Noah James James itibaren 32040 Gera BL, İtalya
I wish Goodreads did half stars because I'd give this 3.5 I thought there was a lot to recommend this book, though it wasn't my favorite YA that I've read to date (keeping in mind I've admitted that I'm not much of a YA reader and don't feel I'm the target audience, for that reason). I really enjoyed the heroine, but felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Het verhaal De bejaarde Aliide Truu woont alleen aan de rand van een dorpje in Estland. Op een dag ligt er een jonge vrouw in haar tuin. Eerst denkt Aliide dat ze dood is, maar al gauw blijkt dat deze vrouw, de Russische Zara, alleen maar de uitputting nabij is. Zij is op de vlucht voor de mannen die haar op de meest afgrijselijke manieren misbruikt en uitgehoerd hebben. Gek genoeg spreekt Zara Ests. In de dagen dat ze zich bij Aliide schuil houdt wordt het steeds duidelijker dat Zara niet zomaar bij Aliide terecht gekomen is. En dat Aliide niet het vriendelijke oude vrouwtje is dat ze op het eerste gezicht lijkt, maar dat zij een donker geheim bewaard. De spanning loopt al snel huizenhoog op. Tot die aan het eind ineens wegvloeit in plaats van tot een allesverzengende explosie te komen. Als het einde van deze thriller niet zo afgeraffeld was geweest, had ik voor Purge een ruime 4-ster gegeven. Nu moet Oksanen het met een ruime 3-ster doen...
Any "Rats of NIMH" fans will LOVE this one.
Discovery: Cyn Balog’s first book, Fairy Tale, was a really fun read so I was excited to read her unique take on star-crossed lovers. + Supernatural twists. I’ve been reading fantasy/paranormal stories since I was a little girl, so I don’t often find supernatural stories that present something I haven’t seen before. I loved the idea of the Luminati. Everyone knows that the stars were mystified and worshipped, but Cyn Balog takes it a step further. I was especially intrigued by the idea that it’s really the stars that control us and not the other way around. That said, it was a little disappointing that the book barely scratched the surface of this belief and didn’t explore the history behind it. I don’t often ask for sequels, but I would really love to read another book focusing on the Luminati and the people that have given themselves up to this idea. + Positive attitude towards body image. It’s so refreshing to read a book where the heroine isn’t slim or skinny or “just not curvy enough.” Dough was an adorable narrator and I liked her confidence. While I am a little iffy about her decision to get skinny for Wish, it was nice to see that she doesn’t change her attitude. Christian was also a great character, reminding Dough that it doesn’t matter what you look like if someone loves you for who you are. It’s a difficult lesson to remember, but one worth repeating over and over again. Why hate yourself when there’s someone who found something to love in you? - Lackluster writing. I’ve noticed that Ms. Balog’s novels seem to get progressively shorter and I think that’s a big reason why the writing suffers. Some extra pages wouldn’t have hurt the novel, especially since some scenes end abruptly. I also didn’t get as much background information or exposition as I would have liked, which makes it difficult to sympathize with Wish. The big revelations happen in less than 10 pages near the end of the novel. Waiting for Wish to show up took up the first ten chapters. If I was impatient, I could have just skipped to the end and found out everything relevant to the plot. This disappoints me because I genuinely like Dough, Wish and Christian. - Romance. This is mostly related to the writing. I liked how Wish and Dough’s relationship was set up in the beginning of the story. However, it didn’t feel real once he actually arrived. There was more of a spark between Christian and Dough, and I found myself a little sad that they didn’t end up together. Wish is a great character for sure, but he just wasn’t developed enough to make me love him the way Dough seems to. Recommendations: Starstruck is a light and fluffy book, which younger readers will enjoy and learn from. Rating: Satisfactory.