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junotranscends's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to try very hard to make this review spoiler-free!
Cover: 5/5 The title of the book doesn't at all catch my interest, but the cover did. It's grungy and kind of creepy, and made me stop long enough to look at the synopsis. I particularly like the stitching across the middle.
Characters: 4/5 I adored Henry. Justine was a sweetheart. Henry's dad was great. I enjoyed all the characters...I just wish we'd gotten a little more feel for them. I know Henry doesn't remember anything from before the accident, but he doesn't...have too much of a personality. We don't know what he likes, what he enjoys. I DID love seeing him open up and have a sense of humor with Justine as the book progressed.
Plot: 5/5 Wow. I picked this up because it looked dark and creepy, and I was not disappointed. I can't even get into it because it might spoil the book, but let's just say--I'm excellent at figuring books out, even twist endings. I had half of this one figured about 50% through the book, but the other half took me by surprise. I love it when that happens. I love when an author distracts you with all these big things going on, that the tiniest detail will go unnoticed until the end and you remember, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." Kudos! And, the ending broke my heart.
Writing: 4.5/5 The third-person POV was kind of distant in places and took me some getting used to. BUT, I think that was because I'm so used to reading first person POV in YA novels these days. Once I got used to it, it was fine. I don't give the writing a full 5 stars simply because some things were way overused. I get that Henry focuses on his scars a lot, but I don't think we need detail on it every single time. Mainly, my issues were editing issues--things that should've been caught and might very will still be caught since this is an ARC.
Overall: 4.5/5 Great book. The blurb really doesn't do it justice and should really, really be rewritten. This will be an ARC I purchase when it's available!
Cover: 5/5 The title of the book doesn't at all catch my interest, but the cover did. It's grungy and kind of creepy, and made me stop long enough to look at the synopsis. I particularly like the stitching across the middle.
Characters: 4/5 I adored Henry. Justine was a sweetheart. Henry's dad was great. I enjoyed all the characters...I just wish we'd gotten a little more feel for them. I know Henry doesn't remember anything from before the accident, but he doesn't...have too much of a personality. We don't know what he likes, what he enjoys. I DID love seeing him open up and have a sense of humor with Justine as the book progressed.
Plot: 5/5 Wow. I picked this up because it looked dark and creepy, and I was not disappointed. I can't even get into it because it might spoil the book, but let's just say--I'm excellent at figuring books out, even twist endings. I had half of this one figured about 50% through the book, but the other half took me by surprise. I love it when that happens. I love when an author distracts you with all these big things going on, that the tiniest detail will go unnoticed until the end and you remember, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." Kudos! And, the ending broke my heart.
Writing: 4.5/5 The third-person POV was kind of distant in places and took me some getting used to. BUT, I think that was because I'm so used to reading first person POV in YA novels these days. Once I got used to it, it was fine. I don't give the writing a full 5 stars simply because some things were way overused. I get that Henry focuses on his scars a lot, but I don't think we need detail on it every single time. Mainly, my issues were editing issues--things that should've been caught and might very will still be caught since this is an ARC.
Overall: 4.5/5 Great book. The blurb really doesn't do it justice and should really, really be rewritten. This will be an ARC I purchase when it's available!
raeanne's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I could hear the scratching wind, see the swinging moss, feel the heat create sweat on my brow, and fell in love with a monster.
Though, it all depends on how you define a monster. That's what this book is about. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is thrilling and makes you think. It's thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, dark, twisting, and so goddamn good. It stays good if you can't read it in a single sitting, and it certainly lingers when you've finished reading it.
I'm all about characters, building them, progress them, and making them come to life.I like to guess, wonder and try to figure out the mystery but I do not like it when I can see it coming so early.
I love the visualization, the feeling, the little details. I see things in my mind as I read and it's so vital that an author shows instead of tells, so that way I can really get into a book.
Basically, that's Henry Franks. It has everything I love, and I can't see a single downside. It's like the perfect book for me and I'm so thankful to have won it, to get to read it. I had an inkling where the book was going to go, but it didn't turn out exactly like I expected. I was gripped by the story and was attached to all the characters, in different ways. I could really see and feel the setting, and the characters.
I always say, adults should read young adult books too. It's not just for children, it's not junior books. There are so many great books that people miss out on just because of the genre. This is on my list of favorites. This book will get recommended by me for everyone. This is an example book of a great YA fiction.
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As for what the other reviewers said, I do agree the ending unfolded so quickly. I was torn from wanting to read as quickly as possible due to the adrenalin pumping climax, and having to go back to re-read to keep everything straight. That of course, just might be my own hastened reading. I don't really have a problem with the quick ending, it was building the whole book and don't see how else it could have come out, except as a flood. That's just all IMHO of course.
With the paperback ARC I received I didn't have any format problems with the newspaper clippings. If there were other errors, I was so engrossed with the story I didn't get into my usual nit-picking mode. That was refreshing for me.
I could hear the scratching wind, see the swinging moss, feel the heat create sweat on my brow, and fell in love with a monster.
Though, it all depends on how you define a monster. That's what this book is about. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is thrilling and makes you think. It's thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, dark, twisting, and so goddamn good. It stays good if you can't read it in a single sitting, and it certainly lingers when you've finished reading it.
I'm all about characters, building them, progress them, and making them come to life.I like to guess, wonder and try to figure out the mystery but I do not like it when I can see it coming so early.
I love the visualization, the feeling, the little details. I see things in my mind as I read and it's so vital that an author shows instead of tells, so that way I can really get into a book.
Basically, that's Henry Franks. It has everything I love, and I can't see a single downside. It's like the perfect book for me and I'm so thankful to have won it, to get to read it. I had an inkling where the book was going to go, but it didn't turn out exactly like I expected. I was gripped by the story and was attached to all the characters, in different ways. I could really see and feel the setting, and the characters.
I always say, adults should read young adult books too. It's not just for children, it's not junior books. There are so many great books that people miss out on just because of the genre. This is on my list of favorites. This book will get recommended by me for everyone. This is an example book of a great YA fiction.
-
-
As for what the other reviewers said, I do agree the ending unfolded so quickly. I was torn from wanting to read as quickly as possible due to the adrenalin pumping climax, and having to go back to re-read to keep everything straight. That of course, just might be my own hastened reading. I don't really have a problem with the quick ending, it was building the whole book and don't see how else it could have come out, except as a flood. That's just all IMHO of course.
With the paperback ARC I received I didn't have any format problems with the newspaper clippings. If there were other errors, I was so engrossed with the story I didn't get into my usual nit-picking mode. That was refreshing for me.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, this was a fantastic book, and it was also very creepy, especially the end! Loved the twist, though I really should have seen it coming, otherwise, why would those details be there? But really good!
brokebybooks's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I could hear the scratching wind, see the swinging moss, feel the heat create sweat on my brow, and fell in love with a monster.
Though, it all depends on how you define a monster. That's what this book is about. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is thrilling and makes you think. It's thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, dark, twisting, and so goddamn good. It stays good if you can't read it in a single sitting, and it certainly lingers when you've finished reading it.
I'm all about characters, building them, progress them, and making them come to life.I like to guess, wonder and try to figure out the mystery but I do not like it when I can see it coming so early.
I love the visualization, the feeling, the little details. I see things in my mind as I read and it's so vital that an author shows instead of tells, so that way I can really get into a book.
Basically, that's Henry Franks. It has everything I love, and I can't see a single downside. It's like the perfect book for me and I'm so thankful to have won it, to get to read it. I had an inkling where the book was going to go, but it didn't turn out exactly like I expected. I was gripped by the story and was attached to all the characters, in different ways. I could really see and feel the setting, and the characters.
I always say, adults should read young adult books too. It's not just for children, it's not junior books. There are so many great books that people miss out on just because of the genre. This is on my list of favorites. This book will get recommended by me for everyone. This is an example book of a great YA fiction.
-
-
As for what the other reviewers said, I do agree the ending unfolded so quickly. I was torn from wanting to read as quickly as possible due to the adrenalin pumping climax, and having to go back to re-read to keep everything straight. That of course, just might be my own hastened reading. I don't really have a problem with the quick ending, it was building the whole book and don't see how else it could have come out, except as a flood. That's just all IMHO of course.
With the paperback ARC I received I didn't have any format problems with the newspaper clippings. If there were other errors, I was so engrossed with the story I didn't get into my usual nit-picking mode. That was refreshing for me.
I could hear the scratching wind, see the swinging moss, feel the heat create sweat on my brow, and fell in love with a monster.
Though, it all depends on how you define a monster. That's what this book is about. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is thrilling and makes you think. It's thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, dark, twisting, and so goddamn good. It stays good if you can't read it in a single sitting, and it certainly lingers when you've finished reading it.
I'm all about characters, building them, progress them, and making them come to life.I like to guess, wonder and try to figure out the mystery but I do not like it when I can see it coming so early.
I love the visualization, the feeling, the little details. I see things in my mind as I read and it's so vital that an author shows instead of tells, so that way I can really get into a book.
Basically, that's Henry Franks. It has everything I love, and I can't see a single downside. It's like the perfect book for me and I'm so thankful to have won it, to get to read it. I had an inkling where the book was going to go, but it didn't turn out exactly like I expected. I was gripped by the story and was attached to all the characters, in different ways. I could really see and feel the setting, and the characters.
I always say, adults should read young adult books too. It's not just for children, it's not junior books. There are so many great books that people miss out on just because of the genre. This is on my list of favorites. This book will get recommended by me for everyone. This is an example book of a great YA fiction.
-
-
As for what the other reviewers said, I do agree the ending unfolded so quickly. I was torn from wanting to read as quickly as possible due to the adrenalin pumping climax, and having to go back to re-read to keep everything straight. That of course, just might be my own hastened reading. I don't really have a problem with the quick ending, it was building the whole book and don't see how else it could have come out, except as a flood. That's just all IMHO of course.
With the paperback ARC I received I didn't have any format problems with the newspaper clippings. If there were other errors, I was so engrossed with the story I didn't get into my usual nit-picking mode. That was refreshing for me.
scaraquin's review against another edition
4.0
This is a bit like a modern-day Frankenstein story. Henry, the main character, has no memory of his life before a horrific accident that gave him the many scars that cross his body. Most of the book involves him trying to figure out his past, while dealing with strange dreams that don't seem to belong with him, and the growing understanding that his father isn't telling him the complete truth about his past. Also, there is also a new serial killer loose in the area, and Henry's father seems to be hiding what he knows about these events. The true story comes out near the end in one long narrative from Henry's father, right before he dies from a wound from this killer. Henry had been dying of cancer, and his slow death was driving his mother mad. She made his father - a great doctor - swear that he would save him, and yet nothing he did seemed to work. Finally, when Henry was about to die, his father took drastic measures. He took the body of a man who had just committed suicide, and transplanted Henry's head onto this healthy body. Since Henry wasn't waking up from this operation, however, his mother tried to commit suicide, and so his father was forced to do a similar procedure to her. The next problem was that Henry seemed to be rejecting this body transplant, and so parts of him kept dying. His father therefore had to keep adding new body parts as the limbs died (which explains Henry's many stitches). Both Henry and his mother finally woke up, but Henry had lost all of his memory, and his mother had gone completely insane. During the entire book, while Henry tried to understand his past, his father had been chasing down his mother (who had escaped) since he thought she was responsible for the serial killings (which she wasn't).
This was an interesting book. It borderlines on gruesome - which is unsurprising considering the subject - but it manages not to go too far. There is a constant reminder that Henry's scars are itching in the Georgia heat, and that he is slowly losing all sensation in his arms, and yet these details don't go out of their way to disturb you. This isn't necessarily a fast-pased novel, and yet there is definitely a continuously growing tension, which crescendos at the end with the arrival of a hurricane and and final revelation of the truth. Instead of being filled with suspense, this is a book filled with the constant sensation of dissonance, which is different enough from most books to make this one memorable.While the entire plot could be viewed as disturbing, what actually threw me the most was the epilogue, which fasts forward about a decade into the future. In it, Henry is on his deathbed (his body is still in the process of rejecting his transplant) and wife (who was his high school girlfriend, and who has obviously become a doctor in order to save his life) proposes to keep him alive through a second transplant. This would mean finding another "donor" body to replace his failed one with. If there is going to be a sequel to this story, it looks like we will be faced even more with the ethical dilemma of questioning how far you would go towards saving someone you love. Would you be willing to go so far as to kill in order to stay alive?
This was an interesting book. It borderlines on gruesome - which is unsurprising considering the subject - but it manages not to go too far. There is a constant reminder that Henry's scars are itching in the Georgia heat, and that he is slowly losing all sensation in his arms, and yet these details don't go out of their way to disturb you. This isn't necessarily a fast-pased novel, and yet there is definitely a continuously growing tension, which crescendos at the end with the arrival of a hurricane and and final revelation of the truth. Instead of being filled with suspense, this is a book filled with the constant sensation of dissonance, which is different enough from most books to make this one memorable.While the entire plot could be viewed as disturbing, what actually threw me the most was the epilogue, which fasts forward about a decade into the future. In it, Henry is on his deathbed (his body is still in the process of rejecting his transplant) and wife (who was his high school girlfriend, and who has obviously become a doctor in order to save his life) proposes to keep him alive through a second transplant. This would mean finding another "donor" body to replace his failed one with. If there is going to be a sequel to this story, it looks like we will be faced even more with the ethical dilemma of questioning how far you would go towards saving someone you love. Would you be willing to go so far as to kill in order to stay alive?
friendlymilk's review
3.0
Recommended listening: The Doctor's Wife by The Clockwork Quartet.
(That probably counts as a spoiler.)
The book was kind of interesting up until the end, at which point all characterization went out the window so that the author could fit in as many twists as possible. Half (or more!) weren't even good twists.
I'm pretty frustrated with Justine's character. I don't understand why she was so attracted to Henry in the first place. He was so quiet and antisocial, and those aren't always good signs. Once they were together at least they had some good banter going on, which was nice. I feel like the author needs to have done more to set up that final "I'll save you" scene, though. Seriously.
(That probably counts as a spoiler.)
The book was kind of interesting up until the end, at which point all characterization went out the window so that the author could fit in as many twists as possible. Half (or more!) weren't even good twists.
I'm pretty frustrated with Justine's character. I don't understand why she was so attracted to Henry in the first place. He was so quiet and antisocial, and those aren't always good signs. Once they were together at least they had some good banter going on, which was nice. I feel like the author needs to have done more to set up that final "I'll save you" scene, though. Seriously.
nicolewolverton's review
4.0
There are a lot of things to dig about this reimagining of Frankenstein. The twist at the end was fun, too.
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