Reviews

The Quiet is Loud by Samantha Garner

mjs20's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

readrenard's review

5.0

Certain stories can only be appreciated when your mind is ready to receive them. The Quiet is Loud sat on my shelf for a couple years, but every attempt I made to read it left me frustrated & confused. I’m glad I persevered, because this time everything clicked. There was so much to love in this book.

I found myself craving someone I could discuss this book with & recommended it to various friends who share an interest in similar themes… I’m really hoping they read it.

full review on my reading blog:)

lostcupofstars's review

3.0

I liked this. It had strong X-Men vibes. 
I think the plot definitely struggled to get off the ground and the conflict and resolution fell flat for me. There was so much that could have been explored. I found Aunt Judith’s chapter really interesting - she could have had a whole book to herself. Loved the relationship between Freya and Mary. I wish there had been more descriptive language bc I still can’t picture what they’re supposed to look like. 

It was deffo an interesting idea and I enjoyed the read, just wished it had been streamlined a bit more with a better ending.

merenr's review

I’m not sure what I needed more from this book, but I needed something. I never quite got the intensity that I was expecting and the emotional scenes fell short for me.

I must say that the cover is gorgeous though.

jillaay_h's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Hate crime, Alcoholism, and Bullying

tfj's review

medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

Auch wenn die Autorin leider ein paar - meiner Meinung nach - merkwürdige Entscheidungen zur Fokalisierung getroffen hat und ich anfangs Schwierigkeiten hatte, in die Geschichte hineinzufinden, muss ich zugeben, dass mir das Buch - als ich dann einmal hineingefunden hatte - recht gut gefallen hat. Coole urbane Fantasy mit einem relativ harten Magiesystem, einer weiblichen Hauptfigur und Zentrierung auf deren Character Development - und nicht auf irgendeinen irrelevanten Typen. Außerdem war die Schilderung von philippinischen Essen so verlockend, dass ich jetzt dringend ein philippinisches Restaurant finden muss. 

sl4u's review

emotional 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? Yes

3.0

Read all in one day.

I think the structure and pacing of the book were a little off at times. (Present timeline probably should have started a little later, with more time spent focused on the development of relationships among

the STEP group members

rather than a few chapters used to basically only establish character. A lot of the flashback scenes could have been cut out. I also feel like

Aunt Judith's monologue

should not have been so detailed and long.)

And sometimes I felt like the puzzle pieces fit together a little too neatly. (How fast and cleanly they were able to

find Alan Y

.)

Also, maybe readers should be given a little bit more credit in being able to figure out things that need not be explicitly said. (Explicit recall of flashback chapters in the subsequent 2015 chapters.)

koreykit's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I liked the flashbacks being in third person

andy5185's review

5.0

I really loved this. Similar to X-Men, this story features an Earth where people with special powers exist, and are greatly discriminated against. The main character Freya has the power of prophetic dreams, which she has hidden from the world, including her own father. Unlike X-Men, this is not an action/adventure, but a young woman's journey to embrace her identity. By connecting with others that are also "paradextrous" she comes to realize the power of connection with friends and ultimately her own family. Her Filipino/Norwegian background also made for really interesting cultural references.

megan_prairierose's review

5.0

This book was so unique and I loved it. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next. A great new voice on the Canadian literary landscape.