Book Review: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Rating:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison’s condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can’t explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori — the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that’s impossible. Right?

***** ***** *****

This is SO FAR OUT!

I was sure i won’t like this book, what with the negative reviews i’ve read and the setting is a mental institution (creepy place, i’m constantly reminded of the movie Shutter Island). but the synopsis is intriguing and even though i don’t want to take a chance, i did.

and i’m so glad i read it! because this is more than just a murder mystery. it’s like i’m running in a tunnel with the light fading out. i need to follow the light because i don’t wanna be stuck in the dark. i don’t care where the little light will take me, i just know i have to follow it!

The story is a little strange here and there, a mash-up of medical conditions and out-of-this-world collisions, a bombardment of scare, despair, and yes, hope. 🙂 I like strange every now and then.

Alison tries very hard not to be insane but it is difficult when your own mother enters you to a mental facility for treatment. when your own actions doesn’t make sense. when your senses doesn’t not fit normal. What started out as a confusion over Tori’s disappearance turned out to be the clarity and calm for Alison’s mind and body.

I neither liked nor disliked Alison. It’s jsut that she’s crazy, and i’m not. haha! ok, scratch that. she’s just an ok character. i felt no affiliation with her.

Now Tori i admire! A gorgeous girl who tinkers on things? A picture-perfect girl who doesn’t give up no matter how a bleak a situation is? yes, that’s Tori. the only think i didn’t like was how she acted after she and Alison returned to their homes. it seems she’s not strong enough to face everything that’s happened and everyone who welcomed her back.

Faraday – i feel for you, man. just like Alison, i really hope i’ll see you again. He’s a nice guy, too perfect but still likeable.

Reading Ultraviolet is one nerve-wracking experience, reality-wise and otherworldly-wise. It is just a surprising book that regardless of how much i liked it, i will not read it again. *goosebumps* Yes, i’m a coward.

Are you ready to take on Alison and her world? well then, be ready to step in the twilight zone. 😉

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

ArmchairBEA: Interview with Tina of One More Page

Networking, Armchair BEA style!

After thinking a lot if i want to join this discussion, I finally found the courage to ask fellow Filipino book blogger for an interview. Shy that I am (i know, that’s hard to believe), i just posed five questions for her to answer.

See Tina‘s responses below:

 

 

 

 

1. if are not book blogging, what do you do?

My day job consists of updating websites for a certain multinational company. It sounds boring, but I’ve been playing with websites since high school, so it’s almost like breathing already. Wait, that kind of sounds boring. LOL. Anyway, I have a very good day job, so that pretty much pays for my book hoarding. Other than that, I go and update my personal blog every now and then (www.tinamats.com), and also write fiction when I can. When I’m not in front of a computer or a book, I like going out with my friends, running and dancing (even if I am very doubtful if dancing likes me back :P).

2. if there’s an author you love, which book of his/hers would you have love to have written yourself?
Oh hm. I would love to claim onwership to Frank E. Peretti’s THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. It’s one of my favorite books and I love how vivid it was in portraying angels and devils and prayers and such. Another one I’d love to claim is JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta. Such an amazing book that I can’t help but bow down to her writing powers.

3. define a perfect moment for reading.
Me, a good book, a cold drink, sunshine and the beach. Or, I wouldn’t mind curling up on my bed with light rain in the background and a cup of coffee. 😀

4. what is the most romantic book you have ever read (it doesn’t have to a romance novel)?
Because I recently reread it, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen. I loved how the author built the romance there — the conversations, the relationships, the tension, and it all led to a very satisfying ending. 🙂 That, and Wes Baker is my favorite Dessen boy.

5. what book represents your life right now?
Hmm, this is hard. But I think I’ll go for HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE by Tosca Lee. This is a retelling of Eve’s story based on the book of Genesis and other accounts. It’s not an easy book to read, but it’s one book I read this year that really spoke to my heart and I was able to identify a lot with the author’s reflection of Eve in the book. 🙂

Want to learn more about Tina? Then, read on!

Tina is 25, and she’s been reading ever since she borrowed her first Sweet Valley Kids book. She’s a geek, a striving writer, a programmer/debugger who likes to dance and run and eat. She squees over nice pens, notebooks, stars, (giant) sunflowers, cats, dogs and sunny days. Tina loves reading all kinds of books, but she is partial to contemporary YA, chick lit and fantasy. She owns a personal blog at tinamats.com, and a book blog (because she talks about books a bit too much) at One More Page (onemorepage.tinamats.com).

I admit this is fun! Thank you Tina, for this brief but revealing (if not for you, then for me!) interview. Here’s to Filipino book bloggers… cheers!

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”