You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My beautiful daughter is reading <3
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Murder
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
really slow until about halfway through, and the random words that are switched out (like "hubby" for husband..) are so cringe. not interested enough to read the other two books.
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
start: 6/10
writing: 7/10
characters: 6/10
plot: 6/10
ending: 7/10
writing: 7/10
characters: 6/10
plot: 6/10
ending: 7/10
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked the story but just like with The Giver, I feel that the ending was rushed. I also felt like there were some loose ends/unanswered questions. I know that the next book in the series is a continuation of the story from this one so I'm okay with some of the unanswered questions. But there are other questions that I feel should have been answered in this book. I do like the plot though and I'm excited to continue this series.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
"Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry is the second book in the Giver series but it's not a traditional series. The characters from the first book "The Giver" are not in "Gathering Blue". (But I think one is mentioned in passing. There is a boy with blue eyes mentioned and I think it's the baby Gabriel, who Jonas runs away with in "The Giver") The location is different too. But it has the same feeling of "The Giver". Something called "The Ruin" is mentioned a few times in the book, but it's not explained what it is but I guess that is what helped form the village Kira, the main character, lives in. Kira's village is more violent and harsh than the village Jonas from "The Giver" lived in. If you are deemed useless you are taken by people called draggers into the field to die. If you have children they are given to other families, even if there is still one parent alive. Kira's father died when she was young, and then her mother dies and she has a bum leg so she is expecting to be dragged to the field. But she is saved because she has talent with weaving threads, so she becomes the repairer of the robe the singer wears during the Gathering. The Gathering is a special ceremony where the singer tells the story of the world using a robe that has scenes of history stitched in it. I liked "Gathering Blue" but not as much as "The Giver". I felt like the villain wasn't a worthy opponent and there was no conflict between him and Kira. There was a big plot twist at the end, but I felt like it was too little, too late. There's a big revelation then the book ends. Hopefully it will be resolved in the next book. The next book in the series is "Messenger" and it looks like the main character is Matt which I'm excited about. Matt is a young boy in "Gathering Blue" who is a mischief maker, has a dog with a bent tail for a best friend, and is friends with Kira. He stole my heart and I'm glad he has his own book.
It’s okay. 2.5 star rating.
Pros: it’s a short and easy read. I’ve always appreciated how Lowry can be detailed without being overly convoluted. This book would be great for young minds, if I read this in 5th grade after reading the Giver, I probably would’ve eaten it up. As a 26 year old, it just doesn’t hit as hard but Lowry didn’t write this books for 26 year olds. While I wanted this book to be longer, the length is very good for her target audience. Also, the characters are charming! The young singer, Matt, Kira, Thomas, all of these are good and likable characters.
Cons: Not nearly as captivating and interesting as The Giver. As an adult I found the book a bit dull, I don’t know if this would capture a YA attention span. This plot simply does not have enough conflict to keep things compelling throughout. I almost DNF, but towards the end things start getting really interesting. And by interesting, I mean the reveal of very predictable “plot twists”. It takes a long time to set something up, the something starts happening and it’s exciting and then everything screeches to a halt and then it just ends. Does the next book continue this specific plot line? So much is left unanswered. It’s like finding out the truth was substitution for actually resolving the conflicts at the end.
Disappointed, probably won’t dive into the other two books.
Pros: it’s a short and easy read. I’ve always appreciated how Lowry can be detailed without being overly convoluted. This book would be great for young minds, if I read this in 5th grade after reading the Giver, I probably would’ve eaten it up. As a 26 year old, it just doesn’t hit as hard but Lowry didn’t write this books for 26 year olds. While I wanted this book to be longer, the length is very good for her target audience. Also, the characters are charming! The young singer, Matt, Kira, Thomas, all of these are good and likable characters.
Cons: Not nearly as captivating and interesting as The Giver. As an adult I found the book a bit dull, I don’t know if this would capture a YA attention span. This plot simply does not have enough conflict to keep things compelling throughout. I almost DNF, but towards the end things start getting really interesting. And by interesting, I mean the reveal of very predictable “plot twists”. It takes a long time to set something up, the something starts happening and it’s exciting and then everything screeches to a halt and then it just ends. Does the next book continue this specific plot line? So much is left unanswered. It’s like finding out the truth was substitution for actually resolving the conflicts at the end.
Disappointed, probably won’t dive into the other two books.