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tristamaxine's review against another edition
4.0
“My father's answer was revenge-has always been revenge-and the outcome was just, but not better. Nothing is fixed.”
Wow, I really enjoyed that! This is a book that I've owned for a while now and finally decided to pick it up last night on a whim. I think the reason it took me so long was because I was a bit hesitant after my first experience with the author ([b:The Replacement|7507908|The Replacement|Brenna Yovanoff|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327088378s/7507908.jpg|6911742], which I totally plan on trying again sometime). In my opinion though this novel was extremely more interesting.
Like many people, what first drew me to this was the idea of the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer. It isn't exactly the type of plot that you come across every day, and in a sea of YA books that all start to seem the same that means something. Sure it was a little disappointing that Daphne's parents didn't make more of an appearance, but those times they did show up weren't wasted.
I liked every character in this book. Normally I'll like a few of the characters and just barely tolerate the rest, but I really can't think of one in [b:The Space Between|218357|The Space Between Us|Thrity Umrigar|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347577895s/218357.jpg|1183462] that I didn't find likable to some degree. Daphne was just great; I loved that for a demon she was so innocent and good. Even if she doesn't quite understand what it means at first, she genuinely cares about the people in her life and would go to all lengths for them. Truman, tragic and miserable as he was, never really got on my nerves like most similar characters might have. He's on a self-destructive path spiraling downward, but you can tell that deep down he wishes he could find a way out of it. That's something that he starts to realize once Daphne shows up in his life. It's like you can really see him start to heal parts of himself that he thought was ruined the more time they spent together.
All of these characters have layers to them. Even the ones we don't see much of, such as Azrael, Charlie, Alexa, and Daphne's family. Actually one of the characters I found the most intriguing was Moloch; he just ended up being so different than I'd originally thought him to be. These people, even if their appearances were scarce, mattered to the story...and that can't always be said for the minor characters.
There were many other things that I really loved; the imagine we are given of hell, for instance. Let's not forget the romantic side of things. The relationship between Truman and Daphne actually develops at a *gasp* normal pace! They aren't madly in love with each other the first day that they meet and actually get to know one another before they start making grand declarations of their undying devotion.
Honestly I can't even think of anything negative to say right now (aside from a few pacing issues here and there). I found this to be a touching, unique, and quick read that I enjoyed a good deal. Naturally it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I do think that it brings something new to the genre and I could see myself reading it again sometime.
Wow, I really enjoyed that! This is a book that I've owned for a while now and finally decided to pick it up last night on a whim. I think the reason it took me so long was because I was a bit hesitant after my first experience with the author ([b:The Replacement|7507908|The Replacement|Brenna Yovanoff|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327088378s/7507908.jpg|6911742], which I totally plan on trying again sometime). In my opinion though this novel was extremely more interesting.
Like many people, what first drew me to this was the idea of the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer. It isn't exactly the type of plot that you come across every day, and in a sea of YA books that all start to seem the same that means something. Sure it was a little disappointing that Daphne's parents didn't make more of an appearance, but those times they did show up weren't wasted.
I liked every character in this book. Normally I'll like a few of the characters and just barely tolerate the rest, but I really can't think of one in [b:The Space Between|218357|The Space Between Us|Thrity Umrigar|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347577895s/218357.jpg|1183462] that I didn't find likable to some degree. Daphne was just great; I loved that for a demon she was so innocent and good. Even if she doesn't quite understand what it means at first, she genuinely cares about the people in her life and would go to all lengths for them. Truman, tragic and miserable as he was, never really got on my nerves like most similar characters might have. He's on a self-destructive path spiraling downward, but you can tell that deep down he wishes he could find a way out of it. That's something that he starts to realize once Daphne shows up in his life. It's like you can really see him start to heal parts of himself that he thought was ruined the more time they spent together.
All of these characters have layers to them. Even the ones we don't see much of, such as Azrael, Charlie, Alexa, and Daphne's family. Actually one of the characters I found the most intriguing was Moloch; he just ended up being so different than I'd originally thought him to be. These people, even if their appearances were scarce, mattered to the story...and that can't always be said for the minor characters.
There were many other things that I really loved; the imagine we are given of hell, for instance. Let's not forget the romantic side of things. The relationship between Truman and Daphne actually develops at a *gasp* normal pace! They aren't madly in love with each other the first day that they meet and actually get to know one another before they start making grand declarations of their undying devotion.
Honestly I can't even think of anything negative to say right now (aside from a few pacing issues here and there). I found this to be a touching, unique, and quick read that I enjoyed a good deal. Naturally it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I do think that it brings something new to the genre and I could see myself reading it again sometime.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
4.0
Brenna's debut novel, The Replacement didn't really appeal to me. Don't get me wrong; the novel was a study in world building with a story line that's quite unique. But the lyrical writing left me completely baffled. I thought that the book was better suited for the intellectual types, because heaven knows, I've yet to figure out what it was about.
When I saw this book on Goodreads, I'd given it a somewhat lukewarm reception. I was expecting the same writing style - puzzling in a lot of ways but beautiful nonetheless. But after reading just the first two chapters of The Space Between, I could tell that my reactions to Brenna's books would be as different as night and day.
The simplistic beauty of Ms. Yavanoff's writing quickly ensnared me. I know that lyrical prose are just the bees' knees but sometimes, authors tend over-write a story. I'm a fan of say what you mean, and mean what you say principle in life and the same goes when I read. Don't over think a scenario. Don't convolute the story with flowery words that has a tendency to complicate the simplest of things. If we were to speak in fashion terms, don't over accessorize. I think Brenna's straightforward writing in this novel made my reading experience much more pleasant.
There are a lot of ways where TSB trumps all the other angels and demons books that are out there. First of all, angels blur the line of good and evil and the same goes for the demons. It was so easy to root for the demons because other than collecting souls destined to hell, they weren't the homicidal, evil bunch that we've come to know. Angel Azrael particularly, makes the perfect candidate for the most sinister, pyschopathic character of the year. He's an angel...of the blood-letting, torture-loving variety. The good and evil scale was certainly imbalanced in this book. There were more good on the demons' side than on the angel's side. Confused yet? It's simple really. It was a role-reversal of epic proportions. But not all demons were sporting an invisible halo - as was in the case of Beezlebub. I'm still on the fence about where to categorize him but knowing the reasons for doing what he did, I could sympathize to a point.
Daphne, the main character is a spawn of Lilith and Lucifer who decided to go earth-bound to find her brother Obie. The best thing about these siblings is that they seemed to have not gotten the memos that they were supposed to be evil. Obie, for instance, saves broken souls from an imminent eternal stint in hell. Granted, his father is Adam (yes, that Adam!) but her mother is Lilith. In Jewish Mythology, she was Adam's first wife - the disobedient one and consequently, the evil one. Obie decided to leave Pandemonium for good in exchange for a dismal life on earth. But when he disappeared, Daphne had no choice but to find the only semblance of love she knows - that of her love for her brother. On the surface, it would seem like she's just a half-demon, half-angel who was suffering from an identity crisis. But deep inside, she's really consciously fighting her true nature - the succubus. This girl has some pretty wild abilities. Aside from being a firestarter, she could take away a person's dark emotions - sadness, grief. She could also walk in your dreams and her shed blood turns into an army of Daphne. I honestly think that being a demon doesn't fit her bill. She wasn't evil - maybe a little confused about her identity but definitely far from evil.
I know this review is getting longer but I really must say a few words about Truman. He's angsty, rebellious and had a predilection to suicide. I just want to take this boy home, feed him, clothe him, cuddle him. It's the mother in me. His loneliness was so real that the sadness just drips off the pages. And this was where Daphne had to fight her instinct to drink all of Truman's darkness away. In fact, she could've easily have taken all his pain but she chose not to because it wasn't hers to take. Truman also has a bit of a history. The fight to skip through pages took a lot from me. I was impatient to know the real Truman and when the revelation happened, it was a little...underwhelming. There wasn't much fan fare. I thought that his reactions toward the appearance of Daphne and her kind in his life was too nonchalant - as was his reaction when he learned who his real father was.
Even so, this book was amazing. I think that Ms. Yovanoff went over and above all the angels and demons myth retellings that we've been reading. The most admirable element about her writing is her ability to create the most visceral and yet fantastical world. The Space Between clearly shows her versatility in such a way that she was able to go off tangent from her inaugural work. I couldn't say it was a personal growth as a writer but I think she just widened her spectrum to reach a broader audience.
When I saw this book on Goodreads, I'd given it a somewhat lukewarm reception. I was expecting the same writing style - puzzling in a lot of ways but beautiful nonetheless. But after reading just the first two chapters of The Space Between, I could tell that my reactions to Brenna's books would be as different as night and day.
The simplistic beauty of Ms. Yavanoff's writing quickly ensnared me. I know that lyrical prose are just the bees' knees but sometimes, authors tend over-write a story. I'm a fan of say what you mean, and mean what you say principle in life and the same goes when I read. Don't over think a scenario. Don't convolute the story with flowery words that has a tendency to complicate the simplest of things. If we were to speak in fashion terms, don't over accessorize. I think Brenna's straightforward writing in this novel made my reading experience much more pleasant.
There are a lot of ways where TSB trumps all the other angels and demons books that are out there. First of all, angels blur the line of good and evil and the same goes for the demons. It was so easy to root for the demons because other than collecting souls destined to hell, they weren't the homicidal, evil bunch that we've come to know. Angel Azrael particularly, makes the perfect candidate for the most sinister, pyschopathic character of the year. He's an angel...of the blood-letting, torture-loving variety. The good and evil scale was certainly imbalanced in this book. There were more good on the demons' side than on the angel's side. Confused yet? It's simple really. It was a role-reversal of epic proportions. But not all demons were sporting an invisible halo - as was in the case of Beezlebub. I'm still on the fence about where to categorize him but knowing the reasons for doing what he did, I could sympathize to a point.
Daphne, the main character is a spawn of Lilith and Lucifer who decided to go earth-bound to find her brother Obie. The best thing about these siblings is that they seemed to have not gotten the memos that they were supposed to be evil. Obie, for instance, saves broken souls from an imminent eternal stint in hell. Granted, his father is Adam (yes, that Adam!) but her mother is Lilith. In Jewish Mythology, she was Adam's first wife - the disobedient one and consequently, the evil one. Obie decided to leave Pandemonium for good in exchange for a dismal life on earth. But when he disappeared, Daphne had no choice but to find the only semblance of love she knows - that of her love for her brother. On the surface, it would seem like she's just a half-demon, half-angel who was suffering from an identity crisis. But deep inside, she's really consciously fighting her true nature - the succubus. This girl has some pretty wild abilities. Aside from being a firestarter, she could take away a person's dark emotions - sadness, grief. She could also walk in your dreams and her shed blood turns into an army of Daphne. I honestly think that being a demon doesn't fit her bill. She wasn't evil - maybe a little confused about her identity but definitely far from evil.
I know this review is getting longer but I really must say a few words about Truman. He's angsty, rebellious and had a predilection to suicide. I just want to take this boy home, feed him, clothe him, cuddle him. It's the mother in me. His loneliness was so real that the sadness just drips off the pages. And this was where Daphne had to fight her instinct to drink all of Truman's darkness away. In fact, she could've easily have taken all his pain but she chose not to because it wasn't hers to take. Truman also has a bit of a history. The fight to skip through pages took a lot from me. I was impatient to know the real Truman and when the revelation happened, it was a little...underwhelming. There wasn't much fan fare. I thought that his reactions toward the appearance of Daphne and her kind in his life was too nonchalant - as was his reaction when he learned who his real father was.
Even so, this book was amazing. I think that Ms. Yovanoff went over and above all the angels and demons myth retellings that we've been reading. The most admirable element about her writing is her ability to create the most visceral and yet fantastical world. The Space Between clearly shows her versatility in such a way that she was able to go off tangent from her inaugural work. I couldn't say it was a personal growth as a writer but I think she just widened her spectrum to reach a broader audience.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
I hate myself right now. I’ve had Brenna’s books on my shelf for quite some time and I only just recently picked one up and read it. Now I’m definitely going to make time to read her others because The Space Between was completely mind-blowingly fabulous!
From the very start of the book I was intrigued. Daphne is the demon daughter of Lucifer and Lilith who sets off into the mortal world in search of her half brother who is the son of Adam and Lilith. Along the way she meets some very interesting characters, including Truman who I will talk more about later. The prologue grabs reader’s attention immediately and while my attention did wane a little bit in the first few chapters I was quickly hooked again once I got about 60 pages into the book. And while the first few chapters are a little dull, Brenna’s gorgeous writing makes up for it.
The characters were interesting, to say the least. Daphne has grown up in Pandemonium (Hell) and she has had pretty much no interaction with humans. What she knows about humans comes from TV shows and things her brother brings back for her from the mortal world. Needless to say when she gets to the mortal world she is a little overwhelmed. She doesn’t know how to interact with humans, how to act like a human, and she’s a little closed off but that’s why she has Truman! Truman is one of the most messed up characters I have ever read about and all I wanted to do through the whole book was help him. He was super sweet and funny in a totally twisted way. His life was even more messed up than Daphne’s but he was willing to help her. And along the way they are joined by the completely fabulous Raymie but I won’t tell you any more about her. Just expect a surprise.
The writing was by far the best part of The Space Between. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the characters and I loved the story but the writing was beyond amazing. It was lyrical and captivating and reason enough for me to read every other book Brenna Yovanoff ever writes. It’s a very different story but I have to say that with the writing style I was reminded of Laini Taylor’s books and that is high praise coming from me.
Overall, The Space Between is worth checking out. It’s a creepy, lovely, awesome book that I definitely plan to read again sometime in the future!
From the very start of the book I was intrigued. Daphne is the demon daughter of Lucifer and Lilith who sets off into the mortal world in search of her half brother who is the son of Adam and Lilith. Along the way she meets some very interesting characters, including Truman who I will talk more about later. The prologue grabs reader’s attention immediately and while my attention did wane a little bit in the first few chapters I was quickly hooked again once I got about 60 pages into the book. And while the first few chapters are a little dull, Brenna’s gorgeous writing makes up for it.
The characters were interesting, to say the least. Daphne has grown up in Pandemonium (Hell) and she has had pretty much no interaction with humans. What she knows about humans comes from TV shows and things her brother brings back for her from the mortal world. Needless to say when she gets to the mortal world she is a little overwhelmed. She doesn’t know how to interact with humans, how to act like a human, and she’s a little closed off but that’s why she has Truman! Truman is one of the most messed up characters I have ever read about and all I wanted to do through the whole book was help him. He was super sweet and funny in a totally twisted way. His life was even more messed up than Daphne’s but he was willing to help her. And along the way they are joined by the completely fabulous Raymie but I won’t tell you any more about her. Just expect a surprise.
The writing was by far the best part of The Space Between. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the characters and I loved the story but the writing was beyond amazing. It was lyrical and captivating and reason enough for me to read every other book Brenna Yovanoff ever writes. It’s a very different story but I have to say that with the writing style I was reminded of Laini Taylor’s books and that is high praise coming from me.
Overall, The Space Between is worth checking out. It’s a creepy, lovely, awesome book that I definitely plan to read again sometime in the future!
cjyu's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I got slightly confused at the end, but otherwise than that, pretty good. A good book, but still kind of your average thing of fallen angels and hell and demons. I like the idea of Lilith and Lucifer as a couple though, interesting idea. Unique take, and likable characters, AND DEEP. This has a slight element of a lost broken down character in a contemporary novel.
I got slightly confused at the end, but otherwise than that, pretty good. A good book, but still kind of your average thing of fallen angels and hell and demons. I like the idea of Lilith and Lucifer as a couple though, interesting idea. Unique take, and likable characters, AND DEEP. This has a slight element of a lost broken down character in a contemporary novel.
willie_g's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't real sure about this book going into it because I tried reading another book by Yovanoff (The Replacement) and I was bored to tears, I didn't like anything about the book or the writing. But, this book sounded pretty good and I was drawn in by the cover. A whole new look on angels and demons. I was pretty into it until the last chapter. It left me very confused. I guess you are supposed to "just know" what's going on. I don't know, maybe I wasn't paying attention somewhere and missed something vital, but it seemed like maybe there should have been a little more explanation. I liked the story though. Not one of my favorites, but definitely not a waste of time either.
hall852's review against another edition
5.0
Last read: August 29, 2015
LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
annsbibliotherapy's review against another edition
4.0
I found myself liking this a lot more than I thought I would, for me this was a don't judge a book by it's cover moment in reverse, I saw it and had to read it, and I'm glad I did, another time I wish Goodreads would let me give half stars.
whorriorr's review against another edition
3.0
Plot-wise, this book wasn't so stellar. It seemed like a lot of problems were going on, but their resolutions were pretty weak. I wished the author would've spent more time describing life in Pandemonium before Daphne took a trip to Earth. I also think she should've spent some more time on character development. The action scenes were also lacking and very short. They spend most of the novel hyping up the villians, but the climax was very plain and fast. The plot twist was also muddled and, while shocking, didn't make a whole lot of sense. The resolution was also disappointing and unrealistic. For this book to be all about Deamons and fallen angels, ect, you would think most of the book would be about their fantastical powers and abilities. However, this seemed lacking as well. In fact, Daphne is the daughter of Lucifer and he doesn't even appear until the end and isn't even described at all.
However the character's she did develop were endearing- Daphne and Truman. Daphne was nearly indestructible but she also had an air of sweet innocence. Yovanoff did manage to paint a good picture of depression and self-destruction with Truman. All in all, it was a fun little story not to be thought into too much. The main focus was on love, which I suppose was done fairly well. If you are looking for an action-filled, tear-jerking read, this book is not for you.
However the character's she did develop were endearing- Daphne and Truman. Daphne was nearly indestructible but she also had an air of sweet innocence. Yovanoff did manage to paint a good picture of depression and self-destruction with Truman. All in all, it was a fun little story not to be thought into too much. The main focus was on love, which I suppose was done fairly well. If you are looking for an action-filled, tear-jerking read, this book is not for you.
thesarahstory's review against another edition
5.0
['Es ist schon seltsam, aber etwas Kaputtes ist viel schwerer zu ertragen, wenn man noch sehen kann, dass es einmal schön gewesen ist.']
Daphne, Luzifers Tochter, tritt eine gefährliche Reise auf die Erde an, um ihren verschwundenen Bruder zu suchen. Truman Flynn ist der einzige, der wissen könnte, wo dieser sich aufhält und steht ihr trotz seines leidenden Wesens mit Narben auf Körper und Herz, bei der Suche zur Seite. Als ein richtig grausamer Mord passiert, wird Daphne bewusst, in welcher Gefahr in Bruder Obi und auch sie selbst sich vielleicht schon befindet. Gemeinsam mit Truman begibt sie sich auf die gefährliche Reise zwischen gut und böse, Himmel und Hölle. Doch wer auf welcher Seite steht, weiß am Ende keiner mehr so genau...
Handlung & Stil.
Dass so viel in diesem Buch steckt, hätte ich mir anfangs ganz und gar nicht erwartet. Die Handlung war stets spannend, stets undurchsichtig, stets geheimnisvoll. Der Schreibstil enthält eine ganz spezielle Atmosphäre, die von wahrem Schreibtalent zeugt und den Leser in eine Geschichte hüllt, aus der es kein Entkommen mehr zu geben scheint. Durch die Vergangenheit und das Leiden von Truman hat die Geschichte etwas Bedrückendes. Etwas Bedrückendes, das lebt. Es hat kaum fünfzehn Seiten gedauert, da bin ich wirklich fast selbst in Daphnes Charakter geschlüpft und habe alles aus nächster Nähe erlebt. Der Stil unterscheidet sich auch von anderen Jugendbüchern. Die Autorin hat einen Wiedererkennungswert, was ich immer sehr hoch schätze und mir auch irgendwie erwarte. Die Satzstellungen sind nicht immer einfach und plump, wie es in vielen Jugendbüchern der Fall ist. Die Geschichte hat wirklich Charakter, sie hat das gewisse Etwas und jagt den Leser förmlich durch Emotionen. Ich selbst bin unglaublich begeistert von dem Buch und würde jederzeit wieder zu einem Buch der Autorin greifen. Ich glaube, ich habe einen neuen Stern an meinem Autorenhimmel entdeckt.
['Es hörte nie auf wehzutun. Es tat nur auf eine andere Weise weh.']
Charaktere & Schauplatz.
Die Personen in dem Buch sind sehr durchdacht. Jeder hat eine eigene Mission, eine Aufgabe zu erfüllen. Daphne ist eine sehr angenehme Person, die für ihr Alter auch realistisch handelt und denkt. Sie ist zum ersten Mal auf der Erde und lernt ein paar Dinge kennen, die für uns alle selbstverständlich sind. Daphne ist ein Mädchen, mit dem sich wohl der Großteil der Leserinnen identifizieren könnte. Sie hat ein Wesen, das den Leser anzieht, neugierig macht, aber auch beruhigt. Obwohl Daphne in der Geschichte nicht immer alles unter Kontrolle hat, gibt sie dem Leser doch eine Art von Sicherheit, bei der wir uns geborgen fühlen. So habe ich das beim Lesen empfunden. Truman ist ein Charakter, der sich das Leben nicht nur selber schwer macht, sondern auch allen anderen um sich herum. Dennoch will man ihn nicht aufgeben. Man wünscht sich, dass er den für sich rechten Weg findet und irgendwie wieder leben kann, ohne dass ihn seine innere Trauer auffrisst.
Alle anderen Charaktere, die man aus der Mythologie kennen sollte, wie zum Beispiel Beelzebub oder Azrael, haben ihre Rolle in dem Buch. Für mich war es äußerst interessant, mehr über die ganze Materie zu erfahren.
Der Aufbau der Hölle war mir am Anfang etwas suspekt und ich hatte schon Angst, dass ich damit nichts anfangen könnte. Aber als ich Daphne auf die Erde begleitet habe, waren diese Bedenken bereits verschwunden. Mit der Zeit wurde es für mich normal, wie es in der Hölle zugeht, wie es dort ausschaut und wie die Leute dort ticken. Es bildete alles eine Einheit und die hat mir dann später auch gefallen. Die Schauplätze im Buch wurden gut dargestellt, ich habe viele Bilder vor Augen gehabt, die mir noch vor dem inneren Auge geblieben sind und die ich vielleicht auch noch lange im Gedächtnis behalten werde.
Sonstiges.
Wenn man von der Schönheit und Besonderheit des Covers mal absieht, ist das Buch auch innen recht hübsch aufgemacht. Mir gefällt es zu sehen, dass sich dafür Mühe gegeben wurde, denn das Buch hat es wirklich verdient. Für mich ist es ein Meisterwerk für sich. Ich bin froh, dass ich im Buchladen dazu gegriffen habe, obwohl ich nicht wusste, was mich erwartete. Es war ein Glücksgriff. Die Reise, die mir dieses Buch ermöglicht hat, kann mir kein anderes in dieser Weise geben. Da bin ich mir sicher.
Ich kann es euch nur empfehlen, auch wenn ihr mit Fantasy an sich nicht allzu viel anfangen könnt. In dieser Geschichte geht es um so viel mehr als um fantastische Wesen, wie Dämonen oder Engel. Das Zwischenmenschliche, die Moral, das Leben, der Schmerz - das alles spielt eine große Rolle.
Das Ende, das Finale, war so was von Spektakulär und mitreißend, dass mir gewisse Dinge wirklich fast die Tränen in die Augen getrieben hätten. Ich spürte in meinem Körper wirklich das Adrenalin, die Aufregung im Bauch. Einfach unglaublich gut.
Daphne, Luzifers Tochter, tritt eine gefährliche Reise auf die Erde an, um ihren verschwundenen Bruder zu suchen. Truman Flynn ist der einzige, der wissen könnte, wo dieser sich aufhält und steht ihr trotz seines leidenden Wesens mit Narben auf Körper und Herz, bei der Suche zur Seite. Als ein richtig grausamer Mord passiert, wird Daphne bewusst, in welcher Gefahr in Bruder Obi und auch sie selbst sich vielleicht schon befindet. Gemeinsam mit Truman begibt sie sich auf die gefährliche Reise zwischen gut und böse, Himmel und Hölle. Doch wer auf welcher Seite steht, weiß am Ende keiner mehr so genau...
Handlung & Stil.
Dass so viel in diesem Buch steckt, hätte ich mir anfangs ganz und gar nicht erwartet. Die Handlung war stets spannend, stets undurchsichtig, stets geheimnisvoll. Der Schreibstil enthält eine ganz spezielle Atmosphäre, die von wahrem Schreibtalent zeugt und den Leser in eine Geschichte hüllt, aus der es kein Entkommen mehr zu geben scheint. Durch die Vergangenheit und das Leiden von Truman hat die Geschichte etwas Bedrückendes. Etwas Bedrückendes, das lebt. Es hat kaum fünfzehn Seiten gedauert, da bin ich wirklich fast selbst in Daphnes Charakter geschlüpft und habe alles aus nächster Nähe erlebt. Der Stil unterscheidet sich auch von anderen Jugendbüchern. Die Autorin hat einen Wiedererkennungswert, was ich immer sehr hoch schätze und mir auch irgendwie erwarte. Die Satzstellungen sind nicht immer einfach und plump, wie es in vielen Jugendbüchern der Fall ist. Die Geschichte hat wirklich Charakter, sie hat das gewisse Etwas und jagt den Leser förmlich durch Emotionen. Ich selbst bin unglaublich begeistert von dem Buch und würde jederzeit wieder zu einem Buch der Autorin greifen. Ich glaube, ich habe einen neuen Stern an meinem Autorenhimmel entdeckt.
['Es hörte nie auf wehzutun. Es tat nur auf eine andere Weise weh.']
Charaktere & Schauplatz.
Die Personen in dem Buch sind sehr durchdacht. Jeder hat eine eigene Mission, eine Aufgabe zu erfüllen. Daphne ist eine sehr angenehme Person, die für ihr Alter auch realistisch handelt und denkt. Sie ist zum ersten Mal auf der Erde und lernt ein paar Dinge kennen, die für uns alle selbstverständlich sind. Daphne ist ein Mädchen, mit dem sich wohl der Großteil der Leserinnen identifizieren könnte. Sie hat ein Wesen, das den Leser anzieht, neugierig macht, aber auch beruhigt. Obwohl Daphne in der Geschichte nicht immer alles unter Kontrolle hat, gibt sie dem Leser doch eine Art von Sicherheit, bei der wir uns geborgen fühlen. So habe ich das beim Lesen empfunden. Truman ist ein Charakter, der sich das Leben nicht nur selber schwer macht, sondern auch allen anderen um sich herum. Dennoch will man ihn nicht aufgeben. Man wünscht sich, dass er den für sich rechten Weg findet und irgendwie wieder leben kann, ohne dass ihn seine innere Trauer auffrisst.
Alle anderen Charaktere, die man aus der Mythologie kennen sollte, wie zum Beispiel Beelzebub oder Azrael, haben ihre Rolle in dem Buch. Für mich war es äußerst interessant, mehr über die ganze Materie zu erfahren.
Der Aufbau der Hölle war mir am Anfang etwas suspekt und ich hatte schon Angst, dass ich damit nichts anfangen könnte. Aber als ich Daphne auf die Erde begleitet habe, waren diese Bedenken bereits verschwunden. Mit der Zeit wurde es für mich normal, wie es in der Hölle zugeht, wie es dort ausschaut und wie die Leute dort ticken. Es bildete alles eine Einheit und die hat mir dann später auch gefallen. Die Schauplätze im Buch wurden gut dargestellt, ich habe viele Bilder vor Augen gehabt, die mir noch vor dem inneren Auge geblieben sind und die ich vielleicht auch noch lange im Gedächtnis behalten werde.
Sonstiges.
Wenn man von der Schönheit und Besonderheit des Covers mal absieht, ist das Buch auch innen recht hübsch aufgemacht. Mir gefällt es zu sehen, dass sich dafür Mühe gegeben wurde, denn das Buch hat es wirklich verdient. Für mich ist es ein Meisterwerk für sich. Ich bin froh, dass ich im Buchladen dazu gegriffen habe, obwohl ich nicht wusste, was mich erwartete. Es war ein Glücksgriff. Die Reise, die mir dieses Buch ermöglicht hat, kann mir kein anderes in dieser Weise geben. Da bin ich mir sicher.
Ich kann es euch nur empfehlen, auch wenn ihr mit Fantasy an sich nicht allzu viel anfangen könnt. In dieser Geschichte geht es um so viel mehr als um fantastische Wesen, wie Dämonen oder Engel. Das Zwischenmenschliche, die Moral, das Leben, der Schmerz - das alles spielt eine große Rolle.
Das Ende, das Finale, war so was von Spektakulär und mitreißend, dass mir gewisse Dinge wirklich fast die Tränen in die Augen getrieben hätten. Ich spürte in meinem Körper wirklich das Adrenalin, die Aufregung im Bauch. Einfach unglaublich gut.