You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm rounding up a rating of 3.5 - I really did like this book right up until the end. While some of the nature descriptions got a little long for me, I thought it was beautifully written. The depth of comments were just lovely - like not knowing "words could hold so much" or the concept that "some parts of us will alway be what we were, what we had to be to survive." I was rooting for Kya and grieving with her as she moved through each loss. The back and forth snapshots between the trial and her upbringing kept me interested in the ultimate outcome. The honest look at racial tensions in that era was appreciated and also evoked strong emotions for me.
However.
I think the ending was awful. After spending so much time convincing us Kya could not possibly have been responsible for Chase Andrews' death, not to mention that would be contrary to all of her character development throughout the novel, the end felt like a bait and switch. While I was hoping the author would shed some light on what happened that night (was it an accident? did someone else kill him to protect Kya?), I would have rather that question remain unanswered. Usually I want loose ends tied up at the end of a novel, but in this case I would rather the mystery of Chase Andrews' death left unresolved than have to find out Kya was responsible. There was no time for the reader to process. She did not get to explain. I am left not knowing how I feel about her as a person or the story as a whole.
However.
I think the ending was awful. After spending so much time convincing us Kya could not possibly have been responsible for Chase Andrews' death, not to mention that would be contrary to all of her character development throughout the novel, the end felt like a bait and switch. While I was hoping the author would shed some light on what happened that night (was it an accident? did someone else kill him to protect Kya?), I would have rather that question remain unanswered. Usually I want loose ends tied up at the end of a novel, but in this case I would rather the mystery of Chase Andrews' death left unresolved than have to find out Kya was responsible. There was no time for the reader to process. She did not get to explain. I am left not knowing how I feel about her as a person or the story as a whole.
The story centred around the theme of loneliness and growing up in a society that shows prejudice towards the minority. Although I found the plot quite predictable, I enjoyed all the facts about birds, nature and the marsh ecosystem interspersed within the book.
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
loved this book so much!! the story was so beautiful written! type of book you could reread so many times and not get bored
I was nervous this book was overhyped. Boy, was I wrong. Kept me enthralled from the start and didn’t disappoint.
I've been trying to broaden my reading horizons and read different things. This book was good, but I don't quite understand the over the top praise for it. My favorite character was Jumpin'. He was interesting and amazing. The story moved at a steady pace and the details were good. I'm not a huge poetry fan, so I'm sure some of the pretty words were lost on me. Overall, it was good.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes