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lauredhel's review against another edition
3.0
Tenth book of the Australian Women Writers Challenge for me!
I confess that I didn't actually much like this book. Some of the world-building showed promise, but then it all vanished in a puff of smoke, with the happy ending coming too abruptly for me. The made-up slang seemed a bit pointless and overworked - I would have liked a lighter touch.
But I think mostly I was bothered by the "every-boy-likes-you" fairy, and the depiction of quite horrendous ongoing daily sexual harassment and even assault being a result of a girl having that personal fairy. Because (a) that put the cause of this harassment within the girl; and (b) that stuff isn't caused by boys liking you. Quite the opposite.
Don't let this put you off Liar, though. Liar is brilliant.
I confess that I didn't actually much like this book. Some of the world-building showed promise, but then it all vanished in a puff of smoke, with the happy ending coming too abruptly for me. The made-up slang seemed a bit pointless and overworked - I would have liked a lighter touch.
But I think mostly I was bothered by the "every-boy-likes-you" fairy, and the depiction of quite horrendous ongoing daily sexual harassment and even assault being a result of a girl having that personal fairy. Because (a) that put the cause of this harassment within the girl; and (b) that stuff isn't caused by boys liking you. Quite the opposite.
Don't let this put you off Liar, though. Liar is brilliant.
snarkywench's review against another edition
3.0
I admit to having many preconceptions prior to reading this book based on the title, the cover art and the blurb. I thought the fairy would be a corporeal being, one that Charlie would interact with. There wasn't and I think I was mourning the loss of it throughout.
Charlie is a pretty self-centred, sports-driven fourteen year old who's trying desperately to ditch her car parking fairy. You see, in New Avalon everyone has a fairy that manages one specific need or skill. This is a very interesting town where they are scarily insular, not thinking outside their city's boundaries, worshipping those without talent and attending sports specific schools. (I think there might be some societal commentary there lol).
The entire plot requires you to sympathise with Charlie's predicament. I didn't. I don't think she really had it all that bad. On the other hand, Fioreze does - a fairy that attracts all like aged males is in a scary predicament. This is the first Larbalestier novel I have read and I am impressed with her style; the plot moved quickly, had a deft touch and hefty doses of humour. But I was ambivalent and sometimes annoyed with Charlie and that was an issue. (I am very willing to chalk that up to my age, rather than JL's writing). I think some great concepts were integrated, that being too focused on your goals can have positive and negative connatations.
I had some problems with all the kid snatching - Danvers would have had a restraining order on him so quick his head spun in real life. The aggresive means in which the guys would approach Fioreze and then Charlie also troubled me but I do think it was supposed to. Fairies possess amazing powers. I think there are many concepts in this tale that sometimes bog down the flow but it is an entertaining read.
I love the use of an alternate universe setting and would to have seen some expansion upon it. In my interview with Larbalestier this week, she said that she was finished with New Avalon so a sequel does not look like likely. The vocabulary of New Avalon was interesting too, I have always had an affinity for aged language and we see that with words like pulchritudinous peppered throughout the dialogue. It took me awhile to adjust to it but it definiely added to the feel of the narrative.
How to Ditch Your Fairy is an interesting look at an insular, magical society combined with the selfish wants of a teen. Humour is prevalent and it's definitely worth checking out!
Charlie is a pretty self-centred, sports-driven fourteen year old who's trying desperately to ditch her car parking fairy. You see, in New Avalon everyone has a fairy that manages one specific need or skill. This is a very interesting town where they are scarily insular, not thinking outside their city's boundaries, worshipping those without talent and attending sports specific schools. (I think there might be some societal commentary there lol).
The entire plot requires you to sympathise with Charlie's predicament. I didn't. I don't think she really had it all that bad. On the other hand, Fioreze does - a fairy that attracts all like aged males is in a scary predicament. This is the first Larbalestier novel I have read and I am impressed with her style; the plot moved quickly, had a deft touch and hefty doses of humour. But I was ambivalent and sometimes annoyed with Charlie and that was an issue. (I am very willing to chalk that up to my age, rather than JL's writing). I think some great concepts were integrated, that being too focused on your goals can have positive and negative connatations.
I had some problems with all the kid snatching - Danvers would have had a restraining order on him so quick his head spun in real life. The aggresive means in which the guys would approach Fioreze and then Charlie also troubled me but I do think it was supposed to. Fairies possess amazing powers. I think there are many concepts in this tale that sometimes bog down the flow but it is an entertaining read.
I love the use of an alternate universe setting and would to have seen some expansion upon it. In my interview with Larbalestier this week, she said that she was finished with New Avalon so a sequel does not look like likely. The vocabulary of New Avalon was interesting too, I have always had an affinity for aged language and we see that with words like pulchritudinous peppered throughout the dialogue. It took me awhile to adjust to it but it definiely added to the feel of the narrative.
How to Ditch Your Fairy is an interesting look at an insular, magical society combined with the selfish wants of a teen. Humour is prevalent and it's definitely worth checking out!
cuppa_curiositea's review against another edition
4.0
I REALLY enjoyed this as a middle-grade read! It's silly and quirky, and discusses important themes in a relatively non-cheesy way. I had a lot of fun as the story progressed, and the narrator for the audiobook has a really fun accent :)
mandyk's review against another edition
2.0
I had never heard of How To Ditch Your Fairy, but decided to pick it up because of the cute title and cover. I was hoping for a cute, light-hearted read and got just that.
At first I was confused by some of the slang, but since I cant help but flip to the backs of books, I
quickly discovered an extremely helpful word glossary. There's also a fairy glossary, but if you just started, it may give away things you don't learn to a few chapters in.
Larbalestier's take on fairies is both unique and interesting. So YA readers, non-fairy and fairy-lovers alike would enjoy How To Ditch Your Fairy
At first I was confused by some of the slang, but since I cant help but flip to the backs of books, I
quickly discovered an extremely helpful word glossary. There's also a fairy glossary, but if you just started, it may give away things you don't learn to a few chapters in.
Larbalestier's take on fairies is both unique and interesting. So YA readers, non-fairy and fairy-lovers alike would enjoy How To Ditch Your Fairy
pandemoniumpizza's review against another edition
I thought this book was quite interesting. When I first started reading it I was a bit annoyed that there were words I couldn't understand because they were specific to the people in the book. However, the more I read of the book the easier it was to read the words naturally.
The characters were average, none of them really stood out in my mind as being exceptionally likeable. One character I did not like at all though was Danders Anders, I just didn't like the way he tried to kidnap Charlie and Fiorenze and nobody cared. Personally, I found all of the characters hard to relate to.
On a more positive note, I loved the concept of the fairies. It's a very unique take on fairies and luck in general. Several of the fairies did seem like luck but at the same time there were some fairies that did make you wonder whether the fairies were real or people just had exceptionally good luck in some areas.
Overall, I thought How To Ditch Your Fairy was an interesting read that had it's ups and downs. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fairies and anyone who doesn't like fairies. This book is good for a light, fun read.
The characters were average, none of them really stood out in my mind as being exceptionally likeable. One character I did not like at all though was Danders Anders, I just didn't like the way he tried to kidnap Charlie and Fiorenze and nobody cared. Personally, I found all of the characters hard to relate to.
On a more positive note, I loved the concept of the fairies. It's a very unique take on fairies and luck in general. Several of the fairies did seem like luck but at the same time there were some fairies that did make you wonder whether the fairies were real or people just had exceptionally good luck in some areas.
Overall, I thought How To Ditch Your Fairy was an interesting read that had it's ups and downs. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fairies and anyone who doesn't like fairies. This book is good for a light, fun read.
tashrow's review against another edition
4.0
This is a charmer of a novel by the author of the Magic and Madness trilogy. In New Avalon, almost everyone has a fairy of their own. The fairies are invisible and some people question whether they exist, but 14-year-old Charlie knows that hers does. Since she was tiny, she has been able to find a perfect parking space for whatever vehicle she is riding in. She hates it! Not only is it awfully inconvenient to always be asked to find someone a parking space, but she smells faintly of gasoline too. Why can't she have a cool fairy like her friends? A fashion fairy? Or all-the-boys-like-you fairy? Maybe she can...
The lightness and freshness of this novel make it read like a frothy teen novel with little substance, but that isn't the case. Underneath the humor there are more serious questions lingering about fairies, faith, and friendship for those who want a little more depth. Teens can read it on several levels, which means that it will appeal to a wide range of readers. The teen characters are interesting and always more than their fairies seem to be. The obsessive nature of the New Avalon society is a great commentary on American culture. A great part of the fun of the book is Larbalestier's teen language that is unique to New Avalon but easily understood by all. It just makes the reading all the more enjoyable.
Recommended for teens age 12-15. Little handselling will be necessary for this one. It will fly off the shelves on fairy wings.
The lightness and freshness of this novel make it read like a frothy teen novel with little substance, but that isn't the case. Underneath the humor there are more serious questions lingering about fairies, faith, and friendship for those who want a little more depth. Teens can read it on several levels, which means that it will appeal to a wide range of readers. The teen characters are interesting and always more than their fairies seem to be. The obsessive nature of the New Avalon society is a great commentary on American culture. A great part of the fun of the book is Larbalestier's teen language that is unique to New Avalon but easily understood by all. It just makes the reading all the more enjoyable.
Recommended for teens age 12-15. Little handselling will be necessary for this one. It will fly off the shelves on fairy wings.
bbgood's review against another edition
3.0
Charlie is a great character. I adored her. She is dedicated to her cause, funny, and has attitude. I loved watching (reading) her grow and change through the course of the book. Everything Charlie wanted at the beginning, by the end she has a new perspective of and appreciation for.
Ms. Larbalestier builds a cool, made-up country, as well as a cool, made-up school. (At least I think it's a made up school. I'd never heard of a sports school like Charlie attends, but maybe they exist?) Both are believable, as are the fairies. I love how the fairies are accepted as a fact of life by most, but that there are still skeptics who believe it's a bunch of phooey.
I did find the repetitive counting of events/demerits at the beginning of each chapter rather tedious, especially near the end.
I loved listening to the book. Kate Atkinson was fabulous. I believed I was listening to a fourteen-year-old. I especially loved listening to her Australian accent. And the accent is necessary with all the Australian slang. (At least I'm assuming it's Aussie slang, I wouldn't really know. I suppose Ms. Larbalestier could have made it up?)
Ms. Larbalestier builds a cool, made-up country, as well as a cool, made-up school. (At least I think it's a made up school. I'd never heard of a sports school like Charlie attends, but maybe they exist?) Both are believable, as are the fairies. I love how the fairies are accepted as a fact of life by most, but that there are still skeptics who believe it's a bunch of phooey.
I did find the repetitive counting of events/demerits at the beginning of each chapter rather tedious, especially near the end.
I loved listening to the book. Kate Atkinson was fabulous. I believed I was listening to a fourteen-year-old. I especially loved listening to her Australian accent. And the accent is necessary with all the Australian slang. (At least I'm assuming it's Aussie slang, I wouldn't really know. I suppose Ms. Larbalestier could have made it up?)
meeners's review against another edition
4.0
liked this much more than i thought i would (though i also thought it might have benefited from being shorter). liked how stefi's perspective gave the world-building a kind of creepy edge (though now i want to know about the "outside" world). a sequel that shows what happens when someone ventures outside new avalon would be fun, i think. dare one hope?