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Fenestra #1
Meridian
Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Meridian has always been an outcast. It seems that wherever she goes, death and grief follow. On her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family's home - and although she's untouched, Meridian's body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's a danger to her family and is hustled off to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. There she learns the secret her parents have been hiding for her entire life: Meridian is a Fenestra. the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead.
It's crucial that Meridian learn how to transition human souls to the afterlife - how to help people die. Only then can she help preserve the balance between good and evil on earth. But before she can do that, Meridian must come to terms with her ability, outsmart the charismatic preacher who's taken over Revelation, and maybe - if she can accept her sworn protector, Tens, for who he is - fall in love. Meridian and Tens face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos. But together, they have the power to outsmart evil.
Dark, lovely, and lushly romantic, Meridian will entrance readers.
Meridian has always been an outcast. It seems that wherever she goes, death and grief follow. On her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family's home - and although she's untouched, Meridian's body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's a danger to her family and is hustled off to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. There she learns the secret her parents have been hiding for her entire life: Meridian is a Fenestra. the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead.
It's crucial that Meridian learn how to transition human souls to the afterlife - how to help people die. Only then can she help preserve the balance between good and evil on earth. But before she can do that, Meridian must come to terms with her ability, outsmart the charismatic preacher who's taken over Revelation, and maybe - if she can accept her sworn protector, Tens, for who he is - fall in love. Meridian and Tens face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos. But together, they have the power to outsmart evil.
Dark, lovely, and lushly romantic, Meridian will entrance readers.
305 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2009
69 people are currently reading
15.1k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 621 reviews
July 10, 2015
I'm not sure what I was on when I write this review.
December 7, 2011
All those other YA books that claimed to be dark were sadly lacking (I'm looking at you and ), but this book - this is dark and delicious in every sense of the words.
Meridian is a Fenestra, a being who helps guide the souls of the dead into the afterlife so that they are not reincarnated and are able to meet up with their loved ones again on the other side. This is a family trait that passes down through the bloodlines but is not present in every generation. Her 16th birthday marks when her powers begin in earnest, and from that day on she and her loved ones are in danger from the Aternocti, beings who want to pass the soul onto Hell, and destroy the Fenestra's.
The characters in this book were all fairly two dimensional but still highly enjoyable. Meridian spends most of the book in confusion and fear (understandable since she never understood what she was and is being hunted). Her life growing up was hard on her, she had no friends, people thought she was some kind of witch as animals and insects were always dying around her. She thinks she is the cause of the deaths and that people should fear her. So she never seeks out friends or love and accepts that those things are just not for her. I thought she should have asked more questions about all of this, but was always just completely accepting. Meridian was allowed to begin the book as a scared child and then grow into strong willed young woman. Tens, her Protector and love interest, is loyal, brave, and consistently trying to help her. Their relationship is totally rushed and not fleshed out since it was expected by one due to his gifts and completely overwhelmed the other who was always alone and felt unworthy of love. And again you have a YA book where the characters are 16 and 18, but are pure with no real urges or interludes between them. Auntie was by far the best character in the book. The woman was 106 years old!! Yet still a fighter, a teacher, and a protector. She was strong, sweet, and wise. Every scene she was in had much deeper emotions and was just more memorable. At only 300 pages the author could have written more to flesh out the main characters a bit more, but really I didn't think that it detracted from the story too much.
A fair warning...the main villain passes himself off as a evangelist preacher who consistently quotes the most violent and intolerable passages from the Bible. He uses Christianity as a weapon to ostracize 'non-believers' (i.e. people who weren't fanatic enough), condemn harassment and vandalism, and allow the deaths of innocent children. The quotes from the Bible are marked and identified at the back of the book, and are used to justify his evil actions. I say this as a warning because I could see people being offended by the radical portrayal of the religion in this book. The crazy fanaticism was even uncomfortable to read at times as I wanted to slap people senseless to shock them awake and realize the consequences of their actions. I wasn't offended or anything but it was shocking to read as I could seriously see this happening, which was especially terrifying.
The climax could have also been elaborated on a bit. It wasn't that it was anti-climactic but it could have been much more dramatic. It was as if it was almost too easy on the heroine. She has to makes some insane choices but there isn't much action. Not to mention how things *mysteriously* got fixed with no explanation.
I also loved the inclusion of quilting (being a quilter myself) as a theme representing the soul's lives. Auntie would make quilts to represent the people she helped cross, and it was her outlet for dealing with the consequences of helping them. There was one passage I particularly liked and want to share. "Each stitch was a heartbeat, a breath; each seam an experience, a lesson learned. Each piece of fabric was a feeling, a like, a dislike, a pain, happiness. Combined, they build a life, a picture of a life anyway, in bits and pieces. Like memories, they have no linear logic, but they resonate. You can tell a lot about a person by the quilt Auntie made for them after they died."
Overall, the take on death was original, dark, and well thought out. All the emotions and fears that surround death were brought up, discussed, examined, and left for the reader to make their own personal conclusions about. I was definitely pleasantly surprised that it was so good after all the YA dribble I have read lately. Just goes to show you to ignore marketing as the mass marketed books like , , and were so bad, yet the unknown books like this one and was wonderful.
****
Here's the prologue from the book. From the first sentence onwards I was completely hooked.
Prologue
The first creatures to seek me were the insects; my parents cleaned the bassinet free of dead ants the morning after they brought me home from the hospital. My first word was “dead.�
At age four, when I stepped out of bed and popped a giant toad like a water balloon, I never again turned any lights off.
For all of my sixth year, I slept sitting up thinking I’d spot the dying coming toward me.
There were times when it felt like my insides were full of broken glass, times when the souls of the animals passing through me felt too big, too much. I’d open my eyes in the morning and peer into the glassy gaze of a mouse on my pillow. Death never became my comfortable companion.
I didn’t have nightmares about monsters; I wasn’t afraid of a thing in my closet. In fact, there were many times when I wished they, the dying, would hide under my bed instead of burrowing into the pile of stuffed animals by my head.
My mother hugged me, told me I was special. I’d like to think my parents weren’t revolted by me. But I’ll never forget the feelings apparent in the glances they exchanged over my head. Worry. Fear. Repulsion. Concern.
My first chore was to clean up the carcasses. My second was to make the bed. I’d don rubber gloves and pick the dead up. My hands grew callused from digging so many graves. We ran out of room in the backyard by my fourteenth birthday. When I was too ill to do it, my dad stepped in and removed them, but it was always with thinly veiled disgust.
I trembled my way through the days, constantly sleep deprived, chronically ill. My stomach always hurt. Low-grade headaches constantly thumped a slow tempo. Doctors labeled me a hypochondriac, or worse—still they never found causes for the symptoms. The pain was real. The cause a mystery. They suggested shrinks. Growing pains. Perhaps I was one of those children who required lots of attention. I’d catch my mom staring at me—she often started conversations, only to break off and leave the room.
With each moon phase, the animals got bigger. Soon, they came during the day as well. At school, kids whispered my nicknames: Reaper, Grave Digger, Witch. Others, I pretended not to hear. Adults ostracized me, too. It hurt.
As I got older and stopped trying to bond, I came to the same conclusion as everyone else. I was weird. A freak. A sideshow act.
When my brother Sam was born, I kept a vigil in his room. Intent on cleaning up the dead things before he woke. I focused on making him feel that he wasn’t alone, that I understood how scary this world could be. I wouldn’t let him suffer my fears; he’d be normal in my eyes. By the time he was a month-old and the only dead came near him because of me, I retreated.
My parents pretended it didn’t matter. That nothing ever died around me. That our backyard wasn’t a graveyard. If anything, they acted like I had a talent. A gift.
If we had an extended family, I didn’t know them. The only exception was my namesake, a great-Aunt who sent me birthday quilts once a year. My world was, and is, me and death. It’s a lonely place to live, but I thought things were getting better. My name is Meridian Sozu, and I was wrong.
You can read the first couple of chapters
Meridian is a Fenestra, a being who helps guide the souls of the dead into the afterlife so that they are not reincarnated and are able to meet up with their loved ones again on the other side. This is a family trait that passes down through the bloodlines but is not present in every generation. Her 16th birthday marks when her powers begin in earnest, and from that day on she and her loved ones are in danger from the Aternocti, beings who want to pass the soul onto Hell, and destroy the Fenestra's.
The characters in this book were all fairly two dimensional but still highly enjoyable. Meridian spends most of the book in confusion and fear (understandable since she never understood what she was and is being hunted). Her life growing up was hard on her, she had no friends, people thought she was some kind of witch as animals and insects were always dying around her. She thinks she is the cause of the deaths and that people should fear her. So she never seeks out friends or love and accepts that those things are just not for her. I thought she should have asked more questions about all of this, but was always just completely accepting. Meridian was allowed to begin the book as a scared child and then grow into strong willed young woman. Tens, her Protector and love interest, is loyal, brave, and consistently trying to help her. Their relationship is totally rushed and not fleshed out since it was expected by one due to his gifts and completely overwhelmed the other who was always alone and felt unworthy of love. And again you have a YA book where the characters are 16 and 18, but are pure with no real urges or interludes between them. Auntie was by far the best character in the book. The woman was 106 years old!! Yet still a fighter, a teacher, and a protector. She was strong, sweet, and wise. Every scene she was in had much deeper emotions and was just more memorable. At only 300 pages the author could have written more to flesh out the main characters a bit more, but really I didn't think that it detracted from the story too much.
A fair warning...the main villain passes himself off as a evangelist preacher who consistently quotes the most violent and intolerable passages from the Bible. He uses Christianity as a weapon to ostracize 'non-believers' (i.e. people who weren't fanatic enough), condemn harassment and vandalism, and allow the deaths of innocent children. The quotes from the Bible are marked and identified at the back of the book, and are used to justify his evil actions. I say this as a warning because I could see people being offended by the radical portrayal of the religion in this book. The crazy fanaticism was even uncomfortable to read at times as I wanted to slap people senseless to shock them awake and realize the consequences of their actions. I wasn't offended or anything but it was shocking to read as I could seriously see this happening, which was especially terrifying.
The climax could have also been elaborated on a bit. It wasn't that it was anti-climactic but it could have been much more dramatic. It was as if it was almost too easy on the heroine. She has to makes some insane choices but there isn't much action. Not to mention how things *mysteriously* got fixed with no explanation.
I also loved the inclusion of quilting (being a quilter myself) as a theme representing the soul's lives. Auntie would make quilts to represent the people she helped cross, and it was her outlet for dealing with the consequences of helping them. There was one passage I particularly liked and want to share. "Each stitch was a heartbeat, a breath; each seam an experience, a lesson learned. Each piece of fabric was a feeling, a like, a dislike, a pain, happiness. Combined, they build a life, a picture of a life anyway, in bits and pieces. Like memories, they have no linear logic, but they resonate. You can tell a lot about a person by the quilt Auntie made for them after they died."
Overall, the take on death was original, dark, and well thought out. All the emotions and fears that surround death were brought up, discussed, examined, and left for the reader to make their own personal conclusions about. I was definitely pleasantly surprised that it was so good after all the YA dribble I have read lately. Just goes to show you to ignore marketing as the mass marketed books like , , and were so bad, yet the unknown books like this one and was wonderful.
****
Here's the prologue from the book. From the first sentence onwards I was completely hooked.
Prologue
The first creatures to seek me were the insects; my parents cleaned the bassinet free of dead ants the morning after they brought me home from the hospital. My first word was “dead.�
At age four, when I stepped out of bed and popped a giant toad like a water balloon, I never again turned any lights off.
For all of my sixth year, I slept sitting up thinking I’d spot the dying coming toward me.
There were times when it felt like my insides were full of broken glass, times when the souls of the animals passing through me felt too big, too much. I’d open my eyes in the morning and peer into the glassy gaze of a mouse on my pillow. Death never became my comfortable companion.
I didn’t have nightmares about monsters; I wasn’t afraid of a thing in my closet. In fact, there were many times when I wished they, the dying, would hide under my bed instead of burrowing into the pile of stuffed animals by my head.
My mother hugged me, told me I was special. I’d like to think my parents weren’t revolted by me. But I’ll never forget the feelings apparent in the glances they exchanged over my head. Worry. Fear. Repulsion. Concern.
My first chore was to clean up the carcasses. My second was to make the bed. I’d don rubber gloves and pick the dead up. My hands grew callused from digging so many graves. We ran out of room in the backyard by my fourteenth birthday. When I was too ill to do it, my dad stepped in and removed them, but it was always with thinly veiled disgust.
I trembled my way through the days, constantly sleep deprived, chronically ill. My stomach always hurt. Low-grade headaches constantly thumped a slow tempo. Doctors labeled me a hypochondriac, or worse—still they never found causes for the symptoms. The pain was real. The cause a mystery. They suggested shrinks. Growing pains. Perhaps I was one of those children who required lots of attention. I’d catch my mom staring at me—she often started conversations, only to break off and leave the room.
With each moon phase, the animals got bigger. Soon, they came during the day as well. At school, kids whispered my nicknames: Reaper, Grave Digger, Witch. Others, I pretended not to hear. Adults ostracized me, too. It hurt.
As I got older and stopped trying to bond, I came to the same conclusion as everyone else. I was weird. A freak. A sideshow act.
When my brother Sam was born, I kept a vigil in his room. Intent on cleaning up the dead things before he woke. I focused on making him feel that he wasn’t alone, that I understood how scary this world could be. I wouldn’t let him suffer my fears; he’d be normal in my eyes. By the time he was a month-old and the only dead came near him because of me, I retreated.
My parents pretended it didn’t matter. That nothing ever died around me. That our backyard wasn’t a graveyard. If anything, they acted like I had a talent. A gift.
If we had an extended family, I didn’t know them. The only exception was my namesake, a great-Aunt who sent me birthday quilts once a year. My world was, and is, me and death. It’s a lonely place to live, but I thought things were getting better. My name is Meridian Sozu, and I was wrong.
You can read the first couple of chapters
April 2, 2013
My thoughts running through the majority of this book is that man, Meridian's got some shitty people in her life. Her family is of no help at all, I mean like the least useful people ever. If your daughter was a foreordained Fenestra/window of death thingy with people coming after her and trying to kill her when she comes into her full powers, WOULDN'T YOU WANT HER TO KNOW ABOUT IT? No! Hell to the no. They stick their heads in the sand like a couple of ostriches; being raised by animals who eat their young would probably give Meridian a better survival rate, actually.
The loving parents 1) act like they're disgusted of Meridian because she attracts dead things, 2) give her no clue as to what she is so she at least knows what she's facing, 3) give her no survival skills whatsoever so she can fight back, 4) literally toss her onto a bus with no idea where she's going when people are trying to kill her.
The loving aunt is not much better. For someone who needs a successor, she didn't really do much to help Meridian survive. That scene where Meridian's abandoned at the bus stop? She is a braver girl than I. If I were left in a foreign place, in the middle of a snowstorm, tossed out by my parents, not picked up by an aunt whom I hardly knew existed, I'd be a sniveling, crying mess. When they finally meet, Auntie is horrified at the lack of information Meridian's parents gave her. Um, HELLO? For 16 years, all you did was send her quilts, lady. Was a visit too much to ask?
/takes deep breath
The plot was very Christian-centric. I get that it's not trying to be preachy, and this was, after all, an angel-based story, but I didn't really like the evil guys being Christian evangelists, and the accident on the train was a bit overreaching. The plot was a bit of a mess, they talk to people, they get preachy, they meet neighbors, they save people, it didn't feel like there was much centralization to the plot. I didn't like Tens either (what the hell kind of a name is that, anyway? This is an YA fantasy book, give me a sexy name! I don't need to learn to count). He comes off as completely patronizing and rude to Meridian when she first arrived in Colorado; considering that he's supposed to be her protector, he could have been a leetle bit nicer and less of a douche.
Meridian herself is the victim of the people around her, her parents, aunt, Tens, they've all resulted in her being a weak, scared little girl. Not that I blame her, I'd be worse in her case, but the book did not set her up to be a very good main character, and I find that I didn't care much for her at all. Man, this was a hard book to finish.
The loving parents 1) act like they're disgusted of Meridian because she attracts dead things, 2) give her no clue as to what she is so she at least knows what she's facing, 3) give her no survival skills whatsoever so she can fight back, 4) literally toss her onto a bus with no idea where she's going when people are trying to kill her.
The loving aunt is not much better. For someone who needs a successor, she didn't really do much to help Meridian survive. That scene where Meridian's abandoned at the bus stop? She is a braver girl than I. If I were left in a foreign place, in the middle of a snowstorm, tossed out by my parents, not picked up by an aunt whom I hardly knew existed, I'd be a sniveling, crying mess. When they finally meet, Auntie is horrified at the lack of information Meridian's parents gave her. Um, HELLO? For 16 years, all you did was send her quilts, lady. Was a visit too much to ask?
/takes deep breath
The plot was very Christian-centric. I get that it's not trying to be preachy, and this was, after all, an angel-based story, but I didn't really like the evil guys being Christian evangelists, and the accident on the train was a bit overreaching. The plot was a bit of a mess, they talk to people, they get preachy, they meet neighbors, they save people, it didn't feel like there was much centralization to the plot. I didn't like Tens either (what the hell kind of a name is that, anyway? This is an YA fantasy book, give me a sexy name! I don't need to learn to count). He comes off as completely patronizing and rude to Meridian when she first arrived in Colorado; considering that he's supposed to be her protector, he could have been a leetle bit nicer and less of a douche.
Meridian herself is the victim of the people around her, her parents, aunt, Tens, they've all resulted in her being a weak, scared little girl. Not that I blame her, I'd be worse in her case, but the book did not set her up to be a very good main character, and I find that I didn't care much for her at all. Man, this was a hard book to finish.
April 22, 2010
I'm frowning... I liked about 3/4 of this book. Towards the end it all went way too fast and everything just... worked out somehow. They needed person A and poof there he was. Then they needed person B and lucky for Meridian the mother of person B already had a dream about Meridian needing their help, so they were already near where it all went down. But not without the help of a tame wolf who decided playing dead on the middle of a deserted road was the best approach to making them stop their car (is that dog insane? Put somebody like me behind the wheel and I'd probably would have ran over the poor animal because I didn't see it) so she could lead them to where Meridian was waiting. Convenient, no? If this is confusing, wait 'till you read the book.
I also don't know what point the author was trying to make when writing the train wreck scene. Yes a disaster like that is horrible. No it's not pretty, people are hurt/dying/dead. But do I really need to read about what a mix of blood, urine and *shivers* human waste smells like? What it feels like on your skin? I get the point but jeez. Ruin my reading fun why don't cha?
I also don't know what point the author was trying to make when writing the train wreck scene. Yes a disaster like that is horrible. No it's not pretty, people are hurt/dying/dead. But do I really need to read about what a mix of blood, urine and *shivers* human waste smells like? What it feels like on your skin? I get the point but jeez. Ruin my reading fun why don't cha?
February 20, 2009
I had the good fortune to win an ARC of MERIDIAN from someone who snagged it at the ALA Midwinter conference. I read the book in nibbles and gulps, both wanting to savor it and make it last. MERIDIAN is the kind of book that my mind kept drifting to when I was trying to concentrate, or even when I was just shopping at the grocery store.
The best parts, for me: The character of Meridian, who manages to be both strong and vulnerable, mature and believably sixteen. Kizer pulls this off with Meridian's voice, I think, which reminded me a little of myself at that age. I really like how she explores her powers and the idea of death; Kizer handles these scenes with subtle, nuanced emotion, where a lesser author might stray into the melodramatic. Meridian's protector and love (as described in the blurb), Tens, came across refreshingly charming and flawed in the face of a slew of drop-dead gorgeous, brooding, and otherwise cardboard males in other young adult fantasy. Yes, he's mysterious, but not annoyingly so.
The weakest parts: At times I felt like the antagonist was just stuck in there to provide tension and didn't really have a good reason to show up so often. Even though the antagonist has a motive, it wasn't one I felt at a gut level. The ending, consequently, seemed somewhat flat, and also felt like a set up for a sequel. Also, the pacing felt a little uneven in the last half of the book; I wondered if these scenes were written more hastily than the earlier ones.
Overall, I found MERIDIAN to be deliciously different, not even bothering to tread into the realm of cliches, with great characters I could sympathize with and imagine outside of the book. I suspect MERIDIAN will be quite popular when it comes out in August 2009. Highly recommended.
The best parts, for me: The character of Meridian, who manages to be both strong and vulnerable, mature and believably sixteen. Kizer pulls this off with Meridian's voice, I think, which reminded me a little of myself at that age. I really like how she explores her powers and the idea of death; Kizer handles these scenes with subtle, nuanced emotion, where a lesser author might stray into the melodramatic. Meridian's protector and love (as described in the blurb), Tens, came across refreshingly charming and flawed in the face of a slew of drop-dead gorgeous, brooding, and otherwise cardboard males in other young adult fantasy. Yes, he's mysterious, but not annoyingly so.
The weakest parts: At times I felt like the antagonist was just stuck in there to provide tension and didn't really have a good reason to show up so often. Even though the antagonist has a motive, it wasn't one I felt at a gut level. The ending, consequently, seemed somewhat flat, and also felt like a set up for a sequel. Also, the pacing felt a little uneven in the last half of the book; I wondered if these scenes were written more hastily than the earlier ones.
Overall, I found MERIDIAN to be deliciously different, not even bothering to tread into the realm of cliches, with great characters I could sympathize with and imagine outside of the book. I suspect MERIDIAN will be quite popular when it comes out in August 2009. Highly recommended.
December 12, 2009
I'm not going to re-cap the events of the book, everybody else has already done it. Let me start off by saying this wasn't a bad book. I thought the premise was original and very interesting.
My problem was that I never actually connected to it and I'm not sure why. It felt like I was listening to the story, but not LIVING IN the story (if that makes sense). My favorite books are the ones that I fall completely into, where the world of the story becomes MY world while I'm reading, and this one just never sucked me in like that.
I also didn't 'feel' the connection between Meridian and Tens, I didn't feel any attraction between them at all, it felt like they'd just decided to go ahead and be together since they'd been told they were supposed to, not because there was any overwhelming compulsion or attraction between them.
Also, while I understand religious fanaticism exists in abundance, I had a hard time with the ENTIRE town completely under Perimo's black thumb. Esp. with women and babies dying, pregnant women being forced to eat only bread and water and NOBODY in their right mind questioning it?
As I said, this isn't a bad book, it just didn't capture this reader the way that had been hoped for.
My problem was that I never actually connected to it and I'm not sure why. It felt like I was listening to the story, but not LIVING IN the story (if that makes sense). My favorite books are the ones that I fall completely into, where the world of the story becomes MY world while I'm reading, and this one just never sucked me in like that.
I also didn't 'feel' the connection between Meridian and Tens, I didn't feel any attraction between them at all, it felt like they'd just decided to go ahead and be together since they'd been told they were supposed to, not because there was any overwhelming compulsion or attraction between them.
Also, while I understand religious fanaticism exists in abundance, I had a hard time with the ENTIRE town completely under Perimo's black thumb. Esp. with women and babies dying, pregnant women being forced to eat only bread and water and NOBODY in their right mind questioning it?
As I said, this isn't a bad book, it just didn't capture this reader the way that had been hoped for.
May 2, 2010
(2.5-3Stars)
Death finds her for as long as she can remember. It was a way of life for Meridian, always finding dead animals scattered around. This was her normal. This was her life. For as long as she could remember death has followed her, always...
I wanted to like this one, really I did, but sadly I couldn't.
Meridian starts off with a mad rush pulling in the readers to it's wild storyline but I think that it was to fast and all at once. It ended to easily making it too neat and tidy that left me wanting more and less. The story itself wasn't evenly paced and while I have to applauded the originality of this concept since I thought it was a cool twist to Angels and I found it fascinating and interesting to learn about Fenestra, but unfortunately this was another book that didn't live up to it's full potential and I ended up skimming to just finish it.
What could have been great was instead just an okay read.
Death finds her for as long as she can remember. It was a way of life for Meridian, always finding dead animals scattered around. This was her normal. This was her life. For as long as she could remember death has followed her, always...
I wanted to like this one, really I did, but sadly I couldn't.
Meridian starts off with a mad rush pulling in the readers to it's wild storyline but I think that it was to fast and all at once. It ended to easily making it too neat and tidy that left me wanting more and less. The story itself wasn't evenly paced and while I have to applauded the originality of this concept since I thought it was a cool twist to Angels and I found it fascinating and interesting to learn about Fenestra, but unfortunately this was another book that didn't live up to it's full potential and I ended up skimming to just finish it.
What could have been great was instead just an okay read.
October 21, 2010
3.75
I have been wanting to read this book for awhile because it has one of my absolute favorite opening sections ever (which I did read. A few times. But never the whole book), but I was saving it to read with my book club, since I knew it was on the schedule. We finally read it for last month's meeting, so now I can share it with you for Helluva Halloween.
I want to start by saying that all in all, I would recommend this, I did like it, but.
But I felt like it let me down a little. Maybe it was because I loved the prologue so much. Maybe it was because I had been building it up in my head for months and months. And it's never that it was really bad, don't get me wrong. But though I liked it as a whole, there were a few things I couldn't get past.
Here's the breakdown:
Meridian had an original feel. It was interesting, because I think it did follow a formula we're all familiar with in YA. There was a predictability, so much so that there were things you could see coming through the entire book, and you begin to wonder why none of the characters see it. The villain is so obvious the entire time that it becomes on of those irritating things that makes you say: how do you not see this? That's a little frustrating. (The good guys were really obvious, too, and you can always tell who's going to be coming back into the story to save the day.) But in spite of this, there is still a feeling of freshness about the work. Kizer's fenestra mythology is interesting and new, and the issues that it raises and is bound to cause for Meridian add noticeably to the story. The religious zealotry in the story, though admittedly over the top, was also an interesting aspect. At least for me, as there's little that freaks me out more.
And even though the bad guys and good guys may as well come with big declarative flags over their heads, they're still interesting. I genuinely liked Meridian, Auntie and Tens (especially Tens), and wanted more of their backstories (again, especially Tens). I thought some good groundwork was laid for the future of the series with the little snippets of information that we did get, but at the same time, it was frustrating. Don't just give me good groundwork for future books -- give me a good book now. Make me want to read your future books on the writing alone, not a hook, or a plot line I want to see finished.
Which brings me to the most irritating part of the book (other than the obviousness that wasn't obvious to anyone) -- the ending. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I am not a fan of deus ex machina. At all. The end of this was a disappointment for me on a few levels. It was just all too convenient, every last detail. And so, so quick. Blink and you missed it. I want some meat to it. What happened? Break it down, drag it out a bit, give me something to chew on and savor. This was the biggest point of contention for my book club, actually. I think we all felt a little cheated, like we'd been given the brush off.
But in spite of this, most of us still said we liked the book, me more so than many. (Two haaated it) It was engaging, and what wasn't fulfilling I could supplement with my mind. (<-- I don't think a book should make you do that, but at least it means there was something there to work with.) And like I said, it managed to somehow be fresh, and there were some issues raised that I hope to see (and should certainly be) in book 2. It felt like Kizer has yet to hit her stride, but that when she does she'll be an author to watch.
I have been wanting to read this book for awhile because it has one of my absolute favorite opening sections ever (which I did read. A few times. But never the whole book), but I was saving it to read with my book club, since I knew it was on the schedule. We finally read it for last month's meeting, so now I can share it with you for Helluva Halloween.
I want to start by saying that all in all, I would recommend this, I did like it, but.
But I felt like it let me down a little. Maybe it was because I loved the prologue so much. Maybe it was because I had been building it up in my head for months and months. And it's never that it was really bad, don't get me wrong. But though I liked it as a whole, there were a few things I couldn't get past.
Here's the breakdown:
Meridian had an original feel. It was interesting, because I think it did follow a formula we're all familiar with in YA. There was a predictability, so much so that there were things you could see coming through the entire book, and you begin to wonder why none of the characters see it. The villain is so obvious the entire time that it becomes on of those irritating things that makes you say: how do you not see this? That's a little frustrating. (The good guys were really obvious, too, and you can always tell who's going to be coming back into the story to save the day.) But in spite of this, there is still a feeling of freshness about the work. Kizer's fenestra mythology is interesting and new, and the issues that it raises and is bound to cause for Meridian add noticeably to the story. The religious zealotry in the story, though admittedly over the top, was also an interesting aspect. At least for me, as there's little that freaks me out more.
And even though the bad guys and good guys may as well come with big declarative flags over their heads, they're still interesting. I genuinely liked Meridian, Auntie and Tens (especially Tens), and wanted more of their backstories (again, especially Tens). I thought some good groundwork was laid for the future of the series with the little snippets of information that we did get, but at the same time, it was frustrating. Don't just give me good groundwork for future books -- give me a good book now. Make me want to read your future books on the writing alone, not a hook, or a plot line I want to see finished.
Which brings me to the most irritating part of the book (other than the obviousness that wasn't obvious to anyone) -- the ending. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I am not a fan of deus ex machina. At all. The end of this was a disappointment for me on a few levels. It was just all too convenient, every last detail. And so, so quick. Blink and you missed it. I want some meat to it. What happened? Break it down, drag it out a bit, give me something to chew on and savor. This was the biggest point of contention for my book club, actually. I think we all felt a little cheated, like we'd been given the brush off.
But in spite of this, most of us still said we liked the book, me more so than many. (Two haaated it) It was engaging, and what wasn't fulfilling I could supplement with my mind. (<-- I don't think a book should make you do that, but at least it means there was something there to work with.) And like I said, it managed to somehow be fresh, and there were some issues raised that I hope to see (and should certainly be) in book 2. It felt like Kizer has yet to hit her stride, but that when she does she'll be an author to watch.
January 14, 2010
A reader's ability to tolerate this is going to depend on a certain amount of tolerance for ill-logic and bland characters, plus not minding that the villain quotes the Bible and uses Christianity as a weapon.
Fenestras are half-angel beings that transport souls to heaven. Nocti transport souls to hell. If neither a Fenestra nor a Nocti are around when a person dies, the person reincarnates. The heaven/hell/reincarnation thing is pure chance, depending on proximity and timing. Kizer references Einstein and talks about energy transforming and rising--presumably the soul. Yet for a set-up that removes all morality, the actual conflict is pure good vs. evil, or rather Creator vs. Destroyer.
Meridian is practically a blank slate, having no friends, no hobbies, no dreams, no drive. She doesn't like that things die around her all the time and that she constantly feels sick, but even that isn't described vividly enough to be compelling. Tens is a tall, dark, handsome, project-your-own-fantasy-here cutout figure. They fall in love because they're destined to be together. Similarly, there's no suspense to the plot because it's never really in question that Meridian will come to accept and master her powers. As soon as the Nocti threaten her, a deus ex machina turns up to save her and Tens.
There are so many supernatural romances being published right now that there has to be one better than this.
Fenestras are half-angel beings that transport souls to heaven. Nocti transport souls to hell. If neither a Fenestra nor a Nocti are around when a person dies, the person reincarnates. The heaven/hell/reincarnation thing is pure chance, depending on proximity and timing. Kizer references Einstein and talks about energy transforming and rising--presumably the soul. Yet for a set-up that removes all morality, the actual conflict is pure good vs. evil, or rather Creator vs. Destroyer.
Meridian is practically a blank slate, having no friends, no hobbies, no dreams, no drive. She doesn't like that things die around her all the time and that she constantly feels sick, but even that isn't described vividly enough to be compelling. Tens is a tall, dark, handsome, project-your-own-fantasy-here cutout figure. They fall in love because they're destined to be together. Similarly, there's no suspense to the plot because it's never really in question that Meridian will come to accept and master her powers. As soon as the Nocti threaten her, a deus ex machina turns up to save her and Tens.
There are so many supernatural romances being published right now that there has to be one better than this.
December 12, 2012
This book was all sorts of terrible. The premise for the book was interesting, I'll give it that. I wanted to see where it'd go. The book interested me with the basic idea that a girl was surrounded by death all the time. I didn't expect it to turn around into some long, drawn out boring, dull romance (if you can even call it that).
The entire beginning was too buoyant--very very slow then sped up too quickly--not enough time to develop any characterization. You are barely figuring out how Meridian feels about who she is and suddenly, oh someone's after her, quick get her to auntie's house, boom, she's at aunties house with a handsome boy all at the same time! Then the middle became too drawn out and nothing happened. Nothing, seriously.
I felt like the story never connected with me. I had no admiration for the characters because they were so dull to begin with. After going 31% through the book, I felt myself not wanting to go on because of all the drab slow-pacing flow of the story. It wasn't going anywhere in all honesty. Meridian and Tens had no chemistry at all and I found their romance uninteresting to follow. There was a lot of unnecessary religious glorification in the book that I found unbearable to read.
It took me a while to finish. All in all, a very drab attempt at a romance with uninteresting characters and a poor execution at what could have been a neat idea. The romance (boring as it was) was unnecessary. I felt it could have been better without it.
The entire beginning was too buoyant--very very slow then sped up too quickly--not enough time to develop any characterization. You are barely figuring out how Meridian feels about who she is and suddenly, oh someone's after her, quick get her to auntie's house, boom, she's at aunties house with a handsome boy all at the same time! Then the middle became too drawn out and nothing happened. Nothing, seriously.
I felt like the story never connected with me. I had no admiration for the characters because they were so dull to begin with. After going 31% through the book, I felt myself not wanting to go on because of all the drab slow-pacing flow of the story. It wasn't going anywhere in all honesty. Meridian and Tens had no chemistry at all and I found their romance uninteresting to follow. There was a lot of unnecessary religious glorification in the book that I found unbearable to read.
It took me a while to finish. All in all, a very drab attempt at a romance with uninteresting characters and a poor execution at what could have been a neat idea. The romance (boring as it was) was unnecessary. I felt it could have been better without it.
July 30, 2009
MERIDIAN is puts an interesting paranormal spin on a tried-and-true storytelling style. I enjoyed learning about the Fenestras and the way they helped souls reach eternal peace, but unfortunately poor execution and choppy writing hampered the story for me.
Meridian is a character with whom she can sympathize. She has been wrenched suddenly from the only life she has known (even though it has been a terribly lonely one), only to find herself with the burden of ancient responsibilities, with hundreds of people bent on intending her harm. The way she reacts to her situation is consistent and plausible, and yet she is able to work that female power in a very heroine-saves-the-day way.
Unfortunately, I felt for the most part disconnected from the story, due to its choppy narration. The concept of Fenestras was a big one to tackle in a couple hundred pages, and I would’ve liked more flow and time spent on clearer explanations, instead of forced, mysterious, and confusing conversations. In the end, I felt like I didn’t connect to any of the characters, and was unimpressed with the development of Meridian and Tens� romance.
Overall, MERIDIAN is a unique story that, despite some flaws, will appeal to readers looking for an easy paranormal read.
Meridian is a character with whom she can sympathize. She has been wrenched suddenly from the only life she has known (even though it has been a terribly lonely one), only to find herself with the burden of ancient responsibilities, with hundreds of people bent on intending her harm. The way she reacts to her situation is consistent and plausible, and yet she is able to work that female power in a very heroine-saves-the-day way.
Unfortunately, I felt for the most part disconnected from the story, due to its choppy narration. The concept of Fenestras was a big one to tackle in a couple hundred pages, and I would’ve liked more flow and time spent on clearer explanations, instead of forced, mysterious, and confusing conversations. In the end, I felt like I didn’t connect to any of the characters, and was unimpressed with the development of Meridian and Tens� romance.
Overall, MERIDIAN is a unique story that, despite some flaws, will appeal to readers looking for an easy paranormal read.
July 16, 2021
¡Me ha sorprendido bastante! Últimamente me he acostumbrado a no disfrutar el 100% del estilo de escritura de diversos libros juveniles, porque suelo encontrarlos repetitivos o incoherentes. En este en cambio he de admitir que he disfrutado mucho el estilo de la autora, que no parece tratar al lector como si fuera un niño.
Si bien la idea principal de la trama no me resulta lo más llamativo, he disfrutado mucho cada capÃtulo y me verÃa con ganas de leer la continuación. El principio (y el final) son excesivamente rápidos para mi gusto, pero sobre todo la forma de cerrar este libro sà que no me ha gustado tanto: ha sido demasiado precipitada, y de repente por arte de magia han aparecido todos los personajes que se habÃan mencionado con anterioridad... Meh.
Los personajes (también sorprendentemente) me han gustado mucho. La que menos ha sido Meridian, pero supongo que son problemas de ser la protagonista, la importante.
En fin, libro que recomiendo si quieres leer algo sencillo y ligero.
Si bien la idea principal de la trama no me resulta lo más llamativo, he disfrutado mucho cada capÃtulo y me verÃa con ganas de leer la continuación. El principio (y el final) son excesivamente rápidos para mi gusto, pero sobre todo la forma de cerrar este libro sà que no me ha gustado tanto: ha sido demasiado precipitada, y de repente por arte de magia han aparecido todos los personajes que se habÃan mencionado con anterioridad... Meh.
Los personajes (también sorprendentemente) me han gustado mucho. La que menos ha sido Meridian, pero supongo que son problemas de ser la protagonista, la importante.
En fin, libro que recomiendo si quieres leer algo sencillo y ligero.
October 29, 2012
Meridian was... not bad.
It's not something I got really into - not one of those books you just can't put down, or anything like that. It was a good book, though.
Meridian just turned 16, and has spent her whole life haunted by death. Every morning since her birth, she's woken up to find the bodies of animals surrounding her, with no explanation as to why. And things are steadily getting worse.
On the day she turns 16 she returns home from school to find her family has suddenly packed up the house and all their belongings in preparation to move, a decision apparently made out of the blue. And Meridian will not be going with them.
Instead she's sent to the home of her (Great) Aunt in Colorado (?), to learn how to control the powers that draw the dying to her before the dark forces who are hunting her manage to track her down. Her aunts home is not as safe as it seems, however, as an extremist cult has settled into the area, and the leader has made Meridians' aunt into a target.
The good: Interesting plot, likeable characters, main (female) character isn't completely helpless and doesn't act like a damsel in distress. And despite wanting nothing to do with her powers, she is willing to step up and learn what she has to instead of whining about it and fighting it at every turn.
There is a - cliche - romance plot, but the character is capable of thinking of things other than romance.
The story about the aunts' romantic past was one that I did like, though - I thought it was very sweet, and far more believable than the main one. If Kizer ever decides to write that story as a novel, I'd definitely love to check it out.
The bad: A lot of it was very predictable - I guess the author was trying to drop subtle clues to readers, but it was more like an anvil dropping on your head. I knew after about a chapter of her Aunts' explanations what was upcoming in regards to the big bad.
There is the usual cliche romance, which progresses way too fast. Or seems to, at least - the story seems like it takes place over a matter of days - 3 weeks at the most, and that's probably be stretching it. Destined romance or not, I find it a bit of a stretch to believe that you can fall into love with someone that fast, especially when you don't know them very well.
Also? At one point we have a character show up who plays a major part in the story, and it's his second appearance. The thing is it's unlikely you'll realize this - the character shows up for about 3 pages near the start of the book, and is only named once. We don't see them again, they aren't mentioned again, but despite this Meridian instantly recognizes him when he appears, knowing exactly who he is. Meridian must be a freaking genius for names & faces, because I sure as heck didn't remember him. [I can't even remember people I've met more than once in real life half the time, if they're not people I actually talk to and see occasionally. A stranger I meet once in passing? Not happening.]
Overall, it was a good read. It was interesting, and I'll probably check out the rest of the series to see what happens unless the writing takes a major header. Good for fans of supernatural plots, especially those involving demons and angels.
It's not something I got really into - not one of those books you just can't put down, or anything like that. It was a good book, though.
Meridian just turned 16, and has spent her whole life haunted by death. Every morning since her birth, she's woken up to find the bodies of animals surrounding her, with no explanation as to why. And things are steadily getting worse.
On the day she turns 16 she returns home from school to find her family has suddenly packed up the house and all their belongings in preparation to move, a decision apparently made out of the blue. And Meridian will not be going with them.
Instead she's sent to the home of her (Great) Aunt in Colorado (?), to learn how to control the powers that draw the dying to her before the dark forces who are hunting her manage to track her down. Her aunts home is not as safe as it seems, however, as an extremist cult has settled into the area, and the leader has made Meridians' aunt into a target.
The good: Interesting plot, likeable characters, main (female) character isn't completely helpless and doesn't act like a damsel in distress. And despite wanting nothing to do with her powers, she is willing to step up and learn what she has to instead of whining about it and fighting it at every turn.
There is a - cliche - romance plot, but the character is capable of thinking of things other than romance.
The story about the aunts' romantic past was one that I did like, though - I thought it was very sweet, and far more believable than the main one. If Kizer ever decides to write that story as a novel, I'd definitely love to check it out.
The bad: A lot of it was very predictable - I guess the author was trying to drop subtle clues to readers, but it was more like an anvil dropping on your head. I knew after about a chapter of her Aunts' explanations what was upcoming in regards to the big bad.
There is the usual cliche romance, which progresses way too fast. Or seems to, at least - the story seems like it takes place over a matter of days - 3 weeks at the most, and that's probably be stretching it. Destined romance or not, I find it a bit of a stretch to believe that you can fall into love with someone that fast, especially when you don't know them very well.
Also? At one point we have a character show up who plays a major part in the story, and it's his second appearance. The thing is it's unlikely you'll realize this - the character shows up for about 3 pages near the start of the book, and is only named once. We don't see them again, they aren't mentioned again, but despite this Meridian instantly recognizes him when he appears, knowing exactly who he is. Meridian must be a freaking genius for names & faces, because I sure as heck didn't remember him. [I can't even remember people I've met more than once in real life half the time, if they're not people I actually talk to and see occasionally. A stranger I meet once in passing? Not happening.]
Overall, it was a good read. It was interesting, and I'll probably check out the rest of the series to see what happens unless the writing takes a major header. Good for fans of supernatural plots, especially those involving demons and angels.
January 16, 2013
This book was a mess. I really wanted to like it. Really. Honestly. But the problems for me started right at the beginning, with the bizarre family interactions.
After reading the book, you know that Meridian's mother knows all along the basics of what's going on with her daughter. But instead of sitting her down and explaining it, she sits by while her daughter is ostracized, becomes sicker and sicker, and feels more and more like a freak. Not that we really get a good sense of any of this. We're just told, not shown any of it to make it real.
Then we move on at breakneck speed to Auntie's, where the 'mysterious' Tens is waiting. No. Not mysterious. Weird. Because he has no set character. It's as if Kizer has this idea in her head that a teen romance has to have a brooding hero, so Tens is brooding. Then the hero has to thaw, so there's a train wreck (literally and figuratively) that makes him thaw. Suddenly there's kissy time all over the place. What?
Then there's Auntie, who knows she's dying, but parcels out her important information to Meridian about what she is and what she does like there's all the time in the world.
Oh, and then there's my biggest complaint about the book, the one that had me throwing my book down in frustration halfway through reading, not sure if I even wanted to continue. The big bad guy is a charismatic preacher. Except not really because he's an 'immortal' bad guy who wants the world to fall to chaos. Or something. It's not clear. But Kizer uses the world of Christianity to paint her baddie picture by taking verses out of context and giving us an extreme example of a cultist leader- which no one points out. There is no talk of this guy being an extremist, or insane, or what's going on in the congregation- no talk of mob mentality or the dangerous game of following the leader to avoid consequences. No, just a feeling that the congregation went insane when this guy showed up. Because they're Christians and that's what Christians do lolol hahaha crazy Christians.
So okay, then at the end, the baddie manages to find them in their totes convenient Anasazi cave and is about to kill them, when NOT TO WORRY a random character from the beginning of the book shows up, talks in incomplete sentences, and turns the immortal baddie into nothing. Then disappears. WHAT?
This book was a big old pile of nope.
After reading the book, you know that Meridian's mother knows all along the basics of what's going on with her daughter. But instead of sitting her down and explaining it, she sits by while her daughter is ostracized, becomes sicker and sicker, and feels more and more like a freak. Not that we really get a good sense of any of this. We're just told, not shown any of it to make it real.
Then we move on at breakneck speed to Auntie's, where the 'mysterious' Tens is waiting. No. Not mysterious. Weird. Because he has no set character. It's as if Kizer has this idea in her head that a teen romance has to have a brooding hero, so Tens is brooding. Then the hero has to thaw, so there's a train wreck (literally and figuratively) that makes him thaw. Suddenly there's kissy time all over the place. What?
Then there's Auntie, who knows she's dying, but parcels out her important information to Meridian about what she is and what she does like there's all the time in the world.
Oh, and then there's my biggest complaint about the book, the one that had me throwing my book down in frustration halfway through reading, not sure if I even wanted to continue. The big bad guy is a charismatic preacher. Except not really because he's an 'immortal' bad guy who wants the world to fall to chaos. Or something. It's not clear. But Kizer uses the world of Christianity to paint her baddie picture by taking verses out of context and giving us an extreme example of a cultist leader- which no one points out. There is no talk of this guy being an extremist, or insane, or what's going on in the congregation- no talk of mob mentality or the dangerous game of following the leader to avoid consequences. No, just a feeling that the congregation went insane when this guy showed up. Because they're Christians and that's what Christians do lolol hahaha crazy Christians.
So okay, then at the end, the baddie manages to find them in their totes convenient Anasazi cave and is about to kill them, when NOT TO WORRY a random character from the beginning of the book shows up, talks in incomplete sentences, and turns the immortal baddie into nothing. Then disappears. WHAT?
This book was a big old pile of nope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2010
At this rate anything about Angels are intriguing to me. So I was really excited to read Meridian. So I was really sad that most parts of this book is not as exciting as I thought. The first chapters were catchy. It gives you this detailed picture that she was being surrounded by death. Like literally, she was never normal, never got the chance to be one. Everytime she wakes up in the morning there are death insect / animals around her. It was a little traumatic yet she came out as this kind hearted young girl and I love her for that. There's something about her makes her special. But I still could not put my finger on what it was. Then the day of her 16th birthday arrived. First her mother freaked when about some call they got that day. She got fierce hugs and just this weird feeling. the school day ended and she got off the bus, then all of a sudden this SUV headed out for her, killing a bunch of people in the process. She parents then told her that she needs to leave town and that they love them no matter what. It was all to fast and too discombobulating. It was a bunch of questions,a really good way to start a story. But it continued on to the next chapters. Somewhere along the way it became tedious and a bit boring.
The history on what she is, which is a Fenestra - an angel who serves as a window to the souls getting to that next level on their path to heaven. The ancient malevolent creatures who seek to destroy them - which is called the Nocti, has a very very good concept. What really kept me going was this poser priest named Perimo, he made me so mad, I was so eager to find out what his fate will be at the end. And I like how he ended. Maybe the second series would have more action, surprises and less questions and more answers.
The history on what she is, which is a Fenestra - an angel who serves as a window to the souls getting to that next level on their path to heaven. The ancient malevolent creatures who seek to destroy them - which is called the Nocti, has a very very good concept. What really kept me going was this poser priest named Perimo, he made me so mad, I was so eager to find out what his fate will be at the end. And I like how he ended. Maybe the second series would have more action, surprises and less questions and more answers.
July 16, 2010
So, I am not quite sure why I wanted to read this book, I mean it wasn’t the cover. It looked like any other teen paranormal try hard book, it wasn’t the blurb. Honestly I thought it was going to be another “Twilight� love story mixed with a bit of “Hush hush�. So, what was it? I put it on my to reads book list with no real intention to seek it out but when I saw it in the shops something possessed me to buy it and boy am I glad.
This book had me gripped from the first page, I hate books with boring starts because I automatically get tired of the main character, I know that sounds stupid but it’s true. This book made its statement from page one and I can’t recall a boring moment in the book although I didn’t exactly like the letters and journal entries but that’s just me.
The plot to “Meridian� was really quite wonderious, the concept that the author created of dying was really interesting and I found myself fascinated with the idea of a window to heaven. The characters in this book were good as well Ten’s was alright although I thought he could have been a bit better, Auntie was my favourite, and I was so sad when the end came for her. Meridian’s character I really liked and I found myself empathising with her decisions.
The writing style was good as well, I liked how it didn’t ramble and do flash backs I don’t really like it when authors do that! The book was also really easy to read and understand, it flowed and that was nice.
This was a great book. I never got bored and always wanted to know more. Everyone should give it a go!
This book had me gripped from the first page, I hate books with boring starts because I automatically get tired of the main character, I know that sounds stupid but it’s true. This book made its statement from page one and I can’t recall a boring moment in the book although I didn’t exactly like the letters and journal entries but that’s just me.
The plot to “Meridian� was really quite wonderious, the concept that the author created of dying was really interesting and I found myself fascinated with the idea of a window to heaven. The characters in this book were good as well Ten’s was alright although I thought he could have been a bit better, Auntie was my favourite, and I was so sad when the end came for her. Meridian’s character I really liked and I found myself empathising with her decisions.
The writing style was good as well, I liked how it didn’t ramble and do flash backs I don’t really like it when authors do that! The book was also really easy to read and understand, it flowed and that was nice.
This was a great book. I never got bored and always wanted to know more. Everyone should give it a go!
April 7, 2011
I enjoyed this book a lot, it wasnt action packed or full of romance but more of a girl trying to learn about her gift before her only teacher, her auntie passes on. I dont really want to say too much about it because it is an unusual gift that Meridian has and for the 1st 16 years of her life wasnt aware of in the right way. When her life is put into danger she is separated from all she has ever knew and made to go stay with her Aunt and her helper Tens who then put her on a crash course to master her gift before time runs out. All the main charcters are likable, Meridian is a 16 year old girl who hasnt really fit in anywhere and known as a 'freak' from her peers and kept at arms length by her parents. Her Aunt also named Meridian is a lovely all knowing Grandmotherly type with a lot of wisdom to pass on and Tens, hmm we dont really get a lot of his back story but im sure that will come in the sequel, he was irritating a bit in the beginning but then as he and Meridian warmed to each other he warmed to me also and they are so sweet together. I feel that the aunt took most of the dialogue and i wanted more of Tens and Meridian together but im willing to wait :)The plot with the enemy wasnt huge, smalltown religious zealots causing witch hunts whilst hiding beneath the guise of all thats holy, while good people are persecuted and driven from their homes. Grrr i dont do religious fanatics !! but its left me thinking it will still be causing her some trouble throughout the series and this is a good start. Looking forward to the next one :)
November 15, 2015
2.5 stars
You can’t help but be intrigued by the summary: �As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die.� Whaaaaatt??? Creepy right? I totally loved the introduction into the story, loved learning about her childhood and all that she had to endure as her parents never fully understood her.
On her sixteenth birthday when she witnesses a tragic car accident right in front of her house, her parents proceed to tell her that she must leave town immediately to stay with her great-aunt in Colorado. And� that’s about where it went downhill and into predictable-YA land for me.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is an extremely interesting story and I was extremely interested in learning all about ‘Fenestra’s� and I loved how even though the story obviously has to do with angels it didn’t go overtly religious and the author had the decency to not associate angels strictly with Christianity.
The main problem I had was the main character was your typical annoying and immature YA character; she pretty much drove me crazy. The other problem I had was even as interesting as the story was to me, the actual writing kind of fell flat for me, was a bit choppy, and overall predictable. The fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did regardless of the problems I had with it I would still be interested in picking up the next in this series to see where the author continues to take this story.
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You can’t help but be intrigued by the summary: �As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die.� Whaaaaatt??? Creepy right? I totally loved the introduction into the story, loved learning about her childhood and all that she had to endure as her parents never fully understood her.
On her sixteenth birthday when she witnesses a tragic car accident right in front of her house, her parents proceed to tell her that she must leave town immediately to stay with her great-aunt in Colorado. And� that’s about where it went downhill and into predictable-YA land for me.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is an extremely interesting story and I was extremely interested in learning all about ‘Fenestra’s� and I loved how even though the story obviously has to do with angels it didn’t go overtly religious and the author had the decency to not associate angels strictly with Christianity.
The main problem I had was the main character was your typical annoying and immature YA character; she pretty much drove me crazy. The other problem I had was even as interesting as the story was to me, the actual writing kind of fell flat for me, was a bit choppy, and overall predictable. The fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did regardless of the problems I had with it I would still be interested in picking up the next in this series to see where the author continues to take this story.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my !
November 14, 2012
Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com
Meridian is a teenage girl who has seen a lot of death in her almost sixteen years. It has been a constant companion for her and she has no idea why - even small animals seem to die when they are near her. She spends most of her young life being feared by the kids around her, but that all changes as her 16th birthday nears.
On her way home from school, a tragic accident happens and she is forced to flee. She goes one way and her family another. She is sent to live with her namesake, an aunt whom she only knows from the quilts that she sent for all of Meridian's birthdays.
Once there she meets Tens, a mysterious boy who also lives with her aunt. Meridian is told that she is Fenestra, a descendant of Angels who sends souls on their way to the afterlife. She must learn to control her ability, because there are those who would use it against her.
Let me first say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The mythology of this story was entirely new for me as a reader. I felt that it was well thought out, had interesting characters, and kept me enthralled for the entire book. While I did enjoy everything about this book, I wish there had been more back-story on Tens.
I read that there is another book coming out and I hope it turns into a series, because it would be a definite auto-buy for me.
Meridian is a teenage girl who has seen a lot of death in her almost sixteen years. It has been a constant companion for her and she has no idea why - even small animals seem to die when they are near her. She spends most of her young life being feared by the kids around her, but that all changes as her 16th birthday nears.
On her way home from school, a tragic accident happens and she is forced to flee. She goes one way and her family another. She is sent to live with her namesake, an aunt whom she only knows from the quilts that she sent for all of Meridian's birthdays.
Once there she meets Tens, a mysterious boy who also lives with her aunt. Meridian is told that she is Fenestra, a descendant of Angels who sends souls on their way to the afterlife. She must learn to control her ability, because there are those who would use it against her.
Let me first say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The mythology of this story was entirely new for me as a reader. I felt that it was well thought out, had interesting characters, and kept me enthralled for the entire book. While I did enjoy everything about this book, I wish there had been more back-story on Tens.
I read that there is another book coming out and I hope it turns into a series, because it would be a definite auto-buy for me.
August 15, 2009
I loved the characters! They were all well developed and a pleasure to read about. Each contributed to the novel in a different way. The main character, Meridian, had to be my favorite of them all. She was relatable and definitely had my sympathy when she was forced to leave her family behind. She was also strong-willed and a great listener. Tens was fantastic too! He was sarcastic--which I love--and hilarious, which is good too. He was almost the exact opposite of Meridian and they balanced each other out perfectly. The romance between the two was refreshing.
The novel was surprisingly fast-paced and the plot was just genius. I thought the duty of a Fenestra was awesome--helping the dead move on to Heaven. It sounded like a cool job, but kind of scary.
One thing I found distasteful was the lack of explanation in some parts. I found myself confused every once once in a while. Another thing was that I actually got bored. Even though that was a rarity, it was still present, and it lessened my interest in the novel.
Meridian was an exciting read and kept me on my toes for the majority of the time. I'm anxious to see what Amber Kizer will write next.
The novel was surprisingly fast-paced and the plot was just genius. I thought the duty of a Fenestra was awesome--helping the dead move on to Heaven. It sounded like a cool job, but kind of scary.
One thing I found distasteful was the lack of explanation in some parts. I found myself confused every once once in a while. Another thing was that I actually got bored. Even though that was a rarity, it was still present, and it lessened my interest in the novel.
Meridian was an exciting read and kept me on my toes for the majority of the time. I'm anxious to see what Amber Kizer will write next.
December 28, 2023
Ich habe das Buch als Jugendliche schonmal gelesen, daher konnte ich mich an die Handlung zum teil noch erinnern.
Wir haben unsere Protagonistin Meridian, sie ist gerade 16 geworden. Da sie vom Tod begleitet wird, ist sie sehr einzelgängerisch unterwegs. Nachdem an ihrem 16 Geburtstag ein Anschlag auf sie verübt wird, wird sie von ihren Eltern zu ihrer Tante nach Colorado geschickt. Ohne irgendeine Erklärung!
Bei ihrer Tante lernt sie nicht nur ihre erste Liebe kennen, sie erfährt auch mehr über sich und ihre Fähigkeiten, ihre Bestimmung in einem Kamof zwischen Gut und Böse.
Ich lese nicht mehr gerne Jugend-Fantasy, mir ist das alles zu vorhersehbar und die Protagonisten sind meistens furchtbar. Auch hier fand ich Meridian und Tens teilweise unfassbar anstrengend von dem was sie gesagt und getan haben. Aber ich bin auch 10 Jahre älter. Es ist kein schlechtes Buch oder eine schlechte Geschichte und ich freu mich auf den zweiten Band den ich vermutlich in 2024 lesen werde, aber es war einfach nicht zu 100% meins.
Wir haben unsere Protagonistin Meridian, sie ist gerade 16 geworden. Da sie vom Tod begleitet wird, ist sie sehr einzelgängerisch unterwegs. Nachdem an ihrem 16 Geburtstag ein Anschlag auf sie verübt wird, wird sie von ihren Eltern zu ihrer Tante nach Colorado geschickt. Ohne irgendeine Erklärung!
Bei ihrer Tante lernt sie nicht nur ihre erste Liebe kennen, sie erfährt auch mehr über sich und ihre Fähigkeiten, ihre Bestimmung in einem Kamof zwischen Gut und Böse.
Ich lese nicht mehr gerne Jugend-Fantasy, mir ist das alles zu vorhersehbar und die Protagonisten sind meistens furchtbar. Auch hier fand ich Meridian und Tens teilweise unfassbar anstrengend von dem was sie gesagt und getan haben. Aber ich bin auch 10 Jahre älter. Es ist kein schlechtes Buch oder eine schlechte Geschichte und ich freu mich auf den zweiten Band den ich vermutlich in 2024 lesen werde, aber es war einfach nicht zu 100% meins.
Read
May 5, 2023Well. All I can say is I loved this in high school and upon re-reading I'm quite happy to leave it in those fond memories. I cannot in good conscience leave the rating as 5 stars though, there are a couple questionable things that made me raise my eyebrows and also the writing is just...
Anyways. I'm compromising by leaving it blank.
Some books hold up, this one did not.
Anyways. I'm compromising by leaving it blank.
Some books hold up, this one did not.
August 22, 2017
This was an interesting read. I like books with angels. I liked how this was different than the rest. I did find it hard to read the parts with the church. Not because I'm against it but simply because those people were nuts. I just hope in the next book we don't have to deal with them much if at all.
January 14, 2011
Meridian Sozu believed she was human. For the first sixteen years of her life no one told her any different. Sure, she wasn’t exactly normal by anyone’s standards, even her own, but she certainly didn’t think she wasn’t human.
All of her life, living creatures would just come up to her and die. If this freaked her out, how could she expect anyone else not to think of her as a freak and an outcast? I mean, who wants to be friends with someone that may just be walking death?
There was also the problem with photos. There was not one single picture of her. Every time anyone tried to take a photo of her, there was this blinding light that would distort the image.
But on her sixteenth birthday everything changed. In the course of one day, she went from having a home and a family, to being rushed out of town while her family packed up and moved away to an undisclosed location.
She was told it was for her safety and theirs that she go and stay with her Aunt Merry in Revelation, Colorado, that she is something other and that now that she’s sixteen she is in danger.
Finding this out while being rushed to the bus station with some cash and a few changes of clothing is not in the least bit comforting. And being provided with only the sketchiest of details only makes matters worse. What exactly does it mean to be a Fenestra? Who is she in danger from? And why now?
Running to an Aunt that she barely knows aside from a yearly quilt she receives is probably one of the most frightening things that has happened to Meridian, but what awaits her in Colorado is much worse.
***
Meridian is the first book in a new series by Amber Kizer. It brings to the young adult market a new spin on the angels theme. Meridian Sozu is a half-angel, half-human whose purpose is to help souls pass from this world into the afterlife. There are also beings, the Alternocti or Nocti, who seek to lead souls away from the light and into the dark. These Destroyers also hope to turn the Fenestra toward their side to tip the balance in their favor.
With the help of her Protector, Tens, and the guidance of her aunt, Meridian will need to quickly learn how to master this process before it kills her or before the Nocti can destroy her.
Meridian is an utterly captivating story. The author does a beautiful job of developing Meridian Sozu’s character from frail and confused to strong and focused, ready to accept the awesome responsibility she has been given and the good that she can provide to others at a most frightening time.
I’m eclipsed by my role in the world.
Author Amber Kizer gives readers insight into the Fenestra history by creatively weaving in journal entries at the beginning of several chapters in the story from other Fenestra as well as Meridian’s aunt.
The story will keep you engaged from the moment Meridian is abruptly whisked off to join her aunt in Colorado until the story’s climactic ending.
Although it is not a cliffhanger, the novel sets the stage, with an almost prequel-like feel, for many possible adventures to come in Meridian’s quest to maintain the balance between light and dark.
On a personal note:
I. Loved. This. Book.
Although it fits right in with other books in this genre, the concept of the Fenestra makes this remarkably different. The idea of beings who act as windows to help souls transition from this life is something I haven’t seen in any of the YA books I’ve read.
When I first started to read this book I did notice some similarities in the setting that made it, at first glance, blend in with the Need series. A girl leaves her family to stay with an aunt she doesn’t know very well, in a remote, wooded and wintry locale. There is a also wolf. But that’s where the similarities end.
I loved all the characters, especially Auntie Merry who was one totally awesome one hundred and six-year-old woman and Custos the wolf who immediately befriended Meridian. Meridian was a strong and sympathetic character and Tens was the perfect protector. And the baddie in this story was most definitely detestable.
And yes, I know,it’s geeky, but I loved the element of the one sixes � Meridian was sixteen (16), January 6 was a key date (1/6), and Auntie Merry was one hundred and six (106).
No, I did not sob my way through this book, but there may have been a tear or two. And I was completely rooting for Tens and Meridian as a couple.
There was no question I was going to re-read this book and I will most likely read it again before Wildcat Fireflies.
All of her life, living creatures would just come up to her and die. If this freaked her out, how could she expect anyone else not to think of her as a freak and an outcast? I mean, who wants to be friends with someone that may just be walking death?
There was also the problem with photos. There was not one single picture of her. Every time anyone tried to take a photo of her, there was this blinding light that would distort the image.
But on her sixteenth birthday everything changed. In the course of one day, she went from having a home and a family, to being rushed out of town while her family packed up and moved away to an undisclosed location.
She was told it was for her safety and theirs that she go and stay with her Aunt Merry in Revelation, Colorado, that she is something other and that now that she’s sixteen she is in danger.
Finding this out while being rushed to the bus station with some cash and a few changes of clothing is not in the least bit comforting. And being provided with only the sketchiest of details only makes matters worse. What exactly does it mean to be a Fenestra? Who is she in danger from? And why now?
Running to an Aunt that she barely knows aside from a yearly quilt she receives is probably one of the most frightening things that has happened to Meridian, but what awaits her in Colorado is much worse.
***
Meridian is the first book in a new series by Amber Kizer. It brings to the young adult market a new spin on the angels theme. Meridian Sozu is a half-angel, half-human whose purpose is to help souls pass from this world into the afterlife. There are also beings, the Alternocti or Nocti, who seek to lead souls away from the light and into the dark. These Destroyers also hope to turn the Fenestra toward their side to tip the balance in their favor.
With the help of her Protector, Tens, and the guidance of her aunt, Meridian will need to quickly learn how to master this process before it kills her or before the Nocti can destroy her.
Meridian is an utterly captivating story. The author does a beautiful job of developing Meridian Sozu’s character from frail and confused to strong and focused, ready to accept the awesome responsibility she has been given and the good that she can provide to others at a most frightening time.
I’m eclipsed by my role in the world.
Author Amber Kizer gives readers insight into the Fenestra history by creatively weaving in journal entries at the beginning of several chapters in the story from other Fenestra as well as Meridian’s aunt.
The story will keep you engaged from the moment Meridian is abruptly whisked off to join her aunt in Colorado until the story’s climactic ending.
Although it is not a cliffhanger, the novel sets the stage, with an almost prequel-like feel, for many possible adventures to come in Meridian’s quest to maintain the balance between light and dark.
On a personal note:
I. Loved. This. Book.
Although it fits right in with other books in this genre, the concept of the Fenestra makes this remarkably different. The idea of beings who act as windows to help souls transition from this life is something I haven’t seen in any of the YA books I’ve read.
When I first started to read this book I did notice some similarities in the setting that made it, at first glance, blend in with the Need series. A girl leaves her family to stay with an aunt she doesn’t know very well, in a remote, wooded and wintry locale. There is a also wolf. But that’s where the similarities end.
I loved all the characters, especially Auntie Merry who was one totally awesome one hundred and six-year-old woman and Custos the wolf who immediately befriended Meridian. Meridian was a strong and sympathetic character and Tens was the perfect protector. And the baddie in this story was most definitely detestable.
And yes, I know,it’s geeky, but I loved the element of the one sixes � Meridian was sixteen (16), January 6 was a key date (1/6), and Auntie Merry was one hundred and six (106).
No, I did not sob my way through this book, but there may have been a tear or two. And I was completely rooting for Tens and Meridian as a couple.
There was no question I was going to re-read this book and I will most likely read it again before Wildcat Fireflies.
January 8, 2009
Summary: Tired of reading about faeries? Well how about reading about angels? "Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate's tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian's body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's a danger to her family and rushed off to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. It's there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos."
Review: I thought the development of Meridian’s power was great—taking baby steps. Some of the novels I have read show the character going from completely oblivious to this sudden surge of control and knowledge; not here though! This book gives off a much more realistic approach.
The relationship with the characters was also well done. I enjoyed reading the small scenes between the characters and the dialogue between them. Within these dialogues, background information was given. If you know me, I greatly appreciate it when an author gives background information. She gives you enough about the supernatural world for readers to understand but not too much to completely ruin the enjoyment of the story. In addition, small bits of character backgrounds are given. This gives the reader a much better feel and care for the characters, as well as the reasons behind their motives and actions.
Some parts to me were too predictable though. It felt that the suspense and ambiguity factor that the book tried to create…lacked, in a word. Many of the scenes I could have predicted in the very beginning—of course, the author did leave major hints behind, but it bores the readers to know the outcome of almost the entire storyline.
There were also some sections in the book that had me scratching my head. Where did this character pop up from? What just happened? And the ending was just one giant blur to me� maybe I just did not read it carefully enough?
One of my major issues has to be when Meridian actually got in a car with a stranger. Granted it was a taxi driver, but it definitely irked me that she can be so careless of herself. Every now and then there would be awkward moments where I just wanted to shout "What!?" In that sense, I was not confused but rather flabbergasted; "Where in the world did this come from!?" It all comes together in the end but, even after, I still cannot wrap my head around it. It can be easily interpreted as a scapegoat to create a forced happy ending. I am still very much peeved about this to this point.
Overall: A very nice book if you're bored; a good book overall, but nothing too spectacular. Still, definitely an enjoyable read if you're sick of faeries and want to try a different supernatural being.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's a danger to her family and rushed off to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. It's there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos."
Review: I thought the development of Meridian’s power was great—taking baby steps. Some of the novels I have read show the character going from completely oblivious to this sudden surge of control and knowledge; not here though! This book gives off a much more realistic approach.
The relationship with the characters was also well done. I enjoyed reading the small scenes between the characters and the dialogue between them. Within these dialogues, background information was given. If you know me, I greatly appreciate it when an author gives background information. She gives you enough about the supernatural world for readers to understand but not too much to completely ruin the enjoyment of the story. In addition, small bits of character backgrounds are given. This gives the reader a much better feel and care for the characters, as well as the reasons behind their motives and actions.
Some parts to me were too predictable though. It felt that the suspense and ambiguity factor that the book tried to create…lacked, in a word. Many of the scenes I could have predicted in the very beginning—of course, the author did leave major hints behind, but it bores the readers to know the outcome of almost the entire storyline.
There were also some sections in the book that had me scratching my head. Where did this character pop up from? What just happened? And the ending was just one giant blur to me� maybe I just did not read it carefully enough?
One of my major issues has to be when Meridian actually got in a car with a stranger. Granted it was a taxi driver, but it definitely irked me that she can be so careless of herself. Every now and then there would be awkward moments where I just wanted to shout "What!?" In that sense, I was not confused but rather flabbergasted; "Where in the world did this come from!?" It all comes together in the end but, even after, I still cannot wrap my head around it. It can be easily interpreted as a scapegoat to create a forced happy ending. I am still very much peeved about this to this point.
Overall: A very nice book if you're bored; a good book overall, but nothing too spectacular. Still, definitely an enjoyable read if you're sick of faeries and want to try a different supernatural being.
June 2, 2010
Reason for Reading: I was attracted to the angel aspect of the story as I enjoy paranormals involving angels.
When Meridian turns sixteen her family has planned for her to be whisked away to live with "Auntie" for an undermined amount of time. It is here that she learns that she is only half-human, the other half is angel. In fact she is a Fenestra, a window to the 'other side' that the dead seek out, if she is near, to make their passing easier. Auntie is also a Fenestra and Meridian has been brought here to learn how to open and close the window properly without getting sucked in herself. But time is short and their evil opponents, the Aternocti will do anything to destroy Auntie and Fenestra before the information can be passed on.
The premise of this story is very exciting and I feel the book could have been so much more than it was. The only character I really connected with Meridian herself, even though there were plenty of times when her behaviour didn't quite ring true. I'm of two minds when it comes to this book. I feel as though my words will make the book sound worse than it was because I really did enjoy the story, became quite caught up in the plot and read the book quickly.
Besides the lack of fully developed characters my main irritant with the book were the religious issues. The author went to great pains to repeatedly let Meridian know that in (the book's) world their is no Christianity. Meridian would ask questions about Heaven and would be given answers like religions have many names for it. She'd ask about God and be told "the Creators are known by many names". This type of thing is mentioned so much you are hit over the head with it. And yet, the bad guys are masquerading as Christians. We are told once at the beginning of the book, before we meet the bad guys, that they are a cult, after that they are simply referred to as Christians. However, throughout the entire book all the detailed descriptions of this group, their practices and church celebrations are all based on The Old Testament. The self-styled preacher quotes Biblical phrases often and there are notes for the reader to look them up (all Old Testament). There is no mention of Jesus or Christ, except once when someone mentions they voted to keep the Christ in Christmas. This just really irked me. The two issues together come across as being anti-Christian. This isn't the first I've run into this. If an author wants to make the bad guys a group of Christians, so be it, but at least have them follow the The New Testament where Christ is found i.e. the term "Christian". As far as I would say, 'Christians' who only follow the Old Testament would actually be Jewish.
Back to the story, remember I did say that overall I did enjoy it. It has a very strong beginning and the Fenestra creation, with the other mythos created around it is unique and interesting. The book ends satisfactorily but the two main characters are ready to set off for their future, making a sequel more than obvious. I would read a sequel should one be written.
When Meridian turns sixteen her family has planned for her to be whisked away to live with "Auntie" for an undermined amount of time. It is here that she learns that she is only half-human, the other half is angel. In fact she is a Fenestra, a window to the 'other side' that the dead seek out, if she is near, to make their passing easier. Auntie is also a Fenestra and Meridian has been brought here to learn how to open and close the window properly without getting sucked in herself. But time is short and their evil opponents, the Aternocti will do anything to destroy Auntie and Fenestra before the information can be passed on.
The premise of this story is very exciting and I feel the book could have been so much more than it was. The only character I really connected with Meridian herself, even though there were plenty of times when her behaviour didn't quite ring true. I'm of two minds when it comes to this book. I feel as though my words will make the book sound worse than it was because I really did enjoy the story, became quite caught up in the plot and read the book quickly.
Besides the lack of fully developed characters my main irritant with the book were the religious issues. The author went to great pains to repeatedly let Meridian know that in (the book's) world their is no Christianity. Meridian would ask questions about Heaven and would be given answers like religions have many names for it. She'd ask about God and be told "the Creators are known by many names". This type of thing is mentioned so much you are hit over the head with it. And yet, the bad guys are masquerading as Christians. We are told once at the beginning of the book, before we meet the bad guys, that they are a cult, after that they are simply referred to as Christians. However, throughout the entire book all the detailed descriptions of this group, their practices and church celebrations are all based on The Old Testament. The self-styled preacher quotes Biblical phrases often and there are notes for the reader to look them up (all Old Testament). There is no mention of Jesus or Christ, except once when someone mentions they voted to keep the Christ in Christmas. This just really irked me. The two issues together come across as being anti-Christian. This isn't the first I've run into this. If an author wants to make the bad guys a group of Christians, so be it, but at least have them follow the The New Testament where Christ is found i.e. the term "Christian". As far as I would say, 'Christians' who only follow the Old Testament would actually be Jewish.
Back to the story, remember I did say that overall I did enjoy it. It has a very strong beginning and the Fenestra creation, with the other mythos created around it is unique and interesting. The book ends satisfactorily but the two main characters are ready to set off for their future, making a sequel more than obvious. I would read a sequel should one be written.
January 4, 2016
Meine Meinung
Schon seit ihrer Geburt wird Meridian von Tod und Trauer verfolgt. Jeden Morgen wacht sie umgeben von toten Tieren auf und der Garten ihres Elternhauses gleicht einem Friedhof. Natürlich hat Meridian keine Freunde, den wer will schon mit jemanden befreundet sein, der so offensichtlich den Tod mit sich bringt?
Als Meridian 16 Jahre alt wird, beobachtet sie auf dem Nachhauseweg einen Autounfall. Ihre Eltern drücken ihre gerade noch so einen fertig gepackten Rucksack in die Hand und schicken sie zu ihrer Großtante. Dort angekommen lernt sie nicht nur Tens, ihren Wächter, kennen, sondern sie kommt auch hinter das Geheimnis ihrer Gabe. Meridian ist eine Fenestra, sie hat die Gabe sterbenden Geschöpfen ein Fenster in den Himmel zu öffnen. Meridian lehnt ihre Gabe zunächst ab, da sie den Tod nicht begrüßen, sondern bekämpfen will. Allerdings muss sie schnell lernen mit ihren Fähigkeiten umzugehen, denn wenn es Wesen gibt, die ein Fenster in den Himmel öffnen können, gibt es natürlich aus das gleiche für die Hölle und beide Seiten stehen sich im immerwährenden Krieg gegenüber.
Die Geschichte ist ungewöhnlich. Sie beschäftigt sich mit Tod und Trauer und der Natürlichkeit dieses Prozesses. Meridian, die in dem Buch als Ich-Erzählerin dient, kann ihre Gabe nur schwer annehmen, da der Tod sie abstößt. Kein Wunder, niemand hat es für nötig gehalten sie über ihre Gabe aufzuklären und so sieht sie sich selbst als Todesengel. Bei ihrer Großtante lernt sie jetzt im Schnelldurchlauf ihre Fähigkeiten kennen und wird noch dazu vom Feind bedroht. Dabei ist das Thema Tod gut für Jugendliche aufgearbeitet und verständlich ohne moralischen Dünkel dargelegt.
Die Sprache in dem Buch ist einfach und jugendgerecht gehalten. Leider haben sich hier und da ein paar Logikfehler in den Text eingeschlichen, die den Lesefluss erheblich stören. So wird Meridian in ein schreckliches Ereigniss verwickelt und beendet den Tag völlig erschöpft damit, dass ihr Wächter sie abduscht. Das nächste Kapitel beginnt damit, dass sie die Gerüche des Vortages noch an ihr haften, weil sie es nicht geschafft zu duschen. Solche Ungereihmtheiten treten im Verlauf des Buch desöfteren auf.
Die Charaktere bis auf Meridian blieben leider etwas flach für mich. Besonders ihren Gegenspieler hätte ich etwas mehr Tiefe, ja ein bisschen mehr Boshaftigkeit gewünscht, damit mich die Geschichte auch gefühlsmäßig abholt. Durch die fehlende Ausarbeitung der Nebendarsteller, bleibt auch die Liebesgeschichte für mich oberflächlich und konnte mich emotional nicht packen.
Fazit:
Meridian ist ein Buch mit einer faszienierenden Idee. Das Thema Tod wird hier aufgegriffen und von vielen Seiten beleuchtet, so dass insbesondere junge Leser den ein oder anderen hilfreichen Gedanken werden mitnehmen können. Leider strotz das Buch vor Logikfehlern und auch die Charaktere sind nicht gerade ausgearbeitet. Das Ende des Buches kam mit großen Knalleffekt daher und wirkte ebenfalls etwas aufgesetzt. Insgesamt gebe ich dem Buch drei Sterne.
Schon seit ihrer Geburt wird Meridian von Tod und Trauer verfolgt. Jeden Morgen wacht sie umgeben von toten Tieren auf und der Garten ihres Elternhauses gleicht einem Friedhof. Natürlich hat Meridian keine Freunde, den wer will schon mit jemanden befreundet sein, der so offensichtlich den Tod mit sich bringt?
Als Meridian 16 Jahre alt wird, beobachtet sie auf dem Nachhauseweg einen Autounfall. Ihre Eltern drücken ihre gerade noch so einen fertig gepackten Rucksack in die Hand und schicken sie zu ihrer Großtante. Dort angekommen lernt sie nicht nur Tens, ihren Wächter, kennen, sondern sie kommt auch hinter das Geheimnis ihrer Gabe. Meridian ist eine Fenestra, sie hat die Gabe sterbenden Geschöpfen ein Fenster in den Himmel zu öffnen. Meridian lehnt ihre Gabe zunächst ab, da sie den Tod nicht begrüßen, sondern bekämpfen will. Allerdings muss sie schnell lernen mit ihren Fähigkeiten umzugehen, denn wenn es Wesen gibt, die ein Fenster in den Himmel öffnen können, gibt es natürlich aus das gleiche für die Hölle und beide Seiten stehen sich im immerwährenden Krieg gegenüber.
Die Geschichte ist ungewöhnlich. Sie beschäftigt sich mit Tod und Trauer und der Natürlichkeit dieses Prozesses. Meridian, die in dem Buch als Ich-Erzählerin dient, kann ihre Gabe nur schwer annehmen, da der Tod sie abstößt. Kein Wunder, niemand hat es für nötig gehalten sie über ihre Gabe aufzuklären und so sieht sie sich selbst als Todesengel. Bei ihrer Großtante lernt sie jetzt im Schnelldurchlauf ihre Fähigkeiten kennen und wird noch dazu vom Feind bedroht. Dabei ist das Thema Tod gut für Jugendliche aufgearbeitet und verständlich ohne moralischen Dünkel dargelegt.
Die Sprache in dem Buch ist einfach und jugendgerecht gehalten. Leider haben sich hier und da ein paar Logikfehler in den Text eingeschlichen, die den Lesefluss erheblich stören. So wird Meridian in ein schreckliches Ereigniss verwickelt und beendet den Tag völlig erschöpft damit, dass ihr Wächter sie abduscht. Das nächste Kapitel beginnt damit, dass sie die Gerüche des Vortages noch an ihr haften, weil sie es nicht geschafft zu duschen. Solche Ungereihmtheiten treten im Verlauf des Buch desöfteren auf.
Die Charaktere bis auf Meridian blieben leider etwas flach für mich. Besonders ihren Gegenspieler hätte ich etwas mehr Tiefe, ja ein bisschen mehr Boshaftigkeit gewünscht, damit mich die Geschichte auch gefühlsmäßig abholt. Durch die fehlende Ausarbeitung der Nebendarsteller, bleibt auch die Liebesgeschichte für mich oberflächlich und konnte mich emotional nicht packen.
Fazit:
Meridian ist ein Buch mit einer faszienierenden Idee. Das Thema Tod wird hier aufgegriffen und von vielen Seiten beleuchtet, so dass insbesondere junge Leser den ein oder anderen hilfreichen Gedanken werden mitnehmen können. Leider strotz das Buch vor Logikfehlern und auch die Charaktere sind nicht gerade ausgearbeitet. Das Ende des Buches kam mit großen Knalleffekt daher und wirkte ebenfalls etwas aufgesetzt. Insgesamt gebe ich dem Buch drei Sterne.
September 28, 2016
La idea esta bien pero ahora puedo afirmar 100% que los libros de fantasia no son lo mio. Para lo corto y rapido de leer que es, se me ha hecho infumable.
November 21, 2022
First things first, this book was simply one word; AMAZING. I literally could not put this book down. All her life Meridian Sozu has been an outcast and loser. Why do people think she is strange? Animals have always died around her. She never knew why, but they did. She just grew up assuming there is something wrong with her and that she is a freak. Her whole life changes on her sixteenth birthday. After a major accident her parents, knowing she is a danger to herself as well as them, put her on a bus and send her off to an Aunt’s home she has never met face to face. After a long and dangerous journey she finally makes it to her one hundred-six-year old Auntie’s home in Revelation, Colorado. There she mets Tens, a handsome teenager, who lives at the home taking care of her Aunite, as well as Custos, Tens� wolf/pet who immediately has a liking for Meridian.
Meridian soon learns that she, as well as her Aunite, are Fenestras; a half-angel, half-human who is the “window� between the living and the dead. Tens, her protector by fate, go from disliking in the beginning to blooming to something else as the story goes on.
This story was definitely nothing close to a clique romance. There was danger, action, and a plot that represents good vs. evil. The first main issue of the story is the small town they are in, Revelations, Colorado. This whole town is practically a religious style cult (for lack of a better term). Everything seems perfect in the town thanks to Reverend Perimo, a man who showed up out of nowhere and turned the town into “perfection�. However he may not be exactly what everyone thinks he is and is slowly turning the town against Meridian and her Auntie. The second issue is of the Aternocti who are the evil forms of Fenestra’s with higher strength and numbers due to the low numbers of Fenestra’s left. They have targeted Meridian and want her to be one of them.
What I loved most about this book was its originality. It was nowhere similar to any young adult paranormal book I have ever read. Another thing I loved was how Meridian could take care of herself if she wanted to. She was not a weak helpless female main character, however at times she needed a little assistance from Tens. It was overall one of the best books I have read in a while, and I would suggest it to anyone.
P.S. I am not sure, but I have heard from many people that this book is a possible series, so I will be crossing my fingers awaiting the next addition to this wonderful book.
Rating: 5 stars
Meridian soon learns that she, as well as her Aunite, are Fenestras; a half-angel, half-human who is the “window� between the living and the dead. Tens, her protector by fate, go from disliking in the beginning to blooming to something else as the story goes on.
This story was definitely nothing close to a clique romance. There was danger, action, and a plot that represents good vs. evil. The first main issue of the story is the small town they are in, Revelations, Colorado. This whole town is practically a religious style cult (for lack of a better term). Everything seems perfect in the town thanks to Reverend Perimo, a man who showed up out of nowhere and turned the town into “perfection�. However he may not be exactly what everyone thinks he is and is slowly turning the town against Meridian and her Auntie. The second issue is of the Aternocti who are the evil forms of Fenestra’s with higher strength and numbers due to the low numbers of Fenestra’s left. They have targeted Meridian and want her to be one of them.
What I loved most about this book was its originality. It was nowhere similar to any young adult paranormal book I have ever read. Another thing I loved was how Meridian could take care of herself if she wanted to. She was not a weak helpless female main character, however at times she needed a little assistance from Tens. It was overall one of the best books I have read in a while, and I would suggest it to anyone.
P.S. I am not sure, but I have heard from many people that this book is a possible series, so I will be crossing my fingers awaiting the next addition to this wonderful book.
Rating: 5 stars
November 19, 2010
Keeping an open mind about MERIDIAN, I do have to admit that it was terribly original. The new ideas, the new supernaturals, the new EVERYTHING was what kept me reading. Because it certainly wasn't Meridian or her "guardian", Tens. No, I read this for its uniqueness.
I'm sure that you have gathered by now that I didn't exactly love MERIDIAN. No, although the beginning was interesting and attractive, this book slowly turned into a bunch of boring scenes that kept the small cast of characters at home, trying to figure something out that I still didn't quite understand when I flipped the book shut. Even though the plot spiraled upwards in the beginning, sometimes you need to spin into smaller, semi-plots. (I think I just said "plot" five times.)
Meridian wasn't special to me - she wasn't very funny, she didn't do much, she didn't strike me as compassionate or kick-ass or dangerous. Or soft. She struck me as a meaningless person and totally unlike everybody I've ever met - everyone has an interesting quality. Thinking back, I don't think Kizer really wanted a character that others would be mad at or could find mistakes in. That's a problem because EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING does something that not everybody appreciates. Part of traveling a journey is to make bad decisions and false accusations. Meridian did none of that, and I didn't really feel as if she grew throughout the book.
At first, Tens was adorable. I loved him. As I progressed through the novel though, like the plot (oops, that word again!) Tens started to drop from who he first showed us he was and started to fall into the pattern that almost EVERY. SINGLE. AUTHOR. CREATES. I was shown NO EVIDENCE of how Tens and Meridian were in love. God, I hate that. Not naming names, but a bunch of other writers do that and I wonder how they'd reflect, reading their work as if it was the work of someone else. And then, near the end of the book, his lines started to drop to nothing and he became the dull, somewhat sweet boy-toy again. More or less, I didn't like him very much.
Auntie. Who calls someone who ISN'T your aunt...Auntie? Honestly, I felt like slapping any and everyone who called her that. CHARLES! Seriously, guys? SERIOUSLY?
I know there is another FENESTRA coming out sometime next year. Will I read it, hoping it'll be a redeemer? Maybe. Maybe I'll reread this again, looking for love, and will find it.
But I doubt it.
I'm sure that you have gathered by now that I didn't exactly love MERIDIAN. No, although the beginning was interesting and attractive, this book slowly turned into a bunch of boring scenes that kept the small cast of characters at home, trying to figure something out that I still didn't quite understand when I flipped the book shut. Even though the plot spiraled upwards in the beginning, sometimes you need to spin into smaller, semi-plots. (I think I just said "plot" five times.)
Meridian wasn't special to me - she wasn't very funny, she didn't do much, she didn't strike me as compassionate or kick-ass or dangerous. Or soft. She struck me as a meaningless person and totally unlike everybody I've ever met - everyone has an interesting quality. Thinking back, I don't think Kizer really wanted a character that others would be mad at or could find mistakes in. That's a problem because EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING does something that not everybody appreciates. Part of traveling a journey is to make bad decisions and false accusations. Meridian did none of that, and I didn't really feel as if she grew throughout the book.
At first, Tens was adorable. I loved him. As I progressed through the novel though, like the plot (oops, that word again!) Tens started to drop from who he first showed us he was and started to fall into the pattern that almost EVERY. SINGLE. AUTHOR. CREATES. I was shown NO EVIDENCE of how Tens and Meridian were in love. God, I hate that. Not naming names, but a bunch of other writers do that and I wonder how they'd reflect, reading their work as if it was the work of someone else. And then, near the end of the book, his lines started to drop to nothing and he became the dull, somewhat sweet boy-toy again. More or less, I didn't like him very much.
Auntie. Who calls someone who ISN'T your aunt...Auntie? Honestly, I felt like slapping any and everyone who called her that. CHARLES! Seriously, guys? SERIOUSLY?
I know there is another FENESTRA coming out sometime next year. Will I read it, hoping it'll be a redeemer? Maybe. Maybe I'll reread this again, looking for love, and will find it.
But I doubt it.
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