The description of this book, to me, sounded like an Anne Bishop-style YA fantasy involving a girl who can see auras, and has a remarkable one herself. Unfortunately, the story doesn't hold up, the characters are weak, and the dialogue is so sugary-sweet that I felt a little nauseated.
What drove me absolutely crazy, though, was the occasional phonetic spelling of Finn's accent- most of which were instances of strong cursing. If some was going to be included that way, all of it should have been.
I felt a little cheated after reading the entire story. There's not enough explanation of this special power, or the history behind it, for the length of this book. I don't think it needed to be strung out into a trilogy.
Showing posts with label cousins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cousins. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Being Hartley by Allison Rushby
Having been dragged around the world for her entire life by her famous mother, Thea Wallis is finally ready for her own taste of stardom. She doesn't expect it to come at the cost of her cousin's happiness, though, and just when all her wildest dreams are about to come true she has to ask herself if that's what she really wants after all.
I was mildly disappointed in this story. While there are issues of dissatisfaction with life, possible forays into depression, and plenty of teenage rebellion and first loves, these are only lightly touched upon. There wasn't enough exploration of the key problems, but there was plenty of whining about why Thea couldn't get what she wanted when she wanted it.
The writing style is authentic as a teenage voice, but there's always a feeling of just skimming the surface of all the emotions that range through the book. Thea, while realistic, isn't the kind of character that will keep me coming back to her story.
On the flip side, hers is a story for those teens whose parents might not want them absorbing all the details of the darker side of life. I know, you have an argument all ready that the darker side of life is what makes it real- that we all have emotions, problems, and issues with which to deal from which we cannot hide. You're right. I won't argue with that. But Thea's story is one that could be more of an opening to discuss such things with parents, friends, or teachers rather than just read.
I was mildly disappointed in this story. While there are issues of dissatisfaction with life, possible forays into depression, and plenty of teenage rebellion and first loves, these are only lightly touched upon. There wasn't enough exploration of the key problems, but there was plenty of whining about why Thea couldn't get what she wanted when she wanted it.
The writing style is authentic as a teenage voice, but there's always a feeling of just skimming the surface of all the emotions that range through the book. Thea, while realistic, isn't the kind of character that will keep me coming back to her story.
On the flip side, hers is a story for those teens whose parents might not want them absorbing all the details of the darker side of life. I know, you have an argument all ready that the darker side of life is what makes it real- that we all have emotions, problems, and issues with which to deal from which we cannot hide. You're right. I won't argue with that. But Thea's story is one that could be more of an opening to discuss such things with parents, friends, or teachers rather than just read.
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