Publisher: HarperTeen
Author's Website
Introduction
There are indie kids, the kids who are special, the Chosen One(s). They have destinies. Their lives are full of extraordinary occurrences, tragedy, and love. And they always save the day. But what about the rest of us? The teens that go to high school and the adults and their jobs? What happens when you blow up the school, kill all the vampires or zombies, and many of your classmates and friends go missing? With all the storylines swirling around them, what is everyone else up to? Not surprisingly, they have lives too, affected by the chaos, their own problems. A politician mom, a struggling father, mental health issues, sexual orientation, college admissions, prom--all problems that these background characters deal with. A satire of young adult literature in a familiar world afflicted with over-the-top end-of-the-world situations.
Chapter Introductions and Section Dividers
Every new chapter gives a summary of what the indie kids are doing. At first, I didn't like it, but the two stories intermingled a bit and it was great. This is the forefront story, but this book is centred on the teens in the background. It would have been a bit confusing if we had no idea what the indie kids were doing. Plus, at times, it was funny. Above, we hear that there's more than one indie kid named Finn (of course), and a girl named Satchel. Reminds me how books and films influence baby name trends (all those Edwards!).
The section dividers are occasionally these cats, and I love them:
+1 to this book.
Worst Character Award
Henna.
People make mistakes (and all of the characters in this book make mistakes) but I found myself consistently disliking her. I feel bad because, in the back of the book, we hear that her name is from a real-life person. Yikes.
Dislikes
Chapter Introductions and Section Dividers
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The section dividers are occasionally these cats, and I love them:
Worst Character Award
Henna.
People make mistakes (and all of the characters in this book make mistakes) but I found myself consistently disliking her. I feel bad because, in the back of the book, we hear that her name is from a real-life person. Yikes.
Dislikes
You don't have to like the protagonist, ever. Unlikable protagonists are acceptable. However, Mikey sometimes just pops in with these mean comments that I found jarring, and they don't come up again. At least make it consistent. There're some things going on with his sister, and he has these comments about another family in the restaurant that he works at. Shouldn't he be keenly aware of these kinds of remarks swirl in his sister's head?
Final Thoughts
Patrick Ness clearly likes Buffy, but he goes behind the scenes for this book. It definitely isn't a book for readers that want a warm-feelings-and-butterflies romance. It has a diverse cast, and it is a bit of a coming-of-age story. The writing was easy and unobtrusive, though the first few pages almost made me put the book down. The teens are contemplating the concept of love, and like teens do, they try to figure it out by trying to sound mature and philosophical. But give it a try, and I think there are many teens who would enjoy it.
Final Thoughts
Patrick Ness clearly likes Buffy, but he goes behind the scenes for this book. It definitely isn't a book for readers that want a warm-feelings-and-butterflies romance. It has a diverse cast, and it is a bit of a coming-of-age story. The writing was easy and unobtrusive, though the first few pages almost made me put the book down. The teens are contemplating the concept of love, and like teens do, they try to figure it out by trying to sound mature and philosophical. But give it a try, and I think there are many teens who would enjoy it.
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