Take a photo of a barcode or cover
This was quite different than I expected, although the illustrations on the front and back cover really should have given me some clues. This reminded me quite a lot of [b:Alice in Wonderland|24213|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass|Lewis Carroll|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167520662s/24213.jpg|2375385] in that a girl is mysteriously transported to another world with strange, interesting, and often frightening characters very different from her own world. One difference in Abarat, though, is that Candy Quackenbush chose to go to this alternate world and felt quite comfortable there - much more comfortable than I did in the beginning. Clive Barker's illustrations definitely help along the way as we meet some VERY different characters. I wonder if he painted some of the characters first and then wrote the story to create a world for those characters?
I knew this was just the first Abarat book, so I didn't expect a completely satisfying conclusion. I did enjoy the journey with Candy and wouldn't mind reading the sequel, [b:Days of Magic, Nights of War|32636|Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat, #2)|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266455347s/32636.jpg|997754], sometime in the future.
A favorite quote:
"Perhaps a wiser eye than hers would be able to read tomorrow in tonight's stars, but where was the fun in that? It was better not to know. Better to be alive in the Here and the Now--in this bright, laughing moment--and let the Hours to come take care of themselves."
I knew this was just the first Abarat book, so I didn't expect a completely satisfying conclusion. I did enjoy the journey with Candy and wouldn't mind reading the sequel, [b:Days of Magic, Nights of War|32636|Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat, #2)|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266455347s/32636.jpg|997754], sometime in the future.
A favorite quote:
"Perhaps a wiser eye than hers would be able to read tomorrow in tonight's stars, but where was the fun in that? It was better not to know. Better to be alive in the Here and the Now--in this bright, laughing moment--and let the Hours to come take care of themselves."