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leighsnerdlife
Joseph Fink has kind of become an auto-buy author for me, due to his fantastic podcasts. Welcome to Night Vale is my all-time favourite - and the books are pretty good too! Alice Isn’t Dead is based on Fink’s podcast of the same name. To be honest, I’ve only listened to a few episodes. But as soon as I heard that this book was coming, I knew I needed to read it - whether I ended up finishing the podcast or not.
Fink is really good at detailed storytelling/world-building, and the quality of his writing has improved with each new book. He is also great at setting the tone, and Alice Isn’t Dead definitely shows it. It is also a leap beyond his previous books - he’s drifted into rather graphic thriller territory. The plot is more than a little disturbing, as it blends the monotony of long road trips with a supernatural element - monstrous, cannibalistic creatures called thistle men.
The central character, Keisha, has become a cross-country truck driver in order to search for her missing wife, Alice. To the rest of the world, Alice is dead. Keisha doesn’t believe it, and is determined to discover the truth. But things go sideways after her first encounter with one of the thistle men, and she is then pulled into a conspiracy of epic proportions.
It’s a complicated plot, and I think that is where the book starts to falter. Fink has packed a lot of complexity into a rather short novel, so the last third felt kind of rushed. Unfortunately, that created some distance between myself and the characters, so I didn’t feel emotionally invested in their fates. I think if Fink had flushed out the novel a bit beyond its 320 pages, it would have flowed a bit better.
So yes it has some wobbles, but overall I really enjoyed Alice Isn’t Dead - I actually read it in a single sitting. I’ve seen some reviews online that say the book is exactly like the podcast. But the Author’s Note at the end claims that the novel veers in a different direction and POV. I’m interested in seeing which is right - I guess it’s time to start listening to the show again!
Fink is really good at detailed storytelling/world-building, and the quality of his writing has improved with each new book. He is also great at setting the tone, and Alice Isn’t Dead definitely shows it. It is also a leap beyond his previous books - he’s drifted into rather graphic thriller territory. The plot is more than a little disturbing, as it blends the monotony of long road trips with a supernatural element - monstrous, cannibalistic creatures called thistle men.
The central character, Keisha, has become a cross-country truck driver in order to search for her missing wife, Alice. To the rest of the world, Alice is dead. Keisha doesn’t believe it, and is determined to discover the truth. But things go sideways after her first encounter with one of the thistle men, and she is then pulled into a conspiracy of epic proportions.
It’s a complicated plot, and I think that is where the book starts to falter. Fink has packed a lot of complexity into a rather short novel, so the last third felt kind of rushed. Unfortunately, that created some distance between myself and the characters, so I didn’t feel emotionally invested in their fates. I think if Fink had flushed out the novel a bit beyond its 320 pages, it would have flowed a bit better.
So yes it has some wobbles, but overall I really enjoyed Alice Isn’t Dead - I actually read it in a single sitting. I’ve seen some reviews online that say the book is exactly like the podcast. But the Author’s Note at the end claims that the novel veers in a different direction and POV. I’m interested in seeing which is right - I guess it’s time to start listening to the show again!
Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for the advanced copy for review.
I’m normally a bit wary about contemporary YA - there are so many books I haven’t enjoyed in the genre. I’m not one who likes the insta-love trope. Thankfully, this book is different and fresh - the focus isn’t really on the romance aspect. And the Canadian protagonist is a bonus!
Norris Kaplan is a French Canadian teen who has been forced to move to Texas with his mother. He goes in determined to hate it - and spews out enough snark to guarantee that most of the student body in his new school hates him. But he eventually starts making friends and settling in. Things look pretty good for awhile, at least until his attitude comes back to bite him in the ass. I spent most of the book in anticipation of the coming disaster - I could practically see Norris barreling full steam ahead toward a brick wall. And the splat was impressive.
This is where I think Philippe really shines - he’s created a world that seems quite realistic, with real consequences to Norris’ actions. A world where things can’t be fixed with a couple of apologies, and trust has to be re-earned. I loved that.
Most of his characters are well fleshed out and believable, especially Norris’ new friend Liam. Liam hit me hard - his description of his mental health difficulties is incredibly realistic, and his recovery process just as believable. He could have been describing my second year of university. I can’t explain how much I appreciated Philippe’s effort with this.
The only part that really gave me pause was Norris himself. Sometimes the quick reactions and pithy comments seem a little too perfect, and not what the average person would think to say on the fly. It was enjoyable to read, but it did pull me out of the story a few times. I guess you could compare it to the quick and quirky dialogue featured on the TV shows like Buffy or Gilmore Girls - fun, but not very realistic.
I’m normally a bit wary about contemporary YA - there are so many books I haven’t enjoyed in the genre. I’m not one who likes the insta-love trope. Thankfully, this book is different and fresh - the focus isn’t really on the romance aspect. And the Canadian protagonist is a bonus!
Norris Kaplan is a French Canadian teen who has been forced to move to Texas with his mother. He goes in determined to hate it - and spews out enough snark to guarantee that most of the student body in his new school hates him. But he eventually starts making friends and settling in. Things look pretty good for awhile, at least until his attitude comes back to bite him in the ass. I spent most of the book in anticipation of the coming disaster - I could practically see Norris barreling full steam ahead toward a brick wall. And the splat was impressive.
This is where I think Philippe really shines - he’s created a world that seems quite realistic, with real consequences to Norris’ actions. A world where things can’t be fixed with a couple of apologies, and trust has to be re-earned. I loved that.
Most of his characters are well fleshed out and believable, especially Norris’ new friend Liam. Liam hit me hard - his description of his mental health difficulties is incredibly realistic, and his recovery process just as believable. He could have been describing my second year of university. I can’t explain how much I appreciated Philippe’s effort with this.
The only part that really gave me pause was Norris himself. Sometimes the quick reactions and pithy comments seem a little too perfect, and not what the average person would think to say on the fly. It was enjoyable to read, but it did pull me out of the story a few times. I guess you could compare it to the quick and quirky dialogue featured on the TV shows like Buffy or Gilmore Girls - fun, but not very realistic.
For awhile A Place For Us was all over Instagram; the hype was huge. When books get that big I actually become a bit wary of them - I worry that they won’t live up to my now overly-inflated expectations. Thankfully, in this case the hype was warranted. This book is brilliant. A Place For Us is a beautifully written story about a Muslim family living in California.
Mirza chose to split the narrative into multiple points of view, focusing specifically on the mother Layla and 3 children Hadia, Huda and Amar. She also incorporated time jumps, which were a lot easier to follow than I had expected. It was really well done, allowing the reader to see the same event from different angles. It also made the final quarter of the book that much more powerful.
The last quarter of the book switches the point of view to Rafiq, the father of the family. For most of the story, Rafiq is portrayed as a rather strict and sometimes angry man. This section turns that portrayal on its head, by showing pivotal events through his eyes - revealing a whole new dimension to the tale. It’s a powerful way to end the book.
A Place For Us ripped my heart out a little, and left me thinking about it long after I had read the last page. I highly recommend it, especially in today’s political climate. Go read it!
Mirza chose to split the narrative into multiple points of view, focusing specifically on the mother Layla and 3 children Hadia, Huda and Amar. She also incorporated time jumps, which were a lot easier to follow than I had expected. It was really well done, allowing the reader to see the same event from different angles. It also made the final quarter of the book that much more powerful.
The last quarter of the book switches the point of view to Rafiq, the father of the family. For most of the story, Rafiq is portrayed as a rather strict and sometimes angry man. This section turns that portrayal on its head, by showing pivotal events through his eyes - revealing a whole new dimension to the tale. It’s a powerful way to end the book.
A Place For Us ripped my heart out a little, and left me thinking about it long after I had read the last page. I highly recommend it, especially in today’s political climate. Go read it!
I really wanted to love this book - the premise looked promising and the online chatter was positive. But unfortunately, it just didn’t quite do it for me.
First, the good stuff. Daud has created a beautiful and very detailed world - it’s vibrant and solidly constructed. She definitely has a talent for world building, and the quality of it is what kept me going through the book. I also really liked how poetry was an integral part of the protagonist Amani’s culture. She described it as an honour to be considered a poet, and recited passages of poems throughout the story. It really stuck with me - it’s such a unique and wonderful idea. I really wish the rest of the book was like this.
The antagonist Princess Maram was fascinating and multi-layered - the story from her perspective would have been great. But instead the narrator is her body-double Amani, a nice enough character, although rather one dimensional and dull. She had no fire and it made the slow pacing feel that much worse. The plot was pure filler, making it very obvious early on that this book was just setting up the rest of the series. That annoys me more than anything else. I have nothing against trilogies, but the first book should be more than an intro - it should be a full story unto itself!
I can’t finish this review without talking about the tropes. Oh, the many YA tropes - a society is conquered, one special girl joins the resistance, and don’t forget the instalove. Can we get a moratorium on instalove? It never comes off right - the relationship feels forced and lacks any spark. And of course, it ends up like that with Amani and her love interest, Idris.
Overall, I’d file this in the average column of YA fiction. I think I’m going to skip the rest of the series.
First, the good stuff. Daud has created a beautiful and very detailed world - it’s vibrant and solidly constructed. She definitely has a talent for world building, and the quality of it is what kept me going through the book. I also really liked how poetry was an integral part of the protagonist Amani’s culture. She described it as an honour to be considered a poet, and recited passages of poems throughout the story. It really stuck with me - it’s such a unique and wonderful idea. I really wish the rest of the book was like this.
The antagonist Princess Maram was fascinating and multi-layered - the story from her perspective would have been great. But instead the narrator is her body-double Amani, a nice enough character, although rather one dimensional and dull. She had no fire and it made the slow pacing feel that much worse. The plot was pure filler, making it very obvious early on that this book was just setting up the rest of the series. That annoys me more than anything else. I have nothing against trilogies, but the first book should be more than an intro - it should be a full story unto itself!
I can’t finish this review without talking about the tropes. Oh, the many YA tropes - a society is conquered, one special girl joins the resistance, and don’t forget the instalove. Can we get a moratorium on instalove? It never comes off right - the relationship feels forced and lacks any spark. And of course, it ends up like that with Amani and her love interest, Idris.
Overall, I’d file this in the average column of YA fiction. I think I’m going to skip the rest of the series.
This book surprised me. I was expecting lighthearted pulp, but this book actually has meat on its bones, dealing with some pretty heavy real life issues. I loved it and fully plan on reading the others.
