Reviews

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

megancrusante's review against another edition

3.0

I didn't realize that this book would have supernatural/paranormal themes in it- I do sometimes like that but the description of this book gave no indication so it was unexpected. That said- I really liked it. It felt like a nightmare. There were times where I was SO NERVOUS and at one point actually afraid and had to take a break from reading. But nothing "scary" was even happening- the nervous energy in the writing is so great. I would have given it a higher rating if I didn't feel so unsatisfied by the ending. It is kind of an elusive ending and that is ok with me, I like when the final scene is left for readers to interpret as they will. But the best way I can say this without spoilers is that I don't like how Ruby's actions are never explained. She is constantly doing things with no explanation of why she can do it.

Also. In reading other reviews I noticed that many people thought Ruby was a charismatic, likeable character with ultimately good intentions and I did not see it that way AT ALL. I found her final actions to be the most selfish of all- I didn't see it as selfless so much as leaving people in her debt.

junotranscends's review against another edition

4.0

Haunting, eerie, and beautifully written.

This was the sort of book I wasn't sure about even when I was halfway through with it. Things moved slow at the beginning, often leaving me wondering, "Okay, where is this *going*?" But all the loose strings were pulled together in the ending and made into a neat little bow.

Hard to classify this as 'paranormal.' Maybe 'contemporary with a supernatural bent.' In any case, if you're a fan of ghost stories, mysteries and lyrical prose, give this book a try.

bummerdays's review against another edition

2.0

I finished this book out of obligation to the two dollars I spent on it. This book EXHAUSTED me. There's not a single likable character in the whole thing. Everyone is flat and static and it gets old really fast. Once you realize that nothing is going to progress, no one is going to change. There was a tempting scene... Beyond the boundary of town where Chloe's phone almost explodes with missed calls and texts that I found myself actually interested in... But then she crosses back into town and back to the stale plot. It's like she enjoys sleepwalking her way through life, one step behind her sister Ruby the whole time. Even the end failed miserably. I would have loved this book a little if the end had been different. (Spoilers from here on...)

If Owen has died at Ruby's will. If the people of Olive hadn't been tricked and instead Chloe's time had ended. But no... It was boring. And London constantly bouncing between gentle slave and hateful bitch. Ugh. Just let me forget I wasted my time on this book.


2 stars because it wasn't THAT awful.

trisha_thomas's review against another edition

2.0

Balance, she'd said, It's all about the balance.

This was so odd. I think my 2 star rating is only because my questions weren't answered. I was left with all these weird answers and descriptions of things I didn't really care about but none of the answers I'd really wanted.

I'm not much for magic realism, which is what I suppose this book is. I assume?

sapphisms's review against another edition

5.0

What a good book! Running off the low that [b:Dare Me|12982393|Dare Me|Megan Abbott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342214694s/12982393.jpg|18141649] had left me in after I finished it almost a year ago, I was recommended Imaginary Girls as something from a similar genre. The motif of "Dangerous teenage girls and their boredom" easily make a book for me, since it's not something you see often.
Even less often do you see this trope played out without romantic context.
One of the best parts of this book is how immersed you became in Chloe's perspective. The fact that you genuinely don't know what's going to happen next, up to the last page, is something that I admire. In fact, the biggest spoiler in the book is that

Spoiler

this book is actually part of the paranormal genre

. Led to believe that Ruby's charisma is dangerous but harmless to Chloe, it's an even bigger shock when things

Spoiler

start to fall apart with London and the town

.
Damn near everything in this book gets a callback from when it's passingly mentioned at the beginning of the book- from the red ribbons to the resemblance between the two

Spoiler

half

sisters.
Honestly? If you're looking for something in the similar vein of Abbott's works, but with a little more painful sisterly love, this is the book for you.

marinarawr's review against another edition

3.0

If I had another book to read after our state-mandated test, I would have. This was the just the only book I had.
It was confusing and the plot line felt scattered. Some things happened, without further explanation and were never resolved.

asma_aj's review against another edition

3.0

In town, Chloe's sister Ruby is the the girl everyone wants to be and wants to be with, and for Chloe being just under her shadow gives her enough status around town too. Except one night party at the reservoir goes horribly wrong when Chloe finds a dead girl in a boat. Two years after the incident, Chloe is living a boring life-- until Ruby shows up to take her back home. And everything is as it should be; Ruby the queen of town, and Chloe the little sister basking in her brilliance. But Chloe can tell something is off. Something dangerous that Ruby is hiding, and could unravel their sisterly bonds in a way Chloe could never imagine.

I knew this was a contemporary read, but I didn't think it would be so dark. Imaginary Girls was written so beautifully and so vividly. To read the rest of this review, visit A Reading Kabocha @ http://areadingkabocha.blogspot.com

marisamoo's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 but i rounded up bc it's a three star beginning but a four star ending.
like wow. I'll admit it was hard to get into. It was really confusing but once I got a basic idea of the wierdness happening it was just a really great @__@ book. Idk how to explain it it's just bizarre and asadfgjkll and creepy and eerie and the ending and unsettling.

ntembeast's review against another edition

4.0

This was such a weird book.

I still don't really know what to make of it. I'm sitting here, and I don't know how I feel about this book. I don't know how I feel about the characters, or all that happened... or... anything. I think I'm a little dumbfounded, actually. Or maybe just in some kind of lingering, soft shock of a sort I've never had before.

I guess it's because I'm confused, because there's so much to this story, these characters, and this entire book that isn't tangible. When you first pick it up it strikes you almost within the first few pages. You think it's a normal teenage story, and the weird thing is that it is for all intents and purposes. But then there's this oddness to it that you can't quite put your finger on. The longer you read, the more it creeps up inside of you and wraps around you, like a fog, until you can't see anything beyond the space that you're in right now. Like there's no world that exists outside of that spot right there that you're in. And all that exists in the entire world is you and what comes into that fog. Only you have no control over what comes in there with you, into that space where you can see something--a bench or chair--or someone, someone who doesn't talk about anything outside of the fog, because nothing else exists outside of the fog, where you can't see. Outside in the fog, there is nothing else.

That's what reading this book is like. And it creeps up on you and steals over your heart and mind until you start to forget that anything else exists outside of this town in the book, outside of what happens there, outside of Ruby. Nothing else matters. Nothing else does matter. Ruby is all.

Ruby is.

Nothing else in all the world matters. She is everything.

And the scariest and best part about this book is that the author has the power to make you believe this. Not believe in it. You don't question it. It is. As sure as you live, breathe, hear, smell, feel, see, and exist, you believe.

My younger sister read this book and didn't like it. And I can't say I'm in love with it either. But holy cow is this a book that will take you on a trip. It's almost like you were on a trip. And I mean--take whatever hallucinatory drug and Insert Here--this was a trip. The amazing part is that Nova Ren Suma, the author, made it real while you read it. Her voice in his book is astounding, unlike almost any other author I've ever read. It's one thing to have a concept for a book and tell a story to someone. It's another thing entirely to pull a reader right into your story and make them feel what's going on. And Nova Ren Suma makes you feel it like no one else could. I guarantee you: No one else could ever have written this book better. No one.

This is a book that doesn't deserve to be written off as another teen story. There is sufficient material here that it borders on even a thriller or suspense title, and I'm tempted to make a new shelf just for it to place it under "Eerie" or "Creepy" because that's literally how it makes you feel. There's a sensation that is sometimes overpowering when you read this book, and it pulled me in so many directions.

I both admired and disliked certain things about the characters, but I could never peg a single one as a character I fully liked or disliked. It's almost impossible for me to make up my mind on this one, which is weird. I think I have some definite end choices tending towards the dislike of characters after a certain point, but the word "Hatred" never comes outright for me. And I can't say I downright "Loved" anyone as well.

I think the most fascinating character in this entire book was Ruby herself. This enigmatic, immensely powerful being that I actually find myself questioning the existence of at all sometimes. And other times, I wonder, much like some people ask in the book, just "What the hell is she?" Because for the life of me I can't figure it out still, and the book politely ends on a note where you half wonder if you've been mad the entire time and are mad if you believe anything that just happened.

Contrary to what I set out to expect, I think this book is stunningly stupendous and should be a book you check out and read at some point. It's creepy, and mysterious, and borders on some real psychological weight at the end that's going to make you talk about this one for a whiiiile after you've put it down and stepped away from it. For anyone that loves mild-fright, psychological books, supernatural stories and more along those lines, you should definitely check this book out. It's well worth your time. And read it all the way to the end, especially if you're a psychological lover or someone looking for a creepy new story to tell. The ending makes it especially worth it for you guys.

Happy reading!

jennifervu's review against another edition

2.0

I didn't finish it. That should tell you everything.