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February/March 2016 Book of the Month - Strings
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Strings was an amazing read! I'm glad I also have an audio copy I'm listening to at the moment, because it gave me an excuse to re-read it. ;)
Yay! Just got it for the Kindle and Audible...so happy!!!
(My full 5-star review)I have all of David's books on my TBR and *ducks in hiding* hadn't read one of them yet until the opportunity to read Strings came along. I have so many books on my to-be read list and I'm struggling to read much of anything lately. But I really wanted to show my support for David and signed up to read Strings before its release date.
The very first thing that intrigued me about Strings was that it's a gender-bent retelling of the Pinocchio story. Pinocchio was never really high on my list of favorite stories. I can remember dreading watching the Disney movie at daycare when I was in elementary school - it seemed like we watched it allllll the time. However, I could not see how a retelling would be bad for Pinocchio. There are so many elements to be twisted and I knew that it was going to be good. I was absolutely right. From the get-go, Strings is dark and sinister. Pia and her father, Gio, are imprisoned by the Company and forced to work on nanotech on an extreme and tight schedule. They are constrained by mysterious black strings that are controlled by someone watching their every move. If Pia gets out of line, her strings become red and violent - and if they don't violently correct her, the powers that be take their anger out on her father.
The Company has tampered with Pia's memory and she begins to recall bits and pieces of things slowly but surely through the story. Amnesia is another favorite element of mine and I love how things unravel as characters remember things that others do not want them to remember. Pia is a very strong-willed female lead. She cares deeply for her father and her best friend, who is a little nanotech creature her father created called Fig. He's mouthy, but cute - and is 100% devoted to Pia. Fig was my favorite character, I think.
From the very beginning of the story, I was hooked. David's execution of this retelling was flawless. The characters were rich and, especially with Pia, there was a lot of character growth from beginning to end. I very rarely highlight anything while I read on my Kindle, but there were many beautiful passages and I just had to share some of them:
"I'm a marionette maneuvered by a skillful and indifferent puppeteer, jerking me around without regard for the pain it causes."
"The harshest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
The truth is, I am a doll. When I'm not being used they stick me on a shelf to gather dust. They take me down to play with me, pulling my arms and legs in ways they're not meant to go. Ways I don't want them go. My actions are not my own. My life belongs to those who control my strings. I am a doll with a stitched mouth, melancholy but exhausted beyond true sadness. Sometimes I feel like even less; like I'm not a real girl. Like I'm more like Fig than I thought, someone's creation. Used, tired of, and eventually thrown out. What is real? Am I real if my body is not my own? Am I real if I have no right to choose my own destiny?
No.
The answer is no."
I have a few more that I saved, but they are spoilers, so unfortunately, you'll just have to read the book yourself to catch more of David's beautiful writing. ;) Even though this is a retelling of Pinocchio, it was different. There were twists and turns I didn't see coming and characters who I didn't know if I should trust or not. It was not a predictable story and I enjoyed that very much. Thank you to David for allowing me to join in on the blog tour fun and for providing an eARC for me to review!!
Got to read this as an ARC... Very good read.
Just got this book.... everyone's saying such great things about it I'm excited to start reading!!
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I've started rereading on audio, so I'll be paying attention to both of those items! ;)
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Now, this is off of the beta version, I don't know what changed in the final version, still doing my reread! But that's what I caught :)
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Just finished and it was fabulous, one of the best books I've read this year. Here's my review, if you're interested:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Thanks guys! I'm actually having a little book hangover after reading it. It's like I don't want to enter another world, I'm still in Pia's!!! This book is my new favorite of David's , then Slip. He is such a talented writer!!
I finished ch 12 last night. I am liking the mystery of what is going on and trying to guess as I read.
Donna: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.Nancy: Great to hear you're loving it... I hope you enjoy the rest too.
I finished the book and forgot to come back here. The ending wasn't what I expected. I definitely didn't see any of that coming!
*Nods in agreement with Nancy*Yeah, the ending was a surprise... A great one though, since I thought it was an awesome ending!
I have just started to listen to it on Audio book - great timing.
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Yay, Joanne! The audio was amazing! :)
Karen I was lucky enough to win a copy from David. I started listening to it at work today on my lunch break - bad move lol. So far I love it can't wait to get back to it, tomorrow on my walk.
Joanne wrote: "Karen I was lucky enough to win a copy from David. I started listening to it at work today on my lunch break - bad move lol. So far I love it can't wait to get back to it, tomorrow on my walk."YAY! Glad you're loving it so much.
Sometimes I read these X meets Y plot ideas, I wonder how they come up with it.
Gustaff wrote: "Sometimes I read these X meets Y plot ideas, I wonder how they come up with it."By asking a lot of "what if" questions usually. At least, that's how I do it.
David has done it again with his wonderful sci-fi take on the fairy tale Pinocchio! I can't wait to discuss this one with the group!
Spoilers are welcome but please hide them with spoiler tabs for those who have not read this book.
Enjoy!!! :)