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e_pp's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, the cover of this book is super creepy and I really like it. Now, let's get on to what the cover is covering.
A young boy, Jacob, is given a bunch of photos by his grandfather, who used to tell them stories of the kids in the photos, ones who has peculiar abilities. Jacob always thought they was just stories. You know, made up. Later it turns out that maybe they weren't made up and that takes Jacob on a journey to a mysterious island. There, he finds the kids, who are still kids even decades later.
Ominous, right? Coupled with the cover, definitely. Still, I didn't know what to expect from it. This is a surprisingly good book and quite... different. For one thing, it's funny. Didn't expect that.
Jacob is a good protagonist. He is the kind of guy you root for. He works really well as the narrator because of his humour, especially because, otherwise, the book could have gotten too serious. Also, the way he sticks to his decisions and is so stubbornly strong-footed is a great quality of his. And I like his vulnerability, how he doubts himself sometimes but doesn't let anything hold him back.
The other characters (who I won't mention because I want you to go into this book knowing as little as possible) and Jacob's relationship with them is nice to watch. Though I do wish we got to more of Jacob with his mother and with his one friend.
I also really like the writing of this book. At times, it was on the verge of being overly poetic but I don't think it crossed that line. It's a little dense regardless, which makes for a slower read than I would've liked. But I think it won me over when the color of the sky was described as a "fresh bruise". I loved that.
The world that the author created is quite unique and, you might say, peculiar. Maybe similar elements have been used before in some other book or series, I can't be sure. I haven't read anything like it and I really enjoyed exploring.
The one thing that I think didn't work was that it was slightly underwhelming. In scenes when there was a lot of danger and we knew the stakes were high, it didn't feel like the stakes were high. The book didn't have me at the edge of my seat. The action wasn't exciting enough. I think, in this case, the poetic prose acted as a hinderance.
Also, the Emma and Jacob romance? Still gross. She dated his grandfather. Ew.
Though I did quite like the ending and I'm very curious about the next book. And, knowing what the book is called, I'm feel a cross between worry and excitement for what's next for the characters. Finally, I'll say that I really liked this book. It's interesting and has a great world to explore, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy and some mystery.
Message From the Future: It's been almost two years since I read this novel and I've tried reading the sequel, but never got past chapter 2. It felt boring and the characters aren't as memorable as one might except from people with special abilities. I've heard it suffers from Second Book Syndrome. Also, the writing got annoying.
A young boy, Jacob, is given a bunch of photos by his grandfather, who used to tell them stories of the kids in the photos, ones who has peculiar abilities. Jacob always thought they was just stories. You know, made up. Later it turns out that maybe they weren't made up and that takes Jacob on a journey to a mysterious island. There, he finds the kids, who are still kids even decades later.
Ominous, right? Coupled with the cover, definitely. Still, I didn't know what to expect from it. This is a surprisingly good book and quite... different. For one thing, it's funny. Didn't expect that.
Jacob is a good protagonist. He is the kind of guy you root for. He works really well as the narrator because of his humour, especially because, otherwise, the book could have gotten too serious. Also, the way he sticks to his decisions and is so stubbornly strong-footed is a great quality of his. And I like his vulnerability, how he doubts himself sometimes but doesn't let anything hold him back.
The other characters (who I won't mention because I want you to go into this book knowing as little as possible) and Jacob's relationship with them is nice to watch. Though I do wish we got to more of Jacob with his mother and with his one friend.
I also really like the writing of this book. At times, it was on the verge of being overly poetic but I don't think it crossed that line. It's a little dense regardless, which makes for a slower read than I would've liked. But I think it won me over when the color of the sky was described as a "fresh bruise". I loved that.
The world that the author created is quite unique and, you might say, peculiar. Maybe similar elements have been used before in some other book or series, I can't be sure. I haven't read anything like it and I really enjoyed exploring.
The one thing that I think didn't work was that it was slightly underwhelming. In scenes when there was a lot of danger and we knew the stakes were high, it didn't feel like the stakes were high. The book didn't have me at the edge of my seat. The action wasn't exciting enough. I think, in this case, the poetic prose acted as a hinderance.
Also, the Emma and Jacob romance? Still gross. She dated his grandfather. Ew.
Though I did quite like the ending and I'm very curious about the next book. And, knowing what the book is called, I'm feel a cross between worry and excitement for what's next for the characters. Finally, I'll say that I really liked this book. It's interesting and has a great world to explore, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy and some mystery.
Message From the Future: It's been almost two years since I read this novel and I've tried reading the sequel, but never got past chapter 2. It felt boring and the characters aren't as memorable as one might except from people with special abilities. I've heard it suffers from Second Book Syndrome. Also, the writing got annoying.
kivt's review against another edition
3.0
That was fine. Riggs falls into the classic YA trap of writing a teenage protagonist who doesn't sound remotely teenaged. He sounds like a middle-aged author full of dadly wisdom for the other peculiar children. The story itself was pretty engaging. The last part was a little scattered but not too bad. The book is definitely strongest in its first half, though.
katiecake2000's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
solar_power's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25