The Ruinous Sweep

by Tim Wynne-Jones

A rainy night. An empty highway. And no memory. From award-winning author Tim Wynne-Jones comes a riveting murder mystery that will keep readers enthralled until the last page.

On the night Donovan Turner is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his own name, let alone the past twenty-four hours. Where is he? Where is his girlfriend, Bee? In an attempt to flag down the next passing car, he startles the driver, causing a fatal accident. With sirens in the distance and the lingering feeling that he’s running from something — or someone — Donovan grabs the dead driver’s briefcase and flees. Meanwhile, Bee is fighting for Dono’s life every bit as much as he is. But when the police show up and hint that he is the prime suspect in a murder, Bee is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name. With echoes of Dante’s Divine Comedy, this harrowing journey through hell and back is a page-turning tale of guilt, retribution, love, and redemption.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Teen, Suspense

388 pages, Hardcover

First published June 26, 2018

About the author

Tim Wynne-Jones (born 12 August 1948) is an English–Canadian author of children's literature, including picture books and novels for children and young adults, novels for adults, radio dramas, songs for the CBC/Jim Henson production Fraggle Rock, as well as a children's musical and an opera libretto.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2001): The Boy in the Burning House
Edgar Award
◊ Best Young Adult (2002): The Boy in the Burning House

Reviews

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I started reading this one I wanted to take a peek at a few reviews and get a general feeling about the book. I saw that this book was getting mostly negative attention, and after skimming a few of them, I was more than a little tentative to start it. However, I ended up liking this one a lot. The story had me hooked right from the beginning.





Oh, sure there were parts that were a bit confusing and chaotic (especially the sections told from Donovan's POV). And parts that I am still not entirely sure I understand. I am assuming Donovan's journey is supposed to resemble Dante’s Divine Comedy, but since I haven't read that since high school English Lit, the symbolism was a bit lost on me. Nevertheless, I still found myself pulled into the story. I especially loved Bea and her determination to find out what really happened to Dono. I also loved that was set in Ontario my home province, and not particularly far from where I grew up.

So yea, it wasn't a perfect book, and I can certainly understand some of the issues other reviewers have brought up in their reviews. However, for me, this was a case of the plot being intriguing enough that the good outweighed the bad. Therefore I am going to give this one two thumbs up.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something about Tim Wynne-Jones' writing that doesn't always appeal to people, but for me, it always keeps me on my toes and makes me turn the page. The Uninvited did that for me, and so did this one. I was really into it in the beginning, and towards the end I was too. The book did seem to be a little dragged out in the middle, and I was definitely a bit confused, but in the long run this was still a really interesting read!

This book is a mystery/thriller, but it definitely doesn't have your typical ending; yet, without a doubt, I could feel myself rooting for the characters.

One thing about this book is that there's no clear "main" character until you're well past halfway of the book. It sort of jumped around and this could be a little confusing for sure.

I did feel like the ending "reveal" could have been done better, as it was sort of an information dump where the main character finds out everything at once, along with the reader.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not get the ending , book was doing good till then but why did it have to end like that . I felt like the writer felt forced to finish it a light tone , I don’t agree but otherwise till then the book had been pretty good , you had solid characters and well written main characters, recommend this book if you want a quick read , just keep in mind that you might be dissatisfied with the ending .

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones, 385 pages. Candlewick, 2018. $19.

Language: R (20+ swears, 10 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (sex, drugs, death); Violence: R

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Donovan is in the Ruinous Sweep, trapped between life and death, in some nightmare scape. Donovan tries to work out the last night of his life with help from the living and the dead. Once he almost has it solved, he is able to offer clues to his girlfriend via his coma ramblings, to his girlfriend who then takes on the case to solve his father’s murder and his soon to be death in the living world.

Ruinous Sweep is a line from Dante’s Inferno. Wynne-Jones’ writing is very dense and full of ten dollar ACT words, symbolism, and allusions to Dante and other classical works. Although beautiful and well constructed, it is hard to wade through and the average high schooler isn’t going to care enough to make the effort. Perhaps AP students or super fans of Dante or classical literature. Also, the pay off isn’t that great, just like all classic heroes on a journey, they find what they need and the story ends tied up in a happy bow.

Dina W. - ELA teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Ambitious is the main word that comes to mind. Retelling Dante's Inferno is intense and quite a load to take one. Unfortunately, it did not work for me. I gave it 100 pages, and when I was just as confused and uninterested as when I started, I decided to call it quits. I have 11 other ARCS on my plate, 3 in July. I live by the motto, "life's too short to waste time on books you're not feeling"

I don't think this book was bad, not by any means. It just simply wasn't for me. I enjoyed the writing style, but the story was just too jumbled and way too many question marks for me to get through.

Based on other reviews, this seems like a total hit or miss with readers.

[Hannah]

INCREDIBLY unbalanced, with a lot of what happens in the beginning serving to do nothing but confuse the reader and try to do some weird Inception meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind business, and that does not work. I feel like it started out an exercise in adapting, riffing on, and modernizing Dante's Divine Comedy (which I've never read) and then became an actual crime novel, but everyone forgot to go back and edit out the Dante bit that was never really resolved or particularly interesting to begin with. After we get through that mess, though, it's an entirely engaging novel with a decently satisfying ending.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ambitious literary YA murder mystery inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy which has a blend of dream-like fantasy and intricately dense characterization. See my full review here.

Thanks to Candlewick for the ARC.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

I was very curious throughout this book, a boy who's lost his memories, who may be a possible murder suspect? YES. I am really interested in crim and unsolved mysteries, so this type of story is certainly appealing to me. I think my main problem with this book was Donovan's POVs. In the beginning I was pretty invested in his chapters, but as they went on I started thinking 'WHY do we need this aspect?". Everything did link up in the end, but in particular I felt like his scenes with who I presume was Kali in his room and as he was leaving was unnecessary and had me rolling my eyes. I assume that Donovan's experiences are the Divine Comedy-esque part of the story, and I feel like if I had read the Divine Comedy I would've appreciated this aspect more. I understood what was happening, but honestly after about 120 pages in I was just much more interested in Bee's POV.

I did really like the second half of this novel, it was what I was wanting it to be from the beginning- full of mystery solving, tense emotions, and action. This story was face-paced, which I really liked, and full of suspenseful, action-filled scenes. Overall, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either- the second half of the novel bumped my rating from a 2/2.5 stars to a 3 stars.

[Jill Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because it was unlike any other I’d seen from Candlewick Press thus far. Covering death and murder under the guise of a suspenseful read, while remaining light enough for young adult seemed like hard shoes to fill.

The Ruinous Sweep was certainly bizarre as it toed a fantasy-like world between life and death. Donovan finds himself suspended in a coma, producing a dream state that is confusing to the reader. We are led through Donovan’s dying state and Bee’s hunt to uncover the truth. Bee’s sleuthing untangles the fantasy of Donovan’s final “dreams” and slowly the story becomes clearer. However this, combined with, author Tim Wynne-Jones continuous, unannounced flip between Bee and Donovan made the story extremely hard to follow as it unwound.

As a reader, we are intentionally left with little back story or accompaniment as Donovan lays in a coma. However, as the focus turns to Bee’s investigation the story begins FINALLY make sense. Patience is crucial throughout this book as the answers are uncovered in time.

For the full review, please visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordp...

*A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Candlewick Press, in exchange for an honest review.

[Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise for "The Ruinous Sweep" is an intriguing one, but there was quite a bit lacking in the execution. For me, the pacing was the problem. It felt like it was either dragging or being rushed, with an ending that felt forced. That being said, it wasn't a bad book, just not one that lived up to its potential. If the synopsis sounds like your type of thing, I still recommend giving it a try.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for honest feedback.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting idea for a retelling intermixed with a murder mystery sounds like just the thing I’d get excited for but unfortunately in this case it fell flat.

“The Ruinous Sweep” is a story told in two parts as Donovan desperately tries to determine if he’s responsible for his father’s death all the while dealing with his own chaotic situation as his girlfriend Bee struggles with the detectives eager to pin the entire crime on him while he lays in a hospital bed. As the story unfolds and secrets come to light both have to venture deep into the past to find the people responsible and find peace moving forward.

Creating a story retelling Dante’s Inferno is a very unique idea and the way it’s intermixed with the mystery/thriller plot of this novel works to its advantage, however, the beginning takes off in a way that plays to both Donovan’s and Bee’s narrative without informing the reader of the discrepancies so I thought I had jumped ahead somehow and spent a good portion of that early bit confused as to what was going on.

That being said my favorite part was the second half when the entirety of the Dante component is dropped in favor of the whodunit though it ended up pairing nicely with the events of part one with the threads of foreshadowing paying off.

I don’t know, I really hoped to love this book because the source material is so layered and fascinating that I sort of expected something more but here it was really more of a personal reflection rather than a new take on a descent into hell.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first time in years that I’ve abandoned a book. I just could not get into this book. I never liked Dante’s Inferno so I’m not sure why I thought I would enjoy this.

[Katie Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this story was engaging and never ceased to drop my attention. The story was predictable at times, but it still kept me wanting more and always thinking of Dono and Bee

[T.J. Puritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to AudioSync Summer Reading Program and the Sora app for this free audio book.

This was a troubling story that doesn’t have too many happy points. Despite that, it was time well spent even though there were parts when you just wanted to shake the main character for being an idiot.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook read by the author. He did a decent job at making distinctively different voices for each character, but each time I started listening to it, I had to get past the snide nasally tone of voice all over again. It was hard to tell apart the female characters, and Donovan/Dunovan sounded more like a little kid than an older teen jock.

This book was just...weird. So many strange things in the book are never really explained (did Jilly really have anything to do with a pot growing operation in real life? Were the biker gangs real at all, or was all this supposed to be symbolic for something in the weird limbo state he was in? How much was vague memories from childhood, how much was "nightmare," how much was some weird modern take on Chiron, Cerebus, the myth of Persephone (down to the fruit salad with pomegranates)?

[Beware! Here there be spoilers!]
I got all the way finished, and still wasn't quite sure what happened. I went back and re-listened to parts, to see if I could figure out when Donovan (Dunovan? One of the disadvantages of the audiobook format is that I can't see how his name was spelled) actually died. I think I know when it happened at the hospital, but not when he was on the island with Jilly. Was it after the boat, when she took him to the cottage he'd stayed at and made him follow his father? And what was the point of that, just to remind him of something he'd seen as a child, but didn't understand at the time?

I don't know... It left me feeling really unsettled. Death is a place where biker gangs violently kill people over and over, and they just forget it happened and go back to their death/lives, and then have to live through the violent deaths all over again? And strange women try to seduce teenagers, but have vermin and centipedes and worms in their mouths and hair? And where your murdered father shows up (hello, Hamlet?) with a bashed-in face, but instead of telling you what actually happened, he steals money from you and makes you believe YOU murdered him?

And where did the title come from?

Ugh. Do not recommend.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Donovan’s father was murdered and on the same night he was gravely injured in a hit and run. The police suspect that Donovan murdered his father and then stepped into the path of a vehicle to kill himself, but Bee doesn’t believe this and will do anything to prove that Donovan did not hurt his father or himself. Donovan’s body is unconscious in a hospital bed, but in his mind, he is on a journey to answer some important questions about how he ended up in this state. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Bee sits by his side trying her best to interpret the garbled words and phrases he utters in his sleep.

From the very beginning, this book throws the reader off balance. Donovan’s journey seems realistic at first but soon takes a bizarre twist, and the reader is left to search for clues to what really happened in this fever dream spiked with memories. Part two of the book takes an unexpected left turn and becomes a much more plot-driven, traditional, murder mystery novel. I appreciate when an author writing for teens puts a unique spin on a genre that can sometimes be filled with stock characters and cliches; however, it just didn’t work for me in the end. The two parts of the book were too disjointed in tone, and I didn’t like how the major turning point separating part one from part two happened off the page. One final gripe...some of the decisions that Bee makes in the second half of the book are throw the book across the room level of stupid.
Optional purchase

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished it but still don't see the point of the other world narrative in the story, maybe he got paid by the word, but I think it distracted from the story instead of adding to it.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donovan closed his eyes. He couldn't take much more of this. He was so tired. Too tired to keep his guard up. Words were seeping from him in a slow drip. What was he doing? How did he get here? He searched the empty highway ahead. He was running from something. That had to be it. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw only darkness out the rear window, and below it the darkness of something under wraps, something still breathing but smelling as if it had stopped.

Twice the winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, critically-acclaimed Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones returns with The Ruinous Sweep, a labyrinthine young adult mystery. A thrilling read, both sinister and heartbreaking, The Ruinous Sweep lightly draws from Dante's Divine Comedy. Wynne-Jones's novel tells the story of seventeen year old Donovan Turner's harrowing journey through what appears to be an otherworldly plane as his brilliant girlfriend Beatrice seeks to discover the truth behind his accident and the suspicions that Donovan may have committed murder before he was struck by a car and left for dead.

The first section of The Ruinous Sweep, The Space Casket, is told in alternating third-person narratives between main protagonists Donovan (aka Turn and Dono) and Beatrice (aka Bee). In The Space Casket, readers learn that Turn is in critical condition in the hospital, barely alive after being hit by a car. As his girlfriend Bee sits beside him in the hospital bed, despairing, horrified and angry, she decides to jot down every word or noise Turn makes in the hopes that it may help her figure out what happened. When the narrative shifts back to Donovan's, readers are taken on an arguably hallucinogenic-like odyssey, equal parts terrifying, isolating, and bizarre. Is Donovan dreaming these strange journeys, in which his manipulative, unkind father and past acquaintances appear...in which gruesome scenes and also happier scenes from his childhood emerge? Has Donovan been tasked to fight his way through some kind of hellish limbo in order to get back to Bee and his mom? Readers might understandably get slightly frustrated with Donovan's nightmare-like journey: Bee's narrative is the more immediately viable and present (more directly focused on solving the mystery), and Donovan's narrative is indeed complicated and sometimes puzzling. However- do go along with Donovan's journey through The Space Casket: not only is it meticulously written, carefully plotted and planned, but also all comes together in part two, The Bowhunter. In part two, the focus shifts to Beatrice- who grows and truly maintains herself as a hero (faults, mistakes, exceptional moments and all). Through chapters in The Bowhunter, readers are along an unstoppable ride- tense and genuinely frightening- as Bee begins a deep dive into Donovan's uttered words at the hospital. Looking back into Donovan's childhood and Donovan's father's connections, Bee starts shifting puzzle pieces into play, trying to figure out who might have had cause to harm Turn. While the police assigned to Turn's case are mostly reticent and on Bee to stay out of their investigation, Bee carries on, leading to an incredibly charged end, both satisfying and bittersweet- one that ties all of novel's loose strings together.

Overall, a thoroughly compelling, intricately woven, strongly written young adult novel- deeply unusual and unsettling from beginning to end ...(I can see The Ruinous Sweep in contention for Canadian lit awards come the season). Be sure to give yourself the patience and space to let yourself sink first into Donovan's story and then into Beatrice's captivating turn. Readers who are fans of authors such as A.S. King, Laurie Halse Anderson, Courtney Summers or Brenna Yovanoff might especially find themselves thoroughly entrenched in the macabre of The Ruinous Sweep.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

“‘There was something…Something I had to tell you.’
‘Okay, go on. What was it?’
He closed his eyes. ‘You are,’ he said.
‘Yes. What?’
‘I can’t! I don’t know what it was.’
‘It’s okay, Turn. Shhhh. Stay calm. I’m here. I’ll stay here.’
Donovan wiped his face with his hands. The sweat was cooling there. The wind was brisk, coming from the east, like Bee’s voice was coming from the east and like the storm. All of it coming at him, exposed on the top of this headland in the sky.”

Bee is horrified by the news that her boyfriend Donovan has been in a terrible accident and put into a coma. What is worse is that the police say he is the prime suspect for murdering his father before the accident.

Though all signs lead to this theory being true, Bee knows that Donovan would never kill someone. Determined to clear his name and get justice for whoever hurt him, Bee strays off to do her own detective work.

Meanwhile, Donovan finds himself in a strange car that abandons him in the middle of nowhere. In an attempt to flag down another car for help, he accidentally causes a fatal accident. Before the police arrive, Donovan panics, steals cash from the smashed car, and runs.

When he makes this terrible mistake, he finds out that more is after him than just the police. Donovan wants nothing more than to get back to his girlfriend Bee, but finding his way home is a lot more difficult than he can imagine.

I have to admit, for the first half of this story, I was confused. I didn’t understand how both timelines—Donovan’s and Bee’s—could be happening at the same exact moment. I wanted to know the timeline of what happened first: Donovan on his way back from the strange car that threw him onto the highway or Donovan’s coma?

In fact, Donovan’s entire timeline and plot threw me off. Between Jilly and the pagans, I had no idea where he was going and how he was going to make it home. After reading more into the summary, I realized that this plot alludes to Dante’s Divine Comedy, which I have not read. That makes more sense as to why I wasn’t understanding anything, but I wish that the beginning had a little bit more cohesion between Donovan and Bee’s intersecting timelines.

Once Bee took over the narrative, I found the mystery plot to be quite thrilling. The pacing was great and it was nice to see how much trust she put into Donovan that he did not commit that crime, even though all evidence said otherwise.

The part that I found the most interesting was where Donovan broke through to connect with Bee but their POVs made out the conversation to mean totally different things. When she finally understands what he’s trying to tell her, the twist is so unexpected!

I would have liked to see more of Jilly’s point of view, because her explanation to Bee in the end seemed a little anticlimactic, and had me wondering what her exact significance was with the other world and how she experienced it herself.

“She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Her hand was strong. It hurt, but it was a good hurt. ‘You’ve hung on a long time. Longer than most.’
Donovan grimaced. ‘What am I supposed to make of that?’
‘It means there’s something you still need to do.’
Shit you’ve still got left to do.”

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Librarything giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Candlewick Press for sending me the book!

When Donovan wakes up he neither recognizes the car he’s in nor the driver talking to him. It’s the middle of the night and Don has no idea where he is or how he got here. To make matters worse, another person, seemingly unconscious, is lying under a blanket in the back of the car. Before he knows what’s happening the mystery driver kicks him out and leaves him alone in the middle of nowhere. When Donovan tries to stop another car to ask for help, the driver loses control and gets into an accident. The young man then sets off walking and arrives at an old weed farm where he finds his father drunk and gambling with two less than righteous looking men. His father who is dead. And whom he supposedly killed.

At the same time, Bee is watching over her boyfriend Donovan, or Turn as she calls him, in the hospital. Turn has gotten into a bad accident and is now in a comatose state; only waking up every now and then to mumble a few incoherent words. While most of it does not make sense to Bee, she is certain that Turn tells her that he killed his father. But how? And why?

“The Ruinous Sweep” started out as a very promising New Adult crime and mystery novel and the first 100 pages easily catch your interest. The reader is just as confused as Turn and Bee with what is going on and it takes a few chapters to piece together the first few puzzle pieces of the story.

Unfortunately though, said puzzle pieces are often very confusing and don’t seem to fit together as well as they should. The narrative, though intended to be broken up into bits and fragments to make the story more interesting, is all over the place and often hard to follow. Some things just don’t make sense and don’t fit into your classic murder mystery genre, leaving the reader confused and frustrated.

SPOILER ALERT***
It isn’t until later that the reader realizes that things often don’t make sense because Wynne-Jones’ novel includes a substantial amount of supernatural elements. While that in itself is not a bad thing, it is something that the reader just doesn’t expect when picking up the book.

While one naturally assumes that Bee’s storyline takes place in the present - with a comatose Donovan in the hospital - it makes sense to think that the chapters focused on Donovan are set in the past and meant to tell the reader what really happened. In reality though, those chapters are Donovan wandering around some sort of in between world where he encounters ghostlike people that do have a resemblance to people he’s met before but who seem to either want to help him move on into the afterlife (or forcing him there by trying to kill him the in between world), find his way back to the real world, or both.

I personally found this narrative not just very confusing but also not very interesting. The author’s writing, though fast-paced and appealing, does nothing to distract from the overall frustrating plot. The story is all over the place and sometimes gets stuck. I DNF’d the book at 206 pages. 2.5 stars.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the hardest reviews I probably ever had to write or attempt to write. There were so many elements of the book I loved and others not so much, but settling on a rating was agonising. So before writing this review I began to researching the book and other reviews and found the other reviews to be rather negative and because of those negative comments I changed my view of this book. After all I found the negative reviews to have little merit as the flaws they plucked where positives for me.
From the start I was hooked on this story and while at times it got a bit confusing and raised a few eyebrows, overall it was an enticing book. It might have something to do with the writing that draws you into the story? At times only small details were provided that are critical to the story but not enough to give you a sense or an idea what is about to happen, but just enough for you to start to question what the hell is about to happen? Which is great, I love a surprise ending.
I liked Donovan as a character, there were some complexities to him and he had a brooding element to him which I was very fond of and the fact his lost his memories adds to the brooding element as At the start of the book I wasn’t very fond of Bea but over the course of time I grew to enjoy her determination and fierce personality as she tried to find out what happens to her friend….
This wasn’t a character driven book though, the plot was definitely driven, metal to the pedal to to say. The Ruinous Sweet was more on the mystery around the characters and you will live for the thrill that comes with the turning of every page. I found the second half of the book more entertaining than the first, due to the high action, emotions at their peak and the of course the urge to solve the mystery.
To clarify, I haven’t put any negative points in this review as I think there is enough out there on this book, and to be honest it wasn’t that bad at all and for a thriller it held the intensity need throughout the book.
Overall it wasn’t the most amazing thriller I have ever read but it was thrilling enough for me to keep devouring the book.

[J.-F. Dubeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to go into details about this book.

It sort of half-delivers on expectations, but then compensates for the missing half with unexpected surprises. Thematically it hits all the marks, though it takes a while to get there.

Don't get me wrong; there is no lack of events and character development throughout the first half, but the conceit isn't as clear as what we're used to in a narrative. I tend to often go into a book without reading the synopsis if I can (usually if they are recommendations or part of reading lists). Not having any detail to work with, I found it difficult to figure out exactly what I was reading. All the pieces were there, but I didn't know how to put them together. Once I hit the midpoint, a lot of the links were made and all clicked in a most satisfying way.

The characters are introduced often in ethereal ways. I wanted to say 'fuzzy' but that would be misreading the theme. This isn't a bad thing. Instead of having each character thrust in our lap with a thorough biography and list of motivations, each is given to us slowly to acquaint ourselves with. Maybe because of this, they all come out feeling so much more real, even characters far out of the author's demographic.

The prose is rich but not so much as to step out of the story's themes and setting. The plot is well woven and makes interesting use of contemporary technologies in a way that many books tend to miss or simply avoid.

There are couple of traps and tropes that the author could have fallen victim to but deftly avoids. In fact, I was convinced the final chapter would be something very specific, but instead got a much different sendoff. And that wasn't the most welcome surprise in The Ruinous Sweep.

I was going to give this 4 stars initially, but am far more inclined towards a strong 4.5. I have a penchant for books with a certain sadness and realistic characters and those are elements that are core to this book.

Highly recommended.

CAVEAT: I did meet Tim Wynne Jones at an event midway through my reading and might be influenced by how charming of an individual he was. Hopefully this doesn't bias my review, but I admit that it could.

[Naadhira Zahari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about survival that involves a confusing mystery that will all be revealed at the end. Honestly most of the time as I was reading this book, I wanted someone to come to me to explain exactly what is going on with this book but I realised that I just have to go forward with the story that will eventually have my questions answered.

I was more interested to read the chapters that Bee was the main POV because like her, I wanted to find out what is really happening with Donovan/Turn. He's like stuck in this realm between the dead and living, just floating around until his time runs out and its time for him to go. I was sucked in the investigation that Bee was having to find out what exactly happened to her boyfriend while breezing through the chapters of Donovan/Turn.

There were a few things that stood out to me that confused me that this is after all a YA book. Truth be told, this story is sort of chaotic, confusing and all over the place. It was really hard to follow and so many puzzles both obvious and hidden that needs to resolved. I feel like this book could really be well written but because it was hard and often times dull that it made me want to give up.

The crime and mystery aspect were unpredictable and it made me really wonder who killed Donovan/Turn and his dad. But it is revealed at the end so you'll just have to slowly make your way around this book and you'll find out the person behind the culprit of murder.

I feel like I should have rated this book 3 stars instead because I hadn't enjoyed this book as much as I wanted to. I was hoping for a thriller and mystery book that will have me at the edge of my seat but unfortunately this is not the book that could make me feel that way. Yet, it was still an okay read with suspense and the imagery world of the beyond.

[Brooke Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential but missed the mark for me. It had an interesting story line for sure, but it could have been developed much better. I didn’t like how the first half of the book focuses on both perspectives of Donovan in purgatory and on his girlfriend alive on earth but the second half never addresses Donovan’s perspective again, just seemed odd to me considering I think continuing to follow his journey in purgatory would’ve added so much more depth and interest to the book. The first half although had some interesting parts, it was hard to follow, a bit confusing at times and slow. The next quarter of the book started to become more interesting and overall much more enjoyable to read but then the final quarter slowed right down again and became predictable and boring. There was no real plot twist or anything to make it interesting. The way the author explains the way Donovan’s death went down was not at all what I was hoping for. Definitely dropped the ball on this one. It felt like the author just wanted the book to end.

One thing I did enjoy about the book was that it was based around the Perth/Ottawa area sourcing highway 7 as an identifier for location often, which made it feel a bit more interesting since that is sort of close to home and not many reads are based in southern Ontario.

I find myself giving books great ratings based on multiple factors all the time and sometimes it makes me think am I really that easy to please or are these books actually as good as I think they are? I think this is the first book I have given such a poor star review on. I do not normally write reviews on books, I think if the book is good, it will speak for itself, but I was so disappointed in this read that here I am actually writing a review about it.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book, although many parts didn’t make much sense, especially from Donovan’s POV. I was confused as to whether what was happening in his POV was happening in real-time, or reflected on in his coma, or even if they were some made up dreams, although in the end I concluded that they were probably warped memories from his childhood, but I couldn’t see how they fitted in with the storyline.

Everything from Bee’s POV was pretty good and I enjoyed reading about her trying to unravel the mystery. I do love a tightly-wound mystery. Though I do wish there could’ve been more description with how Dono actually died (while on ICU, I know he was hit) since it kind of just happened out of the blue. I also think that the ending of the book was a bit anticlimactic, just her getting on with life.

This book was very hard for me to read, not language-wise, but more that what the characters were put through terrified me. I’m not sure if it was meant to, but sometimes I couldn’t bare to keep reading since the situations they were in (especially Donovan’s) shook me to my core. I can usually deal with dark and violent books, but this was a different breed. Very unsettling.

For some reason, I really loved the descriptive writing the author used, which is something I never really noticed in other books, but stood out to me in this book. Tim Wynne-Jones uses very detailed and in-depth descriptions so you know exactly how the characters are doing and feeling and, in particular, the scenery. I could always clearly picture the surrounding environment.

Overall great book, quite confusing and scary, but great descriptions. I would recommend this 👍

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

You shouldn't simply judge a book by it's cover, but this one was compelling to me, and it was one I rather wanted to read. However, from the get go, I was just confused. The main character was thrown into a state of confusion as well, but I was struggling to even figure out what sort of story it was. Horror? Realistic? Were there fantasy elements or was the guy on something? Who even knew. And I mostly got to the point that I didn't really care, even when I started figuring out where things were going. This one put me in a reading slump for a few days, I just didn't want to read, and I was looking for other things to do.

The good: The book does pick up in the last third or so, basically when we switch over to one POV and focus on the actual mystery. It's too little too late though.

The bad: The entire first half of the book is just a struggle. It was so real.

The ugly: MAJOR SPOILERS HERE. SPOILERS. SPOILERS AHEAD. So, I've solved the mystery, a crazy maniac is after me and knows my vehicle. I get to a safe place to call the police who tell me to stay put. I complain about being hungry, they concur that I could totally go to the nearby police station. I get on the road. I go IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. BECAUSE I AM A MORON. AND I CAN'T GO ANOTHER HOUR WITHOUT EATING. EVEN THOUGH I'VE PROBABLY EATEN THAT DAY. This part of the book was so idiotic and so forced I pretty much lost all respect for whatsherface. I lost so much respect I didn't even bother remembering her name.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a rural present-day town, Donovan Turner, a high school baseball player, is in the hospital in a coma after being in a car accident. His girlfriend, another high school student named Bee, stays by his side to keep him company while working both with and against detectives in order to find out who put him in this condition. Donovan finds himself in a strange world between worlds in his head. He cannot remember any of the recent events except for a few strange words. As Donovan attempts to navigate his new surroundings, Bee continues her own investigation as to who would want to hurt Donovan, each of them trying to discover the truth behind the whole mystery. I gave this murder mystery with fantasy elements four stars because I had a very interesting experience in reading it. At first, I found it slightly confusing and I felt that much of the setting was not adequately explained. As I kept reading, the book definitely took on more of a structure, however, there were still some aspects that were not completely explained to the reader. For example, we never learn enough about the fantasy part of the world Donavan experiences while in the hospital. Despite structural flaws, I still enjoyed reading both Donovan’s and Bee’s sides of the stories as they were intriguing, and I was captivated by Wynne-Jones’s smooth writing style. Because of some instances of language, brief sexual scenes, and an overall complicated setup, I would recommend this book to high school students and older.
Reviewed by Alex F., age 17, Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award-winning author, Tim Wynne-Jones. has written a mystery-thriller in the genre of magic realism for the young adult reader. Donovan has had a difficult relationship with his estranged father who has become an alcoholic. His father Al still has some control over his son and Donovan goes to see his father to end their relationship. The evening of this encounter turns tragic for both father and son. What did happen that night? As Donovan lays in the hospital in critical condition, his girlfriend, Bee, tries to learn clues about that night. The police are also investigating the event and put pressure on Bee. As the story moves quickly to the chaotic conclusion, we learn about what may have happened through Donovan's memory of his childhood and teenage years with his parents. It is difficult to figure out what is reality and what is fiction in this story. The story jumps from one remembrance to another with the current real events appearing in the background or foreground as the story unfolds.
Wynne-Jones does write deep interesting characterizations which makes the tale come to life. The setting is the area between Ottawa and Perth in Ontario. It is one of the characters in this YA tale as well. Winner of the 2018 USBBY Outstanding Honor Books of the year, the book is recommended for readers, age 15+.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody quite writes tension like Tim Wynne-Jones (think "Blink and Caution") and parts of "The Ruinous Sweep" are certainly nail-biting beyond belief. As the book opens, Donovan Turner is in a hospital bed fighting for his life and trying to share something important with his girlfriend Bee. He's incomprehensible. But, it's too late and when Donovan dies, it seems that not only was he run over by a vehicle but that he may have been responsible for his own father's beating and death. Bee instinctively knows better and sets out to seek out the truth. Inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, the first part of the novel is from Donovan's POV and it's either magical realism or just a hot mess of hallucinatory threads. The readers' confusion does not clear up until Bee's version of the story kicks in, and this is where Wynne-Jones' writing really excels with riveting action and (literally) speed. Finally, the story makes some sense. It's a good read but there's no doubt that Dono's journey through hell is problematic and brings down the star ratings for this book. Three and a half stars.

[Skyler Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, I’d say the storyline was pretty interesting, but it was awfully confusing at a lot of points. It left quite a lot of questions unanswered.

Why was Jilly in the “afterlife” world with Donovan? She was still alive in reality at the ending.

What ever happened to Allen’s ghost after he walked away from Donovan at the trash heap? Did he just walk into the void of misery forever? I kinda wanted to see them make up.

If Donovan was in the afterlife, what happened to the victims that the Pagans shot and killed when Donovan was hiding in the boat? Do they just reappear the next day? If not, then where exactly the heck was he?!? Is it some Second-Chance-World or something??

There are a lot more but I’ll stop here. I may just be overthinking it, it’s only fiction, after all. Anything can happen. I give this book 3 stars because the storyline was pretty interesting and the action scenes were well done in my opinion, but a LOT of questions were left unanswered...