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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. The only reason this isn't a 4 star book was because it took me a REALLY REALLY long time into it. I thought it was dull and boring and very slow at first. It started picking up around 40% and for me started being really enjoyable around 60%. I did end up really liking the last part of it and I do really want to read the next one, I just hope it starts out with a bang, and isn't so slow to get going like this one, for me, was.
The only other thing I wish was different was that
The only other thing I wish was different was that
Spoiler
she at least went and talked to Claire. Sure Claire might have been happy, or it might have all been an act, a front for people to see. She needed to at least see her, assure her that Lost was real and let her know she hadn't been forgotten!
Pleasantly shocked by this one!! I can't wait for book # 2.
this was, for the most part, boring and bland. it picked up maybe around 80%, when there is actually some progress/action in the story, but most of the book is Lauren just wandering around hiding or scavenging, wishing she was home, and Peter whining about how she shouldn't want to leave. OH PETER. the most OBNOXIOUS love interest i've seen in a while. i think he's supposed to be all mysterious but he's either pretentiously quoting literature or, like i mentioned, whining about how Lauren should just forget her real life and her dying mother and stay in Lost with him. BLECH.
I moved a little bit out of my comfort zone on this one – it wasn’t something I would typically read, but the description sounded intriguing, and the premise reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, which is one of my favorite novels. So, I dove in.
The writing was a little unsettling for me – first person present in short, terse sentences that I can only describe as “choppy,” and which could sometimes be confusing. I would have to re-read lines of text, because I wasn’t exactly sure what the author meant. However, it fit the atmosphere of the book – Lauren is going through some sort of trauma, and is lost in multiple ways.
I enjoyed that Lauren wasn’t always likeable; she can be stand-offish, and sometimes cruel. She abandons her ailing mother at first because she can’t handle taking care of her, or the very idea that she’s sick. She’s also incredibly paranoid.
The conceit that this is a town where you go to “find yourself” was very unique, but I didn’t enjoy the creepy love interest, or the romance, and I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. Time passes without any sort of recognition, and overall I just felt an interesting plot line was poorly executed.
Cross-posted to: http://www.off-the-book.org/2014/07/face-in-book-book-reviews-prototype-by.html
The writing was a little unsettling for me – first person present in short, terse sentences that I can only describe as “choppy,” and which could sometimes be confusing. I would have to re-read lines of text, because I wasn’t exactly sure what the author meant. However, it fit the atmosphere of the book – Lauren is going through some sort of trauma, and is lost in multiple ways.
I enjoyed that Lauren wasn’t always likeable; she can be stand-offish, and sometimes cruel. She abandons her ailing mother at first because she can’t handle taking care of her, or the very idea that she’s sick. She’s also incredibly paranoid.
The conceit that this is a town where you go to “find yourself” was very unique, but I didn’t enjoy the creepy love interest, or the romance, and I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. Time passes without any sort of recognition, and overall I just felt an interesting plot line was poorly executed.
Cross-posted to: http://www.off-the-book.org/2014/07/face-in-book-book-reviews-prototype-by.html
Couldn't get through the first part of the book. The prose was not my style - very short and choppy. It made getting into the story very, very difficult. Weak and transparent attempts at being poetic paired with a lackluster protagonist made this something I just couldn't keep going with. Too many books on my want-to-read list and not enough time to keep going when something just doesn't catch my interest.
An engaging book whose absolutely riveting first 90% make the forced, overly pessimistic ending worth it.
2.5 stars
I seem awfully good at choosing books I end up being disappointed by at the moment.
I wanted to like this so bad, it sounded so good and interesting and different... and it wasn't. None of these things.
First of all, Lauren is really annoying. She's stupid and ignorant and not very well written. Her relationship with Peter was really weird and while I admit that I suck at understanding attraction (both romantic and sexual) foreshadowing, came out of nowhere. I mean, usually authors offer at least some kind of "romantic interaction", aside from stating that the characters find each other hot. But this relationship had nothing of that sort whatsoever. I thought they were still in the "they're hot but I'm not sure I actually like them" phase and then they were suddenly kissing.
Also, I just love it when no one ever explains anything. Suspense is a thing, I know, but it only works if everything gets explained. Instead we have stupid main character + either talking-in-riddles character/ I-won't-talk character = annoyed reader.
There were parts when it was fun, Claire is a wonderful character, Peter is okay, Lost really is an interesting place and the other characters also seemed pretty interesting (but since we don't get much time with them, I can't be sure).
I think this book focuses on the wrong things which is why this was such a disappointing read. It had so much potential.
Usually I love descriptions, I love worldbuilding, but the descriptions in this were always in the middle of a dialogue or another important scene. And I don't mean descriptions of other characters, I mean the surroundings.
And the ending sucked, so.. I won't read the next book, I barely made it through this one.
I seem awfully good at choosing books I end up being disappointed by at the moment.
I wanted to like this so bad, it sounded so good and interesting and different... and it wasn't. None of these things.
First of all, Lauren is really annoying. She's stupid and ignorant and not very well written. Her relationship with Peter was really weird and while I admit that I suck at understanding attraction (both romantic and sexual) foreshadowing, came out of nowhere. I mean, usually authors offer at least some kind of "romantic interaction", aside from stating that the characters find each other hot. But this relationship had nothing of that sort whatsoever. I thought they were still in the "they're hot but I'm not sure I actually like them" phase and then they were suddenly kissing.
Also, I just love it when no one ever explains anything. Suspense is a thing, I know, but it only works if everything gets explained. Instead we have stupid main character + either talking-in-riddles character/ I-won't-talk character = annoyed reader.
There were parts when it was fun, Claire is a wonderful character, Peter is okay, Lost really is an interesting place and the other characters also seemed pretty interesting (but since we don't get much time with them, I can't be sure).
I think this book focuses on the wrong things which is why this was such a disappointing read. It had so much potential.
Usually I love descriptions, I love worldbuilding, but the descriptions in this were always in the middle of a dialogue or another important scene. And I don't mean descriptions of other characters, I mean the surroundings.
And the ending sucked, so.. I won't read the next book, I barely made it through this one.
I picked up The Lost on a whim, thinking it looked like a bit of fun. I expected to toss it aside after a few chapters, regretting my purchase. But the further I got into it, the more I enjoyed this whimsical, warm fairy-tale of a book.
Let me be clear: this is a clear three-star book. It has no illusions about what it is: a confection, devoured quickly and with much enjoyment. A sardonic and directionless but likeable female lead; a mysterious, tattooed hottie with abandonment issues and magical powers as the love interest; a cute young girl to give things a bit of pep and heart. A mysterious world that's part-Narnia, part-Eureka, part Small Town USA, with a twist that's easy to call but still complicates things beautifully when the lead comes face to face with it.
It knows what it wants to do - charm you for an evening or two - and does that. No pretensions, just a clean, fun read about a young woman on an adventure and finding herself. And it's a success.
A few nitpicks:
- Though the lead completes her character arc by the end of the book, it's definitely designed as 'Part 1'. So expect to find both resolution and a maddening lack of closure at the end.
- I thought the relationship between the lead and her love interest could have used some more material to emotionally connect us to them. They have one standout scene involving paintings - those who've read it will know the one - but it's kind of remarkable how little interaction these two have, considering how much weight their relationship later carries.
- In fact, the back half of the book, as the lead digs more into the world and begins to build a life for herself there, could have used more time spent there. As the book isn't overlong, I think this part could have been beefed up without trying the audience's patience, and that might have lent the final chapters even more weight.
That said, I really enjoyed it. I probably won't remember in in a couple years, but it was a fun read, and I'll be following through with the rest of the planned trilogy. Worth picking up.
Let me be clear: this is a clear three-star book. It has no illusions about what it is: a confection, devoured quickly and with much enjoyment. A sardonic and directionless but likeable female lead; a mysterious, tattooed hottie with abandonment issues and magical powers as the love interest; a cute young girl to give things a bit of pep and heart. A mysterious world that's part-Narnia, part-Eureka, part Small Town USA, with a twist that's easy to call but still complicates things beautifully when the lead comes face to face with it.
It knows what it wants to do - charm you for an evening or two - and does that. No pretensions, just a clean, fun read about a young woman on an adventure and finding herself. And it's a success.
A few nitpicks:
- Though the lead completes her character arc by the end of the book, it's definitely designed as 'Part 1'. So expect to find both resolution and a maddening lack of closure at the end.
- I thought the relationship between the lead and her love interest could have used some more material to emotionally connect us to them. They have one standout scene involving paintings - those who've read it will know the one - but it's kind of remarkable how little interaction these two have, considering how much weight their relationship later carries.
- In fact, the back half of the book, as the lead digs more into the world and begins to build a life for herself there, could have used more time spent there. As the book isn't overlong, I think this part could have been beefed up without trying the audience's patience, and that might have lent the final chapters even more weight.
That said, I really enjoyed it. I probably won't remember in in a couple years, but it was a fun read, and I'll be following through with the rest of the planned trilogy. Worth picking up.
4.5! Couldn't put it down. The only problem is that now I'm anxiously awaiting the second book in the series, and this one hasn't even come out yet. Why do I get myself into these situations?
Lauren Chase finds her self in a city called Lost, where all lost things appear and cannot leave until they find themselves. It's a big idea that has a touch of whimsy that I'm admittedly a sucker for. In the end, it was this idea and a bit of the more emotionally gripping aspects toward the end of the story that evened out some of the consistency and writing issues.
The narrative voice takes some getting used to, and if you have little patience for the staccato and often distracted way Lauren tells her story, you'll have a tough time settling in. I liked it, because as we got to know Lauren, the voice made sense. She would go off on these over-active-imagination tangents and have to reign herself in.
That said, the first half of the book kind of dragged on for a bit as Lauren had difficulty accepting the reality around Lost. I can't decide if this is in or out of character: either in because even though everyone kept telling her, "you can't leave without the Missing Man," she kept imagining she could leave, or out because it took her so gosh darn long to accept though she claimed such a nimble imagination. Either way, potions of it took some trudging through.
I liked Lauren, though. She felt like a real, relateable character who was resourceful and brave. She also had a fair bit of wit and dry humor, we totally obviously see she got from her mom. (Feelings.)
I loved Claire as a supporting character. Simply described (a knife-wielding six-year-old in a princess dress) it's kind of eye roll worthy, but she was such a great presence in the story. The other main supporting character was Peter, and there we get into my real issue with the book.
Peter, Peter, Peter. Or really, Durst, Durst, Durst, because my issue isn't so much with the character as it is with the 4976 times Durst told us he was handsome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. It was OVERKILL and really took the story out of the story multiple times. There were way too many instances of something important happening, but Lauren finding herself staring at Peter's lips. Or Peter grabbing her hand and a paragraph describing the perfect perfectness of that hand holding. Every time Peter was mentioned, it felt like we got AT LEAST one line to describe something about his pretty.
I'm not sure how I felt about his over all portrayal. Here is a guy who walks around with jeans and a trench coat and talks almost exclusively in short cryptic sentences or with quotes out of stories like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. It's all supposed to be mysterious, I guess, as there will be a #2 in this series. Things are left up in the air, as far as the town and explanations for it go, though I appreciated that Durst gave us a pretty solid ending for this story.
Over all, I was intrigued by the concept and charmed by MOST of the details. The Lauren/Peter relationship really put a damper on it for me, and the remaining details were just not as tight as they should've been. Still, I'm pretty interested in reading The Missing.
The narrative voice takes some getting used to, and if you have little patience for the staccato and often distracted way Lauren tells her story, you'll have a tough time settling in. I liked it, because as we got to know Lauren, the voice made sense. She would go off on these over-active-imagination tangents and have to reign herself in.
That said, the first half of the book kind of dragged on for a bit as Lauren had difficulty accepting the reality around Lost. I can't decide if this is in or out of character: either in because even though everyone kept telling her, "you can't leave without the Missing Man," she kept imagining she could leave, or out because it took her so gosh darn long to accept though she claimed such a nimble imagination. Either way, potions of it took some trudging through.
I liked Lauren, though. She felt like a real, relateable character who was resourceful and brave. She also had a fair bit of wit and dry humor, we totally obviously see she got from her mom. (Feelings.)
I loved Claire as a supporting character. Simply described (a knife-wielding six-year-old in a princess dress) it's kind of eye roll worthy, but she was such a great presence in the story. The other main supporting character was Peter, and there we get into my real issue with the book.
Peter, Peter, Peter. Or really, Durst, Durst, Durst, because my issue isn't so much with the character as it is with the 4976 times Durst told us he was handsome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. It was OVERKILL and really took the story out of the story multiple times. There were way too many instances of something important happening, but Lauren finding herself staring at Peter's lips. Or Peter grabbing her hand and a paragraph describing the perfect perfectness of that hand holding. Every time Peter was mentioned, it felt like we got AT LEAST one line to describe something about his pretty.
I'm not sure how I felt about his over all portrayal. Here is a guy who walks around with jeans and a trench coat and talks almost exclusively in short cryptic sentences or with quotes out of stories like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. It's all supposed to be mysterious, I guess, as there will be a #2 in this series. Things are left up in the air, as far as the town and explanations for it go, though I appreciated that Durst gave us a pretty solid ending for this story.
Over all, I was intrigued by the concept and charmed by MOST of the details. The Lauren/Peter relationship really put a damper on it for me, and the remaining details were just not as tight as they should've been. Still, I'm pretty interested in reading The Missing.