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isabella1018's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so unique and different from any book I have ever read.
Right away you find out that Micah is a liar, so you don't know what to believe. But it is a page turner.
By the end of this book you don't know what is true or not.
Right away you find out that Micah is a liar, so you don't know what to believe. But it is a page turner.
By the end of this book you don't know what is true or not.
sarah_448's review against another edition
1.0
This book absolutely sucked. Many people have said this better than I did so go read their reviews but I did not enjoy it. I picked it up thinking “oh she’s a compulsive liar and her not exactly boyfriend (zack) died? Interesting!” It became very clear it was not a murder mystery and it was a weird book from beginning to end. Halfway through it’s revealed she a werewolf? Nobody picking up this book could have foreseen that. And then it was all about the werewolf. Zack who? There was no resolution and all that we were given was enough to confuse the reader. Not in a good way. Also this book was published in 2009 and it kinda showed that. A few pages in it was clear that this book was not timeless and in just 14 years it had aged quite a bit. It kept me interested, it wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t a good book.
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
Readers will be swept away from Micah’s narration from page one. LIAR is as compulsively readable as its protagonist is a compulsive liar. You will jump into this book, aware of Micah’s lying tendencies, and then struggle desperately to try—and fail—at staying one step ahead of this girl, this story.
Having a story told by a pathological liar brings to light the all-too-easily-dismissed problems of first-person narrator: that this POV is, in fact, completely at the mercy of the narrator, and thus can be a total fabrication without you knowing it. Justine Larbalestier explores just this paradox in LIAR: how much of Micah’s story can believe when we know she is a liar and her side of the story is the only one we get?
Interesting premise and paradox aside, however, Micah is an intriguingly complex character. She’s flawed, and has viewpoints that make you want to shake her until she sees things clearly, and yet Micah is so fully convinced of her unchangeable situation that you can’t help but go along with her, no matter how much you want to disagree with her. Micah’s narration jumps rapidly from past to present and back again, which is a surprisingly effective way of slowly doling out the story to readers, as well as consistent with Micah’s personality.
LIAR is a remarkable book where the story and its form complement one another for maximal success. It’s a story that will probably leave you with more questions and answers, but it absolutely proves the old edict right that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Having a story told by a pathological liar brings to light the all-too-easily-dismissed problems of first-person narrator: that this POV is, in fact, completely at the mercy of the narrator, and thus can be a total fabrication without you knowing it. Justine Larbalestier explores just this paradox in LIAR: how much of Micah’s story can believe when we know she is a liar and her side of the story is the only one we get?
Interesting premise and paradox aside, however, Micah is an intriguingly complex character. She’s flawed, and has viewpoints that make you want to shake her until she sees things clearly, and yet Micah is so fully convinced of her unchangeable situation that you can’t help but go along with her, no matter how much you want to disagree with her. Micah’s narration jumps rapidly from past to present and back again, which is a surprisingly effective way of slowly doling out the story to readers, as well as consistent with Micah’s personality.
LIAR is a remarkable book where the story and its form complement one another for maximal success. It’s a story that will probably leave you with more questions and answers, but it absolutely proves the old edict right that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
embereye's review against another edition
4.0
A YA book with the issue of an unreliable narrator. At the end, I'm not sure what the truth was and what was the lie. Whether the narrator came clean, or continued telling stories of what she wished had actually happened is never really clear, and I love that the author did not let the uncertainty really stop. The main character, unreliable liar that she is, remained true the entire way through with her mix of truth and lies and the work that the reader has to do to try to figure out what was true and what was lies.
that_kitten's review against another edition
5.0
This book was twisty and turny and deliciously screwy. Micah's voice is rough, seedy, and oddly genuine. Given the fact that she's a complete liar-faced liar with a side of liar, I mean.
Yes, this is the book of whitewashing fame. I admit, the whole debacle over the coverfail was what informed me about the existence of LIAR in the first place, which I both find horrible and am thankful for, since I loved it. I wonder if I would have heard about it otherwise. I hate to think I wouldn't have.
LIAR is the sort of book that straddles genres in an effortless way that few can. I can't go into too much detail without giving major plot points away, but suffice to say Larbalestier makes the unbelievable believable in brisk, easy strokes.
She also does something many have attempted and few have succeeded at: she created a character who should be intensely disliked, but is somehow able to draw us into her pain and make us genuinely care about her. Micah is odd, aloof, and fairly mean. She's also a compulsive liar. Yet I spent the majority of this book pulling for her.
The style of the chapter breaks is something a little different, as well. A little convoluted to follow if you're not paying attention, but very clever. The writing is a splendid split between literary and gritty, while still believably teenager-y.
After plowing your way through, you'll still have no idea what exactly to believe. The web of lies is so flawless, so complete, it'll have you wondering what was real. If any of it was real.
Buy this book. It's worth your money. Plus, in doing so you can send the message to bookstores that consumers WILL TOO buy books with people of color on the cover. Win-win, really.
Yes, this is the book of whitewashing fame. I admit, the whole debacle over the coverfail was what informed me about the existence of LIAR in the first place, which I both find horrible and am thankful for, since I loved it. I wonder if I would have heard about it otherwise. I hate to think I wouldn't have.
LIAR is the sort of book that straddles genres in an effortless way that few can. I can't go into too much detail without giving major plot points away, but suffice to say Larbalestier makes the unbelievable believable in brisk, easy strokes.
She also does something many have attempted and few have succeeded at: she created a character who should be intensely disliked, but is somehow able to draw us into her pain and make us genuinely care about her. Micah is odd, aloof, and fairly mean. She's also a compulsive liar. Yet I spent the majority of this book pulling for her.
The style of the chapter breaks is something a little different, as well. A little convoluted to follow if you're not paying attention, but very clever. The writing is a splendid split between literary and gritty, while still believably teenager-y.
After plowing your way through, you'll still have no idea what exactly to believe. The web of lies is so flawless, so complete, it'll have you wondering what was real. If any of it was real.
Buy this book. It's worth your money. Plus, in doing so you can send the message to bookstores that consumers WILL TOO buy books with people of color on the cover. Win-win, really.
annablanna's review against another edition
3.0
At first I found this book hard to follow. It kept switching between past and present and random facts, but I managed. By the second half of the book, when they revealed her "big secret", I found the werewolf thing made it a bit more unrealistic. Micah wasn't particularly a nice character at all and only made it more difficult to read. However, I was sort of captivated by the plot line and wanted to know what happens, and the idea that maybe what you know at the end isn't complete truth is very interesting.
3 STARS
3 STARS
di3t_s0d4's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2, if I could give 1/2 stars...
Is Micah a werewolf? Or is she a girl with severe mental illness, schizophrenia, perhaps, who becomes violent when she does not take her medication? I find it more satisfying to believe the latter -- such a reading asks more from me as reader than the werewolf scenario does. But I like that Larbalestier refuses to give the reader a definitive answer, allowing each of us to make the choice about what (if anything) to believe about Micah's story, how to read it/her, and by extension, how to read/interpret anything/anyone.
A book that talking about with others would give me as much pleasure as reading it does...
Would you teach this in a fantasy class? In a YA novel class? The choice would already predetermine certain readings, no, and foreclose others?
Is Micah a werewolf? Or is she a girl with severe mental illness, schizophrenia, perhaps, who becomes violent when she does not take her medication? I find it more satisfying to believe the latter -- such a reading asks more from me as reader than the werewolf scenario does. But I like that Larbalestier refuses to give the reader a definitive answer, allowing each of us to make the choice about what (if anything) to believe about Micah's story, how to read it/her, and by extension, how to read/interpret anything/anyone.
A book that talking about with others would give me as much pleasure as reading it does...
Would you teach this in a fantasy class? In a YA novel class? The choice would already predetermine certain readings, no, and foreclose others?
debbiebarr's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very well written. I think the premise is so interesting, and was quite a feat to pull off. It's also one of those books that makes you think. What is Micah telling the truth about? Which parts are real, and which parts are made up? The conclusion doesn't tie up all the lose ends, either, so you're left wondering, even after the story is finished.
There was some swearing (with "major" words) and some parts with teenagers doing what teenagers do, but it didn't go in depth, and didn't bother me, but it might bother some.
There was some swearing (with "major" words) and some parts with teenagers doing what teenagers do, but it didn't go in depth, and didn't bother me, but it might bother some.