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vegprincess's review
4.0
This book was good but just as I suspected, it hurt to read it. It was slightly predictable but well-written, with a good flow to the storyline. It went back in forth in time, chapter by chapter: one chapter in the present, the next in the past.
stefaniejane's review against another edition
5.0
I could see how this novel wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was a large steaming mug of Stefanie Jane Smith.
celjla212's review against another edition
4.0
Well, I must say this book is definitely not what I expected, though I felt the synopsis was rather vague so I wasn't too sure what to expect anyway. Drew/Win is a solitary boy who's attending boarding school. His story is told in rotating chapters, of the present time and the summer he was 10 years old when his life changed forever. The story was not an action filled one, but something kept the pages turning for me and I finished the book in one sitting, at 1:30 A.M.
It's extremely difficult to write this review without giving too much of the book away, but I'll just say this is something I believe readers will either love or hate with not much middle ground. The way the story builds will mean the twist at the end will either piss you off or sadly shock you.
I'm having a very hard time figuring out what else to say about Charm & Strange without spoiling it, so I'll just say that this book will definitely affect you, in one way or another, and it's very much worth a read.
It's extremely difficult to write this review without giving too much of the book away, but I'll just say this is something I believe readers will either love or hate with not much middle ground. The way the story builds will mean the twist at the end will either piss you off or sadly shock you.
I'm having a very hard time figuring out what else to say about Charm & Strange without spoiling it, so I'll just say that this book will definitely affect you, in one way or another, and it's very much worth a read.
dherzey's review against another edition
4.0
"No, we talked about matter -- most notably quarks, those tiniest possible components of everything. They come in six flavors, you know: up, down, top, bottom, charm and strange. I'll admit those talks helped me, and when I read about sea quarks, I understood why. They contain particles of matter and antimatter, and where the two touch, exists this constant stream of creation and annihilation. Scientists call this place "the sea".....
I am of the sea.
I am of instability.
I am of harsh, choppy waves roiling with all the up-ness, down-ness, top-ness, bottom-ness contained within my being.
I am of charm and strange.
Annihilation.
Creation.
Annihilation."
This book has both "charm" and "strange" but I think "dark, depressing and sad" could also describe the story better when you found out the truth.
So, what is Charm and Strange exactly? Believe me, when I began to read this book, I got no idea either. I just knew that there's this boy named Drew who changed his identity to Winston because of something tragic. There's also talk of wolves and lots of flashbacks on how it all began and what. It was quite muddy at first, with all the vagueness of Win's past and Drew's anger. There's "what" happened but no "why" it happened. Mostly, I just go with the flow yet mostly, I also wanted answers. I kept on reading, kept on trying to decipher Drew's actions, Win's desire to change. I still got no idea what's the story leading into, but I am intrigue. Drew's complexity had me in.
Then I started to know the "whys" and the story became much clearer to me but no less emotional. It was so, so sad. Depressing. Dark. Fucked-up. You can't help but feel for Drew. This book is no walk in the park. It was gritty and heartbreaking. I sympathize with Drew, this poor boy, and to Keith and Siobhan. Hell, my heart breaks for them.
Honestly, I didn't cry. I wasn't mind-fucked, either. I was a bit detached at the beginning so I wasn't wholly into it like I wish. But there's enough power in the story to still affect me greatly. And if you're like me, diving into this book without much idea what you're getting into, you might find a strange, little story about wolves. And yes, it is about wolves but go on, read a little further and watch this story spin into a sad, sad tale. A little psychological thriller brilliantly told.
missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
Cham and Strange ist ein düsteres Buch, das intensiv in den Abgrund blickt und wenn man nicht aufpasst, schubst es einen nach vorn. Also nichts für Zartbesaitete.
Was mich das ganze Buch über auf Trab gehalten hat, ist die große Rätselei um das, was mit Win vor sich geht. In ihm steckt ein Wolf. Aber wie ist das gemeint? Handelt es sich hier um paranormale Wesen? Ein Biest, das Win nicht kontrollieren kann? Oder ist es viel mehr metaphorisch gemeint und wenn ja, was soll der innere Wolf verdeutlichen?
Ich verrate hier absolut nichts, denn es macht den Reiz dieses Buches aus genau das selbst herauszufinden. Also ab marsch mit euch, ihr habt ein Familiengeheimnis zu lüften.
Was mich das ganze Buch über auf Trab gehalten hat, ist die große Rätselei um das, was mit Win vor sich geht. In ihm steckt ein Wolf. Aber wie ist das gemeint? Handelt es sich hier um paranormale Wesen? Ein Biest, das Win nicht kontrollieren kann? Oder ist es viel mehr metaphorisch gemeint und wenn ja, was soll der innere Wolf verdeutlichen?
Ich verrate hier absolut nichts, denn es macht den Reiz dieses Buches aus genau das selbst herauszufinden. Also ab marsch mit euch, ihr habt ein Familiengeheimnis zu lüften.
char_a_lot_te's review against another edition
2.5
2.5☆
ok so the wolf is a metaphor for childhood trauma, sure.
Andrew is an edgy teen boy with a really bad childhood and a lotta baggage. I guess it all made sense at the end but the book is still kinda incoherent and unclear and Andrew is annoying. I'd skip this one personally.
ok so the wolf is a metaphor for childhood trauma, sure.
Andrew is an edgy teen boy with a really bad childhood and a lotta baggage. I guess it all made sense at the end but the book is still kinda incoherent and unclear and Andrew is annoying. I'd skip this one personally.
smolbean_reads's review against another edition
1.0
“I am both ever evolving and ever decaying.”
✮✮✮ 2.5 Stars
Odd reading experience with this one. It took me till about 30% the way through to get into it (I REALLY did my best to not DNF this one because i just KNEW something had to be happening), when I finished it I was all WOW 5 STARS!! Then I didn't have time to review it and in between time it's gone down to a 2.5 star as for me it's not a lingering/never-forget kind of book. It's not one that connected with me on a Katherine level. But don't get me wrong, it was a good read though and people really into mysterious and dark YA books will definitely really like it, so don't take my 2.5 rating literally!
With a past and present split of narration, our first impressions are that main character Win is a thoroughly messed up emo kid who gets a kick out of hurting people (pun intended). There's a lot of WTF? moments but if you stick with it, the book slowly unfolds and the mysteries start unraveling. As a lot of other reviewers have said, its tricky to review this book without giving too much away!
This is a very dark book and if you're not okay with uncomfortable subjects then you might want to give it a miss. However, it is written in such a clever way and you appreciate how well Stephanie Kuehn has dealt with the subject matter.
Definitely one for the WTF-did-i-just-read shelf!