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stefaniamas_ 's review for:
Alone
by Megan E. Freeman
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Starting my new reading year with a book that I’d never would have picked up if I didn’t discover it through the StoryGraph Genres Challenge, and I love this fact! (Also my first novel written in verse 😊🥰)
This is the story of Maddie, a 13 year old girl who finds herself completely alone in her hometown after she misses a mass evacuation because of an “imminent threat”.
At first I struggled a bit to connect with the writing style in verse, but after a while I got adjusted to it and I found it really engaging and fitting for the dystopian setting. The strongest asset of this book for me is indeed the fact that the writing style did a really good job of reflecting the sensations and emotions of loss, grief, fear and isolation that anybody in Maddie’s shoes would feel. It also described very realistic scenarios and portrayed a survival story that felt real and emotional, and I admit that the end made my eyes a little watery. I feel like the themes explored in this book also offer a great opportunity of self-exploration for teens and some of them may feel seen despite the dystopian setting, since parts of Maddie’s journey can reflect universal experiences of loss, loneliness and grief.
My rating isn’t higher mainly because, despite being a really fast read, after a while I found it a bit repetitive and think that the ending (although I was happy about it) was rushed, providing no explanation of the threat that put Maddie in this situation in the first place.
Still I really enjoyed my experience with this book and felt really connected to Maddie, which for me is always the best sign that the characters are well-written and something that I love to feel while reading.
So I absolutely recommend it! ✨💜
This is the story of Maddie, a 13 year old girl who finds herself completely alone in her hometown after she misses a mass evacuation because of an “imminent threat”.
At first I struggled a bit to connect with the writing style in verse, but after a while I got adjusted to it and I found it really engaging and fitting for the dystopian setting. The strongest asset of this book for me is indeed the fact that the writing style did a really good job of reflecting the sensations and emotions of loss, grief, fear and isolation that anybody in Maddie’s shoes would feel. It also described very realistic scenarios and portrayed a survival story that felt real and emotional, and I admit that the end made my eyes a little watery. I feel like the themes explored in this book also offer a great opportunity of self-exploration for teens and some of them may feel seen despite the dystopian setting, since parts of Maddie’s journey can reflect universal experiences of loss, loneliness and grief.
My rating isn’t higher mainly because, despite being a really fast read, after a while I found it a bit repetitive and think that the ending (although I was happy about it) was rushed, providing no explanation of the threat that put Maddie in this situation in the first place.
Still I really enjoyed my experience with this book and felt really connected to Maddie, which for me is always the best sign that the characters are well-written and something that I love to feel while reading.
So I absolutely recommend it! ✨💜