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1.59k reviews by:
samantha_randolph
Wes Auckerman wants to make a great film during a summer program and transfer to NYU. While helping his friend shoot a scene during a séance, he meets a girl named Annie that will change his summer altogether. Annie is mysterious, beautiful, and in desperate need to find a missing ring. As the two search for it, they will discover a mystery that goes back far in time.
What I Loved:
Katherine Howe does a superb job with the narration in THE APPEARANCE OF ANNIE VAN SINDEREN. Wes’s character is extremely realistic, and the clear descriptions of New York make it easy for the reader to get immersed in the story. The mystery with Annie is intriguing and suspenseful, and her ‘Rip Van Winkle’ quality is woven in seamlessly. The secondary characters are sharply drawn as well. I especially enjoy Maddie and her spunky attitude.
What Left Me Wanting More:
While the plot is unique and deeply layered, the pacing does get a bit slow at times. It takes quite a while before the reader discovers what is happening with Annie. Some of the romance is also a little confusing at times, though everything is sorted out by the end. Readers who enjoy a slow and detailed story will likely enjoy this the most.
Final Verdict:
Though the story drags a little in areas, I overall enjoyed this story. The spot-on narration and complex mystery make this a novel readers won’t want to put down, and readers new to Howe will likely want to pick up more from this author after reading this.
What I Loved:
Katherine Howe does a superb job with the narration in THE APPEARANCE OF ANNIE VAN SINDEREN. Wes’s character is extremely realistic, and the clear descriptions of New York make it easy for the reader to get immersed in the story. The mystery with Annie is intriguing and suspenseful, and her ‘Rip Van Winkle’ quality is woven in seamlessly. The secondary characters are sharply drawn as well. I especially enjoy Maddie and her spunky attitude.
What Left Me Wanting More:
While the plot is unique and deeply layered, the pacing does get a bit slow at times. It takes quite a while before the reader discovers what is happening with Annie. Some of the romance is also a little confusing at times, though everything is sorted out by the end. Readers who enjoy a slow and detailed story will likely enjoy this the most.
Final Verdict:
Though the story drags a little in areas, I overall enjoyed this story. The spot-on narration and complex mystery make this a novel readers won’t want to put down, and readers new to Howe will likely want to pick up more from this author after reading this.
Short and Sweet:
I really loved the world of this story, but the action fell kind of flat by the end.
To Elaborate...
The monks and unicorns have an ongoing battle over the special golden apples. After countless causalities, they are at a standoff, with the monks trying to find heroes to battle the unicorns. When young future duke, James, is sent to the abbey, he thinks he may just have a solution.
For the first part of this book, I was slowly falling in love. I loved the unique premise, the fairy-tale esque writing, and the way the world sucked you in. Plus, the illustrations are incredibly pretty. However, the story had moments where it kind of dragged. James doesn't actually come in until a good way into the story. Then after he does and he gets sent to the abbey, it felt like the action kept building to something awesome, and then it just fizzled out. It made it feel kind of flat when it started out so well.
I think what I wanted most from this book was more details about the characters. James's sister was really awesome, but we didn't learn much about her. Even with the unicorns, there were hints of an interesting history there, but most of the history with them was focused on their past with the monks.
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading this. I've been wanting to read a Jane Yolen book for a long time, and I will definitely be reading more of her. This one just wasn't a favorite.
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from BookLook Bloggers*
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-plague-of-unicorns-by-jane-yolen.html
I really loved the world of this story, but the action fell kind of flat by the end.
To Elaborate...
The monks and unicorns have an ongoing battle over the special golden apples. After countless causalities, they are at a standoff, with the monks trying to find heroes to battle the unicorns. When young future duke, James, is sent to the abbey, he thinks he may just have a solution.
For the first part of this book, I was slowly falling in love. I loved the unique premise, the fairy-tale esque writing, and the way the world sucked you in. Plus, the illustrations are incredibly pretty. However, the story had moments where it kind of dragged. James doesn't actually come in until a good way into the story. Then after he does and he gets sent to the abbey, it felt like the action kept building to something awesome, and then it just fizzled out. It made it feel kind of flat when it started out so well.
I think what I wanted most from this book was more details about the characters. James's sister was really awesome, but we didn't learn much about her. Even with the unicorns, there were hints of an interesting history there, but most of the history with them was focused on their past with the monks.
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading this. I've been wanting to read a Jane Yolen book for a long time, and I will definitely be reading more of her. This one just wasn't a favorite.
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from BookLook Bloggers*
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-plague-of-unicorns-by-jane-yolen.html