A review by lanica
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
3.0
Two stories told at the same time, every other chapter.
One - a young girl writes an amazing novel and has to learn how to deal with the expectations of greatness, even though the book is a first draft.
The other - A young girl gains paranormal powers after surviving a terrorist attack.
PERSONAL REVIEW:
I LOVE Scott Westerfeld's books. I do. But this one was...soft. It had a malleable plot, a bunch of fuzzy characters, a wishy-washy setting. It was good, but not great. Unfortunately for this book I have come to expect greatness from Mr. Westerfeld. I enjoyed the book, but as I finished it I was left with a feeling of sadness that it was not as good as it could have been. He has a few amazing ideas, but they don't grow into anything...they fizzle. Sigh.
LIBRARIAN REVIEW:
A book I think would be great for many young adult readers. It is an interesting way of explaining the realities of the publishing world. I would love to book-club it with some of my more mature kids. There are some amazing discussions that could come from reading this. I love his writing style, and a few of his characters are great. I like the setting of the underworld in the paranormal sections, and I think that a young reader would enjoy the book more than I, an older and more jaded reader, did.
Notes to those who are thinking of adding it to their library collection without reading it. You need to know...
Also, there are a lot of the word 'Fuck' in this book, a few in the early chapters, and more often as the book goes on.
One - a young girl writes an amazing novel and has to learn how to deal with the expectations of greatness, even though the book is a first draft.
The other - A young girl gains paranormal powers after surviving a terrorist attack.
PERSONAL REVIEW:
I LOVE Scott Westerfeld's books. I do. But this one was...soft. It had a malleable plot, a bunch of fuzzy characters, a wishy-washy setting. It was good, but not great. Unfortunately for this book I have come to expect greatness from Mr. Westerfeld. I enjoyed the book, but as I finished it I was left with a feeling of sadness that it was not as good as it could have been. He has a few amazing ideas, but they don't grow into anything...they fizzle. Sigh.
LIBRARIAN REVIEW:
A book I think would be great for many young adult readers. It is an interesting way of explaining the realities of the publishing world. I would love to book-club it with some of my more mature kids. There are some amazing discussions that could come from reading this. I love his writing style, and a few of his characters are great. I like the setting of the underworld in the paranormal sections, and I think that a young reader would enjoy the book more than I, an older and more jaded reader, did.
Notes to those who are thinking of adding it to their library collection without reading it. You need to know...
Spoiler
The main female character is gay and has a wonderful (although not graphic) relationship with another woman. (I'm not hiding this because she is gay, I'm hiding it because finding out she is gay is a wonderful little scene in the book.)Also, there are a lot of the word 'Fuck' in this book, a few in the early chapters, and more often as the book goes on.