, subversive story in which he is able to work through the utter frustration of his disability (which Ruby still lets him feel and which doesn't magically just go away like so many disability narratives in fantasy-based YA) to find real power and real strength in it without being 'cured'.
And of course Petey, who was my favourite the first time I read this book, is a joy. She has that toughness and bite while still being vulnerable and needing reassurance. She has the power to tell people that don't matter to her to leave her the fuck alone and she has the honestly and openness to tell people that do matter to her what she's still insecure about. She rejects and defies a male gaze while never cutting ties with her identity as a girl and her femininity. She just fucking rocks.
I've never read another novel like Bone Gap and I probably never will. That's a good thing; this book deserves to stand in a class all its own.
ryantlabee's review against another edition
4.0
I understand entirely why this book is divisive. Magical realism isn’t for everyone. But, frankly, I kind of loved it. A wonderful take and modern spin on the classic Beauty & the Beast fairytale.
baoluong's review against another edition
2.0
I think that this book was trying to say something prolific but I totally missed the mark. The book was so full of itself that I couldn't see what it was worth. So the only thing I got from this was it's hard to be beautiful especially as a woman (they didn't really address people who identifies as women but those who were born). And Finn is one of those sensitive souls.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for challenging heteronormative gender roles but the way it was handled in this book made it seem like everything was a fantasy. It's not, it's very real and the characters used along with the plot gave a sort of magical realism to a story that didn't need it. I was confused half the time of what was real and it somehow made the situation seem less serious for it. The writing was convoluted and tedious to read. Things just happen and there's little to no reason further making my comprehension cloudy. Perhaps this was the intention but to me I couldn't get into the story.
The way this issue was handled was not in my opinion appropriate because it's so narrow minded in its argument. Honestly, I think Roza's story should have been handled with more thought than the vapid and superficial "lesson" being presented. There's so much potential for this topic but it just doesn't work when it reads as a fairytale and undermines the larger picture of the struggle women face. It's like Diet Feminism that doesn't really say anything but just wants the benefits of being somewhat a part of the movement.
Does more harm than good because of that unfortunately.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for challenging heteronormative gender roles but the way it was handled in this book made it seem like everything was a fantasy. It's not, it's very real and the characters used along with the plot gave a sort of magical realism to a story that didn't need it. I was confused half the time of what was real and it somehow made the situation seem less serious for it. The writing was convoluted and tedious to read. Things just happen and there's little to no reason further making my comprehension cloudy. Perhaps this was the intention but to me I couldn't get into the story.
The way this issue was handled was not in my opinion appropriate because it's so narrow minded in its argument. Honestly, I think Roza's story should have been handled with more thought than the vapid and superficial "lesson" being presented. There's so much potential for this topic but it just doesn't work when it reads as a fairytale and undermines the larger picture of the struggle women face. It's like Diet Feminism that doesn't really say anything but just wants the benefits of being somewhat a part of the movement.
Does more harm than good because of that unfortunately.