Jelico Road

The first prize winning book to make it to my blog, excited? You should be. Jelicoe Road by Melina Marchetta was highly recommended by my pal Amy - and she did not fail me.

I both loved and hated this book.

Let me explain before you followers of mine (all 10 of you, I check daily!) get pissy and start throwing the House of Night series at me. Let's face it, it's all they are good for. Ammo. I just felt a little ripped off at one point, that's all. Let's start at the beginning though before you need CLiff Notes to get through one of my blogs..

When the book started I found myself wondering if I would come out mentally unharmed from the onslaught of information being flung at me. It was good info, don't get me wrong, but a lot of heavy stuff I knew I needed to make it through this book.

So I'm reading the heavy stuff and at this point I'm a little worried, because this is a little fat bastard of a book, in the world of YA novels, anyway and I didn't want to reach a point where the info at the beginning comes into play and I stare blankly at the page wondering what the heck is going on. You know, like I do with cook books while making dinner.

Luckily, the information avalanche part only lasted a bit, things were repeated, but not in the obnoxious way I hate so much. In a, helpful and throughful way that made you stop and go "ahhhhh". Actually I loved when things were repeated in this book, you almost get a deja vu thing when it happens.

Here's where I start to feel ripped off - About 1/4 way through it started to become very transparent, there was no mystery any more. I knew what was going to to happen, who everyone was. I had the ending pegged. I don't know if this is something everyone has had while reading it, but I wasn't shocked at the ending. (If you've read it please let me know when you sorted the ending out.)

If I'm trudging through 300+ pages I want to be on the edge of my seat until at least 3/4 of the way through! I just feel the ending was a dead giveaway, too easy. This is where my only bit of hate comes in towards the book.

1/2 way through the book, I'm carrying it with me everywhere. I had to pee, it joined me. I didn't even stop to put the book down. Don't. Judge. Me. See, I may have known what was going to happen but that didn't mean I couldn't wait to actually read it. This book swallowed me whole.

3/4 of the way through, I was reading while cooking dinner. Relax...it's not like I was making stir-fry with flames flying everywhere. I would have read through dinner but we had company and while he might expect that from me, I wanted to set a good example for my kids.

Last page. Tears. Relief. Happiness. And a bit lonely. Sure I was only reading this book for a day (crap really did I read it that quickly?) But this book really digs it's claws into you. Fairly certain I have scars..

Not going to lie, I may cry when I return it to the library. Maybe when I do I'll leave the kids at home, no sense in children services being called over the nut job having an anxiety attack over returning a book.

Final review - though nothing could be better then the Printz Award - but this is close :0) 5 Birds. Read it!