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A review by proffy
Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
3.0
The Short and Sweet of It (from publisher)
Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her.
Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?
My Thoughts
As a character, Alison is sympathetic. She suffers from synesthesia (and I mean, she actually suffers; I'm not using that indelicately in the way many do to refer to any sort of mental difference), meaning numbers have colors and words have tastes and sounds have visible form. Obviously, this ability takes a central role in the plot line, but more importantly (to me), it gave the author the opportunity to write description in a completely unique way. I enjoyed sensing the world through Alison's ability, and really you could read the book just for that experience and be satisfied.
The other characters in the novel also felt unique, and I enjoyed the clear presentation of personality and the subsequent realistic actions the characters take. Anderson populated Alison's world with well-developed characters from Dr. Minta, with his complex combination of curiosity and compassion, to Sanjay's never explained but entirely compelling insight.
The pacing threw me a bit after I finished reading. The majority of the plot reads like realistic fiction with any inconsistencies explained by the mental state of our narrator, but towards the end, the story shifts becoming science fiction. Honestly, I would have preferred the story remained realistic fiction. Saying any more would be really spoilerific so I'll stop there.
Despite the genre shift, I recommend Ultraviolet to any who enjoy YA SFF, especially if you like your SFF on the lighter side. I read the whole book in two sittings, not wanting to put it down.
Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her.
Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?
My Thoughts
As a character, Alison is sympathetic. She suffers from synesthesia (and I mean, she actually suffers; I'm not using that indelicately in the way many do to refer to any sort of mental difference), meaning numbers have colors and words have tastes and sounds have visible form. Obviously, this ability takes a central role in the plot line, but more importantly (to me), it gave the author the opportunity to write description in a completely unique way. I enjoyed sensing the world through Alison's ability, and really you could read the book just for that experience and be satisfied.
The other characters in the novel also felt unique, and I enjoyed the clear presentation of personality and the subsequent realistic actions the characters take. Anderson populated Alison's world with well-developed characters from Dr. Minta, with his complex combination of curiosity and compassion, to Sanjay's never explained but entirely compelling insight.
The pacing threw me a bit after I finished reading. The majority of the plot reads like realistic fiction with any inconsistencies explained by the mental state of our narrator, but towards the end, the story shifts becoming science fiction. Honestly, I would have preferred the story remained realistic fiction. Saying any more would be really spoilerific so I'll stop there.
Despite the genre shift, I recommend Ultraviolet to any who enjoy YA SFF, especially if you like your SFF on the lighter side. I read the whole book in two sittings, not wanting to put it down.