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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall’s story of 16 year old Jess in the Canadian wilderness.
Jess loses her mother in a car accident that also mangles her leg to the point of mobility deficiencies. After a stint in foster care, she gets sent to live with her stranger of a father in the middle of nowhere Canada. One way in, by plane; no one else knows they’re out there, until the bad guys come calling after dear old dad.
I like the way the first half of the book is presented in Before and After chapters; before and after her father’s death. We already know that event occurs, but lack the details. The story unfurls from both ends of the timeline, meeting in the middle until we’re finally clued in.
So, Jess has only a few days with her dad to learn how to survive in the wild; but she squanders most of it by continually reminding him that he abandoned her as a kid, or arguing that her disability means she can’t do the work.
She really regrets ignoring her dad’s lessons when he is murdered and the killers burn down her only shelter and food supply. With the exception of her dad’s dog, Bo, she is truly on her own with winter fast approaching.
Jess definitely digs down deep to survive out there. I will say that I she seemed to get lucky a lot when things were looking really bad. Like, how do I get fire started? Oh look, the canoe, that just so happens to have a tackle box, first aid kit, and flint kit inside. Or, when she’s out of food and starving she stumbles across the float lures in the lake. Winter is coming and her shelter is crap, finds map to OTHER cabin with food supply. Each of these moments saved her from certain death. But I guess her survivability was in adaptability. I still have to give her credit because it took a lot of work and grit to stay alive even with those resources.
Then the book reminded me of The Great Alone meets Home Alone.
Jess started preparing for the inevitable return and revenge on the men that killed her father. They have to come back for the stuff they hid, and when they do she’ll be ready. I liked her tenacity. She’s a wild woman now and she used her knowledge of the land to her advantage.
I said it at the time, and I’ll say it again; she should’ve killed the pilot when she had the chance. That was her plan after all, and because she hesitated, things went awry. She still figured out a way to outsmart the men and turn the tide back in her favor.
BUT, Kate Alice Marshall, you lost a star when you killed Bo! I know Jess had to do it out of mercy, but she had already lost everything else, couldn’t you have let her save the dang dog?!
I felt conflicted about the ending too. It was nice to see Jess make it through and get rescued. But how do you go back to society after living so remotely and intensely for day to day survival? Seeing everyone take modern amenities for granted; things that were literally life or death issues in the wilderness.
Jess loses her mother in a car accident that also mangles her leg to the point of mobility deficiencies. After a stint in foster care, she gets sent to live with her stranger of a father in the middle of nowhere Canada. One way in, by plane; no one else knows they’re out there, until the bad guys come calling after dear old dad.
I like the way the first half of the book is presented in Before and After chapters; before and after her father’s death. We already know that event occurs, but lack the details. The story unfurls from both ends of the timeline, meeting in the middle until we’re finally clued in.
So, Jess has only a few days with her dad to learn how to survive in the wild; but she squanders most of it by continually reminding him that he abandoned her as a kid, or arguing that her disability means she can’t do the work.
She really regrets ignoring her dad’s lessons when he is murdered and the killers burn down her only shelter and food supply. With the exception of her dad’s dog, Bo, she is truly on her own with winter fast approaching.
Jess definitely digs down deep to survive out there. I will say that I she seemed to get lucky a lot when things were looking really bad. Like, how do I get fire started? Oh look, the canoe, that just so happens to have a tackle box, first aid kit, and flint kit inside. Or, when she’s out of food and starving she stumbles across the float lures in the lake. Winter is coming and her shelter is crap, finds map to OTHER cabin with food supply. Each of these moments saved her from certain death. But I guess her survivability was in adaptability. I still have to give her credit because it took a lot of work and grit to stay alive even with those resources.
Then the book reminded me of The Great Alone meets Home Alone.
Jess started preparing for the inevitable return and revenge on the men that killed her father. They have to come back for the stuff they hid, and when they do she’ll be ready. I liked her tenacity. She’s a wild woman now and she used her knowledge of the land to her advantage.
I said it at the time, and I’ll say it again; she should’ve killed the pilot when she had the chance. That was her plan after all, and because she hesitated, things went awry. She still figured out a way to outsmart the men and turn the tide back in her favor.
BUT, Kate Alice Marshall, you lost a star when you killed Bo! I know Jess had to do it out of mercy, but she had already lost everything else, couldn’t you have let her save the dang dog?!
I felt conflicted about the ending too. It was nice to see Jess make it through and get rescued. But how do you go back to society after living so remotely and intensely for day to day survival? Seeing everyone take modern amenities for granted; things that were literally life or death issues in the wilderness.
I Am Still Alive tells the story of Jess, a teenage girl whose mother recently died in the car crash that injured her leg, making it hard for her too walk. So when she’s sent off into the Canadian wilderness to live with her survivalist father, she knows she will hate it. But just as she starts getting to know him, men from her father’s past come and kill him, leaving her stranded and left to fend for herself. With only her father’s dog to keep her company, Jess begins to feel like she will become yet another victim of starvation in the forest. But, one thought keeps her from letting it take her. She knows her father’s killer, and she won’t let him go without giving him a taste of his own medicine.
This was the perfect example of a book I didn’t expect to love, but absolutely did. The author was able to weave the perfect novel that would keep fantasy lovers like me entertained, while also making sure nothing was to crazy and unbelievable that the usual reader of contemporary would not be put off, with a thriller twist. She accomplished this through both her accelerating plot and unique writing style that made readers not only engaged in her words, but taking notes. I am Still Alive was written in a series of ‘before’ and ‘after’ chapters, both of which revolving around when her father was killed. This made is so whenever the reader was at one part of the narrative, they would wonder about how it might connect to the other, seeking connections and pulling on strings the author masterfully put in order to trick readers. Several times while reading, I remember thinking that this was when Jess will be saved, or that will be the death of her. But the author continued to prove that nothing is what it seems when you are out alone in the wilderness.
Check out the rest of my review: https://thebookenigma.weebly.com/book-reviews/i-am-still-alive-blog-tour
This was the perfect example of a book I didn’t expect to love, but absolutely did. The author was able to weave the perfect novel that would keep fantasy lovers like me entertained, while also making sure nothing was to crazy and unbelievable that the usual reader of contemporary would not be put off, with a thriller twist. She accomplished this through both her accelerating plot and unique writing style that made readers not only engaged in her words, but taking notes. I am Still Alive was written in a series of ‘before’ and ‘after’ chapters, both of which revolving around when her father was killed. This made is so whenever the reader was at one part of the narrative, they would wonder about how it might connect to the other, seeking connections and pulling on strings the author masterfully put in order to trick readers. Several times while reading, I remember thinking that this was when Jess will be saved, or that will be the death of her. But the author continued to prove that nothing is what it seems when you are out alone in the wilderness.
Check out the rest of my review: https://thebookenigma.weebly.com/book-reviews/i-am-still-alive-blog-tour
I’d give this a strong 3.5. I liked the idea of the plot which is what initially drew me to the book the in first place. The relationship between Jess and he father was absolutely amazing. I liked how things ended with them still not being extremely close since that was completely unrealistic. I like her dad_ while he was there of course_ and thought his character was very interesting. I loved seeing Jess grow from a fragile little girl to a strong self sufficient woman. I particularly enjoyed just how close to death the author brought Jess and how descriptive it described her ailments. The way her hunger and desperation and even how cold she was have the novel a certain edge that was really enjoyable. Also the small victories gave the reader a good sense of hope. My one problem with this book was the goals of Jess. She wanted revenge, but I don’t feel like revenge was a major point of the story, even towards the end. It kind of took a back seat to everything else.
this is my favorite book of all time. i love the writing style and the way it switches to before her father died to after. we get to see this broken girl turned into a strong woman and ugh i just love it.
I got this book as a gift and started reading it but half way through I stopped because I just wasn’t hooked. A few months later I had nothing else to read so decided to give it a second chance. Reading the second half was so much more enjoyable than the first half and I was hooked. There are some crazy plot twists and developments that I don’t usually find in survival stories and loved. The one thing that bugged me though, is that it is unrealistic in a few aspects. I live in northwestern Ontario and on cold days in the winter it can go down to -40 and it is impossible to be outside without a jacket for a few minutes, much less days without getting serious frost bite. The main character is trapped a lot farther north than where I live and, on top of not having a jacket, is malnourished, injured and without shelter. There is no way she would have survived that long in the cold. Even worse, the extreme cold isn’t really mentioned that much. Other than that this was a great book.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story is told in first person, from two points in her life. The first is 'before' and the second is 'after'. Jess goes to live with her dad in a remote area of Canada and her survival drives the plot. I was on the edge of my seat, cheering her on as she tried to survive. There is some mild swearing and some violence and a bit of goriness. Fans of adventure or outdoor stories will enjoy this book. It is a great readalike for Hatchet. 6th grade and up.
