Fotografía de autor

Nathan Kotecki

Autor de The Suburban Strange

2 Obras 81 Miembros 7 Reseñas

Obras de Nathan Kotecki

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Miembros

Reseñas

VOYA Rating: 4Q 4P
Highly Recommended

This book is the second in the Suburban Strange series. Some of the characters from the first book make an appearance as college students, but some of the original secondary characters are now the main characters. We are introduced to Bruno and his older brother Silvio. They are worried about fitting in at their new school, but they had to move since his dad is a minister and received a new assignment. When they get to school, they are asked to join the members of The Rosary. The Rosary is a group of friends who is passionate about alternative music, dancing, dressing a certain way and being good at school ☺ What teacher or librarian is not going to like that characteristic? Strange things are happening at Suburban High School again and it is up to Bruno and his new friends to figure out what is going on.

I really enjoyed the first book and also enjoyed this second book. It could serve as a stand- alone novel, but I enjoy the back story, so I would recommend reading the first one. I like the elements of romance, mystery with a twist of paranormal. The story allows you to enter this fictional world and feel like you are part of the group. I like the characters, the dialogue is well written, I like the plot and really enjoyed reading it.

I think this book would appeal to students who are musicians or are really into the classic alternative scene. I would put this book on a new book display or as a stand alone display. I think the story would appeal both to boys and girls, which is also reflected in the cover art. It’s a good fiction story with realistic and paranormal elements. It’s a good addition to a school library.
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Denunciada
kmjanek | Mar 5, 2014 |
I had a hard time engaging in the very beginning, but I'm glad I didn't give up. Deep and true friendships, paranormal phenomenon, a terrible "curse" upon innocent girls and a sweet romance are interwoven in this unique story.

This book begins with our main character, Celia, and Regine, a member of an elite "clique" called The Rosary. The Rosary created itself for the purpose of enjoying the beauty in things that others tend to pass over. Music, art, clothing and intellect are all places that they pursue the 'different." Regine sees the potential in Celia and pulls her into the group.

Unlike other "cliques" the primary goal of The Rosary's existence is to get the most out of their experiences. They want attention and they definitely want to stand out. But it's not their driving purpose. Like many clique's, the true strength of The Rosary is their dedication to one another.

A parallel but interwoven story takes place with Celia, a female friend and a love interest. It is this triad that involves the paranormal/supernatural aspects of the story. The parts of Celia that draw her into this triad, are the parts that most likely made her so attractive and integral to The Rosary.

It is a fascinating read and good metaphor for the reality that all things are connected in some way, even if it is not immediately evident.

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Denunciada
Angelina-Justice | 5 reseñas más. | Feb 3, 2014 |
Highly Recommended

Celia Balaustine transferred to Suburban High at the start of her 10th grade year. She wants to reinvent herself and not be the same person she was at her old school. Celia is a highly talented artist, who catches the attention of a girl named Regine. Regine introduces Celia to her tight knit group of friends who call themselves The Rosary. Celia become part of this group and for the first time in her life, has a place to belong. The Rosary wants everyone in the group to do their homework, study, have an after school job, look sophisticate and expand their artistic horizons. They hang out at a club on weekends to listen to music and dance. Then weird things start to happen at school. The story takes on a paranormal twist and every 16 year old girl is at risk of getting hurt at Suburban High. The Rosary may have the answers to this school curse.

One of the first things to catch the readers’ attention in this series are the character names. They are definitely unique. The cover gives off a dark, eerie, gothic vibe and the reader can expect the same from the writing. I think readers will be introduced to new music and artists that inspired parts of the writing. The characters were really into discovering new music (being the perfect outlet for the author to share the music he likes). I would like to know the reaction of today’s high school students to the music references. Most of it seemed to be 80s-90s dark alternative music. I enjoyed it because I was familiar with most of it…but I am not sure about the average 16 year old. I love that some of the setting takes place in a used bookstore and the conversations about visual arts. Unusual for a YA book. I think this book can be classified as an urban fantasy. There are elements of romance, mystery, intrigue and the paranormal. I like how the story did not end with a huge cliffhanger, but hints at the future. I am looking forward to the second book.

I think this book is appropriate for a school library. It will appeal to the visual arts/music students and those interested in the gothic or indie scene. I would promote this book to both boys and girls. I don’t see it fitting into the curriculum directly, but it’s definitely a good pick for fun reading. I think it’s the perfect book during a school break (I’ll put it on my Spring Break books display). It would make for a good book club pick. The book made me want to go listen to the author’s playlist. Overall, it was a unique and intriguing story. I’m rather surprised that I was not able to find professional reviews of this book.
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½
 
Denunciada
kmjanek | 5 reseñas más. | Aug 29, 2013 |
This little story was definitely different. For the most part I found it enjoyable. The story is about a girl named Celia who goes to a new school where she is taken under wing by a group of students who call themselves The Rosary. Suddenly accidents start to happen at school to girls on their 16th birthday. It soon happens so many times that no one can pretend its just a coincidence anymore. Things really start getting strange when Celia meets a boy at a gothic type dance club and then he disappears.

So the plot peaked my interest. However all through the novel I kept waiting for some secrets to start unraveling with these mysterious Rosary teenagers, but to be honest they had very little to do with the mysteries. Looking back, its almost like they didn't have much to do with anything except giving Celia a few friends and talking about their cool indie music. Unfortunately even that was stale because the music was all cool indie music, but it was almost all from the 90's and real teenagers today would have also been referencing cool indie music from today. This just read like the author was paying homage to the indie music he grew up on which is beautiful but didn't fit into this story in a realistic way. (For the record I am an avid Tori Amos fan and loved his reference to 'Crucify').

The mystery was interesting and I didn't completely figure out the whodunit before all was revealed which is a huge plus in my book. I also was shocked by a turn of events with a character I thought was far more interesting than the Rosary kids. The love story was also somewhat unusual and I liked Tomasi and his backstory. Celia herself was a take her or leave her character and even after her 'growth' in the story I feel like I maybe would have liked the old Celia better.

Despite any criticisms I don't want to turn away potential readers because this is a different story from a lot of what is out right now and I think the author has a nice style. The tale was slow to take off but I was never bored by it and never wanted it to just move along. It was definitely worth reading and I think anyone who finds the plot appealing would probably enjoy this tale.
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Denunciada
pacey1927 | 5 reseñas más. | Oct 20, 2012 |

Estadísticas

Obras
2
Miembros
81
Popularidad
#222,754
Valoración
4.1
Reseñas
7
ISBNs
5

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