Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Ruined

Title/Author: Ruined by Paula Morris.

Genre: YA/Supernatural.

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Source: Purchased through Amazon.

Favorite character: Lisette.

Favorite quote: “It’s strange to think of how the past gets swept away.” "The past doesn’t go away…you just can’t see it anymore.” P. 141

All in all: Rich and intriguing. This review may seem short and not too deep because I tried not to give too much away. I thought this was a YA book, but somewhere else it said Middle Grades, so maybe that made me give it more slack as well. I liked this book a lot and would recommend it.

What I liked: First of all New Orleans. Yay!!! It’s one of my favorite cities, so I can’t get enough of visiting, even if it is only through a book. The author painted the city so beautifully and delved into some history and dynamics; The Yellow fever epidemics, the intricacies of Mardi Gras, race and class division, Haitian culture, the Garden District, Katrina. The City itself was the most complex character in the story.

Rebecca has to spend a school year in New Orleans with her aunt because her father got a temporary job in China. She attends a snooty upper crust school in the Garden District where she doesn’t fit in because she is not wealthy and she is an outsider. She is distanced from her friends in NY, distanced from making any friends in NOLA because of her status and then to rebel she lies about her origins in order to distance herself further.

One night when she sneaks into the cemetery she meets Lisette, a ghost who becomes her only friend. (This is not a spoiler since it’s on the book jacket.) They connect because Rebecca can actually see her, because they are both lonely and probably because they share a common bond…being separated from their mothers: Lisette because she is earthbound and Rebecca because her mother died when she was a baby.  Rebecca soon uncovers secrets about the local wealthy Garden District families and in doing so, stumbles upon one about her own family as well.

There is also a budding romance between her and Anton Grey, one of the wealthy kids in the neighborhood. He professes not to be like the rest of his crowd and is drawn to Rebecca. I suspect because she does not fit the cookie cutter mold that all the other people in the school and Garden District adhere to. He also seems impressed with the fact that she is from New York and even mentions her “cool New York friends”.

I also really liked Lisette’s story and her “life” as a ghost. It was bittersweet and at times humorous. It was also a good plot device not only as a key to the story, but to give background into the city of New Orleans past and present.

(Also, I think the cover is lovely).

What I didn’t like: *SMALL SPOILER ALERT: Without giving too much away, I feel that a secret that came out didn’t lend itself to the rest of the story. It was jarring in comparison to the quiet, spooky tone the book had until that point and therefore I had a hard time suspending my disbelief in regards to it. But to take the other side, I realize that is something you have to do in stories, throw rocks at your character and then throw more rocks at them. Plus, yes it was exciting. END SPOILER ALERT*

I also felt that the characters were not that rich, but the story moves along so well and fast that this didn’t bother me as much. There were also some plot points that I had issue with, but again, it didn’t ruin the book for me.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

I think I need to see if my library has this one. I can't seem to make up my mind about it!

Midnyte Reader said...

If you read it, I'd love to know your opinion. There were so many varying ones on Amazon and Goodreads.

Anonymous said...

Good review! I haven't read it, but it sounds intriguing. And the cover is very pretty =)

柯云 said...

2016-07-16keyun
true religion jeans
louis vuitton handbags
replica rolex watches
nike store
beats by dr dre
pandora jewelry
nike sb dunks
gucci outlet
copy watches
concords 11
christian louboutin shoes
cheap jordan shoes
gucci outlet online
polo ralph lauren outlet
air max 90
coach outlet online
cheap ray ban sunglasses
cheap louis vuitton handbags
fitflop clearance
red bottom shoes
longchamp outlet
louis vuitton purses
michael kors outlet
cheap toms
toms shoes
true religion outlet
nike roshe shoes
nike uk
ray ban outlet
longchamp le pliage
fitflop sale
christian louboutin shoes
tory burch flats
coach outlet store online clearances
ray ban sunglasses outlet
timberlands
louis vuitton outlet
air jordan homme
nike trainers sale

Unknown said...

jordan 11
michael kors wholesale
juicy couture tracksuit
nike trainers uk
ghd uk
ralph lauren uk
lululemon outlet
louboutin pas cher
mulberry uk
michael kors outlet online
adidas nmd runner
ray ban sunglasses
true religion jeans
michael kors outlet
hollister shirts
louis vuitton outlet store
instyler
true religion outlet
michael kors outlet
mlb jerseys
fitflops clearance
asics
tiffany and co
cheap jordans
rolex watches,rolex watches,swiss watches,watches for men,watches for women,omega watches,replica watches,rolex watches for sale,rolex replica,rolex watch,cartier watches,rolex submariner,fake rolex,rolex replica watches,replica rolex
fitflop clearance
oakley sunglasses
rolex orologi
ray ban sunglasses
ferragamo outlet
michael kors outlet
nike air max
ferragamo shoes sale
omega watches
longchamp pliage
czq20160728

Anonymous said...

It seemed like the right fit for me after talking to Jen and Dave and Taffe, Sinclair said from Victoria in a telephone interview, referring to Carleton assistant vice president recreation and athletics Jennifer Brenning, director of basketball operations Dave Smart and Charles.lucky in being able to take over a program that is in a really good place. {tag: Flight Club Yeezy V2 White}

Jordan Retro 12 Black Game Royal Metallic Silver, Being so good at giving their fans what they want they have also put out some dope walking around shoes that go with everything. Dress up, dress down, dress preppie, dress for a first date, or whatever, Reebok has your feet covered. You look good and when you look good, you feel good..

$554,763 to repair windows in a closed national park. {tag: Yeezy 350 V2 Triple White Sold Out}He just has that kind of unorthodox, funky left hander game and can make awkward and unorthodox shots in the mid range.

Government hasn Faisal tried to downplay the findings, saying the analysis was conducted by a private company that hasn been independently vetted and offered hard evidence to substantiate the claims it is making. Mohammed has also denied ordering the murder of Khashoggi, saying in an interview with Minutes he would make no exceptions in prosecuting those responsible for the journalist death. A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and given three others jail time in relation to the killing..

Air Jordan 1 Retro High Black And Grey, Free for Everyone promotion Apple's brand new streaming service has made some of its lower profile projects available for free. The list of shows includes their best original program to date, the anthology series dramatizing real life immigrant stories Little America. The historical comedy Dickinson, the animated Snoopy in Space and the nature series The Elephant Queen, along with an Oprah Winfrey special on the pandemic.

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...