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bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
3.0
Multiple stories, two happening at the same time and one a prelude to the main story arc, are woven together to create a complicated story. The main character is teenager Ariel, a refuge who has been adopted by American parents. His new father works for a tech company that unethically experiments on living creatures, including humans, to create living weapons. Ariel and his new brother are sent to a camp run by the company. The camp is pretty awful, the boys have no idea why they were sent there until they do some exploring. Another thread is the melting man who hears the voice of Josef Stalin, who wants him to kill everyone he comes in contact with and keep a deadly objective in mind, and 360, who keeps up a constant commentary on the melting man's every action. The third story line is an expedition in the 1880s that is stranded on an iceberg by the North Pole. As the book progresses, each story comes together.
Mature teenage boys.
Mature teenage boys.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
3.0
This was a tough read for me. One of the best things about Andrew Smith’s writing is that he doesn’t treat teens like they’re younger or more immature than what they actually are just because they’re teens. The Alex Crow started slowly and then all of a sudden everything happened at once. I wish I had known what was going to happen before I started the book. There are few things that are difficult for me to read about, but this book had one of those things. If The Kite Runner made you uncomfortable, I would warn you about this book. It’s definitely worth the read, as are all of Smith’s books, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into when you start it. I definitely look forward to Smith’s next novel!
sngick's review against another edition
5.0
Andrew Smith slays me & never ceases to pull me into the story...no matter how distressing or unusual. The mash up of characters & plot lines for The Alex Crow was genius. Pure genius.
roseannmvp's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, so far, not my favorite Andrew Smith book. Loved 100 Sideways Miles much better.
Once again, this is a buddy- book and has lots of graphic descriptions of child abuse and a bit of a cliff-hanger!
Very unique concept, but a little too weird for me.
Once again, this is a buddy- book and has lots of graphic descriptions of child abuse and a bit of a cliff-hanger!
Very unique concept, but a little too weird for me.
sidneyellwood's review against another edition
4.0
there was a moment, while reading this, where i realized that this book's themes went much, much, deeper than teenage boys and euphemisms for masturbation. all i can say is andrew smith is really good at writing books that seem to be bawdy and hilarious, and then turn on you with a punch in the gut.
all in all, a very good book.
all in all, a very good book.
barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
2.0
Ummmmm, so I read Grasshopper Jungle by this author and thus knew he wrote weird stuff, but this was weird AND boring.
forsakenfates's review
4.0
Initial Thoughts:So good! Really made me think and I loved all the dark topics that were discussed.
Review:
By now everyone should know how much I appreciate Andrew Smith and his writing. I love the humor, the wittiness, and even the absolute absurdity of his books. The Alex Crow is no exception to this. For me the writing technique was very similar to Grasshopper Jungle. The story is all intertwined between these 3 different perspectives we follow throughout the book. We have Ariel both in the present and in the past, we have Lenny and his bombing journey, and finally we have the arctic expedition in 1880. At first all these stories seemed so different but they all came together somehow.
And I know you are probably thinking that is not that weird, but once you learn about the experiments being done by the Alex Division things start to become really strange. The bionic pet Crow the Burgesses have is such a strange character and he is also somewhat central to the bizarre things that the company has been researching and conducting. The shining moments of humor in this book are the boys at summer camp. That is when we see the crazy things they get up as they piece together just what the Alex Department does.
The difference for me and this book was just how series the topics were. You had Ariel who is a refugee living with a new family in America. We learn all about the horrors that Ariel dealt with before moving to Sunday. And this story is woven into the narrative and story about the research and science experiments. I really appreciate how Andrew Smith discussed these topics while also staying weird. This book starts off in a really dark place with the attack on Ariel’s village and from there we continue on this journey.
This book was not at all a disappointment. It lived up to my expectations for an Andrew Smith novel. It was weird but also intrigued me with its moral questions about just how far humans are willing to go in their thirst for knowledge. And that reincarnated bionic crow was a favorite character for me. We did not get a lot of scenes with him, but he was integral to the stories all tying together.
Review:
By now everyone should know how much I appreciate Andrew Smith and his writing. I love the humor, the wittiness, and even the absolute absurdity of his books. The Alex Crow is no exception to this. For me the writing technique was very similar to Grasshopper Jungle. The story is all intertwined between these 3 different perspectives we follow throughout the book. We have Ariel both in the present and in the past, we have Lenny and his bombing journey, and finally we have the arctic expedition in 1880. At first all these stories seemed so different but they all came together somehow.
And I know you are probably thinking that is not that weird, but once you learn about the experiments being done by the Alex Division things start to become really strange. The bionic pet Crow the Burgesses have is such a strange character and he is also somewhat central to the bizarre things that the company has been researching and conducting. The shining moments of humor in this book are the boys at summer camp. That is when we see the crazy things they get up as they piece together just what the Alex Department does.
The difference for me and this book was just how series the topics were. You had Ariel who is a refugee living with a new family in America. We learn all about the horrors that Ariel dealt with before moving to Sunday. And this story is woven into the narrative and story about the research and science experiments. I really appreciate how Andrew Smith discussed these topics while also staying weird. This book starts off in a really dark place with the attack on Ariel’s village and from there we continue on this journey.
This book was not at all a disappointment. It lived up to my expectations for an Andrew Smith novel. It was weird but also intrigued me with its moral questions about just how far humans are willing to go in their thirst for knowledge. And that reincarnated bionic crow was a favorite character for me. We did not get a lot of scenes with him, but he was integral to the stories all tying together.
whatanerdgirlsays's review against another edition
5.0
How do I even write a review for this book besides just writing in all caps, size 72 Font: I LOVED IT. Seriously. How on earth am I actually supposed to review this book....
cmp381's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking!
Ariel's story will touch you. He is like a cat with nine lives. The first part of the book was very confusing, but the ending is worth it!
Ariel's story will touch you. He is like a cat with nine lives. The first part of the book was very confusing, but the ending is worth it!