f33lthesun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookerage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
On another note, this is a YA read, but the book contains explicit graphic violence and other controversial topics, see all the content warnings.
Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Addiction
elliearnold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bearystarry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Murder, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Vomit, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, and Classism
elise_griffin's review against another edition
4.0
mayoi's review against another edition
5.0
rukistarsailor's review against another edition
3.0
Early on in the book, we are introduced to a murder, but it turns out the murder has almost no relevance to the plot. I can assume it was just setting up the plot for the next book, but it was just strangely done.
There was one detail that really bothered me, and I wasn't sure if I had just misunderstood or perhaps there was something physically wrong with the book I had? When Boy, Valerian, and Willow are in Linden, there is a scene where they try to steal a horse. Valerian says something while still on the ground, and then the next line Valerian is already on the horse trying to escape. There was no mention of how he got on the horse all of the sudden, nor where the horse was in relation to Valerian or the mob that had gathered. I was so confused. Let me know if that was just me or if that particular bit really just wasn't written well.
As for Boy's relationship with Valerian, this is what I gathered from the text. Even though Valerian abuses and demeans Boy, Boy stays with Valerian because he fears being completely alone without human companionship. Before he came to Valerian, he had no one in his life. When he met Valerian, he suddenly had human companionship. Boy doesn't care about the quality of the relationship as long as he has a relationship; thus, he stays with Valerian. This begins to change a bit as he begins a friendship with Willow.
I wish Boy's relationship with Willow had been played up more to contrast with Boy's relationship with Valerian. It would have been good to see Boy gradually realizing for himself, "Hey, Valerian doesn't treat me very well because Willow treats me this way. People should treat me like Willow treats me."
Valerian's relationship with Boy is ambiguous at times. At times, he almost seems amiable with Boy. However, by the end when Valerian has decided to kill Boy to save his own life (and not in a Abraham and Isaac way), it should be clear that Valerian really doesn't care about Boy. But then, Valerian last moment decides to just accept his death with the flippant remark from Kepler (who has professed openly that he doesn't have Valerian's interests in mind) that Boy is actually Valerian's son (which Kepler subsequently admits is a lie after Valerian's death). WTF? I doubt that would happen.
I think a better ending would have been that Boy has to literally wrestle Valerian, and through Boy's own initiative and realization that Valerian really does not care about him, Boy pushes Valerian into the void and to his death. In that way, Boy could truly eliminate a toxic person from his life.
Also, the ending of the book just leaves to many loose ends. Who in the freak is Boy really? Why did Valerian initially have a falling out with Kepler? What happened to the woman Valerian loved? Why was Valerian thrown out of his school and disgraced? What is Willow's backstory? How did Valerian do that magic that wasn't supposed to magic but that I can't figure out?
Overall, I liked the ideas of this book, but the story wasn't executed as well as it could have been.
trisha76's review against another edition
3.0
De dagen tussen kerst en nieuwjaar zijn dode dagen. Waarin de geesten vrij spel hebben en de magie zich pal onder de oppervlakte van ons leven roert. In de dode dagen kan veel gebeuren....
Een makkelijk boek om te lezen. Heerlijk overigens ook om te volgen. Niet veel diepte in de personages, maar een leuke spanning in het verhaal.
Drie sterren voor het geheel.
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Marcus Sedgwick is geboren in Kent. Hij is schrijver, illustrator en muzikant. Hij heeft diverse prijzen gewonnen en is voor diverse prijzen genomineerd.
In zijn werk als muzikant is hij drummer geweest voor de band Garrett en gitarist voor de ABBA Tribute band.
Meer informatie over Marcus is te vinden op:
http://www.marcussedgwick.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/110234.Marcus_Sedgwick
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Boekinformatie:
©2002 Marcus Sedgwick
THE BOOK OF DEAD DAYS
©2004 Van Goor
Vertaling: Van Goor en Annelies Jorna
Omslagillustratie: Geoff Taylor
Vormgeving omslag: Steef Liefting
ISBN: 9000035996
253 pagina's; Hardcover
Opgedragen aan: Julian en Isabel
clstrifes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
(THANK YOU AGAIN BECCA! YOU’RE AWESOME!!!!!)
The book started off well, it had promise of the dead days and a good mystery at first with all these deaths what force it was that was coming for valerian. This book is very plot driven which I appreciate but at times it doesn’t line up with the characters either. It felt that the “kids are smart and adults are creepy and mean” trope which at the time of the writing, YA was still in its infancy so I’m not surprised by that. I gave it three stars because the plot has potential and the pacing was good and I liked the concept of the dead days being used in here.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Murder