Author: Anna Carey
Series: Book One in the Blackbird Duology
Published By: Harper Teen (September 16, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
My Rating: 3 Stars
Book Description:
This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.
A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.
On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.
The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.
If there is one thing you can count on about me is that I am always on the lookout for something new, something different and something truly stand out. Sometimes, and more often that not, it can get me into trouble but once in awhile instead it can lead me to new adventures and stories and authors that I have might not otherwise have discovered.
While Carey isn't a new discovery, her writing in this book is.
This book starts off in the second person point of view and I am not going to lie, it threw me. Very rarely do you read anything in this perspective, let alone a YA mystery. It took some getting use to and even now, long after finishing it, I can't say whether I ever truly loved the way it was presented but I can say with surety that it did help with the appeal of the story. It added to the mystery and really, I can't fault it for that.
The journey to finding stand out reads can be such a fickle ride can't it?
We get what we are looking for, even what we asked for and still we aren't sure if we like it. If it was done well or done right and we question everything about it.
Are we as readers, bloggers, and reviewers every happy with the unusual and the out of the box new?
In this case, I will have to say that while all elements of the story didn't work, for the most part, most of it did. And while it was strange and took some getting use to, I did enjoy it, strangeness and all.
*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*
Ehh, I really hate second person stuff. That was the case in some of Half Bad and it just . . . put me off. I feel like it's very 'tell not show'.
ReplyDeleteIt was harder to read than I remember it being for some reason. :(
DeleteI still haven't even read The Maze Runner. I've been meaning to, though!
ReplyDeleteI know! I really need to read it as well Stephanie.
DeleteSecond person is always tricky for me Ali, but I agree that it makes a story stand out for sure. It's a shame not all the elements worked for you, but I'm glad Anna gave you something unusual and out of the box:)
ReplyDeleteIt was all of those things so it wasn't all bad at all. ;)
DeleteOh second person is also tricky for me and I rarely enjoy it so I can understand your struggle here. I'm glad that it still had some interesting elements. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Tanja!
DeleteI like mystery as you probably know. I think I'll get a taste from amazon and see if 2nd person bothers me or not before I buy :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Yeah it is definitely something you need to know beforehand. ;)
DeleteThe problem with second person POV in this one is that it struck me as rather pointless. It seemed to be art for art's sake, mostly, which I didn't appreciate. I'm all for experimenting with the narrative, but when it serves a purpose, which I think wasn't the case here.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Maja.
DeleteWow Kindlemom, I LOVED your review what a wonderful way to describe this book that obviously was not a fave but the way you've described it makes me want to read it.
ReplyDeletethanks
Aww thanks Debbie. :)
DeleteI didn't know about this one but it's intriguing. In a whole it's a little sad if everything didn't work out, and it's the reason why I don't think I'll read it.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you Melliane, if you don't think it will appeal to you then I wouldn't try it either. :)
DeleteI don't think I've ever read anything in 2nd person. I read (or attempted to read) one in 3rd person present recently and whew boy it was a brain bender for me.
ReplyDeleteIt does take some getting use to when you read outside of the norm.
DeleteI'm sure the second one will be better but at 4 stars, this doesn't sound so bad even with the hiccups.
ReplyDelete2nd POV isn't as challenging to me. It's just weird at first but once you get the hang of it, it's quite interesting. I feel like I'm talking to my friend and she'l telling me this long-ass story
I gave it three stars because it was interesting even if it didn't quite work for me.
DeleteI've seen this book around a lot lately. It sounds interesting and I want to know how it's strange ;)
ReplyDeleteYou never know, you might love it.
DeleteEep, I have seen second person be brilliant and also very wrong..LOL This does sound different and I like that it still has you unsure and thinking about it :)
ReplyDeleteThat is true, it is good that I am still thinking about it.
DeleteIn my experience, it seems that second person is either absolutely wonderful or it is just flat out awful, so I'm glad to hear that it worked for you here in terms of giving the mystery an extra boost.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I am so glad you found it decent. (I mean, c'mon! The Maze Runner meets Code Name Verity? HECK YEAH!) I hope I end up enjoying it too! Thanks for sharing, and BRILLIANT review! <3
~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf
Thank you and I hope you end up loving it!
DeleteI only read one book that was written in the 2nd person POV and it was a little uncomfortable for me for some reason. I'm not too keen on this book because of that. I'm glad you still liked it despite some elements not working for you, Ali. Also, I see you're reading Whisper the Dead!! I hope you'll like it. :D
ReplyDeleteI am loving it Nick, I love the whole series so far!
Delete2nd POV? Wow, I'm very curious now. Even though it doesn't seem perfect at all, I might try it just for the experience ha. ».«
ReplyDeleteYou should, at least to see if you like the point of view.
Delete2nd person... Hmmm! The only book I've ever read that had any 2nd person POV was The Night Circus, but it was just snippets, really. I might try this just for the experience. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteI was curious about this one when I saw the ARC up, but wasn't sure. Glad you read it 'for me'. I'll wait to see what you think of the next book before considering it again. :P
ReplyDeleteLOL anytime Christy, anytime. :P
DeleteHmm I think the second person perspective would throw me too. It definitely sounds like an interesting premise though! I agree, it's always a risk to try something out of the box, and sometimes it really pays off and other times not so much. Glad you enjoyed this mostly though!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lauren. :D
DeleteThanks for the review. I was curious about this.
ReplyDeleteI hope I helped a little. :)
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