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young adult book reviews & more

An Open Vein by J. M. Warwick

An Open VeinHe’s a doctor, of course I trust him. Or I did, once.

Doesn’t that one sentence just pull you in? It did for me. That sentence lets the reader know that this book is all about betrayal and confusion.

Main character John Banks is sixteen and already a graduate of high school. He plans to spend the summer with his “uncle” Kane in New York before heading off to USC. Kane isn’t actually related to John; he’s more of an honorary uncle. But they’ve known each other so long that it seems like they’re family.

Kane is a strange and rather inconsistent character. Sometimes he acts normally, and sometimes he seems like a complete psycho. At first, John jumps the chance to get closer to his uncle. But Kane is so mysterious, and it seems like he’s harboring a secret. And there’s been mysterious letters threatening John. He keeps saying that he is protecting John, but John can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right.

This novel was very thought-provoking for me. As Kane threw everything John knew to be true into question, so the same went for me. I found it a little strange that John seemed so lacking in common sense at times, even though he is a genius. The whole part about “reading people” that Kane supposedly taught John to do was very confusing for me to read. And Kane’s character I think was mentally sick to pull off those sorts of things that he did.

Overall, I did find myself losing interest at times. I felt that the story tried a little too hard to go deep, and that didn’t work for me. But it might’ve been that I didn’t completely understand the story. I was a little disappointed with the story, but not to the point that I hated it. I did like the ending, because the story leaves you off with a sense of forgiveness and understanding. I do not recommend this novel unless you are interested in psychology.

Rating: 3.0

Review copy from author J.M. Warwick

5 munch(es) :

Anonymous said...

Great review- I love reading your honesty! I've got this book in my TBR pile, and I can't wait to start it.

Anonymous said...

I wanted to read this book and I still do, but now my expectations aren't as high (I thought it the kind of book I couldn't put down.) Thanks for the warning! =]

Anonymous said...

For more varied reviews on An Open Vein see the website www.anopenvein.com or amazon.com under An Open Vein.
JM Warwick

Anonymous said...

I didn’t find the post for the reading challenge, so I’ll post here.

Welcome to the 100+ Reading Challenge! :-D I have posted your link on the right sidebar of the blog. Best of luck and above all, have fun!

Anonymous said...

It's me again.

For the 100+ Reading Challenge, I am doing something fun. Well, at least I think it is. I'd like to start posting the participating members favorite book for each month on the blog. Mine is already up for January. Send me your favorite book and author of the book for January. As soon as this month is over, I’ll post one for February.

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