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A review by vanessas_reading_list
Strange Gods by Alison Kimble
3.0
*I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
When I first read the blurb for this book I was very excited. A story that has a boot camp for troubled teens within the fantasy genre? – Sign me up! I wasn't sure what to make of the writing style at first because it's written almost like a contemporary YA novel, very different from other fantasy books I've read. Then, when the fantasy elements started being introduced, it almost felt like they clashed with the tone that had already been established. But, once I got used to it, I actually grew to like this; it felt very original and I was intrigued to continue reading. Also, I should mention that although this is considered YA, it felt more middle-grade to me (not that that's a bad thing, just something worth noting). Given that the camp for troubled teens is one of the main settings for the story, I expected grittier scenes and morally gray characters. However, all three human protagonists are pretty good people (with minor faults). With a bad-ass nickname like "Spooky", I expected the main character to have a mysterious, dark backstory and I was curious to learn what landed her in this boot-camp in the middle of nowhere. But, it turns out she's just a bit of a misfit. One thing I really enjoyed though was her sense of humor. Spooky's early interactions with Carcass were hilarious and her inner monologues were totally relatable. Although the plot was pretty slow for the first 2/3 of the book, the last part really picked up. The ending was quite unique and left me wondering where things would go from there. I'll be picking up the sequel once it comes out.
*I still don't fully trust Carcass and I'm hoping in book 2 he takes a dark turn*
When I first read the blurb for this book I was very excited. A story that has a boot camp for troubled teens within the fantasy genre? – Sign me up! I wasn't sure what to make of the writing style at first because it's written almost like a contemporary YA novel, very different from other fantasy books I've read. Then, when the fantasy elements started being introduced, it almost felt like they clashed with the tone that had already been established. But, once I got used to it, I actually grew to like this; it felt very original and I was intrigued to continue reading. Also, I should mention that although this is considered YA, it felt more middle-grade to me (not that that's a bad thing, just something worth noting). Given that the camp for troubled teens is one of the main settings for the story, I expected grittier scenes and morally gray characters. However, all three human protagonists are pretty good people (with minor faults). With a bad-ass nickname like "Spooky", I expected the main character to have a mysterious, dark backstory and I was curious to learn what landed her in this boot-camp in the middle of nowhere. But, it turns out she's just a bit of a misfit. One thing I really enjoyed though was her sense of humor. Spooky's early interactions with Carcass were hilarious and her inner monologues were totally relatable. Although the plot was pretty slow for the first 2/3 of the book, the last part really picked up. The ending was quite unique and left me wondering where things would go from there. I'll be picking up the sequel once it comes out.
*I still don't fully trust Carcass and I'm hoping in book 2 he takes a dark turn*