Tag Archives: contemporary

Mini Reviews: Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Boy With 2 Heads

Well, that was a long blog post title…

This post was intended to go up yesterday! However, I went to see Susan Cooper and Marcus Sedgwick in conversation last night- so I didn’t have time to finish and publish it. ): (The event was great, though! I may write a post on it soon).

Anyway, today I have two very different books for Halloween Reads! One I enjoyed, one… not so, unfortunately ): I’ll start with the mostly negative review, to get that out of the way!

The Boy with Two Heads The Boy With 2 Heads by Andy Mulligan: Oh, why didn’t I like this! The synopsis and cover made it look so good; a really outrageously strange novel. I’m including it here, because it has some horror-fiction aspects, too….

I enjoyed this in a few ways; the idea was original, and explained in a way that it was made scarily realistic. The characters, apart from the second head, I liked. They all had well developed back-stories, which was great! The story started off well, and the book was reasonably short- I sped through it over my weekend at the Bath Lit Fest. However, I just couldn’t get on with the book, and I really don’t know why. The boy’s second head annoyed me- and even thought that was the point of the book, pretty much, I just really wanted to put the book down because of him. There’s having a dis-likable character, and then there’s having a character who’s just plain offensive sometimes. I didn’t really like him (head number two) because of the things he’d blurt out- I thought this was a children’s book, but evidently not.

Plot wise it was quite enjoyable… There were clever links to references from earlier in the story… but I really didn’t see how some things matched up. So much was packed into this rather small book, and I felt a bit overwhelmed at all the events going on and having to track all of them (I was reading this on train journeys, etc.!). IN fact, after about 30%, it felt liked the end of the book as this big event had happened and I thought This would be a good place for it to finish. But it just seemed a bit too dragged-out for me :(. I’m sure others will enjoy it, though!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: This was a really interesting read. I’ve never read anything by Ray Bradbury before (I know! THE HORROR.) and so I was really excited to start one of his titles (Though I did watch the movie of this- years ago!). I thought this would be a fitting one! I really enjoyed reading it- though, at points, I found myself unable to get into the story. I’m not sure why that was- though I have been in a little bit of a reading slump lately, so maybe that’s why… I really did love Bradbury’s writing, though. At points I didn’t, but wholly I loved his style and his unique ways of building up tension. His protagonists, James and Will, had interesting back stories- especially with the one-born-one-minute-before-one-born-one-minute-after-Halloween-night aspect. I couldn’t relate to them that much, however. Overall though, it was a great, eerie story! I loved the idea for the book; of a carousel that can reduce or increase your age, depending on the way it’s going. Also, the circus members were very creepy, especially Mr Dark. He sent shivers up my spine! I’m not sure if a reason I couldn’t get into this as much as I wanted was because I was reading this in small snippets of time between lessons at school. I’ll have to re-read this whenever I can, to see if I can enjoy it more!

My Ratings:

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to The Boy With 2 Heads

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to Something Wicked This Way Comes

I recieved a copy of The Boy with 2 Head from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for a review, and I borrowed *COUGH* stole *COUGH* Something Wicked This Way comes from my dad’s bookshelf 🙂

She Is Not Invisible

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By Marcus Sedgwick, published by Orion.

She Is Not Invisible Goodreads Synopsis: Laureth Peak’s father is a writer. For years he’s been trying, and failing, to write a novel about coincidence. His wife thinks he’s obsessed, Laureth thinks he’s on the verge of a breakdown.He’s supposed to be doing research in Austria, so when his notebook shows up in New York, Laureth knows something is wrong.

On impulse she steals her mother’s credit card and heads for the States, taking her strange little brother Benjamin with her. Reunited with the notebook, they begin to follow clues inside, trying to find their wayward father. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old.

Because Laureth Peak is blind.

My Review: She Is Not Invisible is one of those books that was stuck in my head for ages after reading the last page. It was such a beautiful, gripping story, and I just wanted to read it over an dover again! Marcus Sedgwick creates such magical, mesmerising stories, and She Is Not Invisible is definitely one of his best yet.

The idea for this story is so original! It’s one of those rare ideas that you come across, that’s never been done before. It doesn’t seem to have taken any inspiration from anything, making it so unique in a world where a lot of books are following genre trends at the moment. Laureth’s dad has disappeared, and Laureth has run away to New York, taking her little brother with her for guidance, as her mum is away and doesn’t believe he’s in danger… and Laureth is blind. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where a blind character has taken the lead role before, aside from in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. One of the reasons that I loved this story is because of the main character, as I admired her bravery to set out into an unknown world!

The main theme of the book was Coincidence, which was a very individual theme. I’ve never read a book based around something like Coincidence before, and wasn’t sure how it would go. It was so clever! One of the things this book had me wondering about after I’d finished was whether coincidences were real… and whether the stuff in Laureth’s dad’s notebook could come true… *shiver*

One word to describe the plot? Misleading. There were loads of twists and turns to this book that I was not expecting! The story was complex, but not confusing, and a really enjoyable read. I was on the edge of my seat, totally hooked on the story as Laureth and Benjamin were searching their way around New York, with a notebook full of terrifying notes on a cult with ties to mysterious coincidences. I was so scared for the characters, and very interested about the places they were led to- Edgar Allan Poe’s house, for one! I could also visualise them really well in New York, as I’ve been there before, and so it was really easy for me to slip into their shoes. Even if you haven’t been there, Sedgwick’s writing will transport you into their world, and make you feel like you don’t want to come out.

Laureth, as I’ve already said, was a really brave character. I know that Marcus spent a lot of time with blind peoplee, so he could get experiences correct. I’m pretty sure he got it spot on. It was so interesting to be in Laureth’s shoes, to imagine what it was like to travel halfway across the world to find a father when you’re only relying on four senses. Not only was she brave, but she was also very realistic. Benjamin was, too; her little brother who she took with her! He was so sweet and obeying, and I just loved him to bits. Both of them were so great! (Also, there’s a pretty funny background to Laureth’s name- Marcus, is that how you came up with it??).

Ah, I’ve ranted on too much about this! So I’ll wrap up now, but I could go on forever about this book… Overall, it was an amazing read, and very unique, too. A thrilling search for a lost father, who’s obsessed with an idea for a story? It was just so great! Laureth was a brilliant leading character who anyone will connect to. She Is Not Invisible is written so well, and I definitely think this book’s going to be big. Sedgwick fans, grab a copy now! Or if you’re someone looking for a read that’ll blow you away, you go grab a copy now, too! (: (Bonus: the cover is really pretty) It’s hard to compare this to anything… I can’t recommend this enough.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of She Is Not Invisible from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Are We There Yet?

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By David Levithan, published by HarperCollins.

Are We There Yet? Goodreads Synopsis: Danny isn’t used to having something in common with Elijah, however slight. Their last name is the rope that ties them together.

Danny and Elijah’s lives could not be more different. But a journey together sweeps them up in the romance, wonder and breathtaking beauty of Italy. And falling in love opens their eyes to the distance that’s grown between them.

Can one girl remind them of want it means to be brothers?

My Review: Are We There Yet? is a very interesting read, that I really enjoyed. It was original and thought provoking, though some points let it down a bit, I think… though it’s probably not the same for everyone!

The story starts with two brothers- Danny and Elijah. They’re like Yin and Yang. They’re the opposite. And then they’re both flown off to Italy together by their mum, who claims she and her husband can’t go because of his bad leg. Though it’s obvious that she just wants them to bond! From realising that, I could just tell that this novel was going to be pretty tense- and I was right. Scenes between the two brothers were most often very awkward and tense, and while it was pretty funny at points, it dragged out and slowed down the pace by a little in others. I got the wrong idea of the book at first: The plane journey to Italy took up a good few chapters, and including the two boys getting to know this girl who sat with them. I thought that the whole book would be that one plane journey, and that girl as the love interest, but then Levithan shocked me by dropping her and introducing another, in Italy!

As the story progressed I honestly had no idea where the plot would go. Danny and Elijah were portrayed with such different personalities that I found it hard to decide who Julia, the said love interest, would end up with by the end of the book. The ending to the love story woven into the tale of friendship was really quite shocking!

The writing style was a bit too unfamiliar for me. I’ve read books in the present tense before, of course, but this carried some real simplicity to it. There were no vivid descriptions, no detailing- the story was just stripped down to the actions and the speech. Whilst that made for a really different reading experience, I also ended up reading a bit too fast, as I couldn’t really match the pace of the short (sometimes, line-long) chapters! I suppose it’s a great read though, for if you’re traveling like Danny and Elijah: The chapters are short and manageable- you could fit time to read them in any day!

Danny is a businessman. He’s always looking for potential work, and even on holiday, he’s desperately checking everything to make sure nothing has gone wrong without him, in America. Elijah, on the other hand, is such a different person. He’s a carefree guy, younger than Danny, who hangs out smoking with friends frequently. David Levithan has made it so hard for me to choose a favourite character! Both of the boys had such loveable things about them, but things you could hate them for too. I think Julia had to be my favourite character, in the end. She was unique, and reminded me a little of Alaska from John Green’s novel!

Overall, Are We There Yet? was a very unique read, that I enjoyed reading. Although I found the writing style a little unusual, it suited the book perfectly. The characters are all really unique, and I loved following their adventures and love story in the rather romantic setting of Italy. The plot was great- original, hugely entertaining, and carried heart-warming themes of being brothers and how one girl can bring two brothers together in unexpected ways. I’d really recommend it as a holiday read!

My Rating: I found it SO hard to rate this book. This rating seems low, though it’s actually a good rating, trust me! 🙂

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I received a copy of Are We There Yet? from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.