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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
2.5
Almost a three. It's not that this was bad...just...lacking. Full review to follow.
Almost a three. It's not that this was bad...just...lacking. Full review to follow.
What just happened?
This was like science fiction meets horror meets suspense?
Strangelets is easily one of the most unique novels that I've read in a long time.
Things that I liked:
Overall, the book had a nice flow to it. I didn't feel like the plot drug on or got boring.
The use of real science that actually makes sense and is somewhat plausible.
What I didn't like:
Things get pretty vague towards the ending. I want to know more about Yosh.
A little more character development. I wanted to care more about the characters, but they were very hard to feel for because they were very one dimensional.
Overall: this was a very quick, and entertaining one time read. I recommend it for a long car trip or a plane ride where you can power through it in one sitting.
This was like science fiction meets horror meets suspense?
Strangelets is easily one of the most unique novels that I've read in a long time.
Things that I liked:
Overall, the book had a nice flow to it. I didn't feel like the plot drug on or got boring.
The use of real science that actually makes sense and is somewhat plausible.
What I didn't like:
Things get pretty vague towards the ending. I want to know more about Yosh.
A little more character development. I wanted to care more about the characters, but they were very hard to feel for because they were very one dimensional.
Overall: this was a very quick, and entertaining one time read. I recommend it for a long car trip or a plane ride where you can power through it in one sitting.
This was actually pretty good. I did like the characters a lot, which was nice. They seemed to act appropriately for their extremely strange situation. One of the most entertaining parts of the book was that the reader tends to figure out things before the characters do, which adds a ridiculous amount of suspense. This was a thriller at its best leaving you on the edge of your seat with the tension of figuring it out. It was also surprisingly creepy. This was all due to the writing, which was excellently descriptive. The plot lost itself a little at the end, getting a little confusing and moving a tiny bit too fast. It was like we knew nothing for most of the book, and then suddenly we knew everything and then it was all resolved. The pacing was very off. But I read this book almost entirely in one sitting, so definitely worth the read.
This was a big "What the heck is going on?" book. If executed better, more like The Maze Runner, then this could have actually been pretty good. But, there were far too many flaws for me to actually end up liking this book.
A group of six teens from all around the world find themselves locked away in a hospital with no apparent way out. How did they get there?
Michelle Gagnon has something about starting books in hospitals with unending hallways!! Well, it works for her. And this was a suspenseful, thrilling read with a bit of an abrupt ending. It truly was a page-turner until the very end and then it was like “Well, ok, that was a good explanation for what happened but … maybe a little too neat?”
The characters were ones that you could root for but were kept human with what-are-you-doing moments. The action and the question of where they are will keep you turning the pages rapidly. The explanation and wrap-up had me thinking “Doctor Who episode anyone?” – and I do not mean that in a bad way as I love Who!
I think this is going to be one of those hard-to-pitch books because you just don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away plot points. But I especially liked that, in this day of series after series, this is a stand-alone read that reasonably contained the entire story within its covers.
Michelle Gagnon has something about starting books in hospitals with unending hallways!! Well, it works for her. And this was a suspenseful, thrilling read with a bit of an abrupt ending. It truly was a page-turner until the very end and then it was like “Well, ok, that was a good explanation for what happened but … maybe a little too neat?”
The characters were ones that you could root for but were kept human with what-are-you-doing moments. The action and the question of where they are will keep you turning the pages rapidly. The explanation and wrap-up had me thinking “Doctor Who episode anyone?” – and I do not mean that in a bad way as I love Who!
I think this is going to be one of those hard-to-pitch books because you just don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away plot points. But I especially liked that, in this day of series after series, this is a stand-alone read that reasonably contained the entire story within its covers.
Strangelets has such an interesting premise,but what seems like a story of teens trapped in an alternate universe after near death experiences becomes an even more interesting scifi novel. The story builds slowly at first, then keeps you engrossed, sitting up late night just to read a little more. The ending, though all story lines are finished, didn't carry the finality I was looking for after the nail biting roller coaster ride I'd been on. However, I still would highly recommend this book to my friends and lovers of scifi. Really solid read.
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-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:
No
Strangelets was a strange and fascinating read. I had no idea what to expect from the book and enjoyed following the characters as they found themselves in a strange hosptal.
What I liked most about the story is that I didn’t know the direction it was going. I understood that all of the characters were on the verge of death before they woke up in the strange hospital, but I didn’t know what it all meant. Lots of theories were tossed around by the characters and myself and honestly, all of them were plausible. Could they all be in some sort of purgatory or hell? Were they alive, dead, or somewhere in between? Where were they, what did they all have in common? Was this some sort of lesson? Or was it actually happening? WHAT was going on?!
Then, things around them started to get weird. There was no one in the hospital except other teenagers who were equally confused as to why they were there. No staff, no visitors, and no exit. As the story progressed, the world outside started to resemble a post apocalyptic world, but it didn’t make sense because not that much time had passed. There was all this overgrowth, dusty houses, rusted cars, no food, and ferocious animals, but only a day had passed. Or did it? Not all of the characters could agree on what day it was. I started to care about the characters as well. While some of them were harder to relate to, like Anat, I started to understand their motives and feelings. Declan and Sophie were my favorites and their connection was an enjoyable side note. But all of the characters had their own stories and secrets and had to work together to figure out what was going on.
Strangelets was such a fascinating read because I was on the edge of my seat, turning the pages eagerly to find out what would happen next and waiting for the mystery to unravel. And when it did, I was really impressed with the direction it took. Strangelets had characters I started to care about and an adventure and mystery that captured all of my attention. I highly recommend it and I also enjoyed the fact that it doesn’t appear to be a part of a series, but a stand alone novel. It gets harder everyday to find a good YA non contemporary novel that isn’t part of a series, so I find that to be a major plus. A definite must read for fans of science fiction, thrillers, mystery, horror, and post apocalyptic YA novels with a touch of romance.
Review from Love, Literature, Art, and Reason book review blog: http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2013/04/reviewstrangelets-by-michelle-gagnon.html
What I liked most about the story is that I didn’t know the direction it was going. I understood that all of the characters were on the verge of death before they woke up in the strange hospital, but I didn’t know what it all meant. Lots of theories were tossed around by the characters and myself and honestly, all of them were plausible. Could they all be in some sort of purgatory or hell? Were they alive, dead, or somewhere in between? Where were they, what did they all have in common? Was this some sort of lesson? Or was it actually happening? WHAT was going on?!
Then, things around them started to get weird. There was no one in the hospital except other teenagers who were equally confused as to why they were there. No staff, no visitors, and no exit. As the story progressed, the world outside started to resemble a post apocalyptic world, but it didn’t make sense because not that much time had passed. There was all this overgrowth, dusty houses, rusted cars, no food, and ferocious animals, but only a day had passed. Or did it? Not all of the characters could agree on what day it was. I started to care about the characters as well. While some of them were harder to relate to, like Anat, I started to understand their motives and feelings. Declan and Sophie were my favorites and their connection was an enjoyable side note. But all of the characters had their own stories and secrets and had to work together to figure out what was going on.
Strangelets was such a fascinating read because I was on the edge of my seat, turning the pages eagerly to find out what would happen next and waiting for the mystery to unravel. And when it did, I was really impressed with the direction it took. Strangelets had characters I started to care about and an adventure and mystery that captured all of my attention. I highly recommend it and I also enjoyed the fact that it doesn’t appear to be a part of a series, but a stand alone novel. It gets harder everyday to find a good YA non contemporary novel that isn’t part of a series, so I find that to be a major plus. A definite must read for fans of science fiction, thrillers, mystery, horror, and post apocalyptic YA novels with a touch of romance.
Review from Love, Literature, Art, and Reason book review blog: http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2013/04/reviewstrangelets-by-michelle-gagnon.html
Concept? Great. Everything else? Bad. I really wanted to like this novel, as it seemed like something fresh and innovative; something that would spark the imagination and leave you reeling for more at the end. Sadly, the only thing I felt at the end was disappointed. Anticlimax of the century.
Six teens on the brink of death find themselves locked in what looks like a hospital in Long Island - except none of them died there, or even remotely nearby. Grouping together and breaking out, the teens find the world far different from the state they left it in. Everything is broken and coated in a layer of dust, and terrifying creatures are roaming the land. Desperately trying to uncover what is going on, the group will go through hurt, confusion, betrayal, and will end up not just question where they are, but when they are.
Eight percent in, and there was racism. There was an Indian guy, and the author referred to him as 'the Paki'. Now I didn't know whether this was used on purpose as a mould for the character, used to make a point about racism (like in To Kill A Mockingbird), used out of the author's pure obliviousness, or because the author is racist. It became obvious after a while that the character whose POV it was used in wasn't racist, so I'm really hoping that the third option is the true one - and if so, it needs to be edited out, because it is rude and sets a bad mood for the novel. By this point, Strangelets had already lost a star or two. *
The writing wasn't the worst I've come across by far, but it wasn't anything special. Characterisation fell a bit flat - it was good in the sense that they all had background and a fairly believable lifestyle, but they didn't seem much more than 2D. They were purely fictional to me, and I love it when you can believe a character is real.
Although there were six main characters, only three of them were the protagonists - two too many, if you ask me. All of them were very dull, and I didn't warm to them at all. Sophie was quite pathetic - your typical damsel in distress who was very dramatic and whiny. The only other person who got on my nerves was Anat, who was an uptight witch-with-a-B. She. Was. So. Horrible. To everyone! And Declan was just a typical lads-lad - clearly meant to be some kind of heartthrob, but came out more as the annoying kid brother.
The entire concept for the book was good initially - however, the delivery was very poor, and the ending was completely anticlimactic. The action began to build up, the characters actually seemed to be getting somewhere - and BAM! everything turns bad, sudden light at the end of the tunnel, everything is dandy again (kind of). It was like a steep climb up a roller-coaster, only to find that on the other side was small dip back down. It left me feeling wholly unsatisfied.
Overall, I am really disappointed. I had incredibly high hopes for this book after reading some pretty decent reviews, but it was just a bit dead. That, combined with poor characterisation and racism made me strongly dislike this novel, hence the rating. If you're intrigued, go ahead and read it by all means - but I wouldn't recommend it.
*After a talk with the author, she assured me that the racism was used on purpose to reflect the behaviour of the character *wipes sweat off forehead* Phew!
Six teens on the brink of death find themselves locked in what looks like a hospital in Long Island - except none of them died there, or even remotely nearby. Grouping together and breaking out, the teens find the world far different from the state they left it in. Everything is broken and coated in a layer of dust, and terrifying creatures are roaming the land. Desperately trying to uncover what is going on, the group will go through hurt, confusion, betrayal, and will end up not just question where they are, but when they are.
Eight percent in, and there was racism. There was an Indian guy, and the author referred to him as 'the Paki'. Now I didn't know whether this was used on purpose as a mould for the character, used to make a point about racism (like in To Kill A Mockingbird), used out of the author's pure obliviousness, or because the author is racist. It became obvious after a while that the character whose POV it was used in wasn't racist, so I'm really hoping that the third option is the true one - and if so, it needs to be edited out, because it is rude and sets a bad mood for the novel. By this point, Strangelets had already lost a star or two. *
The writing wasn't the worst I've come across by far, but it wasn't anything special. Characterisation fell a bit flat - it was good in the sense that they all had background and a fairly believable lifestyle, but they didn't seem much more than 2D. They were purely fictional to me, and I love it when you can believe a character is real.
Although there were six main characters, only three of them were the protagonists - two too many, if you ask me. All of them were very dull, and I didn't warm to them at all. Sophie was quite pathetic - your typical damsel in distress who was very dramatic and whiny. The only other person who got on my nerves was Anat, who was an uptight witch-with-a-B. She. Was. So. Horrible. To everyone! And Declan was just a typical lads-lad - clearly meant to be some kind of heartthrob, but came out more as the annoying kid brother.
The entire concept for the book was good initially - however, the delivery was very poor, and the ending was completely anticlimactic. The action began to build up, the characters actually seemed to be getting somewhere - and BAM! everything turns bad, sudden light at the end of the tunnel, everything is dandy again (kind of). It was like a steep climb up a roller-coaster, only to find that on the other side was small dip back down. It left me feeling wholly unsatisfied.
Overall, I am really disappointed. I had incredibly high hopes for this book after reading some pretty decent reviews, but it was just a bit dead. That, combined with poor characterisation and racism made me strongly dislike this novel, hence the rating. If you're intrigued, go ahead and read it by all means - but I wouldn't recommend it.
*After a talk with the author, she assured me that the racism was used on purpose to reflect the behaviour of the character *wipes sweat off forehead* Phew!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
really liked this book. it had the perfect balance of action, romance, and dystopia. left me with a lot of questions at the end but this is a rare time where i dont really mind!