Reviews

The 13th Sign by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

nessa_firth's review against another edition

5.0

It was great! It had it's ups and downs, but in the end everything was back to normal

thepeacefulmuser's review against another edition

4.0

This is a page turner from start to finish. Open-mindedness is a necessity as this book delves deeply into the science of the zodiac. It has a nice, flowing writing style. Be prepared for some surprises right up to the last few pages.

dns24's review against another edition

3.0

Set in the heart of New Orleans, a young girl unwittingly unleashes the secret 13th sign of the zodiac, resulting in a cosmic shift that changes the personalities of everyone in the world. Suddenly, surgeons are squeamish around blood, pilots don't like to fly, and all of the little quirks we enjoy about our loved ones are erased. But there is more at stake as others seek to control the power of the mysterious new sign and manipulate it for their own selfish gains. Now it's up to this 13 year old girl to set things right. The setting and unique plot concept carry the story, but the writing would've benefited from further editing and development of the characters. Still it was engaging and anyone with a bent for the paranormal would probably find it of interest.

literaryanna's review against another edition

DNF - boring, poorly written, jumbled plot line, confusing. Cool concept though.

zarco_j's review against another edition

2.0

This sounded good from the blurb online but I feel slightly cheated. It's one of those books that could have been so much better than it actually is.

The characters were bland and I found myself not caring about what happened to them.

I get that it was written for a young audience but even so, there needed to be more fleshed out.

shelvesofsecrets's review against another edition

3.0

The 13th Sign starts off with an interesting concept. What if everyone's personality shifted? Would it be chaos? Political leaders suddenly indecisive? Surgeons suddenly squeamish?

However, the 13th Sign fell a bit flat for me. While there was quite a bit of action and Tubb spelled out the lessons in the book pretty explicitly, it lacked the spark that makes a book great.

I'm fairly indifferent towards the main character, Jalen. There was nothing in particular that I disliked about her, but I just didn't feel a very strong connection with her. My favourite thing about her is how much she loves her Nina (which means Grandma). I appreciated the emphasis put on the importance of family, especially since family is so important in my own life.

Middle grade readers will enjoy all the action in this one, as Jalen and her friends Ellie and Brennan battle the 12 signs of the zodiac. The last few battles felt a bit rushed compared to the first ones, but they were still fun to read about.

I'd recommend this one to anyone who loves astrology and wants an adventure inspired by the signs of the zodiac.

shapinginsanity's review against another edition

4.0

I wish they went in more into certain characters but it was still a really good book.

lfthoman's review against another edition

5.0

I thought this book was a lot of fun. I honestly have never paid much attention to the Zodiac -- I couldn't even tell you any of the defining personality traits of my sign (Virgo) -- but as each of the signs manifested and challenged Jalen, I found their different personalities really interesting. I also loved the New Orleans setting (because who doesn't love a New Orleans setting?) and the non-stop action.

I did think some of the challenges Jalen faced were a bit easy, but given the intended audience, they were fitting. And I liked the "altered" version of some of the characters' personalities better than the original versions. Which...that could be a pro or a con, depending on your perspective. I enjoyed the creativity, the little puzzles Jalen had to solve, and just the overall charm of the book. There was just something fun and refreshing about it.

By far, my favorite thing about this book was the break-neck pace. It honestly had no good stopping point, which is why I read the whole thing in a day. The characters literally spend the entire book running and fighting. It's crazy.

If you want a fun and original fast-paced middle grade fantasy, this could be the book for you.

poorashleu's review against another edition

1.0

DNF. Couldn't finish.

jayfr's review against another edition

2.0

This sounded good from the blurb online but I feel slightly cheated. It's one of those books that could have been so much better than it actually is.

The characters were bland and I found myself not caring about what happened to them.

I get that it was written for a young audience but even so, there needed to be more fleshed out.