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A review by tabatha_shipley
Smoke by Ellen Hopkins
3.0
What I Didn’t Like:
-The audiobook loses some of the poetry. This entire book is written in poems, like the previous book Burned. But the audiobook loses some of that magic. I got glimpses of it occasionally, but for the most part it was lost.
-Similar to the previous book. The storyline felt the same, the emotions felt the same. While I enjoyed the first one, I wanted something different for this book. I wanted this sequel to add something to the series and it just didn’t do that.
-The ending. I wasn’t a fan of this ending at all. To be fair, I like endings that make me think and go in an interesting way (like the first one of this series). This one felt a little too perfect for my tastes.
What I Did Like:
-The poetic language. I had to take a look at the print version to appreciate the magic, but it is there. The language is nice, the blank space is used effectively, and the poetry is good. That’s the real magic of this series.
-The struggles with religion. I like the underlying questioning of what they believe here from the main characters. A lot of books will shy away from this discussion but the girls faced it head on. The church they were raised in might not be the one for them and I like that they’re questioning that on the page for other teens.
-The romance is cute without being overdone. It’s realistic and adorable without being too hot and heavy.
The Verdict: 3 Stars. I still love this poetry and the idea of telling a story with poems.
-The audiobook loses some of the poetry. This entire book is written in poems, like the previous book Burned. But the audiobook loses some of that magic. I got glimpses of it occasionally, but for the most part it was lost.
-Similar to the previous book. The storyline felt the same, the emotions felt the same. While I enjoyed the first one, I wanted something different for this book. I wanted this sequel to add something to the series and it just didn’t do that.
-The ending. I wasn’t a fan of this ending at all. To be fair, I like endings that make me think and go in an interesting way (like the first one of this series). This one felt a little too perfect for my tastes.
What I Did Like:
-The poetic language. I had to take a look at the print version to appreciate the magic, but it is there. The language is nice, the blank space is used effectively, and the poetry is good. That’s the real magic of this series.
-The struggles with religion. I like the underlying questioning of what they believe here from the main characters. A lot of books will shy away from this discussion but the girls faced it head on. The church they were raised in might not be the one for them and I like that they’re questioning that on the page for other teens.
-The romance is cute without being overdone. It’s realistic and adorable without being too hot and heavy.
The Verdict: 3 Stars. I still love this poetry and the idea of telling a story with poems.