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trippalli's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Slower start but quickly becomes very interesting, especially as more characters are introduced. Special magical abilities are known to the few who have them and their family and closest friends but sun the challenges of mind reading, dream walking, psychic kinetics, empathy, emotional influence, and seeing flashes from the future each have their challenges. There are also LGBTQ+ love stories and Ava mental health challenges including sleep deprivation and Alzheimers..
Overall the story is both emotional and hopeful. The characters are wonderful and vivid
Overall the story is both emotional and hopeful. The characters are wonderful and vivid
sunsetcity's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
pauline's review against another edition
3.0
**Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**
2.75 - 3 ⭐
I've listened to The Bright Sessions quite a long time ago and to be honest not completed it but I was nonetheless excited when I heard there would be a book series on the universe Lauren Shippen created. After reading the first volume and not wanting to read the second one, I dived into Some Faraway Place.
This book is particular, not only because of the story but in how it's formatted too; the story is told through journal entries, blog posts, reddit posts, and letters, each with a different point of view. I absolutely loved this way of telling the story, it made it more fun and dynamic in my opinion, and made understanding the story and the characters easier. I preferred the letters pov because they were very lyrical but the other povs were very interesting as well (especially with the connections between the characters that those povs show).
About the characters, I really liked some of them like Emily, and to my surprise Damien, but I didn't connect that much with the main character Rose. The relationships between the characters wether they be familial, romantic or platonic were very well done, especially the family part that I found very realistic and touching at times.
The plot of the book was pretty simple in the beginning though it became very different towards the last quarter (which I didn't enjoy as much as the rest of the book) but it didn't bother me as I see this story as very character-driven.
I'd also note that some parts of the book were a little confusing/hard to get into if you haven't listened to the podcast but nothing major.
2.75 - 3 ⭐
I've listened to The Bright Sessions quite a long time ago and to be honest not completed it but I was nonetheless excited when I heard there would be a book series on the universe Lauren Shippen created. After reading the first volume and not wanting to read the second one, I dived into Some Faraway Place.
This book is particular, not only because of the story but in how it's formatted too; the story is told through journal entries, blog posts, reddit posts, and letters, each with a different point of view. I absolutely loved this way of telling the story, it made it more fun and dynamic in my opinion, and made understanding the story and the characters easier. I preferred the letters pov because they were very lyrical but the other povs were very interesting as well (especially with the connections between the characters that those povs show).
About the characters, I really liked some of them like Emily, and to my surprise Damien, but I didn't connect that much with the main character Rose. The relationships between the characters wether they be familial, romantic or platonic were very well done, especially the family part that I found very realistic and touching at times.
The plot of the book was pretty simple in the beginning though it became very different towards the last quarter (which I didn't enjoy as much as the rest of the book) but it didn't bother me as I see this story as very character-driven.
I'd also note that some parts of the book were a little confusing/hard to get into if you haven't listened to the podcast but nothing major.
infectiousreading's review
5.0
Due to my many nieces, I enjoy reading teen YA books so I can screen them for my family. This was wonderful; the voice and tone were so easy to follow and absorb. Despite this book being categorized as teen YA, I felt like I was in another time and place for a short while and that it was a well-paced, everyday novel. This felt like a standalone or close enough to it despite my lack of knowledge of the series' lore. Lauren Shippen's Some Faraway Place is relatable in that although this is science fiction, it makes you feel so connected to the story. For a YA piece, it feels incredible to be able to do that. This was a lot of fun.
lucy_manson's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
moux's review against another edition
4.0
I both enjoyed this book and found it somewhat frustrating (?) because I just wanted more - it did feel kind of like the story took place while floating in a void, but I think that's just because of the way it was written.
I do wish there had been a little more to the romance side though.
I do wish there had been a little more to the romance side though.
allred's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely phenomenal i love this series with my entire heart and how lauren shippen handles morally grey and struggling characters is just *chefs kiss*
zabacitanovine's review
3.0
Let me start by saying that this is not a fantasy novel that I would go for, but did I enjoy it.
It was simple, readable, I found it so very cute and all of that, but something was just missing.
This book was pretty diverse when it comes to the characters, but it wasn't at all pushy like many books with LGBTQ+ characters tend to be. There were several viewpoints all in a different format (forums, blog posts, letters, journal entries) but Rose's (dream journal that wasn't that much about dreams) felt like the main (most important?) one.
I really liked the book for the first 70%, but then something just started to feel off. Something was missing, and I didn't like it.
The main story was basically miscommunication between Rose and the rest of the characters and her desperate tries to make things better. She makes some wrong choices (who wouldn't in her shoes!?), but it seems that everything magically solves itself towards the end of the book. I didn't like that. At all. If things are going to get solved, I want to see how. Not a mental breakdown and a few tears hear and there, and everything is perfect.
To be honest, the ending was so meek and totally unimportant that I feel like I've already forgotten it. And I finished reading the book, like, 10 hours ago.
Bottom line: This was a cute and easy read with likeable, diverse characters. The language was simple and approachable, but the ending just seemed lazy.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was simple, readable, I found it so very cute and all of that, but something was just missing.
This book was pretty diverse when it comes to the characters, but it wasn't at all pushy like many books with LGBTQ+ characters tend to be. There were several viewpoints all in a different format (forums, blog posts, letters, journal entries) but Rose's (dream journal that wasn't that much about dreams) felt like the main (most important?) one.
I really liked the book for the first 70%, but then something just started to feel off. Something was missing, and I didn't like it.
The main story was basically miscommunication between Rose and the rest of the characters and her desperate tries to make things better. She makes some wrong choices (who wouldn't in her shoes!?), but it seems that everything magically solves itself towards the end of the book. I didn't like that. At all. If things are going to get solved, I want to see how. Not a mental breakdown and a few tears hear and there, and everything is perfect.
To be honest, the ending was so meek and totally unimportant that I feel like I've already forgotten it. And I finished reading the book, like, 10 hours ago.
Bottom line: This was a cute and easy read with likeable, diverse characters. The language was simple and approachable, but the ending just seemed lazy.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
vickybuka's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is a 3rd in a series. Missing the 2nd in sequence was probably not the best way to experience the story, but it was still an excellent read.
skye16's review against another edition
3.0
Okay full disclosure: I adored The Bright Sessions , was a bit underwhelmed by The Infinite Noise , skipped A Neon Darkness and didn’t really get into The AM Archives and am struggling with the Collage Tapes .
I’m also torn on this book. I really liked the beginning. Even though we already knew what ability Rose has, it was still intriguing to follow her figure it out. But after that the book kind of fell apart for me. Till the end it skipped over all characters except Damien, and I started to really dislike Rose. I still liked the psychological elements though.
I’m also torn on this book. I really liked the beginning. Even though we already knew what ability Rose has, it was still intriguing to follow her figure it out. But after that the book kind of fell apart for me. Till the end it skipped over all characters except Damien, and I started to really dislike Rose. I still liked the psychological elements though.