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cousinrachel's review against another edition
3.0
It's a sight better than most teen fiction, one reason being the unique premise. I loved that the central relationship wasn't about the heroine and her smoldering-eyes boyfriend. I actually bought this one, too: instead of stating mindlessly over and over that the sisters were close, the author showed it as well as told with instances of how Ruby instead of the mother raised Chloe, and the "traditions" they had like watching movies on Wednesdays that made the bond special.
Creepy descriptions of the sea people, too. I won't spoil them for you by quoting here, but it built some atmosphere without drowning (ha) in prose that tried too hard with nonsensical or stretched metaphors. Occasionally there was some overstatement that reduced the impact, like describing death as a "swirling, sinking fate" - come on, it's only dying, nobody's going to the ninth level of hell. But at least the author didn't sound like she was going for the purple prize.
I give Suma props, because I HATED Ruby. Absolutely wanted to punch her eyeballs, and quite often felt that some of her attitude had rubbed off on Chloe, who can be a spoiled brat. It wasn't announced all at once the way Ruby is (or maybe not explicitly stated at all, since it's coming from Chloe's perspective), but more inched out slowly. In spite of all that, I still found the sisterhood thing sweet in a twisted, overly-attached way, ; I'm sort of impressed that I ended up despising Ruby but caring about her, more or less, in the context of her relationship to Chloe.
This Ruby-hatred made me hope for a certain ending, which didn't happen and that was especially disappointing because an earlier event had seemed to hint that it would. I didn't like the ending, actually. I did not think it fit well with Ruby's character, which I will explain below under the word "SPOILERS" for those of us who have finished the book.
Imaginary Girls was engaging in a creepy-twins way: spooky feel to it, characters are intriguing from a distance more than in an up-close way that makes what happens to them matter personally. But probably caring about them personally would have ruined the spooky effect. It was a competent effort a step above most shelf-littering rubbish, even if the conclusion did turn out to be a bit flat.
SPOILERS:
After Ruby released the balloons with directives on them, Chloe said she wondered how far Ruby's power went and if she would have to stop her one day. This made me think that Chloe and Ruby would conflict over Ruby's manipulativeness and selfishness (taking people's money, making them love her, etc.). That would have been an interesting problem for Chloe, who idolized Ruby but also would have had to prevent her from harming people, while also harming Ruby herself in the process by making her wither physically, as she seemed to do when she was drained or challenged. I wanted to see Chloe go along up to a point, but then decide that Ruby had gone too far and have to deal with the emotional strain of opposing her sister.
The real ending where Ruby dies was a bummer, not because she drowned, but because I did not care about her enough to feel bad, as I apparently was supposed to do. I know I said I liked the relationship, but not that much. Ruby being a monster who felt the world existed to serve her and her sister, there should have been a follow-up on that instead of "oh poor Ruby, she sacrificed herself". I DON'T CARE. Drowning was too good for that [unprintable tirade].
Creepy descriptions of the sea people, too. I won't spoil them for you by quoting here, but it built some atmosphere without drowning (ha) in prose that tried too hard with nonsensical or stretched metaphors. Occasionally there was some overstatement that reduced the impact, like describing death as a "swirling, sinking fate" - come on, it's only dying, nobody's going to the ninth level of hell. But at least the author didn't sound like she was going for the purple prize.
I give Suma props, because I HATED Ruby. Absolutely wanted to punch her eyeballs, and quite often felt that some of her attitude had rubbed off on Chloe, who can be a spoiled brat. It wasn't announced all at once the way Ruby is (or maybe not explicitly stated at all, since it's coming from Chloe's perspective), but more inched out slowly. In spite of all that, I still found the sisterhood thing sweet in a twisted, overly-attached way, ; I'm sort of impressed that I ended up despising Ruby but caring about her, more or less, in the context of her relationship to Chloe.
This Ruby-hatred made me hope for a certain ending, which didn't happen and that was especially disappointing because an earlier event had seemed to hint that it would. I didn't like the ending, actually. I did not think it fit well with Ruby's character, which I will explain below under the word "SPOILERS" for those of us who have finished the book.
Imaginary Girls was engaging in a creepy-twins way: spooky feel to it, characters are intriguing from a distance more than in an up-close way that makes what happens to them matter personally. But probably caring about them personally would have ruined the spooky effect. It was a competent effort a step above most shelf-littering rubbish, even if the conclusion did turn out to be a bit flat.
SPOILERS:
After Ruby released the balloons with directives on them, Chloe said she wondered how far Ruby's power went and if she would have to stop her one day. This made me think that Chloe and Ruby would conflict over Ruby's manipulativeness and selfishness (taking people's money, making them love her, etc.). That would have been an interesting problem for Chloe, who idolized Ruby but also would have had to prevent her from harming people, while also harming Ruby herself in the process by making her wither physically, as she seemed to do when she was drained or challenged. I wanted to see Chloe go along up to a point, but then decide that Ruby had gone too far and have to deal with the emotional strain of opposing her sister.
The real ending where Ruby dies was a bummer, not because she drowned, but because I did not care about her enough to feel bad, as I apparently was supposed to do. I know I said I liked the relationship, but not that much. Ruby being a monster who felt the world existed to serve her and her sister, there should have been a follow-up on that instead of "oh poor Ruby, she sacrificed herself". I DON'T CARE. Drowning was too good for that [unprintable tirade].
meagan_reads_books's review against another edition
5.0
Read this some time ago, but it is one of my favorites, I came across it at a discount store and it sounded kind of strange but hey it was 2 bucks why not right? Well turns out best two bucks ever spent, this book is so good, it’s very strange and makes you think, parts of it you’re not totally sure what exactly is going on, but it was very well written and shows how far the love between sisters will take you!
bookworm_enni's review against another edition
4.0
I have a hard time rating this one. Although the story is beautifully told I had some problems getting in to it and the characters kept me at a distance. Although I don't mind some questions being left open at the end of a book this one didn't answer any questions at all. Imaginary girls still managed to fascinate me and made me think and get all these different theories going in my head. If possible I guess I would give it a 3,5 star rating.
pollyroth's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
I really wanted to like this book. Nova Ren Suma's [b:The Walls Around Us|18044277|The Walls Around Us|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407168914s/18044277.jpg|25322052] is possibly one of my favorite books of all time, and Imaginary Girls seemed just as weird. Plus, the reviews were super positive!
But I don't know...I just couldn't get into it.
Chloe, the narrator, was just sort of blah to me. She made the same mistakes, never second guessed anything, and I never grew to care for her. Ruby, Chloe's older sister and seemingly the main character, was a manipulative, self-serving bitch. The only sympathy I could muster for any of the characters in this book was for her poor boyfriends. Also, she goes on and on about how she'd do anything for Chloe, and yet she brings her back to an obviously unstable environment.
The writing was gorgeous though. Suma's always seems to be. And the mystery was so eerie and well done that I enjoyed the read despite my lack of love for the characters.
Maybe my expectations got the better of me. [b:The Walls Around Us|18044277|The Walls Around Us|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407168914s/18044277.jpg|25322052] was just so perfect, and I expected the same from Imaginary Girls. Oh well, I'll give [b:17 & Gone|13132403|17 & Gone|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345572427s/13132403.jpg|18308775] a try to even the draw.
I really wanted to like this book. Nova Ren Suma's [b:The Walls Around Us|18044277|The Walls Around Us|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407168914s/18044277.jpg|25322052] is possibly one of my favorite books of all time, and Imaginary Girls seemed just as weird. Plus, the reviews were super positive!
But I don't know...I just couldn't get into it.
Chloe, the narrator, was just sort of blah to me. She made the same mistakes, never second guessed anything, and I never grew to care for her. Ruby, Chloe's older sister and seemingly the main character, was a manipulative, self-serving bitch. The only sympathy I could muster for any of the characters in this book was for her poor boyfriends. Also, she goes on and on about how she'd do anything for Chloe, and yet she brings her back to an obviously unstable environment.
The writing was gorgeous though. Suma's always seems to be. And the mystery was so eerie and well done that I enjoyed the read despite my lack of love for the characters.
Maybe my expectations got the better of me. [b:The Walls Around Us|18044277|The Walls Around Us|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407168914s/18044277.jpg|25322052] was just so perfect, and I expected the same from Imaginary Girls. Oh well, I'll give [b:17 & Gone|13132403|17 & Gone|Nova Ren Suma|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345572427s/13132403.jpg|18308775] a try to even the draw.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
I was tempted to give this a 3, but the fact that I know the town in which this book takes place quite well (it's Woodstock NY) and the author seriously changed some of the places (Olive, which does/did exist, is on the other side of the Ashokan Reservoir, not part of Woodstock), which really bothered me. Arbitrary? Definitely. But that's what all ratings are.
As for the story, Ruby's power over the town and the people in it seemed extreme. At first I thought that this was how Chloe saw her older sister: able to get what she wanted (like the lipstick that no one else was allowed to wear) and do what she wanted (for example, always being late to work). Then I started to wonder, but I think my first impression was correct. Chloe's hurt over the way Ruby turns to London in Chloe's absence, for example, or the way that others manage to talk about Ruby when she's not there point to it all being Chloe's vision. And as they get older, Chloe becomes more of her own person - with secrets (like Owen) and the ability to question Ruby's decisions.
There's supposed to be a creep factor here, with What Really Happened to London as the central element. Chloe's cell phone is, I suppose, the second Big Clue (although it's really not clear what happened with the phone). And, of course, the ending is open to interpretation. However, it wasn't really creepy in the way that I think the author wanted it to be, it was just sad.
ARC provided by publisher.
As for the story, Ruby's power over the town and the people in it seemed extreme. At first I thought that this was how Chloe saw her older sister: able to get what she wanted (like the lipstick that no one else was allowed to wear) and do what she wanted (for example, always being late to work). Then I started to wonder, but I think my first impression was correct. Chloe's hurt over the way Ruby turns to London in Chloe's absence, for example, or the way that others manage to talk about Ruby when she's not there point to it all being Chloe's vision. And as they get older, Chloe becomes more of her own person - with secrets (like Owen) and the ability to question Ruby's decisions.
There's supposed to be a creep factor here, with What Really Happened to London as the central element. Chloe's cell phone is, I suppose, the second Big Clue (although it's really not clear what happened with the phone). And, of course, the ending is open to interpretation. However, it wasn't really creepy in the way that I think the author wanted it to be, it was just sad.
ARC provided by publisher.
lindacbugg's review against another edition
4.0
This is not quite a 4 but I loved the writing and I raced thru it to find out what the "secret" was so...
frootjoos's review against another edition
4.0
Very literary. I can see why some readers don't quite get this. You think this is hard to understand? Try last year's Pulitzer winner. :P I finished it ages ago and still puzzle over some of the passages.
iuangina's review against another edition
4.0
So, I've gone back and forth on how to rate this book. I'm not sure if I really liked it or if I really didn't like it at all. I think 3.5 stars is probably an accurate rating.
So......I guess I'll break it down into what I liked and what bothered me.
When I picked up this book and realized that it was set in a small town in upstate NY (across the Hudson from where I grew up - my hometown even gets mentioned in the book), I thought this will be great because I will be able to have actual images in my head of the areas discussed in the book. I really liked this aspect of the book, but I did kind of feel that there was a bit of ambiguity in the setting here because it seemed like the author was combining aspects of different regions of the state. That's just my issue because I grew up in that region. I don't think that most people would have this problem.
As far as the writing style goes, I thought it was beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading the language and how the author describes everything that was occurring in the book. In many YA books, I feel like the authors try to kind of "dumb-down" the language in order to fit in the genre. I didn't feel like that at all in this book and I really appreciated it!
The plot was interesting. I loved the fact that Ruby would do anything to protect her sister. I thought it was a really realistic view of how children feel in families when all they have is each other. I felt like the relationship between the sisters was really powerful, yet I didn't understand a lot of the individual issues with the characters. For example, I didn't really get Ruby's issue with using boys because it was just thrown in there, no explanation. It seemed like Ruby had some kind of supernatural power, but we never really find out what her powers are. I would have liked a little more of an explanation as to how Ruby was able to do the things she did with London. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what was going on while they were inside the city limits. Was it some kind of black hole? Or did Ruby control all the things that occur inside the town? I don't know. I did not like like the love story/hook up between Chloe and Owen. It seemed like these aspects of this book were just thrown in there to make it more YA. I think she could have left that stuff out. It wasn't necessary for the plot. It seemed rushed and didn't fit with what she was trying to do. I think she would have been better to either leave it out or make more of it.
I enjoyed reading it and it was definitely a quick read. If you're looking for something that is not a typical YA novel pick this up.
So......I guess I'll break it down into what I liked and what bothered me.
When I picked up this book and realized that it was set in a small town in upstate NY (across the Hudson from where I grew up - my hometown even gets mentioned in the book), I thought this will be great because I will be able to have actual images in my head of the areas discussed in the book. I really liked this aspect of the book, but I did kind of feel that there was a bit of ambiguity in the setting here because it seemed like the author was combining aspects of different regions of the state. That's just my issue because I grew up in that region. I don't think that most people would have this problem.
As far as the writing style goes, I thought it was beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading the language and how the author describes everything that was occurring in the book. In many YA books, I feel like the authors try to kind of "dumb-down" the language in order to fit in the genre. I didn't feel like that at all in this book and I really appreciated it!
The plot was interesting. I loved the fact that Ruby would do anything to protect her sister. I thought it was a really realistic view of how children feel in families when all they have is each other. I felt like the relationship between the sisters was really powerful, yet I didn't understand a lot of the individual issues with the characters. For example, I didn't really get Ruby's issue with using boys because it was just thrown in there, no explanation. It seemed like Ruby had some kind of supernatural power, but we never really find out what her powers are. I would have liked a little more of an explanation as to how Ruby was able to do the things she did with London. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what was going on while they were inside the city limits. Was it some kind of black hole? Or did Ruby control all the things that occur inside the town? I don't know. I did not like like the love story/hook up between Chloe and Owen. It seemed like these aspects of this book were just thrown in there to make it more YA. I think she could have left that stuff out. It wasn't necessary for the plot. It seemed rushed and didn't fit with what she was trying to do. I think she would have been better to either leave it out or make more of it.
I enjoyed reading it and it was definitely a quick read. If you're looking for something that is not a typical YA novel pick this up.
lovelyjanelle13's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting idea but an overall confusing novel until the last two chapters.