bendit's review against another edition
5.0
loved the audiobook even more, what are u gonna do about it?
kiiouex's review against another edition
3.0
The cruelly honest review of this book would include the fact that, thirty pages from the end, in the middle of the most climactic scene, I started reading a different book and it was a terrible chore to come back to this one.
It's... I don't want to be as harsh on it as that sounds. But at the start I thought I could love it despite it's flaws and by the end I was just sick of the flaws, and maybe I should quit reading YA completely because it's not giving me what I want.
I wouldn't say this is a bad book. I would say this is an uneven book. It hard not to have one with a split PoV, but this was worse than usual, with Val being the heart of the mystery with struggle and grief and magic, Marion toeing the line between etheral and bland, and Zoey making pop culture references.
I did not care for Zoey as much as the narrative seemed to.
Was she the author's favourite? Why was she there. There was a scene near the end where (spoiler)
I've figured out that it's just fantasy I hate references in, at least, contemporary is fine (Leah on the Offbeat was great) but there was something extraordinarily grating that they borrowed their word for 'teleporting' from A Wrinkle In Time for, apparently, no reason. Why not use teleporting? Why reference a book I have not read? It's not breaking the fourth wall, exactly, but it breaks my immersion when I'm sitting there thinking 'I suppose the author liked this'.
This review wasn't meant to be a litany of complaints. I liked the start! I loved the descriptions of headaches! I liked Marion early on, when she was less plot devicey! And I loved Val, start to finish, she was excellent and lovable and 10/10 would definitely date her if given the choice. Her chapters were all great. Marion's were good, but she was a weird character when not in her PoV, if that makes sense, since she was pretty much a plot piece to get led around.
But the problem is when the start is stronger than the end, but I read the end more recently, that's the bit that's fresh and it's not that it's bad I just did not particularly care. The prose wasn't doing it for me, I don't know.
Anyway. This isn't a don't-read-it review, it's a have-good-tolerance-for-YA and also a be-less-cranky-than-me review. I almost liked it a lot!
It's... I don't want to be as harsh on it as that sounds. But at the start I thought I could love it despite it's flaws and by the end I was just sick of the flaws, and maybe I should quit reading YA completely because it's not giving me what I want.
I wouldn't say this is a bad book. I would say this is an uneven book. It hard not to have one with a split PoV, but this was worse than usual, with Val being the heart of the mystery with struggle and grief and magic, Marion toeing the line between etheral and bland, and Zoey making pop culture references.
I did not care for Zoey as much as the narrative seemed to.
Was she the author's favourite? Why was she there. There was a scene near the end where (spoiler)
Spoiler
Marion is summoning a stampede of horses, using her connection to the island, the magical stuff that I picked the book up for. But we were not in Marion's PoV, we were in Zoey's PoV, and she was making pop culture references so not only were we robbed of the perspective of what that magic felt like, we were burdened by someone's opinions of Star Trek.I've figured out that it's just fantasy I hate references in, at least, contemporary is fine (Leah on the Offbeat was great) but there was something extraordinarily grating that they borrowed their word for 'teleporting' from A Wrinkle In Time for, apparently, no reason. Why not use teleporting? Why reference a book I have not read? It's not breaking the fourth wall, exactly, but it breaks my immersion when I'm sitting there thinking 'I suppose the author liked this'.
This review wasn't meant to be a litany of complaints. I liked the start! I loved the descriptions of headaches! I liked Marion early on, when she was less plot devicey! And I loved Val, start to finish, she was excellent and lovable and 10/10 would definitely date her if given the choice. Her chapters were all great. Marion's were good, but she was a weird character when not in her PoV, if that makes sense, since she was pretty much a plot piece to get led around.
But the problem is when the start is stronger than the end, but I read the end more recently, that's the bit that's fresh and it's not that it's bad I just did not particularly care. The prose wasn't doing it for me, I don't know.
Anyway. This isn't a don't-read-it review, it's a have-good-tolerance-for-YA and also a be-less-cranky-than-me review. I almost liked it a lot!
oddly's review
3.0
Sawkill Island is a secluded and exclusive community where the rich come to play. It is also where girls have a tendency to disappear and nothing seems to be done about it.
Marion is the new girl, Zoey is the outcast, and Val is the queen bee. Zoey knows something isn’t right on the island and she’s determined to figure it out. Val has a secret to keep, and Marion gets caught in the middle.
I loved the setting for this story—the island is a strange and alienating location that contains the story nicely. There are some great scenes of horror; Legrand isn’t afraid to take it all the way, and I was surprised by how dark this YA book got.
I also enjoyed the diverse characters. There is a really lovely burgeoning relationship between two girls as well as a frankness about sex that I found refreshing and honest.
For me, I think the book would have been more successful if it was third person singular instead of plural. Much of what’s interesting about the story is given away early on, leaving only a reveal at the climax that was not as important to the story and felt tacked on. I did end up skimming the last quarter of the book a bit because the ending felt inevitable to me and I just didn’t feel compelled by the story.
I could have also done without the asides from the island (the Rock) itself—they were so few and far between they knocked me out of the story, and they never offered anything new to the story.
Overall, I think this is a unique idea and a great example of the daring and dark places that YA horror is going. For me, it was a bit longwinded, and I would have been more captured by a more concise and tightly plotted narrative.
Marion is the new girl, Zoey is the outcast, and Val is the queen bee. Zoey knows something isn’t right on the island and she’s determined to figure it out. Val has a secret to keep, and Marion gets caught in the middle.
I loved the setting for this story—the island is a strange and alienating location that contains the story nicely. There are some great scenes of horror; Legrand isn’t afraid to take it all the way, and I was surprised by how dark this YA book got.
I also enjoyed the diverse characters. There is a really lovely burgeoning relationship between two girls as well as a frankness about sex that I found refreshing and honest.
For me, I think the book would have been more successful if it was third person singular instead of plural. Much of what’s interesting about the story is given away early on, leaving only a reveal at the climax that was not as important to the story and felt tacked on. I did end up skimming the last quarter of the book a bit because the ending felt inevitable to me and I just didn’t feel compelled by the story.
I could have also done without the asides from the island (the Rock) itself—they were so few and far between they knocked me out of the story, and they never offered anything new to the story.
Overall, I think this is a unique idea and a great example of the daring and dark places that YA horror is going. For me, it was a bit longwinded, and I would have been more captured by a more concise and tightly plotted narrative.
alissaryan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
reclusivereader's review against another edition
4.0
So, I'll admit I went into SAWKILL GIRLS with a wee bit of trepidation as my last Legrand experience was FURYBORN and that didn't go so great for me. But between the high praise and hype, and how much I enjoyed the dark and creepy WINTERSPELL, I had hope this would work out okay. And it did. Oh did it ever.
Fair warning, I thought the beginning was kind of slow and I don't think this book really took off until maybe 20%? But once it did I was just totally hooked.
Legends about monsters weren't so funny when girls were actually dying.
This is spooky and bloodthirsty and heartbreaking and sexy and feminist and full of asskickery and girl power and representation and magic and monsters. And I would definitely recommend.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Fair warning, I thought the beginning was kind of slow and I don't think this book really took off until maybe 20%? But once it did I was just totally hooked.
Legends about monsters weren't so funny when girls were actually dying.
This is spooky and bloodthirsty and heartbreaking and sexy and feminist and full of asskickery and girl power and representation and magic and monsters. And I would definitely recommend.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
katykat3's review against another edition
4.0
Suuuper creepy--lots of deaths, a pretty nasty monster, and many many weird supernatural powers/happenings. (but really Claire Legrand, nice and hopeful moths??? I just cannot believe in that! They're just too creepy and icky to me personally) I really enjoyed how everything came together in the end--I had loads of questions all floating around throughout the novel, but most everything made sense in the clean ending. So happy to see
Spoiler
a happy ending for both of the couples, and loved the representations of love seen in both of them!czoltak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kristinaray717's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable. Well-written, not too wordy. I liked how they dealt with Zoe's sexuality. Grayson is a great role model, for sure. The monster story aspect was interesting, but it was really just the backdrop to the character's growth and relationships, which is how I like my horror.
The girl's relationships are the most important aspect of this story, and the power, camaraderie, and love they found amongst themselves is an inspiration.
The girl's relationships are the most important aspect of this story, and the power, camaraderie, and love they found amongst themselves is an inspiration.