Ultraviolet by R.J Anderson
June 2, 2011 by Orchard
Paperback, 410 Pages
Review Galley
Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her.Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?
Review
Opening a book with your character awakening in a psychiatric hospital dubbed crazy killer is always an attention grabber. And for Alison, things really couldn't get any worse, that is unless police charge her with the murder of Tori, a fellow classmate that went missing the night Alison was placed in the mental ward.
Police are baffled by the lack of evidence and even more so by Alison’s strange behavior that night. Alison however doesn't remember killing Tori, she only remembers being angry and feeling sick and perhaps that little weird thing when Tori disappeared in front of her eyes….
Police are baffled by the lack of evidence and even more so by Alison’s strange behavior that night. Alison however doesn't remember killing Tori, she only remembers being angry and feeling sick and perhaps that little weird thing when Tori disappeared in front of her eyes….
Doctors and her parents decide staying at the hospital is best for Alison and is forced to stay as an involuntary patient. Being drugged makes things foggy, but being away from the noise of her everyday life helps sort pieces of her thoughts out. Most of the book revolves around this time in the hospital, while going through therapy and connecting with some of the other patients, the reader gets flashbacks of Alison's life and how she perceives the world around her. Soon she is introduced to a specialist named Dr. Faraday and together they discover what mental illness/mental abilities Alison is consumed by. Out of her family who has abandoned her and friends that have forgotten, Dr. Faraday is the only one that cares, he shows her that how she sees and feels isn't a disease or a form of crazy, but a unique disorder called Synesthesia and explains why she sees colors as emotions and can taste words.
Together they explore the depth of her talents and a mutual attraction begins to develop, while very subtle the tension adds yet another layer of what the heck is going on to the story. However Dr. Faraday may not be who he seems and the world around her may just be an entire different world... literally.
Ultraviolet is one of those books that immediately surprises you with its depth and instant attention grabbing details. I found myself hooked within the first few pages and overall I was very impressed with Anderson's ability to be unpredictable, the author did a great job at hinting the outcomes, but never gave us enough to enough to fully figure things out. While Alison travels the road of crazy, the reader is left trying to piece all the craziness together, which in itself made the story unique. I enjoyed reading this until about the last three chapters, where my only issue with the book emerged.....Im a huge fan of Sci-fi but the end went in a direction that felt very outside the story to me. I think the big reveal happened and veered off into a secondary thread so fast, that I wasn't ready to dive into the new plot presented, when everything was said and done I was left with that feeling of "Oh. its over"....? Still though, Ultraviolet with its wicked good writing, originality and suck you in feel, made for a very good read, Im eager to check out more of this authors books.
Rating
Ultraviolet is recommended to mature teens (15&up) and adults. Contains: Violence, mental disorders, mild romance and Sci-fi aspects.
4/5- YA-Science Fiction
Thanks to Netgalley for review Galley
I just got this one from NetGalley too. I love the cover. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover for this one. I've always had an interest in mental facilities (dont ask why) so this one is one I would def read.
ReplyDelete-Danna
http://friendlyreaderohyeah.blogspot.com\
T! You totally crack me up. "travels the road of crazy"
ReplyDeleteYup, I'll have visit that place on my next road trip.
I hate sloppy endings. Too bad this one changed so much.
I am so curious about what the big twist that happens near the end is. Although I have my ideas. Great review Tina. Can't wait to read this.
ReplyDelete"hint dumping" - that's a really good way of putting it:) This one sounds really interesting, I'm looking forward to reading it! The reveal and then veering off into a secondary story is a bit troublesome, but the rest of it sounds great:)
ReplyDeleteWhoa, wasn't expecting it to be like that. I've heard about it and have wanted to read it, but for some reason the way you described it being surprised me. It sounds really good and unique and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the honest review. Made me want to read it just that much more. =)
@Jenny- it is actually a great story and very well written, maybe it was just me, everything just ended so fast...and guess what I wanted more!!
ReplyDelete@theVinBookworm- Great!! I hope you like it...:)
@Nic- your ideas...are probably right..;P
@Missie- Let me know when you visit crazy Ill go with you...( ;P
@Danna&Laurie- The cover is a bit freaky looking although that girl looks like shes 10...