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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
It turns out this is the first of 5 books. Uggh. Anyway, it is by Clive Barker, the guy who made the Hellraiser movies, so you have to understand that this guy is dark and twisted. The book was written for teenagers so I wasn't as afraid as if it was a book for adults. It only had a couple of mild swear words but the psychadelic land that Candy Quackenbush ends up visiting is very weird and dark and creepy. There weren't blood and guts but there were threats of blood and guts and torture. Some of the characters were very reminiscent of the Hellraiser guy who is bald and has pins all over his head. I don't know if I'll read the other 4 books even though this first one really left me hanging. I like fantasy and everything but not so much the books that have the heroine travel through the land, meeting one weird creature after another. Give me some structure!
I wasn’t sure how to review this, but I read this book a decade ago - While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t my favorite book, but I think about it all. the. time. It is truly unlike anything I had ever read before and have ever read since then. If you’re looking for a truly out of this world reading experience, Abarat is where to turn. Also, the art is incredible. You won’t forget this book.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I love the premise of it and it reminds me a little of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making, which I loved. The problem I had with the book was that it was sooo long and it really dragged story-wise in a lot of places. I also thought it was kind of repetitious and there was just way too much going on. I enjoyed the character of Candy Quakenbush from Chickentown; she is spunky and fun as are many of the other characters. It just seemed like some of it got lost in the shuffle. I know this is part of a series, but I also wish there was more resolution to the plots of this book by the end. You definitely have to read the rest of the series to find out what happens.
True story: I got this book from the library when I was younger, and my Mom made me return it because she said it wasn’t something I should read. I bought it when I was older, and read it, and truly enjoyed it! It’s a delightful adventure story.
I wasn’t allowed to read it because of the author and how it went against her belief system (same with Harry Potter), but the book itself seems to be about finding your place and relying on each other, and it just seems sad that so many things are banned because of fear. Did anyone else have this experience when they were younger?
I wasn’t allowed to read it because of the author and how it went against her belief system (same with Harry Potter), but the book itself seems to be about finding your place and relying on each other, and it just seems sad that so many things are banned because of fear. Did anyone else have this experience when they were younger?
You can tell it's YA fiction, but it's a wonderful book if you are looking for a large cast of interesting characters and some swashbuckling.
I read the first Abarat book shortly after it was published some time in 2002 or 2003, when I was a young teenager and when I better fit its target audience. At the time, I loved it: the setting was a sweeping, vast landscape of unique islands with a cast of characters that were unusual and intriguing. (Plus I also enjoyed matching Barker's descriptions with the collage of illustrations on the front of the book and feeling like I was making progress the more illustrations I was able to match to named characters.)
The memory of how much I enjoyed this the first time around and the knowledge that two additional books have been published since -- which I haven't read -- prompted me to revisit the series some fifteen years later as an adult and unfortunately, I don't think it held up. While the uniqueness of the setting remains a fun journey, the simplicity of the writing style leaves me cold in a world where I crave more detail, more description and a more thorough understanding of what the characters are experiencing. Abarat was probably a memory better left undisturbed.
The memory of how much I enjoyed this the first time around and the knowledge that two additional books have been published since -- which I haven't read -- prompted me to revisit the series some fifteen years later as an adult and unfortunately, I don't think it held up. While the uniqueness of the setting remains a fun journey, the simplicity of the writing style leaves me cold in a world where I crave more detail, more description and a more thorough understanding of what the characters are experiencing. Abarat was probably a memory better left undisturbed.
I absolutely fell in love with this book, I need to read the rest of the series.. so creative, I love Clive Barker and was interested in this fantasy world he created. Well done!!
I read this years ago and am rereading it now. It's the story of a schoolgirl from Minnesota who hates her life and goes to another world called Abarat, where islands are also hours of the day and all manner of whimsical beasts reside. The bad guy is extremely nasty: Christopher Carrion, lord of Midnight, has an aquarium collar on the lower half of his face, swimming with pieces of his brain containing nightmares. Illustrations by the author!
Buat saya, cerita dalam bukui ini adalah kisah fantasi yg original Susah dibilang mengapa, tapi saya suka! :)