mmk4725's review
4.0
I accidently found this book while at the library. I'm not sure why it is a young adult book. Characters nicely developed. Interesting story plot. I will read the rest of the series.
magis1105's review
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
deservingporcupine's review
4.0
I spent a lot of this book feeling like it was just a scattered mess of things that were happening. Every now and then there would be some connecting thread, but it felt like too many unanswered questions taking too long to come together. But there was a lot to like in the book -- magic, pirates, a story within a story, lots of great fighting. It didn't feel like a rehashing of all the other YA I've read. And it all did come together in the end. I'm excited to continue the series.
bopip's review against another edition
5.0
Finally I've got on my hands a young book with less adult themes. I give it 5 starts because I needed some reading far from the rebelion ones, more character-centred than the plot itself. Also because I didn't expect the final and because I love all the characters there. Sefia, Archer, captain Reed and his stories. There isn't anyone that I didn't like.
Also the book is full of little codes and I felt like I was in Gravity Falls trying to decipher them all and collecting them. I hope the next book will stay on top like this one! :D
Also the book is full of little codes and I felt like I was in Gravity Falls trying to decipher them all and collecting them. I hope the next book will stay on top like this one! :D
dlberglund's review
4.0
I typically love books about books. I'm a sucker for a story about reading and magic and paper and ink and words. That's the reason for the 4 stars here--otherwise it would have been a solid 3 from me.
In an archipelago of island nations, Sefia is running, hiding, trying to free her guardian and keep herself safe. There are pirates and kidnappers who force children into the equivalent of dog fighting rings. There's magic, but nobody knows it, maybe? Books and the written word have been hidden, secreted away, part of an underground that also involves assassins.
There are a lot of great sentences and ideas in this book, but overall it felt too slow to me, and too full of mysteries that just got frustrating. I will definitely read the sequel, but I'm not insisting that anyone put this on the very top of their to-read pile.
In an archipelago of island nations, Sefia is running, hiding, trying to free her guardian and keep herself safe. There are pirates and kidnappers who force children into the equivalent of dog fighting rings. There's magic, but nobody knows it, maybe? Books and the written word have been hidden, secreted away, part of an underground that also involves assassins.
There are a lot of great sentences and ideas in this book, but overall it felt too slow to me, and too full of mysteries that just got frustrating. I will definitely read the sequel, but I'm not insisting that anyone put this on the very top of their to-read pile.
acaciathorn's review
4.0
The Reader takes place in a fantasy world where, surprise surprise, nobody can read. There is only one original Book in all of existence - and it contains everything that has ever happened, and everything that ever will happen. The Book is guarded by a secret society dedicated to studying its text and seeing that its prophecies come to fruition, and these people have like, crazy powers, because writing is closely linked with the supernatural. With the right application of magic, for example, writing the words Entirely Invisible on an object can actually make that object invisible. The world pulses and flows with golden threads that show all of history and control all of time and space, and the Book contains all these threads. It is an object of immense power.
The story opens on Sefia, who has lived her life on the run for as long as she can remember. She possesses the Book, although she does not know what it is or why she is being hunted by assassins. Why her aunt was kidnapped. Why her father was murdered. As she struggles to unravel the mystery of her own life, she discovers an even bigger mystery. She learns that she has the power to read, and that's when the real adventure begins.
The Reader felt like what it is: a first attempt by an author with a lot of promise. There were a ton of great ideas, and the spatters of blood, smudges of ink, and fake burnt pages added a cool visual element to the text. The mythology was interesting, even if the pacing was weird at times. Unfortunately, there were just too many POV characters, and it made the novel feel jumbled. The author set up ton of different plot threads which I assume will be completed in later books, but I have a hard time seeing how all the side stories and all the characters are going to come together. But hey, who knows. Maybe she'll pull it off.
For once, the best part of the book was the love interest - a mute boy who'd been enslaved and forced to fight other boys in gladiatorial style death matches. He was so sweet and vulnerable and loyal, yet so goddamn deadly. Just the right blend of sympathetic and badass - definitely my favorite character.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The story opens on Sefia, who has lived her life on the run for as long as she can remember. She possesses the Book, although she does not know what it is or why she is being hunted by assassins. Why her aunt was kidnapped. Why her father was murdered. As she struggles to unravel the mystery of her own life, she discovers an even bigger mystery. She learns that she has the power to read, and that's when the real adventure begins.
The Reader felt like what it is: a first attempt by an author with a lot of promise. There were a ton of great ideas, and the spatters of blood, smudges of ink, and fake burnt pages added a cool visual element to the text. The mythology was interesting, even if the pacing was weird at times. Unfortunately, there were just too many POV characters, and it made the novel feel jumbled. The author set up ton of different plot threads which I assume will be completed in later books, but I have a hard time seeing how all the side stories and all the characters are going to come together. But hey, who knows. Maybe she'll pull it off.
For once, the best part of the book was the love interest - a mute boy who'd been enslaved and forced to fight other boys in gladiatorial style death matches. He was so sweet and vulnerable and loyal, yet so goddamn deadly. Just the right blend of sympathetic and badass - definitely my favorite character.
Rating: 3.5 stars
librosydragones's review against another edition
5.0
La Lectora nos cuenta la historia de Sefia, una niña huérfana que vive con su tía, de quien ha aprendido a robar para sobrevivir. Entre sus escasas pertenencias se encuentra un objeto extraño de cuero y papel, que ella poco a poco descubre que se llama libro. Porque en Kelanna, un mundo maravilloso y terrible de agua, barcos y magia, la gente no sabe leer. Poco a poco Sefia descubre que existe otro mundo oculto a la vista, el Mundo Iluminado, y aprenderá a utilizar la magia que lo impregna todo. El libro, a la vez, la arrastra sin remedio a su más oscura obsesión, vengarse de las personas que le quitaron aquello que más quería.
❧
Debo admitir que en un principio, la premisa no me llamaba mucho la atención, pero una vez que me sumergí en este mundo, quedé fascinado. El worldbuilding es increíblemente rico y detallado, algo destacable en una novela juvenil. La trama puede resultar algo confusa, ya que salta de un POV a otro, entre varias líneas temporales, por lo que tardé en entender todo lo que ocurría, e incluso no supe con seguridad la identidad de un par de personajes (Lon y la Segunda) hasta el mismísimo final. Pero todo sumó a que quede más impresionado con la autora.
❧
No esperaba que la magia fuese tan bien desarrollada y explicada. La manera en que algunas personas pueden acceder al Mundo Iluminado y utilizar la Visión, y conocer la historia de un objeto, o una persona, todas las líneas de su vida, toda su identidad, como leer un libro, eso estuvo increíble, y es sólo el principio de lo que algunos pueden hacer, vemos pequeños pantallazos de algo más profundo y poderoso, Manipulación, Transformación, distintos estadíos de aprendizaje con los que una persona se va volviendo más poderosa.
❦
Sefia no estará sola en sus aventuras. La acompaña Archer, un chico que no puede articular palabra, pero que fue entrenado para matar, por una red de traficantes de niños que los hace pelear clandestinamente. Me encariñé mucho con ambos personajes, y estoy más que conforme con el desarrollo de cada uno.
¡Espero pronto poder leer la continuación!
❧
Debo admitir que en un principio, la premisa no me llamaba mucho la atención, pero una vez que me sumergí en este mundo, quedé fascinado. El worldbuilding es increíblemente rico y detallado, algo destacable en una novela juvenil. La trama puede resultar algo confusa, ya que salta de un POV a otro, entre varias líneas temporales, por lo que tardé en entender todo lo que ocurría, e incluso no supe con seguridad la identidad de un par de personajes (Lon y la Segunda) hasta el mismísimo final. Pero todo sumó a que quede más impresionado con la autora.
❧
No esperaba que la magia fuese tan bien desarrollada y explicada. La manera en que algunas personas pueden acceder al Mundo Iluminado y utilizar la Visión, y conocer la historia de un objeto, o una persona, todas las líneas de su vida, toda su identidad, como leer un libro, eso estuvo increíble, y es sólo el principio de lo que algunos pueden hacer, vemos pequeños pantallazos de algo más profundo y poderoso, Manipulación, Transformación, distintos estadíos de aprendizaje con los que una persona se va volviendo más poderosa.
❦
Sefia no estará sola en sus aventuras. La acompaña Archer, un chico que no puede articular palabra, pero que fue entrenado para matar, por una red de traficantes de niños que los hace pelear clandestinamente. Me encariñé mucho con ambos personajes, y estoy más que conforme con el desarrollo de cada uno.
¡Espero pronto poder leer la continuación!
girlreading's review
3.0
Considering the multiple raving reviews, I’m pretty sure my lack of understanding of the plot of this is totally on me but I have literally no clue what happened in this book. I think listening to a book with so many subplots, timelines etc. on audio made it incredibly difficult to follow and I was confused from start to finish. (I’m also very tired, which is never good news when combined with trying to follow a complex plot.)
However, the audio narrator was fab and I was entertained throughout, I just didn’t know what I was being entertained by…
However, the audio narrator was fab and I was entertained throughout, I just didn’t know what I was being entertained by…