tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
3.0
Candy Quackenbush needs to stop being so dang annoying. My god, you'd think that if you were attempting to escape from evil crazy kidnappers you'd be a bit hastier with the conversations... I really liked a lot of the colorful characters Clive Barker introduced, but the rest of the book was filled with riffraff that got real old real fast.
swancubine's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ezravasq's review against another edition
5.0
One of the better dark fantasy novels I've read. Very much in the tradition of "Alice in Wonderland" or Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath." Filled with Barker's unique imagination and masterful writing style.
domproc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ajpolka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
torgotorgo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
malamarvoncat's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I love CLive Barker's work, and when I heard he wrote a young adult novel, I had to check it out.
The best way I can describe this book is as follows: Alice in Wonderland X Dr. Seuss + psychedelics
The landscape and creatures were beautifully described. The book felt like a very rhythmical adventure where the heroine, Candy Quackenbush, tended to go from the frying pan to the fire throughout the entire book. There are so many loveable misfits in the world of Abarat.
I would definitely recommend this book.
The best way I can describe this book is as follows: Alice in Wonderland X Dr. Seuss + psychedelics
The landscape and creatures were beautifully described. The book felt like a very rhythmical adventure where the heroine, Candy Quackenbush, tended to go from the frying pan to the fire throughout the entire book. There are so many loveable misfits in the world of Abarat.
I would definitely recommend this book.
invaderlinz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
bookishwendy's review against another edition
2.0
So I bought this book for it's cover...so call me shallow! But the roughly 100 colorful oil paintings gracing this book's glossy pages are marvelous! It is certainly a beautiful book to look at.
Unfortunately, this only conceals the sloppy prose and absence of plot for the first third of the story. It was this first third I enjoyed most: the main character Candy Quackenbush doing research on her home of Chickentown, Henry Murkit's mysterious suicide, Candy's escape from classroom to prairie. I loved how, as she walks toward a windswept ridge, she begins to find pottery shards, shells and dry fish carcasses. An ocean in Minnesota?? But then...the book gets a bit weird. Umm, make that a LOT weird, as in hallucinatory drug-induced weird. Sea skippers? I can buy that. A 7-headed fugitive? Okay... But as for squid-goggles, crawling disembodied eyes and a glass-jar-headed villain??? Over-the-top craziness with no ensemble of structure!
Arabat is a fantasy world with no rhyme, reason or rules. Anything the author can mentally conjure up goes. But what bugged me most was that the main character Candy had no motivation or quest in Arabat except to stay out of the way of Lord Midnight. She wanders (or floats) about aimlessly, wondering "why am I here?" The question is never answered...neither does she grow or undergo any sort of change for the better. I was starting to think she deserved to be sent back to Chickentown USA. Maybe an actual plot will be revealed in book two of the series, but I hardly have the patience to find out.
Unfortunately, this only conceals the sloppy prose and absence of plot for the first third of the story. It was this first third I enjoyed most: the main character Candy Quackenbush doing research on her home of Chickentown, Henry Murkit's mysterious suicide, Candy's escape from classroom to prairie. I loved how, as she walks toward a windswept ridge, she begins to find pottery shards, shells and dry fish carcasses. An ocean in Minnesota?? But then...the book gets a bit weird. Umm, make that a LOT weird, as in hallucinatory drug-induced weird. Sea skippers? I can buy that. A 7-headed fugitive? Okay... But as for squid-goggles, crawling disembodied eyes and a glass-jar-headed villain??? Over-the-top craziness with no ensemble of structure!
Arabat is a fantasy world with no rhyme, reason or rules. Anything the author can mentally conjure up goes. But what bugged me most was that the main character Candy had no motivation or quest in Arabat except to stay out of the way of Lord Midnight. She wanders (or floats) about aimlessly, wondering "why am I here?" The question is never answered...neither does she grow or undergo any sort of change for the better. I was starting to think she deserved to be sent back to Chickentown USA. Maybe an actual plot will be revealed in book two of the series, but I hardly have the patience to find out.
15reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75