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skylar_blue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
therobinwrites's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
disabledbookdragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hswhite's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this book surprised me! The first sixty pages were a bit slow, but after several false starts this book really grabbed me.
Gillian French’s writing is strong and confident, weaving details and imagery throughout the book in a delicate way that connects everything without feeling heavy handed or over-plotted. The book unfolds in an organic way but every piece feels intentional. The ending is satisfying without being cliché or sappy. I don’t know how else to say it, except that this book has breadth. These aren’t characters but real people. I can feel this story.
We need more books like this in YA fiction.
Four stars instead of five because of the difficult start. I’m glad I stuck it out though!
Gillian French’s writing is strong and confident, weaving details and imagery throughout the book in a delicate way that connects everything without feeling heavy handed or over-plotted. The book unfolds in an organic way but every piece feels intentional. The ending is satisfying without being cliché or sappy. I don’t know how else to say it, except that this book has breadth. These aren’t characters but real people. I can feel this story.
We need more books like this in YA fiction.
Four stars instead of five because of the difficult start. I’m glad I stuck it out though!
and9591's review against another edition
5.0
The cover is what first caught my attention, along with the fact that the novel is set in New Hampshire. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up loving this
_mercury_'s review against another edition
2.0
*spoilers*
I feel like most of what was advertised in the synopsis didn't really happen in the book.
Apparently, Cody is able to see the "real" Owl for who she is, not shadowed by her disability. But given how their relationship was in the book it never felt like anything more than a forbidden, one-sided teenage romance (one-sided because Cody didn't have any real feelings for her). Their interactions don't signify any deep understanding of each other besides the fact that they're both adopted and came from bad homes.
I also feel like Owl's relationship with her biological father could have been explored so much more. Throughout the book she insists that she wants nothing to do with him, yells at Holly and Seth when they try to talk to her about their relationship, yet at the end, she starts writing a letter to him basically saying "Hey Joel, let's not talk about all the things that happened in the past, let's just get to know each other; my name is no longer Rochelle, it's Owl." Because that's what you say to your biological dad who spent 10 years in prison after he threw you down a staircase and caused you to get a 4 inch fracture in your skull and partial hearing loss.
The synopsis also talked about a murder that "shocked" the small town. You mean the murder that happened in the last, like, 50 pages of the book? That didn't really cause any major upset in the town's population? The murder of guy that was such an obscure character that I had to flip back in the book to remember? That murder? There wasn't really any mystery plot in this book, despite all the foreshadowing of one. And the supposed thriller that happened in the last 20 pages was confusing and a little underwhelming.
I feel like most of what was advertised in the synopsis didn't really happen in the book.
Apparently, Cody is able to see the "real" Owl for who she is, not shadowed by her disability. But given how their relationship was in the book it never felt like anything more than a forbidden, one-sided teenage romance (one-sided because Cody didn't have any real feelings for her). Their interactions don't signify any deep understanding of each other besides the fact that they're both adopted and came from bad homes.
I also feel like Owl's relationship with her biological father could have been explored so much more. Throughout the book she insists that she wants nothing to do with him, yells at Holly and Seth when they try to talk to her about their relationship, yet at the end, she starts writing a letter to him basically saying "Hey Joel, let's not talk about all the things that happened in the past, let's just get to know each other; my name is no longer Rochelle, it's Owl." Because that's what you say to your biological dad who spent 10 years in prison after he threw you down a staircase and caused you to get a 4 inch fracture in your skull and partial hearing loss.
The synopsis also talked about a murder that "shocked" the small town. You mean the murder that happened in the last, like, 50 pages of the book? That didn't really cause any major upset in the town's population? The murder of guy that was such an obscure character that I had to flip back in the book to remember? That murder? There wasn't really any mystery plot in this book, despite all the foreshadowing of one. And the supposed thriller that happened in the last 20 pages was confusing and a little underwhelming.
crswit16's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars! I thought the representation was really well done in this book. I really loved Owl as a character. While her life is certainly atypical, she goes through a lot of typical teenage things that made this book very grounded in reality. Overall, I enjoyed it. The middle dragged a bit and then the book suddenly picked up in the last 10-15 pages, so the ending felt a bit rushed. Not bad though!
mcknnacnhm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0