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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into this book thinking it was simply a story about a girl missing from a small, poor American town.
but it's surprisingly way more than that. It manages to weave in Greek mythology and strange magic, but in a great and not overdone way. plus, I'm a big fan of stories of betting with the devil or rulers of the underworld.
I think this book was intended for a young adult audience, but as all good books in this category tend to do, it's fantastic for people of all ages.
Roza and Petey and Rus, the hell-hound are the best. and the cat named Calamity Jane. A fun read that combined a lot of excellent themes in a good story.
but it's surprisingly way more than that. It manages to weave in Greek mythology and strange magic, but in a great and not overdone way. plus, I'm a big fan of stories of betting with the devil or rulers of the underworld.
I think this book was intended for a young adult audience, but as all good books in this category tend to do, it's fantastic for people of all ages.
Roza and Petey and Rus, the hell-hound are the best. and the cat named Calamity Jane. A fun read that combined a lot of excellent themes in a good story.
So many good old school fairy tale references in this weird magical realism book. The nods were subtle enough to mostly slide by as weirdness, but it's clear that someone read a lot of old fairy tales and myths. Even without the references this book was still a wonderful look into close sibling relationships, small towns, and first loves. I think what really makes this book great is a strong sense of doubt. It takes a while before the magical bits set in, so the reader (like most of the town) is left seriously doubting the main character's story. Even when the magic starts to seep in, the tone of doubt lingers in a surprisingly satisfying way.
i didn’t know that this was magical realism until i finished it and so it confused the fuck out of me, my bad
I really enjoyed this, more than I thought I would. It takes a while to get going, but it's a lovely slow meander, a little like pouring the honey in the story. The characters are wonderful too, slightly odd and even more human for it. In particular finns frustrations and fascinations come through very well, and my heart absolutely broke for him at one point. Just lovely.
1.5 stars rounded down.
Second audiobook in a row that has disappointed me. I knew this was going to have elements of magical realism (which is something I'm at least familiar with, if not an avid fan of). The premise seemed interesting, so I decided to dive in despite the fact that I am not totally sold on magical realism.
It just didn't work for me. I was bored during the scenes that read like contemporary YA and confused by the ~magical~ scenes. It may have been better to read this as opposed to listening to it.
I don't think the back stories were important enough to the plot to include them. Even Roza, whose story explained how she eventually ended up where she was, just seemed like an uninteresting character with an uninteresting story. Finn's big diagnosis was boring too.
By the end, I just didn't care. I was sitting in my car just waiting for the audiobook to be over so I could start something new. I have high hopes for my next one - if I get three bad audiobooks in a row I may just go back to listening to my iPod on car drives.
Second audiobook in a row that has disappointed me. I knew this was going to have elements of magical realism (which is something I'm at least familiar with, if not an avid fan of). The premise seemed interesting, so I decided to dive in despite the fact that I am not totally sold on magical realism.
It just didn't work for me. I was bored during the scenes that read like contemporary YA and confused by the ~magical~ scenes. It may have been better to read this as opposed to listening to it.
I don't think the back stories were important enough to the plot to include them. Even Roza, whose story explained how she eventually ended up where she was, just seemed like an uninteresting character with an uninteresting story. Finn's big diagnosis was boring too.
By the end, I just didn't care. I was sitting in my car just waiting for the audiobook to be over so I could start something new. I have high hopes for my next one - if I get three bad audiobooks in a row I may just go back to listening to my iPod on car drives.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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:
No
Cute and clever in its presentation in certain parts. YA isn't really my normal scene and I remembered why while reading this. Don't get me wrong, the teenagers made very realistic decisions and mental jumps for teenagers, it just frustrates me as a person in their twenties to see a teenager be dumb. I'm not too far away from it and remember it too clearly, I think.
Book was a fairly subtle retelling of Hades/Persephone even though the antagonist compares it more to Orpheus/Euridice. It falls somewhere between the two with the focus on the Orpheus stand-in Finn.
Roza's perspective is more interesting and then halfway through Sean and Petey's perspectives are added as well which makes things a little humbled but not disorganized. Decent read, easy to follow.
Book was a fairly subtle retelling of Hades/Persephone even though the antagonist compares it more to Orpheus/Euridice. It falls somewhere between the two with the focus on the Orpheus stand-in Finn.
Roza's perspective is more interesting and then halfway through Sean and Petey's perspectives are added as well which makes things a little humbled but not disorganized. Decent read, easy to follow.
Not for me, this one. Felt overly precious and ultimately not compelling.
