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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I loved this book! I love CLive Barker's work, and when I heard he wrote a young adult novel, I had to check it out.
The best way I can describe this book is as follows: Alice in Wonderland X Dr. Seuss + psychedelics
The landscape and creatures were beautifully described. The book felt like a very rhythmical adventure where the heroine, Candy Quackenbush, tended to go from the frying pan to the fire throughout the entire book. There are so many loveable misfits in the world of Abarat.
I would definitely recommend this book.
The best way I can describe this book is as follows: Alice in Wonderland X Dr. Seuss + psychedelics
The landscape and creatures were beautifully described. The book felt like a very rhythmical adventure where the heroine, Candy Quackenbush, tended to go from the frying pan to the fire throughout the entire book. There are so many loveable misfits in the world of Abarat.
I would definitely recommend this book.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
So I bought this book for it's cover...so call me shallow! But the roughly 100 colorful oil paintings gracing this book's glossy pages are marvelous! It is certainly a beautiful book to look at.
Unfortunately, this only conceals the sloppy prose and absence of plot for the first third of the story. It was this first third I enjoyed most: the main character Candy Quackenbush doing research on her home of Chickentown, Henry Murkit's mysterious suicide, Candy's escape from classroom to prairie. I loved how, as she walks toward a windswept ridge, she begins to find pottery shards, shells and dry fish carcasses. An ocean in Minnesota?? But then...the book gets a bit weird. Umm, make that a LOT weird, as in hallucinatory drug-induced weird. Sea skippers? I can buy that. A 7-headed fugitive? Okay... But as for squid-goggles, crawling disembodied eyes and a glass-jar-headed villain??? Over-the-top craziness with no ensemble of structure!
Arabat is a fantasy world with no rhyme, reason or rules. Anything the author can mentally conjure up goes. But what bugged me most was that the main character Candy had no motivation or quest in Arabat except to stay out of the way of Lord Midnight. She wanders (or floats) about aimlessly, wondering "why am I here?" The question is never answered...neither does she grow or undergo any sort of change for the better. I was starting to think she deserved to be sent back to Chickentown USA. Maybe an actual plot will be revealed in book two of the series, but I hardly have the patience to find out.
Unfortunately, this only conceals the sloppy prose and absence of plot for the first third of the story. It was this first third I enjoyed most: the main character Candy Quackenbush doing research on her home of Chickentown, Henry Murkit's mysterious suicide, Candy's escape from classroom to prairie. I loved how, as she walks toward a windswept ridge, she begins to find pottery shards, shells and dry fish carcasses. An ocean in Minnesota?? But then...the book gets a bit weird. Umm, make that a LOT weird, as in hallucinatory drug-induced weird. Sea skippers? I can buy that. A 7-headed fugitive? Okay... But as for squid-goggles, crawling disembodied eyes and a glass-jar-headed villain??? Over-the-top craziness with no ensemble of structure!
Arabat is a fantasy world with no rhyme, reason or rules. Anything the author can mentally conjure up goes. But what bugged me most was that the main character Candy had no motivation or quest in Arabat except to stay out of the way of Lord Midnight. She wanders (or floats) about aimlessly, wondering "why am I here?" The question is never answered...neither does she grow or undergo any sort of change for the better. I was starting to think she deserved to be sent back to Chickentown USA. Maybe an actual plot will be revealed in book two of the series, but I hardly have the patience to find out.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wherever you all go, I go.
A fun little story with an intriguing premise and world. While Abarat is admittedly a little dated and tropey, it makes up for its contrivances with plenty of charm and optimism. This first novel definitely feels like a transitional step to what hopefully is a more substantial, plot-heavy second novel, but as a basis it's definitely not a bad start.
Take courage in your purpose. Even if it isn't yet clear.
I generally avoid horror, so a Clive Barker book was never really a top pick for me.
But finally I was persuaded by a friend to give it a try, and I do not regret it at all! Abarat is a beautiful, terrifying world, filled with some of the loveliest illustrations I've ever seen. I highly recommend it to any one who has ever hoped for a truly unique adventure, as Abarat will take you there.
But finally I was persuaded by a friend to give it a try, and I do not regret it at all! Abarat is a beautiful, terrifying world, filled with some of the loveliest illustrations I've ever seen. I highly recommend it to any one who has ever hoped for a truly unique adventure, as Abarat will take you there.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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