Book: The
Lost Boys
Author: Lilian
Carmine
Publisher: Random
House UK- North America
Categor: Young
Adult Fiction
“Tris… just look me in the eyes and say that again and mean
it. I know you can’t, I know
that’s not what you want.”- Joe
“… Take a good look!
We can not be together! Can you see if I really mean it.”- Tristan
“So you never wanted to be with me? Why did you make me believe that you cared? Why did you let me love you”- Joe
“I didn’t let you do
anything. You did it all on your
own…. I just don’t feel the same about you.”-Tristan
Description
via NetGalley:
An intensely addictive romance novel about girls, ghosts and forbidden
love, ideal for fans of Stephenie Meyer.
Fate has brought them together. But will it also keep them apart?
Having
moved to a strange town, sixteen-year-old Joey Gray is feeling a little lost, until she meets a cute, mysterious boy near her new home.
But Tristan Halloway is not what he seems. And there's a very good reason why he's
always to be found roaming between the gravestones in the local cemetery.
My Summary:
Joe meets Tristan at the local
cemetery where she gets lost after doing a good deed for a neighbor. Though he seems unusual in manners
as well as in clothing, Joe feels intense
attraction and agrees to meet him again….and again….
many times over, at the cemetery.
Friendship and more
blossom fast between the two. One
New Year’s eve, they agree to meet again at the cemetery where the impossible
happens: Joe finds out that Tristan is a ghost
AND after a bit of accidental
magic, he becomes human again. A miracle indeed but with a catch, Joe
and Tris cannot be separated
for long periods as they will get violently
sick.
Joe’s mother has no choice but to allow Tristan into their home.
Both start
going to a nearby boarding
school where they meet a band made up of 4 boys who
collectively call themselves The
Lost Boys.
Tris and Joe who both have musical
backgrounds join the band. It helps that Tris and Joe end up sharing a room with Seth,
the sort-of leader of the band.
Joe also befriends the richest and most beautiful girl in the entire
school, Tiffany, who later ends up with Seth.
Just when
things are going well, Tristan pulls
away from Joe without any explanation. She finds out that there is a threat on Tristan’s life,
a countdown of sorts, to when everything goes back to what it was: Tristan dead and gone.
My Review:
The
premise of the book is what drew me to read it. I thought it was something new and exciting, with lots of possibilities.
But the
first
chapter immediately made me question this. The writing was quite juvenile, with the author seemingly wanting to get ideas on paper so fast
that she rushed
through many moments that could have been
better.
The Lost Boys Italian cover |
And
though I know that fiction calls for suspension of disbelief, it’s still too far fetched how all of a sudden Joe has witch blood in her family which helps bring Tristan to life, this without further
explanation on the how and why, and left practically ignored after Tristan’s transformation. It’s as if the
author just wanted a fast excuse for making him a live human being and nothing more.
The
book is also long….really long….with many scenes and characters that need not be included.
I do like the band, and I like the boys that make up the group. They are all sweet with good contributions to the whole story.
It’s just that it dragged after a while. Plus I didn’t know what the
focus was: was it the love story? High school animosity? Ghost angle? The boy band?.
There are just too many elements forced to mesh in one go and it’s
disturbing.
That
said, this book still had something going for it. After all the hits and misses, I still
wanted to finish the book. The
love between Tris and Joe felt real and oh so sweet. They have great chemistry and I
can’t help but root for them. I
even like the almost-but-not-quite third party Henry. His is a character I
would like to see more of in the future, same with Tiffany and Seth.
Overall,
despite the length, lack of explanation, exaggeration
and lack of
focus, I would still recommend The Lost Boys to those who want a romantic, exciting and simple read.
Photos have been lifted from the author's site
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