by Melissa Wiseheart
6. January 2012 08:39
Fifteen-year-old Green is so named because of her green thumb, but her abilities are much more than that. One day, a great fire in the city changes her life forever. Green has a difficult time coping until she meets a boy who cannot speak.
This story had great potential and I loved the idea of the plot. The delivery, however, was less than satisfying. Hoffman loves similes and metaphors, so much so that they overrun the book, even when they don’t make sense. In addition to beating a metaphor to death, Hoffman seems to love repetition, which, while perfect for poetry or Dr. Seuss, has no real place in this story. Most of the story seemed to be fluff, which dragged on and on, and I had to wonder when she was going to get to the point. If you took out the fluff, this one hundred and sixteen page story could have been simply a long poem, and I probably would’ve been happier with it. I had heard good things about Alice Hoffman and I was, unfortunately, disappointed.
This book is the first in a series and the third book is scheduled to be released in February 2012. I can’t say I recommend this book, but you might like it if you are a fan of diary fiction and angst-ridden teens. I’d give it two stars.
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