nike_apparent's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
misslupinelady's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
trash_reader_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I loved this book. It was such a fun read, and I loved seeing all the pictures throughout tell the story as I was reading it. It made me enjoy the book even more. I'm so excited to start the second book.
que_bella's review
2.0
Through this whole book, I never really understood what was going on... I was just going into 5th when I read this though...
splattergore's review
5.0
Loved this book! This is the first Clive Barker book I purchased and read after many years of wanting to read his stuff. The art throughout the book is amazing. I loved turning the next pages to see what was next! I loved the names of people and places. I am looking forward to reading the second book and a lot more of his stuff!
alibrareads's review
5.0
"Sometimes you need to let things strike your heart and not your head."
This is probably going to be my most contradictory review ever. I bought this book probably 15 years ago or so on a family vacation, and haven't read it for almost as long, but I remember it being one of my favorites. And lo and behold, it is STILL one of my favorites! I can't bring myself to rate this any less than 5 out of 5 stars. HOWEVER. I have become a more critical reader, and I realized that this isn't actually a particularly great book for several reasons...
The plot is rather wishy-washy. The main character is Candy Quackenbush, hailing from the dreadfully boring city of Chickentown, Minnesota. A series of events results in her being swept away from our world into the world of the Abarat: a series of 25 islands where on each island it is always the same hour of the day (the 25th island is special and its own mystery). She finds herself on the run from a man called Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, who is determined to capture her for reasons unbeknownst to her. That seems clear enough, but the pacing is very meandering and feels rather random. Candy meets a man called John Mischief very early on, but they are quickly forced to separate. You end up following him on his own adventure, but you're left sort of wondering why. Candy is the main character, why should I care about this other guy again?
Candy meets a lot of charming and quirky characters, but the book feels like a never-ending story of her just constantly running away and meeting strange people with strange names and appearances. The book feels almost less about Candy, and more about simply taking the reader through this imaginary world called the Abarat that Clive Barker created. Candy is a compelling enough character, but most of the others are simply fun and weird with seemingly not a lot of depth. Based on those facts, I would probably give a book like this something like a modest 3 out of 5 stars normally.
BUT. This world is INCREDIBLE. If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland-type stories, you will probably really enjoy this. Reading this book is an almost visceral experience, and one I clearly found impossible to forget. Clive Barker is also an artist, and he painted what must be a hundred different illustrations that are scattered throughout the entire book of all the characters and places and imagery that he describes. His artwork is vibrant and stunning: surreal and bordering on the creepy/horror side, which makes sense considering he is otherwise known for his horror novels.
The characters are funny and lovable and despicable and grotesque, and more. It wouldn't be a stretch to describe this book as absurdist: not quite to the extent of Alice in Wonderland, but you really get those vibes from many of the conversations between characters and the wild descriptions of people, places, and things.
This definitely isn't a book that everyone will jive with. You have to go into it with an open mind and be willing to just go along for the ride, just like Candy did when she was swept away by the Sea of Izabella to the Abarat. I have read the second book as well, though I don't remember too much, and a lot of this book is setup for the future ones. So it feels like not a lot happens in this first installment, just a bunch of random occurrences and meetings, but most of it becomes relevant later. You get to know the situation and the players in the game in this book, but as a result you finish it sort of wondering what the point of it all was.
At the start of this review I put a quote by one of the characters that sums this up perfectly, and I'll say it again: "Sometimes you need to let things strike your heart and not your head." (pg 353) This book absolutely struck my heart from the first read, and it struck true again this second time around. I adore this book, from the engaging illustrations to the zany characters to the captivating descriptions of this magical world. It isn't the best book I've ever read from a literary standpoint, but it's an experience I will never forget and will cherish forever.
I can't wait to dive right into the second book again!
This is probably going to be my most contradictory review ever. I bought this book probably 15 years ago or so on a family vacation, and haven't read it for almost as long, but I remember it being one of my favorites. And lo and behold, it is STILL one of my favorites! I can't bring myself to rate this any less than 5 out of 5 stars. HOWEVER. I have become a more critical reader, and I realized that this isn't actually a particularly great book for several reasons...
The plot is rather wishy-washy. The main character is Candy Quackenbush, hailing from the dreadfully boring city of Chickentown, Minnesota. A series of events results in her being swept away from our world into the world of the Abarat: a series of 25 islands where on each island it is always the same hour of the day (the 25th island is special and its own mystery). She finds herself on the run from a man called Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, who is determined to capture her for reasons unbeknownst to her. That seems clear enough, but the pacing is very meandering and feels rather random. Candy meets a man called John Mischief very early on, but they are quickly forced to separate. You end up following him on his own adventure, but you're left sort of wondering why. Candy is the main character, why should I care about this other guy again?
Candy meets a lot of charming and quirky characters, but the book feels like a never-ending story of her just constantly running away and meeting strange people with strange names and appearances. The book feels almost less about Candy, and more about simply taking the reader through this imaginary world called the Abarat that Clive Barker created. Candy is a compelling enough character, but most of the others are simply fun and weird with seemingly not a lot of depth. Based on those facts, I would probably give a book like this something like a modest 3 out of 5 stars normally.
BUT. This world is INCREDIBLE. If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland-type stories, you will probably really enjoy this. Reading this book is an almost visceral experience, and one I clearly found impossible to forget. Clive Barker is also an artist, and he painted what must be a hundred different illustrations that are scattered throughout the entire book of all the characters and places and imagery that he describes. His artwork is vibrant and stunning: surreal and bordering on the creepy/horror side, which makes sense considering he is otherwise known for his horror novels.
The characters are funny and lovable and despicable and grotesque, and more. It wouldn't be a stretch to describe this book as absurdist: not quite to the extent of Alice in Wonderland, but you really get those vibes from many of the conversations between characters and the wild descriptions of people, places, and things.
This definitely isn't a book that everyone will jive with. You have to go into it with an open mind and be willing to just go along for the ride, just like Candy did when she was swept away by the Sea of Izabella to the Abarat. I have read the second book as well, though I don't remember too much, and a lot of this book is setup for the future ones. So it feels like not a lot happens in this first installment, just a bunch of random occurrences and meetings, but most of it becomes relevant later. You get to know the situation and the players in the game in this book, but as a result you finish it sort of wondering what the point of it all was.
At the start of this review I put a quote by one of the characters that sums this up perfectly, and I'll say it again: "Sometimes you need to let things strike your heart and not your head." (pg 353) This book absolutely struck my heart from the first read, and it struck true again this second time around. I adore this book, from the engaging illustrations to the zany characters to the captivating descriptions of this magical world. It isn't the best book I've ever read from a literary standpoint, but it's an experience I will never forget and will cherish forever.
I can't wait to dive right into the second book again!
iffer's review
3.0
Between 2 and 3 stars.
The world-building and paintings in Abarat are fantastic and wondrous, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into the characters or the story. The characters aren't developed enough, or in such a way, that I became emotionally attached to them. The main character, Candy just seems like a standard protagonist (Mary Sue?) who feels out of place, but for some reason is chosen to be super important and powerful in a story, whom everyone in the setting who's not a villain happens to find charming. The writing in Abarat seems to be at a low level for a YA book, and I found the writing somewhat bland and, at times, stilted. Abarat is one of those fantasy adventure novels that's just a bunch of (supposedly) exciting episodes strung together. The book seems to foreshadow and overarching plot, but it just never arrived, and I don't know if I'm invested enough, or curious enough, to read the other two books. I may just get them to look at Clive Barker's art, though.
P.S. No offense meant to anyone with the same name, but it's hard to think of the main character as some kick-butt, prophesied heroine with a name like Candy Quackenbush, but maybe that's part of the point.
The world-building and paintings in Abarat are fantastic and wondrous, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into the characters or the story. The characters aren't developed enough, or in such a way, that I became emotionally attached to them. The main character, Candy just seems like a standard protagonist (Mary Sue?) who feels out of place, but for some reason is chosen to be super important and powerful in a story, whom everyone in the setting who's not a villain happens to find charming. The writing in Abarat seems to be at a low level for a YA book, and I found the writing somewhat bland and, at times, stilted. Abarat is one of those fantasy adventure novels that's just a bunch of (supposedly) exciting episodes strung together. The book seems to foreshadow and overarching plot, but it just never arrived, and I don't know if I'm invested enough, or curious enough, to read the other two books. I may just get them to look at Clive Barker's art, though.
P.S. No offense meant to anyone with the same name, but it's hard to think of the main character as some kick-butt, prophesied heroine with a name like Candy Quackenbush, but maybe that's part of the point.
abkas98's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ivy_the_snail's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
If I could give this more stars I would, I remember my mom buying me this book when I was younger and it’s been my comfort book ever since.
I can reread this series countless times and it still holds up. I really hope it’s finished one day..
I can reread this series countless times and it still holds up. I really hope it’s finished one day..