Friday, July 30, 2010

Review: Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

I'm going to be amazingly uncharacteristic for myself and write a shorter review for once!  Although I like to wax poetic in my writing, I am going to break my own trend.  Maybe it's my own sadness over leaving paradise in about week, to responsibilities stacked so high I can hardly so over or around them?  Yep, that might be why.  My other reason?  I simply couldn't get into, nor wrap my head around Bones of Faerie, which I had been trying to read for about eight months. *sigh*

Synopsis:  From Publishers Weekly, "It has been 20 years since the war between faeries and humans destroyed everything. Liza, a teenager living in what was once the Midwest, has always been taught that magic kills. When Liza's mother gives birth to a faerie baby with hair clear as glass, her father abandons the infant on a hillside to die; Liza's mother then runs away, and Liza begins to have magical visions of her own. Petrified that her powers might cause death, Liza flees into the woods with her friend Matthew, only to be attacked by deadly trees and rescued by a woman with magic. The plot quickens as Liza realizes that the woman is connected to her mothers past, knowledge that propels Liza into a dangerous journey into the land of Faerie, in search of her mother."

Review:  Yes, it had magic, shapeshifting, and apocalyptic sort of events.  Yes, it had well written sentence constructions and interesting concepts.  I just couldn't get into it.  Now, I realize that because I didn't get into it, doesn't mean someone else might, and actually love it.  I just didn't.  It was hard to get into, the characters were difficult to attach to, and once I did, their bizarre behavior and adventures threw me off.  Yep, it was imaginative, and maybe that's my problem. In this case, I simply didn't have it in me for a drawn out "faerie"-tale with a lot of creepy factor mixed in.

Here are some reviews though that felt just the opposite though, so obviously, don't take my word for it!
Genevieve's Blog :  Something Bookish
Charlotte's Library  (Pros and cons explained.)
Fantasy Book Critic
The Reading Zone (They loved it & had lots of reasons listed why they loved it.)
Pam at Bookalicious even listed it as one of the "Unsung YA"

I'm wondering what my deal is in this case?  I'll be the first to admit that I don't do well with some fantasy and science fiction, so maybe that's what happened?  There is a bit of imagination needed here, and maybe mine has pooped out for a bit?

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a purchased electronic copy of the novel.

I'm actually counting this as my 4th of 12 in the TBR Challenge, as I've had it for over a year, and yet took eight months to read it!  LOL.  I think that should count more as a "To Try To Finish" Challenge!

Do you have any books that have taken you ages to get through?  What were they, and why do you think it took you so long to get through it?

6 comments:

  1. Since I'm a pretty slow reader, that's kind of a trick question. :) I'm an all-or-nothing sort of person: it's either being read, to be read, or finished. So when I'm reading a book and decided to move on to something else--it's over. The end.

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  2. I loved this book! It was dystopian faerie tale I do believe.

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  3. Interesting genre combo fantasy and science fiction? Maybe once I get my library card I'll check the book out that way. Seems to have an interesting promise. Sometimes with books like that it takes me another reread to get into it? Hmmm.

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  4. You know--I think it just depends on the book. Sometimes there just isn't much to say! Although I think you summed this up perfectly and I've got a good sense that I probably won't be into it either.

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  5. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I think sometimes that just happens. I hope you enjoy your next read!

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  6. Heidenkind--LOL. I should be that way. Instead, I can drag things out forever. *sigh*

    Pam--Yea, I was glad to have a good example! :) I kind of realized that my reaction might be based solely on my own interests, so I was glad to have some other reviews for people to check out.

    MillyMarie--I can only hope that it's a good read for you! I just didn't get into it, and thought it was strange. Who knows though. I'm hard on this genre to begin with, so it's more me than the book.

    Trish--It was a hard book. You're right here. There just wasn't much for me to say, since I just wasn't that into it! :)

    Iris--Me too! I'll hope that everything else I read takes me less than six to eight months to finish up! LOL.

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