Vivid and creative. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat. The dreamscape was not a place I wanted to escape to; it was colourless, depressing, and often disgusting. I like when fantasy has a hard, dark edge, but this was, well... Gooey. Literally. Slimy, elastic mozzarella cheese goo everywhere. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the protagonist, (an overweight teenage Asian girl) but her voice annoyed me after a while. The overuse of adverbs also grinder on my nerves. It was odd, though, and not too long. (Barely over 200 pages) I like odd books. They make me think. The concept intrigued me as did the positive quote from Gaiman on the cover. The concept of the realms and a realm of eternal torment reminded me of the three spirits from Wolf Brother as well as Chinese hell and the haunting images in Haw Paw Villa.... But the book itself dragged and Melanie irritated me for the majority of the time. The image of a black and white colorless world was interesting but I still couldn't completely understand the concept of the realms and how Melanie came into all of it, let alone the glue man, her mother, and the unbalance within the realms themselves. Could be because I skimmed portions. And now I see that this is book one... Won't continue this series but it wasn't a horrible read nor a waste of time. It just felt like it could have been much better, as haunting and gripping and horrifying as Neverwhere, but didn't quite meet the mark."No magic words, no cure all potion, no ultimate key that unlocked the prize door, no sorcerer's sword or special super latent talent power inside her waiting to burst free to save herself and her mother's life and everyone else in all three realms. Everything hinged on choices. Her choices."
Do You like book Yarım Dünya (2012)?
Dark fantasy, full-bodied protagonist, i hope she writes a sequel. Characters are vividly imagined.
—rosebeliebs
"Imagine Coraline as filmed by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle)"
—ali
Very unique, good story. Well worth a look.
—spaceislovely
