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blue_ant24. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
I absolutely loved this book. I thought the plot, writing and characters were quite good. I found it easy to follow, tense and I could not finish it fast enough. I can't wait for the second book, and while I understand that people didn't like the way it ended, I thought it fit well with the rest of the book. I felt, when I finished, that Ness did a good job of explaining just what we needed to know and no more. My only complaint is that it took so long for Todd to learn the truth, but of course we find out why later and it makes pretty decent sense. Ness also did a great job making us feel for Todd. Not only are we settled into his point of view, but sometimes we feel what he feels and I think this adds a lot to the story. I also found the male/female relationships fascinating, from those in Todd's hometown to each of the towns they passed. I'm curious as to where Ness is going with this -- especially since Viola is such a strong character, which is pretty awesome for a book whose main character is already quite strong (no matter what he thinks about himself). I liked Ness' story a lot, and hope the second one lives up to the first one.
25. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I read this book in under 24 hours, mostly because I could not put it down. Shusterman's story reminds me, in many ways, of a couple other books (YA and adult), but that doesn't detract from Unwind. And this is because it's also a unique world view. The idea is as fascinating as it is gruesome, and Shusterman does an exceptional job drawing us into the story. Including out three main characters (Conner, Levi and Risa), we get glimpses of people on both dies of the unwinding process. Many times, these people don't have names, but often they do -- even if we're only around them for a chapter or two. Shusterman weaves a dramatic tale that never falters, not even at the end of the book. While many fantasy books have trouble concluding, Unwind is not one of them. The characters are strong -- and not just because of Shusterman's writing. It's clear that Shusterman cares about them and by the end of the book, so do we. I thoroughly enjoy Unwind and I think it'll find a home with fans of Skinned, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Scott Westerfeld books and other recent sf YA books.
26. A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The book, a retelling of the well-known Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, was much darker than I expected. And though it dragged in places (and took me twice as long to read as other fantasy YA), the ending was satisfying. And even though I knew how the original fairy tale ended, it didn't make the tension in Bunce's novel any less stressful. Like so many good fantasy books I've read recently, Bunce creates an extremely strong female character who must fight for the things and people she loves. A Curse as Dark as Gold is an interesting and engaging look at an old, familiar tale.
26 / 100 words. 26% done!
I absolutely loved this book. I thought the plot, writing and characters were quite good. I found it easy to follow, tense and I could not finish it fast enough. I can't wait for the second book, and while I understand that people didn't like the way it ended, I thought it fit well with the rest of the book. I felt, when I finished, that Ness did a good job of explaining just what we needed to know and no more. My only complaint is that it took so long for Todd to learn the truth, but of course we find out why later and it makes pretty decent sense. Ness also did a great job making us feel for Todd. Not only are we settled into his point of view, but sometimes we feel what he feels and I think this adds a lot to the story. I also found the male/female relationships fascinating, from those in Todd's hometown to each of the towns they passed. I'm curious as to where Ness is going with this -- especially since Viola is such a strong character, which is pretty awesome for a book whose main character is already quite strong (no matter what he thinks about himself). I liked Ness' story a lot, and hope the second one lives up to the first one.
25. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I read this book in under 24 hours, mostly because I could not put it down. Shusterman's story reminds me, in many ways, of a couple other books (YA and adult), but that doesn't detract from Unwind. And this is because it's also a unique world view. The idea is as fascinating as it is gruesome, and Shusterman does an exceptional job drawing us into the story. Including out three main characters (Conner, Levi and Risa), we get glimpses of people on both dies of the unwinding process. Many times, these people don't have names, but often they do -- even if we're only around them for a chapter or two. Shusterman weaves a dramatic tale that never falters, not even at the end of the book. While many fantasy books have trouble concluding, Unwind is not one of them. The characters are strong -- and not just because of Shusterman's writing. It's clear that Shusterman cares about them and by the end of the book, so do we. I thoroughly enjoy Unwind and I think it'll find a home with fans of Skinned, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Scott Westerfeld books and other recent sf YA books.
26. A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The book, a retelling of the well-known Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, was much darker than I expected. And though it dragged in places (and took me twice as long to read as other fantasy YA), the ending was satisfying. And even though I knew how the original fairy tale ended, it didn't make the tension in Bunce's novel any less stressful. Like so many good fantasy books I've read recently, Bunce creates an extremely strong female character who must fight for the things and people she loves. A Curse as Dark as Gold is an interesting and engaging look at an old, familiar tale.
