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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
Jelly, by Clare Rees, has a somewhat unusual premise: a group of people are trapped upon the back of a giant jellyfish, just off the coast. They can see the coastal town, though it has long since been abandoned, by try as they might, they cannot escape the back of the jellyfish.
This book is odd through and through, from the strange premise to the funny little details that are included, like the fact that they spend much of their time aboard the jelly playing rugby. It is clearly written for a younger audience, with a non-zero number of bodily humor jokes, and little romance to be found. However, it is undeniably fun, laugh out loud funny at times, and bewilderingly enjoyable at others.
It is also at times almost uncomfortably relevant for this pandemic world we are all living in. The folks on the jelly are stuck together, with little hope of escape and essentially no privacy. As with the best science fiction, in spite of this almost otherworldly premise, certain elements feel extremely close to home.
I found myself in turns laughing and almost tearing up while reading Jelly. Rees has created something truly unique and truly brilliant, and I know I will revisit it again and again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the ARC!
This book is odd through and through, from the strange premise to the funny little details that are included, like the fact that they spend much of their time aboard the jelly playing rugby. It is clearly written for a younger audience, with a non-zero number of bodily humor jokes, and little romance to be found. However, it is undeniably fun, laugh out loud funny at times, and bewilderingly enjoyable at others.
It is also at times almost uncomfortably relevant for this pandemic world we are all living in. The folks on the jelly are stuck together, with little hope of escape and essentially no privacy. As with the best science fiction, in spite of this almost otherworldly premise, certain elements feel extremely close to home.
I found myself in turns laughing and almost tearing up while reading Jelly. Rees has created something truly unique and truly brilliant, and I know I will revisit it again and again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the ARC!
3.5/5 Stars
This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.
The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.
I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.
The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.
I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!
*Posted on my bookstagram account on June 13th, 2021*
3.5/5 Stars
This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.
The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.
I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!
3.5/5 Stars
This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.
The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.
I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Honestlt I wasnt the most fan of the consept. But like wasnt BAD
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just had a "do not wanna read" mood. And the story itself was a bit boring/uninteresting for such a beautiful cover. Might revisit