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beastreader's review against another edition
5.0
Fourteen year old Becky just wants to be a normal teenager. Becky’s father, Chris knows that sending as much time with his daughter is very important to him. That is why, when Becky starts visiting the magical world of Tamarisk, while at his home, he does not care. Tamarisk is a place that Chris and Becky made up a long time ago. There in the land lives a Queen named, Mina. Some thing is wrong in Tamarisk. Mina needs Becky’s help. Can Becky help Mina save Tamarisk before it is too late?
Blue is the first novel I have read by Mr. Aronica. This book kind of reminded me of the movie, Bridge to Terabithia. I admit that I have never read the book but the movie was good. If you saw the movie you will remember that the two main characters, Jess and Leslie created this magical, fantasy world. Just like the movie, Blue is enriched with great characters, a moving story line, and an author who will have you want to read more of his work. I could feel the anguish Chris felt for his daughter and wanting to spend as much time with her as he possibly could. The world of Tamarisk is full of intriguing people, who are almost as real as Becky. Blue is a five star read in my books!
Blue is the first novel I have read by Mr. Aronica. This book kind of reminded me of the movie, Bridge to Terabithia. I admit that I have never read the book but the movie was good. If you saw the movie you will remember that the two main characters, Jess and Leslie created this magical, fantasy world. Just like the movie, Blue is enriched with great characters, a moving story line, and an author who will have you want to read more of his work. I could feel the anguish Chris felt for his daughter and wanting to spend as much time with her as he possibly could. The world of Tamarisk is full of intriguing people, who are almost as real as Becky. Blue is a five star read in my books!
tmleblanc's review against another edition
2.0
I downloaded this as Friday Free Book from Barnes and Noble. I was disappointed that this book was not properly formatted for the ebook format. The print was tiny, unadjustable and ran from the very top of my screen to the very bottom. As a result, I had to read the book in short bursts as I would become exhausted trying to process such tiny print. There were also weird line breaks and hyphenation as a result of the poor formatting.
Once I got past the technical difficulties of the format of book, I did find the plot quite intriguing. A young girl stricken with cancer creates a fantasy world, Tamarisk, with her father to escape the realities of her treatment. Their belief in Tamarisk makes it a living breathing, evolving world that that needs help when the young girl becomes ill again.
Overall, the plot pulled me in. However, the poor introduction of characters traipsing in and out of Tamarisk, our world and the space between the two worlds was jarring. Specifically Gage's and Lisa's roles in the overall arc of the story were confusing and felt quite out of place as their roles were never clearly defined or explored. Additionally, the changing point of view throughout the story was poorly executed. At times, it seems as if the story was told from a 3rd party point of view and would suddenly change, seemingly on whim, to a second or third point of view.
Once I got past the technical difficulties of the format of book, I did find the plot quite intriguing. A young girl stricken with cancer creates a fantasy world, Tamarisk, with her father to escape the realities of her treatment. Their belief in Tamarisk makes it a living breathing, evolving world that that needs help when the young girl becomes ill again.
Overall, the plot pulled me in. However, the poor introduction of characters traipsing in and out of Tamarisk, our world and the space between the two worlds was jarring. Specifically Gage's and Lisa's roles in the overall arc of the story were confusing and felt quite out of place as their roles were never clearly defined or explored. Additionally, the changing point of view throughout the story was poorly executed. At times, it seems as if the story was told from a 3rd party point of view and would suddenly change, seemingly on whim, to a second or third point of view.
judascomplex's review against another edition
5.0
My father was first introduced to Aronica’s work through a Free Book Friday for the Nook, and as soon as he’d finished reading Blue, he urged me to do the same. I was a little more hesitant, my shelves already filled with books I hadn’t read yet and no time to pick up another one. But finally, as I started into book reviews and being serious about this side of my life, I finally took my father’s advice and had him LendMe the two books from his Nook.
I can’t say as I’ve ever been more pleased about a choice of reading material.
Aronica takes two very different worlds – the “real life” view of Connecticut and a family that’s falling apart, and the “fantasy” world of Tamarisk with a queen seated too young facing over a catastrophe too big – and meshes them together seamlessly. The narrator switches between Chris, an aimless man divorced (badly) from his wife and estranged from his daughter; Becky, Chris’ daughter who has more imagination than the next six people combined and is dealing with not only all the troubles that come with being a fourteen-year-old but also the remission of her leukemia; and Miea, the queen of Tamarisk by her early twenties and faced with the largest disaster her kingdom has faced in decades.
With so many plot lines, it seems like it would be easy to lose track of the narrative and what is happening where – but Aronica’s storytelling never lets you get lost. You wander with Chris, desperate to save his relationship with Becky even after his divorce sent a monkey wrench into its gears. We relive high school with Becky, who still after four years doesn’t understand what happened with her parents and just wants to make her way through her freshman year without remark. We mourn with Miea, as she grapples with the difficulties of being queen and making decisions she doesn’t – and can’t – entirely understand. And we flip between the three with ease.
And as the paths begin to intersect in ways that no one would have expected, it’s easy to sit in your armchair with a grin on your face, cheering them on every step of the way. I know that I did.
The fact that I personally sat down and devoured Blue whole in a matter of hours is testament to how superb the writing of this book is, and how well it draws the reader in and makes the world real in their mind. And though I can’t “darken” like Chris and Becky do in the book and find myself in one of my own fictitious worlds (or possibly not so fictitious…), I can certainly imagine how that might feel.
Definite five-star rating for both Blue, and its prequel, Until Again. Must-read, on both counts.
Until again, Mr. Aronica. I’ll be waiting for your next book.
I can’t say as I’ve ever been more pleased about a choice of reading material.
Aronica takes two very different worlds – the “real life” view of Connecticut and a family that’s falling apart, and the “fantasy” world of Tamarisk with a queen seated too young facing over a catastrophe too big – and meshes them together seamlessly. The narrator switches between Chris, an aimless man divorced (badly) from his wife and estranged from his daughter; Becky, Chris’ daughter who has more imagination than the next six people combined and is dealing with not only all the troubles that come with being a fourteen-year-old but also the remission of her leukemia; and Miea, the queen of Tamarisk by her early twenties and faced with the largest disaster her kingdom has faced in decades.
With so many plot lines, it seems like it would be easy to lose track of the narrative and what is happening where – but Aronica’s storytelling never lets you get lost. You wander with Chris, desperate to save his relationship with Becky even after his divorce sent a monkey wrench into its gears. We relive high school with Becky, who still after four years doesn’t understand what happened with her parents and just wants to make her way through her freshman year without remark. We mourn with Miea, as she grapples with the difficulties of being queen and making decisions she doesn’t – and can’t – entirely understand. And we flip between the three with ease.
And as the paths begin to intersect in ways that no one would have expected, it’s easy to sit in your armchair with a grin on your face, cheering them on every step of the way. I know that I did.
The fact that I personally sat down and devoured Blue whole in a matter of hours is testament to how superb the writing of this book is, and how well it draws the reader in and makes the world real in their mind. And though I can’t “darken” like Chris and Becky do in the book and find myself in one of my own fictitious worlds (or possibly not so fictitious…), I can certainly imagine how that might feel.
Definite five-star rating for both Blue, and its prequel, Until Again. Must-read, on both counts.
Until again, Mr. Aronica. I’ll be waiting for your next book.
winnieismydog's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Chris and his daughter Becky create a world called Tamarisk through stories when Becky was facing cancer as a little girl. As they face other challenges - Becky's parents get divorced and her cancer returns - they discover that Tamarisk is real. It's a well done blend of 'real life' and 'fantasy'.
symmetry_broken's review against another edition
1.0
What an unbelievably awful and predictable book. Waste of Kindle space. Waste of time.
ninthwave's review against another edition
2.0
Pros: Realistic portrayal of a post-divorce dynamic; fairly accurate (if somewhat glossed-over) depiction of cancer treatment; excellent descriptions of the world of Tamarisk.
Cons: Disappointing (for me) ending; for me, the author's frequent references to real-world personalities and content often knocked me out of the narrative and broke the fourth wall.
Although it isn't specifically labeled as such, as several other reviewers have said, this seems like young adult fiction. I found the story reasonably engaging, but the swift resolution and the ending's message didn't sit well with me. I'll avoid spoilers, but there's a detail in the last few pages that changed my perspective on Tamarisk in a way that soured me a bit on the book.
Also, I disagreed with the writer's decision to mention Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, and other details that firmly set the time frame of this narrative. I think authors who choose to do this run a strong risk of dating their book prematurely.
Blue isn't a bad book, but it isn't a great one. Hindsight being what it is, I would've preferred to invest the same time in reading a title with a more satisfying resolution. It's unlikely that I'd recommend it.
Cons: Disappointing (for me) ending; for me, the author's frequent references to real-world personalities and content often knocked me out of the narrative and broke the fourth wall.
Although it isn't specifically labeled as such, as several other reviewers have said, this seems like young adult fiction. I found the story reasonably engaging, but the swift resolution and the ending's message didn't sit well with me. I'll avoid spoilers, but there's a detail in the last few pages that changed my perspective on Tamarisk in a way that soured me a bit on the book.
Also, I disagreed with the writer's decision to mention Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, and other details that firmly set the time frame of this narrative. I think authors who choose to do this run a strong risk of dating their book prematurely.
Blue isn't a bad book, but it isn't a great one. Hindsight being what it is, I would've preferred to invest the same time in reading a title with a more satisfying resolution. It's unlikely that I'd recommend it.
erinmichelle1126's review against another edition
4.0
So this was one of the free books i got through pixel of ink. It is for sure not like what i usually read, but obviously since i finished it in one day, it was pretty good. Much too sad for my general taste but I recommend it!
wes919's review against another edition
3.0
This easily read story takes place in parallel worlds - one real, one imagined. The imagined world was conceived and built by a dad with his daughter while she was undergoing cancer treatment. The story compares the real life struggles with growing up in a divorced family with the paradise of the imagined world and how that world becomes more important when cancer returns.
This book reminded me of Bridge to Tarabithia. Both told the story of bridged worlds - one real and one imagined.
This book reminded me of Bridge to Tarabithia. Both told the story of bridged worlds - one real and one imagined.
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
Blue is not quite what I expected. Here's why: I expected more of a children's story (imagination, magic, made-up world, etc), and I got a poignant tale of a father and daughter reconnecting with each other via a pretend-world that they conjured up when she was going through a life-threatening illness...
Character: Chris is a sad character, and one I didn't know how to connect with. I could see the why of where he's at, but that's about it. I expected a bit more emotion from this scientist father, but I suppose not everybody could be just as I expect... Becky, I could get. She's plucky and funny and smart, even at just fourteen... She's also trying to navigate the waters of post-divorce parental interactions, crushing on the cutest boy at school, and not worrying that her nosebleeds are the pre-cursor to her leukemia's return. Then she finds out that Tamarisk, the world she and her dad created, is real. And so are the people and creatures she imagined into being all those years ago... Now there's something threatening that beautiful world, and she's made it her mission to try and figure out how to fix it.
Pace & Plot: Blue started off a little slowly, going back and forth between real-life (Chris & Becky), Tamarisk (Miea), and some in-between place where Gage muses... I still don't quite get Gage, but oh well. Once Becky re-discovers Tamarisk, things start moving quickly, as she attempts to help Miea figure out the blight that's plaguing the kingdom. This is where Blue is at its most descriptive, with the fantastical flora and fauna, the riot of colors, and those who people this kingdom... The ending isn't a surprise, but the journey there is worth the read.
Character: Chris is a sad character, and one I didn't know how to connect with. I could see the why of where he's at, but that's about it. I expected a bit more emotion from this scientist father, but I suppose not everybody could be just as I expect... Becky, I could get. She's plucky and funny and smart, even at just fourteen... She's also trying to navigate the waters of post-divorce parental interactions, crushing on the cutest boy at school, and not worrying that her nosebleeds are the pre-cursor to her leukemia's return. Then she finds out that Tamarisk, the world she and her dad created, is real. And so are the people and creatures she imagined into being all those years ago... Now there's something threatening that beautiful world, and she's made it her mission to try and figure out how to fix it.
Pace & Plot: Blue started off a little slowly, going back and forth between real-life (Chris & Becky), Tamarisk (Miea), and some in-between place where Gage muses... I still don't quite get Gage, but oh well. Once Becky re-discovers Tamarisk, things start moving quickly, as she attempts to help Miea figure out the blight that's plaguing the kingdom. This is where Blue is at its most descriptive, with the fantastical flora and fauna, the riot of colors, and those who people this kingdom... The ending isn't a surprise, but the journey there is worth the read.
kikathewordnerd's review against another edition
2.0
This book had potential, but it didn't live up to what I was expecting based on so many rave reviews here & other places. I think I like a more complicated novel with more suspense & a twist at the end. Blue is a nice story & a clean read for young adults, but I feel like it just skims the surface of what could have been a great story.