I am so so pleased to be a part of this International Blog Tour hosted by Penguin Random House International as a #partner. My post was supposed to go up yesterday but because I was very very sick, I simply wasn't able to complete designing the quote graphics you'll find below for this post and hence, wasn't able to post!
Still, despite the day long delay, I hope you enjoy my review and graphics for this AMAZING book, and once again, thank you to PRH International for the free book for this tour.
Title: The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik
Author: David Arnold
Publication Date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: Viking Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books
Blurb Description: This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.
Then Noah → gets hypnotized.
Now Noah → sees changes—inexplicable scars, odd behaviors, rewritten histories—in all those around him. All except his Strange Fascinations . . .
The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is hilarious,
and whimsical, and bizarre, and quirky and reading it was a wild ride that I
questioned at times, but ultimately fell in love with.
And yet, if I had to describe this book in just one word, it
would have to be STRANGE. (I mean the title already tells you that, but yes,
THIS BOOK IS STRANGE.)
Let’s break this down:
THINGS I LOVED
ABOUT THIS BOOK:
1. David Arnold’s writing: If David Arnold’s
writing wasn’t as quirky and bizarre and just in general, as STRANGELY ELOQUENT
as the plot itself, this entire book would have fallen flat for me. I
absolutely loved the way he found connections within the most unconnected
things, brought out the teenage experience and made me laugh out loud and shake
my head in wonder at the same time. THIS BOOK HAS SOME SERIOUSLY PECULIAR YET
STUNNING WRITING.
2. All the Concise Histories: This could
probably be a part of David Arnold’s writing (^), but I
thought it was worth
mentioning separately. I absolutely loved how this book’s narrator, Noah,
created these ‘concise histories’ connecting himself to the world at large
through seemingly random dates and pieces of information.
3. Alan and Val: IF THESE AREN’T THE BEST
PAIR OF BEST FRIENDS/ TWINS EVER, I DON’T KNOW WHO IS (Par only to Fred and
George Weasley.) I loved Alan and Val as individuals, as siblings and even as
friends to Noah. They were all kinds of awesome.
4. Penny (AKA THE MOST ADORABLE SISTER EVER): I
ABSOLUTELY ADORE SEEING LITTLE SIBLINGS IN BOOKS. And Penny, with her Audrey
Hepburn phase, her overuse of the word ‘darling’ and her daring,
up-for-anything attitude.
THINGS I THOUGHT
COULD’VE BEEN BETTER:
1. NOAH: This is probably the most
unfortunate part of the book, because Noah is the MAIN CHARACTER.
Unfortunately, he was the thing I liked least about this book. SURE, it’s a
coming of age, finding-yourself kind of book, but Noah ‘Hypnotik’ was an A
SELF-CENTRED IDIOT AND UGH I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO LIKE HIM. He was so
wrapped up in his own pain and ‘problems’ and his ‘strange fascinations; that he failed
to look at the consequences for:
a)
His little
sister (LEAVING HER ALONE IN A PARKING LOT OF A BAR FOR 2AM SO HE COULD TALK
TO A WASHED UP MUSICIAN?)
b)
His
parents (make two GENUINE, KIND HEARTED ADULTS who struggle a little to
make ends meet PAY FOR FLIGHT TICKETS TO NEW YORK TO ‘VISIT’ A COLLEGE HE HAS
NO INTENTION OF GOING TO? JUST SO HE CAN MEET SOME RANDOM WOMAN?
c)
His best
friends (Ignoring, ghosting and the works)
2. NOAH: See above^
3. NOAH: Kindly refer to #1
So, that’s it. IF
I had like the protagonist better, this would definitely have been a five star
read for me, but at the end of the day, I really did like The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik.
David Arnold lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his (lovely) wife and (boisterous) son. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik; his books have been translated into over a dozen languages. Learn more at davidarnoldbooks.com and follow him on Twitter @roofbeam and Instagram @iamdavidarnold.
Have you read any of David Arnold's books? What do you think of them?
I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on my quote graphics, if you can spare a moment!
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