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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I have been hoping to get away from the formulaic sketchily-designed dystopia centered around one badass girl who is in love with two guys (whether they are angel and devil, vampire and werewolf, or whatever) and wow, so far, this book smashes the formula to pieces.
Starting with a heroine who is a synaesthete.
Okay, I simply gobbled this book down. It would be criminal to spoil it, so let me just observe that this is a genuine YA book, that is, not an adult book disguised as YA. I think it can be read, understood, and thoroughly enjoyed by teens, as well as people my age, who will appreciate the earned insight the heroine makes. She gets her special powers, and Anderson makes us feel synesthesia. But Alison has a lot more to learn, which in turn illuminates all the other characters.
Add in some twists that I did not see coming, and a pulse pounding climax . . . wow!
Starting with a heroine who is a synaesthete.
Okay, I simply gobbled this book down. It would be criminal to spoil it, so let me just observe that this is a genuine YA book, that is, not an adult book disguised as YA. I think it can be read, understood, and thoroughly enjoyed by teens, as well as people my age, who will appreciate the earned insight the heroine makes. She gets her special powers, and Anderson makes us feel synesthesia. But Alison has a lot more to learn, which in turn illuminates all the other characters.
Add in some twists that I did not see coming, and a pulse pounding climax . . . wow!
3 1/2 stars
I know a whole bunch of my GR friends have heard me say this before but I'm going to say it again for the benefit of any newcomers who stumble across this review: because rating a book can be a tricky process and three stars can mean anything from "I was totally unmoved by it" to "it was pretty good for the most part", I tend to take the GR system literally. By this I mean that three stars is "I liked it" and is a mostly positive rating. Therefore, [b:Ultraviolet|8843789|Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1)|R.J. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338688532s/8843789.jpg|13718670] hovers somewhere halfway between "I liked it" and "I really liked it" because there were parts I absolutely loved but also many things that got on my nerves and had me mentally lowering my rating. I will say one thing for certain: I need to read the sequel. NOW.
The suspense that Anderson builds up in this book is almost palpable, you find yourself questioning everything and experiencing the frustration of someone who is imprisoned in a mental institution when they feel they are innocent, then later the confusion of someone who begins to doubt their own sanity. Being inside Alison's mind is a scary place to find yourself but, though there is a paranormal element to this novel, you soon find that the author has weaved fact with fiction and incorporated a real-world factor into her story - synesthesia. This is something I had only heard of in passing before I read [b:Ultraviolet|8843789|Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1)|R.J. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338688532s/8843789.jpg|13718670], but I have since been inspired to do some more research on the topic. I enjoyed this addition to the novel immensely, simply because it would have been far easier - and what I first expected - to explain away a character's special abilities as some weird supernatural phenomenon.
However, Alison's synesthesia leads me perfectly onto what was at times the greatest threat to my enjoyment of the book and at other times what made me go wide-eyed with adoring book love - the prose. Some of it reminded me of [b:Shatter Me|10429045|Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)|Tahereh Mafi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047s/10429045.jpg|15333458] (but it wasn't that bad or I wouldn't have finished it) and the explanation of synesthesia for the use of colour-based metaphors might make sense but it didn't make it any less annoying for me. Take this:
Not only was his voice amazing, so was his name: violet to match his eyes, tranquil and playful at the same time, full of shimmering highlights and unexpected depths. And the Sebastian part wasn't bad either - all oregano and woodsmoke, with a hint of sensuality that made my skin flush just thinking about it.
and
I preferred handwriting, where every loop sent a flush of aquamarine up my arm as though I'd dipped it in a tropic sea.
and
"There. Are. No. Stars," she hissed, her voice full of icy peaks and seething valleys.
To me, these sentences are not beautiful but eyeroll-worthy. Unlike [b:Shatter Me|10429045|Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)|Tahereh Mafi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047s/10429045.jpg|15333458], though, the use of them wasn't as constant and I didn't have to hurt myself trying to understand the similes and metaphors. The writing in this book walked a very fine line between stunning and grotesque at times, some passages I could have read over and over for hours without getting tired of them and others made me cringe. To balance out the negative, I wanted to include this little paragraph that I thought was beautiful:
I heard the universe as an oratorio sung by a master choir of stars, accompanied by the orchestra of the planets and the percussion of satellites and moons. The aria they performed was a song to break the heart, full of tragic dissonance and deferred hope, and yet somewhere beneath it all was a piercing refrain of glory, glory, glory. And I sensed that not only the grand movements of the cosmos, but everything that had happened in my life, was a part of that song.
Also, while this novel was highly original for the most part, the romance and the love interest were not. Or at least not for the first two thirds of the book. It began as it usually begins with descriptions of his male perfection, everything from his eyes to his hands to his voice was crafted by the gods, apparently. He is the nicest of the nice, the hottest of the hot... the, um, perfectist of the perfect. Later, he is allowed a few imperfections that help to shape his character and made me like him more but the lack of chemistry at the beginning made it hard to buy into their relationship. Not only that, but it also seemed very inappropriate at first due to the circumstances under which they met.
Now, I have to say that I knew what the big twist was before I began this book but I enjoyed it anyway and I don't really think it had much effect on my overall rating. The thing is, it's ridiculously easy to spoil this book for yourself just by looking at its tags and shelves on goodreads - so, you know, try not to glance over to the right side of the page when you add this. Which you totally should do right now. This is a gripping psychological paranormal story that offers a new spin on a very formulaic genre, it is not faultless but it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I am betting that 99% of people who read this will have to read the sequel even if they shared the same problems I had with it.
I know a whole bunch of my GR friends have heard me say this before but I'm going to say it again for the benefit of any newcomers who stumble across this review: because rating a book can be a tricky process and three stars can mean anything from "I was totally unmoved by it" to "it was pretty good for the most part", I tend to take the GR system literally. By this I mean that three stars is "I liked it" and is a mostly positive rating. Therefore, [b:Ultraviolet|8843789|Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1)|R.J. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338688532s/8843789.jpg|13718670] hovers somewhere halfway between "I liked it" and "I really liked it" because there were parts I absolutely loved but also many things that got on my nerves and had me mentally lowering my rating. I will say one thing for certain: I need to read the sequel. NOW.
The suspense that Anderson builds up in this book is almost palpable, you find yourself questioning everything and experiencing the frustration of someone who is imprisoned in a mental institution when they feel they are innocent, then later the confusion of someone who begins to doubt their own sanity. Being inside Alison's mind is a scary place to find yourself but, though there is a paranormal element to this novel, you soon find that the author has weaved fact with fiction and incorporated a real-world factor into her story - synesthesia. This is something I had only heard of in passing before I read [b:Ultraviolet|8843789|Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1)|R.J. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338688532s/8843789.jpg|13718670], but I have since been inspired to do some more research on the topic. I enjoyed this addition to the novel immensely, simply because it would have been far easier - and what I first expected - to explain away a character's special abilities as some weird supernatural phenomenon.
However, Alison's synesthesia leads me perfectly onto what was at times the greatest threat to my enjoyment of the book and at other times what made me go wide-eyed with adoring book love - the prose. Some of it reminded me of [b:Shatter Me|10429045|Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)|Tahereh Mafi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047s/10429045.jpg|15333458] (but it wasn't that bad or I wouldn't have finished it) and the explanation of synesthesia for the use of colour-based metaphors might make sense but it didn't make it any less annoying for me. Take this:
Not only was his voice amazing, so was his name: violet to match his eyes, tranquil and playful at the same time, full of shimmering highlights and unexpected depths. And the Sebastian part wasn't bad either - all oregano and woodsmoke, with a hint of sensuality that made my skin flush just thinking about it.
and
I preferred handwriting, where every loop sent a flush of aquamarine up my arm as though I'd dipped it in a tropic sea.
and
"There. Are. No. Stars," she hissed, her voice full of icy peaks and seething valleys.
To me, these sentences are not beautiful but eyeroll-worthy. Unlike [b:Shatter Me|10429045|Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)|Tahereh Mafi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047s/10429045.jpg|15333458], though, the use of them wasn't as constant and I didn't have to hurt myself trying to understand the similes and metaphors. The writing in this book walked a very fine line between stunning and grotesque at times, some passages I could have read over and over for hours without getting tired of them and others made me cringe. To balance out the negative, I wanted to include this little paragraph that I thought was beautiful:
I heard the universe as an oratorio sung by a master choir of stars, accompanied by the orchestra of the planets and the percussion of satellites and moons. The aria they performed was a song to break the heart, full of tragic dissonance and deferred hope, and yet somewhere beneath it all was a piercing refrain of glory, glory, glory. And I sensed that not only the grand movements of the cosmos, but everything that had happened in my life, was a part of that song.
Also, while this novel was highly original for the most part, the romance and the love interest were not. Or at least not for the first two thirds of the book. It began as it usually begins with descriptions of his male perfection, everything from his eyes to his hands to his voice was crafted by the gods, apparently. He is the nicest of the nice, the hottest of the hot... the, um, perfectist of the perfect. Later, he is allowed a few imperfections that help to shape his character and made me like him more but the lack of chemistry at the beginning made it hard to buy into their relationship. Not only that, but it also seemed very inappropriate at first due to the circumstances under which they met.
Now, I have to say that I knew what the big twist was before I began this book but I enjoyed it anyway and I don't really think it had much effect on my overall rating. The thing is, it's ridiculously easy to spoil this book for yourself just by looking at its tags and shelves on goodreads - so, you know, try not to glance over to the right side of the page when you add this. Which you totally should do right now. This is a gripping psychological paranormal story that offers a new spin on a very formulaic genre, it is not faultless but it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I am betting that 99% of people who read this will have to read the sequel even if they shared the same problems I had with it.
This was quite unexpected. I really enjoyed the conceived idea around Synthenesia but I was delighted by the result of a very other-worldly novel. It was very fantastical.
Ultraviolet is one of those types of books that once you begin reading you're hooked. It definitely made me think about it all the time. It was one of those reads that makes it hard to fall asleep because you have a million thoughts in your head.
I could pick apart the things about the book that bothered me, because there were a few things that prevented me from moving it into a 5 star. But instead I'd rather focus on how beautifully I feel it was written. The way she described the world through taste and sound was mesmerizing. I could taste the lies and hear the letters along with the character. In fact, I feel like the author could have gone overboard in writing this condition that would make it feel overly clinical, but in actuality she wrote it poetically which just made this story what it was for me. Beautiful.
Everyone who reviews this talks about the twist in the end. I think I had an idea of where it was going about midway through so I wasn't overly shocked. However I was in no way disappointed. I thought that it was refreshing and touching.
This is one I'll be recommending, for sure.
I could pick apart the things about the book that bothered me, because there were a few things that prevented me from moving it into a 5 star. But instead I'd rather focus on how beautifully I feel it was written. The way she described the world through taste and sound was mesmerizing. I could taste the lies and hear the letters along with the character. In fact, I feel like the author could have gone overboard in writing this condition that would make it feel overly clinical, but in actuality she wrote it poetically which just made this story what it was for me. Beautiful.
Everyone who reviews this talks about the twist in the end. I think I had an idea of where it was going about midway through so I wasn't overly shocked. However I was in no way disappointed. I thought that it was refreshing and touching.
This is one I'll be recommending, for sure.
4 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I kind of put it on my to-read shelf on a whim after hearing some good recommendations, and I'm really glad that I read it.
When I started the book, I knew right away that she had synthesthia but I didn't consider the book too predictable because anyone who knows what that phenomenon is would be able to see that right away. I thought the way that the author described Alison's senses was beautiful. I really liked how the chapter numbers had the colors/emotions attached to them. It was a small detail that pulled the book together for me. I liked her relationship with the other people in the book, especially how she ends up befriending Tori and finding out that Mel betrayed her. Alison definitely grew stronger and more independent, and I liked how the author equated strength with expressing your emotions because we often see characters who are "strong" because they have no emotions, which is just not accurate.
I thought the book was be more of a psychological thriller and I was not expecting the heavy science fiction twist at the end of the book. It wasn't necessarily bad; it just wasn't what I thought it would be.
Despite all the positives, I did have a couple of problems. I thought her relationship with Faraday was a little forced. It was a little insta-love to me. I knew they had a connection, but I didn't really see it as romantic. Also, I didn't like the way that she handled the situation with Kirk forcing himself on her. She kept blaming herself and trying to justify why he did it (which it doesn't matter if you had a bad home life, you don't do that to people justifiably).
Besides that, I really did like the book and I will read the next one though I'm not sure what it will be about as I feel like this one wrapped up nicely.
I really enjoyed this book. I kind of put it on my to-read shelf on a whim after hearing some good recommendations, and I'm really glad that I read it.
When I started the book, I knew right away that she had synthesthia but I didn't consider the book too predictable because anyone who knows what that phenomenon is would be able to see that right away. I thought the way that the author described Alison's senses was beautiful. I really liked how the chapter numbers had the colors/emotions attached to them. It was a small detail that pulled the book together for me. I liked her relationship with the other people in the book, especially how she ends up befriending Tori and finding out that Mel betrayed her. Alison definitely grew stronger and more independent, and I liked how the author equated strength with expressing your emotions because we often see characters who are "strong" because they have no emotions, which is just not accurate.
I thought the book was be more of a psychological thriller and I was not expecting the heavy science fiction twist at the end of the book. It wasn't necessarily bad; it just wasn't what I thought it would be.
Despite all the positives, I did have a couple of problems. I thought her relationship with Faraday was a little forced. It was a little insta-love to me. I knew they had a connection, but I didn't really see it as romantic. Also, I didn't like the way that she handled the situation with Kirk forcing himself on her. She kept blaming herself and trying to justify why he did it (which it doesn't matter if you had a bad home life, you don't do that to people justifiably).
Besides that, I really did like the book and I will read the next one though I'm not sure what it will be about as I feel like this one wrapped up nicely.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Interesting at first but the alien stuff was just really random and didn't fit into the story
it was pretty good. it was different than the usual paranormal Rom that I usually read
dark
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts
If I remember right, this was compared to one of my favorite books by an author I read for the first time (and I think a debut?): [b:The Unbecoming of Maya Dryer|23627348|The Unbecoming of Maya Dryer|Michelle Hoodkin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|43232672]. And I see why, although for me what comes to mind are two other books (one I did not finish yet). These are both taking place in a mental institution, as does this one: [b:I Never Promised You a Rose Garden|45220|I Never Promised You a Rose Garden|Hannah Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309209871s/45220.jpg|3585] and [b:Red Orc's Rage|591773|Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers #6)|Philip José Farmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1323053392s/591773.jpg|2137715].
All highly recommended (even though I did yet finish "... Rose Garden").
Farmer's "Red Orc's Rage" has a similar concept like this one, I do not count that as a spoiler, at least I hope not, or that most will not know both. Farmer will probably be read after reading the first 5 books in the "Word of tiers"-series, without knowledge of that, it might seem overly weird.
So, how about reviewing this one without spoiling anything?
A bit short, but there is a sequel, which I have already bought, when I bought this one.
The female MC struggles with a bad thing that happened, leading to her own mother calling the police and getting her committed into an insane asylum. All this takes place in Canada, although regrettably (I like to look up places on Google Earth) some of it is made up.
Alison (the heroine) reveals on the first page that she has killed someone. This sets the stage for her twisted journey inside the Asylum, given drugs, questioned by police and her doctor, bullied by inmates and constantly thinking about what happened and what to reveal and what to do.
Another doctor, Faraday (sic!), helps her and diagnoses her conditions. Just then you think, it might get in a romance direction, the story takes a left exit and reveals how much Alison (and the reader) does not know, I have not guessed most twists, so thats a plus.
Another twist, and then - the ending, which is ok for me, open enough for a sequel, rather realistic (for me, others may think different).
Although I do not see too many similarities to Mara Dryer, this is good, not totally 5 stars, but 4 highly recommended and I will surely read the next book after taking a breather with something different. As a trilogy it could be as earth-shattering as Mara Dryer, but I think it was planned for two books, with the second book taking another turn, if I guess right.
All highly recommended (even though I did yet finish "... Rose Garden").
Farmer's "Red Orc's Rage" has a similar concept like this one, I do not count that as a spoiler, at least I hope not, or that most will not know both. Farmer will probably be read after reading the first 5 books in the "Word of tiers"-series, without knowledge of that, it might seem overly weird.
So, how about reviewing this one without spoiling anything?
A bit short, but there is a sequel, which I have already bought, when I bought this one.
The female MC struggles with a bad thing that happened, leading to her own mother calling the police and getting her committed into an insane asylum. All this takes place in Canada, although regrettably (I like to look up places on Google Earth) some of it is made up.
Alison (the heroine) reveals on the first page that she has killed someone. This sets the stage for her twisted journey inside the Asylum, given drugs, questioned by police and her doctor, bullied by inmates and constantly thinking about what happened and what to reveal and what to do.
Another doctor, Faraday (sic!), helps her and diagnoses her conditions. Just then you think, it might get in a romance direction, the story takes a left exit and reveals how much Alison (and the reader) does not know, I have not guessed most twists, so thats a plus.
Another twist, and then - the ending, which is ok for me, open enough for a sequel, rather realistic (for me, others may think different).
Although I do not see too many similarities to Mara Dryer, this is good, not totally 5 stars, but 4 highly recommended and I will surely read the next book after taking a breather with something different. As a trilogy it could be as earth-shattering as Mara Dryer, but I think it was planned for two books, with the second book taking another turn, if I guess right.
At first, I absolutely LOVED this book. I liked how the author described how Ali could see shapes and colors and taste peoples words and other sounds. I found myself on the edge of my seat a number of times because I was dying to know what happened to Tori. (Some girl Ali supposedly disintegrated). However, the story took a turn when this fake neurophysiologist/fake university student/janitor/alien guy tells Ali he needs her help to get to his home planet??
So she helps him, and they obviously fall in love, and then Ali has to go home and never see this Faraday guy again??
I especially hated the part when Ali is about to return how and she says "I love you" and he says "I don't love you" even though Ali can "taste" that he's lying. Why couldn't he just say I love you too? Regardless she knows what he is feeling, because it's not like she can go back, and she's never going to see him again anyways.
Ultimately, the beginning of the book was great until the last 40-50 pages or so. Then, I was just disappointed.
So she helps him, and they obviously fall in love, and then Ali has to go home and never see this Faraday guy again??
I especially hated the part when Ali is about to return how and she says "I love you" and he says "I don't love you" even though Ali can "taste" that he's lying. Why couldn't he just say I love you too? Regardless she knows what he is feeling, because it's not like she can go back, and she's never going to see him again anyways.
Ultimately, the beginning of the book was great until the last 40-50 pages or so. Then, I was just disappointed.