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A review by looseleafellie
Unbullied by Angel Dumas, Alexa Dumas
3.0
I generally liked this book. Bullying is a very serious problem in schools today, and [b:Unbullied|29529103|Unbullied|Alexa Dumas|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|49827328] handled the issue very well.
Before I go into detail about what I liked, I will first of all say the three things that I didn't like (save the best for last, right?).
The first thing was that the book would skip days, weeks, or even months of the story at a time. I realize that this was probably so we could get straight to the action, but I really would have liked to see things develop more gradually.
The second thing was that during the action-y parts, which were meant to be fast-paced, there was a lot of introspective thought -- several pages' worth, in fact. This really distracted me from what was supposed to be a high-octane pursuit, or a desperate fight.
The third thing was where the book ended: it was in the middle of a conversation. I actually turned the page, expecting there to be more, but there wasn't. I just felt like the authors needed to wrap the conversation up before ending the book, so that it felt like an actual ending.
Okay, now that the negative part is over, let me say what I did like. First of all, there were some brilliant phrases in this book -- one which I remember off the top of my head is, "images ... ricocheted through her brain". I love metaphors like this; so simple, yet so descriptive.
Secondly, I liked how Ethan and Kylee's relationship wasn't made a big deal of. This could so easily have turned into a "teen crush" book, but their budding romance didn't detract at all from the main problem -- the bullying.
Thirdly, I loved what happened at the end. Without going into too much detail, it showed the human side of the bullies, and showed how, at the end of the day, they're all just scared kids. I especially loved that Kylee essentially saved Dina, even though Dina had been tormenting her for months.
To sum up, this is a great book, but the erratic pacing meant that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. No matter -- it still does the job of combating bullying.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Before I go into detail about what I liked, I will first of all say the three things that I didn't like (save the best for last, right?).
The first thing was that the book would skip days, weeks, or even months of the story at a time. I realize that this was probably so we could get straight to the action, but I really would have liked to see things develop more gradually.
The second thing was that during the action-y parts, which were meant to be fast-paced, there was a lot of introspective thought -- several pages' worth, in fact. This really distracted me from what was supposed to be a high-octane pursuit, or a desperate fight.
The third thing was where the book ended: it was in the middle of a conversation. I actually turned the page, expecting there to be more, but there wasn't. I just felt like the authors needed to wrap the conversation up before ending the book, so that it felt like an actual ending.
Okay, now that the negative part is over, let me say what I did like. First of all, there were some brilliant phrases in this book -- one which I remember off the top of my head is, "images ... ricocheted through her brain". I love metaphors like this; so simple, yet so descriptive.
Secondly, I liked how Ethan and Kylee's relationship wasn't made a big deal of. This could so easily have turned into a "teen crush" book, but their budding romance didn't detract at all from the main problem -- the bullying.
Thirdly, I loved what happened at the end. Without going into too much detail, it showed the human side of the bullies, and showed how, at the end of the day, they're all just scared kids. I especially loved that Kylee essentially saved Dina, even though Dina had been tormenting her for months.
To sum up, this is a great book, but the erratic pacing meant that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. No matter -- it still does the job of combating bullying.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.