If you're looking for a powerfully intense book to read then 'Charm and Strange' is the book for you.'Charm and Strange' exceeded my expectations on so many levels. It was beautifully written, so profoundly executed that it was just a total joy to read. It's not a book that's action-packed, but it is a book that challenges your mind. It's a tale full of pain and of survival. I don't think I've ever read a book that had the kind of edge this book did. Charm and Strange is not a light book full of fluff.'Charm and Strange' is a book rich in plot and characters and learning about 'Win' was heartbreaking. He was a boy lost in his own mind and his past. It's really hard to know exactly what to say about him without giving away the concept of the book. I will say he came from a dysfunctional family and leave it at that. The secondary characters play such an integral part of this story. I loved Lex and Jordan. I felt I got to know them as much as I did Andrew. They were Win's salvation and his despair.This is a novel that can touch the heart of the reader - if you let it. The pace of the book is reasonably slow and a lot of people may give up on it, but don't, because it is a book to savor and not one to rush. I swear by the time I had finished it, I didn't know what genre I was reading. When people call it a 'mind fuck' it truly is. What I really loved about this book was the sense of realism I got from it.'Charm and Strange' is written in third voice and has chapters as 'Matter' - which is present time and 'Anti-Matter' - which is about Win's past. This was something else I was really impressed with, because one of the problems I have with some books is the lack of back story. The back story was built in to be part of the story itself and I absolutely adored that. It allowed me to connect with 'Win' even more than I would have been able to otherwise.There's so much I could write about 'Charm and Strange', but I can't. And it's so frustrating because I know that it would spoil it for people and there's so much of the story line that I would love to expand on - but I won't.I would recommend this to anyone. Now for my rating:-Five out of five starsThis review can be found here:-http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
A Reader's Heart
Focuses on reviews of Young Adult novels with honesty and integrity. My ratings and reviews vary on how I feel about the book.
If you're looking for a powerfully intense book to read then 'Charm and Strange' is the book for you.'Charm and Strange' exceeded my expectations on so many levels. It was beautifully written, so profoundly executed that it was just a total joy to read. It's not a book that's action-packed, but it is a book that challenges your mind. It's a tale full of pain and of survival. I don't think I've ever read a book that had the kind of edge this book did. Charm and Strange is not a light book full of fluff.'Charm and Strange' is a book rich in plot and characters and learning about 'Win' was heartbreaking. He was a boy lost in his own mind and his past. It's really hard to know exactly what to say about him without giving away the concept of the book. I will say he came from a dysfunctional family and leave it at that. The secondary characters play such an integral part of this story. I loved Lex and Jordan. I felt I got to know them as much as I did Andrew. They were Win's salvation and his despair.This is a novel that can touch the heart of the reader - if you let it. The pace of the book is reasonably slow and a lot of people may give up on it, but don't, because it is a book to savor and not one to rush. I swear by the time I had finished it, I didn't know what genre I was reading. When people call it a 'mind fuck' it truly is. What I really loved about this book was the sense of realism I got from it.'Charm and Strange' is written in third voice and has chapters as 'Matter' - which is present time and 'Anti-Matter' - which is about Win's past. This was something else I was really impressed with, because one of the problems I have with some books is the lack of back story. The back story was built in to be part of the story itself and I absolutely adored that. It allowed me to connect with 'Win' even more than I would have been able to otherwise.There's so much I could write about 'Charm and Strange', but I can't. And it's so frustrating because I know that it would spoil it for people and there's so much of the story line that I would love to expand on - but I won't.I would recommend this to anyone. Now for my rating:-Five out of five starsThis review can be found here:-http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
