dianapharah's reviews
119 reviews

"'It will be sad, you know, to be left alone, quite alone, and not even have something to regret—nothing, absolutely nothing… because all that I have lost, all this, it was all nothing, a stupid, round zero—it was merely a dream!’”

”’I don't want there to be any lying. That's all I want, because that's the main thing. On earth it's impossible to live and not to lie, for life and lying are synonymous; well, but here for the fun of it we won't lie. The devil take it, the grave does mean something after all!’”

“The worst was yet to come, he knew. Already he could feel a world of trouble waiting for him behind the next door, but the worst that could have happened was also already behind him; the thing not done, which could have been – which he would have had to live with for the rest of his life.”

I had to read this book as a young kid, I think about 4th grade. Absolutely hated it. Maybe I’ll get around to rereading this since I’m older and see if my outlook has changed. The plot was compelling enough but the writing bored me. Even after all these years I think I still remember something about mosquitos...

"When you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture."

Reading this book has changed me.

This is such a powerful story following two half-sisters who never knew each other and their descendants as they journey through the hardships of life in both Ghana and America.

Every chapter held the life, the essence of each family member and witnessing their struggles, their stories unfold was so damn moving and hard. I've cried so many times while reading this book and I've been horrified by its contents and its truths even more so. Each person has their own tale to tell and their own path to take and I truly cared for all of them so much that I hated to see their story end with each chapter. But their stories never came to a close. Their descendants lived on and carried these stories with them throughout their respective lives and looked back on them when hope felt lost. I ached when these characters faced difficulties unlike any other. And I smiled when hope bloomed once more within. The way the author writes the chapter endings in a subtle yet clear way that foreshadows what the future holds for this family is beautiful.

This book inspired me and gave me a feeling I can't quite name. I want to say it feels a little bit like hope.

I'm a first generation Iranian-American. I have lost the ability to speak my mother tongue like I might have been able to if teachers had not informed my mother that I was speaking a language other than English. I cannot even go back in my history past my great-grandparents because records were either never taken or destroyed. My parents haven't told me many stories about their own families or predecessors, and language barriers have hindered me from finding out more on my own. After finishing this book, I have never regretted this fact more.

These stories that are passed down generation to generation, ancestor to descendant, are the most important parts of us, our lives, our history. Live them, tell them. Ask for them, consume them.

History is storytelling.

Beautiful, beautiful book. It truly captured the uncertainty and the emotions teenagers feel in their journey to discovering themselves as adults or in general. There was definitely a couple times where i shed some tears. I wish

Spoiler

we got to see Ari meet Bernardo or get a little more closure on that

and I felt the ending as a whole was a little bit rushed in contrast to the pacing of the rest of the novel, but the pros outweigh these minor cons. In the end, I was very satisfied! Such a heartwarming story.

3.5 stars.

Very character driven book and was a joy to read about the various characters and their perspectives, goals, fears, etc. I loved (and I mean LOVED) Einstein, Nora, and Travis’ dynamic and I read their passages with a smile on my face; they made me so happy! Overall, the character growth and development is excellent and that part of the book is 5 stars. I have nothing more to say on that; I just simply enjoyed how all the characters were written in Watchers.

However, the plot moved quite slow, in my opinion. A lot of the things built up throughout the book are “resolved” in less than 10 pages when you get to the last stretch of the book and everything kinda wrapped up too nicely. Again, from the point of view of me loving the characters and wanting their happy endings, it was really great. But from a plot point of view, it was basic and dry. Koontz could have executed the plot in many different ways and the book would have been stronger as a whole. I personally thought that some side plots that could have been explored and were interesting turned out to end quite abruptly/easily. All that build up with no pay off. 3/5 stars on plot since it was still a solid slow burn that kept me wanting to read more.

Maybe one day I'll dive so deep that the Abyssal Serpent will catch me, and I'll never find my way back. No sense in denying that such things happen. But it's not going to happen today—and there is a deep, abiding comfort in that. Deep enough to carry me through till tomorrow.

This was an amazing, raw, intense read. Some parts were so close to home I cried, and other parts that I've never experienced opened my eyes, heart, and mind to those who have. At first, comprehending what I was reading was a bit difficult; the contrast between the ship construct and the 'real world' was especially confusing to me. But once I figured out that it was depicting perception vs reality and that everything is meant to symbolize Caden's life and mental state, or a mentally ill person's mind in general, this book became pure genius.

Shusterman's prose is just one of the beautiful parts of this book; his ability to portray mental illness in a way that doesn't demonize the ones who suffer from it is another. He doesn't try to sugarcoat anything or claim that everything's fine in the end, but he simply tells it how it is; the honesty in this book was so refreshing.

He just gets it, you know.

Things that you never thought could be articulated are right here (yes, 'here' and not 'there'), written to explain what you yourself can not explain. Reading about Caden's journey as well as what he learns and discovers about himself and his own mind was so hard-hitting. I think I chose to read this at the perfect moment of my life and now I need to go sort all my thoughts and feelings.

I will definitely be picking up other works by Shusterman in the future!

Sometimes, a family is a boy, a bunch of ghosts, a witch, a werewolf, and a mysterious guardian.

I loved Bod’s interactions with all of the characters, specifically his relationship with his guardian, Silas. Bod is excellently developed and isn’t dumbed down simply because he’s a child. I enjoyed reading the chapters where it was kind of like a side adventure in his life (The Hounds of God, The Witch’s Headstone, The Danse Macabre, Nobody Owens’ School Days), and the final 2 chapters were very fast paced and intense. I definitely plan to read more of Gaiman’s works!