You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I didnt really enjoy the heterosexual-ness of it all, and sometimes I was maybe too confused. I didn’t feel a lot for this book, it was able to keep me intrigued but towards the end I just wanted to finish it and know wtf was going on! The face blindness reveal kinda fell a-bit flat for me bc I took a massive break from reading the book. And things felt a tad…. Corny.
I truly loved this book all he way through. It has a sleepy sadness to it that reminds me of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. This story has a darker and deeper story to tell in comparison. Switching between narrators can be a hindrance for me, but Ruby manages to do so with purpose and thoughtfulness. I felt it was so insightful to see the story unfold out of chronology and it suited the style of this hopeful tale of growing up, facing the consequences of other people deciding what your story is before you have a chance to speak (what could be compared to our present rape culture), and the awkward and magical fumbling of falling in love with a friend or a lover. Bone Gap would be a great class read for a middle school and high school classroom (possible parental approval depending upon your audience) and still an enjoyable and important piece of literature for adults of all ages.
I am a fan of magical realism, and for the most part I was in this book too.
The beginning hooked me, and the climax was resounding & awesome (which is why I gave it one more star than I wanted to). It was just the whole middle that kind of bored me. The writing was very slow at times—you know the kind, when the author spends two or three sentences describing how the character gets off the couch,stretches, goes to the kitchen pours tea from the kettle, steeps the tea, swirls it around, scratches his arm, etc etc. there was that kind of superfluous stuff that I found distracting.
But I guess I did care enough about the characters to keep going forward, so praise for the character and world building is due.
Also: Generally speaking, I am a fan of multi-POVs... However, in this book, something didn’t cut it. I get WHY the author wrote this way, but in some instances it just plain didn’t work. Some of the POVs I just didn’t care about, and there were one or two too many shifts.
Overall, glad I read it though. Fascinating world building and interesting plot.
The beginning hooked me, and the climax was resounding & awesome (which is why I gave it one more star than I wanted to). It was just the whole middle that kind of bored me. The writing was very slow at times—you know the kind, when the author spends two or three sentences describing how the character gets off the couch,stretches, goes to the kitchen pours tea from the kettle, steeps the tea, swirls it around, scratches his arm, etc etc. there was that kind of superfluous stuff that I found distracting.
But I guess I did care enough about the characters to keep going forward, so praise for the character and world building is due.
Also: Generally speaking, I am a fan of multi-POVs... However, in this book, something didn’t cut it. I get WHY the author wrote this way, but in some instances it just plain didn’t work. Some of the POVs I just didn’t care about, and there were one or two too many shifts.
Overall, glad I read it though. Fascinating world building and interesting plot.
This book had been on my wishlist for a long time before I bought it, and I've owned it for six months without picking it up. I've been hyping it in my head as a book I was going to fall in love with, and the sad reality is, I didn't.
I wasn't what I thought it was going to be mostly. I thought I'd signed up for a mystery in an unsettled, backwards little town, but the girl who goes missing gets focalised chapters too. So you know where she is/what's happening to her and that complicated things.
I liked some elements. Like the budding relationship between Petey and Finn, for example, but it wasn't enough to drive me through the story. There were some passages that were very beautifully written but I found a lot of the descriptions sounded like something I'd heard before.
'Bone Gap' couldn't decide whether it wanted to be magical realism or not, so in the end you get this odd fairytale vibe that's doesn't feel modern but isn't working through tropes either. It was a strange story, and one I'll probably re-read in 10 years time and like a lot more, but reading it now and comparing it to my expectations was really not a good idea.
I wasn't what I thought it was going to be mostly. I thought I'd signed up for a mystery in an unsettled, backwards little town, but the girl who goes missing gets focalised chapters too. So you know where she is/what's happening to her and that complicated things.
I liked some elements. Like the budding relationship between Petey and Finn, for example, but it wasn't enough to drive me through the story. There were some passages that were very beautifully written but I found a lot of the descriptions sounded like something I'd heard before.
'Bone Gap' couldn't decide whether it wanted to be magical realism or not, so in the end you get this odd fairytale vibe that's doesn't feel modern but isn't working through tropes either. It was a strange story, and one I'll probably re-read in 10 years time and like a lot more, but reading it now and comparing it to my expectations was really not a good idea.
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Honestly, the strangest book I have ever read. But also, so so good.
Finn is the local strange kid in his rural town of Bone Gap, Illinois. The book opens some months after Roza, the close friend and roommate of Finn and his brother, has disappeared. While everyone else has given up, Finn believes Roza is still out there, kidnapped by a mysterious man.
I can't really say anymore than that without spoilers, because this book is nothing what it seems. It's beautiful, heartfelt, and very, very strange. Would recommend for anyone who likes character driven stories with a magical twist. The prose is a bit heftier than usual YA books, but Ruby's use of language is so rich. Her use of imagery and clever foreshadowing really gives the characters and world a whimsical feel and great depth.
I can't really say anymore than that without spoilers, because this book is nothing what it seems. It's beautiful, heartfelt, and very, very strange. Would recommend for anyone who likes character driven stories with a magical twist. The prose is a bit heftier than usual YA books, but Ruby's use of language is so rich. Her use of imagery and clever foreshadowing really gives the characters and world a whimsical feel and great depth.
This is very much a vibes book and I find that I don't do well with most vibes books.
It's a paean to Americana. There is corn (that whispers, or shakes) there's a small town that functions as a sort of character itself as an amalgam of the inhabitants, there are barns and chickens and horses, there are diners to sit in with your sweetie. It leans into the feel of folklore.
But for me, the details didn't convince. Why was Finn called Moonface when it turns out he's the most gorgeous boy in town? Why don't any of the characters have thoughts like I do but only seem like they are thinking in quirky twists that come at reality sideways? Why doesn't the author know more about cooking when one of her characters knows so much about it? It felt like the author was squeezing everything she could out of her imagination but overthought it.
Why is this book so much about female victimization? Whether it be a misconstrual of a sexual situation and blaming the almost-victim, to kidnapping, to man after man after man who can't see a girl as anything other than a surface to reflect themselves in, it got exhausting. There were no pre-existing relationships between lovers in this book that were healthy, none. The book felt like it wanted to be light and dark at the same time and I never found my footing.
Finally, why is a woman mutilating herself to escape a kidnapper's affections seen as a win? Is that the best we can do?
It's a paean to Americana. There is corn (that whispers, or shakes) there's a small town that functions as a sort of character itself as an amalgam of the inhabitants, there are barns and chickens and horses, there are diners to sit in with your sweetie. It leans into the feel of folklore.
But for me, the details didn't convince. Why was Finn called Moonface when it turns out he's the most gorgeous boy in town? Why don't any of the characters have thoughts like I do but only seem like they are thinking in quirky twists that come at reality sideways? Why doesn't the author know more about cooking when one of her characters knows so much about it? It felt like the author was squeezing everything she could out of her imagination but overthought it.
Why is this book so much about female victimization? Whether it be a misconstrual of a sexual situation and blaming the almost-victim, to kidnapping, to man after man after man who can't see a girl as anything other than a surface to reflect themselves in, it got exhausting. There were no pre-existing relationships between lovers in this book that were healthy, none. The book felt like it wanted to be light and dark at the same time and I never found my footing.
Finally, why is a woman mutilating herself to escape a kidnapper's affections seen as a win? Is that the best we can do?
Wow. There is some wonderful writing here. This surpasses many young adult novels in so many ways. The characters are layered and, while the plot may not be new, Ruby approaches it with a fresh take. My only issue are some of the secondary characters and their relationships. Finn and Sean's relationship seemed underdeveloped and I was confused by Charlie Valentine at the end.