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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another 3.5 rating (can we please have half stars?). I found the story interesting and compelling. Can't say I'm fully satisfied with the conclusion but I did enjoy it and liked that it was a bit different and didn't seem to follow the rules.
I really enjoyed this book. It was intriguing, it was weird, it was creepy, and it was enjoyable. I wanted to keep reading the book, and although I felt certain plot elements were predictable, I still found myself surprised by some plots points within the book; both by unexpected developments, and the lack of developments that I fully expected to transpire.
The suspense is a slow burn that slowly rises throughout the novel, keeping your interest and keeping you entertained. I realize those mean the same thing, I'm not eloquent, I write this without correcting anything and just say YAY! It was good. And someone can write better than me.
The suspense is a slow burn that slowly rises throughout the novel, keeping your interest and keeping you entertained. I realize those mean the same thing, I'm not eloquent, I write this without correcting anything and just say YAY! It was good. And someone can write better than me.
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4/5: a captivating and thrilling story about the accident-prone boy Louis Drax and his twisted way of coping, which got me thinking: was he the victim or not? Not wanting to spoil anything, I’m just saying he might be as guilty/responsible as his mother for what is happening to him
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax tells the story of accident-prone 9-year-old Louis Drax, who is now in a coma. It's told alternately from his point of view, and the point of view of the doctor hoping to wake him up. The story begins shortly after Louis' most recent accident, which left him comatose and his father missing. The only awake and available person who knows what really happened is his mother. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that things are not as they seem - and not always explainable. It's part mystery, part drama, and part magical realism.
The quality of the writing in this book is quite good. The author has imparted a surreal, almost eerie feeling throughout. Moreover, she has convincingly captured the voices of both a disturbed nine-year-old, and a middle-aged French man. Writing in first-person POV when the character is a child is particularly hard to pull off well, but Jensen does it well.
Content-wise, the pace starts out pretty slow. It does pick up farther into the book, which is good. For the most part, the mystery/thriller aspect is handled well, walking the fine balance between giving us enough to pick up on but not making things super obvious (with one glaring exception to this in the matter of the notes). There are some nice surprises and turnabouts. There's a character who initially appears quite sinister and another who seems a bit off but harmless, but neither ends up being what you'd expect.
As for the magical realism bits... well, one side of them was well-done, but the other side I didn't really see much of a point to (other than a reveal that could've been done many other ways). That, plus some ill-advised romantic interludes put a touch of a sour note on the story, but overall it was still a good read.
This was the most recent pick for the book club I go to, and the consensus was that everyone found it interesting, in a positive way. It's a pretty quick read, too. If you're looking for some contemporary light thriller fare, this is a good bet.
The quality of the writing in this book is quite good. The author has imparted a surreal, almost eerie feeling throughout. Moreover, she has convincingly captured the voices of both a disturbed nine-year-old, and a middle-aged French man. Writing in first-person POV when the character is a child is particularly hard to pull off well, but Jensen does it well.
Content-wise, the pace starts out pretty slow. It does pick up farther into the book, which is good. For the most part, the mystery/thriller aspect is handled well, walking the fine balance between giving us enough to pick up on but not making things super obvious (with one glaring exception to this in the matter of the notes). There are some nice surprises and turnabouts. There's a character who initially appears quite sinister and another who seems a bit off but harmless, but neither ends up being what you'd expect.
As for the magical realism bits... well, one side of them was well-done, but the other side I didn't really see much of a point to (other than a reveal that could've been done many other ways). That, plus some ill-advised romantic interludes put a touch of a sour note on the story, but overall it was still a good read.
This was the most recent pick for the book club I go to, and the consensus was that everyone found it interesting, in a positive way. It's a pretty quick read, too. If you're looking for some contemporary light thriller fare, this is a good bet.
I stumbled across this title in a "read them before they become movies" article, so thought it must be good. This story had so much promise, and was a "pretty" read, but it really wasn't what it could have been. It could have been a lot creepier/complex, and the final outcome (to some extent) was so predictable I could have finished the book halfway through and guessed what was going to happen. Meh.
Louis är ett märkligt barn. Minst en gång om året, varje år sedan han föddes, har han råkat ut för allvarliga olyckor. Han klarar sig alltid och hans mamma tror att han är någon form av ängel. Den nionde gången knuffar någon ner honom i en ravin och den här gången är det allvarligt. Louis dödsförklaras. Mot alla odds vaknar han ändå upp igen men hamnar i koma, och förflyttas till avdelningen för Les Incurables. Eller L’Horizon, som den är omdöpt till. När doktor Pascal Danachusett dras in i fallet handlar det först endast om att behandla Louis komalika tillstånd. Men när Louis börjar skicka brev till sin mamma och till doktorn på avdelningen inser Pascal att det här är något utöver det vanliga.
Jag älskade den här boken! Den var många gånger förutsägbar och det var mycket som jag hade räknat ut i förväg. Men det gjorde liksom ingenting. Stämningen, av både trygghet och obehag, låg tung runt boken och jag kände mig medryckt från första början. Den var lagomt lång (faktiskt egentligen ganska kort, men det passade mig just nu) med lagomt antal karaktärer (nästan för många - jag glömde bort vad kvinnorna hette och blandade ihop dem) och lagomt läskigt med psyk-onda barn som visar sig i folks drömmar. Älsk på den!
Jag älskade den här boken! Den var många gånger förutsägbar och det var mycket som jag hade räknat ut i förväg. Men det gjorde liksom ingenting. Stämningen, av både trygghet och obehag, låg tung runt boken och jag kände mig medryckt från första början. Den var lagomt lång (faktiskt egentligen ganska kort, men det passade mig just nu) med lagomt antal karaktärer (nästan för många - jag glömde bort vad kvinnorna hette och blandade ihop dem) och lagomt läskigt med psyk-onda barn som visar sig i folks drömmar. Älsk på den!
This book kept me at the edge of my seat. It reminded me some of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects with the dark and sinister tone of the book. However I have to say once I figured out what was happening I was a little let down. I was hoping for something more.
A nice book to read, but unfortunately it was obvious from the start what had happened.