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literaryanna's review against another edition
I got through about half of this one when I put it down to read something else. Overly descriptive and slow moving plot had me flipping pages rather than enjoying the story. I really don't even remember much of what I read, it was too boring. I'd avoid this one.
chorvereads's review against another edition
1.0
I actually didn't get what it was all about. Had potential but naaah...
lezliepez's review against another edition
3.0
Leí Ghost Girl cuando era adolescente y me encantó porque era de esos pocos libros a los que tenía acceso que hablaban de temas un poco más "oscuros" y que fueron parte de mi inicio a la literatura de fantasmas, etc.
Tonya Hurley tiene un lugar en mi corazón super especial por darme una historia divertida y con temas que me interesaban en una época donde estaba rodeada de niñas que amaban las Barbies. Así que por eso compré Blessed, creo que no es una trilogía para todos, al menos este primer tomo, hay que tenerle muchisima paciencia porque es un libro que contiene demasiad introducción y la acción se desarrolla en un par de páginas, y justo esos momentos parecen un sueño bíblico al puro estilo del antiguo testamento.
Me encanta que la escritora haya tomado 4 figuras religiosas y las haya trasladado al mundo real, porque entonces dudas ¿Es esto real o solo la alucinación de una mente perturbada? El hecho de que haya estudiado en escuelas católicas me ayudo muchísimo a entender rápidamente el ambiente, contexto y sobretodo la importancia de las figuras de Hurley plasmó, pero creo que es algo que no pretende adoctrinar así que cualquier podría disfrutarlo si le tiene paciencia.
Hay cosas que no son taaaan creíbles en los personajes, obviamente quitando la parte fantástica-religiosa que los envuelve, pero
Tonya Hurley tiene un lugar en mi corazón super especial por darme una historia divertida y con temas que me interesaban en una época donde estaba rodeada de niñas que amaban las Barbies. Así que por eso compré Blessed, creo que no es una trilogía para todos, al menos este primer tomo, hay que tenerle muchisima paciencia porque es un libro que contiene demasiad introducción y la acción se desarrolla en un par de páginas, y justo esos momentos parecen un sueño bíblico al puro estilo del antiguo testamento.
Me encanta que la escritora haya tomado 4 figuras religiosas y las haya trasladado al mundo real, porque entonces dudas ¿Es esto real o solo la alucinación de una mente perturbada? El hecho de que haya estudiado en escuelas católicas me ayudo muchísimo a entender rápidamente el ambiente, contexto y sobretodo la importancia de las figuras de Hurley plasmó, pero creo que es algo que no pretende adoctrinar así que cualquier podría disfrutarlo si le tiene paciencia.
Hay cosas que no son taaaan creíbles en los personajes, obviamente quitando la parte fantástica-religiosa que los envuelve, pero
Spoiler
...esas conexiones instantaneas que tuvieron con Sebastian y que el sea súper atractivo y crazy y eso les guste tanto que las 3 se sienten súper enamoradas de él ahí si dije ooooook estas morras se van a meter en una batalla campal por morro, pero de repente después de que Jess les dice "esta súper loco" de la nada ese vínculo tan intenso que "sentían" desaparece y se van como si nada sin ofenderse y sin grandes dramas bien de "ok", para después a las dos páginas volver, wooo "denle suave amigas" siento que solo eran como hormiguitas moviendose de un lado a otro sin tanta emocióntrisha_thomas's review against another edition
2.0
I must admit, when I first saw this book floating around, I thought the cover was intriguing. Even the premise of the book...sounds like it could go either way - good or bad.
sadly, I thought this was the latter. I think what bothered me the most was the writing. All of the characters thought and talked the same. They were overly witty and had perfect one-liners. It was like a movie where every line is said as a famous line - with a long dramatic pause and a face close up.
That's exactly how this was. Witty to the point of absurdity. And characters that didn't stand out on their own. It read more like a movie than a book.
and it just wasn't for me.
sadly, I thought this was the latter. I think what bothered me the most was the writing. All of the characters thought and talked the same. They were overly witty and had perfect one-liners. It was like a movie where every line is said as a famous line - with a long dramatic pause and a face close up.
That's exactly how this was. Witty to the point of absurdity. And characters that didn't stand out on their own. It read more like a movie than a book.
and it just wasn't for me.
triggerkat's review against another edition
I could not continue it. I didn't even get to page 100. Maybe page 85? Not sure. The three characters are not who I want to be reading about, and the plot has YET to take off. Too much character building, not enough story.
~I received an ARC from Simon & Schuster for reviewing purposes.~
~I received an ARC from Simon & Schuster for reviewing purposes.~
fantasmariana's review
2.0
Me encantan las leyendas sobre santos y mártires católicos, por eso estaba muy interesada en leer este libro. Tristemente, la ejecución de la historia es mala y este libro es prueba de que tener una idea original no sirve de mucho si no sabes como desarrollarla.
Seguiré leyendo solamente porque cometí el error de comprar la trilogía entera. Lo único que me queda de consuelo es que Hurley de pronto mete unas escenas muy sangrientas y abrumadoras que le dan un aire macabro a la historia, de resto, pésimos personajes que no me gustaron ni un poco y una historia sin pies, ni cabeza. Lástima.
Seguiré leyendo solamente porque cometí el error de comprar la trilogía entera. Lo único que me queda de consuelo es que Hurley de pronto mete unas escenas muy sangrientas y abrumadoras que le dan un aire macabro a la historia, de resto, pésimos personajes que no me gustaron ni un poco y una historia sin pies, ni cabeza. Lástima.
imnobody's review against another edition
Seemed a little hard to follow. I can usually follow book plots, even if I'm jumping between books or going long stretches without reading a certain one, but this one pushed my limits. Most likely I'll read the next book, just because I hate leaving a series unfinished.
moonlit_mystic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book started off strong but it was hard to understand and I lost interest and didn't care much for the rest of the plot. Sad, I thought I would've liked it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/08/29/mini-review-the-blessed-by-tonya-hurley/
I picked up an ARC of The Blessed by Tonya Hurley at Book Expo a bunch of years back, and finally got around to reading it. It is by far one of the strangest books I’ve read in 2016.
The basic premise of The Blessed is that there are three girls, each of whom ends up in the hospital on the same night. Agnes ends up there because she’s suicidal, Lucy after a drunk night out, and Cecilia after she is found on the street face-down in a puddle. Each of the girls is named after a saint and a martyr. While they’re in the hospital, each is mysteriously given a chaplet.
The chaplets are linked to a young man named Sebastian who has recently escaped from the psych ward. He claims that the girls are holy and that each has been chosen to do battle against the forces of evil, which threaten to take over the world.
For most of the book, readers are left wondering whether Sebastian is authentic or whether he’s dangerous (or both). But through their interactions with him, each of the girls begins to realize her own strengths and feel a calling toward a higher purpose.
The Blessed was a quick read with a goth feeling to it, bolstered through lots of Catholic imagery and overall creepy vibes. There were a bunch of different points while reading where I was like “Aaaaaaaaaaah what just happened?!?!” While I enjoyed the atmosphere, I felt like the characters were not inherently likeable and instead felt like stereotypes of high school cliques–which I guess is kind of the point, that saints were normal people, and maybe if I were younger I’d connect more with the characters and feel as if they were a part of my own world. Even the villain felt flat, as if he was evil because he was evil rather than someone who was had complex motivations. That being said, I breezed through it in two sittings, and my feelings aren’t so much “this is a good book” or “this is a bad book” so much as “This book is freaking weird.”
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/08/29/mini-review-the-blessed-by-tonya-hurley/
I picked up an ARC of The Blessed by Tonya Hurley at Book Expo a bunch of years back, and finally got around to reading it. It is by far one of the strangest books I’ve read in 2016.
The basic premise of The Blessed is that there are three girls, each of whom ends up in the hospital on the same night. Agnes ends up there because she’s suicidal, Lucy after a drunk night out, and Cecilia after she is found on the street face-down in a puddle. Each of the girls is named after a saint and a martyr. While they’re in the hospital, each is mysteriously given a chaplet.
The chaplets are linked to a young man named Sebastian who has recently escaped from the psych ward. He claims that the girls are holy and that each has been chosen to do battle against the forces of evil, which threaten to take over the world.
For most of the book, readers are left wondering whether Sebastian is authentic or whether he’s dangerous (or both). But through their interactions with him, each of the girls begins to realize her own strengths and feel a calling toward a higher purpose.
The Blessed was a quick read with a goth feeling to it, bolstered through lots of Catholic imagery and overall creepy vibes. There were a bunch of different points while reading where I was like “Aaaaaaaaaaah what just happened?!?!” While I enjoyed the atmosphere, I felt like the characters were not inherently likeable and instead felt like stereotypes of high school cliques–which I guess is kind of the point, that saints were normal people, and maybe if I were younger I’d connect more with the characters and feel as if they were a part of my own world. Even the villain felt flat, as if he was evil because he was evil rather than someone who was had complex motivations. That being said, I breezed through it in two sittings, and my feelings aren’t so much “this is a good book” or “this is a bad book” so much as “This book is freaking weird.”
bookishnicole's review against another edition
4.0
Admittedly, this book was a little strange. I really liked the story idea, that they were three Saints was a really original and interesting idea, but a little strange. I think one of the most jarring things about this book is that you don't really know what to believe until the end because thats when it starts to make sense.
I think this was a book that did a great job from the third person because with the three girls it would have been too hard to follow otherwise. It also helped because each chapter could be broken up about each girl without having to make a separate chapter from Lucy's POV to Cecilia's POV to Agnes' POV.
I felt that to book was well written and although you jump back and forth from what you should believe. One thing that did bother me was that the beginning was so heavy handed with the religious undertones. There was constantly "sermons" or "prayers" I felt that it was a bit much, but still good. There were a few twists within this book which had my literally shouting about them. A lot of the characters you don't really know, I mean you know them, but can you trust them?
Can you trust the mysterious Sebastian who shows up in the hospital where the girls are. Can you trust the girls? Can you trust the lies that everyone in the book seem to be spreading? That was the most jarring of the book, but once you figure out what is going on, it went a lot smoother.
Even though you don't get to the core of what is happening until the end of the book, it seems to be enough to set the stage for the next book in the trilogy. While we don't have any information slated yet for it, I am really excited for this book. It was a really good read, and definitely something new.
Fun Fact: My confirmation name was almost Agnes, but I went with Joan of Arc instead.
I think this was a book that did a great job from the third person because with the three girls it would have been too hard to follow otherwise. It also helped because each chapter could be broken up about each girl without having to make a separate chapter from Lucy's POV to Cecilia's POV to Agnes' POV.
I felt that to book was well written and although you jump back and forth from what you should believe. One thing that did bother me was that the beginning was so heavy handed with the religious undertones. There was constantly "sermons" or "prayers" I felt that it was a bit much, but still good. There were a few twists within this book which had my literally shouting about them. A lot of the characters you don't really know, I mean you know them, but can you trust them?
Can you trust the mysterious Sebastian who shows up in the hospital where the girls are. Can you trust the girls? Can you trust the lies that everyone in the book seem to be spreading? That was the most jarring of the book, but once you figure out what is going on, it went a lot smoother.
Even though you don't get to the core of what is happening until the end of the book, it seems to be enough to set the stage for the next book in the trilogy. While we don't have any information slated yet for it, I am really excited for this book. It was a really good read, and definitely something new.
Fun Fact: My confirmation name was almost Agnes, but I went with Joan of Arc instead.