Short & Sweet: The Silent Companions and Paper Chains

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

This was a weird read, all things considered. By the end it was definitely more violent/gruesome than I had expected (to the point where it seemed rather over-the-top). I don't entirely understand the "reveal" at the end (spoilers, highlight to read: I am assuming that when Sarah cut her finger on one of the companions, the "spirit" of Hetta took her over, and she's the one who murdered everyone else?). I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened in Elsie's past (with her parents), and wish we had gotten more explanation for that as well. I did think that the question of whether or not Elsie is delusional/hallucinating or whether there is something supernatural going on here was handled pretty well towards the end of the story; it did have me flipping back and forth between the two theories! 

I also sometimes found it difficult to take the companions all that seriously in their menace. I mean, we are talking about a bunch of wooden paintings here.

3 shooting stars.

Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty

This read definitely required some suspension of disbelief -- there are a lot of coincidences and ways things are linked together that err on the side of cheesy. However, I found the flashbacks of Hannah's past very gripping, particularly in how her mental health issues are depicted (spoilers, highlight to read: her postpartum depression felt very real). I could connect with Hannah better than I could with India, although I did sometimes find that Hannah's thoughts, particularly about herself, came across as over-the-top (granted, she was struggling with a lot). I feel like the reader only really gets to know India genuinely right at the end (spoilers: because we find out that she's sort of been trying out a new persona to distance herself from the "sick Lily" version of herself). I did think that India's and Hannah's friendship developed quite quickly and felt sort of forced. The writing style, though, made this a quick read.

3 shooting stars.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January: A Panoramic Review (Adult)

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

"In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic." (from Goodreads)

My reaction: For me, The Ten Thousand Doors of January was a book that is objectively quite well-written (especially for a debut), but did not suck me in and make it impossible for me to put it down. On the contrary, I read it in bits and pieces, a little at a time -- which ended up more or less working, as I was able to remember the big picture storyline, and I flipped back to previous sections when needed. For the first three-quarters or so, the book alternates between January's perspective and the story of Adelaide (a story-within-a-story format), and I found it a bit jarring at times to go back and forth between them. 

I liked both January and Adelaide as protagonists, and just generally I thought the characterization here was very well done. The characters were distinctively drawn, and it was nice to see a diverse cast. However, I never totally connected with January or Adelaide, and felt like I was held at a bit of a distance from them. 

The writing style really stood out to me as well. While it tended to the flowery and purple prose-y side of things, and therefore was not that accessible or page-turning in quality, there was something so very quotable about so many of the lines I came across. When I first started reading it, it felt a bit deja-vu-ish, in that it kept reminding me of books from my childhood. Harrow's writing has a quality that is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's; little pearls of wisdom and reflection are dropped throughout, and phrased in a beautiful and powerful way. 

Best aspect: the concept of the Doors leading to other worlds -- not that this is a fresh concept or anything (hey, it's been done in so many well-known fantasy novels), but I thought the way it was handled here was neat. There are doors to pretty much every kind of world imaginable, and  since stories are basically like doors to other realms, the whole thing is kinda meta. Most readers would be thrilled if they could have January's powers to open Doors! Definitely reader wish fulfillment territory. (However, I should note that most of the book does take place in our world, and that considering the premise, more page time could have been spent actually in some of the other worlds, rather than just hearing stories about them.)

I also really appreciated the touching and thought-provoking themes and ideas Harrow raises throughout the story, including family, loyalty, friendship, abandonment, independence, "otherness," and forgiveness. While the writing is not the most accessible, the themes threaded through this story most certainly are. While there is a touch of romance here, it is not central to the story arc; rather, the story revolves around January's journey to discovering her strength and values. 

If I could change something... as I said, the writing did tend to the overly descriptive, to the point where I was like, "Do you really need another metaphor here?" Metaphors can be used very effectively, but they also need to be used fairly sparingly in order to make the most impact. It's the kind of writing where you feel like a thesaurus may have been employed quite a lot, and unfortunately that can actually make things harder for a reader to visualize, and can impede the flow of reading. So I think that should have been addressed in editing, to ensure that the writing style didn't slow down the momentum of the story. 

I also found the plot very predictable. I think this is probably the weakest aspect of the book -- most of the "reveals" really didn't seem terribly surprising to me (or at least, I had guessed at them by the time January figures them out). Spoilers, highlight to read: I mean, I didn't guess that Yule Ian was her father when he was first introduced, but by the time January finds out that he is, I'd put the pieces together. And I wondered pretty early on if Mr. Locke was the fellow who had bought the land from Adelaide's aunts, and had burned the Door after January opened it.

If you haven't read it: and you enjoy books about self-discovery, friendship, adventure, and wanderlust, pick this one up. 

If you have read it: did you guess the "twists" ahead of time like I did?

Just one more thing I wanted to mention: I found the notion that revolution and change occurs because things "leak" through the Doors an interesting one, and I wish it had been explored further. (Maybe in a future companion novel???)

Quote: Hard to pick just one! Here are a few I particularly liked:

That afternoon, sitting in that lonely field beside the Door that didn't lead anywhere, I wanted to write a different kind of story. A true kind of story, something I could crawl into if only I believed it hard enough.

Those of you who are more than casually familiar with books -- those of you who spend your free afternoons in fusty bookshops, who offer furtive, kindly strokes along the spines of familiar titles -- understand that page riffling is an essential element in the process of introducing oneself to a new book. It isn't about reading the words; it's about reading the smell, which wafts from the pages in a cloud of dust and wood pulp. It might smell expensive and well bound, or it might smell of tissue-thin paper and blurred two-colour prints, or of fifty years unread in the home of a tobacco-smoking old man. Books can smell of cheap thrills or painstaking scholarship, or literary weight or unsolved mysteries.

It is fashionable among intellectuals and sophisticates to scoff at true love -- to pretend it is nothing but a sweet fairy tale sold to children and young women, to be taken as seriously as magic wands or glass slippers. I feel nothing but pity for these learned persons, because they would not say such foolish things if they had ever experienced love for themselves.

May she wander but always return home, may all her words be written true, may every door lie open before her.

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy for review from the publisher.

 

Hunted: A Rambling Review

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Utterly absorbing -- once it got going, I couldn't put it down. Spooner marries the traditional Beauty & the Beast tale with Russian fairy tales beautifully. If I had to nitpick, I'd say that I could have used a little more detail in description, and also that Spooner could have strayed a little farther from the original Beauty & the Beast tale; this one sticks quite closely to it for the first three-quarters or so of the story (admittedly, the ending is very different!). I am a little confused by the ending itself, which wrapped up quite quickly and left me with some unanswered questions (spoiler, highlight to read: did the Firebird die when Yeva shot it? Or did it just disappear?). 

I really enjoyed Yeva herself as a protagonist -- she was fierce, and determined, and yet she was not impervious to emotion. The Beast took a little longer to grow on me (unsurprisingly, of course), but grow on me he did, and during the part of the tale in which Beauty leaves the Beast, I felt quite sorry for him, and I wanted to shake Yeva and remind her that he needed her. I know some reviewers said that there wasn't enough of the romance here, but honestly I didn't really have a problem with that. No, it isn't romance-heavy, but the slow-burn of a friendship developing between them is clear to see. (I don't know that the original fairy tale was super heavy on the romance either, to be honest -- I mean, he is an actual beast, after all.)

Anyway, bottom line: loved it. I think Beauty by Robin McKinley will always be my absolute favourite BatB retelling, but this one is up there. In a way it kinda reminded me of East by Edith Pattou (no trolls here, though!) so I think if you enjoyed that one you might like this one too.

4.5 shooting stars. 

 

The Tethered Mage: A Panoramic Review (Adult)

"In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled -- taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army.  

Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire.

Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations.

But fate has bound the heir and the mage. And as war looms on the horizon, a single spark could turn their city into a pyre.

The Tethered Mage is the first novel in a spellbinding new fantasy series." (from Goodreads)

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

My reaction: I struggled to get into the first half of this book, I have to say, which felt rather sluggish and dense. There was a lot going on in terms of characters being introduced, and I had trouble keeping straight who was who. I really wish a character list had been provided! The first half also consisted of a lot of complex conversation — involving political intrigue and "war room"-style talk — and I kept getting confused and having to reread. 

Nevertheless, I plowed through and was rewarded by the second half of the book! The pace really picked up in the last third and it was definitely more riveting. There weren't very many new characters being introduced at that point, so I was becoming more familiar with the characters involved. There were some suspenseful "what's going to happen?" sorts of scenes in the climactic part of the story, and a twist I didn't see coming (spoiler, highlight to read: somehow I did not guess that her uncle was the Raverran contact).

Best aspect: the world-building. It was a cool premise to have magic workers as the Empire's army, with their power being controlled by magic-less individuals. Also, the author really fleshes out the different players/groups and the interests they are representing (unfortunately, this means that the plot in the first half suffers due to all of this world-building). Plus, there is a map!

I also thought the characters were well drawn, in particular Amalia and Zaira. Zaira has a spitfire personality, and is a bit of a wild card, and Amalia is a relatable and sympathetic narrator who demonstrates some growth throughout the story. The dynamic between the two of them was really interesting, as they started out with some animosity (particularly on Zaira's side, since she does not take kindly to having her magic controlled), and then progressed into more of a frenemy-ship. Although they are very different characters, I liked them both, so I was rooting for them to become friends!

If I could change something... I'd cut out some of the description and detail, particularly in the first half. I felt like the story sometimes gave up momentum in order to provide more detail in a scene. The writing felt generally overwritten, as though the author felt the need to select more exotic words one might find in the thesaurus rather than more commonplace ones. (I'm not opposed to using less common descriptive words in order to bring a scene to life, but in moderation!)  

I'd also bring a little more spark to the romance, as I was pretty lukewarm about it. I thought it was sweet (and it wasn't a huge part of the plot, so it wasn't a big issue), but I just wasn't super invested in that relationship. It was kinda take-it-or-leave-it for me.

If you haven't read it: and you like traditional-style fantasies with loads of political intrigue and maneuvering, as well as detailed world-building, this will be right up your alley. 

If you have read it: how do you think the Prince Ruven storyline is going to develop in book 2?

Just one more thing I wanted to mention: there was a sticky spot I thought Amalia got out of way too easily (spoiler: when Prince Ruven is threatening to kill her, and she just tells him she represents the Empire, and he backs off). 

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars. If you're getting discouraged by the slow pace of the first half, but are enjoying the characters and world-building, I recommend persevering!

Disclaimer: I received this as an ARC for review from the publisher. 

Attachments: A Snapshot (Adult)

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?" (from Goodreads)

The subject: a young man in his late twenties who's trying to figure out what he should be doing in life, and falling in love along the way. Lincoln's a slightly pathetic (he lives with his mom), somewhat neurotic (he's a worrier with self-esteem issues), entirely lovable character who worms his way into your heart.

The setting: primarily various offices and rooms at The Courier, as well as Lincoln's mom's house, in 1999/2000. (Yes, the Y2K scare happens!)

Shutter speed: slow, to be sure. This is a character-driven book, so if you are looking for action-packed plot, look elsewhere. 

What's in the background? The kind of dry, witty, understated humour that strikes my funnybone just right. This book had me chortling with laughter numerous times.

Also, some of the storylines are on the serious side, with more than a touch of melancholy to them. This balances out the lighter, fluffier side of things.

Zoom in on: Beth's perspective, particularly towards the end. We're in Lincoln's head a lot but I would have liked to have gotten a better idea of what Beth was thinking. 
 
Anything out of focus? I wanted more from the ending. Given that the whole book was building toward this moment, it just didn't give me everything I was hoping for. Spoilers, highlight to read: I found the last couple of chapters cheesy and predictable in how they got together, and it happened awfully fast. While I think theoretically they are quite well-suited — Lincoln loves devotedly, which is what Beth is looking for after her previous relationship with Chris — I would have liked to have seen more of them together, demonstrating their compatibility in action.

I also felt like Beth's and Jennifer's voices sounded quite similar, and it took a while for their personalities to become even somewhat distinct from each other. They both made plenty of pop culture references that went sailing right over my head (as they often do). 

Ready? Say... charming!

Click! 4 shooting stars. Fans of Meg Cabot's adult 'chick-lit' books will enjoy this one, especially if they're looking for something that's just a little bit weightier. 

Graffiti Moon: A Panoramic Review

"Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes." (from Goodreads)

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

My reaction: Plenty of bloggers have raved about this book, so I'm sorry to have to say it, but Graffiti Moon really didn't do much for me. I don't feel passionate about it one way or the other. It's not poorly written — Cath Crowley has a talent for stringing words together and conjuring up imagery through description — but it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

I found the plot to be quite boring, or more to the point, non-existent. Not a lot really happens in this book, and the little that does happen occurs at a painstakingly slow pace. It's very much about the characters and their relationships and introspective discoveries. Most of the story is just Lucy and Ed wandering around the city one night and discussing artwork. Now, I like art as much as the next person, but unless you are an art aficionado it might get a little old. Also, the reveal of the "mystery" of Shadow's identity (which is not a mystery to the reader for most of the book, but is to Lucy) was anti-climactic and quite frankly, rather confusing.

As for the characters, I couldn't visualize them that well and their personal details just weren't sticking in my head. Generally, they're kind of quirky/strange, with Lucy being one of the more "normal" of the bunch. Lucy's a relatable enough narrator, but she didn't make me care strongly about her. I did feel sorry for Ed, as he's had a pretty rough past. Sometimes he makes poor choices, but he has good intentions and he learns some valuable lessons throughout this book. I thought his perspective was written quite well and, though not a "typical" male teen voice, felt authentic for his personality.

Best aspect: There were some great humorous lines sprinkled throughout, and also some thought-provoking commentaries on life. And I enjoyed seeing Lucy and Ed go from this uneasy, mocking relationship to one where they actually are interested in each other, and trust each other enough to share things they've hidden pretty deep inside themselves.

If I could change something... I'd give it more of a plot, I guess. And maybe cut out a couple of seemingly extraneous side characters so that the main ones get more focus. I didn't feel like we got to know Daisy and Dylan very well, for example, and they really weren't necessary (except, I suppose, as a refreshing change from the more eccentric characters). And I'd make the dialogue more teen-believable. Yes, these are atypical, geeky teens, but they were spouting contemplative, wise-beyond-their-years statements a few too many times.

Ultimately, though, judging by the praise heaped on this book by some readers, I think this is a case of just a wrong fit for me. 

If you haven't read it: and you are into art, "deep" realizations, and plenty of dialogue, you might enjoy this book.
 

If you have read it: did you love it like most of the YA blogosphere did? Or did you have an apathetic reaction like mine?

Just one more thing I want to mention: it would've been neat to have some actual illustrations accompany this book. That might've heightened the artistic aspect of the story and helped keep my interest a little more.

Final verdict: 3 shooting stars. Since there's virtually no plot to speak of, a book like this hangs on its characters — and I just couldn't care very much about them.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book for review from the publisher.

I'm not positive if this book falls in the "new adult" category, but I'm counting it towards the challenge!

The Humming Room: A Close-Up Review

"Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret.

Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write." (from Goodreads)

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

Premise: My ARC (and Goodreads' description) says that it's inspired by The Secret Garden. I'd like to take a moment to say: this book is more than "inspired" by that classic. This book is basically a retelling of The Secret Garden with the names and details changed. This was my number one problem with The Humming Room, because really — The Secret Garden is a classic for a reason. Sure, Ellen Potter has modernized the story a little, and yes, the behaviour of the character of Colin in the original has been given a more practical, plausible explanation. But apart from that, this book doesn't really add anything new to the story!

Characters: Be warned, I will be referring to The Secret Garden characters a lot (from my memory of the 1975 film version, though, to be perfectly honest).

Roo: She's a gritty character and I liked her, perhaps more than Mary from the original because Mary was selfish and bossy, and Roo isn't like that (she doesn't come from the privileged background Mary did). She does share other characteristics with Mary, though, like tenacity and curiosity. They're both sort of prickly with others, determined and stubborn, and know their own minds. Roo barely takes the point here, but since she's not all condescending like Mary, she does.

Jack: otherwise known as "The Faigne," he's obviously supposed to be Dickon's counterpart. He's a natural with animals, lives on the river, and doesn't really need the company of people (although he likes Roo). Jack's a cool guy, but Dickon wins this one, for being such a sweetheart. (It doesn't hurt that as a kid I thought the actor who played him was cute.)

Phillip: he's The Humming Room's take on Colin. He's pretty similar to Colin in terms of personality — a whiny, bossy child who feels sorry for himself. The biggest difference between them (and indeed, between the two novels) is that instead of being a physically disabled boy with a bad attitude, he is a depressed, grieving boy with a bad attitude. Making the character's challenges about mental illness and grief rather than a physical problem actually makes more sense given how The Secret Garden ends (spoiler for The Secret Garden, highlight to read: it was always a little far-fetched that the garden helped him walk again). Anyway, I liked him more than Colin because I didn't find him quite as irritating. Point goes to Phillip.

Violet: Cough Rock's equivalent of Martha, the maid from the moors. No contest here: I liked Martha better. To be fair, this might be partly because she had an awesome accent. But I didn't think Violet's personality shone, and it honestly doesn't feel like her role is that necessary. We also don't see much of a connection forming between her and Roo like we do in the original.

The squirrel: the requisite animal friend that helpfully leads the main character to the hidden garden. In Mary's case, it was a robin; in Roo's case, it is a black squirrel. I like robins and squirrels, so they cancel each other out. 

Plot:  

I don't think it'll come as a large surprise that The Humming Room follows a lot of the same plot points as The Secret Garden. Roo is an orphan, taken in by her uncle, who finds a secret garden (have I spoiled anything yet?). Really, I just don't see the point of, essentially, rewriting The Secret Garden without doing anything radically different with it. This is not even just a "loosely based on" sort of retelling. You can pretty much map out, plot point by plot point, how the storyline matches up with the original. If you don't know beforehand there's a connection to The Secret Garden, perhaps it isn't so obvious; I couldn't say because I knew going into it. At the start I didn't think it was so strongly reminiscent of the classic, but the parallels become blatantly obvious midway through. You couldn't really get much closer to the original if you tried.

Ellen Potter does handle Roo's character transformation well here. It's really brought home towards the end — how much more lively and open she is with people, rather than being closed-off and withdrawn, trusting only herself, as she was at the beginning. She's become much more motivated and optimistic, embracing the world, and that was a wonderful change to see.

The ending seemed a little bittersweet to me, ultimately happy but with a revelation containing a sad irony (which is in keeping with the original). There's also arguably a very slight magical realism element involved, but I think it works within the context of the story. Cough Rock has a certain sort of mystical charm to it, after all, where you believe miracles can happen. I think the end was missing a much-needed father-son discussion, however. We never get to see them spilling their emotional guts out to each other, for the sake of some closure.

Writing style: The writing is, for the most part, one of the marks in the book's favour. Some of the descriptions are quite picturesque, giving the reader a good visual and sense of the atmosphere without lapsing into purple prose or becoming too detailed. The garden sounds really beautiful and I'd love to hang out there (spoiler: minus the creepy spider, of course).

However, sometimes there's a weird POV switch that happens. We're getting it 3rd-person attached to Roo, and then all of a sudden it will sort of abruptly "head-hop" to someone else, right in the middle of a scene. I found it a little awkward and jarring at times.

Final verdict: 3 shooting stars. Certainly, the storyline is decent...we know that already because it's been done before! I'm just not sure why anyone would pick up The Humming Room and prefer it to The Secret Garden, except perhaps for the fact that the language is likely more accessible to young readers nowadays, since it wasn't written in the 1900s. It's not a bad book in and of itself, but it shouldn't have been marketed as anything but a retelling — and even as that, it's not exceptional.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher for review.

Second Chance Summer: Vlog Review

I thought I'd try something a bit different and do a video review for a change! Here are my thoughts on Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer, in vlog format (apologies in advance for the weird sort of white noise in the background):




If you'd like to check out the blog post on unreliable narrators that I mention, you can do so here.

A Monster Calls: A Snapshot

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth." (from Goodreads)

 
The subject: the struggles of a boy whose mother has cancer. Don't kid yourself — while there's a magical realism element at play here, like any terminal illness story it's a tough, depressing read. I found this book emotionally draining, so be prepared for that. (And yes, it even made me cry a little — which is saying something, because I don't cry very often at books.)

I liked that Connor wasn't ashamed of loving his mom and being close to her. He was willing to put her needs above some of his own (like his need for friendship and social interaction). It was really sweet to see their connection and the kind of pure parent-child love that exists.
 
The setting: I think it's kept purposely vague, to make the story more generalizable...but I'd say it's somewhere in England where they have yew trees.

Shutter speed: fairly slow, but evenly paced. There isn't much exciting plot going on here, and the content is inarguably weighty, but the simple writing style helps keep the reader from getting bogged down.

What's in the background? Amazing illustrations that really made this book special. I wasn't so enthralled with the story at certain points, but I would always be looking forward to the illustrations, because they're just fantastic. Grayscale and done in an impressionistic sort of style, they manage to be very atmospheric, striking and textured.

Zoom in on: the sub-plot about bullying. Frankly, I really didn't "get" the character of Harry and his mindset, but I thought the discussion surrounding Conor's desire to be punished and fear of being alone and invisible was very interesting. Also, I appreciated the acknowledgment of Conor's guilt over the warring desires within him; I thought this was insightful and true, and something many people experience.

An interesting sidenote: there's a fair bit of psychology in here, and something resembling cognitive retraining at the end. The monster distinguishes between the unimportance of thoughts and the importance of actions, and the idea of conflicting thoughts (which might be seen as cognitive dissonance) is also broached.

Anything out of focus? Not really. A Monster Calls accomplishes what it seems to set out to do: tell the story of a parent with cancer in a fresh way. We never find out how the magic works, but that's not really the point; the magic is more of a vehicle for Connor's psychological and emotional development. The writing style is simple, yes, but very effective and powerful. I think Patrick Ness chooses his words quite carefully, and a simple writing style really suits the subject matter.

Ready? Say... "Tissue?"

Click! 5 shooting stars. A Monster Calls is one of those books that has a "timeless classic" sort of feel to it. I can imagine this might be a book a teacher could read to their class, or a parent and child could read together. However, even though it's illustrated, it deals with some deep, heavy themes and concepts in a serious tone — giving them the respect and space they deserve — so younger kids might not fully understand or appreciate it.