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Gravity #1
Gravity
A lost friend, a new love, and a town full of secrets... One night in the town of Hell, Ariel's best friend goes missing. Those around her believe Jenna ran away, but when Ariel is tormented by nightmares and paranormal activity, she realizes Jenna's disappearance was part of a bigger mystery. Ariel's obsession with haunted houses and horror movies makes her the perfect detective.
But to complicate matters, a handsome newcomer named Henry Rhodes plagues her with unwanted attention. Though he doesn't believe in the supernatural events, she enlists his help and that of quirky nerd Theo. What is making the lights at school flicker? And why did Ariel dream of the old abandoned Dexter orphanage? When Ariel finally discovers the truth, it's much worse than she ever feared.
But to complicate matters, a handsome newcomer named Henry Rhodes plagues her with unwanted attention. Though he doesn't believe in the supernatural events, she enlists his help and that of quirky nerd Theo. What is making the lights at school flicker? And why did Ariel dream of the old abandoned Dexter orphanage? When Ariel finally discovers the truth, it's much worse than she ever feared.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2011
207 people are currently reading
5570 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
October 31, 2018
I'm the 3,000th rating!
June 14, 2011
I don’t usually gravitate toward the paranormal. I hold some strong religious views and am of the opinion that the occult can be dangerous. But I've taken it upon myself to judge Ms. Boyd's craft, not her subject matter. And my conclusion? Abigail Boyd is a gifted writer!
In Gravity, Ms. Boyd has created three wonderful characters. Ariel is a fifteen-year-old girl whose best friend has vanished without a trace. She lacks confidence, struggles with “what ifs,” and she’s totally confused by her sensitivity toward the paranormal, not to mention her difficulty dealing with overprotective parents. Ariel’s new friend, Theo (feminine), holds to her own unique but personable style, and Henry, well, who knows what Henry is? Despite her hopes, Ariel certainly can’t figure it out! The shifting relationships between this cast of well-rounded and oh-so-normal characters provides the foundation for a page-turning plot.
Ms. Boyd’s narration is nearly flawless. She scripts sentences that are easy to maneuver, with smooth transitions and unlabored prose. It’s just edgy enough to appeal to kids, but not so slangy as to appear dated in a few years. For instance, “McPherson (the principal) had always thrown me a vibe that screamed wrong.” I talk like that. I love it. And here are a few of her absolutely fabulous details and word pictures:
“My math teacher, Mr. Vanderlip was a twitchy little man with a paisley tie.”
“Her cloying cloud of fruit punch scented perfume hit me in the face like a chemical warfare attack.”
“It was comforting talking to someone I actually could talk to. I no longer felt like a target, dodging around waiting to get hit.”
Great stuff, ain’t it? And now let’s talk about suspense. When weird stuff starts happening, the knocks on the wall, the slamming lockers, the visions and dreams, you have to keep pushing on, because you have to learn what’s happening. And exactly what is Principal McPherson up to (the scumbag!)?
The book isn’t quite perfect. Ariel’s first day of school, in the early chapters, explains much, but I was starting to feel a little restless from its length. There’s also some scattered profanity. Not much, but I always question its necessity in a book classified for children. And apart from my own personal discomfort with a séance scene, I think séances are overdone. Every book, every movie, every television series, it seems, includes one. I also found lots of typos (which I’ve sent on to the author and trust will shortly be fixed) and a few logistical problems, where narration contradicts itself. Again, easy fixes.
Now back to the stuff I appreciated. Ms. Boyd has a great feel for a book’s movement. Her relationships work in slowly, naturally. Scenes build on each other. She plants fabulous clues are easily glossed over until suddenly those detail take on significance. The whole book is skillfully wrought.
The ending, however, I hated. Not because it sucks, but because the suspense is so well done that I now have to wait for her next installment to come out. Because I must keep reading. I must learn what happens!
In Gravity, Ms. Boyd has created three wonderful characters. Ariel is a fifteen-year-old girl whose best friend has vanished without a trace. She lacks confidence, struggles with “what ifs,” and she’s totally confused by her sensitivity toward the paranormal, not to mention her difficulty dealing with overprotective parents. Ariel’s new friend, Theo (feminine), holds to her own unique but personable style, and Henry, well, who knows what Henry is? Despite her hopes, Ariel certainly can’t figure it out! The shifting relationships between this cast of well-rounded and oh-so-normal characters provides the foundation for a page-turning plot.
Ms. Boyd’s narration is nearly flawless. She scripts sentences that are easy to maneuver, with smooth transitions and unlabored prose. It’s just edgy enough to appeal to kids, but not so slangy as to appear dated in a few years. For instance, “McPherson (the principal) had always thrown me a vibe that screamed wrong.” I talk like that. I love it. And here are a few of her absolutely fabulous details and word pictures:
“My math teacher, Mr. Vanderlip was a twitchy little man with a paisley tie.”
“Her cloying cloud of fruit punch scented perfume hit me in the face like a chemical warfare attack.”
“It was comforting talking to someone I actually could talk to. I no longer felt like a target, dodging around waiting to get hit.”
Great stuff, ain’t it? And now let’s talk about suspense. When weird stuff starts happening, the knocks on the wall, the slamming lockers, the visions and dreams, you have to keep pushing on, because you have to learn what’s happening. And exactly what is Principal McPherson up to (the scumbag!)?
The book isn’t quite perfect. Ariel’s first day of school, in the early chapters, explains much, but I was starting to feel a little restless from its length. There’s also some scattered profanity. Not much, but I always question its necessity in a book classified for children. And apart from my own personal discomfort with a séance scene, I think séances are overdone. Every book, every movie, every television series, it seems, includes one. I also found lots of typos (which I’ve sent on to the author and trust will shortly be fixed) and a few logistical problems, where narration contradicts itself. Again, easy fixes.
Now back to the stuff I appreciated. Ms. Boyd has a great feel for a book’s movement. Her relationships work in slowly, naturally. Scenes build on each other. She plants fabulous clues are easily glossed over until suddenly those detail take on significance. The whole book is skillfully wrought.
The ending, however, I hated. Not because it sucks, but because the suspense is so well done that I now have to wait for her next installment to come out. Because I must keep reading. I must learn what happens!
July 3, 2011
I found myself clicking the button every second I could as this book pulled me in with it's compelling story. The coming of age story with a girl learning to cope with the sudden disappearance of her best friend for years and the realization that she had inherited her grandmothers gift to see the dead. The mystery unfolded more as Ariel moves through her day to day life her school year back after her friends disappearance, More people begin to disapear and more of her friends or would be friends turn on her. She makes a new friend of the new girl Theo and gets her first crush in Henry the new guy in school as she faces each drama that unfolds and tries to figure out slowly what is going on in her home town of Hell and where all the kids are starting to disappear to what they have in common with the old orphanage and why things seem to be happening most of all to her.
It's the first in a series that I'm already eager for the next book in. I can't wait and hope that you all will find this just as good a read as it was for me.
It's the first in a series that I'm already eager for the next book in. I can't wait and hope that you all will find this just as good a read as it was for me.
June 8, 2011
In Gravity, Abigail Boyd has crafted an intriguing and romantic paranormal tale. As Ariel Donovan turns fifteen, she is plunged without warning into a dark, supernatural world. She begins to see and hear things that she can't explain – and she is plagued by troubling dreams. At the same time, Ariel is still reeling from the loss of her closest friend, and as she tries to investigate her friend's disappearance, she finds more questions than answers.
As the mystery deepens, so, too do Ariel's feelings for Henry Rhoades – a handsome, charming boy, whom she can't quite figure out. As the novel moves toward its startling conclusion, there are plenty of tense, chilling developments – including several serious hauntings. But all is not darkness – there are also refreshing doses of humor.
Abigail Boyd has given us a strong, smart, funny heroine, an enigmatic love interest, a colorful cast of supporting characters, and an intriguing mystery. At the end, the author promises us a second book. I am looking forward to it!
As the mystery deepens, so, too do Ariel's feelings for Henry Rhoades – a handsome, charming boy, whom she can't quite figure out. As the novel moves toward its startling conclusion, there are plenty of tense, chilling developments – including several serious hauntings. But all is not darkness – there are also refreshing doses of humor.
Abigail Boyd has given us a strong, smart, funny heroine, an enigmatic love interest, a colorful cast of supporting characters, and an intriguing mystery. At the end, the author promises us a second book. I am looking forward to it!
May 7, 2015
This book has a tone, atmosphere and pace of spooky horror movies I tend to binge on with Netflix.
It's definitely not obsessed with its own romance, which I liked since it keeps the supernatural aspects almost independent and gives the protagonist, Ariel, a sense independence and identity beyond the boyfriend material that caught her eye.
I also like the emphasis on being a good friend since that's typically neglected in YA books that make friends a distant second to boyfriends.
It's definitely not obsessed with its own romance, which I liked since it keeps the supernatural aspects almost independent and gives the protagonist, Ariel, a sense independence and identity beyond the boyfriend material that caught her eye.
I also like the emphasis on being a good friend since that's typically neglected in YA books that make friends a distant second to boyfriends.
October 25, 2012
I can't believe how good this book turned out to be. I hated setting it down to leave work and pick it up again at home. The characters were well developed and I hated the right people and not the heroine. I can't wait to finish this series. I picked up book #2 right away.
July 31, 2011
RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing for Review
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living in the town of Hell, Michigan. Well she’s normal if you discount the fact that she calls her parents by their first names. And you don’t mention that her best friend has been missing for three months and without Jenna she’s a social zero. Also if we’re calling her normal we probably shouldn’t mention that she might be seeing ghost and there appears to be something sinister going on beneath the surface of the small town of Hell. Okay so she’s probably not all that normal, but who needs normal when you live in Hell right? Ariel is the girl who’s been left behind in their close friendship, the one with all the questions that no one else is asking. But will she find the answers before it’s too late?
I’ll start this review by telling you that mature part of me is telling me that I’m not being fair in my rating of this book. Logically I know it’s a four star novel, well written with strong character development and good pacing. But have you ever read a book where you got to the end and just thought wtf? You found yourself so angry you wanted to call up the author and ask her that exact question? Emotionally however I can’t give it higher than a three stars because I finished this book and I’m just plain MAD. That leaves something to be said about my maturity as a reviewer, but at least I’m admitting that I’m letting my anger at the ending dictate my final rating for the book.
Each scene within this novel is described so completely it’s like you’re there living it and the characters as so multifaceted that at times they’re confusing, just as real people are. Do you remember those people in high school, especially the teenage boys where you’d think you know them and then they’d do something that left you going huh? Afterward you’d go on and on to your friends about how boys made no sense whatsoever and it’s no wonder that most of the girls had higher grades because boys clearly weren’t born with brains. While as an adult I can claim a slightly better understanding of the opposite sex than I could as a teen, this book brought me right back to that adolescent phase where boys and their actions just made you go huh? By making them not completely make sense at points she makes her characters seem completely real.
The book overall is hard to describe, it’s like Veronica Mars meets Ghost Whisper with a hint of something else thrown into the mix, maybe some Charmed, I’m not really sure what that extra element is that makes this story so original.
One of the things I loved about Ariel is that it’s not just stated that she’s fifteen, followed by her being whisked away into some surreal world. She’s living the life of a fifteen year old complete with over protective, though strange parents. The books is filled with paranormal elements which Ariel has to deal with or at least attempt to comprehend, but she’s also dealing with teenage crushes, hot and cold boys, teacher boredom and embarrassment. She attends classes, gets sent to the principal’s office, and deals with teenage rejection from the popular crowd who like in every school seem to get away with everything. By being a part of all these mundane portions of her life she’s more real as a character because real teenagers have to go to school and suffer through classes they’d rather not take and agonize over the one subject in school that doesn’t make sense.
While there were a few things that seemed off to me which is why I state that it was more deserving four stars than three, like calling parents by first names and other little things I couldn’t comprehend like that. The main thing that upset me about the book was being left with more questions than answers. Is Ariel really seeing ghosts? What was it about the necklace? What’s really happening with the town and how is Henry involved? What does her family seem to know that she doesn’t? And the ending while I guess enlightening in some ways is more frustrating than anything else because it looks like everything has gone wrong, nothing has gone right and no one is getting answers. Additionally, the villain revealed in the novel was completely unexpected and there was no foreshadowing whatsoever that he might be guilty or involved in anything so that was kind of a major huh moment for me. I hope to god this is part of a series because if that is then end of Ariel’s story I’m thinking this writer might be kind of sadistic. To get the reader so involved and weaving the world and characters so intricately to end in the manner she did seems all sorts of wrong to me. Overall I’m hesitant about recommending it. On one hand it’s extremely well written and an engaging story. On the other since I didn’t get hardly any answers but was left instead with a ton of questions and a burning anger I have a hard time recommending someone else step on an emotional roller coaster ride only to be left stuck at the top of the drop at the end wondering if the writer will let them down. I will say this, if there is a sequel to this novel I’d like to preorder it because I am highly involved with the characters she’s presented to me. As a standalone title I couldn’t recommend it only because of the things I’ve stated above, but if this novel opens a new series I highly recommend jumping on for the ride because I can guarantee she will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living in the town of Hell, Michigan. Well she’s normal if you discount the fact that she calls her parents by their first names. And you don’t mention that her best friend has been missing for three months and without Jenna she’s a social zero. Also if we’re calling her normal we probably shouldn’t mention that she might be seeing ghost and there appears to be something sinister going on beneath the surface of the small town of Hell. Okay so she’s probably not all that normal, but who needs normal when you live in Hell right? Ariel is the girl who’s been left behind in their close friendship, the one with all the questions that no one else is asking. But will she find the answers before it’s too late?
I’ll start this review by telling you that mature part of me is telling me that I’m not being fair in my rating of this book. Logically I know it’s a four star novel, well written with strong character development and good pacing. But have you ever read a book where you got to the end and just thought wtf? You found yourself so angry you wanted to call up the author and ask her that exact question? Emotionally however I can’t give it higher than a three stars because I finished this book and I’m just plain MAD. That leaves something to be said about my maturity as a reviewer, but at least I’m admitting that I’m letting my anger at the ending dictate my final rating for the book.
Each scene within this novel is described so completely it’s like you’re there living it and the characters as so multifaceted that at times they’re confusing, just as real people are. Do you remember those people in high school, especially the teenage boys where you’d think you know them and then they’d do something that left you going huh? Afterward you’d go on and on to your friends about how boys made no sense whatsoever and it’s no wonder that most of the girls had higher grades because boys clearly weren’t born with brains. While as an adult I can claim a slightly better understanding of the opposite sex than I could as a teen, this book brought me right back to that adolescent phase where boys and their actions just made you go huh? By making them not completely make sense at points she makes her characters seem completely real.
The book overall is hard to describe, it’s like Veronica Mars meets Ghost Whisper with a hint of something else thrown into the mix, maybe some Charmed, I’m not really sure what that extra element is that makes this story so original.
One of the things I loved about Ariel is that it’s not just stated that she’s fifteen, followed by her being whisked away into some surreal world. She’s living the life of a fifteen year old complete with over protective, though strange parents. The books is filled with paranormal elements which Ariel has to deal with or at least attempt to comprehend, but she’s also dealing with teenage crushes, hot and cold boys, teacher boredom and embarrassment. She attends classes, gets sent to the principal’s office, and deals with teenage rejection from the popular crowd who like in every school seem to get away with everything. By being a part of all these mundane portions of her life she’s more real as a character because real teenagers have to go to school and suffer through classes they’d rather not take and agonize over the one subject in school that doesn’t make sense.
While there were a few things that seemed off to me which is why I state that it was more deserving four stars than three, like calling parents by first names and other little things I couldn’t comprehend like that. The main thing that upset me about the book was being left with more questions than answers. Is Ariel really seeing ghosts? What was it about the necklace? What’s really happening with the town and how is Henry involved? What does her family seem to know that she doesn’t? And the ending while I guess enlightening in some ways is more frustrating than anything else because it looks like everything has gone wrong, nothing has gone right and no one is getting answers. Additionally, the villain revealed in the novel was completely unexpected and there was no foreshadowing whatsoever that he might be guilty or involved in anything so that was kind of a major huh moment for me. I hope to god this is part of a series because if that is then end of Ariel’s story I’m thinking this writer might be kind of sadistic. To get the reader so involved and weaving the world and characters so intricately to end in the manner she did seems all sorts of wrong to me. Overall I’m hesitant about recommending it. On one hand it’s extremely well written and an engaging story. On the other since I didn’t get hardly any answers but was left instead with a ton of questions and a burning anger I have a hard time recommending someone else step on an emotional roller coaster ride only to be left stuck at the top of the drop at the end wondering if the writer will let them down. I will say this, if there is a sequel to this novel I’d like to preorder it because I am highly involved with the characters she’s presented to me. As a standalone title I couldn’t recommend it only because of the things I’ve stated above, but if this novel opens a new series I highly recommend jumping on for the ride because I can guarantee she will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
March 7, 2013
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. A solid 3.5 stars for me. Rounding up because of reasons.
Gravity is the story of Ariel, a sophomore battling through the conflicting feelings of moving on after the disappearance of her best friend Jenna and staying tied to the nightmares and paranormal activity occurring around her that refuses to allow Ariel to move forward completely. And with more girls disappearing in her town of Hell, Michigan, there is always the nagging question in the back of her mind-- do they have anything to do with Jenna? If those girls are found, can she find her best friend again?
It is also a story of friendship and first loves and the first hurts, and the curse of being able to see the dead. It's a story of broken trusts and loyalties. It's about bullying. It's about a lot of things, all wrapped into one.
There were some grammatical errors in this story, but the well developed flawed characters and circumstances allowed me to over look these in favor of the story line. The circumstances Ariel is surrounded with-- thudding on her walls, lights going out, little girl with black eyes in blue raincoats-- are outlandish, but she deals with them in secret with a courage that only one who has an interest in the paranormal could do. Even with the disappearance of Jenna looming over her, Ariel finds herself making new friends and falling in love with a boy who seems out of her league with only the smallest amount of guilt.
My only real complaint about the story is the relationship between Ariel and her mother seeming far too manufactured, even if they are not close. I couldn't attach them as mother and daughter quite the way I could see Hugh as Ariel's father. I'm hoping the next book will cover more of this strangely flip-flopped relationship.
I will definitely be reading the next one!
Gravity is the story of Ariel, a sophomore battling through the conflicting feelings of moving on after the disappearance of her best friend Jenna and staying tied to the nightmares and paranormal activity occurring around her that refuses to allow Ariel to move forward completely. And with more girls disappearing in her town of Hell, Michigan, there is always the nagging question in the back of her mind-- do they have anything to do with Jenna? If those girls are found, can she find her best friend again?
It is also a story of friendship and first loves and the first hurts, and the curse of being able to see the dead. It's a story of broken trusts and loyalties. It's about bullying. It's about a lot of things, all wrapped into one.
There were some grammatical errors in this story, but the well developed flawed characters and circumstances allowed me to over look these in favor of the story line. The circumstances Ariel is surrounded with-- thudding on her walls, lights going out, little girl with black eyes in blue raincoats-- are outlandish, but she deals with them in secret with a courage that only one who has an interest in the paranormal could do. Even with the disappearance of Jenna looming over her, Ariel finds herself making new friends and falling in love with a boy who seems out of her league with only the smallest amount of guilt.
My only real complaint about the story is the relationship between Ariel and her mother seeming far too manufactured, even if they are not close. I couldn't attach them as mother and daughter quite the way I could see Hugh as Ariel's father. I'm hoping the next book will cover more of this strangely flip-flopped relationship.
I will definitely be reading the next one!
December 16, 2012
I have read a few other reviews saying how this book didn't have a good ending and clearly was set up with a sequel in mind. My opinion? I really liked this book, especially the fact that hardly any answers were given. With a town like Hell, I can only imagine what is really going on. I have my theories, but I'd be surprised if I'm even remotely correct.
Boyd writes beautifully and does depict a fifteen year old girl perfectly. At least, a fifteen year old girl who is similar to what I was at that age. You think seances are weird and clearly a fifteen year old wouldn't do that? I laugh at that logic. Not only would I have done that, I probably would've done everything Ariel did in the book. I love the characters (especially Alex and Theo, they have great chemistry), the story could be considered random, but I found the lack of answers refreshing. It's good to have a young adult book out there that leaves you wanting more without being a carbon copy of the big headliners of today.
Ms. Boyd, you have caught my attention and I look forward to reading more!
Boyd writes beautifully and does depict a fifteen year old girl perfectly. At least, a fifteen year old girl who is similar to what I was at that age. You think seances are weird and clearly a fifteen year old wouldn't do that? I laugh at that logic. Not only would I have done that, I probably would've done everything Ariel did in the book. I love the characters (especially Alex and Theo, they have great chemistry), the story could be considered random, but I found the lack of answers refreshing. It's good to have a young adult book out there that leaves you wanting more without being a carbon copy of the big headliners of today.
Ms. Boyd, you have caught my attention and I look forward to reading more!
July 1, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. The story which takes place in a town aptly named Hell, was scary and suspenseful but not overly scary. Ariel's best friend disappears when staying the night with her and Ariel has become distant from former classmates and friends until a new girl moves next door who becomes a good and understanding friend. Ariel also meets a boy at school, Henry who is very handsome and who takes an interest in Ariel to the chagrin of the popular girl of the 10th grade. Ariel begins to start hearing mysterious voices and noises. She thinks her mind may be playing tricks on her but finds out that her grandmother had been able to see and hear ghosts. Ariel also starts seeing the ghost of her missing friend and another girl who came up missing. Ariel's parents are extremely overprotective and with good reason when the identity of the killer comes to light. I cannot wait for the 2nd installment of this series.
December 15, 2012
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Ariel was a dedicated best friend that did not understand what was going on with her best friend. She did not understand why she was being pushed away. She is very loyal and a caring person. She is a bit of a recluse; however, and has a hard time making friends. She is sort of antisocial, but she is not afraid to defend the ones that she loves. She loves a good mystery and when weird things start happening to her, she looks for answers. She is a self-empowered girl detective that will stop at nothing, until she finds the answers to all of her questions. She is really relatable and down-to-earth. She has a sense of humor and a bit of a morbid obsession with horror films, stories, and the works. She is a perfect specimen for paranormal manipulation. 5 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: This book is not split into two perspectives, but I believe that there really is a hero to this story that the readers find in Henry Rhodes. He is a mysterious guy with a mysterious origin. I cannot help, but think that his family is into some really dark stuff. Maybe, they are witches, demons, or fallen angels. Whatever they are, Henry really intrigues me as the reader and fascinates me as a fellow writer. I enjoy how the romance with Henry is hot then cold, yes, then no like the Katy Perry song. It makes the relationship a lot more interesting and dynamic. I hope in the second book that the reader learns more about Henry and his family and how they fit into this realistic paranormal world. 5 out of 5 stars
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: I do not want to say who the evil antagonist is but let me tell you that you will never see this one coming. It is that unexpected. I loved the aspects of this character. The person is so nice and caring, but there are little hints throughout the entire novel that leads to the reveal. As a fellow reader, I brushed it aside as much as the character did and forgot about it. After the big reveal, as a writer, I remembered all the little breadcrumbs of hints that lead up to it and smacked my own forehead. The reader will, too once they realize it. The character is so unassuming that I do not want to ruin it with saying more. 5 out of 5 stars
4. Strong Minor Characters: Theo is the greatest best friend that Ariel could have, although she knows that Theo is keeping something secret from her and I desperately want to know what it is. She is such a compelling, artistic, quirky character that it grounds the novel and adds a nice dose of reality to the sometimes unbelievable story. She is nerdy, but a very fierce friend. She is at Ariel’s side most of the time being Robin to Ariel’s Batman. I just wish that the author would let Theo out of Ariel’s shadow and make her really shine. Hopefully, this will occur in the next book. Then, my perfect image of Theo would be complete. There are other background characters, but nobody that is as major minor as Theo. I do not want to say anything else that could lead to the identity of the evil antagonist; the snobby, bitchy popular girls do not count as well as the boys that hang out with them. 4 out of 5 stars
5. The Plot: An excellent storyline with beautifully crafted characters. When I truly love a book, I tend to write so much about it and this book is no exception to the rule. It is an unassuming plot that the reader believes that it will be all about finding out what happened to the missing friend, but the reader gets so much more than that. They get this whole different plot that they never saw coming weaved into the original plot and it is done so smoothly, naturally, and flawlessly that the reader thinks nothing of it. This is pure magic and I hope the rest of the series are as riveting as the first book. I hope the sequel can keep up the expectations that readers who have read this book now have. I know my opinions are high up there. The only drawback I have for the plot is that I wish the reader would know a little bit more about what happened to Ariel’s friend, not a lot more but a little. It would make for a more epic ending. 4 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: There is one word that I could use to describe the setting of Hell: haunting. I can also list a whole bunch more, but that is the key adjective. Everything is beautiful in a hauntingly crude and ugly way. Yes, there is a way where ugly can be beautiful like the girls in horror movies. There is so much description that I believe like I am actually in the town of Hell, such a suiting name for this town once you add the paranormal aspect to it. I have a funny feeling that it will have an angels and demons theme, but if it does not, then this author really does know how to keep an audience entranced. The only thing that could improve the setting is maybe a cemetery visit. It would have added a little something to it, I think. 4 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: Classic teenager language. I loved every second of it. The dialogue had the perfect amount of excitement, humor, sarcasm, and boredom. The four main ingredients that most teenagers are made out of. The perfect blend of normal into the paranormal. It made the whole novel more realistic or plausible that something like this could happen, if the reader can relate to this book personally or point out a few characteristics of their friends in the characters. The characters are not generic, but they are relatable. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: There seemed to be a surprise in every chapter whether big or small. I love it when a new bend comes in the story and something jumps out that you never expected. This book is filled with those high thrilling moments. The surprises were very enjoyable and urged me to keep reading to see what else was going to happen. It spurred me to the read the book more than I usually would. I read this book in one day, because it was so good. I sacrificed a Revenge marathon to read this book. Yes, it was that good. 5 out of 5 stars
9. Climax: Let’s just say that I was biting my knuckles in an anticipation as the climax rises and tittered on the edge. I was so engrossed in the book, talking out loud to myself to NOT GET OUT OF YOUR HIDING SPACE! Oh, it was very intense and I gasped on a big breath of air when the boogie monster jumped out. This was a very thrilling read and the climax was the best part of the book in my opinion. It was even better than the ending of the book and that really creeped me out, the ending that is. 5 out of 5 stars
10. Emotional Response: I was with the main character Ariel all the way. I was laughing when she was and crying when she was. When she was scared (and she is hardly ever scared at all), I was definitely frightened. I read this book into the night and let me just tell you that I had to sleep with a lamp on in my room. If you read Goosebumps at night, this would be a book for you. Maybe, a little less scary all of the time, but still just as good. I enjoy being scared, but not horror scared. I love thrillers and that is exactly what this series is. 4 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: The ending is really unexpected and as a reader, you almost forget the core point of the book, but the ending shocks you back into reality, while making chills creep down your spine at the same time. It was indeed bone chillingly good. I would have liked a little more closure at the end, but this is a great lead in to the second installment. 4 out of 5 stars
12. The Writing: Hauntingly beautiful prose that will keep you guessing until the very end. That is how I felt about the writing in this novel. It was so well edited and cared for. You could tell that the author cared enough to put the proper amount of time into editing the entire book and this is reflected in all the positive reviews and ratings that this book is getting from readers everywhere. This is an author to keep an eye on and not a lazy eye on but a good one preferably with 20/20 vision. 5 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: The cover is pretty, but I would have liked to see something a bit darker and edgier, since that is the feeling and impression I get from the story. The girl in the white dress is a little too delicate for a book like this. 3 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: Labeling this book as paranormal is the right choice, but I would also add the tag of thriller onto it, too. It really has that aspect to it. It is a dark paranormal and people should know that before they buy it and you do not really get that feeling from the cover. It is a new type of genre that I have not really seen before, because not many paranormal novels are also thrillers. They are usually romance, so this is interesting to me. 4 out of 5 stars
The overall rating I give this book is a 4 ½ stars. This is as close to perfect as most books get from me. Occasionally, I do give out fives to the best series known to man, but this one might very well earn a five in the next book, if minor improvements are made. To be honest, there are not a lot of improvements to do to make the next book a perfect 5.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Ariel was a dedicated best friend that did not understand what was going on with her best friend. She did not understand why she was being pushed away. She is very loyal and a caring person. She is a bit of a recluse; however, and has a hard time making friends. She is sort of antisocial, but she is not afraid to defend the ones that she loves. She loves a good mystery and when weird things start happening to her, she looks for answers. She is a self-empowered girl detective that will stop at nothing, until she finds the answers to all of her questions. She is really relatable and down-to-earth. She has a sense of humor and a bit of a morbid obsession with horror films, stories, and the works. She is a perfect specimen for paranormal manipulation. 5 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: This book is not split into two perspectives, but I believe that there really is a hero to this story that the readers find in Henry Rhodes. He is a mysterious guy with a mysterious origin. I cannot help, but think that his family is into some really dark stuff. Maybe, they are witches, demons, or fallen angels. Whatever they are, Henry really intrigues me as the reader and fascinates me as a fellow writer. I enjoy how the romance with Henry is hot then cold, yes, then no like the Katy Perry song. It makes the relationship a lot more interesting and dynamic. I hope in the second book that the reader learns more about Henry and his family and how they fit into this realistic paranormal world. 5 out of 5 stars
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: I do not want to say who the evil antagonist is but let me tell you that you will never see this one coming. It is that unexpected. I loved the aspects of this character. The person is so nice and caring, but there are little hints throughout the entire novel that leads to the reveal. As a fellow reader, I brushed it aside as much as the character did and forgot about it. After the big reveal, as a writer, I remembered all the little breadcrumbs of hints that lead up to it and smacked my own forehead. The reader will, too once they realize it. The character is so unassuming that I do not want to ruin it with saying more. 5 out of 5 stars
4. Strong Minor Characters: Theo is the greatest best friend that Ariel could have, although she knows that Theo is keeping something secret from her and I desperately want to know what it is. She is such a compelling, artistic, quirky character that it grounds the novel and adds a nice dose of reality to the sometimes unbelievable story. She is nerdy, but a very fierce friend. She is at Ariel’s side most of the time being Robin to Ariel’s Batman. I just wish that the author would let Theo out of Ariel’s shadow and make her really shine. Hopefully, this will occur in the next book. Then, my perfect image of Theo would be complete. There are other background characters, but nobody that is as major minor as Theo. I do not want to say anything else that could lead to the identity of the evil antagonist; the snobby, bitchy popular girls do not count as well as the boys that hang out with them. 4 out of 5 stars
5. The Plot: An excellent storyline with beautifully crafted characters. When I truly love a book, I tend to write so much about it and this book is no exception to the rule. It is an unassuming plot that the reader believes that it will be all about finding out what happened to the missing friend, but the reader gets so much more than that. They get this whole different plot that they never saw coming weaved into the original plot and it is done so smoothly, naturally, and flawlessly that the reader thinks nothing of it. This is pure magic and I hope the rest of the series are as riveting as the first book. I hope the sequel can keep up the expectations that readers who have read this book now have. I know my opinions are high up there. The only drawback I have for the plot is that I wish the reader would know a little bit more about what happened to Ariel’s friend, not a lot more but a little. It would make for a more epic ending. 4 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: There is one word that I could use to describe the setting of Hell: haunting. I can also list a whole bunch more, but that is the key adjective. Everything is beautiful in a hauntingly crude and ugly way. Yes, there is a way where ugly can be beautiful like the girls in horror movies. There is so much description that I believe like I am actually in the town of Hell, such a suiting name for this town once you add the paranormal aspect to it. I have a funny feeling that it will have an angels and demons theme, but if it does not, then this author really does know how to keep an audience entranced. The only thing that could improve the setting is maybe a cemetery visit. It would have added a little something to it, I think. 4 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: Classic teenager language. I loved every second of it. The dialogue had the perfect amount of excitement, humor, sarcasm, and boredom. The four main ingredients that most teenagers are made out of. The perfect blend of normal into the paranormal. It made the whole novel more realistic or plausible that something like this could happen, if the reader can relate to this book personally or point out a few characteristics of their friends in the characters. The characters are not generic, but they are relatable. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: There seemed to be a surprise in every chapter whether big or small. I love it when a new bend comes in the story and something jumps out that you never expected. This book is filled with those high thrilling moments. The surprises were very enjoyable and urged me to keep reading to see what else was going to happen. It spurred me to the read the book more than I usually would. I read this book in one day, because it was so good. I sacrificed a Revenge marathon to read this book. Yes, it was that good. 5 out of 5 stars
9. Climax: Let’s just say that I was biting my knuckles in an anticipation as the climax rises and tittered on the edge. I was so engrossed in the book, talking out loud to myself to NOT GET OUT OF YOUR HIDING SPACE! Oh, it was very intense and I gasped on a big breath of air when the boogie monster jumped out. This was a very thrilling read and the climax was the best part of the book in my opinion. It was even better than the ending of the book and that really creeped me out, the ending that is. 5 out of 5 stars
10. Emotional Response: I was with the main character Ariel all the way. I was laughing when she was and crying when she was. When she was scared (and she is hardly ever scared at all), I was definitely frightened. I read this book into the night and let me just tell you that I had to sleep with a lamp on in my room. If you read Goosebumps at night, this would be a book for you. Maybe, a little less scary all of the time, but still just as good. I enjoy being scared, but not horror scared. I love thrillers and that is exactly what this series is. 4 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: The ending is really unexpected and as a reader, you almost forget the core point of the book, but the ending shocks you back into reality, while making chills creep down your spine at the same time. It was indeed bone chillingly good. I would have liked a little more closure at the end, but this is a great lead in to the second installment. 4 out of 5 stars
12. The Writing: Hauntingly beautiful prose that will keep you guessing until the very end. That is how I felt about the writing in this novel. It was so well edited and cared for. You could tell that the author cared enough to put the proper amount of time into editing the entire book and this is reflected in all the positive reviews and ratings that this book is getting from readers everywhere. This is an author to keep an eye on and not a lazy eye on but a good one preferably with 20/20 vision. 5 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: The cover is pretty, but I would have liked to see something a bit darker and edgier, since that is the feeling and impression I get from the story. The girl in the white dress is a little too delicate for a book like this. 3 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: Labeling this book as paranormal is the right choice, but I would also add the tag of thriller onto it, too. It really has that aspect to it. It is a dark paranormal and people should know that before they buy it and you do not really get that feeling from the cover. It is a new type of genre that I have not really seen before, because not many paranormal novels are also thrillers. They are usually romance, so this is interesting to me. 4 out of 5 stars
The overall rating I give this book is a 4 ½ stars. This is as close to perfect as most books get from me. Occasionally, I do give out fives to the best series known to man, but this one might very well earn a five in the next book, if minor improvements are made. To be honest, there are not a lot of improvements to do to make the next book a perfect 5.
June 7, 2013
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
When a book takes place in a town called Hell, like Gravity does, my attention is instantly grabbed. The residents of Hell like playing up the name, too, going all out for Halloween to live up to its moniker. Hell is also home to the abandoned Dexter Orphanage, which has a shady history and is to be turned into a haunted house attraction. While Gravity boasts an eerie atmosphere that holds the promise of a chilling tale, flat characterizations and a plot that doesn’t quite come together overshadowed everything else about the book.
I never got a good sense of what kind of character Ariel, the protagonist, was, other than she was on the bottom rung of the social ladder at school. I found her narrative voice rather dull, like she was just relaying her observations of what was going on around her instead of sounding like she was an active part of anything. Ariel’s friend, Theo, was much more interesting to read about; she had personality and depth and stuck by Ariel’s side. In contrast, I couldn’t get much of a read on Ariel, which made reading from her perspective frustrating at times.
Ariel’s love interest, Henry, was even tougher to figure out. I’m all for guys with an air of mystery to them, but Henry was a roller coaster of moods. First he’d act all charming around Ariel, even volunteering to tutor her in math. Then he’d appear to be on super friendly terms with Lainey, the school’s resident mean girl. Then Henry would appear to be very interested in Ariel again. Their relationship was like watching a tennis ball bounce back and forth over a net. Even when Henry was in Pay Attention to Ariel mode, though, I just couldn’t find any chemistry between the two.
The pacing made this a long read for me. There were a lot of hints that something creepy was underfoot, but they never amounted to anything significant. I kept waiting for things like the reluctance of Ariel’s parents to talk about her grandmother and the suspicious behavior of her school’s principal to be explained, but I waited in vain. I also couldn’t buy the villain’s identity; it was definitely a surprise, but I didn’t feel like there were enough links to tie this person to the deeds in a way that was logical to me. There isn’t much offered in the way of a motive for this character’s actions, either, which left me pretty puzzled over the whole matter.
Overall, I thought there was a great deal of potential here for a chiller of a novel, but after finishing the book, I felt like nothing had really happened. I would have loved to have read more about the spooky orphanage as well as seen it utilized more in the story. Most of all, though, I wish that I’d been able to connect with Ariel.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
When a book takes place in a town called Hell, like Gravity does, my attention is instantly grabbed. The residents of Hell like playing up the name, too, going all out for Halloween to live up to its moniker. Hell is also home to the abandoned Dexter Orphanage, which has a shady history and is to be turned into a haunted house attraction. While Gravity boasts an eerie atmosphere that holds the promise of a chilling tale, flat characterizations and a plot that doesn’t quite come together overshadowed everything else about the book.
I never got a good sense of what kind of character Ariel, the protagonist, was, other than she was on the bottom rung of the social ladder at school. I found her narrative voice rather dull, like she was just relaying her observations of what was going on around her instead of sounding like she was an active part of anything. Ariel’s friend, Theo, was much more interesting to read about; she had personality and depth and stuck by Ariel’s side. In contrast, I couldn’t get much of a read on Ariel, which made reading from her perspective frustrating at times.
Ariel’s love interest, Henry, was even tougher to figure out. I’m all for guys with an air of mystery to them, but Henry was a roller coaster of moods. First he’d act all charming around Ariel, even volunteering to tutor her in math. Then he’d appear to be on super friendly terms with Lainey, the school’s resident mean girl. Then Henry would appear to be very interested in Ariel again. Their relationship was like watching a tennis ball bounce back and forth over a net. Even when Henry was in Pay Attention to Ariel mode, though, I just couldn’t find any chemistry between the two.
The pacing made this a long read for me. There were a lot of hints that something creepy was underfoot, but they never amounted to anything significant. I kept waiting for things like the reluctance of Ariel’s parents to talk about her grandmother and the suspicious behavior of her school’s principal to be explained, but I waited in vain. I also couldn’t buy the villain’s identity; it was definitely a surprise, but I didn’t feel like there were enough links to tie this person to the deeds in a way that was logical to me. There isn’t much offered in the way of a motive for this character’s actions, either, which left me pretty puzzled over the whole matter.
Overall, I thought there was a great deal of potential here for a chiller of a novel, but after finishing the book, I felt like nothing had really happened. I would have loved to have read more about the spooky orphanage as well as seen it utilized more in the story. Most of all, though, I wish that I’d been able to connect with Ariel.
January 14, 2013
I love trying independently published books because sometimes you can get a real gem. On the flip side, sometimes you get things that are god-awful rubbish. But more often than not, you end up reading something that is just OK. Gravity was one of those books.
There were some good parts of the story. First of all, it was edited reasonably well. There were some issues, but by and large, it was fine. For the most part, Abigail Boyd knows the difference between a plural and a possessive. The second good part was that the main character didn't repeat inner monologue a whole lot. The story moved along at a good pace and didn't backtrack. There was also not immediate love between the main character and the love interest. By the end of the book, their relationship was still up in the air.
Now, for the bad.
The main character fell flat for me. The author definitely tells us what she doesn't like, but not what she does enjoy doing. By and large, the main character's only activities were homework, dishes and laundry. There is mention of watching horror movies or reading books, but very, very little. Ariel is pretty negative overall. I never got a sense that she had positive feelings about anything.
Secondly, the relationship between the main character and her parents was mystifying. Ariel is 15 years old, but cannot get onto the internet or hang out with friends, and though it's lamented in great detail, there's never an explanation as to why. Are her parents scared that something will happen to her? Does her mom quote violent crime rates? It's not addressed and it's a little weird. I have to think that at 15, a girl would ask why she's not allowed to hang out with female friends.
Finally, Ariel is bullied at school or by adults, but there is no reason why she is bullied. Did she stand up to the wrong person one time in her past and that turned the whole town on her? It would be understandable if the town turned against her after Jenna's disappearance, but Ariel assures the reader that she has always been excluded by her peers. Surely there must be a reason. If it was only that her family didn't have as much money as other families, most of the kids at school would be bullied like Ariel, but that is certainly not the case.
The best part about Gravity was the end, and not because it was over, but because there was a hell of a cliffhanger. So even though this story was just OK for me, I'll probably read the follow-up because of the last 3 paragraphs.
There were some good parts of the story. First of all, it was edited reasonably well. There were some issues, but by and large, it was fine. For the most part, Abigail Boyd knows the difference between a plural and a possessive. The second good part was that the main character didn't repeat inner monologue a whole lot. The story moved along at a good pace and didn't backtrack. There was also not immediate love between the main character and the love interest. By the end of the book, their relationship was still up in the air.
Now, for the bad.
The main character fell flat for me. The author definitely tells us what she doesn't like, but not what she does enjoy doing. By and large, the main character's only activities were homework, dishes and laundry. There is mention of watching horror movies or reading books, but very, very little. Ariel is pretty negative overall. I never got a sense that she had positive feelings about anything.
Secondly, the relationship between the main character and her parents was mystifying. Ariel is 15 years old, but cannot get onto the internet or hang out with friends, and though it's lamented in great detail, there's never an explanation as to why. Are her parents scared that something will happen to her? Does her mom quote violent crime rates? It's not addressed and it's a little weird. I have to think that at 15, a girl would ask why she's not allowed to hang out with female friends.
Finally, Ariel is bullied at school or by adults, but there is no reason why she is bullied. Did she stand up to the wrong person one time in her past and that turned the whole town on her? It would be understandable if the town turned against her after Jenna's disappearance, but Ariel assures the reader that she has always been excluded by her peers. Surely there must be a reason. If it was only that her family didn't have as much money as other families, most of the kids at school would be bullied like Ariel, but that is certainly not the case.
The best part about Gravity was the end, and not because it was over, but because there was a hell of a cliffhanger. So even though this story was just OK for me, I'll probably read the follow-up because of the last 3 paragraphs.
June 13, 2013
Short version: This book was SO GOOD! You have to read it!! I read it super fast, and got totally entranced with the story. I will definitely be reading the next one, asap! It was written beautifully, too. For a lesser known book/author, I was floored by how professional the storyline and writing were finished (editing too).If you like YA, paranormal books-- you'll love this story.
Some Details: I liked how we get eased into Ariel's character. It wasn't jumbled and forceful and rushed. I like simple beginnings. Perhaps the most moving part (to me) of the entire book was the very beginning. Ariel's short exchange with her best friend Jenna. The directness of the scene--the imagery--all stamped in my mind and my heart. Perhaps it is because I have had a similar exchange with a best friend, a sister, a soulmate. The pain of the exchange was so real it forced me to continue to read. I was invested in the story. I liked that it then fast forwarded to Ariel's state when her friend Jenna subsequently disappeared.
The book has a series of events that kept me interested and amused. I really liked Ariel, for the most part. The only fault I have with this character is the way she was dealing with her experiences/ occurrences that were supernatural. She at first (and for the majority of the time) dismissed them as her imagination. She considered she may be crazy, like her grandmother. She considered them to be ghosts, too. But she never accepted these things in the beginning...and then so abruptly assumed that the things she experienced were indeed ghosts; and that perhaps there was a reason, etc. etc. This sudden shift really bothered me. I think the reason it bothered me so much was because I felt that I was receiving a great understanding of the inner workings of Ariel. Then, for a moment, because of the abrupt change in her beliefs--I felt cheated! Why was I not let in on this change in her opinion? I get very selfish of characters once I'm invested. I want to know all their musings! I can then choose for myself what I think insignificant.
Anyways, that is of little consequence. The book was really good. It keeps you interested. It's unique and well written. You will get ensnared in the story as I did and want to read the second book. A lot happens in this book, but a lot doesn't happen as well. At the end you're left with more questions, but it was a fun ride. :)
Some Details: I liked how we get eased into Ariel's character. It wasn't jumbled and forceful and rushed. I like simple beginnings. Perhaps the most moving part (to me) of the entire book was the very beginning. Ariel's short exchange with her best friend Jenna. The directness of the scene--the imagery--all stamped in my mind and my heart. Perhaps it is because I have had a similar exchange with a best friend, a sister, a soulmate. The pain of the exchange was so real it forced me to continue to read. I was invested in the story. I liked that it then fast forwarded to Ariel's state when her friend Jenna subsequently disappeared.
The book has a series of events that kept me interested and amused. I really liked Ariel, for the most part. The only fault I have with this character is the way she was dealing with her experiences/ occurrences that were supernatural. She at first (and for the majority of the time) dismissed them as her imagination. She considered she may be crazy, like her grandmother. She considered them to be ghosts, too. But she never accepted these things in the beginning...and then so abruptly assumed that the things she experienced were indeed ghosts; and that perhaps there was a reason, etc. etc. This sudden shift really bothered me. I think the reason it bothered me so much was because I felt that I was receiving a great understanding of the inner workings of Ariel. Then, for a moment, because of the abrupt change in her beliefs--I felt cheated! Why was I not let in on this change in her opinion? I get very selfish of characters once I'm invested. I want to know all their musings! I can then choose for myself what I think insignificant.
Anyways, that is of little consequence. The book was really good. It keeps you interested. It's unique and well written. You will get ensnared in the story as I did and want to read the second book. A lot happens in this book, but a lot doesn't happen as well. At the end you're left with more questions, but it was a fun ride. :)
June 19, 2012
i had a very hard time deciding what to rate this. i usually give 3 stars to books i found just ok. something i read, it wasn't good, it wasn't really bad but i'll probably never think of it again. i give 2 stars to books that had way too many issues, a lame plot and was overall unmemorable. The problem with this book was that overall, the plot was very good. i was very interested to know what the hell was going on in this town called Hell. The MC was interesting enough and there were all these hints that the book was gonna dive deep into maybe the occult or witchcraft or... something.
but then.
it ended and not a damn thing happened.
here were the problems: about half way through, i started thinking "crap. this book is self-published, isn't it?" the telltale things were the main character calling both her parents by their 1st names & then suddenly referring to her mom as "mommy" at one point. the ending was such a bad cliff hanger that i probably won't even read the 2nd one. the dialogue was odd. at some parts it became very stiff and formal, like a patient and doctor. maybe there was more too it, but i can't see these characters as they were talking. they had no body language to tell me if they were flirting, being serious, playing, etc.
the worst was that nothing, and i mean NOTHING, was resolved. did we find out why the hot boy had multiple personality disorder? no. did we find out about the seance? the necklace? why she sees dead people? the grandma's special powers? why the principal is so creepy? why the electricity is bad? why ANYTHING? no. we did not.
the main character isn't even adequately bothered enough by hot boy's diss of her. OBVIOUSLY something weird is up. the MC's new bff is way too random for words. there's too much going on. it shouldn't be a trilogy, it should have just been longer.
there's generally a reason why self-published books haven't picked up by an agent. while it wasn't as dreadful as Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel, it is in desperate need of a new draft.
but then.
it ended and not a damn thing happened.
here were the problems: about half way through, i started thinking "crap. this book is self-published, isn't it?" the telltale things were the main character calling both her parents by their 1st names & then suddenly referring to her mom as "mommy" at one point. the ending was such a bad cliff hanger that i probably won't even read the 2nd one. the dialogue was odd. at some parts it became very stiff and formal, like a patient and doctor. maybe there was more too it, but i can't see these characters as they were talking. they had no body language to tell me if they were flirting, being serious, playing, etc.
the worst was that nothing, and i mean NOTHING, was resolved. did we find out why the hot boy had multiple personality disorder? no. did we find out about the seance? the necklace? why she sees dead people? the grandma's special powers? why the principal is so creepy? why the electricity is bad? why ANYTHING? no. we did not.
the main character isn't even adequately bothered enough by hot boy's diss of her. OBVIOUSLY something weird is up. the MC's new bff is way too random for words. there's too much going on. it shouldn't be a trilogy, it should have just been longer.
there's generally a reason why self-published books haven't picked up by an agent. while it wasn't as dreadful as Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel, it is in desperate need of a new draft.
January 14, 2013
2.5 stars
Gravity was an ok read. It was entertaining but it had many flaws. Some of the characters are weird, and there is no explanation for their weirdness, which is sometimes baffling. It also really ground on my nerves that Ariel was quite obviously seeing ghosts, but refused to believe it, or DO anything about it- including trying to figure out the mysterious surroundings of how they died. I mean, lets say you start seeing ghosts... yes, any rational person is going to pretend it didn't happen and have a freak out period, but after a certain point when you are sure you're not ACTUALLY insane, and they keep coming to you, I will sure hell try to figure out WHY!
Irregardless(lol) of it's many flaws and mediocrity, Gravity contains two things I am an absolute sucker for: unanswered questions/mysteries, and cliff-hangers. (Also... ghost stories. I really, really like ghost stories, so might as well add that one to the list.) I suppose you could call those things Gravity's saving grace, and the only reason I'll be continuing on in this series. I'm hoping the Orphanage comes into play more in the second one. I also hope Ariel will tell Theo about her uncanny ghost seein' abilities and they become something of a scooby doo gang solving ghost mysteries. One can hope, at least.
Gravity was an ok read. It was entertaining but it had many flaws. Some of the characters are weird, and there is no explanation for their weirdness, which is sometimes baffling. It also really ground on my nerves that Ariel was quite obviously seeing ghosts, but refused to believe it, or DO anything about it- including trying to figure out the mysterious surroundings of how they died. I mean, lets say you start seeing ghosts... yes, any rational person is going to pretend it didn't happen and have a freak out period, but after a certain point when you are sure you're not ACTUALLY insane, and they keep coming to you, I will sure hell try to figure out WHY!
Irregardless(lol) of it's many flaws and mediocrity, Gravity contains two things I am an absolute sucker for: unanswered questions/mysteries, and cliff-hangers. (Also... ghost stories. I really, really like ghost stories, so might as well add that one to the list.) I suppose you could call those things Gravity's saving grace, and the only reason I'll be continuing on in this series. I'm hoping the Orphanage comes into play more in the second one. I also hope Ariel will tell Theo about her uncanny ghost seein' abilities and they become something of a scooby doo gang solving ghost mysteries. One can hope, at least.
June 8, 2011
The first book in the Gravity Series written by new up and coming author Abigail Boyd was a treat to read.
From the start of the book, I wondered where the story was going to go. Ariel is a strong young girl who is dealing with a lot. Anyone that ever went to High School knows how hard it can be, and when you sometimes feel like you just don’t fit it, it can only make it worse.
I was happy that Ariel found such a good friend in Theo and look forward to seeing their friendship grow stronger through the series.
The Author kept you wondering what was going to happen next. Not a suspenseful book, but one that just stayed at least one step ahead of you. I am one to usually figure things out pretty quick, but she did a good job of hiding the outcome from me and I really enjoyed that.
The book is well written and smooth. The plot is deep and the characters enjoyable. Well, all of them except Lainey that is. I’d like to hit her with a tennis ball myself! I knew too many girls like her in high school.
I think readers will enjoy this book, and I look forward to seeing what Ariel is up to in the second book of the series as many of the secrets of Ariel’s life have yet to be announced.
From the start of the book, I wondered where the story was going to go. Ariel is a strong young girl who is dealing with a lot. Anyone that ever went to High School knows how hard it can be, and when you sometimes feel like you just don’t fit it, it can only make it worse.
I was happy that Ariel found such a good friend in Theo and look forward to seeing their friendship grow stronger through the series.
The Author kept you wondering what was going to happen next. Not a suspenseful book, but one that just stayed at least one step ahead of you. I am one to usually figure things out pretty quick, but she did a good job of hiding the outcome from me and I really enjoyed that.
The book is well written and smooth. The plot is deep and the characters enjoyable. Well, all of them except Lainey that is. I’d like to hit her with a tennis ball myself! I knew too many girls like her in high school.
I think readers will enjoy this book, and I look forward to seeing what Ariel is up to in the second book of the series as many of the secrets of Ariel’s life have yet to be announced.
January 21, 2013
I could not get in to this book, even after reading almost half of the book. The characters were not interesting and the writing style was so cliche and superficial. I found myself wondering how a 16 year old boy knew and said some of the words that were written in the dialogue of this book... it was just so ridiculous. I felt the author spent way too much time building up the suspense that she just made me not care about the story because it wasn't going anywhere. I really wanted to like this book too, but I just couldn't force myself to read any more of the cliches. I did not finish this book and I would not recommend this book to anyone.
February 20, 2013
I’m torn as to how to rate this book. The writing isn’t terrible nor is it bland enough that I really don’t care. But there’s nothing that’s grabbing me with the plot and telling me that “I HAVE TO READ EVERYTHING ELSE I MUST KNOOOOW.” (And honestly, I don’t remember when or why I purchased this book; I suspect that it was during another one of my “Hey, let’s go through the 100 Top Free Teen Books” on Amazon.)
There is a good horror slant to the book, and there are some effectively creepy scenes in the book—I actually liked the bit when Ariel and her friends are going through a haunted orphanage, and her ability to see ghosts bleeds into the experience. That was a fantastic scene, as you really can’t tell at first that is the ghost boy an actor or is Ariel seeing things and the environment is making everything creepier. Most of Ariel’s interactions with the ghosts are actually well done, and I liked that there’s a great atmosphere to those scenes.
I have to tangent on something that bugged me: Ariel’s said to be a fan of horror movies and haunted houses…whenever it’s pointed out that “Oh, btw I like horror movies.” I’m not asking that Ariel has to be dark and macabre and thinking about possible ways a serial killer would work. But it never comes across in the book that Ariel likes those things. Mentioning “The heroine who runs away and trips on her high heels” is something anyone could mention, because that stereotype is so well-known. There’s nothing that says that Ariel is genre-savvy and would know “Hey, how would things go in a horror story?” (If anything, her being a fan of haunted houses only shows that she wants to be stubborn around Henry and not the shrieking girl who has to cling on to the big strong boy.)
And I could never get a handle on Ariel’s character. One minute, she’s dead-panning with her dad and the next, she’s moping about Henry and “Oh I can’t be with him because the bitchy mean girl wants him.” I never got that she was still grieving over Jenna’s disappearance, much less desperate to figure out what happened over the summer. There was really good potential with the horror angle, but as it is, Ariel’s another copied-and-pasted YA heroine with little personality to be her own character. Jenna was the other issue—she never makes a lasting impression. I never got the sense that Jenna and Ariel have been best friends since elementary school; if anything, Jenna felt more like a friend of convenience rather than someone Ariel should be willing to place herself in danger for. (Especially since Ariel never talks to anyone about Jenna’s disappearance; and to tangent again, why isn’t there a guidance counselor hauling Ariel in on the first day of school? If there’s a number of high-profile disappearances for school-age kids, why isn’t everyone stepping in and doing stranger-danger assemblies? I have a feeling that this is all swept under “Oh, well, there’s that secret society that runs the whole town!” Really? No one has family from out of town?)
(Sorry, it’s just the disappearance of Jenna, coupled with two other girls’ disappearances has some similarities with the book I wrote. It’s my personal baggage.)
Actually, the only character I really liked was Theo—she does come off as the quirky arty sarcastic friend for a good chunk of the plot, but I liked that it’s fleshed out that she’s really shy and nervous about showing off her work. She’s not a great character, but compared to the others, she actually had a personality. I couldn’t a handle on Henry—his constant mood swings of being sweet and charming to Ariel only to suddenly go to brash and cold were really jarring. The only kind of close relationship that I got between any of the characters was between Ariel and her dad; even then, I still had issues with Ariel’s parents.
And a lot of the plot happens by convenience. We find out early on that Ariel’s mother and aunt do not get along well. It’s never explained, until Ariel needs to find out how to do a séance—and how convenient that Aunt Corinne knows a lot about séances and actually carries supplies with her everywhere. (I’m not making that up; Ariel steals candles and a book her aunt has in the suitcase.) Oh, Ariel has a special necklace that her grandmother used to have; how convenient that her grandmother claimed to see ghosts. Even more frustrating, there’s a lot of build-up that never gets used for this book. The aforementioned séance takes place at the orphanage-turned-haunted house, and Ariel’s dreams lead her to believe that Jenna and the two other missing girls are hidden there. And the climax happens…in the high school’s boiler room. I really hate the idea that nothing’s explained about the Dexter Orphanage because “Oh, it’s a series, and we’ll get to that in Book X.” Uh, no. There’s nothing even really resolved, aside from the murderer of the two girls who go missing throughout the course of the novel.
There is a good book in here. As I said, whenever the horror element was in full play, it was really well done, and I loved those scenes. But so much of it is bogged down by YA PNR c&p’d characterization and development; not to mention, the reliance of making creating a series to force the readers to read on to find out the deep ~mystery~ of the town and the secret society. And it doesn’t even do a good enough set-up to make me want to continue reading the series. This could have been a good little series, but it suffers by trying to fit in with all of the trends.
There is a good horror slant to the book, and there are some effectively creepy scenes in the book—I actually liked the bit when Ariel and her friends are going through a haunted orphanage, and her ability to see ghosts bleeds into the experience. That was a fantastic scene, as you really can’t tell at first that is the ghost boy an actor or is Ariel seeing things and the environment is making everything creepier. Most of Ariel’s interactions with the ghosts are actually well done, and I liked that there’s a great atmosphere to those scenes.
I have to tangent on something that bugged me: Ariel’s said to be a fan of horror movies and haunted houses…whenever it’s pointed out that “Oh, btw I like horror movies.” I’m not asking that Ariel has to be dark and macabre and thinking about possible ways a serial killer would work. But it never comes across in the book that Ariel likes those things. Mentioning “The heroine who runs away and trips on her high heels” is something anyone could mention, because that stereotype is so well-known. There’s nothing that says that Ariel is genre-savvy and would know “Hey, how would things go in a horror story?” (If anything, her being a fan of haunted houses only shows that she wants to be stubborn around Henry and not the shrieking girl who has to cling on to the big strong boy.)
And I could never get a handle on Ariel’s character. One minute, she’s dead-panning with her dad and the next, she’s moping about Henry and “Oh I can’t be with him because the bitchy mean girl wants him.” I never got that she was still grieving over Jenna’s disappearance, much less desperate to figure out what happened over the summer. There was really good potential with the horror angle, but as it is, Ariel’s another copied-and-pasted YA heroine with little personality to be her own character. Jenna was the other issue—she never makes a lasting impression. I never got the sense that Jenna and Ariel have been best friends since elementary school; if anything, Jenna felt more like a friend of convenience rather than someone Ariel should be willing to place herself in danger for. (Especially since Ariel never talks to anyone about Jenna’s disappearance; and to tangent again, why isn’t there a guidance counselor hauling Ariel in on the first day of school? If there’s a number of high-profile disappearances for school-age kids, why isn’t everyone stepping in and doing stranger-danger assemblies? I have a feeling that this is all swept under “Oh, well, there’s that secret society that runs the whole town!” Really? No one has family from out of town?)
(Sorry, it’s just the disappearance of Jenna, coupled with two other girls’ disappearances has some similarities with the book I wrote. It’s my personal baggage.)
Actually, the only character I really liked was Theo—she does come off as the quirky arty sarcastic friend for a good chunk of the plot, but I liked that it’s fleshed out that she’s really shy and nervous about showing off her work. She’s not a great character, but compared to the others, she actually had a personality. I couldn’t a handle on Henry—his constant mood swings of being sweet and charming to Ariel only to suddenly go to brash and cold were really jarring. The only kind of close relationship that I got between any of the characters was between Ariel and her dad; even then, I still had issues with Ariel’s parents.
And a lot of the plot happens by convenience. We find out early on that Ariel’s mother and aunt do not get along well. It’s never explained, until Ariel needs to find out how to do a séance—and how convenient that Aunt Corinne knows a lot about séances and actually carries supplies with her everywhere. (I’m not making that up; Ariel steals candles and a book her aunt has in the suitcase.) Oh, Ariel has a special necklace that her grandmother used to have; how convenient that her grandmother claimed to see ghosts. Even more frustrating, there’s a lot of build-up that never gets used for this book. The aforementioned séance takes place at the orphanage-turned-haunted house, and Ariel’s dreams lead her to believe that Jenna and the two other missing girls are hidden there. And the climax happens…in the high school’s boiler room. I really hate the idea that nothing’s explained about the Dexter Orphanage because “Oh, it’s a series, and we’ll get to that in Book X.” Uh, no. There’s nothing even really resolved, aside from the murderer of the two girls who go missing throughout the course of the novel.
There is a good book in here. As I said, whenever the horror element was in full play, it was really well done, and I loved those scenes. But so much of it is bogged down by YA PNR c&p’d characterization and development; not to mention, the reliance of making creating a series to force the readers to read on to find out the deep ~mystery~ of the town and the secret society. And it doesn’t even do a good enough set-up to make me want to continue reading the series. This could have been a good little series, but it suffers by trying to fit in with all of the trends.
July 7, 2011
Ariel Donovan has just celebrated her 15th birthday, and come fall is going to be a sophomore at the local high school in Hell, Michigan. By all accounts, this should be the time of her life. No longer the scared freshman, she and her best friend Jenna been looking forward to the beginning of the school year. All that changed when one night, after an argument, Jenna walked out the door of Ariel’s home in a huff, never to be seen again.
To make matters worse Ariel comes from a not so normal family. Her parents insist that she calls them Claire and Hugh. Hugh is an artist and owns the local art gallery. Claire is always totally put together and works in the corporate world. Her mother’s sister, Aunt Corinne believes in spirits, crystals and the occult. Ariel reluctantly begins the first day at school full of trepidation, only to overhear the class mean girls discussing the hunky new boy in school, and how he is off limits. Later she meets said hunky boy, Henry Rhodes, who is full of wit and charm and flirts outrageously with her. Next day, she meets another new kid, Goth/artist chick Theo Weaver who happens to be her next door neighbor. As if life couldn’t get any more complicated, Ariel begins having strange dreams of Jenna and hearing weird noises in her room that no one else hears. Ariel, Henry, Theo and class clown Alex Perkins embark on a journey to discover exactly what is going on and find things aren’t always as they seem in their little town of Hell.
Ms. Boyd has written a book full of teenage angst mixed in with some really strange/scary happenings. Ariel is as well balanced as she is able to be, considering her upbringing, and fights an internal battle with her guilt over Jenna’s disappearance. Henry is just a cute as can be; full of humor and wit, we suspect he might be hiding something though. Theo and Alex give us some fun moments with their give and take and both turn out to be great friends for Ariel. We meet a few of the teachers and get some creepy vibes from the principle that make you want to go take a shower. There are some great scary moments and a good mystery going on, all mixed in with every day high school life.
While I enjoyed this book, I have to admit about a fourth of the way through, I had to look up the blurb because I just couldn’t figure out what it was about. I’m still not sure how to describe it, except to say it’s a mixture of ghost story/teenage life/paranormal happenings/mystery. This book is slightly dark, with truly scary moments that are relieved with some cute interaction between Ariel and Henry and some funny moments when the gang get together. I was a little aggravated with Ariel’s parents. It seemed like they couldn’t make up their minds if they wanted to be strict or new age, and were alternately either smothering or ignoring Ariel.
This book would appeal to all age groups, the teenage/young adult will enjoy it for the look into Ariel’s life, the paranormal reader will enjoy the mystery/strange happenings. There is some violence; there are mean girls after all, but nothing graphic. There is a sweet romance blooming between Ariel and Henry but is exactly as it should be for teenagers of their age. While there is a definite ending, there is also a set up for a sequel, which I for one can’t wait to read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery mixed in with some good spooky, strange happenings wrapped up in a teenage coming of age package.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
To make matters worse Ariel comes from a not so normal family. Her parents insist that she calls them Claire and Hugh. Hugh is an artist and owns the local art gallery. Claire is always totally put together and works in the corporate world. Her mother’s sister, Aunt Corinne believes in spirits, crystals and the occult. Ariel reluctantly begins the first day at school full of trepidation, only to overhear the class mean girls discussing the hunky new boy in school, and how he is off limits. Later she meets said hunky boy, Henry Rhodes, who is full of wit and charm and flirts outrageously with her. Next day, she meets another new kid, Goth/artist chick Theo Weaver who happens to be her next door neighbor. As if life couldn’t get any more complicated, Ariel begins having strange dreams of Jenna and hearing weird noises in her room that no one else hears. Ariel, Henry, Theo and class clown Alex Perkins embark on a journey to discover exactly what is going on and find things aren’t always as they seem in their little town of Hell.
Ms. Boyd has written a book full of teenage angst mixed in with some really strange/scary happenings. Ariel is as well balanced as she is able to be, considering her upbringing, and fights an internal battle with her guilt over Jenna’s disappearance. Henry is just a cute as can be; full of humor and wit, we suspect he might be hiding something though. Theo and Alex give us some fun moments with their give and take and both turn out to be great friends for Ariel. We meet a few of the teachers and get some creepy vibes from the principle that make you want to go take a shower. There are some great scary moments and a good mystery going on, all mixed in with every day high school life.
While I enjoyed this book, I have to admit about a fourth of the way through, I had to look up the blurb because I just couldn’t figure out what it was about. I’m still not sure how to describe it, except to say it’s a mixture of ghost story/teenage life/paranormal happenings/mystery. This book is slightly dark, with truly scary moments that are relieved with some cute interaction between Ariel and Henry and some funny moments when the gang get together. I was a little aggravated with Ariel’s parents. It seemed like they couldn’t make up their minds if they wanted to be strict or new age, and were alternately either smothering or ignoring Ariel.
This book would appeal to all age groups, the teenage/young adult will enjoy it for the look into Ariel’s life, the paranormal reader will enjoy the mystery/strange happenings. There is some violence; there are mean girls after all, but nothing graphic. There is a sweet romance blooming between Ariel and Henry but is exactly as it should be for teenagers of their age. While there is a definite ending, there is also a set up for a sequel, which I for one can’t wait to read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery mixed in with some good spooky, strange happenings wrapped up in a teenage coming of age package.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
August 7, 2011
I won this book via a Member Giveaway on Librarything.com. The author, Abigail Boyd, is a young Independent Author. This is her first novel.
Description taken from Abigail Boyd’s website:
15-year-old Ariel Donovan’s best friend went missing over the summer. Now she has to face the prospect of life without her, in the same close-knit town of Hell, Michigan. When she dreams of Jenna running to the old orphanage in town, and starts experiencing supernatural phenomena, she knows she needs to discover what happens.
With the help of a new friend in quirky artist Theo, and handsome crush Henry, Ariel tries to uncover the secrets that Hell is hiding, and find out where Jenna is now.
I was really looking forward to reading something from a newly published author. When I read the following in the first few pages of Gravity, I knew I would probably enjoy this book:
“Truthfully, all my life I’ve been a bit strange, with an interest in the macabre. When I was seven I made a shoebox diorama of the Donner Party, complete with tiny clay body parts and half a bottle of red food coloring.”
Yeah, I have a sick sense of humor.
There is so much I want to say about this book and I don’t know where to begin. First off, this is a great story. I would describe it as a paranormal mystery with some romance thrown in. There are some definite creepy parts (granted I am a huge wuss when it comes to ghosts). There was a definite Buffy feel to it. Sometimes the similarities were almost too much for me. If a hell mouth opened up under the high school, I would have thrown my Nook across the room. And that would have sucked….bad. But a hell mouth didn’t open under the high school so I didn’t throw my Nook and I was able to enjoy the story for what it was.
As far as the characters, the heroine, Ariel, is pretty darn likeable. Boyd did a wonderful job of developing her character as well as Ariel’s new friend Theo. The love interest in the story is pretty happy and likeable and not gloomy like so many other YA heroes.
The book did start out a little slow and I think that is because the writing comes across as a somewhat sophomoric. There were also a number of grammatical errors which I have found common in self-published books. But I think these things are more than forgivable considering 1. This is Ms. Boyd’s first novel, 2. The characters are so well developed and 3.The story itself is great.
I was torn between giving this book 2.5 stars or 3 stars. I am going with 3 since it kept my interest enough to want to know what happens next. I will be buying the next book in this series when it comes out on August 1st.
If you are interested in reading Gravity, you can purchase it for Kindle at Amazon.com or Smashwords.com for other e-reader formats.
Nat
Description taken from Abigail Boyd’s website:
15-year-old Ariel Donovan’s best friend went missing over the summer. Now she has to face the prospect of life without her, in the same close-knit town of Hell, Michigan. When she dreams of Jenna running to the old orphanage in town, and starts experiencing supernatural phenomena, she knows she needs to discover what happens.
With the help of a new friend in quirky artist Theo, and handsome crush Henry, Ariel tries to uncover the secrets that Hell is hiding, and find out where Jenna is now.
I was really looking forward to reading something from a newly published author. When I read the following in the first few pages of Gravity, I knew I would probably enjoy this book:
“Truthfully, all my life I’ve been a bit strange, with an interest in the macabre. When I was seven I made a shoebox diorama of the Donner Party, complete with tiny clay body parts and half a bottle of red food coloring.”
Yeah, I have a sick sense of humor.
There is so much I want to say about this book and I don’t know where to begin. First off, this is a great story. I would describe it as a paranormal mystery with some romance thrown in. There are some definite creepy parts (granted I am a huge wuss when it comes to ghosts). There was a definite Buffy feel to it. Sometimes the similarities were almost too much for me. If a hell mouth opened up under the high school, I would have thrown my Nook across the room. And that would have sucked….bad. But a hell mouth didn’t open under the high school so I didn’t throw my Nook and I was able to enjoy the story for what it was.
As far as the characters, the heroine, Ariel, is pretty darn likeable. Boyd did a wonderful job of developing her character as well as Ariel’s new friend Theo. The love interest in the story is pretty happy and likeable and not gloomy like so many other YA heroes.
The book did start out a little slow and I think that is because the writing comes across as a somewhat sophomoric. There were also a number of grammatical errors which I have found common in self-published books. But I think these things are more than forgivable considering 1. This is Ms. Boyd’s first novel, 2. The characters are so well developed and 3.The story itself is great.
I was torn between giving this book 2.5 stars or 3 stars. I am going with 3 since it kept my interest enough to want to know what happens next. I will be buying the next book in this series when it comes out on August 1st.
If you are interested in reading Gravity, you can purchase it for Kindle at Amazon.com or Smashwords.com for other e-reader formats.
Nat
April 19, 2012
As seen on -> http://readingbythebeach.blogspot.com...
I was really intrigued not only by the cover(both of them), but by the blurb. I mean, a town called Hell? Yes, please! Possible ghosts? Pretty please!
I do like both covers, but I think I prefer the first one. I'm curious to know why the author changed it.
In a book where I should have been scared of the shadows the night casts, I wasn't. I was left feeling like an editor or beta reader. I liked the characters, I liked the direction the story takes you, but it just was not polished enough for me.
So here goes a nit picky review. . .
There were grammatical errors left and right. Simple things that happen to everyone as they type, but they should have been found and fixed. For example: she instead of the; ot instead of to; the instead of they or them; things like that. Things that usually don't bother me, bothered me. And I think it's because the sentences seemed to leave me wanting. They didn't have any emotion behind them, they weren't choppy, but close to it. They were bare. And, there was an actual sentence in the book that was an outline/placeholder, "She dreams she's in a white hallway with doors lining either side". How do I know it was an outline sentence/placeholder? Because it came after the paragraph explaining the doors and it's in third-person when Gravity is written in the first-person.
Like I said above, I did like the characters and the plot, for the most part. I kind of felt that the book was at a stand still, not really moving forward, just adding to the infuriating mystery of this town called Hell. I say infuriating because by the end of the book, I wasn't left with any spectacular, all-revealing information or the reasoning behind what was happening to Ariel. One thing did catch me by surprise, but that was eclipsed by ever present mystery that was never adequately solved.
Potential. That's the key word for Gravity. There is so much potential! The author, Abigail Boyd, successfully reeled me in, I just wish that the editing errors weren't present and there was more of an adventure to unravel the mystery. I was originally going to give Gravity two stars, but the author does have a creative mind that introduces a unique world and like I said, I was reeled in despite my aggravation of the many errors.
And, just so you know, I will be reading the next book, Uncertainty, because I simply need to know what the hell is going on in Hell. And because I do like the characters. Ariel has an endearing mix of toughness and shyness.
I was really intrigued not only by the cover(both of them), but by the blurb. I mean, a town called Hell? Yes, please! Possible ghosts? Pretty please!
I do like both covers, but I think I prefer the first one. I'm curious to know why the author changed it.
In a book where I should have been scared of the shadows the night casts, I wasn't. I was left feeling like an editor or beta reader. I liked the characters, I liked the direction the story takes you, but it just was not polished enough for me.
So here goes a nit picky review. . .
There were grammatical errors left and right. Simple things that happen to everyone as they type, but they should have been found and fixed. For example: she instead of the; ot instead of to; the instead of they or them; things like that. Things that usually don't bother me, bothered me. And I think it's because the sentences seemed to leave me wanting. They didn't have any emotion behind them, they weren't choppy, but close to it. They were bare. And, there was an actual sentence in the book that was an outline/placeholder, "She dreams she's in a white hallway with doors lining either side". How do I know it was an outline sentence/placeholder? Because it came after the paragraph explaining the doors and it's in third-person when Gravity is written in the first-person.
Like I said above, I did like the characters and the plot, for the most part. I kind of felt that the book was at a stand still, not really moving forward, just adding to the infuriating mystery of this town called Hell. I say infuriating because by the end of the book, I wasn't left with any spectacular, all-revealing information or the reasoning behind what was happening to Ariel. One thing did catch me by surprise, but that was eclipsed by ever present mystery that was never adequately solved.
Potential. That's the key word for Gravity. There is so much potential! The author, Abigail Boyd, successfully reeled me in, I just wish that the editing errors weren't present and there was more of an adventure to unravel the mystery. I was originally going to give Gravity two stars, but the author does have a creative mind that introduces a unique world and like I said, I was reeled in despite my aggravation of the many errors.
And, just so you know, I will be reading the next book, Uncertainty, because I simply need to know what the hell is going on in Hell. And because I do like the characters. Ariel has an endearing mix of toughness and shyness.
July 13, 2011
May contain spoilers:
Also I got this book as an ecopy from library thing however this is an honest review.
I had to change my rating after thinking about the book I wasn't sure it deserved 3 starts. This book was just not up to par with other paranormal ya books on the market. I know that this is a young author who is trying to make something of herself. However I just didn't feel that I would call it a paranormal read, maybe in the next installment there will be more to the story that I can see why the author called it a paranormal but I don't see it. Also my copy contained lost of grammatical errors and the writing was juvenile at best.
The town was called HELL and they are in a state of perpetual Halloween which I found totally ridiculous I'm sure some teens might have liked this but I however did not. The girl Ariel doesn't quiet fit in to Hell which is the way that every ya novel seems to be starting now a days she's not quite sure but she knows that she is different. Which was not too original. She gets a freaky necklace for her birthday which seems to have some magical powers again not to original.
The story basically revolves around mysterious disappearances of girls in the town of Hell and the police are doing nothing about finding them. Ariel's best friend is missing and everyone is treating her like a freak because of this (actually I found this to be over the top and annoying I was not sure why everyone would be treating her so awful when her best friend just went missing it was almost like she needed the character not to fit in and this gave her a reason for everyone to hate her).
To me though this was more of a teen mystery with a little bit of romance with a minor backdrop in the paranormal. Since the main character can apparently see ghosts I'll give it a minor back drop in the paranormal but she doesn't know what she is seeing and she ignores or disproves most of this. Also I think there will be some references to demons in the next book and maybe hell is really hell on earth but I can't be sure so I'm will not say this book will get more into the paranormal because I'm not sure. It did seem to be leaning that way though by the end of the book.
I'm just not seeing what everyone else is seeing maybe after this books gets buy an editor who changes some things I'd give it another go other wise I'm not sure I'll be reading anymore of this authors stuff.
Also I got this book as an ecopy from library thing however this is an honest review.
I had to change my rating after thinking about the book I wasn't sure it deserved 3 starts. This book was just not up to par with other paranormal ya books on the market. I know that this is a young author who is trying to make something of herself. However I just didn't feel that I would call it a paranormal read, maybe in the next installment there will be more to the story that I can see why the author called it a paranormal but I don't see it. Also my copy contained lost of grammatical errors and the writing was juvenile at best.
The town was called HELL and they are in a state of perpetual Halloween which I found totally ridiculous I'm sure some teens might have liked this but I however did not. The girl Ariel doesn't quiet fit in to Hell which is the way that every ya novel seems to be starting now a days she's not quite sure but she knows that she is different. Which was not too original. She gets a freaky necklace for her birthday which seems to have some magical powers again not to original.
The story basically revolves around mysterious disappearances of girls in the town of Hell and the police are doing nothing about finding them. Ariel's best friend is missing and everyone is treating her like a freak because of this (actually I found this to be over the top and annoying I was not sure why everyone would be treating her so awful when her best friend just went missing it was almost like she needed the character not to fit in and this gave her a reason for everyone to hate her).
To me though this was more of a teen mystery with a little bit of romance with a minor backdrop in the paranormal. Since the main character can apparently see ghosts I'll give it a minor back drop in the paranormal but she doesn't know what she is seeing and she ignores or disproves most of this. Also I think there will be some references to demons in the next book and maybe hell is really hell on earth but I can't be sure so I'm will not say this book will get more into the paranormal because I'm not sure. It did seem to be leaning that way though by the end of the book.
I'm just not seeing what everyone else is seeing maybe after this books gets buy an editor who changes some things I'd give it another go other wise I'm not sure I'll be reading anymore of this authors stuff.
August 13, 2016
Review coming soon to, and other great posts, at...The Best Books Ever
I saw this book on an Amazon Deals list, and decided to give it a shot after reading several reviews. I am so glad that I did! I know that there are a lot of negative feelings out there towards self-pub, and I will admit that the editing and the errors can get frustrating, but I gotta tell you, I have found some gems in that world, and I will continue searching through them because of books just like this one.
Gravity is a ghost story, a mystery, a romance, with some paranormal and mean girl action thrown into the mix. And it works! The mean girl is there, but it doesn't take over the story. The MC Ariel, doesn't allow the mean girl to walk all over her. The romance is sweet, but it doesn't consume the story. The friendships that form are beautiful. And the ghosty, paranormal stuff is awesome! The only complaint that I have in that respect is that I wanted MORE! I got a little scared, definitely creeped out, but I wanted a little more of those scenes. This did nothing at all to diminish my love of the story, however.
Ariel is a strong, funny, snarky character. She is fiercely loyal, even when many others wouldn't be. Her best friend Jenna, who disappears at the beginning, wasn't so nice to Ariel, but Ariel loved her regardless, and fought for her. Theo is a new girl in school, and after some false starts, she and Ariel become friends and that relationship shines. Theo is such a great character and I adored her. Henry, the love interest, is a pretty great character, too. His and Ariel's relationship is rocky from the start, but they form a deep bond. Things get complicated towards the end, and we are left confused.... Hoping that maybe something will turn out different in book 2.
I don't want to say too much because I don't want to take away they mystery of the story. Just go read it! There is an abandoned, incredibly weird abandoned orphanage, haunted houses, murder mysteries, a couple of attempted murders. Disturbed people abound! The story ends with a bang, but it wraps up nicely. There isn't a killer cliffhanger, but regardless, you will be heading over to Amazon ASAP to get the second book in the series so that you can immerse yourself in this awesomely creepy world as fast as possible!
I saw this book on an Amazon Deals list, and decided to give it a shot after reading several reviews. I am so glad that I did! I know that there are a lot of negative feelings out there towards self-pub, and I will admit that the editing and the errors can get frustrating, but I gotta tell you, I have found some gems in that world, and I will continue searching through them because of books just like this one.
Gravity is a ghost story, a mystery, a romance, with some paranormal and mean girl action thrown into the mix. And it works! The mean girl is there, but it doesn't take over the story. The MC Ariel, doesn't allow the mean girl to walk all over her. The romance is sweet, but it doesn't consume the story. The friendships that form are beautiful. And the ghosty, paranormal stuff is awesome! The only complaint that I have in that respect is that I wanted MORE! I got a little scared, definitely creeped out, but I wanted a little more of those scenes. This did nothing at all to diminish my love of the story, however.
Ariel is a strong, funny, snarky character. She is fiercely loyal, even when many others wouldn't be. Her best friend Jenna, who disappears at the beginning, wasn't so nice to Ariel, but Ariel loved her regardless, and fought for her. Theo is a new girl in school, and after some false starts, she and Ariel become friends and that relationship shines. Theo is such a great character and I adored her. Henry, the love interest, is a pretty great character, too. His and Ariel's relationship is rocky from the start, but they form a deep bond. Things get complicated towards the end, and we are left confused.... Hoping that maybe something will turn out different in book 2.
I don't want to say too much because I don't want to take away they mystery of the story. Just go read it! There is an abandoned, incredibly weird abandoned orphanage, haunted houses, murder mysteries, a couple of attempted murders. Disturbed people abound! The story ends with a bang, but it wraps up nicely. There isn't a killer cliffhanger, but regardless, you will be heading over to Amazon ASAP to get the second book in the series so that you can immerse yourself in this awesomely creepy world as fast as possible!
March 5, 2012
More of my reviews @ www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com
4.5 out of 5 stars
Gravity by Abigail Boyd is her debut novel in the Gravity series and is an exciting and fresh read which had me captivated from the first to the very last page.
15 year-old Ariel Donovan’s life changed when her best friend Jenna went missing, everyone believes the teen ran away but when Ariel dreams of her and the local abandoned orphanage she begins to question what really happened.
With the help of her new friend, Theo (female) and school newcomer and hottie Henry Rhodes; they embark on a search to find out what is really going on in the small town of Hell, Michigan.
Ariel for me was a very real character with believable thoughts and feelings; she came across as genuine and sincere despite the fact she thought she could see ghosts; I enjoyed her family dynamic, despite calling her parents by their first names which I found quite strange.
I really liked Ariel’s growing relationship with Henry who I thought was wonderful, he was such a fun, sweet guy; nothing was rushed and the dialogue was fun and natural. The ending certainly left me with my mouth gaping but I have my fingers crossed that things aren’t as they seem.
Each of the secondary characters were well fleshed out and believable, including the popular, rich clichéd mean girls. The school Principal has me curious so I am eager to see what role he plays in the next installment.
Gravity has paranormal elements which Ariel is trying to understand, I am intrigued by her grandmothers necklace as well as her aunts fascination with the unusual. There are a number of unanswered questions I hope we get answers to in the sequel.
I loved the mystery, intrigue and characterizations in Gravity. It is a well-structured and well-written world with a fascinating and fast-paced plot that kept me interested, it was an ending that left me reeling so I am keen to read book 2, Uncertainty.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Gravity by Abigail Boyd is her debut novel in the Gravity series and is an exciting and fresh read which had me captivated from the first to the very last page.
15 year-old Ariel Donovan’s life changed when her best friend Jenna went missing, everyone believes the teen ran away but when Ariel dreams of her and the local abandoned orphanage she begins to question what really happened.
With the help of her new friend, Theo (female) and school newcomer and hottie Henry Rhodes; they embark on a search to find out what is really going on in the small town of Hell, Michigan.
Ariel for me was a very real character with believable thoughts and feelings; she came across as genuine and sincere despite the fact she thought she could see ghosts; I enjoyed her family dynamic, despite calling her parents by their first names which I found quite strange.
I really liked Ariel’s growing relationship with Henry who I thought was wonderful, he was such a fun, sweet guy; nothing was rushed and the dialogue was fun and natural. The ending certainly left me with my mouth gaping but I have my fingers crossed that things aren’t as they seem.
Each of the secondary characters were well fleshed out and believable, including the popular, rich clichéd mean girls. The school Principal has me curious so I am eager to see what role he plays in the next installment.
Gravity has paranormal elements which Ariel is trying to understand, I am intrigued by her grandmothers necklace as well as her aunts fascination with the unusual. There are a number of unanswered questions I hope we get answers to in the sequel.
I loved the mystery, intrigue and characterizations in Gravity. It is a well-structured and well-written world with a fascinating and fast-paced plot that kept me interested, it was an ending that left me reeling so I am keen to read book 2, Uncertainty.
August 8, 2011
Gravity is the story of a young girl named Ariel who constantly has weird, paranormal, things happening around her. She never quite knows what's going on - whether she is being haunted or if it is simply figments of her imagination. To make matters worse, there are a string of girls mysteriously disappearing around her - including her best friend.
There were a few things I loved about this book, and also a few things I didn't really like at all. To begin with, I would say that the first half of this book is much too slow. I appreciate that we're getting to know Arial and the life she leads with her family, but I began to feel like nothing was ever going to happen. BUT - once Ariel actually started to take matters into her own hands (like deciding to hold a seance) the book actually did get much better and managed to keep me hooked.
The characters in the story are a bit too typical. You have the hot, sexy and yet mysterious guy (in this case, his name is Henry), the outcast best-friend who will stick by you through anything (her name is Theo) and the overbearing, way-too-protective parents. While I enjoyed each character separately, when you put them all together in one story, the entire thing just becomes a bit too cliche for my taste.
All in all, Gravity was an okay read for me. By the end of the novel, there were just far too many questions still remaining, and although I'm sure they are meant to be answered in the next book, I still feel as though I was left unsatisfied. On the bright side, however, Abigail Boyd's writing style is easy to read, and quite funny at times. I think if the next book promises to answer more questions than ask them, I will be looking forward to reading it.
2 1/2 out of 5 stars
Maria @GoodChoiceReading
There were a few things I loved about this book, and also a few things I didn't really like at all. To begin with, I would say that the first half of this book is much too slow. I appreciate that we're getting to know Arial and the life she leads with her family, but I began to feel like nothing was ever going to happen. BUT - once Ariel actually started to take matters into her own hands (like deciding to hold a seance) the book actually did get much better and managed to keep me hooked.
The characters in the story are a bit too typical. You have the hot, sexy and yet mysterious guy (in this case, his name is Henry), the outcast best-friend who will stick by you through anything (her name is Theo) and the overbearing, way-too-protective parents. While I enjoyed each character separately, when you put them all together in one story, the entire thing just becomes a bit too cliche for my taste.
All in all, Gravity was an okay read for me. By the end of the novel, there were just far too many questions still remaining, and although I'm sure they are meant to be answered in the next book, I still feel as though I was left unsatisfied. On the bright side, however, Abigail Boyd's writing style is easy to read, and quite funny at times. I think if the next book promises to answer more questions than ask them, I will be looking forward to reading it.
2 1/2 out of 5 stars
Maria @GoodChoiceReading
July 16, 2011
There were a number of things I liked about this book, and a few things that bothered me. First I think that Ms. Boyd did a great job with the characters. Ariel is not some weakling, waiting to be rescued. She is on a mission to solve a mystery and, although she takes some silly risks, she doesn't wait around for her love interest to save or guide her. Her best friend Theo (who happens to be a girl) is nicely rounded out and seems to have things going on in her life besides Ariel. Henry (the love interest) could have been the cookie cutter mysterious guy, but Ms. Boyd manages to make him friendly, smart, and at times funny, with a bit of mystery thrown in.
Ariel's age (15) was a bit hard for me to relate with. It's a personal preference I have, and even though the blurb (and story) clearly told me she was 15 I didn't really click into it until about half way, then I though "ah, that's why she acts like that". Ariel is 15 and acts it.
The ending...
Ariel's age (15) was a bit hard for me to relate with. It's a personal preference I have, and even though the blurb (and story) clearly told me she was 15 I didn't really click into it until about half way, then I though "ah, that's why she acts like that". Ariel is 15 and acts it.
The ending...
July 9, 2011
I received this book through Library Thing, free from the author
First of all, this book gave me the heebie-jeebies...and I'm not sure why because I don't usually spook that easily when it comes to ghosts. I think it was the whole Orphanage part. Those places freak me out. Anyway, I digress. This book was a great YA suspense novel. I fell in love with the main character, Ariel, who had to go through losing her best friend--and that had to be hard. I can, however, relate to her, a lot actually. I was always the odd man out and didn't have many friends, so if I had to go through high school with losing my best friend, being blamed for it (which I'm not sure why Ariel was blamed for it--that wasn't explained) and then starting to see things--and you can't talk to anyone about it...shew! That would make for a tough ride!
I do feel as though the ending was WAY too much of a cliffhanger!!! I was like "this is getting good!" and then BAM-SHA-BAM! It's over. I do hope that the second novel ties in the significance of the Orphanage as well as the principal because that really wasn't covered at the end and I wish that it was because as is, it makes sense, but it isn't in a pretty little package. I felt it was well written though, and I have faith that all will be made right again with the second in the series.
Rating: 4
First of all, this book gave me the heebie-jeebies...and I'm not sure why because I don't usually spook that easily when it comes to ghosts. I think it was the whole Orphanage part. Those places freak me out. Anyway, I digress. This book was a great YA suspense novel. I fell in love with the main character, Ariel, who had to go through losing her best friend--and that had to be hard. I can, however, relate to her, a lot actually. I was always the odd man out and didn't have many friends, so if I had to go through high school with losing my best friend, being blamed for it (which I'm not sure why Ariel was blamed for it--that wasn't explained) and then starting to see things--and you can't talk to anyone about it...shew! That would make for a tough ride!
I do feel as though the ending was WAY too much of a cliffhanger!!! I was like "this is getting good!" and then BAM-SHA-BAM! It's over. I do hope that the second novel ties in the significance of the Orphanage as well as the principal because that really wasn't covered at the end and I wish that it was because as is, it makes sense, but it isn't in a pretty little package. I felt it was well written though, and I have faith that all will be made right again with the second in the series.
Rating: 4
January 19, 2013
My biggest issue with young adult/teen fiction is annoying teenage girl. I am happy to say that this book goes in the small group of realistic female leads that I didn't want to strangle.
For the most part I liked the main character, Ariel. She was your somewhat average teenager who wasn't one of the popular kids and generally felt invisible unless she was being teased by one of the popular kids.
Then Henry comes to town and he is the boy that everyone wants. He's charismatic, friendly, and easy on the eyes. Henry takes a liking to Ariel right away and she resists his friendship (and flirting) because she can't believe that someone like Henry would want to be her friend... even after he's befriended the most popular girl in school.
Then of course you throw in the missing best friend along with a few other missing young girls along, as well as the ghosts of these three girls which makes the story more interesting.
My only complaint is that the "mean girl" aspect came on a bit too strong. Yes, we get it. Lana and her popular friends are popular snobs that get away with everything because they are rich. Let's move on.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you like high school fiction with a bit of paranormal circumstances and rooting for the insecure main character.
For the most part I liked the main character, Ariel. She was your somewhat average teenager who wasn't one of the popular kids and generally felt invisible unless she was being teased by one of the popular kids.
Then Henry comes to town and he is the boy that everyone wants. He's charismatic, friendly, and easy on the eyes. Henry takes a liking to Ariel right away and she resists his friendship (and flirting) because she can't believe that someone like Henry would want to be her friend... even after he's befriended the most popular girl in school.
Then of course you throw in the missing best friend along with a few other missing young girls along, as well as the ghosts of these three girls which makes the story more interesting.
My only complaint is that the "mean girl" aspect came on a bit too strong. Yes, we get it. Lana and her popular friends are popular snobs that get away with everything because they are rich. Let's move on.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you like high school fiction with a bit of paranormal circumstances and rooting for the insecure main character.
December 11, 2012
I bought Gravity because I won a copy of Uncertainty, and didnt want to be lost. I was pleasantly surprised! The concept is new and fresh, and I kept thinking "what's going to happen next? Where's this going?"
Ariel is starting her sophomore year, minus her best friend Jenna, who disappeared at the beginning of summer break. Ariel is lost and confused and can't stop obsessing over what happened to Jenna, but meets and befriends the new girl Theo, who helps her feel like she's not such an outcast in Hell. Oh, yeah, Hell is the name of the town they live in. Can you say creepy? Along comes Henry, the new boy that seems to have a thing for Ariel, but they're from 2 different social classes, which ends up causing problems, of course. Soon Ariel starts seeing ghosts and hearing things, little girls start disappearing, and Ariel and her friends are trying to find out what's going on in Hell.
I got a little spooked while reading this, and a little miffed at the unfairness between social classes, which is good for Abigail Boyd, since she was able to keep and hold my attention while leaving me wanting more! I can't wait to start Uncertainty!
Ariel is starting her sophomore year, minus her best friend Jenna, who disappeared at the beginning of summer break. Ariel is lost and confused and can't stop obsessing over what happened to Jenna, but meets and befriends the new girl Theo, who helps her feel like she's not such an outcast in Hell. Oh, yeah, Hell is the name of the town they live in. Can you say creepy? Along comes Henry, the new boy that seems to have a thing for Ariel, but they're from 2 different social classes, which ends up causing problems, of course. Soon Ariel starts seeing ghosts and hearing things, little girls start disappearing, and Ariel and her friends are trying to find out what's going on in Hell.
I got a little spooked while reading this, and a little miffed at the unfairness between social classes, which is good for Abigail Boyd, since she was able to keep and hold my attention while leaving me wanting more! I can't wait to start Uncertainty!
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