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the_lady_reads's review
3.0
As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!
This book was very strange. Overall, enjoyable, but definitely not my usual kind of book. I'm still a little befuddled over everything that occurs in the story. While I liked it, it definitely was not love. I almost didn't write this review and asked for a promotional post because it's hard to explain my feeling about this book.
First, I don't like the cover. I know a lot of people don't care about covers and how others feel about them, but for me, a usually judge books by their covers. So reading this went against my usual norm. I expected a little more from it, to be honest. It wasn't awful, but it really needed some tweaks and edits.
The title is Caterpillar. What a weird title, right? But when you read the book, it makes sense. Though, I think a better title might have been "Orchid" because the main character loves plants and orchids are her favorite. This is the story of a girl named Cara and the way she finds love, defeats fear and becomes a woman. Her parents have just moved across the Atlantic ocean, so she moves in with her older sister, Liv, in California. At her sister's college, she meets Will. She's immediately entranced, falls in love, even though he warns her not to, and gets in deep trouble.
Sounds familiar, I know, but the tale is woven with concepts that were totally original. While the plot wasn't unique, the ideas the book revolves around definitely were. Basically, it's about aliens. I'm pretty positive I've only read one other book about aliens in my lifetime and that was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. And while both of these stories are about aliens, they are completely different. And not in a bad way, Caterpillar is just much more subdued and aimed at young adults.
Cara, the main character, was okay. She's not my favorite, but she led a very interesting life. Well, duh… I mean, she's in love with an alien. Besides that she's pretty much a genius, along with her sister and mother. They all have affinities for science. I can't relate to science specialists, and that could be why I didn't love it. There were jokes and metaphors involving things that I learned in high school biology, but couldn't remember for the life of me today. All of those went over my head and just annoyed me. Those anecdotes made it hard to relate and connect with the characters. Liv really loves Cara, but is pretty selfish and hypocritical. Will is… interesting. I guess, I don't really understand him.
I didn't like the point-of-view switch up. Those couple of chapters confused me immensely. Maybe I just skimmed over the point of it, but I was told I was frowning as I read it. The journal entries were neat and I would've liked to see those at the end of every chapter, but point-of-view changes never really sit well with me. I think the story could've done without it.
This really could be a standalone book. I don't know if I will read the next one, because I don't know what the author plans to do with the series next. When she comes out with a blurb and cover for book two, I will decided. This could be the book for you, though. If you love science, drama, romance and young adult novels, you would probably love this!
I received a free e-copy of this novel for a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.
This book was very strange. Overall, enjoyable, but definitely not my usual kind of book. I'm still a little befuddled over everything that occurs in the story. While I liked it, it definitely was not love. I almost didn't write this review and asked for a promotional post because it's hard to explain my feeling about this book.
First, I don't like the cover. I know a lot of people don't care about covers and how others feel about them, but for me, a usually judge books by their covers. So reading this went against my usual norm. I expected a little more from it, to be honest. It wasn't awful, but it really needed some tweaks and edits.
The title is Caterpillar. What a weird title, right? But when you read the book, it makes sense. Though, I think a better title might have been "Orchid" because the main character loves plants and orchids are her favorite. This is the story of a girl named Cara and the way she finds love, defeats fear and becomes a woman. Her parents have just moved across the Atlantic ocean, so she moves in with her older sister, Liv, in California. At her sister's college, she meets Will. She's immediately entranced, falls in love, even though he warns her not to, and gets in deep trouble.
Sounds familiar, I know, but the tale is woven with concepts that were totally original. While the plot wasn't unique, the ideas the book revolves around definitely were. Basically, it's about aliens. I'm pretty positive I've only read one other book about aliens in my lifetime and that was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. And while both of these stories are about aliens, they are completely different. And not in a bad way, Caterpillar is just much more subdued and aimed at young adults.
Cara, the main character, was okay. She's not my favorite, but she led a very interesting life. Well, duh… I mean, she's in love with an alien. Besides that she's pretty much a genius, along with her sister and mother. They all have affinities for science. I can't relate to science specialists, and that could be why I didn't love it. There were jokes and metaphors involving things that I learned in high school biology, but couldn't remember for the life of me today. All of those went over my head and just annoyed me. Those anecdotes made it hard to relate and connect with the characters. Liv really loves Cara, but is pretty selfish and hypocritical. Will is… interesting. I guess, I don't really understand him.
I didn't like the point-of-view switch up. Those couple of chapters confused me immensely. Maybe I just skimmed over the point of it, but I was told I was frowning as I read it. The journal entries were neat and I would've liked to see those at the end of every chapter, but point-of-view changes never really sit well with me. I think the story could've done without it.
This really could be a standalone book. I don't know if I will read the next one, because I don't know what the author plans to do with the series next. When she comes out with a blurb and cover for book two, I will decided. This could be the book for you, though. If you love science, drama, romance and young adult novels, you would probably love this!
I received a free e-copy of this novel for a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.
booksenvogue's review
5.0
Oh sweet baby Jesus. This was the BEST love story I have read in my whole entire life.
I did not know what to expect when I picked up this novel. But I certainly did not expect to be wooed. No sweeter words have ever been spoken and written as beautifully. I never dreamed the lifecycle of a caterpillar could be so poetic and yet this book is about so, so much more. This is a love story about girl meets alien. ….and fall in love…. an alien, with no physical form! Imagine that! Cara is from an international dysfunctional political family living her senior year with her college intern sister. The way the lovebirds journey into discovering LOVE is explored with a sense of innocence and wonder. I have never found myself saying, “I wish I was the girl in this book”, until now. Will Mallory….*sigh*….you make my heart flutter! I didn’t always agree with the actions of Cara. She was a bit naive and just plain stupid at times. Yet her humbleness was genuine and believable. When the plot was intense with action and secrets being revealed, it was super lovey dovey. That is not at all a complaint. Perhaps at a different time and place I would grumble about that tad bit, but this is written in matter that would have you craving more. I have never read an adult book or any book for that matter with the romance scale turned up this high and there not be anything sexually explicit. I need….no,no,no….I want more of this!
*Book provided via book tour. Tour Stop Courtesy of YA Bound Blog Tours!
I did not know what to expect when I picked up this novel. But I certainly did not expect to be wooed. No sweeter words have ever been spoken and written as beautifully. I never dreamed the lifecycle of a caterpillar could be so poetic and yet this book is about so, so much more. This is a love story about girl meets alien. ….and fall in love…. an alien, with no physical form! Imagine that! Cara is from an international dysfunctional political family living her senior year with her college intern sister. The way the lovebirds journey into discovering LOVE is explored with a sense of innocence and wonder. I have never found myself saying, “I wish I was the girl in this book”, until now. Will Mallory….*sigh*….you make my heart flutter! I didn’t always agree with the actions of Cara. She was a bit naive and just plain stupid at times. Yet her humbleness was genuine and believable. When the plot was intense with action and secrets being revealed, it was super lovey dovey. That is not at all a complaint. Perhaps at a different time and place I would grumble about that tad bit, but this is written in matter that would have you craving more. I have never read an adult book or any book for that matter with the romance scale turned up this high and there not be anything sexually explicit. I need….no,no,no….I want more of this!
*Book provided via book tour. Tour Stop Courtesy of YA Bound Blog Tours!
noctisora's review
4.0
I have to admit, I was a little worried about this book once I started getting into the story. I tend to stray from stories involving aliens falling in love with humans (unless the story has Daemon from the Lux Series in it- I would not mind at all then!), and seeing how Caterpillar is exactly that type of alien/human love story, I approached it with trepidation. I ended up being worried for nothing! Overall, the story was well written, and the romance, save for the slight instant attraction factor, was very believable. (I did not get any creepy alien-loves-mortal vibes, so that was a good thing!) Caterpillar was a pleasant surprise and a wonderful debut by Kate Oliver.
I liked Cara as a female lead, but my heart went out to Will. He is a guy who is wracked by loneliness, has never really experienced what it means to care for someone else or be cared for, and just seems to have an inability to connect to those around him. He feels like he lives on the periphery, and he just ends up feeling a large disconnect to the life he is leading and his emotions. He meets Cara, and he is slowly able to show more of himself and find beauty and love in the life he is leading. I loved the deep, emotional connection between Cara and Will. Cara is also a bit of a loner, a girl who is just looking to outrun her emotionally turbulent past and her mother’s complaints. When she and Will come together, they bring out the best in each other, and I loved reading about their budding relationship.
Caterpillar is the first book in The Metamorphosis Series, but it can be read as a stand-alone work. There is a no cliffhanger and the conflicts with the villain were resolved. Seeing as to how this novel can be read by itself, I am not too sure how the series will progress. The issue with Will being basically immortal and Cara being only human is still open, so maybe the next book will settle that? I am not too sure what to expect, but I will definitely be checking it out!
I liked Cara as a female lead, but my heart went out to Will. He is a guy who is wracked by loneliness, has never really experienced what it means to care for someone else or be cared for, and just seems to have an inability to connect to those around him. He feels like he lives on the periphery, and he just ends up feeling a large disconnect to the life he is leading and his emotions. He meets Cara, and he is slowly able to show more of himself and find beauty and love in the life he is leading. I loved the deep, emotional connection between Cara and Will. Cara is also a bit of a loner, a girl who is just looking to outrun her emotionally turbulent past and her mother’s complaints. When she and Will come together, they bring out the best in each other, and I loved reading about their budding relationship.
Caterpillar is the first book in The Metamorphosis Series, but it can be read as a stand-alone work. There is a no cliffhanger and the conflicts with the villain were resolved. Seeing as to how this novel can be read by itself, I am not too sure how the series will progress. The issue with Will being basically immortal and Cara being only human is still open, so maybe the next book will settle that? I am not too sure what to expect, but I will definitely be checking it out!
adkwriter15's review
4.0
This review originally appeared HERE on My Life is a Notebook, as part of a YA Bound blog tour with an international giveaway that goes til June 26, 2012!
Some people put down a book if, only a couple of chapters in, the book isn’t hooking them. I am not one of those people. I will stick with books until the absolute end, if only to be continuously horrified. Sometimes, I’m even excited I did.
This was one of those times.
The beginning of the book might put readers who are quick to judge off, because Cara does not begin the novel out as a likeable character at all. She sounds like one of those snotty, stuck up teens for whom everything is horrible.
Once Cara gets to hanging out with her sister, Liv, for a while–and, of course, meets Will–she starts to open up and becomes a heck of a lot more interesting AND likeable. Of course, that is replaced by the insta-love that, to be fair, I knew was coming, but ah well. It’s more often than not these days, so it shouldn’t shock anyone. At least there isn’t a love triangle.
I struggled with the beginning first with Cara, and then with the romance between Will and Cara. Well, besides the fact that they actually go on more than one date, which was absolutely fantastic. That’s right, you heard me, DATES. Like they were actually trying to have a real relationship or something.
This novel can actually be separated into two halves: the first half, with ALL of the romance, and the second half with a great deal of action. The first 1/2, 2/3 of the book are actually pretty slow, focusing on Will and Cara falling in love and being in love and dealing with the fact that Will is an alien and needs to go home but they love each other and ohmygod. To be perfectly honest, these two eventually won me over and made me melt just a little bit. I’m a sucker for romance when it’s done at least halfway right, and this is one of those times.
The second half was actually a lot more exciting than I thought it was going to be. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but this chain reaction gets set off with one little thing and then all of a sudden there is a car chase, bullets and explosions. I certainly wasn’t expecting THAT kind of action. Why?
The writing in this book.
This is both were I found love and issue. See, Oliver writes a lot “slower” than many other YA books. What that means is that her writing is more lyrical, more descriptive, and less BOOM-BANG-BAM. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I enjoyed the change. In places, her descriptions and musings were spectacularly gorgeous. My issue was the constant POV change. Cara is the lead, switching back and forth a few times with Will’s journal entries. Then there is the whole section were Cara is MIA and Will is pretending to be her. While it was awesomely epic to read about him being a girl, it completely threw me for a loop, especially because after that Cara came back for a long while, solo, and then it was Will again at the end. I’m tricky when it comes to POV switches. I like them, but there has to be a logical sequence to them. There wasn’t that in this book.
All and all, I found Caterpillar to be a wonderfully sweet book. It was the sweetest teen romance I’d read in ages, and one of the first this year that didn’t completely have me headdesking over insta-love, cliché stupidity. Though technically Will is an alien, the fantasy trappings are few and far between, with most of the focus being on the romance. I’d absolutely recommend this if you were looking for a cute teen romance with some fantasy trappings that let’s the romance really speak for itself. There is insta-love in the beginning, but they won me over and that is HARD to do!
Some people put down a book if, only a couple of chapters in, the book isn’t hooking them. I am not one of those people. I will stick with books until the absolute end, if only to be continuously horrified. Sometimes, I’m even excited I did.
This was one of those times.
The beginning of the book might put readers who are quick to judge off, because Cara does not begin the novel out as a likeable character at all. She sounds like one of those snotty, stuck up teens for whom everything is horrible.
Once Cara gets to hanging out with her sister, Liv, for a while–and, of course, meets Will–she starts to open up and becomes a heck of a lot more interesting AND likeable. Of course, that is replaced by the insta-love that, to be fair, I knew was coming, but ah well. It’s more often than not these days, so it shouldn’t shock anyone. At least there isn’t a love triangle.
I struggled with the beginning first with Cara, and then with the romance between Will and Cara. Well, besides the fact that they actually go on more than one date, which was absolutely fantastic. That’s right, you heard me, DATES. Like they were actually trying to have a real relationship or something.
This novel can actually be separated into two halves: the first half, with ALL of the romance, and the second half with a great deal of action. The first 1/2, 2/3 of the book are actually pretty slow, focusing on Will and Cara falling in love and being in love and dealing with the fact that Will is an alien and needs to go home but they love each other and ohmygod. To be perfectly honest, these two eventually won me over and made me melt just a little bit. I’m a sucker for romance when it’s done at least halfway right, and this is one of those times.
The second half was actually a lot more exciting than I thought it was going to be. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but this chain reaction gets set off with one little thing and then all of a sudden there is a car chase, bullets and explosions. I certainly wasn’t expecting THAT kind of action. Why?
The writing in this book.
This is both were I found love and issue. See, Oliver writes a lot “slower” than many other YA books. What that means is that her writing is more lyrical, more descriptive, and less BOOM-BANG-BAM. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I enjoyed the change. In places, her descriptions and musings were spectacularly gorgeous. My issue was the constant POV change. Cara is the lead, switching back and forth a few times with Will’s journal entries. Then there is the whole section were Cara is MIA and Will is pretending to be her. While it was awesomely epic to read about him being a girl, it completely threw me for a loop, especially because after that Cara came back for a long while, solo, and then it was Will again at the end. I’m tricky when it comes to POV switches. I like them, but there has to be a logical sequence to them. There wasn’t that in this book.
All and all, I found Caterpillar to be a wonderfully sweet book. It was the sweetest teen romance I’d read in ages, and one of the first this year that didn’t completely have me headdesking over insta-love, cliché stupidity. Though technically Will is an alien, the fantasy trappings are few and far between, with most of the focus being on the romance. I’d absolutely recommend this if you were looking for a cute teen romance with some fantasy trappings that let’s the romance really speak for itself. There is insta-love in the beginning, but they won me over and that is HARD to do!
amongthepages's review
4.0
Let me start off by saying that this is a beautifully written book. I didn't go into this with a ton of expectations, as normally when I accept author review requests I tend to scope out goodreads to see what other people have thought of it before making a decision. This book wasn't even listed on goodreads when I accepted it, which was both thrilling and scary.
That being said, the first chapter in and I was pretty much hooked.
Cara is an interesting girl. Her family isn't functional (but whose are these days?) with her father being a workaholic and her mother being super unhappy and vocal about it. Her father has been transferred overseas and so Cara goes to live with her older sister to finish out HS.
I loved the sister relationship between Cara and Liv. It felt so similar to mine and my sister's relationship. Despite their age difference, and suddenly Liv being like the adult figure for Cara, they got along really well.
In a weird turn of events, Cara ends up meeting Will, who isn't who he seems to be. I felt like there was some insta-love going on, however, I was actually ok with this (usually I'm irked by it). They just felt attracted to each other, and they did actually get to know one another (and it wasn't love because they were bound to each other or anything like that, which was a relief).
I found myself giggling at some parts, becoming angry at some parts (the parts where you're supposed to be angry), and sighing at others.
The only thing that kinda caught me off guard was the neatly wrapped up ending, because from what I can tell, this is supposed to be a trilogy. I'm wondering where the next two books are going to go story wise.
Overall, an interesting read and I definitely want to see where this story goes!
That being said, the first chapter in and I was pretty much hooked.
Cara is an interesting girl. Her family isn't functional (but whose are these days?) with her father being a workaholic and her mother being super unhappy and vocal about it. Her father has been transferred overseas and so Cara goes to live with her older sister to finish out HS.
I loved the sister relationship between Cara and Liv. It felt so similar to mine and my sister's relationship. Despite their age difference, and suddenly Liv being like the adult figure for Cara, they got along really well.
In a weird turn of events, Cara ends up meeting Will, who isn't who he seems to be. I felt like there was some insta-love going on, however, I was actually ok with this (usually I'm irked by it). They just felt attracted to each other, and they did actually get to know one another (and it wasn't love because they were bound to each other or anything like that, which was a relief).
I found myself giggling at some parts, becoming angry at some parts (the parts where you're supposed to be angry), and sighing at others.
The only thing that kinda caught me off guard was the neatly wrapped up ending, because from what I can tell, this is supposed to be a trilogy. I'm wondering where the next two books are going to go story wise.
Overall, an interesting read and I definitely want to see where this story goes!
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