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bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
My only real reaction to this book is "meh". I wasn't that thrilled with it more as a matter of personal preference than because of any flaws. In all, it's a well done novel, it's just not really my cup of tea. More complete review to follow.
Full review:
For me, one of the worst things that can happen when I finish a book is for me to feel ambivalent about it. Even if a book is bad, it means that it provoked some kind of reaction in me, so a book that just makes me think "meh" is one that fails to elicit any real reaction on my part. Unfortunately, Imaginary Girls is one such book. It's not a bad book and, in fact, some of it is very well-written. But, by the time I'd finished, I just felt pretty indifferent about it. Spoilers to follow.
One of the ultimate strengths of the novel is the supernatural elements, though I'm not sure these had as much impact as they could have. I was very confused for the first part of the novel, trying to piece together exactly what was going on. However, once I had a better grasp on things, I thought the story was very eerie, particularly the imagery of the submerged town and the way the reservoir became almost a living creature, relentlessly pursuing Chloe. Still, I thought that Chloe was just too accepting of the general weirdness of her life, and that didn't work for me. If the point was that she just didn't want to touch it because she couldn't deal with it, I don't think the narrative adequately conveyed that. As it was, I think she was a little too apt to roll with things that would cause most other people to freak out at least a little.
The thing I most disliked about the book was the character of Ruby. I just thought she was so thoroughly unlikable that I couldn't understand why Chloe simply went along with everything her sister told her to do. Ruby ostensibly cares about Chloe, but she's not shy about exploiting and using pretty much everyone else. Though there are some points in the novel where it's obvious that perhaps the people in town don't like Ruby quite as much as Chloe may have believed, it simply didn't make sense to me that Ruby could get away with as much as she could, particularly when it came to Chloe. I also didn't entirely buy that Ruby was doing what she did in order to protect Chloe. In many ways, Chloe was simply another pawn that she could easily manipulate, and I really wanted to see Chloe stand up and defy her sister. It was very disappointing to me that she didn't. It was a real weakness of the novel that the reader doesn't get to see enough of Chloe and Ruby's relationship to fully realize just why Chloe seems to worship her sister unquestioningly.
I also felt that Ruby and Chloe's mother wasn't put to good use in the novel. I liked the scene where Chloe finally talks with her mother and realizes that her mother is afraid of Ruby. Because their mother is absent from so much of the novel, I felt this was a really missed opportunity to play up Ruby's ominous side. I also think their mother was given short shrift because her alcoholism and absenteeism might have been due to her inability to cope with what she knew her daughter to be, but the novel doesn't really offer up enough proof of this to make it as strong a subplot as it could have been.
I have to say, I also found it very annoying that Suma named each chapter according to the first few words of that chapter. It didn't bother me much at first, but as I got further into the novel, I was just annoyed by the repetition. I think Suma would have been better off just leaving this device out and simply numbering each chapter.
Lastly, there was a lack of clarity at times that didn't really do the novel any favors. A lot of it felt dreamlike to me, but not necessarily in a good way. Because the reader is often thrown right into the middle of a situation, it is sometimes difficult to follow the action. It's also confusing because characters who were doing one thing are suddenly doing something very different. This gave the novel a disjointed feel that was not to its advantage.
It's a shame I didn't like this novel more. The writing is strong and Suma has a great concept, as well as creating a very eerie atmosphere. Unfortunately, there were some flaws to it that made it difficult to become as immersed in the story as I might otherwise have been.
Full review:
For me, one of the worst things that can happen when I finish a book is for me to feel ambivalent about it. Even if a book is bad, it means that it provoked some kind of reaction in me, so a book that just makes me think "meh" is one that fails to elicit any real reaction on my part. Unfortunately, Imaginary Girls is one such book. It's not a bad book and, in fact, some of it is very well-written. But, by the time I'd finished, I just felt pretty indifferent about it. Spoilers to follow.
One of the ultimate strengths of the novel is the supernatural elements, though I'm not sure these had as much impact as they could have. I was very confused for the first part of the novel, trying to piece together exactly what was going on. However, once I had a better grasp on things, I thought the story was very eerie, particularly the imagery of the submerged town and the way the reservoir became almost a living creature, relentlessly pursuing Chloe. Still, I thought that Chloe was just too accepting of the general weirdness of her life, and that didn't work for me. If the point was that she just didn't want to touch it because she couldn't deal with it, I don't think the narrative adequately conveyed that. As it was, I think she was a little too apt to roll with things that would cause most other people to freak out at least a little.
The thing I most disliked about the book was the character of Ruby. I just thought she was so thoroughly unlikable that I couldn't understand why Chloe simply went along with everything her sister told her to do. Ruby ostensibly cares about Chloe, but she's not shy about exploiting and using pretty much everyone else. Though there are some points in the novel where it's obvious that perhaps the people in town don't like Ruby quite as much as Chloe may have believed, it simply didn't make sense to me that Ruby could get away with as much as she could, particularly when it came to Chloe. I also didn't entirely buy that Ruby was doing what she did in order to protect Chloe. In many ways, Chloe was simply another pawn that she could easily manipulate, and I really wanted to see Chloe stand up and defy her sister. It was very disappointing to me that she didn't. It was a real weakness of the novel that the reader doesn't get to see enough of Chloe and Ruby's relationship to fully realize just why Chloe seems to worship her sister unquestioningly.
I also felt that Ruby and Chloe's mother wasn't put to good use in the novel. I liked the scene where Chloe finally talks with her mother and realizes that her mother is afraid of Ruby. Because their mother is absent from so much of the novel, I felt this was a really missed opportunity to play up Ruby's ominous side. I also think their mother was given short shrift because her alcoholism and absenteeism might have been due to her inability to cope with what she knew her daughter to be, but the novel doesn't really offer up enough proof of this to make it as strong a subplot as it could have been.
I have to say, I also found it very annoying that Suma named each chapter according to the first few words of that chapter. It didn't bother me much at first, but as I got further into the novel, I was just annoyed by the repetition. I think Suma would have been better off just leaving this device out and simply numbering each chapter.
Lastly, there was a lack of clarity at times that didn't really do the novel any favors. A lot of it felt dreamlike to me, but not necessarily in a good way. Because the reader is often thrown right into the middle of a situation, it is sometimes difficult to follow the action. It's also confusing because characters who were doing one thing are suddenly doing something very different. This gave the novel a disjointed feel that was not to its advantage.
It's a shame I didn't like this novel more. The writing is strong and Suma has a great concept, as well as creating a very eerie atmosphere. Unfortunately, there were some flaws to it that made it difficult to become as immersed in the story as I might otherwise have been.
booagnes's review against another edition
1.0
I'm really kind of unsure about this one. I had heard so many wonderful things about Imaginary Girls, so I guess I was expecting a lot. I don't like writing negative reviews, but I think they also play an important role. With that said, I can say that Imaginary Girls just wasn't for me. I enjoyed Nova's writing style for the most part, but I couldn't get into the story. I also couldn't find one redeeming character, which made the whole process of trying to like the book that much harder. Unfortunately. My opinion on this novel is so confused, I don't know that any rating (or review) will be able to sufficiently depict my muddled feelings.
Other than what is stated in the synopsis and book trailer above, I knew absolutely nothing about Imaginary Girls before I jumped into it. I guess you could say it's about two sisters, a mysterious reservoir and a summer when everything changed.
As I mentioned before, I couldn't find a single likable character. I wanted to like Chloe. I wanted to like Ruby. I wanted to like the fact that they were two sisters who would do anything for one another (much like I would do anything for my sister). But I didn't. I didn't like Chloe. Her actions never seemed genuine to her character. I couldn't sympathize with or get intrigued by Ruby. Though she is described as having a magnetic personality, I could never see what was so wonderful about her. As for their sisterly relationship? Well... they were strangely obsessed with one another, to say the least. I'm extremely close with my sister, but Chloe and Ruby had a disturbing, unhealthy relationship. The secondary characters were also very unappealing. The "love interests" in the novel were anything but interesting. The parents, friends and other various people really didn't play much of a part in redeeming to story to me, either. With the exception of Ruby being larger than life, every character was flat. Maybe if the characters were a little more fleshed out, I might have enjoyed the book more. Maybe.
The setting of the small town next to the mysterious reservoir had some serious potential, but I don't think it was used to it's full capacity. Really, the reservoir is the star attraction as far as the setting is concerned. Apparently there used to be a town where the reservoir now is, but it was destroyed long ago. Ruby tells Chloe a story about what happened, but with Ruby you never know what is fact and what is fiction. I would have liked to know what really happened and if any part of the myth Ruby told was actually true. Like I said, there was a lot of potential to develop the setting, but it too fell flat for me.
I guess one positive thing I can share about Imaginary Girls is that it was never predictable. There was a fair amount of suspense and I wasn't able to guess one single thing that was going to happen. I had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time I was reading it. The bad side of that, however, is that even after finishing the novel, I still had no clue what the book was about. I had so many questions while I was reading and none of them were answered. Not a single one. Also, just when I thought the story was going to pick up, it fell flat and ended. The climax was so... it was so anticlimactic! It got my hopes up and then left me feeling very disappointed and deflated.
Imaginary girls was suspenseful and intriguing to a point, but I just didn't get it. I might not have enjoyed it much, but that's not to say nobody else will. I know there are heaps of people with rave reviews, but I'm sad to say I'm not one of them. The best advice I can give is to keep your mind wide open if and when you read this one and be prepared for an insane, surreal ride.
A favorite quote: "The story you choose to tell isn't always the story you believe."
Review as posted on my blog: Kaleidoscopic Reveries
Other than what is stated in the synopsis and book trailer above, I knew absolutely nothing about Imaginary Girls before I jumped into it. I guess you could say it's about two sisters, a mysterious reservoir and a summer when everything changed.
As I mentioned before, I couldn't find a single likable character. I wanted to like Chloe. I wanted to like Ruby. I wanted to like the fact that they were two sisters who would do anything for one another (much like I would do anything for my sister). But I didn't. I didn't like Chloe. Her actions never seemed genuine to her character. I couldn't sympathize with or get intrigued by Ruby. Though she is described as having a magnetic personality, I could never see what was so wonderful about her. As for their sisterly relationship? Well... they were strangely obsessed with one another, to say the least. I'm extremely close with my sister, but Chloe and Ruby had a disturbing, unhealthy relationship. The secondary characters were also very unappealing. The "love interests" in the novel were anything but interesting. The parents, friends and other various people really didn't play much of a part in redeeming to story to me, either. With the exception of Ruby being larger than life, every character was flat. Maybe if the characters were a little more fleshed out, I might have enjoyed the book more. Maybe.
The setting of the small town next to the mysterious reservoir had some serious potential, but I don't think it was used to it's full capacity. Really, the reservoir is the star attraction as far as the setting is concerned. Apparently there used to be a town where the reservoir now is, but it was destroyed long ago. Ruby tells Chloe a story about what happened, but with Ruby you never know what is fact and what is fiction. I would have liked to know what really happened and if any part of the myth Ruby told was actually true. Like I said, there was a lot of potential to develop the setting, but it too fell flat for me.
I guess one positive thing I can share about Imaginary Girls is that it was never predictable. There was a fair amount of suspense and I wasn't able to guess one single thing that was going to happen. I had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time I was reading it. The bad side of that, however, is that even after finishing the novel, I still had no clue what the book was about. I had so many questions while I was reading and none of them were answered. Not a single one. Also, just when I thought the story was going to pick up, it fell flat and ended. The climax was so... it was so anticlimactic! It got my hopes up and then left me feeling very disappointed and deflated.
Imaginary girls was suspenseful and intriguing to a point, but I just didn't get it. I might not have enjoyed it much, but that's not to say nobody else will. I know there are heaps of people with rave reviews, but I'm sad to say I'm not one of them. The best advice I can give is to keep your mind wide open if and when you read this one and be prepared for an insane, surreal ride.
A favorite quote: "The story you choose to tell isn't always the story you believe."
Review as posted on my blog: Kaleidoscopic Reveries
madiganinwonderland's review against another edition
It feels like some kind of distant fever dream but I just saw this cover and I'm pretty sure I've read this... I have absolutely no memory of this, so no rating but like.... This is some kind of echo of a memory lol. I think I may have forgotten it's existence.
applegnreads's review against another edition
2.0
This was a book group choice. Honestly, the book was fairly well written in terms of sentences and interest. But there wasn't a single character I liked and the plot could have been good with one or two explorations of stuff introduced already but mostly ended up not so great. Oh well.
b0hemian_graham's review against another edition
5.0
Twin Peaks and Persona had a baby, and it is beautifully creepy as hell.
shhchar's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing, hands down. If I had one word to describe it? Eery. But in a good way!
This books revolves around Chloe--and her sister Ruby. Chloe is the main character though, and the book begins two summers ago. (In THEIR time, not ours.) Chloe is at a party with Ruby. Ruby is the girl every girl wants to be, and every guy wants. Even more than just being a popular highschooler. She isn't even in high-school. She has something that abnormally draws people to her. Get my hint? Anyway, at this party Ruby tells a story. A story about an old town named Olive, drowned under the reservoir. (The party is taking place on the shore of the reservoir.) Ruby says that Chloe could go swim the reservoir now and bring back a souvenir from Olive. Chloe agrees, and dives off to do it. Instead she finds a boat. With a body.
Bear with me, because I'm trying to be careful. This is one of those books were if you literally say something you shouldn't; you could give a big part away. This is also the type of book where the things you'd forget about are the things that are the most important. Remember that.
Anyway, skip forward two summers. Chloe has been living with her dad. And Ruby drags her home. She assures Chloe that she won't have to worry anymore. That everything is like how it had been before she found the body of the girl. (London--that's the girl's name.) And here is where I stop! Now onto my critiques and so forth. =)
The writing style was so smooth and definitely affected you. It made you think, and it made you wonder. Made you imagine WHILST still reading the page. I felt like I was in this town, because even though the descriptiveness wasn't pages long--it did the trick. I loved the stories Ruby told and the way Chloe thought adoringly of her sister. Writing=10/10
Chloe was so loveable. She understood what it felt like to be overshadowed. Which I bet a lot of people know how that feels. She still loved her sister unconditionally though. Ruby on the other hand had that total factor—that YOU as the reader totally wanted. You wanted to be like her, but you were somewhat repulsed at the same time. At least I was. There were a few side characters that I would have liked a better back story with. A.k.a. Owen. Characters=8.5/10
Now I'm trying not to ramble or repeat myself. This is hard. I want to finish up now; but I do have a few more important things to say. This book gives you closure, but also leaves you with lingering thoughts that can last a long time. I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon. It leaves you with answers to the most detailed questions. . .but leaves you wondering about the overall idea. This is perfect. I won't be racking my brain (or the internet) to find out what happened, thinking I missed something. This book left you with a blank slate to fill in yourself once it was all over.
This books revolves around Chloe--and her sister Ruby. Chloe is the main character though, and the book begins two summers ago. (In THEIR time, not ours.) Chloe is at a party with Ruby. Ruby is the girl every girl wants to be, and every guy wants. Even more than just being a popular highschooler. She isn't even in high-school. She has something that abnormally draws people to her. Get my hint? Anyway, at this party Ruby tells a story. A story about an old town named Olive, drowned under the reservoir. (The party is taking place on the shore of the reservoir.) Ruby says that Chloe could go swim the reservoir now and bring back a souvenir from Olive. Chloe agrees, and dives off to do it. Instead she finds a boat. With a body.
Bear with me, because I'm trying to be careful. This is one of those books were if you literally say something you shouldn't; you could give a big part away. This is also the type of book where the things you'd forget about are the things that are the most important. Remember that.
Anyway, skip forward two summers. Chloe has been living with her dad. And Ruby drags her home. She assures Chloe that she won't have to worry anymore. That everything is like how it had been before she found the body of the girl. (London--that's the girl's name.) And here is where I stop! Now onto my critiques and so forth. =)
The writing style was so smooth and definitely affected you. It made you think, and it made you wonder. Made you imagine WHILST still reading the page. I felt like I was in this town, because even though the descriptiveness wasn't pages long--it did the trick. I loved the stories Ruby told and the way Chloe thought adoringly of her sister. Writing=10/10
Chloe was so loveable. She understood what it felt like to be overshadowed. Which I bet a lot of people know how that feels. She still loved her sister unconditionally though. Ruby on the other hand had that total factor—that YOU as the reader totally wanted. You wanted to be like her, but you were somewhat repulsed at the same time. At least I was. There were a few side characters that I would have liked a better back story with. A.k.a. Owen. Characters=8.5/10
Now I'm trying not to ramble or repeat myself. This is hard. I want to finish up now; but I do have a few more important things to say. This book gives you closure, but also leaves you with lingering thoughts that can last a long time. I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon. It leaves you with answers to the most detailed questions. . .but leaves you wondering about the overall idea. This is perfect. I won't be racking my brain (or the internet) to find out what happened, thinking I missed something. This book left you with a blank slate to fill in yourself once it was all over.
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful prose, a mesmerizing setting, and a mysterious premise are, in the end, not quite enough to make up for the minimal character development and slow-moving plot in this ambitious and convoluted novel. IMAGINARY GIRLS is beautifully written, but the lack of attachment I felt for any of the characters meant that I actually had to struggle to finish this book.
The jacket copy for IMAGINARY GIRLS doesn’t tell you much, and it’s better if you go into the book knowing just the little you know. Nova Ren Suma writes in a languid style similar to Sarah Dessen when she is feeling particularly poignant, meaning that the small-town reservoir-side setting and the weirdness of the situation is well-evoked. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a very atmospheric novel—and even though it’s hard express the significance of the setting, it’s also probably impossible to imagine this story set elsewhere.
The fact that IMAGINARY GIRLS seems to focus more on beautiful prose than character development means that the characters—not the least of which is Chloe, the protagonist/narrator—come off as only vaguely intriguing, their interestingness born more out of the roles they are assigned in the story than they themselves. Chloe in particular is like a spluttering match next to Ruby’s Mag-lite glow—and yet Ruby’s magnetic persona, unfortunately, anchors its credibility in the telling of her magnetism rather than the showing of it. Chloe waxes eloquent for so long on Ruby this, Ruby that, that, “in the flesh,” Ruby is actually not as intriguing as Chloe makes her sound.
Chloe suffers from “everyone is more interesting than me”-itis. In short, Chloe has no personality. She has no defining characteristics besides being the narrator and Ruby’s younger sister, which I suppose is partially the point, but then she doesn’t grow a whit throughout the course of the novel. Why is it all too easy for protagonists in contemporarily set novels to be passive and bland? I really wish authors would catch themselves when they are writing bubbles as main characters: see-through substanceless creatures that threaten to disappear into nothing at the slightest touch.
IMAGINARY GIRLS didn’t work for me primarily because of these reasons, but I know that the majority of other readers have really loved this book, so don’t take my word for it. I wonder, though, if there are or will be other readers out there who had the same problems with this book as I did.
The jacket copy for IMAGINARY GIRLS doesn’t tell you much, and it’s better if you go into the book knowing just the little you know. Nova Ren Suma writes in a languid style similar to Sarah Dessen when she is feeling particularly poignant, meaning that the small-town reservoir-side setting and the weirdness of the situation is well-evoked. IMAGINARY GIRLS is a very atmospheric novel—and even though it’s hard express the significance of the setting, it’s also probably impossible to imagine this story set elsewhere.
The fact that IMAGINARY GIRLS seems to focus more on beautiful prose than character development means that the characters—not the least of which is Chloe, the protagonist/narrator—come off as only vaguely intriguing, their interestingness born more out of the roles they are assigned in the story than they themselves. Chloe in particular is like a spluttering match next to Ruby’s Mag-lite glow—and yet Ruby’s magnetic persona, unfortunately, anchors its credibility in the telling of her magnetism rather than the showing of it. Chloe waxes eloquent for so long on Ruby this, Ruby that, that, “in the flesh,” Ruby is actually not as intriguing as Chloe makes her sound.
Chloe suffers from “everyone is more interesting than me”-itis. In short, Chloe has no personality. She has no defining characteristics besides being the narrator and Ruby’s younger sister, which I suppose is partially the point, but then she doesn’t grow a whit throughout the course of the novel. Why is it all too easy for protagonists in contemporarily set novels to be passive and bland? I really wish authors would catch themselves when they are writing bubbles as main characters: see-through substanceless creatures that threaten to disappear into nothing at the slightest touch.
IMAGINARY GIRLS didn’t work for me primarily because of these reasons, but I know that the majority of other readers have really loved this book, so don’t take my word for it. I wonder, though, if there are or will be other readers out there who had the same problems with this book as I did.
4saradouglas's review against another edition
2.0
I really didn't like this book. The beginning was very slow and felt so incredibly long and boring. Once you get to the middle things pick up a little, but really the plot is just dull. I didn't like any of the characters and didn't care what happened to them, and the book certainly wasn't scary or dramatic or whatever it is they were going for.
sapphron's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Overall, an intriging, mysterious tale that has your mind toeing between the is-this-or-is-this-not-supernatural speculations.
The writing style is reminiscent of old style horror that leaves the reader unbalanced to create a surreal, hazy atmosphere. However, I felt it didn't nail it. This novel is certainly better written than the average YA, but lacks emotional depth from the protagionist's point of view. I found the plot quite compelling but the length unnecessary, as it could have been a short, or shorter, story and I don't think it would have lost much, if anything. That said, it is a quick, easy read that's perfect for a stormy night in. If asked for a recommendation for a contemporary intro to surreal horror, I'd give you this, but I wouldn't put this on a "must reads" list.
The writing style is reminiscent of old style horror that leaves the reader unbalanced to create a surreal, hazy atmosphere. However, I felt it didn't nail it. This novel is certainly better written than the average YA, but lacks emotional depth from the protagionist's point of view. I found the plot quite compelling but the length unnecessary, as it could have been a short, or shorter, story and I don't think it would have lost much, if anything. That said, it is a quick, easy read that's perfect for a stormy night in. If asked for a recommendation for a contemporary intro to surreal horror, I'd give you this, but I wouldn't put this on a "must reads" list.