anotherhel's review
3.0
It was good and interesting. And i was not looking for a food disorder story at all. Looking forward for the next ones
"It's all right, really. What she and I had can never be lost. It will always be there, like a book you can reread. But this particular chapter has come to a close."
lorathelibrarian's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it took a huge issue that a lot of teen girls deal with, body image and eating disorders, and twisted it into a fantasy. With the huge shift in YA lit going towards paranormal and fantasy I can see a this series of books becoming very popular.
Lisa is anorexic. She's seventeen and struggles everyday with her Thin Voice telling her she's fat and that she's eating too much. One night Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, visits her and asks her to join them and become Famine. She agrees, but really has no idea what she agreed to, she thought she was dreaming. What follows is a story of Lisa's downward spiral. She loses friends and distances herself from family as she becomes Famine. Lisa, as Famine, starts to understand what exactly it means to be strong and what food really can do for people.
One thing that Kessler did that I really liked, she never really described Lisa's appearance or gave weight particulars. That left it open for any girl reading the story to specifically relate to Lisa. Kessler didn't put Lisa's character in a box, she left her undefined for people to image her as they will. It was really empowering to do that with an eating disorder story.
I read a lot of YA lit so I've read a lot of stories dealing with eating disorders and body image. I think this is one of the most unique takes on it I've read. It was short, which was good, dealing with such a heavy issue for so long can really be difficult. Having the book be short and fast paced really helped. I can see teens picking this up and really taking its message to heart.
There's a quote on the copyright page that I think really describes this book well, "If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." Very true.
I would pair this with Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls. The two would be really good together.
This is a series of books, the second one is coming out in April and I'm looking forward to continuing this unique journey. It's called, Rage.
Lisa is anorexic. She's seventeen and struggles everyday with her Thin Voice telling her she's fat and that she's eating too much. One night Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, visits her and asks her to join them and become Famine. She agrees, but really has no idea what she agreed to, she thought she was dreaming. What follows is a story of Lisa's downward spiral. She loses friends and distances herself from family as she becomes Famine. Lisa, as Famine, starts to understand what exactly it means to be strong and what food really can do for people.
One thing that Kessler did that I really liked, she never really described Lisa's appearance or gave weight particulars. That left it open for any girl reading the story to specifically relate to Lisa. Kessler didn't put Lisa's character in a box, she left her undefined for people to image her as they will. It was really empowering to do that with an eating disorder story.
I read a lot of YA lit so I've read a lot of stories dealing with eating disorders and body image. I think this is one of the most unique takes on it I've read. It was short, which was good, dealing with such a heavy issue for so long can really be difficult. Having the book be short and fast paced really helped. I can see teens picking this up and really taking its message to heart.
There's a quote on the copyright page that I think really describes this book well, "If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." Very true.
I would pair this with Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls. The two would be really good together.
This is a series of books, the second one is coming out in April and I'm looking forward to continuing this unique journey. It's called, Rage.
anxietee9's review
5.0
Very powerful and extremely well executed. Video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC4MM9IQ5ZE
Check for a full written review at undeadunicron.wordpress.com
Check for a full written review at undeadunicron.wordpress.com
brandysith's review
4.0
I wanted to give this a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 because of the originality of the idea. The writing was very good, and the read was quick. I'd really like to read the rest of the series to see where it ends up.
lillianhong's review
4.0
I identified with the main character because I'm a bit of an anorexic myself. However,I absolutely hated that her denial was so deep. She has a Thin Voice for god's sake, and she counts calories as if it's a math test she can't escape. Isn't she aware of that? Jesus Christ, that frustrated me. But I'll cut her some slack because anorexia is a disease, and no one wants to suffer it. Especially with Pestilence around. *shiver*
But eventually she realizes her problems - and even manages to overcome it for at least a while to save the world - and gets help. You go, girl! :] If only she agreed to be Famine. She would've been great. But I guess you need to fix yourself before you can fix the world.
"If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." -- first page of the book.
But eventually she realizes her problems - and even manages to overcome it for at least a while to save the world - and gets help. You go, girl! :] If only she agreed to be Famine. She would've been great. But I guess you need to fix yourself before you can fix the world.
"If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you." -- first page of the book.
greergreer's review
5.0
What a great book. Love the heroine in this book. Honestly what an outlandish idea to combine eating disorders and the horsemen of the apocalypse in a story. Loved every bit of it, it's a series of four books of course, four housemen. I checked this out at my library but I enjoyed it so much, this is one I will have on my purchase list.
foreverbeautifulbooks's review
3.0
This book was extremely hard for me to rate. Let me just start off by saying that the whole star rating system is flawed. You can’t really rate this book, without someone seeing me put down 2 stars and going, Oh, this isn’t a good book because she gave it 2 stars. Nope, that is not the case. I gave it 2 stars because personally I didn’t relate to the heroine. I don’t understand anorexia as an illness; or disease rather. I know that it is very real. However, it is so hard for me to understand people that don’t eat. I love food, so I spent that better part of this book disgusted with the main character, Lisabeth Lewis.
That does not mean that as a book, it was actually very great. The theme for people that may have been struggling with this disorder was very well written. It was coming out stronger than your illness, and I respect that. Jackie Morse Kessler basically made anorexia the villain. By the end, I found that the book had a very good message, and I would allow my teenage daughter to read it just for that message. Find your balance, and own it.
Not to mention, the character Death was totally awesome and was singing Come as you are by Nirvana, which I thought was way too brilliant. It is a good read, and a great message. I recommend it to anyone with a daughter and other teenage girls out there.
That does not mean that as a book, it was actually very great. The theme for people that may have been struggling with this disorder was very well written. It was coming out stronger than your illness, and I respect that. Jackie Morse Kessler basically made anorexia the villain. By the end, I found that the book had a very good message, and I would allow my teenage daughter to read it just for that message. Find your balance, and own it.
Not to mention, the character Death was totally awesome and was singing Come as you are by Nirvana, which I thought was way too brilliant. It is a good read, and a great message. I recommend it to anyone with a daughter and other teenage girls out there.
jennikj's review
3.0
I was a little let down at first but halfway through it really got exciting, I will still read the other books in this series, even though this was only an ok read. I see a potiental in the author, she is a good writer and I see the improvement in the third book Loss which I have recently started reading.
My thoughts:
1. The story should have started in earlier in Lisabeth Lewis life. (I would have enjoyed to read this story from the "start" when she first got the symptoms of her eating disorder or atleast from her and Suzanne's fight.
2. Something should have been done about Tammy, she obviously needed help or atleast for someone to really CARE.
3. Didn't particulary care for the side characters, that's one reason why the story should have started earlier, the author made it seem that they were in the book only to be THERE, these characters didn't feel real. BUT I did like Lisabeth, the main character and the other horsemen but most of all, death, really enjoyed his character.
4. The little flashbacks written in italics, didn't enjoy. Would have wanted more details in the story at some points, especielly in the beginning.
5. Lisabeth's actions where realistic in context with her eating disorder. I liked that.
6. Wanted it to be longer since it really got me excited at the end!
Verdict:
NOT a bad book but it still disappointed me since it had such potentional, but I will admit that I ended up kind of liking it, not the best out there but I still suggest for you to try it out!
My thoughts:
1. The story should have started in earlier in Lisabeth Lewis life. (I would have enjoyed to read this story from the "start" when she first got the symptoms of her eating disorder or atleast from her and Suzanne's fight.
2. Something should have been done about Tammy, she obviously needed help or atleast for someone to really CARE.
3. Didn't particulary care for the side characters, that's one reason why the story should have started earlier, the author made it seem that they were in the book only to be THERE, these characters didn't feel real. BUT I did like Lisabeth, the main character and the other horsemen but most of all, death, really enjoyed his character.
4. The little flashbacks written in italics, didn't enjoy. Would have wanted more details in the story at some points, especielly in the beginning.
5. Lisabeth's actions where realistic in context with her eating disorder. I liked that.
6. Wanted it to be longer since it really got me excited at the end!
Verdict:
NOT a bad book but it still disappointed me since it had such potentional, but I will admit that I ended up kind of liking it, not the best out there but I still suggest for you to try it out!
overlookingcovers's review
2.0
Rating: 1.5 stars
In honestly, there was no plot in my opinion. There was no excitement. No climax. There was nothing. The writing wasn't the best either.
I felt like the author had so much potential with this book but decided she wanted to just end the novel after 177 pages.
In honestly, there was no plot in my opinion. There was no excitement. No climax. There was nothing. The writing wasn't the best either.
I felt like the author had so much potential with this book but decided she wanted to just end the novel after 177 pages.
jesslyntimm's review
4.0
Okay, to tell you the truth, I had no sweet clue what in the hell the main character was talking about. I read the synopsis on the back of the book and still had no idea what the book was even about. . . .
So, I started this book with mixed feelings. I wasn't sure how much I'd like it and I wasn't sure how much the book could really deliver considering it's such a small book.
Honestly, I loved this book so much. For anyone with eating problems or a horrible self-esteem, should read this. Take it from me.
While I don't really post personal stuff, this book was a huge self esteem booster once you reach the end. I have never had an eating disorder but, I pick at what I eat and I count every calorie and work out religiously. I guess you could say for a long while I teetered on the "I don't want to eat because I'm fat" point. Just like in this book, I always had a "Thin voice" that told me exactly what I didn't want to hear, One cup of soup, two hundred and thirty five calories. Forty minutes of swimming laps.
As I read this book, I realized that what Lisa, the main character, is going through is real and I think this book could touch everyone who reads it.
Lisabeth is anorexic. She has a good life, a best friend, a boyfriend, a loving father. Her life isn't perfect, though. The voice in her head, the Thin voice, is always telling her what to eat, how many calories something is, and how much exercise she needs to burn it. She thinks she's fat yet she only loses around 1/10th of a pound everyday and feels a sense of accomplishment. Her best friend Suzanne is starting to notice and tells her, Lisa, you're anorexic. This is a complete insult to Lisa and they stop being friends. Her boyfriend starts to notice also and she just gets angry with his assumptions. Her new best friend, Tammy, binges and purges and Lisa is jealous of her self control and her ability to even make herself throw up. As Lisa battles with food, she begins to feel depressed and she wants to die. She tries overdosing on her mothers pills.
While all of this is going on, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is gone and they need someone new as the Famine Horsemen. The Death Horsemen decides to chose Lisa. Now, Lisa has the ability to go places with her new steed and throw a whole villiage into famine but the Pestilence Horsemen says she can do good with her ability. Can Lisa help the world with her abilities? Can she help herself even though her new abilities show her the good and bad of food?
I'd say something right here, like I normally do like, My thoughts on this book with no sugar added is: but that just goes to perfectly with the concept of this book.
This book is definitley the right book for anyone who has looked in the mirror and has had thoughts of going through drastic measures just to be thin. A lot of teenagers go through things like this. A lot of girls. I'm not the exception. This book helped me realize, could help anyone realize, that it isn't all about appearance. Although it took Lisa awhile to finally realize that being thin isn't the only thing that makes her happy, she did finally get back the people she loved most and pushed away their concerns.
The only problem I had was the fact that I didn't really get to know the characters. That's the only reason why I gave it four stars. Otherwise, this book was flawless.
For someone who has gone through almost the exact same thing, minus the apolalypse horsemen stuff, this book made me feel better. Don't underestimate the fact that it's small. It gives a lot for being only a whole 177 pages.
I reccomend this book for everyone.
So, I started this book with mixed feelings. I wasn't sure how much I'd like it and I wasn't sure how much the book could really deliver considering it's such a small book.
Honestly, I loved this book so much. For anyone with eating problems or a horrible self-esteem, should read this. Take it from me.
While I don't really post personal stuff, this book was a huge self esteem booster once you reach the end. I have never had an eating disorder but, I pick at what I eat and I count every calorie and work out religiously. I guess you could say for a long while I teetered on the "I don't want to eat because I'm fat" point. Just like in this book, I always had a "Thin voice" that told me exactly what I didn't want to hear, One cup of soup, two hundred and thirty five calories. Forty minutes of swimming laps.
As I read this book, I realized that what Lisa, the main character, is going through is real and I think this book could touch everyone who reads it.
Lisabeth is anorexic. She has a good life, a best friend, a boyfriend, a loving father. Her life isn't perfect, though. The voice in her head, the Thin voice, is always telling her what to eat, how many calories something is, and how much exercise she needs to burn it. She thinks she's fat yet she only loses around 1/10th of a pound everyday and feels a sense of accomplishment. Her best friend Suzanne is starting to notice and tells her, Lisa, you're anorexic. This is a complete insult to Lisa and they stop being friends. Her boyfriend starts to notice also and she just gets angry with his assumptions. Her new best friend, Tammy, binges and purges and Lisa is jealous of her self control and her ability to even make herself throw up. As Lisa battles with food, she begins to feel depressed and she wants to die. She tries overdosing on her mothers pills.
While all of this is going on, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is gone and they need someone new as the Famine Horsemen. The Death Horsemen decides to chose Lisa. Now, Lisa has the ability to go places with her new steed and throw a whole villiage into famine but the Pestilence Horsemen says she can do good with her ability. Can Lisa help the world with her abilities? Can she help herself even though her new abilities show her the good and bad of food?
I'd say something right here, like I normally do like, My thoughts on this book with no sugar added is: but that just goes to perfectly with the concept of this book.
This book is definitley the right book for anyone who has looked in the mirror and has had thoughts of going through drastic measures just to be thin. A lot of teenagers go through things like this. A lot of girls. I'm not the exception. This book helped me realize, could help anyone realize, that it isn't all about appearance. Although it took Lisa awhile to finally realize that being thin isn't the only thing that makes her happy, she did finally get back the people she loved most and pushed away their concerns.
The only problem I had was the fact that I didn't really get to know the characters. That's the only reason why I gave it four stars. Otherwise, this book was flawless.
For someone who has gone through almost the exact same thing, minus the apolalypse horsemen stuff, this book made me feel better. Don't underestimate the fact that it's small. It gives a lot for being only a whole 177 pages.
I reccomend this book for everyone.