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Katelyn Detweiler

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4 verk 142 medlemmar 9 recensioner

Verk av Katelyn Detweiler

Immaculate (2015) 83 exemplar
Transcendent (2016) 26 exemplar
The Undoing of Thistle Tate (2019) 25 exemplar
The People We Choose (2021) 8 exemplar

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Transcentdent by Katelyn Detweiler is a unique YA novel.

To start this review off, I have to admit that this book was definitely not for me. I did not enjoy this book even though I typically love YA novels. I dig the whole "only, special person" trope and love peeking into dystopian worlds. Unfortunately, this book just didn't hit me the right way. Katelyn had an absolutely stunning tone and writing style and I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this book.

This book has an interesting plot: A bomb goes off at Disney World and the world is in ruins. The happiest place on earth is now not so happy. All of this happens due to all of the negativity in this world - because terrorists suck, of course. In comes Iris, the teen girl we are following. Turns out, she's "special". Her Mom had a virgin birth and she is essentially the second becoming of Jesus Christ. She can help heal people and make people happy. Her parents don't want her to become famous and take advantage of these powers. She struggles with her sense of self, meets a cute boy, and ends of deciding what to do by the end.

This book had a lot of potential for me, but it fell flat. A lot of the book felt like everyday activities and not much plot. Throw in a romance that didn't need to be there, and I felt... cheated. If the romance would have had more meaning to the story, I probably would have liked it a little bit more. It felt like the romance was there to fit into the YA mold. Similarly, there was one terrorist attack and... that was it? So we needed a girl to come out after a terror attack at one public place? That's... kind of normal these days. If there would have been more terror or horrors, I think it would have made more sense. The amount of good Iris can do didn't exactly match the level of bad one terror attack is (in comparison to our everyday events now. Terrorism is still awful, don't get me wrong).

The book was lacking for me. I had hoped it would pick up speed or add a reason for the romance (Jesus had Mary Magdalene so maybe that could have been brought in?). With all of the religious references, I wish it would have went full force or not at all on it.

And then the book just... exists. There was a lot of substance and descriptions but not a lot of plot. I'm the type of person who needs fast plots, lots of drama, and that good heaping of romance. It just didn't have enough of each for my liking.

So, you might be thinking this review sounds mighty negative. And yes, I feel kinda bad about that since Katelyn's writing was INCREDIBLE. I love how she describes things and I love her tone. Her writing style matched my reading style and I want to read more by her in the future for sure! I would absolutely support her. Unfortunately, we can't like all of the books we read.

Side note: This book is a sequel apparently! Iris's Mom has her own book!

One out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Briars_Reviews | 3 andra recensioner | Aug 4, 2023 |
Although I DNF'd this book, I would recommend it to others, particularly those interested in cozy mysteries and YA romance. This book explores both a publishing world intrigue, as well as the story of a teenage girl coming to terms with having lost her mother at a young age. The plotline is interesting and unique. Where this story lost me was the romance novel tropes and the heterosexuality to the exclusion of other types of love interest. That said, it is a great, light summer read, especially for a bookish teen.… (mer)
 
Flaggad
emmy_of_spines | 2 andra recensioner | Sep 8, 2022 |
This is one that I almost passed by, but something about the story sounded interesting. I was not sure if this was going to a hit or miss. I ended up really enjoying this.

This is story around finding yourself, the domino effect of lying, and more important things in life. It takes a turn around mental health the second half including depression and possible suicide. It is one of the first books I have found that (on the surface) covers Chrones disease. I was not expecting that at all. It is not the center of the story, but I still like that it is mentioned as my mother has Chrones.
I did not like the dysfunctional relationship between Thistle and her father. I did not like how her father manipulates Thistle for his own grief of losing his wife/her mom. It moves towards a story around mental health. The ending was a little too long and drawn out for me. I almost feel the first half and the second half were two separate books when it moved on to the story about her mother.

This does have a story within itself. You get a glimpse into the Lemonade Skies and how it parallels with Thistle and her own loss of her mother. I like what it brought to the story.

There is also a love triangle that does include some teenage cheating. The romances were cute though as you find Thistle torn between a new love interest and a long term friendship romance.

Overall, I enjoyed this one so much more than I was expecting though.
… (mer)
½
 
Flaggad
SimplyKelina | 2 andra recensioner | Sep 20, 2019 |
I was swallowed whole by this one...thinking it was a light, fluffy YA read with a slightly obvious turn of events to come...but it wasn't in the least! There were hidden secrets, and darker corners, plus hidden depths of the heart explored, as well as more than one way for someone to be undone. (Don't you just LOVE when a title can be interpreted several ways?) I really appreciated Thistle's dilemma, respected her loyalty to her family, and cheered for her newfound respect for herself when things truly looked grim. All in all, it's a book that seriously makes you stop and think...what WOULD you do for those you love?


**ecopy received for review; opinions are my own
… (mer)
 
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GRgenius | 2 andra recensioner | Sep 15, 2019 |

Statistik

Verk
4
Medlemmar
142
Popularitet
#144,865
Betyg
2.9
Recensioner
9
ISBN
19
Språk
1

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