Skip to main content

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer (Between the Lines #2)

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Sixteen-year-old Delilah is finally united with Oliver—a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale. There are, however, complications now that Oliver has been able to enter the real world. To exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy. Enter Edgar, who agrees to take Oliver’s role in Delilah’s favorite book. In this multilayered universe, the line between what is on the page and what is possible is blurred, but all must be resolved for the characters to live happily ever after. (Amazon)

 Category: YA

 Why I chose this book: Companion novel

 My personal opinion (the review): This book was really so-so at best. Lots of angsty-teenage-eness and drama. I also felt like several of the ideas were not really thought through. The idea of the portals out of the book seemed forced (though the writer's imagination part was cool). Also, the whole story with Edgar's mother isn't well researched and explained when you really think about it. A few interesting things, but overall it just didn't cut it.   

 Warnings:
   Language: Less than half a dozen 
   "Adult" situations: Nothing over a PG or maybe PG-13 rating, but there was a lot of teenage romance stuff. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised because it is (worldly) high school kids, but it felt excessive to me. 
    Other: One of the characters likes two boys, one in the fairy tale world and one in the real world. When she's whining about wanting to be with both of them Delilah says, "Only if your a Mormon Fundamentalist." And later there is a reference to sister wives.  

 Movie rating equivalent: PG-13

 Protagonist description: 

 Honestly, Delilah is a needy, clingy teenager who feels like she needs a boy to be complete. But she really isn't ready for all that having a prince from a fairy tale for a boyfriend really means. 

 Oliver, understandably, has a difficult time relating to the real world, but he does his best, albeit a bit over the top.

 Being part of the story doesn't pan out to be all that Edgar hopes it will be and he's got to learn how to deal with that.  

 Point of view of story: Switches between Oliver, Delilah, and Edgar. Clearly marked at each chapter heading and different ink colors are used. 

 Book length: Short. It's almost 400 pages, but it's very easy reading. 

 Story flow: It jumps around a bit as the narrator rotates from character to character and between characters the in the fairy tale and the real world, however it was easy enough to follow along.  

 Grammar and spelling issues: None 

 Character connection (no spoilers): None

For series:
Independent or integral: Integral 
Series review as a whole: A light read for those who have ever wondered if book characters were real. Full of teenage-ness so only read it if you can deal with that. 
If you only have time for one, read: Between the Lines 
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Boundary Crossed by Melissa Olson

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) After her twin sister’s brutal murder, former US Army Sergeant Allison “Lex” Luther vowed to protect her niece, Charlie. So when two vampires try to kidnap the baby, it quickly turns into a fight to the death—Lex’s death, that is. (from Amazon) Category YA Fantasy Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches in the modern world. I'll admit that I groaned a little when I first read that. And I truly almost put the book down when I crossed the first f-word. But I justified the language for its density- most chapters are clean, so I "rounded down" in the vulgarity percentage. If it were possible to rip out the bad words, the story line would be just as good. I liked the story and the interaction between the different groups- magical and non-magical, witches and vampires, working class and high class. The characters felt very "real", three-dimensional. All in
Post a Comment
Read more

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await. (Amazon) Category: YA dystopian Why I chose this book: Looked good on a display My personal opinion: I've figured out something about myself through reading so many dystopian novels. What I enjoy the most is learning why the society has come to this point and how they keep the people in their subjection.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Game by Terry Schott

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) What if this life is just a simulation? What if our bodies are in another world, plugged into a virtual reality game, and our entire life is just one play in that game? What would our real life be like, if we could experience several full simulated lifespans, in our teen years, and then enter adulthood? That is the premise of this story. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book It was either free or discounted on Amazon, and sounded interesting My personal opinion (the review) Too many inconsistencies. For example: The real world is able to view the players in the game in "real time", but time in the game is sped up, so that a week in real life is worth a decade in the virtual world. How do real world people have enough time to experience the virtual world, in real time, while still being accelerated? Danielle enters the game 3 days behind Trew, but she only ends up being 1 year younger. If a week is a decade in the game, then 3 days should have be
Post a Comment
Read more