caitminch's review
4.0
i was so shocked to find that i really enjoyed this. it's not something i would ever pick out myself because me and fantasy are far from friends, but i received it in a book subscription box and figured it was worth a go. i'm very glad i did.
the fantasy elements were relatively minor in contrast to the main narrative, which is what made it so accessible to me. granted, there were parts that i skim-read, but that was literally all my fault because i was reading a fantasy-based book with no interest in fantasy. the plot as a whole though was amazing - it felt unique and handled hard-hitting issues in what felt like a delicate yet realistic way. at points i genuinely couldn't put the book down because i was so invested in the characters and the way the story was going.
i suppose it did feel a bit long as it's really easy to lose interest once the "dilemma"(?) has been resolved (and you've struggled through jamie's pov chapters - fucking hell). i didn't mind too much because by this point i felt quite attached to the characters, but if you aren't particularly a fan of them then the last third or so may be a bit boring.
overall vv impressed with this book. lots of great representation and nothing like anything i've read before.
the fantasy elements were relatively minor in contrast to the main narrative, which is what made it so accessible to me. granted, there were parts that i skim-read, but that was literally all my fault because i was reading a fantasy-based book with no interest in fantasy. the plot as a whole though was amazing - it felt unique and handled hard-hitting issues in what felt like a delicate yet realistic way. at points i genuinely couldn't put the book down because i was so invested in the characters and the way the story was going.
i suppose it did feel a bit long as it's really easy to lose interest once the "dilemma"(?) has been resolved (and you've struggled through jamie's pov chapters - fucking hell). i didn't mind too much because by this point i felt quite attached to the characters, but if you aren't particularly a fan of them then the last third or so may be a bit boring.
overall vv impressed with this book. lots of great representation and nothing like anything i've read before.
samreadsstuff's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
seachange's review
5.0
Strange Creatures is hand-delivered for all current and former “weird kids” who have ever escaped to the magic of fictional worlds. I loved this book and wrote a full review of it for theyoungfolks.com.
janinereader's review
4.0
This book falls into so many categories that it makes it hard to define, and in that I love. I love that books are becoming wider, more expansive, and we're finally seeing that good stories don't need to narrow themselves into being only "Y-A" or only "fantasy" or only....you get the deal. Strange Creatures follows two siblings and is a haunting story, one that has sadness and mystical-ness, and so much more. A wonderful read to start off my October with.
srharris's review
3.0
This is going to be a hard one for me to review.
First if this is categorized as YA, this is not a YA book. Second, this is not a fantasy book, while it has some fantasy elements, it is also not a fantasy book, it is a contemporary book and a dark one at that.
This book is told from three different perspectives, Annie, James/Jamie and Vidya.
Jamie and Annie are brother and sister born exactly one year apart. Jamie is not like typical boys, he likes to write fantasy stories, poetry and read, he is not into sports and things like that and Annie is not a typical girl, she does not dressing up and tea parties, she likes to play in the mud and follow her brother. Because they don't fit in, they make up a fantasy world in the woods behind their house called Gumlea, they have their rules and they spend their days having fun.
When Jamie turns 11, he starts to change, he is moody, he doesn't want to play in Gumlea anymore, he is friends with the popular kids, he is into sports and he has a girlfriend. For two years, the two of them drift apart and one day when Jamie is 13, Annie sees him step backwards into the woods behind their house and even though he hasn't believed in Gumlea in a long time, Annie is slightly happy that he is going there, and then Jamie disappears.....
Two years later we have Vidya (Jamie's girlfriend before he disappeared) telling the story and we see how she and Annie become close and eventually start a relationship. I didn't have a problem with the two of them being together, in grief we see stuff like this all the time. During this time, I felt for Annie because she was obsessed with getting Jamie back, she was convinced he was in Gumlea and that because Jamie had shared it with Vidya that she could help her get him back.
Then we have Jamie's point of view. This is the part of the story that I struggled with. I am not doubting that Jamie was at one point a victim, he was betrayed and manipulated by someone he trusted and held captive, but..... I didn't buy Jamie's reason for staying, maybe because when we finally gets his point of view he doesn't seem like a captive. I understand that this is supposed to be a YA book so we don't know what he went through during those first six months and for me that took away from the story. Also, I never got the impression that his father would have an issue with him being bisexual, maybe that should have been fleshed out more considering that one was of the main reasons his captive was able to keep him subdued in the beginning. I will always wonder if Jamie left because He brought that other boy home, and if he left because he knew what was going to happen to that boy and he wanted to help him or if it was another reason altogether.
I was happy that Annie was finally able to let all that shit go and move on and have some semblance of happiness.
This was a good book but I struggled with believing Jamie and as creepy as it would have been, I would have liked it better if he said he stayed because just for a while he wanted to be free and do shit he didn't think his father would approve of.
First if this is categorized as YA, this is not a YA book. Second, this is not a fantasy book, while it has some fantasy elements, it is also not a fantasy book, it is a contemporary book and a dark one at that.
This book is told from three different perspectives, Annie, James/Jamie and Vidya.
Jamie and Annie are brother and sister born exactly one year apart. Jamie is not like typical boys, he likes to write fantasy stories, poetry and read, he is not into sports and things like that and Annie is not a typical girl, she does not dressing up and tea parties, she likes to play in the mud and follow her brother. Because they don't fit in, they make up a fantasy world in the woods behind their house called Gumlea, they have their rules and they spend their days having fun.
When Jamie turns 11, he starts to change, he is moody, he doesn't want to play in Gumlea anymore, he is friends with the popular kids, he is into sports and he has a girlfriend. For two years, the two of them drift apart and one day when Jamie is 13, Annie sees him step backwards into the woods behind their house and even though he hasn't believed in Gumlea in a long time, Annie is slightly happy that he is going there, and then Jamie disappears.....
Two years later we have Vidya (Jamie's girlfriend before he disappeared) telling the story and we see how she and Annie become close and eventually start a relationship. I didn't have a problem with the two of them being together, in grief we see stuff like this all the time. During this time, I felt for Annie because she was obsessed with getting Jamie back, she was convinced he was in Gumlea and that because Jamie had shared it with Vidya that she could help her get him back.
Then we have Jamie's point of view. This is the part of the story that I struggled with. I am not doubting that Jamie was at one point a victim, he was betrayed and manipulated by someone he trusted and held captive, but..... I didn't buy Jamie's reason for staying, maybe because when we finally gets his point of view he doesn't seem like a captive. I understand that this is supposed to be a YA book so we don't know what he went through during those first six months and for me that took away from the story. Also, I never got the impression that his father would have an issue with him being bisexual, maybe that should have been fleshed out more considering that one was of the main reasons his captive was able to keep him subdued in the beginning. I will always wonder if Jamie left because He brought that other boy home, and if he left because he knew what was going to happen to that boy and he wanted to help him or if it was another reason altogether.
I was happy that Annie was finally able to let all that shit go and move on and have some semblance of happiness.
This was a good book but I struggled with believing Jamie and as creepy as it would have been, I would have liked it better if he said he stayed because just for a while he wanted to be free and do shit he didn't think his father would approve of.
booksandbordercollies's review
4.0
This ended up being very different than I had been expecting from the description. I hear been hoping for a mystery novel but it was more of a very sad coming of age Novel. However I couldn’t deny the quality of the writing and it was still a very good story.
just_a_bibliophile's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL. I loved this.
Strange Creatures is one of those books that's just so hard to review or even attempt to describe. It's one of those books that will make you sit there at the end of it and think wow. It's one that will stick with you for a long, long time.
This book follows Annie and Jamie, two siblings with a uniquely special bond, from childhood through to growing up as teenagers, all the way up until their first years as adults. It begins with the fantasy world of Gumlea that the siblings created as children, as their own way to escape from reality. I loved the story-telling about this fantasy world that was incorporated into the book, as it was described alternatively alongside the real world. The story then goes on to explore Jamie growing up as he begins to dismiss the idea of Gumlea, up until his disappearance, where Annie is convinced Jamie has somehow entered the fantasy world that they once created. It delves into loss, grief, self-discovery, growing up, love, and a whole range of topics, making me feel such a range of emotions that I hardly knew existed up until this point.
I felt like I truly connected to the story and the characters on a whole other level while reading this, as it was so beautifully written through three different, compelling perspectives. Annie was wonderful to read about it, with all her quirks and ideas, her honesty and passion. I loved seeing Annie grow throughout the story, as she explored her sexuality, relationships, and friendships, alongside the other characters.
I can't ignore the fact that this was advertised as a fantasy, but it's much more of a contemporary story with some fantasy elements. It wasn't really at all what I was expecting in that sense, and also, I felt so incredibly underprepared for some of the content we got (child abuse, sexual assault, trauma, adult/minor relationship, the list goes on). A little note at the beginning of the book would have been greatly appreciated, because I did feel a little mislead going into this thinking it was a light YA fantasy... which it most definitely is not. Saying this, it didn't mean I enjoyed it any less, of course, it just would have been nice to fully understand how dark this was before going into it.
I'm so glad this was my final read of the year, and I would most definitely recommend it to the right audience for this.
Rating: 5 stars
Strange Creatures is one of those books that's just so hard to review or even attempt to describe. It's one of those books that will make you sit there at the end of it and think wow. It's one that will stick with you for a long, long time.
This book follows Annie and Jamie, two siblings with a uniquely special bond, from childhood through to growing up as teenagers, all the way up until their first years as adults. It begins with the fantasy world of Gumlea that the siblings created as children, as their own way to escape from reality. I loved the story-telling about this fantasy world that was incorporated into the book, as it was described alternatively alongside the real world. The story then goes on to explore Jamie growing up as he begins to dismiss the idea of Gumlea, up until his disappearance, where Annie is convinced Jamie has somehow entered the fantasy world that they once created. It delves into loss, grief, self-discovery, growing up, love, and a whole range of topics, making me feel such a range of emotions that I hardly knew existed up until this point.
I felt like I truly connected to the story and the characters on a whole other level while reading this, as it was so beautifully written through three different, compelling perspectives. Annie was wonderful to read about it, with all her quirks and ideas, her honesty and passion. I loved seeing Annie grow throughout the story, as she explored her sexuality, relationships, and friendships, alongside the other characters.
I can't ignore the fact that this was advertised as a fantasy, but it's much more of a contemporary story with some fantasy elements. It wasn't really at all what I was expecting in that sense, and also, I felt so incredibly underprepared for some of the content we got (child abuse, sexual assault, trauma, adult/minor relationship, the list goes on). A little note at the beginning of the book would have been greatly appreciated, because I did feel a little mislead going into this thinking it was a light YA fantasy... which it most definitely is not. Saying this, it didn't mean I enjoyed it any less, of course, it just would have been nice to fully understand how dark this was before going into it.
I'm so glad this was my final read of the year, and I would most definitely recommend it to the right audience for this.
Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Rape
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Cursing
andrealianne's review
i'm so dazed i haven't been this sucked into a physical book in ages i -- Phoebe North is a genius.
velkoticbooker's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0