Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Publication: January 8th 2013 by Soho Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Like the yearning, doomed young clones in Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, three teenagers with XP (a life-threatening allergy to sunlight) are a species unto themselves. As seen through the eyes of 16-year-old Allie Kim, they roam the silent streets, looking for adventure, while others sleep. When Allie's best friend introduces the trio to Parkour, the stunt-sport of running and climbing off forest cliffs and tall buildings (risky in daylight and potentially deadly by darkness), they feel truly alive, equal to the "daytimers."
On a random summer night, while scaling a building like any other, the three happen to peer into an empty apartment and glimpse an older man with what looks like a dead girl. A game of cat-and-mouse ensues that escalates through the underground world of hospital confinement, off-the-grid sports, and forbidden love. Allie, who can never see the light of day, discovers she's the lone key to stopping a human monster.
On a random summer night, while scaling a building like any other, the three happen to peer into an empty apartment and glimpse an older man with what looks like a dead girl. A game of cat-and-mouse ensues that escalates through the underground world of hospital confinement, off-the-grid sports, and forbidden love. Allie, who can never see the light of day, discovers she's the lone key to stopping a human monster.
-- My Rating --
-- My Thoughts --
This time, I am going to do this review a little differently. I won't give you a summery of the book like I always do. No, I will just tell you the good and the bad (if there is.). I am doing this because I am afraid to spoil the GREATNESS of this novel. Yape, it was that good...
Allie, Rob, and Juliet are the best of friends. What brings them together is their XP; allergy to sunlight. I have to say that this idea is very creative. Since I didn't even know that this allergy existed. One day, Juliet starts teaching them Parkour, a type of sport that includes leaping off roofs and balconies. This idea is very creative, too. I didn't know about this kind of sport. It requires a very great momentum, confidence, and fitness. I loved watching Allie and Rob learn it.
But while practising their new sport, they witness something. Something they shouldn't have seen. Something that might or might not be murder. They are not sure. Right here, the mystery part of the novel starts. I loved this. At first, we don't know who the villain is. But little by little, we get more clues as Allie digs more into the "incident". At the same time, Juliet is getting more detached from them. . There is an air of mystery around Juliet which I was very curious about. I loved the growing relationship between Allie and Rob.
This story gripped me from the very first pages. I thought it would be some kind of middle grade novel. I was wrong. The very first thing that I should say, is that I abso-freaking-lutely ADORED the characters. I have never felt more connected, or more in rhythm, with characters this much. They were absolutely phenomenal. They were individuals, not stereotypes. I loved Allie, even though she knew nothing about living in daylight, she was so easy to connect to. She went by her heart AND her mind, a great combination. I have never loved a main character this much.
There is also Rob, who was absolutely adorable. Oh, and about the incident. They see something really terrible, and Allie sees it twice! But no one believes her, not even her friends, so she is frustrated. I loved how this part of the story unfolded. Every time I THOUGHT they would catch the "doer" was, Ms.Jacqulyn threw in another twist and I was caught off guard again. It gave me chills!
If you leave me be, I can talk about this book for a week! (which would be very boring, because all I would do would be gushing and raving about it "wink") I never knew it would be so good! This book is one of the BEST books I have ever read. I have not doubt. I cannot wait to read the second book, What We Lost In The Dark and meet Allie again. Please, guys, please. Go read this book. I promise you will not regret it.
P.S. Jacquelyn Mitchard has an AMAZING writing style, so I couldn't help but grab a few quotes:
"Juliet kept smiling. “Everybody dies,” she said, turning her face so it was out of the light. “But not everybody really lives.”"
"But now that it was happening . . . everything fit like finely chiseled wood, smooth and soft and funny, tasting like the wasabi we’d had with dinner."
"Short strands of questions and suppositions snapped and rolled like a cheap Mardi Gras bead string in my mind."
"At the base of my mind was the solemn unspoken thought: tonight was our only tomorrow, and we would bet the limit on every hand."
I also got a copy of this book from NetGalley. Though, I didn't like it as much as you. It's funny, from the look of the cover it definitely seems like a middle grade title.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that really bothered my was the ending! There is no need to drag the story out into two books, in my opinion. And how frustrating, to go the whole novel trying to figure out this mystery, have all these TERRIBLE things happen, and we still don't know! Ughhhh.
Will I read the sequel? Probably. But I will do so with my heels digging into the ground.
Well, I don't know.
Deleteit is strange, i really loved the ending. Although yeah, I felt like it didn't need to be dragged into two books. But I am very excited about the second book, since there are many things not answereD!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds interesting. I have never heard of this allergy either. Does it really exist?
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!! :D
I'll add it to my TBR pile.
It does exist. Thanks for stopping by!
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