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tworek_'s review
2.0
With the pain of my heart...
It pains me immensely to give such a low rating to the author who created some of the best books I was privileged to experience. Currently I’m 3 books deep on my Chad Lutzke journey. Before I have read this one, I was under the naive illusion that mister Lutzke can do no wrong, but unfortunately nothing lasts forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why so many people loved this book. It was pleasant, undemanding, fast read, for many that might be a good thing, for me it was the exact reason it fell short in my eyes. The reason I felt nothing while reading, and I felt nothing when I was done.
As a core concept, a big journey taken on by a teenage boy, along which he discovers the world and himself, sounded right in my alley. The skull for a face motive I wasn’t so sure about, but I approached it with an open mind. Unfortunately, the execution was nothing special. It felt inconsequential. A lost opportunity to make it something more than another way of singling someone out, we already have plenty of those in our world. It became just another easy tool to inflict discrimination and bullying on our protagonist, to make him feel lonely and lost in the world. If the scull for a face is basically just another ethnicity, why implement it at all? I could have been so much deeper than that. If author created some unique properties and situations special to this characteristic, it would be so much more interesting… Missed opportunity.
Another pet peeve I had was pacing. The Grand journey, so many encounters with unique cast of characters, with such a low page count, resulted in undeveloped scenarios. In my opinion the book could gain a lot from being longer. I couldn’t get absorbed in any of Levi’s adventures. Characters that he ran into had potential, interesting personalities, and stories, but there was no way to get engaged in them, because the plot lines concerning them ended faster than my interest grew. A few chapters top's, most of them page long, did not provide enough screen time to create an emotional connection.
If somehow mister Chad Lutzke reads this, I want it to be clear, that this review was supposed to be a constructive criticism, not hate. I am still in love with the author's creations, and for sure, I will continue my journey through his writing.
It pains me immensely to give such a low rating to the author who created some of the best books I was privileged to experience. Currently I’m 3 books deep on my Chad Lutzke journey. Before I have read this one, I was under the naive illusion that mister Lutzke can do no wrong, but unfortunately nothing lasts forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why so many people loved this book. It was pleasant, undemanding, fast read, for many that might be a good thing, for me it was the exact reason it fell short in my eyes. The reason I felt nothing while reading, and I felt nothing when I was done.
As a core concept, a big journey taken on by a teenage boy, along which he discovers the world and himself, sounded right in my alley. The skull for a face motive I wasn’t so sure about, but I approached it with an open mind. Unfortunately, the execution was nothing special. It felt inconsequential. A lost opportunity to make it something more than another way of singling someone out, we already have plenty of those in our world. It became just another easy tool to inflict discrimination and bullying on our protagonist, to make him feel lonely and lost in the world. If the scull for a face is basically just another ethnicity, why implement it at all? I could have been so much deeper than that. If author created some unique properties and situations special to this characteristic, it would be so much more interesting… Missed opportunity.
Another pet peeve I had was pacing. The Grand journey, so many encounters with unique cast of characters, with such a low page count, resulted in undeveloped scenarios. In my opinion the book could gain a lot from being longer. I couldn’t get absorbed in any of Levi’s adventures. Characters that he ran into had potential, interesting personalities, and stories, but there was no way to get engaged in them, because the plot lines concerning them ended faster than my interest grew. A few chapters top's, most of them page long, did not provide enough screen time to create an emotional connection.
If somehow mister Chad Lutzke reads this, I want it to be clear, that this review was supposed to be a constructive criticism, not hate. I am still in love with the author's creations, and for sure, I will continue my journey through his writing.
maciej_t's review
2.0
With the pain of my heart...
It pains me immensely to give such a low rating to the author who created some of the best books I was privileged to experience. Currently I’m 3 books deep on my Chad Lutzke journey. Before I have read this one, I was under the naive illusion that mister Lutzke can do no wrong, but unfortunately nothing lasts forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why so many people loved this book. It was pleasant, undemanding, fast read, for many that might be a good thing, for me it was the exact reason it fell short in my eyes. The reason I felt nothing while reading, and I felt nothing when I was done.
As a core concept, a big journey taken on by a teenage boy, along which he discovers the world and himself, sounded right in my alley. The skull for a face motive I wasn’t so sure about, but I approached it with an open mind. Unfortunately, the execution was nothing special. It felt inconsequential. A lost opportunity to make it something more than another way of singling someone out, we already have plenty of those in our world. It became just another easy tool to inflict discrimination and bullying on our protagonist, to make him feel lonely and lost in the world. If the scull for a face is basically just another ethnicity, why implement it at all? I could have been so much deeper than that. If author created some unique properties and situations special to this characteristic, it would be so much more interesting… Missed opportunity.
Another pet peeve I had was pacing. The Grand journey, so many encounters with unique cast of characters, with such a low page count, resulted in undeveloped scenarios. In my opinion the book could gain a lot from being longer. I couldn’t get absorbed in any of Levi’s adventures. Characters that he ran into had potential, interesting personalities, and stories, but there was no way to get engaged in them, because the plot lines concerning them ended faster than my interest grew. A few chapters top's, most of them page long, did not provide enough screen time to create an emotional connection.
If somehow mister Chad Lutzke reads this, I want it to be clear, that this review was supposed to be a constructive criticism, not hate. I am still in love with the author's creations, and for sure, I will continue my journey through his writing.
It pains me immensely to give such a low rating to the author who created some of the best books I was privileged to experience. Currently I’m 3 books deep on my Chad Lutzke journey. Before I have read this one, I was under the naive illusion that mister Lutzke can do no wrong, but unfortunately nothing lasts forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why so many people loved this book. It was pleasant, undemanding, fast read, for many that might be a good thing, for me it was the exact reason it fell short in my eyes. The reason I felt nothing while reading, and I felt nothing when I was done.
As a core concept, a big journey taken on by a teenage boy, along which he discovers the world and himself, sounded right in my alley. The skull for a face motive I wasn’t so sure about, but I approached it with an open mind. Unfortunately, the execution was nothing special. It felt inconsequential. A lost opportunity to make it something more than another way of singling someone out, we already have plenty of those in our world. It became just another easy tool to inflict discrimination and bullying on our protagonist, to make him feel lonely and lost in the world. If the scull for a face is basically just another ethnicity, why implement it at all? I could have been so much deeper than that. If author created some unique properties and situations special to this characteristic, it would be so much more interesting… Missed opportunity.
Another pet peeve I had was pacing. The Grand journey, so many encounters with unique cast of characters, with such a low page count, resulted in undeveloped scenarios. In my opinion the book could gain a lot from being longer. I couldn’t get absorbed in any of Levi’s adventures. Characters that he ran into had potential, interesting personalities, and stories, but there was no way to get engaged in them, because the plot lines concerning them ended faster than my interest grew. A few chapters top's, most of them page long, did not provide enough screen time to create an emotional connection.
If somehow mister Chad Lutzke reads this, I want it to be clear, that this review was supposed to be a constructive criticism, not hate. I am still in love with the author's creations, and for sure, I will continue my journey through his writing.
motherofallbats's review
4.0
This was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting more of a Gonzo/bizarro ride, but wound up with a surprisingly straightforward, sweet and charming little story. Not what I was necessarily in the mood for, but good for the soul.
onetrackmind77's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
paulataua's review
4.0
Born with a skull shaped face, something others are not afraid to mention throughout the story, 16-year-old Levi leaves the orphanage and hitchhikes across country from Denver Colorado to Hermosa Bay, California in search of himself, and maybe anyone who vaguely resembles him. It’s a story of discovery, and one that is handled with the 'caring' only Chad Lutzke knows how to give. Warm story worth reading!
shellycampbellauthor's review
5.0
Levi might be a skullface boy, but he’s got a lot of heart.
Skullface Boy was an easy read to fall into. Chad does such an incredible job of fleshing out the humanity and insanity of a strange coming of age road trip. Beautiful moments and off-kilter ugliness, sometimes mashed together in one person, makes for some unforgettable characters. Through it all, Levi heads west, trying to find the only person he’s ever heard of that looks like him, and he’s easy to fall in love with along the way. This reads like a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt like a freak growing up. To all the Levis out there, you’re not alone :)
Skullface Boy was an easy read to fall into. Chad does such an incredible job of fleshing out the humanity and insanity of a strange coming of age road trip. Beautiful moments and off-kilter ugliness, sometimes mashed together in one person, makes for some unforgettable characters. Through it all, Levi heads west, trying to find the only person he’s ever heard of that looks like him, and he’s easy to fall in love with along the way. This reads like a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt like a freak growing up. To all the Levis out there, you’re not alone :)
michellesmelancholia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jo_in_bookland's review
3.0
I've loved some of Chad Lutzke's novellas but I haven't connected with the last three I've read. It occurred to me that the protagonist in these have been male teens. This could be part of the issue.
The author drew inspiration from his life to write parts of this particular story. The novella felt like indivual tales of the interactions 16 year old Levi has with characters he meets on a hitchhiking journey. Some were sad, some strange and some a bit shocking. As a whole, I just didn't love this. I will try more by Lutzke though as I do like his writing.
The author drew inspiration from his life to write parts of this particular story. The novella felt like indivual tales of the interactions 16 year old Levi has with characters he meets on a hitchhiking journey. Some were sad, some strange and some a bit shocking. As a whole, I just didn't love this. I will try more by Lutzke though as I do like his writing.
n0rmann's review
5.0
I didn't know what to expect from this, but it was a wonderfully written coming-of-age story that just happens to feature a main character with a skull for a face. The one negative - the slap at Alice Cooper's "From the Inside." That's a damn good album, Chad!!
joselovesyou's review
5.0
First read of the new year and again, an absolute smash from Lutzke. His writing is a master class on how to get a reader to deeply care about a character in a matter of a few pages. You don’t even realize it’s happening before you find yourself sitting right there next to Levi along for the ride. I’m hoping maybe the “Sam” writing on the wall in the gas station on the way to California is a callback to Of Foster homes and flies. I like to this it was left while she was making her way to California ( I think Denny would like to think that, too).