A review by aarnireads
Abarat by Clive Barker

5.0

Oh man, this book. Abarat blew my mind the first time I read it; a heroine that speaks her mind, is amazed by the world(s) around her, is kind but not a doormat, not swayed (too much!) by her heart etc! The idea of times of day as islands is something that could have only come out of Barker's odd, odd mind. At Abarat's heart is the usual story: girl goes on a journey and meets a cast of eccentric characters but Abarat delights, Abarat entertains and it feels like you're in there, right next to Candy, swept by the waves. Barker's language is delightfully alive, the characters feel real even when they are like something created from dreams and Abarat itself feels like it has come to alive inside me.