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ec_newman's review against another edition
5.0
Original, fun and deep. And amazingly good female voice from a male author. I like the switching POV's. Faeries are light and dark in this, but it doesn't have the heaviness of holly black's faeries. But there is still some depth to the charcters as they grapple with life and death and who they are. Excellent.
drridareads's review against another edition
1.0
This book has so much going on and yet i was so dettached to it all.
Most of the things happen without mention like all of a sudden we find out about this Thomas guy being Imogene's boyfriend with absolutely no previous mention.
This book written is in alternative first person narrations but they all sound so similar and unreal.
Not once was I even worried about the main characters.
If you want to read great urban fantasy check out [b:Black Fall|25515445|Black Fall (The Black Year Series, Book 1)|D.J. Bodden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431980838s/25515445.jpg|45095892]
Most of the things happen without mention like all of a sudden we find out about this Thomas guy being Imogene's boyfriend with absolutely no previous mention.
This book written is in alternative first person narrations but they all sound so similar and unreal.
Not once was I even worried about the main characters.
If you want to read great urban fantasy check out [b:Black Fall|25515445|Black Fall (The Black Year Series, Book 1)|D.J. Bodden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431980838s/25515445.jpg|45095892]
audryt's review against another edition
4.0
There's a style of straight-forward writing that on a technical level either deeply impresses me or quickly bores me. In the case of THE BLUE GIRL, I found the writing so distancing and uninteresting I almost didn't make it past the first chapter. But it's not the book doing anything wrong; it's simply the direction I'm coming from as a reader. I have the same reaction to Neil Gaiman, whose books I never finish. What can I say? There you have it.
The story structure is engaging and solid, and the character are nicely fleshed-out. They go through satisfying character arcs and hands-down the best part is the climax, where everything you expected to happen gets turned completely upside-down on its head. It's the sort of ending that leaves you feeling like you've had so much *fun* you'll be bouncing around cheerfully for the rest of the week. For that alone, the book is worth reading.
Four stars for a job well done, in spite of the prose being "not my thing."
The story structure is engaging and solid, and the character are nicely fleshed-out. They go through satisfying character arcs and hands-down the best part is the climax, where everything you expected to happen gets turned completely upside-down on its head. It's the sort of ending that leaves you feeling like you've had so much *fun* you'll be bouncing around cheerfully for the rest of the week. For that alone, the book is worth reading.
Four stars for a job well done, in spite of the prose being "not my thing."
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good young adult novel. I didn't realize that was the target audience until I really got into it. Not as good as his "grown-up" work, but still good.
classicalyssa's review against another edition
5.0
This book was quite interesting. It kept me guessing.
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
3.0
I just finished rereading "The Blue Girl" for the first time in about four years (and unfortunately, only during this reading did I realize there are many, many more stories that take place in Newford). My favorite part about the story was Imogene's voice. She's brilliant and quirky and brave and fun, and of course, don't we all wish we were brilliant, quirky, brave and fun?
The adults--the parents, in particular, stood out to me as well. They weren't absentee parents, as is common in so many other YA books. Maxine's father didn't play much of a role in the story, and Imogene's father didn't at all, but both of their mothers featured relatively prominently. They were minor characters, of course, but what I like to call major-minor characters (as in, they show up and interact with major characters more than other minor characters). Maxine's mother even had her own character arch where she grew and began to recover from her divorce. It was interesting, because both mothers were very clearly supportive characters.
The best part of this story was when Imogene accepts the existence of fairies and realizes she hasn't been dreaming when she sees them. The reader already knew it, Maxine suspected, Christy knew it, Adrian knew it, Tommery knew it--it was totally common knowledge, and all that was left was for Imogene to discover her new reality. When she did, though--that one line ("It wasn't a dream.") was the single most chilling thing I've come across in I don't know how long. It was beautifully done, and it was a stroke of genius on Charles de Lint's part.
It was chilling because bad dreams aren't real. That's what everyone tells themselves, or each other, when we wake up in the middle of the night. "It's okay. It was only a dream. It's over now, it wasn't real. It was only a dream." But to discover that it wasn't just a dream, and that it isn't okay--that's one of the most horrifying things that can happen to someone.
After Imogene comes to that realization, though, the story drops off for a bit. It just isn't as exciting. The pace isn't kept up or anything; they're planning out how to defeat the bad guys and it's just unnecessary word fluff. I honestly got bored enough to think about quitting in the middle of the book, though I'm glad I stuck with it. The climax at the end is worth it.
The adults--the parents, in particular, stood out to me as well. They weren't absentee parents, as is common in so many other YA books. Maxine's father didn't play much of a role in the story, and Imogene's father didn't at all, but both of their mothers featured relatively prominently. They were minor characters, of course, but what I like to call major-minor characters (as in, they show up and interact with major characters more than other minor characters). Maxine's mother even had her own character arch where she grew and began to recover from her divorce. It was interesting, because both mothers were very clearly supportive characters.
The best part of this story was when Imogene accepts the existence of fairies and realizes she hasn't been dreaming when she sees them. The reader already knew it, Maxine suspected, Christy knew it, Adrian knew it, Tommery knew it--it was totally common knowledge, and all that was left was for Imogene to discover her new reality. When she did, though--that one line ("It wasn't a dream.") was the single most chilling thing I've come across in I don't know how long. It was beautifully done, and it was a stroke of genius on Charles de Lint's part.
It was chilling because bad dreams aren't real. That's what everyone tells themselves, or each other, when we wake up in the middle of the night. "It's okay. It was only a dream. It's over now, it wasn't real. It was only a dream." But to discover that it wasn't just a dream, and that it isn't okay--that's one of the most horrifying things that can happen to someone.
After Imogene comes to that realization, though, the story drops off for a bit. It just isn't as exciting. The pace isn't kept up or anything; they're planning out how to defeat the bad guys and it's just unnecessary word fluff. I honestly got bored enough to think about quitting in the middle of the book, though I'm glad I stuck with it. The climax at the end is worth it.
numinousspirit's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cstaude's review against another edition
5.0
What a great story about friendship and loyalty wrapped in a setting of urban fantasy!! This novel was intriguing from the first chapter. Imogene is a complex character who deals with life on her own terms. I loved seeing her help her friend Maxine bloom as a person! This is my first foray into the writing of Charles de Lint - and I will be reading more of his work!
vorsoisson's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful. I haven't read a de Lint YA novel before, but he pulls it off very well.
kingtess's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my absolute favorite books, by one of my favorite authors. I rarely pick up the same book twice, but I've read The Blue Girl at least four times. Imogene Yeck is a compelling character on her own, but I love Maxine, Pelly, Jared Yeck, even the twisted fairies. A wonderful, wonderful read.