Scan barcode
pantsreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5.
Interesting mix of magical realism and murder mystery, but didn't quite grip me like I'd hoped it would.
Read my full review on FYA.
Interesting mix of magical realism and murder mystery, but didn't quite grip me like I'd hoped it would.
Read my full review on FYA.
samanthastemarie's review against another edition
1.0
For more reviews visit my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/bookbudgetproject
I’m officially DNFing this book.
I’ve gotten to page 200, which is two thirds of the way through and I still have no idea what the point is. The main character, Lucas, is completely flat. I don’t know anything about him... what he likes, what he dislikes, his personality, etc. The author didn’t include any information about anyyyyybody. It’s caused there to be no connection felt between myself and the characters.
On top of that... the random “twist” was I predictable I had to try and stop myself from laughing. I mean come on... the girl with the touch of death is linked to the murder. Shocking.
I’m just so disappointed by how flat this book ended up being. The plot was not set up. The characters had no personalities. People randomly jumped around to different settings at random. Things just didn’t flow properly. All around not a good read.
I’m not going to finish this and I would t recommend it.
I’m officially DNFing this book.
I’ve gotten to page 200, which is two thirds of the way through and I still have no idea what the point is. The main character, Lucas, is completely flat. I don’t know anything about him... what he likes, what he dislikes, his personality, etc. The author didn’t include any information about anyyyyybody. It’s caused there to be no connection felt between myself and the characters.
On top of that... the random “twist” was I predictable I had to try and stop myself from laughing. I mean come on... the girl with the touch of death is linked to the murder. Shocking.
I’m just so disappointed by how flat this book ended up being. The plot was not set up. The characters had no personalities. People randomly jumped around to different settings at random. Things just didn’t flow properly. All around not a good read.
I’m not going to finish this and I would t recommend it.
lobeliaparides's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, this book would have had a much higher rating if not for the ending. Just, what?! You build up my emotions like that, make a beautiful (be it kinda dark) story, then end it on that sort of note?!?!
This book tries constantly to mess with your emotions, and had me hooked since the first sentence. It did not have the sort of ending I was expecting (just in case you cannot tell by what I said before), it was on of the better books that I have read in quite some time.
This book tries constantly to mess with your emotions, and had me hooked since the first sentence. It did not have the sort of ending I was expecting (just in case you cannot tell by what I said before), it was on of the better books that I have read in quite some time.
twstdtink's review against another edition
3.0
The reviews of this book had me expecting something worse. Perhaps I have the reviews to thank for setting my expectations so low. But, I enjoyed this book. I loved the Puerto Rican mythology and culture laced throughout. I thought the idea of a poisonous girl unique and interesting. I'm not sure why Mabry used Lucas as the vehicle for her story. He's boring and self-centered, and I didn't care about him one bit at the end. This would have been much better told through Isabel's eyes, or split between the two. The book was riddled with spelling/grammatical errors - inexcusable in a novel so small. The editor should be fired. The cover art was gorgeous, and probably the main reason I picked up this book in the first place. The cover even had a slight waxy texture, making me think of the poisonous plants that infuse this exotic story.
ragesandpages's review against another edition
3.0
** I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program**
Lucas, considered an outsider in San Juan, has been getting tangled up in the lore of the island. He’s a half Puerto Rican, half American. He is disliked by the locals, and even more so by the police captain. Yet, he keeps getting drawn back into the island and the stories that make up her history.
He meets Isabelle, half myth herself and very dangerous, and together they right a terrible wrong and quell the gods’ storms that have been brought upon the island. The tone is mysterious, like most magical realism titles. Pacing is steady, with few “storms” that make the plot push through.
Initially, it was hard to me to get into the audiobook. I had been listening to it during morning commutes, and eventually tucked it away. I brought it back out, and then I got more into the story once the mythology of the island started to pour out of the narrative. I like magical realism, and this story is full of those elements -- old tales and half broken stories that have been passed down by word of mouth, fantastical elements like a girl with leaves for hair and green skin, and a good man who was driven to bad things by love.
I had a hard time trying to understand Isabelle’s and Lucas’s character at times. It seemed like a retelling of a fairy tale but darker. But I enjoyed the mixture of the island’s lore and mythology combined with the Lucas’s point of view. It wasn’t a story about Isabelle, or Marisol, or even Lucas; it was a story about the island - how tales are forgotten and remembered, and how magic keeps them alive. It was a very enchanting tale, but it was full of clichés regarding the dichotomy of white versus native culture; these brought the story down a few notches, in my opinion. I would have appreciated an elaboration of this theme within the story (more detail regarding the complexities, not just stating that ‘everyone hated my dad because he was an outsider’, etc.), and think young adult readers would be able to as well.
Lucas, considered an outsider in San Juan, has been getting tangled up in the lore of the island. He’s a half Puerto Rican, half American. He is disliked by the locals, and even more so by the police captain. Yet, he keeps getting drawn back into the island and the stories that make up her history.
He meets Isabelle, half myth herself and very dangerous, and together they right a terrible wrong and quell the gods’ storms that have been brought upon the island. The tone is mysterious, like most magical realism titles. Pacing is steady, with few “storms” that make the plot push through.
Initially, it was hard to me to get into the audiobook. I had been listening to it during morning commutes, and eventually tucked it away. I brought it back out, and then I got more into the story once the mythology of the island started to pour out of the narrative. I like magical realism, and this story is full of those elements -- old tales and half broken stories that have been passed down by word of mouth, fantastical elements like a girl with leaves for hair and green skin, and a good man who was driven to bad things by love.
I had a hard time trying to understand Isabelle’s and Lucas’s character at times. It seemed like a retelling of a fairy tale but darker. But I enjoyed the mixture of the island’s lore and mythology combined with the Lucas’s point of view. It wasn’t a story about Isabelle, or Marisol, or even Lucas; it was a story about the island - how tales are forgotten and remembered, and how magic keeps them alive. It was a very enchanting tale, but it was full of clichés regarding the dichotomy of white versus native culture; these brought the story down a few notches, in my opinion. I would have appreciated an elaboration of this theme within the story (more detail regarding the complexities, not just stating that ‘everyone hated my dad because he was an outsider’, etc.), and think young adult readers would be able to as well.
theburninglibrary's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't want to let on how I couldn't stop thinking about that one dark shape I'd seen on the top of that courtyard wall....the one that didn't sway like the leaves but that seemed focused solely on me and was poised in a motionless crouch, ready for a reason to jump.
There is one thing I hate about reading: Some truly great books don't get the recognition that they deserve and never become a massive hit. This is one of those. A tiny little glittering piece of fiction that stands out in originality. I have truly never read anything like this. It was light fantasy, but there wasn't really magic. But there could have been, and might be, if you dissect it enough. There are just so many ways someone could look at this, and so many different takes people could have on this story.
I think the fact that [a:Samantha Mabry|7078867|Samantha Mabry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438544331p2/7078867.jpg] teaches writing is obvious in the writing and story development. And from a factual standpoint, this was very interesting. All the Puerto Rico culture is accurate, and I love her incorporation of Spanish into the story. Also, having been to Puerto Rico myself, I can say that I feel she got the setting right.
There wasn't much I didn't like about this. The only thing that mildly irked me was the ending, but it was very understandable and, had it been different(because it could have been), the story would not hold the same impact.
Sometimes unfair and illogical things happen, and those things have the ability to convince you fairness and logic are illusions, as real as wishes blown off dandelions.
I especially love the quoteability of this book. It had a few very lyrical points that were perfect and made the pages fly by. I do want to talk about the ending of this book though. When I finished it, I had the same feeling as when I finished [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829]. Not that the endings of the two are even remotely similar, because they are not, they just leave you with the same sense of uncertainty. They both have a feel of so much more, and yet leave off at just the right time. You have that feeling of fulfillment, but there is the possibility of much more to come. The characters really stay alive in your mind. I still haven't stopped thinking about either of these.
But that wont be the end. One of the girls will come back. She'll walk out of the water just before dawn. I'll be waiting for her. She'll clutch the front of my shirt with her wet hands, pull me toward her, and kiss me with a mouth that tastes like saltwater. She will be warm.
THE END
After further thought on this, I have switched my rating to 5 stars.
There is one thing I hate about reading: Some truly great books don't get the recognition that they deserve and never become a massive hit. This is one of those. A tiny little glittering piece of fiction that stands out in originality. I have truly never read anything like this. It was light fantasy, but there wasn't really magic. But there could have been, and might be, if you dissect it enough. There are just so many ways someone could look at this, and so many different takes people could have on this story.
I think the fact that [a:Samantha Mabry|7078867|Samantha Mabry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438544331p2/7078867.jpg] teaches writing is obvious in the writing and story development. And from a factual standpoint, this was very interesting. All the Puerto Rico culture is accurate, and I love her incorporation of Spanish into the story. Also, having been to Puerto Rico myself, I can say that I feel she got the setting right.
There wasn't much I didn't like about this. The only thing that mildly irked me was the ending, but it was very understandable and, had it been different(because it could have been), the story would not hold the same impact.
Sometimes unfair and illogical things happen, and those things have the ability to convince you fairness and logic are illusions, as real as wishes blown off dandelions.
I especially love the quoteability of this book. It had a few very lyrical points that were perfect and made the pages fly by. I do want to talk about the ending of this book though. When I finished it, I had the same feeling as when I finished [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829]. Not that the endings of the two are even remotely similar, because they are not, they just leave you with the same sense of uncertainty. They both have a feel of so much more, and yet leave off at just the right time. You have that feeling of fulfillment, but there is the possibility of much more to come. The characters really stay alive in your mind. I still haven't stopped thinking about either of these.
But that wont be the end. One of the girls will come back. She'll walk out of the water just before dawn. I'll be waiting for her. She'll clutch the front of my shirt with her wet hands, pull me toward her, and kiss me with a mouth that tastes like saltwater. She will be warm.
THE END
After further thought on this, I have switched my rating to 5 stars.
freyamoongana's review against another edition
3.0
With the promise of magical realism and a Latin landscape, I was expecting something akin to Gabriell García Márquez. What I found was a book that spent 2/3 of its pages building to a climax of which I no longer cared to know the resolution. The ending felt rushed and lacked a sense of planned deliberateness.
unicornbanzaiiking's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed it. The pacing was pretty good and just when I figured things out so did the characters. It all happened naturally.
Above all I think this book is about being hopeful, even though the characters won't acknowledge it.
Above all I think this book is about being hopeful, even though the characters won't acknowledge it.
shayokay's review against another edition
1.0
For a book that's supposed to have magical realism, it really lacked magic. The main character was irritating, and what little plot there was to be found was very bland. Honestly, it was so confusing and boring that I would've DNF-ed it if it wasn't so short.