“The paper slid smoothly over my cheeks and along the bridge of my nose until it covered my eyes. The letters were far too close up to read. They swam before my eyes, melting into an inky whirlpool. They swirled around each other; they changed shape. Words flexed and twisted apart to form bushes and foliage. And then they came pattering down like raindrops: a shower of words raining down on me.”
Title: The Book Jumper
Author: Mechthild Gläser
Series: Standalone
Publication: January 3rd 2017 by Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 371
Source: Library
Summary from Goodreads:
Amy Lennox doesn’t know quite what to expect when she and her mother pick up and leave Germany for Scotland, heading to her mother’s childhood home of Lennox House on the island of Stormsay.
Amy’s grandmother, Lady Mairead, insists that Amy must read while she resides at Lennox House—but not in the usual way. Amy learns that she is a book jumper, able to leap into a story and interact with the world inside. As thrilling as Amy’s new power is, it also brings danger: someone is stealing from the books she visits, and that person may be after her life. Teaming up with fellow book jumper Will, Amy vows to get to the bottom of the thefts—at whatever the cost.
My Thoughts:
The above gif is a representation of me while I was reading this masterpiece/trainwreck/ amazing/ dissapointing adventure of a book. I have such a love hate relationship with this book right now. I WANTED to fall head over heels in love with The Book Jumper. I mean, the whole premise is a girl who can jump into the stories she reads. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I want to jump into my favorite books and meet my heroes, though I probably wouldn’t last a week. However, the amazing premise and original idea and execution couldn’t make up for the severe lack of character and world building.
I wanted to like this book so badly it’s borderline ridiculous. I was excited, and then I just felt like The Book Jumper was a huge let down in its overall package. The cover is gorgeous, the writing is beautiful, and the whole idea of it is enchanting. However, there was a distinct lack of connection both to the world and the characters themselves. The only reason I liked Amy, the main character, was because of her love of reading – and, sadly, that’s not enough to make her a compelling character. There were moments when I saw myself in her, but it simply wasn’t enough to make her come to life for me. It was almost like I was being fed exactly what I wanted to hear, but there was no substance to it underneath.
Now, the driving plot was wonderful. I will admit to longing to be a part of it. However, the thrown in clan feud, the lack of world building, and the rushed pacing of the book diminished the ‘wow’ effect the plot originally had on me. I mean, it’s kind of hard to fall head first into a book – despite how much you want to sink into it – when there is nothing beyond the surface words. There was no umph! It made me so angry. I felt like a disappointed parent or something.
Long story short, my lovely readers, The Book Jumper is the epitome of what happens when book hype and personal excitement well exceed the book itself. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading it. How could I not when the main character jumped into book worlds? But that was about the only part that captured me the way I needed to be. The Book Jumper is fun and it is very, very imaginative, but it is also lacking in the execution aspect – and that took away from the whole experience.
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