Book Review: The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication date: May 2010
ISBN: 9780312659424
Source: ARC sent by publisher

 

Mason is used to the strange looks and staring that come from his seriously scarred face.  But when he learns that there is more to his past than his mother is telling him, he wonders if he's even odder than he thought.  By chance, he meets a girl who is most definitely different and embarks on a quest to save her from the horrors of her past.  But, will those horrors lead him right back where they started and can he face the secrets he'll learn about the girl and himself?

Things I Liked:
The story kept me reading.  It was entertaining and fast-paced and there was plenty of action that happened.  The book holds some interesting ideas about the future of our society as well, thoughts about how we would face hunger and other destructive influences.  While I think it was a bit (ok, a lot) over the top, still it provided some food for thought.

Things I Didn't Like:
Really, the only thing that kept me reading was the action.  The characters seemed really underdeveloped, especially minor characters - his mother, his friend, even the girl he meets.  It seemed like just the bare bones of a story idea with not much else developed around it.  I probably wouldn't have finished it if it wasn't so short and easy to read.  The writing felt stilted in places, particularly the dialog.  There are other things about it that bother me, but I don't think I'm articulate enough to explain them.  I can see how it will work for other people, but it really didn't work for me.  

Read-alikes:
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Unwind by Neal Shusterman

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
one or two

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: **

This is one of those books that really reminded me how different people's opinions of books can be. I saw several very positive reviews and I didn't like it. Is there a book that did this for you?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage