Tags
Bullying, Horror, Mystery, Relationships, Suspense, YA Fiction
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Children for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: August 2nd, 2016
Synopsis: Lana used to know what was real. That was before, when her life was small and quiet. Her golden stepbrother, Ben was alive. She could only dream about bonfiring with the populars. Their wooded island home was idyllic, she could tell truth from lies, and Ben’s childhood stories firmly in her imagination.
Then came after.
After has Lana boldly kissing her crush, jumping into the water from too high up, living with nerve and mischief. But after also has horrors, deaths that only make sense in fairy tales, and terrors from a past Lana thought long forgotten. Love, blood, and murder.
After seeing the gorgeous cover and reading the synopsis, I was so excited to dive into The Telling but it wound up being a mixed bag for me. It’s told in the first person by Lana who’s such a bland character, that for the most part I just couldn’t connect with her. For the majority of the book it was as though she had a “kick me” sign plastered to her back. The secondary characters are your stereotypical types found in the majority of YA books: mean girls, jocks, etc. There’s really nothing that’s memorable about any of them except that none of them are particularly likable. Out of all of them, Ben is the most intriguing as his backstory is told through Lana’s memories. What saves this story is the actual mystery. Even though I suspected who the true villain was from early on, the journey getting there was full of thrills and chills right up until the end. While this wasn’t a perfect read for me personally, I can definitely see it appealing to teens. It kept my attention enough that I would definitely try another book by Sirowy.
Jay said:
I hate when I catch myself rolling my eyes at a character.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Right?!😕
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emmakwall said:
I was going to say exactly the same thing about the gorgeous cover Kims! Shame about the dull protagonist 🙂
xoxox
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Sigh. Such promise.😞
xoxoxo
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theipc said:
I don’t know why your posts don’t show up in my reader these days… sorry if you think i’ve been ignoring you – I haven’t!!
P.S. Got a pool installed yesterday – filling it up now!
#swim
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😞 Your reader doesn’t like me. Seriously, no worries Eric! I just figured with your crazy schedule you didn’t have time. That’s awesome about your pool! Have fun relaxing!
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theipc said:
I can’t wait!
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vinnieh said:
That’s cool that you got a new pool, perfect for a little dip.
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vinnieh said:
Nice review, though I know exactly what you mean about certain characters in books that get to be a bit of an annoyance.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Vinnie! Yeah. I need to feel connected to at least one character.
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vinnieh said:
I have that same feeling Kim. It’s good if you can at least form some connection with a character.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It’s the same with movies. If you don’t have anyone to become emotionally invested in, what’s the point.😕
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vinnieh said:
Valid point Kim. It helps to have a character you like. One of mine is James Bond, what a charmer.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Which Bond actor is your favorite Vinnie? Mine is Daniel Craig.
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vinnieh said:
It’s a tough one Kim, but I’d have to say Sean Connery. Have you read my Bond reviews?
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I have Vinnie. They’re very well written.🙋🏻
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vinnieh said:
If you ever want to read them again or if you’ve missed any, I did a post with links to every review.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Great!
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vinnieh said:
Here’s the post. https://vinnieh.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/bond-movies-recap/
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I remember reading/commenting on this. It was a very helpful post Vinnie. Thanks
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Kim, at least now you have the link to it now and can check out anything Bond related.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
☺️
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Annette said:
A gorgeous cover does not make up for a bland main character and stereotypical secondary characters. However, the mystery aspect does sound intriguing and I’m glad that you enjoyed the ‘memory’ scenes as well!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Annette!🙋🏻
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