Release Date: January 8, 2013
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Soho Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272
Source: eARC received through NetGalley – thanks!
Interest: YA Contemporary / Sci-fi / Mystery
Buy the Book: IndieBound | Amazon | B&N
Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.”
On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 Riceballs
Book Review:
What We Saw at Night is one of those books that is just not for me, especially considering what I was expecting and what I actually got out of my read. Overall, because of how jumbled I perceived the language to be and a lack of explanation or details, I felt like this was more of a “meh” read.
One of the things that bothered me was that XP wasn’t explained with tons of details. Sure, you get the general gist of the disease, but how did it come to be? There’s a series of short explanations, but again, I wanted to know more! Also, what type of light affected them? It’s mentioned that places (specifically, the ice rink) were lighted, so XP children couldn’t step into there, but it wasn’t natural sunlight, and in the blurb & the rest of the book, only natural light was mentioned. Again, it might just have been me, but I was slightly confused.
I also found that the characters were a bit flat and undeveloped. It was like my issue with XP – you’re able to understand the character’s general personality and characteristics, but you don’t really get to see the details or complexities in their minds. Some of the lesser characters also seemed like a sort of plot deviceand had very little development. For example, there’s a part where one of Allie’s classmates is killed. Prior to her death, she’s mentioned for a few paragraphs, and Allie and her friend have a sort of happy moment, but I didn’t see a lot of emotion, depth or form relationship. To me, she was there to die and provoke Allie into doing what she eventually did.
Allie’s mind, to me, was also a jumbled mess. At one point, she might have been thinking of Juliet, then her next appointment, then her mom, then suddenly super emotional. I suppose I thought her mind moved a bit too quickly, and again, with a lack of detail or exploration. I was also unable to connect with her character, mostly because I found her to be whiny :/ I get that she has XP and has to live an unfair life, but to me, it was a bit too much, and therefore not enjoyable to read. Her eventual romance with Rob also didn't seem real to me, and her fights with Juliet over dramatized.
The plot, however, was probably mostly what motivated me to keep on reading. It did a few moments of mystery and twists, and at some points I was excited by the suspense! Allie and her friends also participated in Parkour, an extreme sport of a sort, which I also found to be interesting, though a bit unrealistic.
Overall though, I found that What We Saw at Night was a mostly disappointing read :/ While I found an amount of suspense and mystery in the plot, the undeveloped characters, jumbled language, and lack of detail brought my experience down. Fans of Jacqueline Mitchard’s previous works might end up enjoying the novel, but personally I wouldn’t move this one to the top of your TBR.
One of the things that bothered me was that XP wasn’t explained with tons of details. Sure, you get the general gist of the disease, but how did it come to be? There’s a series of short explanations, but again, I wanted to know more! Also, what type of light affected them? It’s mentioned that places (specifically, the ice rink) were lighted, so XP children couldn’t step into there, but it wasn’t natural sunlight, and in the blurb & the rest of the book, only natural light was mentioned. Again, it might just have been me, but I was slightly confused.
I also found that the characters were a bit flat and undeveloped. It was like my issue with XP – you’re able to understand the character’s general personality and characteristics, but you don’t really get to see the details or complexities in their minds. Some of the lesser characters also seemed like a sort of plot deviceand had very little development. For example, there’s a part where one of Allie’s classmates is killed. Prior to her death, she’s mentioned for a few paragraphs, and Allie and her friend have a sort of happy moment, but I didn’t see a lot of emotion, depth or form relationship. To me, she was there to die and provoke Allie into doing what she eventually did.
Allie’s mind, to me, was also a jumbled mess. At one point, she might have been thinking of Juliet, then her next appointment, then her mom, then suddenly super emotional. I suppose I thought her mind moved a bit too quickly, and again, with a lack of detail or exploration. I was also unable to connect with her character, mostly because I found her to be whiny :/ I get that she has XP and has to live an unfair life, but to me, it was a bit too much, and therefore not enjoyable to read. Her eventual romance with Rob also didn't seem real to me, and her fights with Juliet over dramatized.
The plot, however, was probably mostly what motivated me to keep on reading. It did a few moments of mystery and twists, and at some points I was excited by the suspense! Allie and her friends also participated in Parkour, an extreme sport of a sort, which I also found to be interesting, though a bit unrealistic.
Overall though, I found that What We Saw at Night was a mostly disappointing read :/ While I found an amount of suspense and mystery in the plot, the undeveloped characters, jumbled language, and lack of detail brought my experience down. Fans of Jacqueline Mitchard’s previous works might end up enjoying the novel, but personally I wouldn’t move this one to the top of your TBR.
Let’s Chat! Have you heard of or read this book? Have you read any of Jacqueline Mitchard’s other YA or adult books? Do you think you need a good amount of detail or explanation for you to enjoy the book? Recommendations for a good sci-fi-esque mystery? I’d love to know!
Well, Rachael, I totally disagree with you. I gave this book five stars , and I have points to prove:
ReplyDeleteThe plot is a well crafted one, I adored the mystery , the thrill, and the horror of the crime in the book. And the characters, to me, of course, were superb. I loved Allie, and Rob. I was not so sure of Juliet.
Another thing that was unique was the subject of Parkour and the XP. I found them very well-developed and thought-out
I loved this book and I cannot wait to read What We Lost In The Dark
GREAT review, though
Your reader,
Soma
http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/