Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I found the beginning a little juvenile and obnoxious. However, Jess finally grew on me as did the (slightly unbelievably intelligent) Bo. Oh, sweet Bo. As soon as the journal entries ended I found the book much more enjoyable and was satisfied with the realism of the events and the ending. It didn't end easily which was more believable and enjoyable.
“The indifference of the wild is terrifying— I want to be remembered to leave a mark. And it is freeing, knowing that the forest does not care, does not judge … For the first time in my life, there are not expectations of me at all. I decide, again, as I will every day, sometimes once and sometimes a dozen times, that I want to live.”
@megs_bookrack and I are on a survival kick lately with our buddy reads. I gotta say, I went in with few expectations and was really pleasantly surprised. I haven’t read a YA novel in quite a long time and I really didn’t know if this one was gonna be good or not.
What I think I loved most about this story is its discussion on the theme of strength specifically as it pertains to those with disabilities. Jess was pretty badly injured in the car accident that claimed her mother and is still struggling to get the strength back in one leg. She walks with a limp and if she isn’t careful it’s pretty easy for her to trip and fall. Her Dad pushes her more than she believes is healthy and she gets pretty upset at him, believing his insistent nagging is going to setback her healing. I was worried that the ultimate lesson at the end of the book was going to be her realizing that her father right; that “pushing through it was all she needed to do” but I’m relieved to say that wasn’t the message. The message that came across seems to be more about communication and listening to what your body is telling you. It also told a great and uplifting story overall about being creative with solving problems around one’s personal challenges, finding comfort in difficult times, and discovering just how capable we are of overcoming things that can seem utterly impossible.
This was a really great story and I have almost nothing bad to say about. I can’t give it a 5 star because for me it didn’t have that absolutely WOW factor but it was a really wonderful tale.
❄️❄️❄️❄️
@megs_bookrack and I are on a survival kick lately with our buddy reads. I gotta say, I went in with few expectations and was really pleasantly surprised. I haven’t read a YA novel in quite a long time and I really didn’t know if this one was gonna be good or not.
What I think I loved most about this story is its discussion on the theme of strength specifically as it pertains to those with disabilities. Jess was pretty badly injured in the car accident that claimed her mother and is still struggling to get the strength back in one leg. She walks with a limp and if she isn’t careful it’s pretty easy for her to trip and fall. Her Dad pushes her more than she believes is healthy and she gets pretty upset at him, believing his insistent nagging is going to setback her healing. I was worried that the ultimate lesson at the end of the book was going to be her realizing that her father right; that “pushing through it was all she needed to do” but I’m relieved to say that wasn’t the message. The message that came across seems to be more about communication and listening to what your body is telling you. It also told a great and uplifting story overall about being creative with solving problems around one’s personal challenges, finding comfort in difficult times, and discovering just how capable we are of overcoming things that can seem utterly impossible.
This was a really great story and I have almost nothing bad to say about. I can’t give it a 5 star because for me it didn’t have that absolutely WOW factor but it was a really wonderful tale.
❄️❄️❄️❄️
Want to see more bookish things from me? check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q/videos?view_as=subscriber
3.5/5 Stars
Jess Cooper is left alone in the middle of nowhere after witnessing the murder of her father and the cabin she was living in burn to the ground. With Bo, her father's dog as her only companion, Jess must survive winter while waiting for the men to return.
Although entertaining at times, I found this story to be a bit slow for my liking. There were some points that were fast-paced, but most of it was just Jess complaining about her situation... which given the circumstances is understandable... but it got rather repetitive after a while. The best part of the story was Bo, he was so trusting and loyal and the way the author wrote his character was great. He almost seemed human in his mannerisms. I also really loved Griff, he was so pure and I wish we had seen more of him. I did really like the writing style and found it very easy to read. I enjoyed the alternating timelines between 'before' and 'after' and found it interesting how the story eventually merged together to be in the present time. I did feel like the ending was a bit anti-climactic and was a bit disappointed by that. I do think this would be a great read for anyone who enjoys survival stories and I am definitely willing to pick up more of this author's work in the future!
3.5/5 Stars
Jess Cooper is left alone in the middle of nowhere after witnessing the murder of her father and the cabin she was living in burn to the ground. With Bo, her father's dog as her only companion, Jess must survive winter while waiting for the men to return.
Although entertaining at times, I found this story to be a bit slow for my liking. There were some points that were fast-paced, but most of it was just Jess complaining about her situation... which given the circumstances is understandable... but it got rather repetitive after a while. The best part of the story was Bo, he was so trusting and loyal and the way the author wrote his character was great. He almost seemed human in his mannerisms. I also really loved Griff, he was so pure and I wish we had seen more of him. I did really like the writing style and found it very easy to read. I enjoyed the alternating timelines between 'before' and 'after' and found it interesting how the story eventually merged together to be in the present time. I did feel like the ending was a bit anti-climactic and was a bit disappointed by that. I do think this would be a great read for anyone who enjoys survival stories and I am definitely willing to pick up more of this author's work in the future!
*3.5 ⭐️
I’ll admit that this was going to be a three star before the ending. It wasn’t bad before it by any means, I just think it could’ve been shorter.
After her mother’s death, Jess has nowhere to go other than her Dad’s in Alaska. At least that’s where he’s supposed to be. But he actually lives off the grid in a cabin in the woods in Alaska. He has secrets he’s keeping from Jess. And when those secrets catch up to him, Jess must learn how to survive in the wilderness alone.
I wasn’t so sure about Jess in the beginning. She’s quite whiny in the beginning about her situation. I do completely understand why she’s like this. Having her mother die and then being forced to live in an isolated cabin is a pretty big change. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to read over 300 pages of whining. But once Jess is only relying on herself (and her dog, Bo) she grew a lot as a character. I enjoyed following her learn how to survive and toughen up.
My biggest complaint is that I wish we had more flashbacks to her time with her dad. She tells us that he told her all about how to survive, but we don’t see much of that. I just think it would’ve been more realistic if we’d seen more of them being together.
The pacing overall wasn’t the best. The middle dragged quite a bit once the flashbacks were done. I think it would’ve been good if we’d had Jess reflecting on some of the people from her old life. We got a bit, but not enough that I could see her outside of the Canadian wilderness setting.
All of the secrets surrounding Jess’s dad were very exciting. The ending was so explosive and satisfying in my opinion and definitely brought up the rating. There was one choice that I wasn’t the happiest with.
Overall, if looking for a pretty decent survival story with a bit of revenge thrown in there, this is for you. Not too sure if I’ll pick up more from the author but I did enjoy this.
Content warnings below:
dead parents, animal death, violence, murder, pain, wounds
I’ll admit that this was going to be a three star before the ending. It wasn’t bad before it by any means, I just think it could’ve been shorter.
After her mother’s death, Jess has nowhere to go other than her Dad’s in Alaska. At least that’s where he’s supposed to be. But he actually lives off the grid in a cabin in the woods in Alaska. He has secrets he’s keeping from Jess. And when those secrets catch up to him, Jess must learn how to survive in the wilderness alone.
I wasn’t so sure about Jess in the beginning. She’s quite whiny in the beginning about her situation. I do completely understand why she’s like this. Having her mother die and then being forced to live in an isolated cabin is a pretty big change. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to read over 300 pages of whining. But once Jess is only relying on herself (and her dog, Bo) she grew a lot as a character. I enjoyed following her learn how to survive and toughen up.
My biggest complaint is that I wish we had more flashbacks to her time with her dad. She tells us that he told her all about how to survive, but we don’t see much of that. I just think it would’ve been more realistic if we’d seen more of them being together.
The pacing overall wasn’t the best. The middle dragged quite a bit once the flashbacks were done. I think it would’ve been good if we’d had Jess reflecting on some of the people from her old life. We got a bit, but not enough that I could see her outside of the Canadian wilderness setting.
All of the secrets surrounding Jess’s dad were very exciting. The ending was so explosive and satisfying in my opinion and definitely brought up the rating. There was one choice that I wasn’t the happiest with.
Overall, if looking for a pretty decent survival story with a bit of revenge thrown in there, this is for you. Not too sure if I’ll pick up more from the author but I did enjoy this.
Content warnings below:
This book was way more emotional than I expected and now I'm crying.
4.5*
4.5*
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Thank you Edelweiss for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review!
3.25/3.5 out of 5 stars
So, when I requested this book, the main element I was excited about was it being a survival story since I had not picked up one of those in a long time, and well, that’s exactly what I got.
This story follows Jess and the events leading up to her treacherous journey to stay alive in the Alaskan wilderness. The narration flips back and forth between the past and how she ended up there to the present and how she is making do with her situation. She writes everything down in hopes that someone will find the truth if she does die.
Now, this was a promising backbone of a story, yet, I still do not feel that it extended much further than that. We see Jess try to learn to fish, hunt, and create shelter, but because of the way the author writes this, I was left somewhat bored and realized I was skimming rather than feeling engrossed in the story. Also, Jess makes a lot of really dumb mistakes and it takes a while for her to learn from them. The synopsis includes the notion of this novel being a “revenge” story, and while there is an element of that throughout, it felt pretty lackluster and I found myself wanting more. There is some really good disability rep in here, though, which I very much appreciated!!
Despite my issues, I still found this to progressively get more and more interesting as the story went on and when it ended, I felt satisfied having read it. I also really liked the writing; I think Kate Alice Marshall has some really great potential for future books!!
I think someone who is just getting into survival stories would really enjoy this for what it is, but seasoned survival story readers might find it a bit underwhelming.
Trigger Warnings:Shown deaths, (both human and animal), Guns, Perilous situations
3.25/3.5 out of 5 stars
So, when I requested this book, the main element I was excited about was it being a survival story since I had not picked up one of those in a long time, and well, that’s exactly what I got.
This story follows Jess and the events leading up to her treacherous journey to stay alive in the Alaskan wilderness. The narration flips back and forth between the past and how she ended up there to the present and how she is making do with her situation. She writes everything down in hopes that someone will find the truth if she does die.
Now, this was a promising backbone of a story, yet, I still do not feel that it extended much further than that. We see Jess try to learn to fish, hunt, and create shelter, but because of the way the author writes this, I was left somewhat bored and realized I was skimming rather than feeling engrossed in the story. Also, Jess makes a lot of really dumb mistakes and it takes a while for her to learn from them. The synopsis includes the notion of this novel being a “revenge” story, and while there is an element of that throughout, it felt pretty lackluster and I found myself wanting more. There is some really good disability rep in here, though, which I very much appreciated!!
Despite my issues, I still found this to progressively get more and more interesting as the story went on and when it ended, I felt satisfied having read it. I also really liked the writing; I think Kate Alice Marshall has some really great potential for future books!!
I think someone who is just getting into survival stories would really enjoy this for what it is, but seasoned survival story readers might find it a bit underwhelming.
Trigger Warnings:
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I love survival stories and the first few chapters of I Am Still Alive had me thinking I was getting into a good one. Sadly it went up and downhill for a while after that. Our survivalist, Jess, is so frustratingly clueless and whiny at some points I wanted to quit reading. It was frustrating not because she didn't know how to survive in the wild, but because of the half hearted way she did things (lazily putting up a sheet and securing with *glass jars* during a storm/letting her dog go out in a canoe with her/not being careful with her fire). Also my biggest complaint and which I think was a true flaw in the story was that Jess is giving two significant abilities: she is amazing at archery and was even working on getting her pilot's license. You may think that these two things will be significant to her survival but for some reason she doesn't try to use her bow and arrow to hunt for most of the story and instead focuses on trying to find bullets for a gun she has while she starves....I just didn't get this. In terms of her flying abilities she is given a chance to steal a plane from some bad guys and escape but she botches it beyond comprehension and instead of an awesome plot where she flies away with her trusty dog Bo she is found by rescuers that she had to radio in. I just don't understand why the author put the flying bit in there if the character never even got to use that ability .
What I did like - the author put some serious research into this and I really felt a lot of the story was authentic. It was also fast paced which kept me reading even though our main character was pretty frustrating.
What I did like - the author put some serious research into this and I really felt a lot of the story was authentic. It was also fast paced which kept me reading even though our main character was pretty frustrating.