Monday, March 16, 2015

Book Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Title: Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: March 10, 2015 by Harper Teen
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

I was really looking forward to this book. In October I read my first Lauren Oliver book, Rooms, and loved it. I was excited to check out more of her books and when I saw that she was coming out with a YA Mystery/Thriller, a genre of books that I love, I couldn't wait to check it out. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

For me Vanishing Girls was a solid middle-of-the-road kind of read. There was nothing particularly bad about it but there was also nothing that really blew me away. I was expecting an intense and engaging mystery with some deeper themes and I got a thought-provoking read but not in the way I was expecting. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but some of it just didn't work for me.

Nothing articulates that point as much as my feelings on the characters. It was a surprisingly character-driven kind of novel, which was hard for me because I found it challenging to connect with the characters completely. I was looking forward to the story of two sisters who care deeply for one another despite their differences. That's not exactly what I got. I will say, I did find Nick and Dara's relationship and their feelings for one another to be incredibly realistic. I could completely sympathize with Nick and her feeling that her younger sister is the more pretty and popular one. At the same time I could also relate to Dara's feelings that she is outcast for being more rebellious, that she'll never be as perfect as her sister. I've been there. It made both main characters feel complex and authentic. But the lack of self-esteem also made both of them the kind of characters who are hard to like. I usually don't mind unlikable characters and it should have all worked here but something about it didn't, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I think perhaps it was just the way their story ended didn't leave me feeling very satisfied.

Another thing that didn't quite work for me was the pacing of the book. I usually count on mysteries and thrillers to be more action-packed and suspenseful and that wasn't the case with this book. Now I can forgive the slower pacing if it succeeded in making things suspenseful that what but in the case of Vanishing Girls it felt like filler. For instance, a moment mentioned in the synopsis didn't happen until halfway into the book. Most of the time I was just waiting for things to start kicking into gear.

Which brings me to the mystery of the book. I figured the main twist out pretty quickly into the read, a fact that doesn't typically annoy me. I usually take the opportunity to then search for clues and prove myself right. But in the case of Vanishing Girls, I let the writing and the slow pacing take me for the ride. Because there was so much exposition before the real mystery occurred I started to doubt my thoughts on things. It did give the big reveal a little more weight than I would have expected but it still felt a little predictable.

But what I did enjoy about Vanishing Girls was Lauren Oliver's writing. In Rooms I was so impressed with the intricacies of her plotting and the beauty of her prose. Vanishing Girls was no exception to that. Her writing is so visual and engaging. You can completely see everything she is creating and it pulls you into the story. But her writing expertise extends to the plotting of the book. Yes I know I already mentioned how the mystery of the book didn't work for me but Lauren's writing was able to redeem things a lot as the book developed. It was the kind of story where little things along the way that seem unrelated end up being a big part to the final conclusion.

On the whole Vanishing Girls was a good read despite some parts that didn't work. It was short and engaging with some complex and thought-provoking themes that left me reeling, just not in the way I expected. Lauren's writing did a great job in redeeming a lackluster mystery but my inability to connect with the characters and a slow pacing made it only an okay read for me.

I give Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver a 7 out of 10


Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you like contemporary novels that handle more serious issues, or you like mysteries with slow pacing then check this book out. If you are looking for a quick read then I suggest taking this one out from your local library.

10 comments:

  1. I hate it when I figure out the big mystery way too early in a book! I'm sorry you didn't love this one. I've been really hesitant to read it and I'm honestly not sure I will after reading this review. I do really want to read Rooms though! I'm glad you enjoyed that one! Great review!

    Tracy @ Cornerfolds

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    1. I usually don't mind solving the mystery too early. I think the difference is sometimes it makes the twists feel solvable and other times it makes them feel predictable. Here it was the latter unfortunately. And even adding more complexity to the reveal didn't redeem it much. I wanted to love it but it was only just okay.

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  2. I am so glad that you wrote this review. I have been hearing so many rave reviews about it, but I just disagree with them. I completely agree with you about the pacing. And the synopsis made it seem like the main plot was the missing sister, but that didn't happen until almost the end. It was driving me crazy just waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened! Ha. The ending was a pretty big surprise, but it still wasn't enough to recover from the earlier parts. I think I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

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    1. Totally agree. I kind of felt like the synopsis was intentionally misleading so that there could be some shock value but it didn't really translate that way. I guess this just shows how important the synopsis is to a book. I almost wish I hadn't read it and just went in blind.

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  3. I think you hit the nail on the head as far as the issue with a lot of YA contemporary mysteries I've come across -- almost all of them have been middle-of-the-road, or worse, for me. I wonder why it is that a hugely popular adult genre doesn't translate super well across age categories right now, in my experience? (You may have just given me an idea for a blog post...)

    Great review!

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    1. YES! Something about it just doesn't translate well to YA. I'm not sure if it's a lack of complexity within the story or just that the general subject matter is better in a more mature way. I have read some great ones though. In fact I just finished The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma which was phenomenal!

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  4. Love your review! I really enjoyed Vanishing Girls because I felt it was very realistic. I didn't want Nick and Dara's relationship to be what it was, but I think it was very believable because of how different they were. I loved the ominous feeling throughout the book and although I guessed the plot twist because of all the obvious clues, it still hit me in the gut. I'm more sympathetic to the book, though, because my brother had a rebellious stage not unlike Dara's. Thank goodness he grew out of it!

    Pearl @ AsteriskPearl's Book Blog

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    1. That's very true. I did really like the characters and I agree that they were very realistic. I didn't want their relationship to be that way either which I think is why I did feel something at the end. I think the synopsis just gave me expectations that were never met. I probably would have liked it more if I went into the book blind. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. I know a lot of people have, it just wasn't for me.

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  5. I haven't read this one yet but it doesn't sound all that great. I'll probably keep waiting to read this one. Great review, btw!

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    1. Thanks Jazmen. I know a lot of people really enjoyed it, it just wasn't for me. If you do decide to read it, maybe go in blind. I think that would have changed my opinion.

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