ldonson's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sonofthe's review
3.0
Reason's mother raised her on the run from her grandmother. When her mother is taken to the mental hospital, Reason discovers that the world is much different than she was taught.
I can't figure out why I don't usually go for YA. This book was fine, but the things that seemed they were supposed to charm me didn't. There were a lot of elements here that seemed good, but things just didn't come together in the end. I'm about to read another book from Larbalestier. Hopefully, I like it better.
I can't figure out why I don't usually go for YA. This book was fine, but the things that seemed they were supposed to charm me didn't. There were a lot of elements here that seemed good, but things just didn't come together in the end. I'm about to read another book from Larbalestier. Hopefully, I like it better.
refusetoshine's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amdame1's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Reason's mom has always taught her that math and logic and science are the most important things to know (hence her name), and that magic is not real. Reason has also been told that her grandmother is a witch, so her whole life they have been running away from that evil woman. However, Reason is now 15, her mom has gone insane and she has been caught and put into her grandma's custody. She discovers a door that leads from Sydney Australia to NYC - and that magic is, therefore, extremely real!
first in a series. fabulous Aussie vocab which is lots of fun. interesting characters.
Reason's mom has always taught her that math and logic and science are the most important things to know (hence her name), and that magic is not real. Reason has also been told that her grandmother is a witch, so her whole life they have been running away from that evil woman. However, Reason is now 15, her mom has gone insane and she has been caught and put into her grandma's custody. She discovers a door that leads from Sydney Australia to NYC - and that magic is, therefore, extremely real!
first in a series. fabulous Aussie vocab which is lots of fun. interesting characters.
librijenne's review
5.0
I love the way Larbalestier turns what we know upside down. Reason has lived her life on the run from her evil grandmother. When she's 15, her mother ends up in a mental hospital and Reason has to go live with the woman she was raised to believe is a cruel monster. While she's plotting to run away, she befriends a neighbor boy and then discovers that her mother had been keeping some important facts about a family legacy secret. I finished this in one night because I couldn't stop reading, and immediately downloaded the second book in the series.
barbarajean's review
3.0
I got a free Advance Reading Copy of this book a few years back, and never got around to reading it. It's the first in a trilogy, and as of now, not only has this one been officially released, the other two books have also been published. So much for my advance reading.
Basic plot: Reason (yes, that's her name) and her mother have been on the run from her evil grandmother for most of Reason's life. When Reason's mother is hospitalized for mental illness, Reason is sent to live with said evil grandmother. Reason discovers a doorway that's a portal from her grandmother's house in Sydney to New York City. It's in NYC that she is befriended by a girl named Jay-Tee (why do you have to lamely spell out the initials? Why not just "J.T."? This annoyed me), and subsequently: discovers she's "magic," finds out a bit more about her mother and grandmother, encounters people who want to manipulate her because of her magic...and no doubt this plot sounds a bit familiar. I liked this quite a bit, for what it was--young adult fantasy, kid finds out she's "magic," learns to navigate new worlds encountered because of magic, finds fellow magic friends, etc. I was craving this type of thing around Christmas/January, so this was good.
One thing that intrigued me was the way the author describes the kids' magical abilities. Each kid had a unique way of experiencing/describing their own abilities--Jay-Tee's magic builds more from personal interactions; she gains energy from being in crowds. Reason's magic is based more on logic, numbers, and patterns. It was interesting to me that magic was personalized like this; it became a more realistic personality trait rather than some kind of super power or skill to be learned. It's still something to be learned, but has to be more personally navigated, making the whole thing more of a personal journey of self-discovery. Now I sound like I'm describing a teen problem novel. Sorry.
I also appreciated that the characters were fairly ambiguously portrayed--there was a stock villain type, but there were hints of more complexity to the grandmother. I'd be interested to see where the author takes the characters in the next two books.
Basic plot: Reason (yes, that's her name) and her mother have been on the run from her evil grandmother for most of Reason's life. When Reason's mother is hospitalized for mental illness, Reason is sent to live with said evil grandmother. Reason discovers a doorway that's a portal from her grandmother's house in Sydney to New York City. It's in NYC that she is befriended by a girl named Jay-Tee (why do you have to lamely spell out the initials? Why not just "J.T."? This annoyed me), and subsequently: discovers she's "magic," finds out a bit more about her mother and grandmother, encounters people who want to manipulate her because of her magic...and no doubt this plot sounds a bit familiar. I liked this quite a bit, for what it was--young adult fantasy, kid finds out she's "magic," learns to navigate new worlds encountered because of magic, finds fellow magic friends, etc. I was craving this type of thing around Christmas/January, so this was good.
One thing that intrigued me was the way the author describes the kids' magical abilities. Each kid had a unique way of experiencing/describing their own abilities--Jay-Tee's magic builds more from personal interactions; she gains energy from being in crowds. Reason's magic is based more on logic, numbers, and patterns. It was interesting to me that magic was personalized like this; it became a more realistic personality trait rather than some kind of super power or skill to be learned. It's still something to be learned, but has to be more personally navigated, making the whole thing more of a personal journey of self-discovery. Now I sound like I'm describing a teen problem novel. Sorry.
I also appreciated that the characters were fairly ambiguously portrayed--there was a stock villain type, but there were hints of more complexity to the grandmother. I'd be interested to see where the author takes the characters in the next two books.
lisadee's review
3.0
It was just ok. There just isn't that much to say about it. I picked it up not knowing that it was a YA book, but it caught my attention because it was set partially in Austraila. I enjoyed the way that the differences in Austrailian dialect and our own were explored. I had a friend from Austrailia and it was a constant topic of conversation in the beginning with us because the words for things were so different.
The book might be more enjoyable if I was into the fantasy/magic type of book.
The book might be more enjoyable if I was into the fantasy/magic type of book.
mentormikael_9's review
2.0
It was ok. I won't be reading the rest of the trilogy, the book didn't interest me even though I love magic books.
lizshayne's review
3.0
This was definitely an interesting YA novel; different from what I was expecting and not always bad for that. I felt the characters were a little flat and uninteresting--I would have liked to have cared more about them and not just about the world Larbalestier created.