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basilkumquat's review against another edition
2.0
I know that this book is fantasy, but it was hard to believe. Marlena is a healer, and her mother is controlling, full of business cunning, and regulates her towards living a life more or less like a nun.
One day, Marlena is tired of it all and goes from wearing long white nightgowns and never being hugged to wearing bikinis (somehow also learning how to swim immediately), going to parties, and getting a boyfriend.
Somehow we are expected to believe that her mother loves her and isn't using her, while also essentially keeping her locked up. We're also supposed to believe that when Marlena decides to take a break from healing that her mom gives her everything she wants. Clearly the author does not know what controlling people are like.
Then, "God" gets mad that she has taken a few weeks off from healing and her gift is gone. What a great coincidence to serve the plot and her self-doubt!
From one extreme to another is the theme of this book. And for what? To accept that contradictory things can exist together? To be yourself?
This book would have been much better if the world was more magical, or if the healing thing had been removed entirely. Other than the mention of a few other test subjects, there is no magic. Marlena came off as a closeted, naive girl who has been celebrated but also isolated. More than once I was reminded of Rapunzel, if her evil "mother" had somehow been raking in money and fame while keeping her away. Removing the magical element entirely would at least make for a more believable conflict between family expectations and coming of age.
One day, Marlena is tired of it all and goes from wearing long white nightgowns and never being hugged to wearing bikinis (somehow also learning how to swim immediately), going to parties, and getting a boyfriend.
Somehow we are expected to believe that her mother loves her and isn't using her, while also essentially keeping her locked up. We're also supposed to believe that when Marlena decides to take a break from healing that her mom gives her everything she wants. Clearly the author does not know what controlling people are like.
Then, "God" gets mad that she has taken a few weeks off from healing and her gift is gone. What a great coincidence to serve the plot and her self-doubt!
From one extreme to another is the theme of this book. And for what? To accept that contradictory things can exist together? To be yourself?
This book would have been much better if the world was more magical, or if the healing thing had been removed entirely. Other than the mention of a few other test subjects, there is no magic. Marlena came off as a closeted, naive girl who has been celebrated but also isolated. More than once I was reminded of Rapunzel, if her evil "mother" had somehow been raking in money and fame while keeping her away. Removing the magical element entirely would at least make for a more believable conflict between family expectations and coming of age.
aurahwhitethorne's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out GREAT, super intriguing, but I got so bored towards the end and just didn’t care what was happening to the characters anymore. Cool concept, pacing was weird.
kaylastivers's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
tjlcody's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely liked this one.
The mother and those townspeople (I'm blanking on the name of the lady with the store full of stuff modeled on Marlena) absolutely disgusted me. It was so goddamn cathartic to see Marlena give them the business. You exploit a child all her life and the LEAST you deserve is to get screamed at. IRL I'd like to think CPS would be all over this shit.
The mother and those townspeople (I'm blanking on the name of the lady with the store full of stuff modeled on Marlena) absolutely disgusted me. It was so goddamn cathartic to see Marlena give them the business. You exploit a child all her life and the LEAST you deserve is to get screamed at. IRL I'd like to think CPS would be all over this shit.
tiareleine's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The Healer was an enjoyable read. I don’t have a lot of thoughts about it at the moment, but not because it wasn’t though-provoking.
paistay_63's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
booksandel's review against another edition
2.0
Not bad per se just definitely not for me. Maybe if you're more of the religious type and do well with typical YA romance, this might hit the spot but for sure not for me.
oliviagrace982's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is really good, it was one of those books that got me thinking which I really like. I felt like I could understand Marlena and what she was going through. I almost cried towards the end, it was quite sad, but also like hopeful, like there was more to the story that wasn't there IN A GOOD WAY I have no idea how to describe it. Like it ended in such a way that was beautiful and hopeful but like bittersweet.
awexis's review against another edition
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I can't. I just can't seem to finish this book. It's boring me so much it took this long for me to DNF this. So, yeah, I'm not rating this cause that seems unfair of me if I didn't even finish it.
I can't. I just can't seem to finish this book. It's boring me so much it took this long for me to DNF this. So, yeah, I'm not rating this cause that seems unfair of me if I didn't even finish it.
bookishgeek's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to first of all express thanks to Lili over at Utopia State of Mind for her ARC Adoption Program! If you have a hard time getting physical ARCs and are interested in receiving one in exchange for an honest review, she has some great ARCs looking for a loving home on this page - all you do is pay shipping. Her copy of The Healer made its way to me and I absolutely loved it. Thank you again Lili!
As I've mentioned in prior reviews this month, I lost my paternal grandmother - my most dearly beloved family member outside of my parents - to a brain bleed. I spent some time as I sat in the hospital beside her, absentmindedly stroking her hand with my thumb as we waited for the swelling to take her from us. While I sat there, my family talked about "saving" her - was it possible? Could we? She'd signed a DNR and was firm about her time to go being time to go - this was about her, not us, wasn't it? If we could save her ... should we?
Books have managed to hit me when I need them this month, and The Healer is no exception as it tackles this concept with aplomb.
Rating:
Marlena Oliviera is 18 years old. But she's never seen the inside of a school, nor a movie theater. She's never driven a car, swam in the ocean, bought anything from the store, gone to a dance, worn anything other than a plain, white bridal gown. Marlena is painfully sheltered, but it's for what she assumes is a good reason: she is a healer.
Ever since she was too small to understand - too small to comprehend what she was doing as she saved her mother's life, as her grandparents and father passed away - Marlena has had the power to lay her hands on people and heal them of their ailments. She can see through their pain and suffering when she touches them, and somehow draws out the illness, purges it. Her life changed drastically from the moment her mother learned of this - she moved herself and Marlena into a mansion by the sea, Marlena sees audiences each Saturday to heal believers. The local stores and shops sell images of Marlena on everything from t-shirts to kites, and to Marlena this is just how life is, how it works.
And then one day, a researcher visits her audience, asks her to come visit her lab ... and Marlena does something she's never done before: steps a toe out of line, disobeys her mother's wishes, and has her driver Jose take her to this lab. And there she meets a young, handsome assistant named Finn - her world comes crashing down around her and will never be the same from that moment on.
Marlena's is a coming of age story, but it's also a story of faith, of hope. Through Marlena's eyes - her naive, young, innocent eyes - we see the cruelty of the world at large. We see her crisis of faith - is there a God? Is that where her abilities come from? And if there is a god and these are His abilities, why is she the one who drew the straw and has to deal with them? What if she doesn't want these "powers" any more? What then?
Marlena's desires are so tangible, you feel the same longing she does - to walk down the street and not be spotted and called out to. She wishes to be anonymous for just one day, to eat ice cream and walk along the shoreline, to buy girly magazines at the gas station and wear a cute summer dress and go swimming with the high school boys. But her mother insists on her leading this austere existence, and Marlena begrudgingly likens herself to the saints she cherishes - this is her calling from God on high, so she must bear the burdens associated with it.
We never do learn exactly why, or how, Marlena received her healing powers. But through her growing relationship with Finn she learns so much about herself, her mettle and her worth. The goal of the story is not to explain away Marlena's abilities as you might have previously believed - rather, it's to issue us a challenge: if you had the ability to heal and you wished it away, how far would you go to get it back for the ones you love? And what if they didn't want to be healed?
This story is heavy for a young adult book, but unlike John Green (don't get me started), Ms. Freitas handles the concepts of illness and death with such poise and buttery-yellow prose that I could have stayed submerged in this story forever - it never felt like 400 pages at any point, and we all know sometimes it can draaaaag. I highly recommend this to anyone who ever did believe: past, present or future.
As I've mentioned in prior reviews this month, I lost my paternal grandmother - my most dearly beloved family member outside of my parents - to a brain bleed. I spent some time as I sat in the hospital beside her, absentmindedly stroking her hand with my thumb as we waited for the swelling to take her from us. While I sat there, my family talked about "saving" her - was it possible? Could we? She'd signed a DNR and was firm about her time to go being time to go - this was about her, not us, wasn't it? If we could save her ... should we?
Books have managed to hit me when I need them this month, and The Healer is no exception as it tackles this concept with aplomb.
Rating:
How I'd Describe This Book to a Friend
Marlena Oliviera is 18 years old. But she's never seen the inside of a school, nor a movie theater. She's never driven a car, swam in the ocean, bought anything from the store, gone to a dance, worn anything other than a plain, white bridal gown. Marlena is painfully sheltered, but it's for what she assumes is a good reason: she is a healer.
Ever since she was too small to understand - too small to comprehend what she was doing as she saved her mother's life, as her grandparents and father passed away - Marlena has had the power to lay her hands on people and heal them of their ailments. She can see through their pain and suffering when she touches them, and somehow draws out the illness, purges it. Her life changed drastically from the moment her mother learned of this - she moved herself and Marlena into a mansion by the sea, Marlena sees audiences each Saturday to heal believers. The local stores and shops sell images of Marlena on everything from t-shirts to kites, and to Marlena this is just how life is, how it works.
And then one day, a researcher visits her audience, asks her to come visit her lab ... and Marlena does something she's never done before: steps a toe out of line, disobeys her mother's wishes, and has her driver Jose take her to this lab. And there she meets a young, handsome assistant named Finn - her world comes crashing down around her and will never be the same from that moment on.
The Bottom Line
Marlena's is a coming of age story, but it's also a story of faith, of hope. Through Marlena's eyes - her naive, young, innocent eyes - we see the cruelty of the world at large. We see her crisis of faith - is there a God? Is that where her abilities come from? And if there is a god and these are His abilities, why is she the one who drew the straw and has to deal with them? What if she doesn't want these "powers" any more? What then?
Marlena's desires are so tangible, you feel the same longing she does - to walk down the street and not be spotted and called out to. She wishes to be anonymous for just one day, to eat ice cream and walk along the shoreline, to buy girly magazines at the gas station and wear a cute summer dress and go swimming with the high school boys. But her mother insists on her leading this austere existence, and Marlena begrudgingly likens herself to the saints she cherishes - this is her calling from God on high, so she must bear the burdens associated with it.
We never do learn exactly why, or how, Marlena received her healing powers. But through her growing relationship with Finn she learns so much about herself, her mettle and her worth. The goal of the story is not to explain away Marlena's abilities as you might have previously believed - rather, it's to issue us a challenge: if you had the ability to heal and you wished it away, how far would you go to get it back for the ones you love? And what if they didn't want to be healed?
This story is heavy for a young adult book, but unlike John Green (don't get me started), Ms. Freitas handles the concepts of illness and death with such poise and buttery-yellow prose that I could have stayed submerged in this story forever - it never felt like 400 pages at any point, and we all know sometimes it can draaaaag. I highly recommend this to anyone who ever did believe: past, present or future.