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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
The writing and story didn’t capture my attention. I felt bored and wasn’t connecting to the story or characters
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 star beginning, 3 star middle, 2 star end. I loved this book right from the start--loved the fresh, creative prose, related to Alice, laughed aloud at pretty much everything Finch said, and really enjoyed the interaction between Finch and Alice. Sometimes pop culture references feel pandery, but here they work, and there was a nice mix of fandom and literature references. The book has a great sense of humor, in dialogue and descriptions. I laughed out loud a lot during the first half and was excited to watch Alice and Finch untangle the mystery of the strange events surrounding Alice's life and her grandmother's elusive book of fairy tales.
The twist was great, but at a certain point it seemed like the whole beginning of the book was forgotten and shoved aside for a completely different story. I am not a huge fan of kaleidoscopey dreamlike symbolic sequences, and the Hinterland part, where everything just kind of clicked into place, seemed too easy. The twist was very interesting, but the conclusion left me with a vague, disappointed "that's it?" kind of feeling. Maybe this is because there's a book two planned? I will definitely read it.
The twist was great, but at a certain point it seemed like the whole beginning of the book was forgotten and shoved aside for a completely different story. I am not a huge fan of kaleidoscopey dreamlike symbolic sequences, and the Hinterland part, where everything just kind of clicked into place, seemed too easy. The twist was very interesting, but the conclusion left me with a vague, disappointed "that's it?" kind of feeling.
Spoiler
I am annoyed that Finch ditched Alice for another girl/other worlds. It feels like a betrayal. I wanted them to end up together. I also would have liked to see them work together to figure things out, instead of having separate adventures, briefly meeting up, and then parting ways.
why are there like 20 pages of acknowledgements, i thought i had more book left.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I was completely absorbed by this book and the fairytales within it, marvelous plot and wonderfully written
Hmmm, the third book I've read this month where the family keeps moving. Zeitgeist, I guess. (The other two are Dream a Little Dream and Twist of Faith if you're interested). While the marketing for this book describes it like a fairy tale, I wouldn't categorize it that way. Alice and her mother have moved...a lot. Couch surfing, motel rooms, pool houses, apartments, it doesn't matter, because sooner or later, and usually sooner, something bad happens and they have to move on. Things burn down, get flooded out, torn up. Alice's mother, Ella, says they keep moving to stay ahead of the bad luck that always finds them, until she marries a wealthy New Yorker, Althea dies, and Ella suddenly believes they've left bad luck behind.
Alice has never lived this close to her recluse grandmother, Althea, who lived in a mansion in the Hazel Wood. The woman who doesn't help them get by, and the woman that Ella has avoided all of her adult life. Althea is the author of a set of stories called Tales of the Hinterland. Her reclusive nature have led fans to extreme lengths to find her, seemingly without success. When Ella goes missing, her only note to Alice is to stay out of the Hazel Wood. Which you know is exactly the opposite of what Ella is going to do.
The world that Alice enters is much closer to the dark stories of the Brothers Grimm than Lewis Carroll. The boy doesn't get the girl (or vice versa), and some people get killed along the way. Altogether a unique and dark story that's well worth the read.
Alice has never lived this close to her recluse grandmother, Althea, who lived in a mansion in the Hazel Wood. The woman who doesn't help them get by, and the woman that Ella has avoided all of her adult life. Althea is the author of a set of stories called Tales of the Hinterland. Her reclusive nature have led fans to extreme lengths to find her, seemingly without success. When Ella goes missing, her only note to Alice is to stay out of the Hazel Wood. Which you know is exactly the opposite of what Ella is going to do.
The world that Alice enters is much closer to the dark stories of the Brothers Grimm than Lewis Carroll. The boy doesn't get the girl (or vice versa), and some people get killed along the way. Altogether a unique and dark story that's well worth the read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated