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A review by lcmarie19
3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
4.0
Rating: 4.5/5
Wow. Such a great story! A bit of confusion on terminology of theoretical explanations, but I followed along fairly well. The ending, for me, was pretty dang perfect. It's also weird how you can love and hate the same characters at the same time, but McNeil did a great job in making me do so.
The story started off with a few situations that I'm actually very sensitive to. Dissolving marriages, infidelity, mistrust. I immediately became hooked on those things alone. The main character, Josie Byrne, was experiencing quite a bit of stuff right at the beginning of the book. Through Josie, we are introduced to other characters that become a bit more important as the plot thickens -- Nick, Madison, Penelope, etc.
I will say that at the beginning of the story, I wasn't a fan of Nick and I was suspicious of Madison from minute one (but not for the reasons you're probably thinking). Penelope and Josie were the only two that I liked from the very beginning. Flaws and all. Penelope is a lot like me, when it comes to honesty. Why sugarcoat it? Here's the deal. I respected her from minute one and I like how McNeil developed her character. Josie was a likable character for me because she seemed authentic. She was real and honest. Granted, she made a few mistakes here and there, but that was part of her charm.
Then there's Jo, Josie's doppleganger, who I did not like. But again, not for the reasons you may think. She was just a selfish girl who needed a wake up call. When Josie and Jo switch worlds, I start to become a bit schizophrenic, only because I couldn't remember why I liked/disliked certain character or I got dopplegangers mixed up. For example, I disliked Nick, but I liked his doppleganger. I liked both Penelopes and I disliked both Madisons.
The storyline, in my opinion, was brilliant but sometimes a bit hard to follow. But that wasn't a huge issue with me. The concept of the Nox was really interesting and I liked the thrilling, scary aspect that they brought to the story. The plot was almost a mixture of subplot. You got Josie's original life and the crap that she's dealing with, you've got the parallel universe and its situation, and you've got Josie's new life in the parallel universe. While all of it ties together, they are still individual stories that need to be followed carefully.
McNeil does a great job of tying up all of the ends and there are a few surprises that happend throughout the book. Some things even catch me off guard, even though once they were revealed to me, I was like "duh".
The ending to this story was great. I liked the buildup to the climax, the climax, and the conclusion. For the tpye of book that this is -- thrilling, mysterious YA fiction -- the ending worked very well. It leaves space for a sequel should McNeil wish to write one, but I don't think it's necessary. The ending works.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The main character was fantastic. She was smart as a whip, brave, compassionate, and vulnerable. I love female leads that embody those qualities, where they're not only one thing. The supporting characters were great, even the ones I didn't like (because they aided in the protagonist's development). The world building, though confusing at times, was very interesting. And the ending rocked.
Great read, McNeil.
Wow. Such a great story! A bit of confusion on terminology of theoretical explanations, but I followed along fairly well. The ending, for me, was pretty dang perfect. It's also weird how you can love and hate the same characters at the same time, but McNeil did a great job in making me do so.
The story started off with a few situations that I'm actually very sensitive to. Dissolving marriages, infidelity, mistrust. I immediately became hooked on those things alone. The main character, Josie Byrne, was experiencing quite a bit of stuff right at the beginning of the book. Through Josie, we are introduced to other characters that become a bit more important as the plot thickens -- Nick, Madison, Penelope, etc.
I will say that at the beginning of the story, I wasn't a fan of Nick and I was suspicious of Madison from minute one (but not for the reasons you're probably thinking). Penelope and Josie were the only two that I liked from the very beginning. Flaws and all. Penelope is a lot like me, when it comes to honesty. Why sugarcoat it? Here's the deal. I respected her from minute one and I like how McNeil developed her character. Josie was a likable character for me because she seemed authentic. She was real and honest. Granted, she made a few mistakes here and there, but that was part of her charm.
Then there's Jo, Josie's doppleganger, who I did not like. But again, not for the reasons you may think. She was just a selfish girl who needed a wake up call. When Josie and Jo switch worlds, I start to become a bit schizophrenic, only because I couldn't remember why I liked/disliked certain character or I got dopplegangers mixed up. For example, I disliked Nick, but I liked his doppleganger. I liked both Penelopes and I disliked both Madisons.
The storyline, in my opinion, was brilliant but sometimes a bit hard to follow. But that wasn't a huge issue with me. The concept of the Nox was really interesting and I liked the thrilling, scary aspect that they brought to the story. The plot was almost a mixture of subplot. You got Josie's original life and the crap that she's dealing with, you've got the parallel universe and its situation, and you've got Josie's new life in the parallel universe. While all of it ties together, they are still individual stories that need to be followed carefully.
McNeil does a great job of tying up all of the ends and there are a few surprises that happend throughout the book. Some things even catch me off guard, even though once they were revealed to me, I was like "duh".
The ending to this story was great. I liked the buildup to the climax, the climax, and the conclusion. For the tpye of book that this is -- thrilling, mysterious YA fiction -- the ending worked very well. It leaves space for a sequel should McNeil wish to write one, but I don't think it's necessary. The ending works.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The main character was fantastic. She was smart as a whip, brave, compassionate, and vulnerable. I love female leads that embody those qualities, where they're not only one thing. The supporting characters were great, even the ones I didn't like (because they aided in the protagonist's development). The world building, though confusing at times, was very interesting. And the ending rocked.
Great read, McNeil.