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erika_chancla's review against another edition
5.0
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR EVERYONE TO READ!!!!!
I'm done & I couldn't be sadderđđđ. It was written so beautifully getting lost in the realms made it so much better! Jane painted beautiful pictures in my head as I was reading every word. There was times where I was so lost in book that coming back to reality felt weird and wanted to get lost in the book again!!! The way Emily overcomes what she's dealing with is so great. Emily's connection and raw emotions makes getting lost and invested in what's going on. Understanding the trauma of what she sufres makes it so much grater because you feel for her. I CANT WAIT TO GET THE SEOCND BOOK!!!!!! when it comes out because I need to know what happens to J and if the make it back to 1st realm. So many EMOTIONS!!! đđđŠđ¨đđ¤đŹđĄđđĄâď¸ LOVE IT!!!!!â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
I'm done & I couldn't be sadderđđđ. It was written so beautifully getting lost in the realms made it so much better! Jane painted beautiful pictures in my head as I was reading every word. There was times where I was so lost in book that coming back to reality felt weird and wanted to get lost in the book again!!! The way Emily overcomes what she's dealing with is so great. Emily's connection and raw emotions makes getting lost and invested in what's going on. Understanding the trauma of what she sufres makes it so much grater because you feel for her. I CANT WAIT TO GET THE SEOCND BOOK!!!!!! when it comes out because I need to know what happens to J and if the make it back to 1st realm. So many EMOTIONS!!! đđđŠđ¨đđ¤đŹđĄđđĄâď¸ LOVE IT!!!!!â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
drea_design's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book in a giveaway. I must congratulate the author for tackling such a hard subject. It was a little difficult to differentiate between the fantasy and reality but I think that may have been intentional. I seem to have been confused with the timeline of the book. Overall, a very interesting read.
wolfshine's review against another edition
5.0
Fantasy and magical realism are both genres that I enjoy so this clever mix of both was absolutely captivating.
Emily feels as if sheâs losing her mind. When markings start to appear in her skin, she doesnât know what to think or do. She tries to go about life as normal but as more things appear, she realizes she canât ignore it. As sheâs slowly plunged into a fantasy world, she realizes she has power. And sheâs determined to learn how to use it to protect those closest to her.
Once I started listening to this book, it was very hard to stop. I tried to listen to the entire thing in one sitting because it was just that good. The characters were immersive and so was the worldbuilding. Beautiful blend of suspense of drama.
Itâs always interesting to listen to audiobooks narrated by the author themselves. Jane did a fantastic job of bringing her characters to life, giving them a depth not possible by reading alone.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Emily feels as if sheâs losing her mind. When markings start to appear in her skin, she doesnât know what to think or do. She tries to go about life as normal but as more things appear, she realizes she canât ignore it. As sheâs slowly plunged into a fantasy world, she realizes she has power. And sheâs determined to learn how to use it to protect those closest to her.
Once I started listening to this book, it was very hard to stop. I tried to listen to the entire thing in one sitting because it was just that good. The characters were immersive and so was the worldbuilding. Beautiful blend of suspense of drama.
Itâs always interesting to listen to audiobooks narrated by the author themselves. Jane did a fantastic job of bringing her characters to life, giving them a depth not possible by reading alone.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
wsking's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Dark story told by an unreliable narrator. Hard to put down.
cmakin17's review against another edition
5.0
Riven is a fictional tale that follows seventeen year old Emily as she struggles to separate fantasy from reality while trying to make peace with the suppressed tragedies of her youth. With her father away in prison and her mother battling a depression induced drug addition, Emily begins to strain under the pressure of caring for her 3 younger siblings. Emily starts to lose herself in a fantasy world, in which she has trouble deciphering if it is her imaginationâs creation or an alternate magical universe weaved into her life. Even as a reader, it was sometimes difficult to tell the difference. Although it was occasionally hard to take the fantasy world full of fairies seriously, the way Jane Alvey Harris interlaces the two worlds creates a great balance â the harsh reality of rough life and the childlike unbelievable fantasy world. Not only an entertaining novel, Riven also provides an accurate picture of how people learn to suppress and cope with the trauma of their youth.
auntbreesqreads's review against another edition
2.0
I read a free copy through Kidlitexchange. I did not love it.
kyleh's review against another edition
5.0
Riven brings you into the mind of Emily, a teenage girl who is trying to hold her family together while her dad is in prison and her mom is trying to cope with depression and a pill addiction. While trying to cope with her responsibilities and hormone Emily also deals with visions of a fairy world in trouble. Join Emily on a journey of trying to determine what is real and what is Emily trying to cope with abuse that she hides from herself and everyone around her. Jane Alvey Harris does a great job of weaving a tale with fairyâs that is in no way a fairy tale and will keep you guessing at what is real and what are hallucinations. If you like the average person in the US knows someone who has suffered from childhood abuse or has suffered yourself this story will bring up tons of emotions and at times is hard to read/listen to. This is a testament to the writing ability of Jane Harris but please be aware of the trigger warning in the authorâs description. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
victoriakc's review against another edition
2.0
The more I think about this book, the less I like it.
I was very intrigued about it and the magical worldbut then it was a story she made up because of her abuse? I would not consider this sci fi or fantasy. I don't like contemporary books and prefer reading about magic and epic things because it is my escape from the world.
I was very intrigued about it and the magical world
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: YA Fantasy/Contemporary
Recommended Age: 18+ (trigger warnings for child molestation, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Language and violence)
Pages: 326
Author Website
Amazon Link
I received a copy of this book courtesy of KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Which reality would you choose? Seventeen year-old Emilyâs dad is in prison for securities fraud and her mom's strung-out on pain meds, leaving Emily to parent herself and her younger brothers and sister. Sheâs got things mostly under control until a couple weeks before Dadâs release, when voices start whispering in her head, and Gabe, the hot lifeguard at the pool, notices the strange brands engraved on her arm...the ones she's trying desperately to hide. Emily doesn't know how the symbols got there or what they mean. They appeared overnight and now they're infected and bleeding. She's pretty sure she's losing her mind. Stress, insomnia, and her wounded egos drive Emily to self-medicate, which has to be why the nightmares from her childhood have resurfaced, why they're commandeering her conscious even when she's awake. It has to be why the fairytale creatures she created as a little girl insist they need her help. Triggered by the return of her childhood abuser and unable to cope with reality, Emily slips completely inside her elaborate fantasy world. She's powerful in the First Realm, maybe even more powerful than her attacker. It would be so easy to stay there, to lose herself in enchantment...to lose herself in love. But something sinister lurks in the forest shadows. Emily soon discovers her demons have followed her inside her fairytale. They're hunting her. With the help of the Fae, she frantically searches for the weapons she needs to defeat her greatest fears and escape back to reality before the man who tortured her can prey on her younger brothers and sister, too. Time is running out...
Well I didnât want to sleep at all this weekend after I finished this book. Deep, personal, and disturbing all in one, this book weaves a beautiful tale about a girl who retreats into a fantasy world as a stress response when her abusive father is being released from prison⌠or is it? Is she dreaming or is it real? Thatâs the question youâll ask yourself throughout the book. The plot of this book is certainly intriguing as itâs a mystery the reader is constantly trying to solve and the pacing is well done.
However, I felt that the world building of the book could have been better, for both the real and the fantasy world. The dissent into the fantasy world comes unexpectedly and the writing doesnât help the transition. It really takes the reader a few minutes to realize which world I was in. And beyond Emilyâs own development (which arguably doesnât really get resolved in the end) none of the other characters are developed.
Verdict: If youâre really into psychology and/or like reading about mental illness then this book may be for you. However, itâs not for the faint of heart so please take measure to care for yourself if you read this book.
Genre: YA Fantasy/Contemporary
Recommended Age: 18+ (trigger warnings for child molestation, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Language and violence)
Pages: 326
Author Website
Amazon Link
I received a copy of this book courtesy of KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Which reality would you choose? Seventeen year-old Emilyâs dad is in prison for securities fraud and her mom's strung-out on pain meds, leaving Emily to parent herself and her younger brothers and sister. Sheâs got things mostly under control until a couple weeks before Dadâs release, when voices start whispering in her head, and Gabe, the hot lifeguard at the pool, notices the strange brands engraved on her arm...the ones she's trying desperately to hide. Emily doesn't know how the symbols got there or what they mean. They appeared overnight and now they're infected and bleeding. She's pretty sure she's losing her mind. Stress, insomnia, and her wounded egos drive Emily to self-medicate, which has to be why the nightmares from her childhood have resurfaced, why they're commandeering her conscious even when she's awake. It has to be why the fairytale creatures she created as a little girl insist they need her help. Triggered by the return of her childhood abuser and unable to cope with reality, Emily slips completely inside her elaborate fantasy world. She's powerful in the First Realm, maybe even more powerful than her attacker. It would be so easy to stay there, to lose herself in enchantment...to lose herself in love. But something sinister lurks in the forest shadows. Emily soon discovers her demons have followed her inside her fairytale. They're hunting her. With the help of the Fae, she frantically searches for the weapons she needs to defeat her greatest fears and escape back to reality before the man who tortured her can prey on her younger brothers and sister, too. Time is running out...
Well I didnât want to sleep at all this weekend after I finished this book. Deep, personal, and disturbing all in one, this book weaves a beautiful tale about a girl who retreats into a fantasy world as a stress response when her abusive father is being released from prison⌠or is it? Is she dreaming or is it real? Thatâs the question youâll ask yourself throughout the book. The plot of this book is certainly intriguing as itâs a mystery the reader is constantly trying to solve and the pacing is well done.
However, I felt that the world building of the book could have been better, for both the real and the fantasy world. The dissent into the fantasy world comes unexpectedly and the writing doesnât help the transition. It really takes the reader a few minutes to realize which world I was in. And beyond Emilyâs own development (which arguably doesnât really get resolved in the end) none of the other characters are developed.
Verdict: If youâre really into psychology and/or like reading about mental illness then this book may be for you. However, itâs not for the faint of heart so please take measure to care for yourself if you read this book.
amekatz's review against another edition
5.0
Riven is a delightful book for any fantasy genre reader. Jane Alvey Harris slips from reality to fantasy and back again so seamlessly it sometimes takes a few seconds to figure out which world Emily is in. Harris deals with the horrid crime of child abuse in such a way that is both subtle and yet unmistakable. Her descriptions are so bright and colorful it brings the fairy world right to the reader. I enjoyed the book greatly, and it was with a great sigh that I finished the last page. I'm definitely eager to read the next volume.