I may have gotten a little over-excited reading this book. Jus' sayin'.
I was SO unsure of it originally... hoping beyond hope that it would blow my socks off, or at least not be a complete flop. I even had hopes of another Under Grand Hotel situation going on--which it wasn't, by the way, but still. No UGH, but I might have just gotten something even better. (Or at least on par.)
This historical speculative fiction novel easily captures the minds of any reader, even those who might not think this to be "their thing," with its dark setting and even darker themes. But there is a point to all this seemingly unnecessary suffering and pain. (view spoiler)[Reformation is at hand and with it comes a serious call to action, to the re-examination one's own sense of morality and of right and wrong. Believe you-me, this book makes you THINK--about topics of discussion most would prefer never to think about or take into account. To consider the circumstances of those everyone prefers to not even think of. To ponder the basic human rights denied to those who violate others' rights with their actions and deeds.
To consider that a murderer is also a human being too... and does that not mean they, too, deserve to be treated as such with basic human rights? (hide spoiler)]
There's a lot of philosophy and activism going on in here, a lot of moral discussion that doesn't really have easy answers. I can't say I believe prisoners -especially those that have done truly horrible things for selfish or unthinkable reasons- should be allowed to go free or be treated kindly, but I do believe they have the right to be treated with some decency and the basic human rights that no one should be denied.
This book makes you think about the hard questions no one wants to ask or bring to light in discussion, and I AB-SO-LUTELY LOVE IT.
I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!
Would you recommend this book? Hell YEAH! Though, of course, I would warn first about how dark and violent this book can be at times. It's not alarmingly graphic, detailing every vicious act, but it IS still disarming and poignant in a way that might leave the reader who is more inclined to the visually graphic quite disturbed, so it might be best to read it, knowing full well how disturbing some imaginary within can be....more
It was cute. A "Disney-fairytale-ending" sort of cute. Short and to the point. Predictable, but that's not all that bad a thing, in this case. I liked it, but that's about it.
Don't know if I'd recommend it unless someone was solely looking for a cutesy, feel-good story to brighten their day a little. Then I'd suggest it as a quick read....more
What an incredible turn of events! Such a page-turner! I honestly didn't think this story could end well, even vaguely... Actual rating is 4.5 Stars.
What an incredible turn of events! Such a page-turner! I honestly didn't think this story could end well, even vaguely... but... I was happily proven wrong. :)...more
This is the first book I've read from this author that I actually loved! Everything worked here, and I'm SO happy for that!This is the first book I've read from this author that I actually loved! Everything worked here, and I'm SO happy for that!...more
Actual rating is around a 3, maybe 3.5 stars because it was okay, even if it wasn't the greatest. I doubt I'll ever forget it, but I probably won't beActual rating is around a 3, maybe 3.5 stars because it was okay, even if it wasn't the greatest. I doubt I'll ever forget it, but I probably won't be reading it again anytime soon.
This book was alright. A sort of typical teen-mystery thing with a "gay twist," if that's what you want to call it. I doubt I'd recommend it to anyone, unless they were really REALLY curious. The ridiculously slow parts in the middle and beginning as well as that abrupt ending didn't help it any, so I'm really not that impressed.
However, it wasn't a bad book. The writing was decent enough, and the story - though not particularly original - was interesting enough. I think I probably wanted more than just a teen melodrama, but as a YA book, I suppose it's to be expected. I was VERY happy with the ending though - even if it was abrupt. I sort of wished we had gotten the chance to see more of that instead of all the other seemingly pointless run-around....more
amomentsilence
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Books:
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