I was given a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley, in return for an honest review.
I have to pause and compose my thoughts before writing my review of "Above". My feelings while reading it spanned an entire spectrum of emotions. I was drawn in to the story immediately. The entire book is told in the first person, through Blythe's eyes. As one would imagine, it seems absolutely horrible, being kidnapped from a small town as a teenager. And things only go down hill from there.
During the section entitled 'Below', where Blythe is kept in an abandoned Silo, we are shown a smart and scared little girl. She tries everything that she can think of to escape. Over the years her strategy changes and she is continuously faced with new challenges, but she doesn't give up hope that she will eventually find a way out. And neither does the reader. I was surprised to find that Blythe never got on my nerves as some characters tend to do in these situations. However, there were points at the middle and end of this section, that I wanted to put the book down and just not continue it. But I kept going because it is very hard for me to not finish a book, and also, I had promised to give a review.
I kept reading, and when we finally reached the end of 'below' I was glad that I had!
However, it wasn't very far into the 'Above' section when I realized that this was not the type of book that I had signed up for. I was interested in reading about the kidnapping, not what happened after. But I trudged along, even more horrified by what I was reading about 'Above' than what had happened 'Below'. My feelings for this book just kept withering away. It seemed beyond redemption.
As I said at the beginning of this review, my feelings were all over the place. By the end, somehow, this book had wormed its way back into my good graces. I'm not sure when or how this exactly happened, but by the time it was done, I am happy to report that I actually liked it. The last 2 chapters really pulled it all together. I can't make myself give it 4 stars because of all the heartache it gave me, but 3 doesn't seem to do it justice. 3.5 would be perfect, and I recommend it to those who are on the fence about reading it.
I have to pause and compose my thoughts before writing my review of "Above". My feelings while reading it spanned an entire spectrum of emotions. I was drawn in to the story immediately. The entire book is told in the first person, through Blythe's eyes. As one would imagine, it seems absolutely horrible, being kidnapped from a small town as a teenager. And things only go down hill from there.
During the section entitled 'Below', where Blythe is kept in an abandoned Silo, we are shown a smart and scared little girl. She tries everything that she can think of to escape. Over the years her strategy changes and she is continuously faced with new challenges, but she doesn't give up hope that she will eventually find a way out. And neither does the reader. I was surprised to find that Blythe never got on my nerves as some characters tend to do in these situations. However, there were points at the middle and end of this section, that I wanted to put the book down and just not continue it. But I kept going because it is very hard for me to not finish a book, and also, I had promised to give a review.
I kept reading, and when we finally reached the end of 'below' I was glad that I had!
However, it wasn't very far into the 'Above' section when I realized that this was not the type of book that I had signed up for. I was interested in reading about the kidnapping, not what happened after. But I trudged along, even more horrified by what I was reading about 'Above' than what had happened 'Below'. My feelings for this book just kept withering away. It seemed beyond redemption.
As I said at the beginning of this review, my feelings were all over the place. By the end, somehow, this book had wormed its way back into my good graces. I'm not sure when or how this exactly happened, but by the time it was done, I am happy to report that I actually liked it. The last 2 chapters really pulled it all together. I can't make myself give it 4 stars because of all the heartache it gave me, but 3 doesn't seem to do it justice. 3.5 would be perfect, and I recommend it to those who are on the fence about reading it.
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