octagonal's review against another edition
3.0
I reaaally loved the first like 70%. I love the are-they-crazy-or-is-it-paranormal-badassery storylines. It's intriguing and when done well, it does make you question whether your protagonist needs some serious medication or not.
But unfortunately, around the 80% mark, the crazy train arrived and the book went all to hell. But until then, so good!
:(
But unfortunately, around the 80% mark, the crazy train arrived and the book went all to hell. But until then, so good!
:(
paradoxically's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Ultraviolet for the most part, though it was a little too much for me at times (the imagery swings from really pretty to almost trying too hard--on the plus side, I found it more pretty than not). It's a fairly slow book, with a plot that just sort of dribbles at you, and characters that can be hit or miss. On the plus side, it takes the concept of synesthesia, which I've always found interesting, and runs away with it, weaving it into every experience and thought that Alison has (on the other hand, it almost seemed too much so, considering how Alison basically has every form of synesthesia under the sun, with some extras).
I never ended up loving any of the characters. Either I was irritated by them or bored by them or thought that, tragic past or not, they deserved a swift kick in the shins. I liked Alison and thought her experiences were interesting, but I never grew attached to her beyond that (though at least I liked her, there's that).
All in all, the concept was interesting, the pacing was a bit slow, and execution overall was average. The twist at the end never quite surprised me. 3 stars.
I never ended up loving any of the characters. Either I was irritated by them or bored by them or thought that, tragic past or not, they deserved a swift kick in the shins. I liked Alison and thought her experiences were interesting, but I never grew attached to her beyond that (though at least I liked her, there's that).
All in all, the concept was interesting, the pacing was a bit slow, and execution overall was average. The twist at the end never quite surprised me. 3 stars.
nanu_nanu_narnett's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I am a fan of R.J Anderson. I loved the Faery Rebel's series, and this book was no exception to an original story that caught me by surprise. The way Alison's perceptions and condition were described was easy to understand and easy to relate to despite the fact that I had never actually heard of synaesthesia until I picked up this book.
I usually base my opinions of books around whether or not I can fall into them - forget where I am and be completely immersed in the world with it's narrative and characters, and this book definitely delivers. Alison was a smart and strong-willed protagonist, and Faraday and Tori were both likable also. The secondary characters: Dr Minta, Kirk, Alison's Mother (and all the others) all had enough depth to them that they weren't one dimensional and all had their place within the story. The novel's main focus is the mystery of what happened to Tori and what Alison had to do with it, and the progression of the story didn't become predictable in that aspect.
The only reason why I knocked the .5 off my rating was because the alien's threw me off guard. It changed the way I saw the story and didn't really make much sense at first.
I then read it a second time and realised that the aliens work. Why not aliens? Alien story's are cool.
I am a fan of R.J Anderson. I loved the Faery Rebel's series, and this book was no exception to an original story that caught me by surprise. The way Alison's perceptions and condition were described was easy to understand and easy to relate to despite the fact that I had never actually heard of synaesthesia until I picked up this book.
I usually base my opinions of books around whether or not I can fall into them - forget where I am and be completely immersed in the world with it's narrative and characters, and this book definitely delivers. Alison was a smart and strong-willed protagonist, and Faraday and Tori were both likable also. The secondary characters: Dr Minta, Kirk, Alison's Mother (and all the others) all had enough depth to them that they weren't one dimensional and all had their place within the story. The novel's main focus is the mystery of what happened to Tori and what Alison had to do with it, and the progression of the story didn't become predictable in that aspect.
The only reason why I knocked the .5 off my rating was because the alien's threw me off guard. It changed the way I saw the story and didn't really make much sense at first.
I then read it a second time and realised that the aliens work. Why not aliens? Alien story's are cool.
jfleck206's review against another edition
3.0
Ultraviolet started as a solid five star read. 17-year-old Alison lets you know right up front that she's in a mental institution because she killed the most beloved, perfect girl at school. Her sensory descriptions and experiences are all jumbled, which makes for fabulous writing because you get to know what sounds taste like and how words smell. Slowly unfolding mystery + lyrical descriptive language = scrumptious reading. And then... snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the out-of-left field game showed up. Deus ex machina would be a polite way to term it, but I think Goodreads reviewer Elle is more accurate when she simply says, "WTF." (If you want the complete review with spoilers, it's here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/175802966) To make matters worse, what started as an introspective murder mystery degenerates quickly into another one of those romances where the chemistry between the characters is described in nauseating (unrealistic) detail. Sigh. I look forward to reading more books from this author because I liked her writing, but I'm hoping that the plotting gets a little better.
lilyyyyy's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
an easy nostalgic fix to get me out of my reading slumpÂ
kelseyhager's review against another edition
2.0
this was actually one of the worst books I've ever read please save yourself and don't read this
ellenpenleysmith's review against another edition
4.0
Coming to the last pages of Ultraviolet all I can think is this: wtf?
The writing is exceptional in Ultraviolet and I loved how Alison's "condition" is evident right from the very first page, even if you don't realise it at the time. And you will realise it once everything comes to light.
The biggest thing I loved about this novel was the blend of genres. The smooth transition from one genre to the next to executed brilliantly and it didn't make the reader feel like the novel was that out of place. Although, the transition did make me pause and re-read the last couple of pages because, trust me, it was very out there and unexpected.
I've never read anythin from R.J Anderson before, but I'm willing to read something of hers again. Ultraviolet was filled with awesome characters, an alright love interest (it wasn't a main focus in the novel which I really respect) and a shocker of an ending. Definitely would come back for more if there was to be announced a sequel (cause this is the kind of standalone book I can imagine having a sequel--like Across The Universe by Beth Revis).
The writing is exceptional in Ultraviolet and I loved how Alison's "condition" is evident right from the very first page, even if you don't realise it at the time. And you will realise it once everything comes to light.
The biggest thing I loved about this novel was the blend of genres. The smooth transition from one genre to the next to executed brilliantly and it didn't make the reader feel like the novel was that out of place. Although, the transition did make me pause and re-read the last couple of pages because, trust me, it was very out there and unexpected.
I've never read anythin from R.J Anderson before, but I'm willing to read something of hers again. Ultraviolet was filled with awesome characters, an alright love interest (it wasn't a main focus in the novel which I really respect) and a shocker of an ending. Definitely would come back for more if there was to be announced a sequel (cause this is the kind of standalone book I can imagine having a sequel--like Across The Universe by Beth Revis).
kapellosaur's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know what to make of this book.
Emotionally it struck a nerve and I thoroughly enjoyed it on that level. The main character, Alison, is well-developed and has struggles that I think a lot of people will relate to, even if on a less dramatic level than the character experiences. I'd recommend it for that alone.
However, the author's lack of first-hand experience with any of the main aspects () really shows, and left a bad taste in my mouth. The author notes in a Q&A at the back of the edition I own that and it shows—at one point Ali . Additionally, one character's use of ableist language without any kind of note that he's wrong for doing so stuck felt badly handled, and Ali's relationship with .
So that leaves us with a book that was 80% excellent and yet completely lost me for the other 20%. I found the ending unsatisfactory too; compare with, say, Foz Meadows' where and this all felt like it wrapped up a little neat and tidily. I was surprised to find out there's a follow-up book to this, because it doesn't really feel like there was anywhere for the narrative to go. I probably won't be reading it.
Emotionally it struck a nerve and I thoroughly enjoyed it on that level. The main character, Alison, is well-developed and has struggles that I think a lot of people will relate to, even if on a less dramatic level than the character experiences. I'd recommend it for that alone.
However, the author's lack of first-hand experience with any of the main aspects (
Spoiler
synaesthesia, tetrachromacy, hospitals for the mentally illSpoiler
she wrote the book speculatively before leaning that synaesthesia was realSpoiler
is described as having paranormal abilities, and she does, but it's been packaged up in a real condition that progressively gets more paranormalSpoiler
Faraday felt extremely dodgy despite the book trying to explain away that it wasn't a patient-therapist relationship after all, even though it was framed to Ali as such, and at any rate the ages involved are problematicSo that leaves us with a book that was 80% excellent and yet completely lost me for the other 20%. I found the ending unsatisfactory too; compare with, say, Foz Meadows'
Spoiler
An Accident of StarsSpoiler
unbelievable things have happened to the Earth character and the struggles they have coming up with a cover story and lying to people about itgemb1998's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75