Thanks to NatGalley and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Children for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: October 11th, 2016
368 Pages
Synopsis: Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the late nineteenth century world has ever seen. Some legends call it the Black Beauty, with its bones as black as ebony, but to seventeen-year-old Samuel Bolt it’s the “rex “, the king dinosaur that could put him and his tempermental archaeologist father in the history books (and conveniently make his father forget he’s been kicked out of school), if they can just quarry it out.
But Samuel and his father aren’t the only ones after the rex. For Rachel Cartland this find could be her ticket to a different life, one where her loves of science and adventure aren’t just relegated to books and sitting rooms. Because if she can’t prove herself on this expedition with her professor father, the only adventures she may have to look forward to are marriage or spinsterhood.
As their paths cross and the rivalry between their fathers becomes more intense, Samuel and Rachel are pushed closer together. And with both eyeing the same prize, their budding romance seems destined to fail. But as danger looms on the other side of the hills, causing everyone’s secrets to come to light, Samuel and Rachel are forced to make a decision. Can they join forces to find their quarry–and with it a new life together–or will old enmities and prejudices keep them from both the rex and each other?
What happened? A cross between Romeo & Juliet and Indiana Jones, penned by the popular and well-respected YA author, Kenneth Oppel. This should have been a slam dunk for me. While the blurb is definitely is not off the mark, the characters left me cold, which ultimately ruined the book for me. Samuel is a likable guy, but he’s fairly average and there’s nothing really memorable about him. And then there’s Rachel. *shaking head in dismay* Honestly–I think a mannequin would have more personality! While it was a nice change that she wasn’t a stereotypical beauty, and that she had a scientific mind, she was so flat that she came across as completely unrelatable. I did enjoy the plot as well as the adventurous pacing of the story though. The paleontology and wild west setting were fun and exciting. The Native American characters added diversity and were very well written. Except for my issues with Rachel, up until the last quarter of the book I was thinking this was going to turn out to be a somewhat fun, middle-grade adventure, but then the relationship between Samuel and Rachel turned sexual, and in my opinion resulted in some awkward and cringe-worthy scenes. I understand that the author was trying to make things realistic, but I really didn’t need the image of Rachel’s armpit hair or Samuel having trouble getting, um, aroused, fixed in my head. I don’t think the scenes were even necessary as they came nearer to the end and added nothing to the overall storyline. Their inclusion also leaves me unsure as to what age group I’d recommend this to. While I’m disappointed with Every Hidden Thing, I still think Kenneth Oppel is a brilliant author and I look forward to his next endeavor. And, as always, don’t rely on my humble opinion. If you pop over to Goodreads this book has garnered many good reviews.
vinnieh said:
Sounds like it had the promise but couldn’t gel well enough.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m so sad because the story held such promise and he’s one of my favorite YA authors.
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vinnieh said:
Sometimes the elements just don’t fuse together.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😔
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vinnieh said:
By the way, your review was great. I don’t think I wrote than on the other comment.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Vinnie. That means a lot. I’m not feeling well, but I wanted to get this posted today because I think I’m going to be crashing for the weekend.😕
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vinnieh said:
Oh I hope you are feeling right as rain soon. Hugs and best wishes.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Vinnie.😙
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vinnieh said:
And I’ll throw in a few bum shakes for good measure!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Haha!😏😏
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vinnieh said:
Hope they come in handy.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
🙃
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vinnieh said:
They’ve been known to help with illness.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
PALS FOREVER!
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vinnieh said:
Oh most definitely. Id told forgotten about PALS.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😊
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yourdaughtersbookshelf said:
So disappointing! I am a total Oppel fangirl, and look forward to everything he writes. But you’ve never steered me wrong with a recommendation, so I have a feeling this one won’t work for me either. 😦
Hope you feel better soon!!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Stefanie! I was really surprised the way this turned out. Oppel has always been on my list of “dependable authors”. But as I said, it may be me, although I can tell you I’m really uncomfortable with the idea of a parent or librarian thinking this is going to be a fun read for a young teen only to get that surprise towards the end.😕
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yourdaughtersbookshelf said:
I agree. As soon as I read that part of your review I cringed, and it’s fairly difficult to shock me. I’m going to read it, but it doesn’t sound like anything I would hand to my 10 or 12 year old. Neither of them would want to read that!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Definitely NOT for tweens! I’m definitely interested in hearing what you think after you read it! 💁🏻
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Lekeisha The Booknerd said:
I’ve read similar reviews for this book, so I’m hesitant to read it.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m glad I’m not the only one Lekeisha. Maybe if you’re curious, you could check it out from the library?💁🏻
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Carrie said:
I certainly can understand having to write the review for the ones everyone else seems to love but I just didn’t. Sorry you didn’t like this one. 😦
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It’s so hard Carrie! Especially when it’s an author I love.😕
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Carrie said:
Oh I know! I just remind myself we can’t love them all and perhaps someone else out there may feel the same and appreciate the honesty.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Carrie. Hugs!😊
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Carrie said:
🙂
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rosemawrites said:
love the honesty and rawness in your review. 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you so much Rosema!💁🏻
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