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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lucky streak is continuing. clever story/illustrations and I can think of quite a few read-alikes...
The story was well written but the letters/correspondence in the images was very difficult to read.
I have to say I really enjoyed this read. Being a photographer, it was fun reading a story that had the old photographic processes entwined in an old fashioned mystery. The story kept a good pace and had a satisfying outcome.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I really got caught up in Jennie's story and couldn't put it Picture the Dead down which is definitely the mark of a good book. While there is some supernatural elements in the story, it's mostly a good historical fiction novel about life in the aftermath of the Civil War. I wouldn't say any of it is especially creepy quick is the kind of ghost stories I like. I can't handle the scary stuff. The illustrations drawn in the book really add to the plot and setting the mood of the story. The characters were wonderfully written and I felt you really get to know all of them. Jennie's character was fantastic. I would absolutely read another book by Adele Griffin.
I did not like this book. Paranormal historical fiction is usually something I really enjoy, but I didn’t like how this story was presented. While the art left something to be desired, I found the writing dull and lackluster. The plot itself wasn’t bad, but everything else just left me deeply disappointed.
Jennie Lovell has lost much. Orphaned, she and her twin brother Toby go to live with her miserly relatives, where she eventually falls in love. Then she loses her twin brother to the Civil War, and now it looks as though she’s lost her fiancé, Will, too. Will’s brother Quinn is the only one to return from the war, albeit wounded.
Then Jennie is convinced that Will is haunting her. But why? And why won’t Quinn tell her how he died? She has no one to turn to, nowhere to go, and her life is getting worse by the day. When Quinn shows interest in her, she goes along with it – for a remaining connection to Will, for a roof over her head, for the love he says he has for her. But is Quinn really what he seems?
Before you know it, Jennie is poking around – and finds more than she bargained for.
Told in Jennie’s first-person point of view, Picture the Dead entertains with the story, and with the illustrations contained within. It is achingly sad, yet romantic. Jennie’s innocence shines through, her heartbreak and confusion palpable. Her curiosity is endearing, and her scrapbook entries, honest. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Picture the Dead, and love that I get to share it with you.
Visit www.picturethedead.com for more information on the authors, and discover the goodies, games, and pastimes available on the ‘Divertissements’ page.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
Then Jennie is convinced that Will is haunting her. But why? And why won’t Quinn tell her how he died? She has no one to turn to, nowhere to go, and her life is getting worse by the day. When Quinn shows interest in her, she goes along with it – for a remaining connection to Will, for a roof over her head, for the love he says he has for her. But is Quinn really what he seems?
Before you know it, Jennie is poking around – and finds more than she bargained for.
Told in Jennie’s first-person point of view, Picture the Dead entertains with the story, and with the illustrations contained within. It is achingly sad, yet romantic. Jennie’s innocence shines through, her heartbreak and confusion palpable. Her curiosity is endearing, and her scrapbook entries, honest. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Picture the Dead, and love that I get to share it with you.
Visit www.picturethedead.com for more information on the authors, and discover the goodies, games, and pastimes available on the ‘Divertissements’ page.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my second time reading this book, and I found myself enjoying it much more than I did than when I first read it, which led me to up my original rating of three stars to four stars. It may be that I'm older or that I'm more experienced with really taking apart a book and separating what I enjoyed and did not enjoy or that maybe this book is just a book that is better the second time around. Either way, it was a ride that I had fun with.
Probably the best part of this book that we hope is present in all books is an interesting and engaging plot. It was full of mystery and the pictures (what really drove me into buying this book in the first place, to be honest) help make the book that much more entertaining. There is a huge plot twist at the end of this book that I didn't see coming at all. The plot was just so good, and that's all I can reveal without giving anything away completely.
I also really love the time period. Picture the Dead takes place during the Civil War and three of the main characters family members are part of the Union army. One of my favorite things is when books take a time period and add a twist to them, which is what this book did. Much of the supernatural things (ghost photography, anyway. I can't speak for the whole 'feeling presences' thing) are real events that Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown used to their advantage.
A cool aspect of this book that really surprised me and that I enjoyed very much was that it seemed to have a little bit of everything: it had history, supernatural aspects, romance, mystery, and took place during a war. Every one of these things were present in equal regard and captivated me. It always helps if a book has a damn good setting and the authors pushed it even further by having it in a mixture of genres.
Finally, as I mentioned before, the pictures are great in this book. It was pretty much the entire reason I bought it, and I bought it when I bought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Although it isn't real photography as in Miss Peregrine's, the drawings help the story immensely by giving you slips of paper and letters to read in addition to the actual novel.
Although I liked many things about this book, there were two things I absolutely hated. First is the romance in the book. It seemed a little annoying and unrealistic. I couldn't seen the main character doing such a thing after her fiance recently died. It made me dislike the main character for a while until she redeemed herself toward the end of the book.
My other problem is the writing present in the pictures. Much of it is in cursive, which wouldn't be a problem, but it's so ornate or cramped or messy (there are many different people writing, mind you) that it was difficult to read some of the notes that were vital to the story. I feel like it could have been a bit neater.
Anyway, I plan to write a discussion about the character Quinn in this story, which I'll publish as soon as I write it. It may be tonight. It may be a few days from now, but I'll eventually post it once I'm finished with my speculations. I encourage everyone to read this if they want to read that speculation, because it contains MAJOR spoilers!
A LINK TO MY BLOG FOR REVIEWS ON BOOKS, MOVIES, TV SHOWS, MUSIC, AND MORE! DISCUSSIONS ARE ALSO A PART OF THIS BLOG (INCLUDING THE ONE FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER QUINN) -----> http://booksandmoviesandmusic.blogspot.com/
Probably the best part of this book that we hope is present in all books is an interesting and engaging plot. It was full of mystery and the pictures (what really drove me into buying this book in the first place, to be honest) help make the book that much more entertaining. There is a huge plot twist at the end of this book that I didn't see coming at all. The plot was just so good, and that's all I can reveal without giving anything away completely.
I also really love the time period. Picture the Dead takes place during the Civil War and three of the main characters family members are part of the Union army. One of my favorite things is when books take a time period and add a twist to them, which is what this book did. Much of the supernatural things (ghost photography, anyway. I can't speak for the whole 'feeling presences' thing) are real events that Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown used to their advantage.
A cool aspect of this book that really surprised me and that I enjoyed very much was that it seemed to have a little bit of everything: it had history, supernatural aspects, romance, mystery, and took place during a war. Every one of these things were present in equal regard and captivated me. It always helps if a book has a damn good setting and the authors pushed it even further by having it in a mixture of genres.
Finally, as I mentioned before, the pictures are great in this book. It was pretty much the entire reason I bought it, and I bought it when I bought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Although it isn't real photography as in Miss Peregrine's, the drawings help the story immensely by giving you slips of paper and letters to read in addition to the actual novel.
Although I liked many things about this book, there were two things I absolutely hated. First is the romance in the book. It seemed a little annoying and unrealistic. I couldn't seen the main character doing such a thing after her fiance recently died. It made me dislike the main character for a while until she redeemed herself toward the end of the book.
My other problem is the writing present in the pictures. Much of it is in cursive, which wouldn't be a problem, but it's so ornate or cramped or messy (there are many different people writing, mind you) that it was difficult to read some of the notes that were vital to the story. I feel like it could have been a bit neater.
Anyway, I plan to write a discussion about the character Quinn in this story, which I'll publish as soon as I write it. It may be tonight. It may be a few days from now, but I'll eventually post it once I'm finished with my speculations. I encourage everyone to read this if they want to read that speculation, because it contains MAJOR spoilers!
A LINK TO MY BLOG FOR REVIEWS ON BOOKS, MOVIES, TV SHOWS, MUSIC, AND MORE! DISCUSSIONS ARE ALSO A PART OF THIS BLOG (INCLUDING THE ONE FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER QUINN) -----> http://booksandmoviesandmusic.blogspot.com/