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While I don't ever rehash the plot of a book in my reviews a few of the things I bring up may broach into spoiler territory so be forewarned.
I did enjoy this book. This was a really well written YA book that walked the line of not sounding too juevenille and not sounding too "I'm trying to be grown." It was a perfect fit for me for how people of this age speak and executed it perfectly. It was also written in a timeless way. By this I mean there's no real geographical location given besides the city name and no indication of when it was supposed to take place. Children reading this year's from now wouldn't feel it was dated.
The lyrical style of the writer was still evident here and as beautiful as Vivek Oji. And the story was engaging. That said it wasn't a five star for me for almost the exact opposite reason that Vivek wasn't. Whereas I felt that one went too far in some of the plot devices, I feel like this was didn't go as far as it could have or take the turns that were available. I feel that the 'monster' being who it was fit into a cliche, terrible as it is and that it would have been more shocking and hard hitting for it to have been someone else. All that said it still handled everything well, as terrible as the subject matter was, and had a believable resolution.
Not to sound too Disney, but this book would act as a good springboard for discussions with all types of people as what makes a monster and what makes a man. Appearances are deceiving especially when people are use to wearing a mask for whatever reason. But it also has a glimmer of hope in the idea of rehabilitation. Yes people so terrible things but that doesn't mean they're hopeless and that they can't be helped or rehabilitated and I appreciated that it ended on a find of optimism as opposed to the bittersweet (more bitter for me) that Vivek did.
I definitely will read another book by this author. Their talent cannot be denied and they are damned good at their job of telling an engaging and thought provoking story. And their books always give did for thought.
I did enjoy this book. This was a really well written YA book that walked the line of not sounding too juevenille and not sounding too "I'm trying to be grown." It was a perfect fit for me for how people of this age speak and executed it perfectly. It was also written in a timeless way. By this I mean there's no real geographical location given besides the city name and no indication of when it was supposed to take place. Children reading this year's from now wouldn't feel it was dated.
The lyrical style of the writer was still evident here and as beautiful as Vivek Oji. And the story was engaging. That said it wasn't a five star for me for almost the exact opposite reason that Vivek wasn't. Whereas I felt that one went too far in some of the plot devices, I feel like this was didn't go as far as it could have or take the turns that were available. I feel that the 'monster' being who it was fit into a cliche, terrible as it is and that it would have been more shocking and hard hitting for it to have been someone else. All that said it still handled everything well, as terrible as the subject matter was, and had a believable resolution.
Not to sound too Disney, but this book would act as a good springboard for discussions with all types of people as what makes a monster and what makes a man. Appearances are deceiving especially when people are use to wearing a mask for whatever reason. But it also has a glimmer of hope in the idea of rehabilitation. Yes people so terrible things but that doesn't mean they're hopeless and that they can't be helped or rehabilitated and I appreciated that it ended on a find of optimism as opposed to the bittersweet (more bitter for me) that Vivek did.
I definitely will read another book by this author. Their talent cannot be denied and they are damned good at their job of telling an engaging and thought provoking story. And their books always give did for thought.