Reviews

This book is basically an extended version of the Xander-centric Buffy episode "The Zeppo," which is to say it's cheeky and clever and heartfelt and completely excellent.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

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3.75

This is a light, fast paced read and exactly what I was looking for at the time. The world is slightly more magical than ours but you have to pay attention to catch glimpses of the differences because our main characters are *not* the chosen ones. They are part of the crowd that watches battles happen but doesn't have to actually do the fighting - they know it and they are happy about it. I loved the concept of this but it leaned heavily on some teen drama tropes that I don't enjoy. It took me a few chapters to understand the clips at the beginning of every story give the outline of the more traditional, world-is-endangered story line but when I figured it out it was fun to integrate the two stories.

As I'd expect form Patrick Ness, the world is built gently and completely within the story and the writing was propulsive and fun. Adults and middle graders and everyone between will enjoy this one, though there are some bigger teen topics that some parents should review before handing to younger readers.

Content Warnings

emilie_mccann's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

4.75

mimidae's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i felt this was a pretty good representation of ocd and somehow managed to feel like a slice-of-life read with some mature themes and violence. i liked the twist where the typical main characters (ppl with powers/magic, aka the indie kids) weren't actually the main characters this time, but the ordinary ppl were. it made the problems they were dealing with feel a lot more realistic and really emphasized the humanity of the main characters. none of them are presented as perfect (mikey has a lot of flaws, actually) but a lot of the plot is them trying to deal with their imperfections and trying to grow. it's very raw and i loved reading it for that. plus the writing style is good.

some tws for ed, ocd, depression, some violence; overall i enjoyed it a lot. i've been struggling to find good rep on ocd and this satisfied that :>

edit: i read some other reviews and saw people were disappointed with the lack of a defined plot (the major plot was happening to the indie kids) or general action, and the abundance of dialogue, but honestly i felt that was the strong point of the book and what made me keep reading. i enjoy these kinds of slower books where the characters spend a lot of time thinking and talking and interacting with each other, because. that's how real life is. i spend a lot of time in my own head and it was really nice to see a character that does the same. the interactions between the friend group were really nice and i loved learning diff things abt each character (jared esp was very lovable).

i am very big on character dev/interactions and realistic portrayals of people and their mental health struggles. i think maybe the only gripe i had was not getting to learn more about nathan (the jared-nathan relationship felt rushed, i wish it was explored more) and i was pretty sad abt jared having to go after four years. i did think it was cool to see mikey refuse jared's offer to heal his ocd :) because i get it honestly (i expected him to take the offer and was extremely relieved when he didn't because it felt more realistic that way).

Content Warnings

raquel_05's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

5.0

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this so much.
First Unstoppable Praying Mantis Soldiers from [a:Andrew Smith|26810|Andrew Smith|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]; now zombie deer from Patrick Ness.
Actually, the zombie-ish creatures-- deer and otherwise-- don't play a big role in the story. At the beginning of each chapter, Ness gives us very brief brushstrokes of a plot involving the Immortals coming through a portal and attacking all the indie kids-- the cool kids, the ones who usually feature in zombie and vampire stories-- in an effort to take over the world. After he gently pokes fun at these more typical tropes, he turns our attention to the ignored "average" kids for the main story. And as we meet siblings Mikey and Mel, and their friends Henna and Jared, and see the things they're up against as they try to survive the last few weeks of high school, we realize that they are anything but "average."
Jared tries to explain it to narrator Mikey like this:
"Not everyone has to be the Chosen One. Not everyone has to be the guy who saves the world. Most people just have to live their lives the best they can, doing the things that are great for them, having great friends, trying to make their lives better, loving people properly. All the while knowing that the world makes no sense but trying to find a way to be happy anyway."
A lovely, humorous page-turner about all those kids who AREN'T the Chosen Ones-- but who are pretty amazing when you get to know them.

Thanks to Edelweiss for the digital ARC.

jaymdav's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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