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celery's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lizzye33's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. It was beautiful in many ways but so heavy.
I recently read The Marvels by the same author and thought it was amazing. It is somehow a bit lighter, but the theme with the author's work is light, and hope comes from a perspective dark enough that the best of the enduring light and hope shine brightest, even from unexpected places. I love that, though the story is rather dark for a YA story to me.
The first half seemed to be one small tragedy after another, and seemed to be resolved a little quickly, but the way it came together by the end was so welcoming and wonderful, I was smiling with so much adoration for these characters and coming full circle with a happy ending for all.
I badly needed a story with a happy ending.
I love the uniqueness of this book's presentation—part literature, part silent film—and it is so special for so many reasons. It becomes personal, no matter who reads it. Everyone will have a slightly different experience with it, and it adds a sense of wonder and unspoken beauty, which is objectively rare for a book!
I really liked Hugo, and I found a lot of depth in the story and the characters. Though I wish we got to hear a little more about the Godmother and Isabelle and some of the driving factors aside from being a part of the plot only through curiosity and found family ties, but instead, more of their own dreams and a sense of adventure through love, not just familial ties. We see that more in the Godmother, but I would have liked a little more of her perspective on why certain moments were so important to her with her history.
That being said, I love the way everything connects. After having this on my TBR for a while, I was blessed with a copy from my little free library. I am on the edge of keeping it, but I am hesitant to do so. It's a beautiful story, and I enjoyed reading it overall. But I'm not sure if I will read it again.
Certain sections of the book felt rather distant and animated without feeling like a film or in-person experience, like an analogy or a summary of a lesson from a program. Others let me feel exactly as Hugo was and as if I was right there with him.
If I had been much younger, I wouldn't have loved this book, at least not as much without the perspectives to connect with compassion rather than pity as I can now. I can be emotional, but when it is constantly a dark story until the end, it makes me tense, and I wondered several times if this story was going to be for me at all.
Despite those thoughts, I think it is worth reading this. It is beautiful and reminded me of some aspects of reading I have missed and have not found since I read for fun in my early school years.
The writing style and tone are lovely, transformative, and easy to follow. No overcomplicated lessons, just connecting with human experience, even if it is different from your own, building imagination, or giving a gentle voice to what we may come to know one day.
Growing up is nothing bad, but we should never stop dreaming. I love how this book shows that.
Though I understand the adult perspectives more than ever and would have zero of the confidence and boldness of the kids in this story, I really liked it and still admire this author so much.
Whether or not I keep the book, I am glad I read it, and I hope others will enjoy the emotional adventure and reminder of whimsy when we look for it—that it can be found, just like our dreams, no matter our connections to it.
I recently read The Marvels by the same author and thought it was amazing. It is somehow a bit lighter, but the theme with the author's work is light, and hope comes from a perspective dark enough that the best of the enduring light and hope shine brightest, even from unexpected places. I love that, though the story is rather dark for a YA story to me.
The first half seemed to be one small tragedy after another, and seemed to be resolved a little quickly, but the way it came together by the end was so welcoming and wonderful, I was smiling with so much adoration for these characters and coming full circle with a happy ending for all.
I badly needed a story with a happy ending.
I love the uniqueness of this book's presentation—part literature, part silent film—and it is so special for so many reasons. It becomes personal, no matter who reads it. Everyone will have a slightly different experience with it, and it adds a sense of wonder and unspoken beauty, which is objectively rare for a book!
I really liked Hugo, and I found a lot of depth in the story and the characters. Though I wish we got to hear a little more about the Godmother and Isabelle and some of the driving factors aside from being a part of the plot only through curiosity and found family ties, but instead, more of their own dreams and a sense of adventure through love, not just familial ties. We see that more in the Godmother, but I would have liked a little more of her perspective on why certain moments were so important to her with her history.
That being said, I love the way everything connects. After having this on my TBR for a while, I was blessed with a copy from my little free library. I am on the edge of keeping it, but I am hesitant to do so. It's a beautiful story, and I enjoyed reading it overall. But I'm not sure if I will read it again.
Certain sections of the book felt rather distant and animated without feeling like a film or in-person experience, like an analogy or a summary of a lesson from a program. Others let me feel exactly as Hugo was and as if I was right there with him.
If I had been much younger, I wouldn't have loved this book, at least not as much without the perspectives to connect with compassion rather than pity as I can now. I can be emotional, but when it is constantly a dark story until the end, it makes me tense, and I wondered several times if this story was going to be for me at all.
Despite those thoughts, I think it is worth reading this. It is beautiful and reminded me of some aspects of reading I have missed and have not found since I read for fun in my early school years.
The writing style and tone are lovely, transformative, and easy to follow. No overcomplicated lessons, just connecting with human experience, even if it is different from your own, building imagination, or giving a gentle voice to what we may come to know one day.
Growing up is nothing bad, but we should never stop dreaming. I love how this book shows that.
Though I understand the adult perspectives more than ever and would have zero of the confidence and boldness of the kids in this story, I really liked it and still admire this author so much.
Whether or not I keep the book, I am glad I read it, and I hope others will enjoy the emotional adventure and reminder of whimsy when we look for it—that it can be found, just like our dreams, no matter our connections to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War