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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
DNF - PG 5
Why?
Yes, you head me right, I made five pages into this absolutely delightful book. The fact is, I have no patience for tstl characters. This guy has made more poor decisions than I have read pages of this book. If you want to know more about my issues, check my updates, because there's also more of them than pages I read.
(Jokes on me, I thought the first page and a half, that this was going to be a fun story.)
Why?
Yes, you head me right, I made five pages into this absolutely delightful book. The fact is, I have no patience for tstl characters. This guy has made more poor decisions than I have read pages of this book. If you want to know more about my issues, check my updates, because there's also more of them than pages I read.
(Jokes on me, I thought the first page and a half, that this was going to be a fun story.)
Oliver could be any teen that is "different" in the world. As we meet him and his life, you will find yourself cheering for Oliver while booing so many others. His best friend has his back, even is she can be just a little rabid about it at times. Add in a pretty absent mother, odd occurrences, and a budding friendship with Mrs Glass to name a few things, you have one of those stories you never want to end. I cannot wait to read the rest.
As a side note, yes this is labeled YA and teens can read it. My teen daughter loves it. But this is one of those YA that will hold an adult's attention and have you wanting more
As a side note, yes this is labeled YA and teens can read it. My teen daughter loves it. But this is one of those YA that will hold an adult's attention and have you wanting more
I enjoyed reading this... It's lighthearted and sweet and a bit cheesy, but in a fun way. While the weather has been cold and gloomy, it's been a fun read.
Great cover, lovely title, charming gothic atmosphere, YA paranormal romance with a gay lead. I wanted to like this book. In fact, I quite enjoyed the first chapters.
What worked for me were the ghosts intruding into Oliver's life, that everyday life could suddenly become filled with horrors. I also liked the goal Oliver set for himself in regards to the ghosts.
Unfortunately, there are many things that did not work for me:
- Insta-Love/Insta-Lust with Victor. We get told that Oliver and Victor have meaningful conversations, but I do not remember a single one that actually convinced me of their being a perfect match. After a while, I was also irritated that Oliver mentions how very, very handsome Victor is whenever Victor enters the room. Victor, on the other hand, has a tendency to do a "Sweet Oliver" thing.
- Characterizations: I hoped for three-dimensional characters but so far none of them grew and changed. Instead, they all seem only to exist to support/fall in love with Oliver - or in the case of his mother - to dislike/ignore him.
Oliver's mother gets the worst lot in regards to characterization. When we first are introduced to her, I wondered if she was depressed by the death of her husband and if this would somehow become an important plot point. But no. His mother is a one-dimensional neglectful character with zero emotional ties to her son.
Now, of course, it's possible to write a neglectful mother. But if you do, I as a reader need to see that this has an impact on her son Oliver. Because such passive-abusive behavior would leave its marks on a child. He might be unable to trust others, might be unable to believe in his own self-worth, ...
We are also not told why Oliver's (apparently perfect father) married Oliver's mother or stayed with her.
So instead of visiting these potential plot places, Oliver gets discarded by his mother - he doesn't mind much - and all so that he can happily move away from home.
My final complaint is that the book is not plotted out very well. We are shown several intriguing plot lines (the little ghost boy, the scary ghost lady), but nothing comes of it. I have to admit that I fast-forwarded through the last chapters to see if anything substantial would happen, but the plot just fizzles out. In fact, it ends on such a "all is well" note that a sequel doesn't feel necessary.
What I wished for as a reader was also an exploration of grief, depression, suicide - because the ingredients for these difficult issues are all present within the book and a deeper look at them would have been possible.
What worked for me were the ghosts intruding into Oliver's life, that everyday life could suddenly become filled with horrors. I also liked the goal Oliver set for himself in regards to the ghosts.
Unfortunately, there are many things that did not work for me:
- Insta-Love/Insta-Lust with Victor. We get told that Oliver and Victor have meaningful conversations, but I do not remember a single one that actually convinced me of their being a perfect match. After a while, I was also irritated that Oliver mentions how very, very handsome Victor is whenever Victor enters the room. Victor, on the other hand, has a tendency to do a "Sweet Oliver" thing.
- Characterizations: I hoped for three-dimensional characters but so far none of them grew and changed. Instead, they all seem only to exist to support/fall in love with Oliver - or in the case of his mother - to dislike/ignore him.
Oliver's mother gets the worst lot in regards to characterization. When we first are introduced to her, I wondered if she was depressed by the death of her husband and if this would somehow become an important plot point. But no. His mother is a one-dimensional neglectful character with zero emotional ties to her son.
Now, of course, it's possible to write a neglectful mother. But if you do, I as a reader need to see that this has an impact on her son Oliver. Because such passive-abusive behavior would leave its marks on a child. He might be unable to trust others, might be unable to believe in his own self-worth, ...
We are also not told why Oliver's (apparently perfect father) married Oliver's mother or stayed with her.
So instead of visiting these potential plot places, Oliver gets discarded by his mother - he doesn't mind much - and all so that he can happily move away from home.
My final complaint is that the book is not plotted out very well. We are shown several intriguing plot lines (the little ghost boy, the scary ghost lady), but nothing comes of it. I have to admit that I fast-forwarded through the last chapters to see if anything substantial would happen, but the plot just fizzles out. In fact, it ends on such a "all is well" note that a sequel doesn't feel necessary.
What I wished for as a reader was also an exploration of grief, depression, suicide - because the ingredients for these difficult issues are all present within the book and a deeper look at them would have been possible.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ghostly Great Start
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and the supernatural aspect was a breath of fresh air. Can’t wait for the next installment.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and the supernatural aspect was a breath of fresh air. Can’t wait for the next installment.
They say to never judge a book by its cover, and this book is the prime example. The raven art is serious and beautiful, of which this book is neither. This novel can be described as a coming-of-age story with a hint of the supernatural. The two biggest issues with this description -and the book as a whole- are that none of the characters grow or change over the course of the novel, and there is no real suspense or fear in the paranormal elements. Even though the main character can talk to ghosts, there is no M. Night Shyamalan twist. In fact, there are no plot twists because every important reveal was obvious and too predictable. Each character is one-dimensional; there is no growth in the book. Too often typical cliches were drawn in and the characters felt unoriginal. For example, the elderly matron is always cooking sweets for her practically adopted grandson, who is a teenage boy and therefore is always hungry. Furthermore, the author is severely out of touch with how the teenage mind works. The protagonist has much to struggle with, and yet he blindly accepts every situation instead of questioning himself, getting mad at the world, or generally reacting at all.
But let's talk about representation. The main character is gay, and he struggles with being closeted to everyone except his best friend. In the book, he comes out to his mom about more than one secret he is hiding, and the author draws a parallel for heterosexual readers. In this world where magic can be found among certain few, it can be difficult to tell parents about this lifestyle, especially if said parent does not approve of using these gifts. As important as this point is, there is no subtly in this scene, and his coming out lacks emotion. The author also addresses heteronormativity in a quick scene quoted below between the protagonist and a potential love interest, who questions him about his close relationship with a girl from school.
"Bailey is just my friend. Well, she's more like my best friend who is my partner in crime, but nothing romantic at all is going on there. "
"May I ask why? She seems like a lovely girl."
Crap. There it was. I hated that I had to sit there and contemplate my answer, instead of just being like, because I'm gay.
"She's not my type."
Even though this scene feels a touch cliche, it is perhaps the best conversation in the book. Which, of course, is a reflection on the book's overdone and unoriginal nature. It is not worth the time it takes to read, and certainly does not deserve a series.
But let's talk about representation. The main character is gay, and he struggles with being closeted to everyone except his best friend. In the book, he comes out to his mom about more than one secret he is hiding, and the author draws a parallel for heterosexual readers. In this world where magic can be found among certain few, it can be difficult to tell parents about this lifestyle, especially if said parent does not approve of using these gifts. As important as this point is, there is no subtly in this scene, and his coming out lacks emotion. The author also addresses heteronormativity in a quick scene quoted below between the protagonist and a potential love interest, who questions him about his close relationship with a girl from school.
"Bailey is just my friend. Well, she's more like my best friend who is my partner in crime, but nothing romantic at all is going on there. "
"May I ask why? She seems like a lovely girl."
Crap. There it was. I hated that I had to sit there and contemplate my answer, instead of just being like, because I'm gay.
"She's not my type."
Even though this scene feels a touch cliche, it is perhaps the best conversation in the book. Which, of course, is a reflection on the book's overdone and unoriginal nature. It is not worth the time it takes to read, and certainly does not deserve a series.
Told in first person, I had no idea the main character was male until too far into the story. The internal voice sounded completely female to me.
Also contemporary fiction (with a dash of supernatural), which is not something I usually read.
Usually I don't check others' reviews until either I'm done with the book or losing interest, and since this was the latter, I hopped over to Goodreads to see what others thought. Reviews mentioned the same thing I was feeling (bad dialogue, author seemed to not know how teenage boys think or act), so I dropped it. DNF
Also contemporary fiction (with a dash of supernatural), which is not something I usually read.
Usually I don't check others' reviews until either I'm done with the book or losing interest, and since this was the latter, I hopped over to Goodreads to see what others thought. Reviews mentioned the same thing I was feeling (bad dialogue, author seemed to not know how teenage boys think or act), so I dropped it. DNF
"There are two paths for everyone: one dark and one light."
This book was definitely fun, but not my fav. I liked the main character and the supporting ones (except for Kyle. Non-consensual kissing will never be okay imo.) and whatnot. I just found this book to be really underwhelming. It didn't grasp me, and it's not something that I will be holding on to for long. In fact, I was a little bit bored at some points. And the romance? Fine. Cute, but not really otp material, or even close to that standard. The ending did leave me intrigued, though, so if the author comes out with anymore books I'll probably pick them up.
3.5 stars.
This book was definitely fun, but not my fav. I liked the main character and the supporting ones (except for Kyle. Non-consensual kissing will never be okay imo.) and whatnot. I just found this book to be really underwhelming. It didn't grasp me, and it's not something that I will be holding on to for long. In fact, I was a little bit bored at some points. And the romance? Fine. Cute, but not really otp material, or even close to that standard. The ending did leave me intrigued, though, so if the author comes out with anymore books I'll probably pick them up.
3.5 stars.
"There are two paths for everyone: one dark and one light."
This book was definitely fun, but not my fav. I liked the main character and the supporting ones (except for Kyle. Non-consensual kissing will never be okay imo.) and whatnot. I just found this book to be really underwhelming. It didn't grasp me, and it's not something that I will be holding on to for long. In fact, I was a little bit bored at some points. And the romance? Fine. Cute, but not really otp material, or even close to that standard. The ending did leave me intrigued, though, so if the author comes out with anymore books I'll probably pick them up.
3.5 stars.
This book was definitely fun, but not my fav. I liked the main character and the supporting ones (except for Kyle. Non-consensual kissing will never be okay imo.) and whatnot. I just found this book to be really underwhelming. It didn't grasp me, and it's not something that I will be holding on to for long. In fact, I was a little bit bored at some points. And the romance? Fine. Cute, but not really otp material, or even close to that standard. The ending did leave me intrigued, though, so if the author comes out with anymore books I'll probably pick them up.
3.5 stars.