suey's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating story! What an interesting twist on a Native American legend! Seriously. I didn't see it coming.
katiereads42's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! It sucks you right in and you never want to stop reading. Hopefully there is a Book 2!
19lindsey89's review against another edition
2.0
In a word? Boring. There wasn't really a point or anything particularly compelling about this book. The supernatural aspects weren't adequately explained and there was little character growth. I also struggled because I didn't like any of the characters.
The dialogue was awful. Grammar mistakes brought it down. The characters were all stereotypes. And there was almost no plot.
The dialogue was awful. Grammar mistakes brought it down. The characters were all stereotypes. And there was almost no plot.
tboofy's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to get around to reading this book. I know the author from high school and downloaded it on my Kindle to support him, but I must admit that I haven't always loved books written by people I know, so I didn't get around to reading it till I was stuck waiting in a doctor's office with nothing to read and pulled it up on my phone. I was hooked instantly!
I was engrossed with the "secret" that was hinted at but wasn't obvious till later in the book. I loved Eleanor and her relationships and her desire to be ignored (title is actually Eleanor: The Unseen). I didn't know how the ending would work since Tabitha was obviously dying and there was no place for Eleanor to go. I can't wait to read the next two books!
I was engrossed with the "secret" that was hinted at but wasn't obvious till later in the book. I loved Eleanor and her relationships and her desire to be ignored (title is actually Eleanor: The Unseen). I didn't know how the ending would work since Tabitha was obviously dying and there was no place for Eleanor to go. I can't wait to read the next two books!
ailicoyote's review against another edition
3.0
I will probably read the sequels but I'm not in a rush to
kohagan's review against another edition
1.0
The Writing was substandard; the dialogue especially was very poorly written. Much more disturbing, however, was the thinly veiled sexism and patriarchal treatment of women's Sexuality. The premise was great, this execution terrible--and not sending the right message to young female readers.
craigkingsman's review against another edition
4.0
Eleanor is a 15 year old girl growing up in a small Wyoming town. As any 15 year old, she has trials and tribulations. But, Eleanor doesn't want to stand out. She wants to be unseen. Why? And what happens to her? This is the story.
I was confused about the setting. Johnny describes it as being in eastern Wyoming, mid-way between Yellowstone and Cheyenne, yet there are aspects of it that sound like it's in the mountains of western Wyoming and others on the prairie of eastern Wyoming.
He also has Eleanor and David wading in and catching tadpoles in a lake fed by the runoff in March. The water at that time of year would be too cold for either of those things. There are also some editing issues. However, these are small errors and don't take away from the story as a whole.
Eleanor is a great read that will pull you in and keep you there. I read the first half on a flight from Salt Lake City to Detroit and finished it on the return trip. I'm looking forward to book two, Celeste, and the recently publishing finale to the series, David.
I was confused about the setting. Johnny describes it as being in eastern Wyoming, mid-way between Yellowstone and Cheyenne, yet there are aspects of it that sound like it's in the mountains of western Wyoming and others on the prairie of eastern Wyoming.
He also has Eleanor and David wading in and catching tadpoles in a lake fed by the runoff in March. The water at that time of year would be too cold for either of those things. There are also some editing issues. However, these are small errors and don't take away from the story as a whole.
Eleanor is a great read that will pull you in and keep you there. I read the first half on a flight from Salt Lake City to Detroit and finished it on the return trip. I'm looking forward to book two, Celeste, and the recently publishing finale to the series, David.
thebumblegirl's review against another edition
4.0
This book is definitely not what it appears to be, just like it's main character - the author has woven together a mind blowing story about a girl who is learning to cope and live with who she is and accept the good and the bad that happens along the way...
When we first meet Eleanor she is a timid, average, lonely girl who purposefully goes out of her way to remain unseen, to never draw attention to herself, to get by without being noticed. She lives alone with her sick mother, Tabitha, in a small cottage within walking distance of her school, but far away enough from the town to not be noticed. They depend on each other in more ways than one can imagine - Tabitha haves cancer and Eleanor does everything she can to take of her and manages the house, money, food, etc; Eleanor does anything that she has to do in order to keep the social worker at bay so they can live peacefully together, alone. Tabitha is the only mother figure Eleanor has really known and depends on her to help her cope with her feelings, how to handle school and social situations and to keep her calm and feel secure so she won't be the monster that she thinks she is, so she won't run away...
The beginning of Eleanor's story was a little confusing to me. I had started reading the story not knowing much than what is in the summary. There was something strange with Eleanor's demeanor and character, and not until her childhood friend, David, comes back to town triggering underlying emotions which then creates some pivotal moments in Eleanor's quiet life which then leads to her making certain decisions and slipping up and slowly revealing her secrets... Eleanor haves a paranormal ability, one that makes her think that she's a monster; an ability that her biological family had that got them killed many, many years ago. After that revelation, Eleanor's story and demeanor started to make sense and then the book became a page-turner that I read in one night!
As Eleanor continues to struggle with what is right and wrong in order survive and to continue to hide her secret in a small town that is quick to judge and believe rumors, her life is torn apart and she has some really hard and graphic moments to get through. With the help of her mother and David, she barely remains grounded and the monster within her roars to take flight.
This is a book that is best to go into without knowing much. I will not deny that the beginning and parts of the ending are quite confusing, but after finishing and having time to reflect, it is truly one of the best written stories I have read in a long time. I will definitely be looking forward to rereading the beginning of Eleanor's story and continuing on with the trilogy.
An ARC was sent by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
When we first meet Eleanor she is a timid, average, lonely girl who purposefully goes out of her way to remain unseen, to never draw attention to herself, to get by without being noticed. She lives alone with her sick mother, Tabitha, in a small cottage within walking distance of her school, but far away enough from the town to not be noticed. They depend on each other in more ways than one can imagine - Tabitha haves cancer and Eleanor does everything she can to take of her and manages the house, money, food, etc; Eleanor does anything that she has to do in order to keep the social worker at bay so they can live peacefully together, alone. Tabitha is the only mother figure Eleanor has really known and depends on her to help her cope with her feelings, how to handle school and social situations and to keep her calm and feel secure so she won't be the monster that she thinks she is, so she won't run away...
The beginning of Eleanor's story was a little confusing to me. I had started reading the story not knowing much than what is in the summary. There was something strange with Eleanor's demeanor and character, and not until her childhood friend, David, comes back to town triggering underlying emotions which then creates some pivotal moments in Eleanor's quiet life which then leads to her making certain decisions and slipping up and slowly revealing her secrets... Eleanor haves a paranormal ability, one that makes her think that she's a monster; an ability that her biological family had that got them killed many, many years ago. After that revelation, Eleanor's story and demeanor started to make sense and then the book became a page-turner that I read in one night!
As Eleanor continues to struggle with what is right and wrong in order survive and to continue to hide her secret in a small town that is quick to judge and believe rumors, her life is torn apart and she has some really hard and graphic moments to get through. With the help of her mother and David, she barely remains grounded and the monster within her roars to take flight.
This is a book that is best to go into without knowing much. I will not deny that the beginning and parts of the ending are quite confusing, but after finishing and having time to reflect, it is truly one of the best written stories I have read in a long time. I will definitely be looking forward to rereading the beginning of Eleanor's story and continuing on with the trilogy.
An ARC was sent by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
anair02's review
2.0
I can't remember the last time a book has caused me such distress. I read the entire book with a clenched jaw and stiff shoulders. I told myself to keep reading because honestly, I was bored. Eleanor made me angry. She's supposedly 60 years old yet her "mother" ( who is younger) is constantly giving her advice. I mean I understand that the author was trying to develop a complex character with a diverse outlook on life however, I found myself being more and more confused as I read the book. I tried to read the book through the author's eyes because I wanted to understand why the plot was structured the way it was. Was it to explore Eleanor's character? Display her animalistic instincts? The answer is none of the above because the plot was completely and utterly useless. I was extremely bored and just when I started to see potential in the story I was gravely disappointed.
bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.5
This is one of those where I liked the concept (skinwalkers of Native American mythology), but it didn’t sound great enough to drop everything and read it. So it took me a while to get around to it. I actually think that was good for my reading experience, though, because I’d forgotten all about what the concept was, so it was a whole lot of fun to wonder what exactly made Eleanor so strange.
Eleanor was interesting, and my opinion of her changed throughout the entire book. At first she was a weird loner girl. Then a weird loner girl with something else really strange and not normal about her. Then towards the end, it was like Eleanor was not really a person, but more like a fluid concept that could be anything. Size, age, gender…nothing was set in stone. It was really strange, and really different. I loved it.
David was the new boy in school that I expected in a paranormal romance – but in a totally different way. He and Eleanor were friends a while ago, then he comes back. He was friendly and sweet, but he had struggles of his own that he wasn’t really interested in sharing. I enjoyed him, but the enigma of Eleanor overshadowed him a lot.
I absolutely loved the plot (probably because I forgot the back cover before reading). It was half contemporary, with Eleanor navigating school and bullies and David and her adoptive mother dying of cancer, and half paranormal, with Eleanor doing strange things and abnormal things happening. Up until almost the end I was frantically trying to figure out what happened next and failing. It was like one great big fascinating riddle, but the last clue was at the end of the story. I was enthralled the whole way through.
So, the skinwalker/shapeshifter idea – not original, and it isn’t always that great. Eleanor‘s take on the idea – different, original, well-executed…and fabulous. It was still a paranormal thing, but there were some sciency details that made it amazingly believable. And yeah, romance is a huge part of it, but it’s nothing like a standard paranormal romance. It’s more about loving someone for who they are than an actual romance-romance.
My advice: buy this book. Let it sit on a shelf for a week or a month or however long it takes you to forget about this review. Then read it without looking at the back cover. Trust me, it’s worth it.
I received a free review copy of ELEANOR from the author. His generosity in no way influenced, or sought to influence, this review.
Eleanor was interesting, and my opinion of her changed throughout the entire book. At first she was a weird loner girl. Then a weird loner girl with something else really strange and not normal about her. Then towards the end, it was like Eleanor was not really a person, but more like a fluid concept that could be anything. Size, age, gender…nothing was set in stone. It was really strange, and really different. I loved it.
David was the new boy in school that I expected in a paranormal romance – but in a totally different way. He and Eleanor were friends a while ago, then he comes back. He was friendly and sweet, but he had struggles of his own that he wasn’t really interested in sharing. I enjoyed him, but the enigma of Eleanor overshadowed him a lot.
I absolutely loved the plot (probably because I forgot the back cover before reading). It was half contemporary, with Eleanor navigating school and bullies and David and her adoptive mother dying of cancer, and half paranormal, with Eleanor doing strange things and abnormal things happening. Up until almost the end I was frantically trying to figure out what happened next and failing. It was like one great big fascinating riddle, but the last clue was at the end of the story. I was enthralled the whole way through.
So, the skinwalker/shapeshifter idea – not original, and it isn’t always that great. Eleanor‘s take on the idea – different, original, well-executed…and fabulous. It was still a paranormal thing, but there were some sciency details that made it amazingly believable. And yeah, romance is a huge part of it, but it’s nothing like a standard paranormal romance. It’s more about loving someone for who they are than an actual romance-romance.
My advice: buy this book. Let it sit on a shelf for a week or a month or however long it takes you to forget about this review. Then read it without looking at the back cover. Trust me, it’s worth it.
I received a free review copy of ELEANOR from the author. His generosity in no way influenced, or sought to influence, this review.