Published: September 25, 2012
Pages: 416
Source: For Review from Simon & Schuster Canada
Rating: 2 Stars
Brooklyn teens Lucy, Cecelia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room at Perpetual Help Hospital at the lowest point in their lives. Lucy, the superficial party girl; Cecelia, a drop out rock chick; and Agnes, a hopeless romantic. All rebels running from their lives and themselves, plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams. Enter Sebastian. Mysterious, compelling, seductive. He seems to bring each of them what they long for...
But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls?
But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls?
In short: The Blessed by Tonya Hurley was a bit too strange and abstract for me, but it may be enjoyed by someone looking for an unusual read.
The Blessed is just not my kind of read. The writing, the plot, the random interludes of poetic dreams - it was all so weird. Way too strange for my tastes. I mean, I like different and unique, but some scenes in The Blessed were positively hallucinogenic. I'm surprised I didn't end up DNF-ing this one at any point, but admittedly I was strangely compelled to read it through to the end, searching in vain for answers, anything to make sense of this psychedelic trip of a book. My overwhelming reaction upon finishing The Blessed was simply, WTF did I just read?!
So yes, The Blessed was a bit too abstract for me. I will say though that I think it has the potential to be enjoyed and appreciated by a certain very niche audience. I would recommend The Blessed to anyone looking for something different - like, WAY different - or looking to read outside their comfort zones.
Other Reviews:
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In all the reviews I've read of this one, it just sounds WEIRD. LOL, there is definitely such a thing as too abstract. I may still try this one out someday if I'm in a kooky mood. :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, maybe it could've been the mood I was in. Ultimately though, I think I may be too left-brained for these kind of reads!
DeleteI'm with you all the way with this book! After finishing it I had that 'WTF moment' and honestly if someone asked me what this book was about . . . I couldn't tell them whatsoever. Nice and honest review!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was definitely struggling when it came to typing up a description for what this book was about. It was just so odd and random!!
DeleteLots of people seemed to be getting this book and I'm glad I wasn't one of them! I'm really not one for abstract reads. I like to know what the point is and leave everything else out of it. I hate spending too much time having to think about what something means.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting read!
For sure, sometimes you don't want to think about what the point is. I do like SOME symbolism and whatnot, but this just overdid it for me. It was way too abstract and artistic for my left-brained personality!
DeleteI haven't seen many good reviews on this one and I have to say, this cover is terrible and really put me off of reading it. It looks bizarre, so not surprised that it is.
ReplyDeleteAll I can see when I look at the cover is Amanda Seyfried. Definitely not the best cover ever, but I guess in that way it really does reflect the bizarreness accurately.
DeleteEwww sounds like a definite pass for me too. I would get distracted and bored. Thanks for your honesty darling.
ReplyDeleteOh, did I EVER get distracted and bored while reading this one. Thanks, Juju :)
DeleteHmm, I think I'll pass on this one. I don't like books where I don't really know what's going on. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteMe neither. You should have to think THAT hard while reading a book for pleasure.
DeleteOh, I think I shall be passing on this book too.
ReplyDeleteI'm not into abstract and 'conceptual'.
I'm sad because i've read the author before and I thought she was pretty good - I really enjoyed her ghost girl books, even though they were a bit slowish at times - but this doesn't sound like something I would like.
Thanks for taking one for the team :D
That's interesting about the Ghost Girl series. I'm definitely not ready to write this author off completely. I do think she has talent, so I will have to give her another go sometime! And no problem :) I'm happy to do it, haha.
DeleteHmmm. I'm thinking this one isn't for me Aylee! I'm with you on wanting something unique and different, but when it's just downright strange I begin to lose interest and want to move on to something else that's not quite so weird. I'm not going to rush to pick this one up!
ReplyDeleteExactly. There were times while reading that I was sort of intrigued, but largely, it really didn't keep my interest. I guess there's a fine line between unique and interesting and being too far "out there".
DeleteI've seen some other reviews that said it was really strange. I'm still curious but I'm not sure I'd like it.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe if you can find the time if you're really curious, you can try it out. I would certainly be interested in reading your review!
DeleteThis one is new to me, though I may have seen the cover before. It definitely doesn't sound like it would be for me. Was it very religious? I'm guessing it must have been. A psycadelic religious trip? ewww Great review. Definitely appreciate the honesty!
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty religious, but not in a preachy Christian fiction kind of way. It's incorporated more in a paranormal novel kind of way. But yeah, it REALLY did not work for me and I think there are very few people that it would work for.
Deleteyikes this sounds like this would be too abstract for my tastes too! it sounds very strange & i've been hearing really mixed things about this. i think i would skip this book. thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteThere must be someone out there who would enjoy this one, but it really is SUCH a niche book. I would love to hear someone else's point of view though.
DeleteSounds like kind of a strange and trippy book. I do think it's interesting how they "take up the role" of their namesake saints... isn't Saint Lucy the one who always holds her eyeballs on a plate in the icons?? That picture used to scare me so much when I was a kid in church-- it was so creepy!
ReplyDeleteNice review-- I think I would want to flip through this one just to read for my own eyes what it's like, but probably I wouldn't want to add it to my shelves.
Yup, I think that's the one! All of the Saints in the book have really sad and messed up histories and die in really horrific ways. That would definitely scare the crap out of me if I saw that image as a kid, too!! I would actually really LOVE to see you review it. I'm very interested to see another, possibly very different viewpoint.
DeleteThis book sounds like it would be too strange for my tastes too. At least you were compelled enough by the book to read it through to the end - that's something, even if it didn't make much sense at the end. Thanks for the warning, Aylee!
ReplyDeleteI was really hoping it was all going to come together at the end and I was just going to get it. But... that never exactly happened. It was just strangeness from beginning to end.
DeleteI did not like this book. It was DNF for me. I wasn't sure what was going on, I didn't know who was what, and what they were doing? It was also a little slow moving for me. Nu uh- not for me. I am surprised that you read all the way through. I just couldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteYeah... it's really just because I have a very hard time NOT finishing books. There have been maybe only a few books that I have ever DNF'd. But it's true, it was kind of a painful experience.
DeleteI have this one for review and just can't make myself seem to pick it up after I saw a two star review for it. Your thoughts seem to echo the other review too. I tend not to be a fan of books with more than two protagonists and it doesn't help that the girls in this one are kind of unlikable. Thanks for the review, Aylee! I'm going to continue to postpone reading it for now.
ReplyDeleteyeah.. i had read the entire book because i have a book of it. it is very suspense and exciting story i like chapter 15..hope you can read it. promise you will never regret
ReplyDeleteVery well written with so much insight of our younger generations struggles in to days world. The bonding friendship and love of the main characters, Lucy, Cecilia, and Agnes is inspiring. And who can ever forget Sebastian! This book was put together so well. The whole plot of the book was creatively thought out and with much research. I read it in two days and can not wait for the next book.
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