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Merissa (13878 KP) rated A Curse of Forever in Books
Dec 1, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)
This is a fast-paced story that gives you insight into Laurel and her delightful mother and sister. I was so pleased to find out that others in her family were not the same! She is estranged from her beloved grandfather through actions not of her own. When he dies, she is the one to organise the funeral. The paper she works for gives her the time off but asks her to write a piece about the haunted lighthouse too. When she goes there, she sees -- and can talk to -- Nathaniel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The only part I couldn't quite understand was Jacob and Carrie. I didn't feel that he added much to the story or his obsession with Laurel. Yes, I know he had to be there for a certain part but that was it. As for Carrie, she was one way for the whole of the book, just changing at the end. Was it because the curse had been broken? I'm honestly not sure.
This was a steamy read, with instant attraction between our main characters. Laurel and Nathaniel were supported by great characters who helped to keep the story moving along.
Anyway, on the whole, this was a great contemporary read by an author I have come to associate with science fiction. I would say she has successfully moved to other genres. Thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommended.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books
Dec 1, 2021
Dana (24 KP) rated Extraordinary Means in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I was lucky enough to get to meet the author at Yall West this year in Santa Monica. She is very nice and was kind enough to sign my book!! Yay!!!
Not only were the characters well drawn out, they felt very real in the way Robyn wrote them. They were the outcasts who didn't care about being different. They just were who they were and didn't let others control what they thought about themselves.
People will probably compare this to The Fault in Our Stars because both are about sick kids dealing with their disease, but in a way, I liked this book better. It felt more real and honest. I am not saying that I didn't like TFIOS, because I very much enjoyed it. But there is just something about the way this was written made me feel more of a connection to it.
For me, the language of the story felt very organic as well. There weren't too many instances where it felt forced or like it was trying too hard to be more mature than it needed to be. It had a perfect balance for the kind of messages the story was trying to show the audience.
This story talked a lot about the fragility of life and how people shouldn't waste it. No matter what stage you are in at any point in your life, whether it be in high school studying to perfect your SAT scores or sitting in a forest contemplating life and existence, people shouldn't take what they have for granted. I think this was one of the most important messages in this story. To not waste your life studying, but to actually try to live it.
The story went by very quickly, but it was a good kind of quickly. It didn't drag on for too long, but it also didn't rush past important parts of the story. It had very good pacing to it.
I would recommend this to anyone. It doesn't matter if you absolutely love contemporary teen fiction or not, this is just an amazing novel that everyone should read.
I am going to put on one of my favorite quotations from the book now, so if you don't want to read it, stop reading this review now:
"There's a difference between being dead and dying. We're all dying. Some of us die for ninety years, and some of us die for nineteen. But each morning everyone on this planet wakes up one day closer to their death. Everyone. So living and dying are actually different words for the same thing, if you think about it."