mamaorgana80's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
At once familiar and fresh. We need more of this in middle grade!
kbaccam's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sr_toliver's review
3.0
I want to start by saying that I really wanted to like this novel. I also want to say that there was some beautiful writing in the book, and the characters were interesting, so it deserves a read.
My issues with the text mainly come from structure, word choice, and setting. There were various points in the novel where the scene changed without a heads up that something was taking place at a different point in the day. I also didn’t know where the story was set until about a fourth of the way through the book. I’m not familiar with this author’s other work, so maybe that’s just something her fans would already know, but for new readers, it can be confusing. A small sentence about the setting or scene changes would help orient readers a bit. Additionally, there were several word choices in terms of metaphor and symbol that didn’t work well (e.g., Leslie was rigid, and to describe it, the author writes, “he looked as though his front teeth were clamped on a dead roach.”). The last one is more personal, but I wasn’t a fan of the recurring bird metaphor either. I love a good extended metaphor, but I think where/how those metaphors are brought back into the text matter. When it’s spread throughout numerous chapters so overtly and sometimes randomly, it loses its luster.
But, like I said, there’s good stuff in there, too. The plot is interesting enough; the characters are developed well; and the internal lessons could make for great discussion.
My issues with the text mainly come from structure, word choice, and setting. There were various points in the novel where the scene changed without a heads up that something was taking place at a different point in the day. I also didn’t know where the story was set until about a fourth of the way through the book. I’m not familiar with this author’s other work, so maybe that’s just something her fans would already know, but for new readers, it can be confusing. A small sentence about the setting or scene changes would help orient readers a bit. Additionally, there were several word choices in terms of metaphor and symbol that didn’t work well (e.g., Leslie was rigid, and to describe it, the author writes, “he looked as though his front teeth were clamped on a dead roach.”). The last one is more personal, but I wasn’t a fan of the recurring bird metaphor either. I love a good extended metaphor, but I think where/how those metaphors are brought back into the text matter. When it’s spread throughout numerous chapters so overtly and sometimes randomly, it loses its luster.
But, like I said, there’s good stuff in there, too. The plot is interesting enough; the characters are developed well; and the internal lessons could make for great discussion.
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