Phillip Abraham's Books by Status
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Phillip Abraham's Most Popular Reviews
truthfully, i didn't love this book like i thought i would. i think the characters in this book are the strongest aspect, and i think the general whimsical fairytale-like atmosphere of the story was very well done. it felt very cozy and comforting to read!
the reason why i say i say i didn't love this is because of how little i felt like i understood of the overarching plot. i think this is the kind of book i need to reread to fully understand - there was a surprising amount of depth to the story, but i think the way it was executed was a little confusing. i did find the ending very sweet though, even if a lot of the preceding chapters felt a bit muddled.
as some other reviews have said, i think i wouldn't have the same level of comittment to finish this if it weren't associated with the movie. i did enjoy reading and don't regret it at all though (i actually havent watched the ghibli movie so this is my gateway LOL) and i think with a revisit, i might like it more
“I don't want to say good-bye,” I whisper to no one in particular.Grandpa Ike pats a rough hand on my back. “You'll never have to say good-bye,” he says. “Not so long as you remember.”
i first read this book in 2018, when i was just 12 years old. now, 6 years later, it still holds up incredibly well - i actually think it may be even better now that i'm older and better able to process the themes of family, loss, and grief in this book.
i haven't read middle grade since middle school, but this book constantly had me forget it was written for a young audience, not in the same way so many young adult books feel so juvenile. for such a short book, i'm shocked by how emotional i got near the end. ali standish does such a great job of writing complex young characters, without making it seem patronizing or unrealistic. will definitely check out more of her works. overall, i'm so happy i loved this just as much as i did back then - i feel so much for ethan and coralee.
Oh boy, did I get mad after reading this. COME ON LEMONY SNICKET! Why would you just leave the series on THIS? All the build up, all the suspense that the previous books had is just.. gone. This series ends on a cliffhanger (which is one of my biggest pet peeves) and NOTHING was even solved! It was basically “Here's a mystery. There's no answer because I was too lazy to finish it!”. All I can say is, don't read this book. It's isn't worth your time if you read the previous 11.