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Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Raven Boys vs My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

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Tough one but not so tough. Both books were good reads - lots I could talk up to kids about both. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece has humour, angst, and a little of the cray-cray family dynamic. It also tells the story of what happens when you don't let race interfere with who your friends are. Lots to like there. But almost...too much. Is the book about the family struggle to come to terms with the death of a child or is the book about an interracial relationship? Pick a lane. Raven Boy had me from the start with the intriguing tale of the prep school boys versus the psychic, free-spirited Blue. It has the right combination of creepy, and scary without being gratuitous about it. There are real people out there seeking ley lines and hidden treasures - these people exist( albeit you usually find them in chat rooms about Dungeons and Dragons, but they exist). Whether I believe you could live with a dead guy for a year and not realize he was a ghost and not a real boy is something different but who hasn't felt that weird cold chill go through them at the same time they are thinking of a person who is "beyond the grave"? The story held me start to finish and I am anxiously awaiting part deux!Who is Blue's one true love and will she kiss and kill? Sandra will report back on her thoughts on the books but we have decided that Raven Boys will fly onto the next round and My Sister will have to to back to the Mantelpiece.
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2013 at 7:07 PM

    Phew. I worried that I might have been too hard on My Sister in the first round, but it sounds like we had the same reaction to it, Vanessa.

    I'm actually looking forward to The Raven Boys. I won't be surprised if we see a The Raven Boys vs. The Fault in Our Stars showdown in the final round....

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  2. DiaMac MightyJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:24 AM

    You can't because they are on the same side of the draw. But Brad there are always zombies....always.

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  3. DiaMac MightyJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:24 AM

    You can't because they are on the same side of the draw. But Brad there are always zombies....always.

    ReplyDelete
  4. btrimmJanuary 25, 2013 at 1:44 PM

    I loved it in the beginning but I lost interest for about 100 pages (around p. 85). I kept waiting for it to pick up and it finally did. I'd be happy to let Dia or Vanessa fill me in on what happens in the next two books so that I don't have to read them - too many books, so little time.

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