Title: Nobody But Us (ARC)
Release Date: January 29th,
2013
Author: Kristin Halbrook
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 272
My Rating: 2.5 TURTLES:
An okay read. It had its ups and downs, more downs though. Probably don't
recommend.
Description:
Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively
heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.
They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When
Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected
their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you
can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and
Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about
survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you
get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating”
by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to
fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr
Review:
Nobody But Us was one of
those books that I had no idea how I felt about it after I finished it. Towards
the beginning I was thinking about giving it a fairly high rating, but as I
kept reading, my rating kept going down. It’s sad because there were many
elements in the story that I liked and even applauded. But in the end, the way
it was written made me feel I couldn’t give it a very high rating.
I really appreciated the
gritty, blunt way that Kristin Halbrook shows us the characters’ backstories.
We learn about the horrors they have faced growing up and gives us context for
things like Will’s violence. While of course this doesn’t justify his actions,
it inspires a pity towards him that would not have been there otherwise. She
created two very complex characters, and because of the alternating narratives,
we get to see the inner workings of their minds.
For what I did not like
about this book, let me first say that I don’t know who wrote the synopsis, but
there was almost nothing in common with this book and If I Stay. The only
similarity I see is that there is a girl who has a lot of trauma and is trying
to come to terms with it. The circumstances are completely different though, so
really in that respect it could be compared to a million different books. If
you are looking at this book just because of that comparison – I know that was
one reason why I was excited to read it – let me tell you now, Nobody But Us is
nothing like If I Stay. The Bonnie and Clyde part is pretty accurate though.
If the author had meant this
book to be more of a tough portrait of two troubled people who are fighting
against a world that never gave them a fair chance, I think I would have
enjoyed it much more. As it was it felt like a romanticized unhealthy relationship, which was my biggest
problem with the book. I know it is unlikely the characters had enough insight
themselves to realize how dysfunctional, unhealthy, and even illegal their
relationship was, but if emphasizing that had been an important part of the
book, the point would have gotten across.
This book either
intentionally or inadvertently poses some interesting questions like what
happens to foster kids when they turn eighteen and are ‘kicked off the state’?
Or what is the price of staying silent versus speaking out? I admired this
because I think they are important topics, but they are breezed over with the
plot of two haunted individuals trying to fix each other while leaving a trail
of crimes behind them on their train-wreck of a road to freedom.
What would you sacrifice to find true love and save a kingdom?
Now I run my own business, play with and educate my beautiful little girl, Little Goose, and write books for young adults that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Title: Nobody But Us (ARC) 
Eight children, powerful enough to annihilate the vulnerable world in which they live, are wanted by a small but elite group of dragons. Some dragons are good, some are not, but they all have the same goal: To find these children, bond them, and use them as pawns in their ever-enduring conflict.
B. Pine is an award-winning fantasy and science fiction author who keeps her days full by writing, gardening, reading and raising her little ones. She is an avid reader of fantasy, science fiction, and vampire novels, particularly stories with backgrounds based on medieval culture from Western Europe and England, where she lived for four years. Her passion for writing was born after taking a college course in creative writing. She graduated from the University of Maryland and Wilmington University with degrees in Business Management and Accounting, respectively. Her debut novel, Familiar Origins, has won two Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, and her Draca Wards series will be continued in 2013. She also has a short story published in The Imperium Saga: Anthology with fellow authors from Silver Leaf Books, LLC. She is currently working on the next installment of her fantasy saga. Also, visit her at http://dracawards.com/.
.jpg)
Mr. Gordon tells Oliver: "When you truly believe anything is possible, you will be able to open doors where there were only walls." And one of those doors leads Oliver to Provex City, which puts him in far greater danger than he can possibly fathom..jpg)
