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melissayabookshelf's review
4.0
The voice in this novel is very distinctive and makes you pay more attention to it, then you might otherwise. It took me some time to get into the voice, but the story is compelling, and by the end, I was really enamoured with Teller/Matthew.
Magical.
Magical.
emakay's review
5.0
Ahhhhhh this is so good!!
One thing I can say for sure about this book is that I will be thinking about it for a while. It’s one of those books that sneaks up on you and grabs you and puts your mind to work by the things it says—and the way it says them.
With the two novels I’ve read by Leah Bobet—this one and An Inheritance of Ashes—I’ve noticed that she tends to tackle difficult, yet important topics, such as cycles of abuse and mental health, in her books. And she does so in such a way that the reader is enchanted by her storytelling and understands what she’s trying to say without any huge discussions or scientific wording. She does it through human storytelling. And that, I think, is what makes Bobet such a good writer.
One thing I can say for sure about this book is that I will be thinking about it for a while. It’s one of those books that sneaks up on you and grabs you and puts your mind to work by the things it says—and the way it says them.
With the two novels I’ve read by Leah Bobet—this one and An Inheritance of Ashes—I’ve noticed that she tends to tackle difficult, yet important topics, such as cycles of abuse and mental health, in her books. And she does so in such a way that the reader is enchanted by her storytelling and understands what she’s trying to say without any huge discussions or scientific wording. She does it through human storytelling. And that, I think, is what makes Bobet such a good writer.
amongthepages's review
2.0
Pretty much this entire book can be summed up by one word: confusing.
I had a hard time getting into this story from the get go, and while I find that it always takes me a a few pages to adjust to a new story, I found I didn't adjust to this one at all.
Matthew is the narrator in Above, and he lives underground in the tunnels in a place deemed Safe. He is one of the only people who has been born in Safe and his job is a Teller, which means that he listens to and tells the stories of other people.
Above is riddled with words that are capitalized and strange phrasings that make for a confusing read. I struggled to maintain focus on the story and figure out what exactly was going on with Corner, the character who murdered Atticus in the beginning of the story. Something about shadows and Corner being angry for being exiled was the basis of this story, but like I said, I was confused throughout most of it.
I spent a lot of time wondering whether the people from Safe were actually sick with the afflictions that Matthew speaks of, or if it was all mental illness that made them think they had these things.
I was incredibly close to putting the book down and just marking it as a did not finish, but I kept holding out hope that it would get better and that eventually it would make sense for me. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't my cup of tea, which is so disappointing because I had such high hopes for wanting to love this book.
I had a hard time getting into this story from the get go, and while I find that it always takes me a a few pages to adjust to a new story, I found I didn't adjust to this one at all.
Matthew is the narrator in Above, and he lives underground in the tunnels in a place deemed Safe. He is one of the only people who has been born in Safe and his job is a Teller, which means that he listens to and tells the stories of other people.
Above is riddled with words that are capitalized and strange phrasings that make for a confusing read. I struggled to maintain focus on the story and figure out what exactly was going on with Corner, the character who murdered Atticus in the beginning of the story. Something about shadows and Corner being angry for being exiled was the basis of this story, but like I said, I was confused throughout most of it.
I spent a lot of time wondering whether the people from Safe were actually sick with the afflictions that Matthew speaks of, or if it was all mental illness that made them think they had these things.
I was incredibly close to putting the book down and just marking it as a did not finish, but I kept holding out hope that it would get better and that eventually it would make sense for me. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't my cup of tea, which is so disappointing because I had such high hopes for wanting to love this book.
kimmym's review
3.0
(From http://www.pingwings.ca/above/)
I heard (read?) a lot about this book in the last couple of months, through various blogs/book sites that I follow. I was excited to read it, initially. Here is an excerpt of the Kobo store’s summary:
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above–like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers. But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home – not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I was really looking forward to reading it, and urban fantasy is a new genre for me, so I was eager to try something a bit new. However, I just had such a hard time getting into this one, and that really disappointed me, since I was so excited to read this that it never occurred to me that I might not like it.
I think the idea is intriguing: Matthew is part of a group of people living underground, in a place known as Safe. They each have some sort of ability or physical characteristic that sets them apart from ‘normals’ ‘Above’ in the city, call themselves Freak, and have banded together to survive away from the Whitecoats (doctors) who they fear would harm them. For example, Matthew has scales down his back, Ariel grows wings and turns into a bee, and Whisper can hear and speak with ghosts. Some, like Matthew, can ‘pass’ (go Above and look and act ‘Normal’, because whatever makes them different, like Matthew’s scales, can be hidden), which means they are the ones to go up on supply runs.
I liked that there was no attempt to try to explain why the characters were the way they were – it’s just the way it is, very matter-of-fact that Jack has electricity running through him or that Atticus has crab claws.
So the premise really drew me in. But as soon as I started to read, I knew that I would struggle to get through this one, because the voice used by Matthew, who narrates the story, was so difficult to follow. I understand the logic behind writing him this way (he was born in Safe, so had no formal education or schooling, and therefore it wouldn’t make sense for him to have perfect English), but it felt so convoluted or stylized, and I found myself reading and then re-reading passages just to try to understand what Matthew was saying. While there were some beautiful passages, and while Matthew’s narration paints a picture, I also found that constantly trying to understand him really took me out of the story, and that frustrates me to no end. I just felt like I was missing something because I was always trying to understand what our narrator was saying.
However, if you can get past the style in which it’s written, you will see that the book addresses some topics that you might not expect to find in a YA novel. While they may not be a huge part of the story, the way the author revealed certain things about the characters at various points in the novel took me by surprise and made me see things a bit differently, and shed some light on hardships experienced by the characters (things such as gender, race, mental health issues). All of those living in Safe have been mistreated, abused, abandoned by people who are supposed to protect them, such as family or the health care system. Despite my difficulty with the writing style, I enjoyed reading about each character’s background and learning more about how and why he/she came to Safe.
Another thing that I struggled with was Matthew’s love for Ariel. For most of the novel, I just couldn’t understand why he loved her so much and would risk so much for her, especially since it seemed that she didn’t reciprocate his feelings or affection. Towards the end of the book, I gained a better understanding of Ariel, but for the most part, I was annoyed by her constant running away and Matthew’s persistence in chasing her.
The book is set in Toronto, and as a Canadian, it always puts a little smile on my face to read about places I know and have really been to.
Despite my misgivings, I would recommend this book, if you are interested in urban fantasy and not put off by the writing style. The story is good, there is some action towards the end, and it addresses some very interesting topics, but be warned that this may not be an easy read (which, of course, does not mean that it isn’t worth reading – just that it took me by surprise).
On a final note, I would like to mention that this is the 100th book reviewed on Pingwing’s Bookshelf! I can’t wait to read and review the next hundred!
I heard (read?) a lot about this book in the last couple of months, through various blogs/book sites that I follow. I was excited to read it, initially. Here is an excerpt of the Kobo store’s summary:
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above–like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers. But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home – not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I was really looking forward to reading it, and urban fantasy is a new genre for me, so I was eager to try something a bit new. However, I just had such a hard time getting into this one, and that really disappointed me, since I was so excited to read this that it never occurred to me that I might not like it.
I think the idea is intriguing: Matthew is part of a group of people living underground, in a place known as Safe. They each have some sort of ability or physical characteristic that sets them apart from ‘normals’ ‘Above’ in the city, call themselves Freak, and have banded together to survive away from the Whitecoats (doctors) who they fear would harm them. For example, Matthew has scales down his back, Ariel grows wings and turns into a bee, and Whisper can hear and speak with ghosts. Some, like Matthew, can ‘pass’ (go Above and look and act ‘Normal’, because whatever makes them different, like Matthew’s scales, can be hidden), which means they are the ones to go up on supply runs.
I liked that there was no attempt to try to explain why the characters were the way they were – it’s just the way it is, very matter-of-fact that Jack has electricity running through him or that Atticus has crab claws.
So the premise really drew me in. But as soon as I started to read, I knew that I would struggle to get through this one, because the voice used by Matthew, who narrates the story, was so difficult to follow. I understand the logic behind writing him this way (he was born in Safe, so had no formal education or schooling, and therefore it wouldn’t make sense for him to have perfect English), but it felt so convoluted or stylized, and I found myself reading and then re-reading passages just to try to understand what Matthew was saying. While there were some beautiful passages, and while Matthew’s narration paints a picture, I also found that constantly trying to understand him really took me out of the story, and that frustrates me to no end. I just felt like I was missing something because I was always trying to understand what our narrator was saying.
However, if you can get past the style in which it’s written, you will see that the book addresses some topics that you might not expect to find in a YA novel. While they may not be a huge part of the story, the way the author revealed certain things about the characters at various points in the novel took me by surprise and made me see things a bit differently, and shed some light on hardships experienced by the characters (things such as gender, race, mental health issues). All of those living in Safe have been mistreated, abused, abandoned by people who are supposed to protect them, such as family or the health care system. Despite my difficulty with the writing style, I enjoyed reading about each character’s background and learning more about how and why he/she came to Safe.
Another thing that I struggled with was Matthew’s love for Ariel. For most of the novel, I just couldn’t understand why he loved her so much and would risk so much for her, especially since it seemed that she didn’t reciprocate his feelings or affection. Towards the end of the book, I gained a better understanding of Ariel, but for the most part, I was annoyed by her constant running away and Matthew’s persistence in chasing her.
The book is set in Toronto, and as a Canadian, it always puts a little smile on my face to read about places I know and have really been to.
Despite my misgivings, I would recommend this book, if you are interested in urban fantasy and not put off by the writing style. The story is good, there is some action towards the end, and it addresses some very interesting topics, but be warned that this may not be an easy read (which, of course, does not mean that it isn’t worth reading – just that it took me by surprise).
On a final note, I would like to mention that this is the 100th book reviewed on Pingwing’s Bookshelf! I can’t wait to read and review the next hundred!
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