Magpie’s life just keeps getting worse. It started with her father’s infidelity and mother’s alcoholism, and then that night at Brandon Phipp’s party…that changed everything. Since then, Magpie is barely holding it together. The only thing that seems to help is writing about her ideal getaway place, one where none of life’s blows struck anything, one with all the comfort and none of the pain. To Magpie’s amazement, there is such a place, and to get to it, you imagine a door.
I recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction with a twist of fantasy, and people who like a psychological challenge. I think I got the most out of this book when I thought about the lengths people are willing to go to to survive emotional neglect and abuse. (The author uses the short story “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates as a device to further this–if you haven’t read this short story, do it. It will help you make some important connections.) Magpie is an interesting character that comes to terms with her problems in a way I wasn’t expecting. Don’t expect a happy ending!
Mrs. Ashworth rates this book 3/5
Tags: realistic, fantasy, depression, alcoholism, neglect, family, friendship, survival, revenge, betrayal
Blue, a psychic’s daughter, has no real psychic power, until one day she sees the future spirit of a boy walking along a ley line. His name is Gansey, and he is a rich student at the local private school. Blue meets Gansey and his three friends, and soon learns they are searching for the ley line. For Blue’s entire life, she has been warned that she will cause her true love to die when she kisses him, but never thought it would be a problem. But the more she gets involved with the boys and the magical powers of the ley line, she is less sure of what her future will bring.
I loved the book for all its quirkiness. It made fun of the “generic” YA plot in a magic realism way (treated the magic and outrageous activity like an afterthought or ordinary). The characters were well-rounded, full of realistic flaws but posed in a lovable light. There is not much plot that involves our main characters, is mostly a coming-of-age story while craziness rages on in the background. Also, there’s a quarter-god of cats.
Mikey and his friends aren’t Chosen Ones- they aren’t the type who are the heroes when apocalypses come around- those are the indie kids. Mikey just wants to graduate- preferably before indie kids blow up the school again, and maybe ask his friend Henna to prom. This book delivers the message that sometimes, normal problems seem bigger than the end of the world, and the ‘ordinary’ kids get to have more fun than the chosen ones.
The book Is a collection of vignettes about the lives of Hispanic women. A lot of the stories focus on women trying to find their identities in relation to their interactions with their surroundings, family, and men The novel starts off with stories about childhood and then progresses into stories about adulthood.
Lynbrook Reviews 