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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this book. It looked interesting, and a different kind of fantasy book, rather than the vampire/werewolf stuff. But, I couldn't stand it. In the beginning I thought it was just a rough start, but as the book went on and on, it just made less and less sense. A lot of things were just left unexplained. And the visual descriptions did absolutely nothing. I had to read this book, because i have a strange problem where I must finish every book I start, but I would not recommend it.
I just couldn't force myself through this one. If it were on audio and I was working out to it then maybe but reading, not happening. I keep avoiding reading it so I'm just done. Maybe I'll revisit this because it's a cool idea but I don't know. Sagara's writing bugs me. It feels overworked. Her characters don't feel like real teenagers either, they feel like an adult trying to make them teenagers.
There is an autistic character who I rather liked and he kept me reading longer than I might have otherwise. I mean, true, I don't like not finishing books but I'm in a strange mood and if I don't like it I'm not forcing it...there are too many books to read for me to try so hard on a book that isn't a nonfiction piece that will leave me more informed.
Beautiful cover, cool concepts, sexy guys, and interesting nicknames but writing that makes me grind my teeth. A no go for me.
There is an autistic character who I rather liked and he kept me reading longer than I might have otherwise. I mean, true, I don't like not finishing books but I'm in a strange mood and if I don't like it I'm not forcing it...there are too many books to read for me to try so hard on a book that isn't a nonfiction piece that will leave me more informed.
Beautiful cover, cool concepts, sexy guys, and interesting nicknames but writing that makes me grind my teeth. A no go for me.
I kind of stumbled on this book by accident while looking for more books featuring strong friendships, and I jumped on it because I’m all about supernatural stories and ghosts. This novel did do some interesting things, mainly in the way of giving readers an autistic character and focusing on friendships and kindness in a way that was somewhat different from other YA novels. However, despite that, the technical aspects of the book made it less enjoyable to read.
Things I Liked
1. Friendship: This book contains a lot of strong friendships and even some interesting acquaintances. Emma and Allison are able to be best friends despite having very few interests in common. Most of the “popular” students aren’t mean caricatures or bullies, as we’d expect. Most people get along and actually care about one another, which was refreshing in a YA novel.
2. Inclusion of an Autistic Character: There’s a character in this book named Michael who is described as a high-functioning autistic. He’s not a main character, but he’s present in a lot of scenes, and our heroine, Emma, cares about him and does everything she can to ensure that his life is less stressful. I liked that Michael was there and included in the story, even if he wasn’t the main focus.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Narrative Fluidity: In this book, some supernatural things happen and the characters seem to forget about them or not really care about them once they’re over. One of the first things that happens is Emma gets “attacked” by some kind of ghostly lady, but she never addresses it and continues life as normal until the next supernatural incident. If it were me, I’d be trying to figure out everything I could about what happened. It also didn’t help that the descriptions of the supernatural events were shorter than the descriptions of everyday ones (for example, seeing a ghost in the cafeteria took a paragraph, but describing pain takes more than a page). Scenes also seemed to jump around - one second, two characters are talking about mysterious ghost figures and the next, they’re discussing a party. Then cut to lunch line. It was a bit jarring.
2. Lack of Interiority: The way this book is written is very descriptive but doesn’t really give us the sense that the characters have much interiority. We really only get accounts of things that happen, not necessarily things going on inside. When we do glimpse emotions, they’re told to us rather than shown.
3. Timing: This novel doesn’t quite seem to time its revelations right, providing only enough info to tease the reader into continuing with the story (which is fine) but not situating the information enough where the reader can get some kind of grip on what’s actually happening. In other words, whenever Sagara wants to hint at what’s going on, she does so with vague descriptions that are more confusing than suspenseful.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in supernatural stories, ghosts, necromancy, and friendships.
Things I Liked
1. Friendship: This book contains a lot of strong friendships and even some interesting acquaintances. Emma and Allison are able to be best friends despite having very few interests in common. Most of the “popular” students aren’t mean caricatures or bullies, as we’d expect. Most people get along and actually care about one another, which was refreshing in a YA novel.
2. Inclusion of an Autistic Character: There’s a character in this book named Michael who is described as a high-functioning autistic. He’s not a main character, but he’s present in a lot of scenes, and our heroine, Emma, cares about him and does everything she can to ensure that his life is less stressful. I liked that Michael was there and included in the story, even if he wasn’t the main focus.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Narrative Fluidity: In this book, some supernatural things happen and the characters seem to forget about them or not really care about them once they’re over. One of the first things that happens is Emma gets “attacked” by some kind of ghostly lady, but she never addresses it and continues life as normal until the next supernatural incident. If it were me, I’d be trying to figure out everything I could about what happened. It also didn’t help that the descriptions of the supernatural events were shorter than the descriptions of everyday ones (for example, seeing a ghost in the cafeteria took a paragraph, but describing pain takes more than a page). Scenes also seemed to jump around - one second, two characters are talking about mysterious ghost figures and the next, they’re discussing a party. Then cut to lunch line. It was a bit jarring.
2. Lack of Interiority: The way this book is written is very descriptive but doesn’t really give us the sense that the characters have much interiority. We really only get accounts of things that happen, not necessarily things going on inside. When we do glimpse emotions, they’re told to us rather than shown.
3. Timing: This novel doesn’t quite seem to time its revelations right, providing only enough info to tease the reader into continuing with the story (which is fine) but not situating the information enough where the reader can get some kind of grip on what’s actually happening. In other words, whenever Sagara wants to hint at what’s going on, she does so with vague descriptions that are more confusing than suspenseful.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in supernatural stories, ghosts, necromancy, and friendships.
An excellent debut novel and good start into a new series. The characters are engaging and well-described to get a good base for future works. It reads quickly and is enjoyable.
This, and other reviews can be found on Just a Lil Lost
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ (2.5/5 stars)
Emma has been drawn to the cemetery ever since her boyfriend died. It was her quiet place to be with him & reflect on the day until one evening’s chance encounter with Eric, a new boy at the school and an obviously not-of-this-world old woman. From that moment on, Emma realizes she can hear, speak to and touch the dead. When the title of Necromancer starts being passed around, Emma makes it clear she has no interest in such a role. She wants to use her new-found powers for good, to help the dead move on but those that hunt Necromancers have a different plan.
A friend pitched this book to me and it sounded like something I would enjoy. A ghost story book set in Toronto? Sold. Unfortunately though, I just couldn’t get into the book. It was a bizarrely-told story, where a lot of the time I had no idea what was going on. I’ve been told that Sagara usually writes adult fiction, so her style may not lay everything out as clearly as other YA novels might, but I don’t believe that’s it for me. I don’t need things spelled out for me to understand the plot.
I didn’t get a feel that it was set in Toronto though, and really wouldn’t have even known it was supposed to be T.O. if not for one mention (about 76 pages in). Not that it really detracts from the story itself, but personally, it being set in Toronto was a big seller. This could have been set in any city in North America. However, I did appreciate the more human moments with Emma and her family. The dynamic and interactions between her & her mother, or her & her father were touching. The scenes with the burning house were also interesting, with the different experiences that Emma was having from the others.
Otherwise, I thought there were some aspects to the book that were really intriguing as to how Sagara chose to develop certain things. However, I feel at many times it just got so convoluted and complicated that the reader isn’t quite sure what was going on for the majority of the book. Perhaps this was just a book that was so far from what I was expecting it to originally be.
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ (2.5/5 stars)
Emma has been drawn to the cemetery ever since her boyfriend died. It was her quiet place to be with him & reflect on the day until one evening’s chance encounter with Eric, a new boy at the school and an obviously not-of-this-world old woman. From that moment on, Emma realizes she can hear, speak to and touch the dead. When the title of Necromancer starts being passed around, Emma makes it clear she has no interest in such a role. She wants to use her new-found powers for good, to help the dead move on but those that hunt Necromancers have a different plan.
A friend pitched this book to me and it sounded like something I would enjoy. A ghost story book set in Toronto? Sold. Unfortunately though, I just couldn’t get into the book. It was a bizarrely-told story, where a lot of the time I had no idea what was going on. I’ve been told that Sagara usually writes adult fiction, so her style may not lay everything out as clearly as other YA novels might, but I don’t believe that’s it for me. I don’t need things spelled out for me to understand the plot.
I didn’t get a feel that it was set in Toronto though, and really wouldn’t have even known it was supposed to be T.O. if not for one mention (about 76 pages in). Not that it really detracts from the story itself, but personally, it being set in Toronto was a big seller. This could have been set in any city in North America. However, I did appreciate the more human moments with Emma and her family. The dynamic and interactions between her & her mother, or her & her father were touching. The scenes with the burning house were also interesting, with the different experiences that Emma was having from the others.
Otherwise, I thought there were some aspects to the book that were really intriguing as to how Sagara chose to develop certain things. However, I feel at many times it just got so convoluted and complicated that the reader isn’t quite sure what was going on for the majority of the book. Perhaps this was just a book that was so far from what I was expecting it to originally be.
As posted on TheReaderBee.com
After the tragic death of her boyfriend, Emma has come to the graveyard at night for the peace. But one night while at the graveyard, something different happens when she runs into the new kid at school, Eric, and a mysterious old lady dressed in ragged clothing. And on this night, Emma’s life will change forever.
The characters in the book were very likeable. Emma, the main character, was very determined and headstrong. Eric was very mysterious, and kept me in stitches while I was trying to figure out his story. Chase, Eric’s friend, was mysterious and hilarious at the same time. Allison, Emma’s BFF, was a great friend, very caring and loyal.
The one character I really found myself caring about was Emma’s friend Michael, as he is autistic. As an aunt to an autistic niece, I always love seeing these characters included in a story. Getting to see into their world, even briefly, is always interesting.
It took me a while to get used to the writing style in the book. I found myself confused at times, and I would have to go back and reread what I had just read to try to make sense of it. After a while, I did get used to the style though. The storyline was definitely a bit on the darker side, but I love that snarky comments were thrown in on occasion.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read with interesting characters and storyline! I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Happy Reading!
After the tragic death of her boyfriend, Emma has come to the graveyard at night for the peace. But one night while at the graveyard, something different happens when she runs into the new kid at school, Eric, and a mysterious old lady dressed in ragged clothing. And on this night, Emma’s life will change forever.
The characters in the book were very likeable. Emma, the main character, was very determined and headstrong. Eric was very mysterious, and kept me in stitches while I was trying to figure out his story. Chase, Eric’s friend, was mysterious and hilarious at the same time. Allison, Emma’s BFF, was a great friend, very caring and loyal.
The one character I really found myself caring about was Emma’s friend Michael, as he is autistic. As an aunt to an autistic niece, I always love seeing these characters included in a story. Getting to see into their world, even briefly, is always interesting.
It took me a while to get used to the writing style in the book. I found myself confused at times, and I would have to go back and reread what I had just read to try to make sense of it. After a while, I did get used to the style though. The storyline was definitely a bit on the darker side, but I love that snarky comments were thrown in on occasion.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read with interesting characters and storyline! I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Happy Reading!
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So much going on
This is a good start to a new trilogy. I was missing Kaylin Heya (Chronicles of Elantra) so I thought I'd start this series 2 covered the time until the new book comes out. This is an interesting world very complex and if it dark. I'm looking forward to the second book and finding out more about this world.
This is a good start to a new trilogy. I was missing Kaylin Heya (Chronicles of Elantra) so I thought I'd start this series 2 covered the time until the new book comes out. This is an interesting world very complex and if it dark. I'm looking forward to the second book and finding out more about this world.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No