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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
New Printz winner - read with my 7th grader. I would have liked a little more in each short story, but the overall effect was as chilling as promised!
It's hard to know what to say about this book or how to rate it. It was so strange that I wasn't sure what I thought about it most of the time. I'd say it's a combination of myth, fantasy, fairy tale, horror and I guess romance, all with a kind of Scandinavian flair. I'll give it four stars for creativity, being unique and lovely writing.
Why had I only just heard about this book? I was looking for an easy read between books and this popped up over on Libby and I thought, What the heck? Mostly because I found the title and the cover intriguing. I know that is not a good reason, and I have been burned many's the time by gorgeous cover art around meh books. Not this time.
There is nothing in this book that reads Young Adult. This book probably should rightfully fall under "New Adult" Category, but even that might not be accurate because I am 50 years old and could not stop reading this story. For reference, Amazon lists this book for 12-18 year olds, whatever that tells ya!
It is seven interconnected stories set throughout time. All the stories take place on a small scandinavian island. There adult themes, but nothing overtly sexual in nature. There is violence, but nothing I would call extreme horror. There are many aspects of love portrayed in these stories. Young love, true love, the love of children, and the love of siblings all have there place in these stories. I can not begin to tell you how engrossed I was in this book. All these stories are interconnected, but the reader has to get tot he end of the book to see the ultimate interconnectedness that goes beyond the surface. When I finished this book, I just wanted to sit down and think about what I had just read, and that to me marks the sign of an amazing book.
There is nothing in this book that reads Young Adult. This book probably should rightfully fall under "New Adult" Category, but even that might not be accurate because I am 50 years old and could not stop reading this story. For reference, Amazon lists this book for 12-18 year olds, whatever that tells ya!
It is seven interconnected stories set throughout time. All the stories take place on a small scandinavian island. There adult themes, but nothing overtly sexual in nature. There is violence, but nothing I would call extreme horror. There are many aspects of love portrayed in these stories. Young love, true love, the love of children, and the love of siblings all have there place in these stories. I can not begin to tell you how engrossed I was in this book. All these stories are interconnected, but the reader has to get tot he end of the book to see the ultimate interconnectedness that goes beyond the surface. When I finished this book, I just wanted to sit down and think about what I had just read, and that to me marks the sign of an amazing book.
Eric Seven arrives on Blessed Island on a journalistic assignment in 2073. There are rumors that its inhabitants have find a way to live forever, but there are no children on the island. Things continue, leading me to believe that this would be a slightly mysterious work of post-apocalyptic fiction. Instead, the first section narrows its focus to a young woman, Merle, and Eric's feeling that he's been here before. From there, we are treated to six more stories, each going further back in time, and each involving Eric and Merle in some way. And the dragon flowers. And the hare. This was entirely unexpected and beautifully woven, and our will hasn't me for some time.
*4.5 stars*
This was my first novel by this author. The layering of the different story lines reminded me so much of novels by [a:David Mitchell|6538289|David Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248688p2/6538289.jpg]. This was a very quick but intriguing read.
This was my first novel by this author. The layering of the different story lines reminded me so much of novels by [a:David Mitchell|6538289|David Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248688p2/6538289.jpg]. This was a very quick but intriguing read.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing is good and it's an interesting plot structure, but I didn't really care about any of the characters or what was happening. The Ghosts of Heaven does a similar thing, but I think it's executed much better. This book seems like kind of a warm up for The Ghosts of Heaven.
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing. As soon as I finished, I wanted to start it all over again. It's so perfectly structured, and I want to read it again and deconstruct it in my head. This is my third Sedgwick this year, and I'm making my way through his back catalog. Lucky for me, he's prolific.