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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
I remembered Fracture being all over the blogosphere back before I really took an interest in young adult. I picked up a copy after reading Hysteria, and both books do a similar thing; they tread along a line of explainable and supernatural, leaving you not too sure which it is all the way through the story. Hysteria does the better job of this and it’s good to see Megan Miranda improving. What it does mean is I think I would have enjoyed Fracture more if I had read it first.
There’s some fantastic passages and pieces of writing throughout the pages, but it’s the glue that holds them together that needs work. The pace slowed in the middle and it lost a lot of the tension it needed (but does return in the final chapters). Troy’s character wasn’t very well developed. He appears out of nowhere and has an interesting story. He should be tragic, we should feel conflicted about him, but at the end I was just meh about his fate. The male best friend plot is a bit predictable too.
Good things? The medical side felt reasonably believable and wasn’t skimmed over. Although would doctors really discuss their patients in earshot all the time? I could understand it more when she was in a coma, but conscious? Delaney ponders what makes her human, what kept her brain going when it shouldn’t have. Her relationship with her mother becomes fraught. Her mother thought she had lost a daughter once and then is faced with the horror of losing her to something else, perhaps the brain damage has irreparably taken Delaney away. Glimpses into her background show that there’s more than one way to be trapped.
And that feeling of being trapped is central to the story. First she is trapped under the ice, then by the coma. She is strapped down to stop herself harming others, but when she is free she feels trapped by her parents, by the drugs she is supposed to take. She hates the idea of there being something wrong with her that will return her to a hospital bed, unable to move or make her own choices.
There’s some fantastic passages and pieces of writing throughout the pages, but it’s the glue that holds them together that needs work. The pace slowed in the middle and it lost a lot of the tension it needed (but does return in the final chapters). Troy’s character wasn’t very well developed. He appears out of nowhere and has an interesting story. He should be tragic, we should feel conflicted about him, but at the end I was just meh about his fate. The male best friend plot is a bit predictable too.
Good things? The medical side felt reasonably believable and wasn’t skimmed over. Although would doctors really discuss their patients in earshot all the time? I could understand it more when she was in a coma, but conscious? Delaney ponders what makes her human, what kept her brain going when it shouldn’t have. Her relationship with her mother becomes fraught. Her mother thought she had lost a daughter once and then is faced with the horror of losing her to something else, perhaps the brain damage has irreparably taken Delaney away. Glimpses into her background show that there’s more than one way to be trapped.
And that feeling of being trapped is central to the story. First she is trapped under the ice, then by the coma. She is strapped down to stop herself harming others, but when she is free she feels trapped by her parents, by the drugs she is supposed to take. She hates the idea of there being something wrong with her that will return her to a hospital bed, unable to move or make her own choices.
OK, Ruby's a bit annoying, but her attitude and unpreparedness for the situation is kinda realistic. She's only 15 after all. We can't all be able to save the world and be mature at that age ;) Full review to follow.
Pam and her husband split up after their son died. But now he is dying and he requests her presence in his California home, the home bought with the money he made from her misery. He wrote a book and didn’t paint Pam in the best light. Yet she still goes to him, she can’t wait to see the smirk wiped off his face…
Cold, Cold Heart is a long short story which shows off Karin Slaughter’s wicked streak. It’s a battle to have the last word and a peek into the mad ideas people get to prolong their life. Whilst it’s not necessarily crime, it’s twisty and turny in Pam’s mind and the perfect reading material for a lunch break. No having to put the story down before it finishes! Karin’s shorter works always seem to have fairly unlikable characters but I still find a side to take. I wonder if she does this because she knows we wouldn't stay with them for a whole novel, but a short story is just the right amount of time before you get annoyed with them.
Cold, Cold Heart is a long short story which shows off Karin Slaughter’s wicked streak. It’s a battle to have the last word and a peek into the mad ideas people get to prolong their life. Whilst it’s not necessarily crime, it’s twisty and turny in Pam’s mind and the perfect reading material for a lunch break. No having to put the story down before it finishes! Karin’s shorter works always seem to have fairly unlikable characters but I still find a side to take. I wonder if she does this because she knows we wouldn't stay with them for a whole novel, but a short story is just the right amount of time before you get annoyed with them.
Review to follow. I'm still waiting to be blown away by Mr Green's writing...
I love Lucy's writing. She makes me laugh and cry. Full review to follow.
Landline is a story about growing apart and the compromises of marriage. It’s easy to relate to the characters, although which such a large YA audience, I wonder if all her fans will feel the same. It is a much older feeling book. It’s about an established relationship with its wobbles and balancing work life and home life. And if there’s one thing Rainbow does well, it’s realistic relationships.
The time travel landline was perhaps a bit gimmicky; it’s a bit hard to believe Neal didn’t ask more questions. Unlike Eleanor & Park and Attachments, there wasn’t a sense of nostalgia connected to the past. Instead the past represents a time without baggage, a chance for Georgie to remember the good times and maybe fix what’s gone wrong since.
I felt a bit sorry for Seth. He seems like such an amazing friend and Neal gives him a hard time, not to mention Georgie starting to flake out on him workwise. They had such a huge opportunity and I understand her choices. They’ll have loads of Christmases together in future, there’s just one where she needs to work, to make a difference. I though Neal was a tad selfish but there is clearly a whole load of backstory there and I became a little more accepting of his decision later on.
Review copy provided by publisher.
The time travel landline was perhaps a bit gimmicky; it’s a bit hard to believe Neal didn’t ask more questions. Unlike Eleanor & Park and Attachments, there wasn’t a sense of nostalgia connected to the past. Instead the past represents a time without baggage, a chance for Georgie to remember the good times and maybe fix what’s gone wrong since.
I felt a bit sorry for Seth. He seems like such an amazing friend and Neal gives him a hard time, not to mention Georgie starting to flake out on him workwise. They had such a huge opportunity and I understand her choices. They’ll have loads of Christmases together in future, there’s just one where she needs to work, to make a difference. I though Neal was a tad selfish but there is clearly a whole load of backstory there and I became a little more accepting of his decision later on.
Review copy provided by publisher.
Tinder is a retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson tale, The Tinderbox, told through the eyes of a soldier who walked away from the horrors of war. The original tale had a soldier too, but in true fairy tale fashion, I don’t think it lingered on his mental state too long and the dogs, now wolves, are turned into more complicated characters. It is also beautifully illustrated by David Roberts.
I wasn’t very familiar with the original tale, but even if you are I suspect you will still be surprised. Sally Gardner’s an excellent storyteller and it keeps the feeling of a folk tale, but with dark turns. It’s probably not for younger children (the first page has a pretty scary illustration for starters) but it will charm older children and adults alike.
The red cloak is a powerful symbol. With the wolf aspect, it may remind you of Little Red Riding Hood, but in my mind, it’s also the girl from Schindler’s List and the creepiness from Don’t Look Now. It really helps to have this illustrated in this case, as the colour is such a visual thing, especially against the greys. There's one page which is just dripping with blood. And the illustrations are wonderful and creepy and make the book worthwhile even if you’re not that fussed about the story. Honestly, I wish more books were like this.
I wasn’t very familiar with the original tale, but even if you are I suspect you will still be surprised. Sally Gardner’s an excellent storyteller and it keeps the feeling of a folk tale, but with dark turns. It’s probably not for younger children (the first page has a pretty scary illustration for starters) but it will charm older children and adults alike.
The red cloak is a powerful symbol. With the wolf aspect, it may remind you of Little Red Riding Hood, but in my mind, it’s also the girl from Schindler’s List and the creepiness from Don’t Look Now. It really helps to have this illustrated in this case, as the colour is such a visual thing, especially against the greys. There's one page which is just dripping with blood. And the illustrations are wonderful and creepy and make the book worthwhile even if you’re not that fussed about the story. Honestly, I wish more books were like this.